Page:Records of the Life of the Rev. John Murray.djvu/26

16 garden, which constituted one of the first pleasures of my life; in fact, the cultivation of fruits, and flowers, has, in every period of my existence, continued to me a prime source of enjoyment. My paternal grandmother was the Lady Bountiful of the parish; having made it her study, she became an adept in the distillation of simples, she had a very large garden adjoining to my father's, and she cultivated an amazing variety of plants. As I was her favourite assistant, she gradually obtained my father's permission, that I should appropriate to her a large part of my time, and the hours which I consequently devoted to this venerable lady, in her garden, and in her habitation, were to me halcyon hours. It was my study to enrich her grounds with every choice herb, or flower, which met my gaze, and I was ever on the alert to collect plants of the most rare description. This was confessedly an innocent amusement; it would bear reflection, and was therefore delightful. Alas! alas! it was too replete with felicity to be continued. I was soon compelled to relinquish my pleasant occupation. My father found it necessary to remove from the neighbourhood of his mother, and her garden no more bloomed for me.

We were speedily established in the vicinity of a nobleman's seat, in which was instituted an academy of high reputation. It was under the direction of an Episcopalian clergyman, who, being well acquainted with, and much attached to my father, had frequent opportunities of hearing me recite many chapters from the bible, which I had committed to memory, and becoming fond of me, he earnestly importuned my father to surrender me up to his care. "He shall live in my family," said he; "he shall be unto me as a son, I will instruct him, and when opportunity offers, he shall become a member of the University: he has a prodigious memory, his understanding needs only to be opened, when he will make the most rapid progress." But my father, trembling for my spiritual interest, if removed from his guardian care, returned to this liberal proposal the most unqualified negative, and my writing-master immediately sought, and obtained the situation for his son, who was about my age. In this academy many noblemen's sons were qualified for Trinity College, Dublin, and in a few years one of those ennobled students, selected my fortunate schoolmate as a companion; he passed through Trinity College, and received its honours, from which period I never again beheld him, until I saw him in a pulpit in the city of London.

Though my social propensities, at every period of my life greatly predominated, yet the close attention paid me by my father, greatly