having at this time broken out with France, commenced inauspiciously for England, as many have done in which she was ultimately destined to triumph over her rival. The miscarriages of the war being imputed to the weakness and misconduct of Ministry, his Majesty called to preside over his councils one under whom, he was convinced, disasters could not arise from that cause. In 1757 Mr. Pitt was made Secretary of State, and the following year manifested the vigour and efficacy of his administration, by success in various parts of the globe. Hitherto, however, British efforts were only prelusive. The greatest plans of the Minister had not yet time to be fully ripened for execution. The most beneficial and glorious effects of his counsels were reserved for 1759; a year in which, as every historical reader must know, a greater impression was made on the continental, naval, and colonial power of France, than during any former period.

The same year in which the genius and energy of Mr. Pitt were exerted so effectually to humble the pride, repress the ambition, and reduce the power of the ancient enemy of England, gave to his country a son, intended by Providence to humble the infinitely more insolent pride, to repress the much more profligately extra vagant ambition, and to reduce the much more dangerously exorbitant power of the Gallic foe.

May 28th, 1759, was born to Mr. Pitt a second son, who received his father's name, William.

Mr. Pitt formed a high opinion of the genius of William, when very young; as the son's understanding unfolded itself, the father's hopes became more sanguine. That such a mind as he saw the boy to possess might receive an adequate culture, he caused him to be educated under his own immediate inspection. The facility with which the young scholar learned the lessons presented him, the accuracy with which he retained them, pleased his parent much. His comprehen sion of their subjects, his reflections on, and reasonings from them, pleased the parent more. When William was in the tenth year of his age, the feebleness and inconsistency of those with whom his father (now Earl Chatham) had been joined in administration com. pelled him to resign an office, in which the counsels of wisdom were by caprice and instability rendered unavailing. From this time shis Lordship retired for ever from ministerial situations, and had the more leisure to superintend a tuition, from which he daily rose in his expectation of the most important effects. Still occupied by partiu mentary business, advanced in years, and oppressed with bodily in firmities, he tutored and directed the genius of his favourite son. The

powers of the understanding as well as the dispositions of the heart, Lord Chatham well knew, owed their determination, in a considerable degree, to exercise so often repeated as to produce habit. The intellectual exercises in which his Lordship principally employed Williain respected the acquirement of knowledge, the improvement of faculties, and the formation of habits. The knowledge for which the youth was first chiefly distinguished was of the classical authors, history, and the English language. His knowledge of the Greek and Roman authors he first acquired under the care of a private tutor at Burton Pynsent, his father's country-seat. To strengthen and en large his memory, as well as afford materials for the exertion of his judgment, his Lordship required a minute and accurate account of the facts or fictions, the characters, real or imaginary, which he had been last studying. Thence he naturally proceeded to the exercise of a higher power than mere recollection, and examined his son on the force or feebleness of the reasonings, the rectitude or wickedness of the motives, the wisdom or folly of the plans, the good or evil of the actions, their actual and probable consequences, the merit or demerit of the characters. He inculcated precision of thought and full investigation, as the only genuine source of just argument and beneficial conclusion. He accustomed him to utter his thoughts and sentiments readily; both to acquire facility of expression, and to afford to his instructor an opportunity of correcting what he found erroneous: but as a great object of his intellectual education was to make him a strong and profound reasoner, the wise Earl Chatham was far from prompting or encouraging the indiscriminate effusion of whatever a youth might conceive or feel; a practice which may, perhaps, have tended to render another personage, of also very extraordinary abilities, frequently inaccurate in his reasonings, and prone to give judgment without having thoroughly examined the

case.

}. His father himself often entered into argumentation with him, and prompted him to argue with others on subjects beyond the usual knowledge and comprehension of his years. In these contentions he pressed him with difficulties, and would never suffer the discussion to cease until the matter at issue was thoroughly determined. He taught him also to reply readily to unexpected objections, one of the most difficult exercises of eloquence, which requires not only perfect acquaintance with the subject and its relations, but the instantaneous use of the reasoning powers, in applying its knowledge to solve the proposed intricacies, and remove the difficulties.

Many parents and tutors, in such a case, would be satisfied with mere ingenuity of reply, and display of invention in forming some plausible hypothesis. That by no means contented Lord Chatham. He res quired a solution of objections, by pertinent facts and sound reason ing. The last mentioned exercise assisted in producing the astonishing excellence of Mr. Pitt in replies; an excellence not inseparably attached to consummate genius; as may be seen in some instances of living orators. William, from the force and comprehensiveness of his intellect, joined to the superintendance and precepts of his father, as his faculties advanced towards maturity, became eminent among all who knew him, not only for penetrating into the nature of a subject, but for viewing it in its various relations, unravelling its complexities, distinguishing the conclusions and effects to which either the separate parts or the joint result might lead. He early formed one of the most beneficial habits which an understanding can contract,―a habit of INDUCTION, or of thoroughly examining particulars before he ad mitted a general principle in any new case; and when he did admit a principle, he accustomed himself to consider it in its application to the circumstances and situations, and not to receive it implicitly, and without the proper limits and qualifications. Perhaps, indeed, there is not a more striking difference between the reasonings of the personage before us and his great opponent, than in the extent in which each adopts a general principle. The former squares it to the case, the latter often takes it in a much greater latitude than will apply to the case. This difference, however, respects the appositeness of the means to the end. Mr. Pitt not only formed a habit of just and apposite reasoning, but of reasoning to the point at issue, and to no other. To this appropriation, the studies to which, from his father's recommendation, and his own choice, Mr. Pitt devoted a considerable part of his time were peculiarly subservient. He applied himself with great assiduity to mathematics; and while, by geometry, he improved himself in clearness of argument and precision of thought, he, by algebraical exercises, increased the natural facility with which he invented or discovered proofs. Persevering industry accompanied and assisted the endowments of genius; his progress in erudition

From the neglect of this bounded direction of argument, the speeches of one of the most learned and wisest men that ever adorned any senate were often so digressive as to be necessarily tedious to men met for the purpose of expediting public business; however amusing, entertaining, and delightful the digressions might be at hours of leisure and recreation.

and science was uncommon. His moral qualities and habits greatly facilitated the operations of his intellec: he was untainted by the dissipation which often diverts to improper objects the force of very great minds; and by that debauchery which precludes confident reliance on the exertions of its votaries, however extraordinary their genius may be, and even weakens the faculties themselves. He had a firmness of temper which steadily pursued what he per ceived to be right; and adhered to his plans of conduct, undisturbed by the ridicule of trivolity, and unseduced by the allurements of vice.'* . Mr. Pitt, from the instruction of his father, his own reading, observation, and reflection, was very early conversant with general ethics, jurisprudence, and politics. Extensively acquainted with the history, and deeply skilled in the science of government, he considered the laws and constitution of England with peculiar care. He learned from his father, and saw himself, that it was the system of polity the most completely adapted to the circumstances and character of Britons; and that, therefore, its preservation must be the ardent wish of every one who desired the welfare and happiness of this country. He read the parliamentary debates with the closest attention and the warmest interest, especially those on constitutional points.

His father, when he was a boy, predicted that he would be the first man in the senate, whether in administration or not; and if a * Minister, that he must be the Premier.'

One day that a very important question was to be agitated in the House of Commons, a friend belonging to that body, calling on Lord Chatham, proposed to take his two sons to hear the debates. * You may take John, but pray do not let William be of the party, for if he hears any arguments of which he does not approve, he will rise up to controvert them; and young as he is, let me tell you, my friend, he has not, even in that able assembly, many equals in know. ledge, reasoning, and eloquence.'

i

"Mr. Pitt made so uncommon a proficiency in the various studieswhich his father recommended, that he was sent from the tuition of his ent lightened and worthy instructor, Dr. Wilson, to Pembroke College, Cambridge. His first tutor was Mr. Turner, a very respectable scholar. The youth made so rapid progress that his reverend preceptor was astonished; and often used to say he could not keep pace with him.

L

Sce Life of Burke, p. 353

He rose very early each morning to his studies; in summer he break fasted at seven, and at eight in winter. He not only applied himself with extraordinary vigour and success to the classics and mathematics, but to many other branches. While geometrical processes, strengthened his habits of profound thinking, close and precise reasoning, Algebra increased the natural force and rapidity of his argumentative powers, and quickened the exercise of his talents for calculation in particular, and the ready invention of proofs in general.

Mr. Prettyman, eminently qualified by his learning and abilities to assist such a young man in the studies chiefly attended to at Cambridge was appointed his private tutor. With that gentleman, Mr. Turner, and other men of experience, knowledge, and science, he generally associated. Accustomed thus to converse with men, with whom, from his powers and acquirements, he was qualified to reap the full advantage of theirs, his understanding became sooner mature and fit for practical affairs, than if he had chiefly consorted with young men, from whom, so superior was he himself, he could have derived less intellectual benefit. The same cause must have probably increased his natural firmness, and made it operate with great effect, at an age of usual unsteadiness.

In addition to those mental exercises above-mentioned Lord Chatham drew out a plan of study conformable to his son's powers, acquirements, and destination. The work which he enjoined most earnestly for the student's perusal was Thucydides. With Tacitus he knew his son was already intimately acquainted, and his thorough knowledge of the Greek language enabled him, with ease, to read the most forcible and profound of Grecian historians: and conversancy with the history and political philosophy of Greece made him fully competent to the comprehension of the whole of that author's wisdom.

The distinguishing characteristics of Thucydides render him a most congenial and beneficial auxiliary to such a mind, Strong, penetrating, comprehensive, and profound, Thucydides gives the reader full and exact information; shews him the advantages or dis advantages of operations, plans, and measures; and makes him master of the subject. He not only attains his end, but attains it by direc effort, without digression or any extraneous matter. Though he lived at an age when the operation and extent of political cause was very far from being understood so well as in modern times, and indeed in later periods of antiquity, yet, from his experience and observation, from the Athenian and neighbouring republics, he had