the life of william carey-第2节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


rey's　time　it　was　held　by　the　second　Earl　Bathurst；　who　was　Lord　Chancellor。　　Up　to　the　very　schoolhouse　came　the　royal　forest　of　Whittlebury；　its　walks　leading　north　to　the　woods　of　Salcey；　of　Yardley　Chase　and　Rockingham；　from　the　beeches　which　give　Buckingham　its　name。　　Carey　must　have　often　sat　under　the　Queen's　Oak；　still　venerable　in　its　riven　form；　where　Edward　IV。；　when　hunting；　first　saw　Elizabeth；　unhappy　mother　of　the　two　princes　murdered　in　the　Tower。　　The　silent　robbery　of　the　people's　rights　called　〃inclosures〃　has　done　much；　before　and　since　Carey's　time；　to　sweep　away　or　shut　up　the　woodlands。　　The　country　may　be　less　beautiful；　while　the　population　has　grown　so　that　Paulerspury　has　now　nearly　double　the　eight　hundred　inhabitants　of　a　century　ago。　But　its　oolitic　hills；　gently　swelling　to　above　700　feet；　and　the　valleys　of　the　many　rivers　which　flow　from　this　central　watershed；　west　and　east；　are　covered　with　fat　vegetation　almost　equally　divided　between　grass　and　corn；　with　green　crops。　　The　many　large　estates　are　rich　in　gardens　and　orchards。　　The　farmers；　chiefly　on　small　holdings；　are　famous　for　their　shorthorns　and　Leicester　sheep。　Except　for　the　rapidly…developing　production　of　iron　from　the　Lias；　begun　by　the　Romans；　there　is　but　one　manufacturethat　of　shoes。　It　is　now　centred　by　modern　machinery　and　labour　arrangements　in　Northampton　itself；　which　has　24；000　shoemakers；　and　in　the　other　towns；　but　a　century　ago　the　craft　was　common　to　every　hamlet。　　For　botany　and　agriculture；　however；　Northamptonshire　was　the　finest　county　in　England；　and　young　Carey　had　trodden　many　a　mile　of　it；　as　boy　and　man；　before　he　left　home　for　ever　for　Bengal。

Two　unfinished　autobiographical　sketches；　written　from　India　at　the　request　of　Fuller　and　of　Ryland；　and　letters　of　his　youngest　sister　Mary；　his　favourite　〃Polly〃　who　survived　him；　have　preserved　for　us　in　still　vivid　characters　the　details　of　the　early　training　of　William　Carey。　　He　was　the　eldest　of　five　children。　　He　was　the　special　care　of　their　grandmother；　a　woman　of　a　delicate　nature　and　devout　habits；　who　closed　her　sad　widowhood　in　the　weaver…son's　cottage。　　Encompassed　by　such　a　living　influence　the　grandson　spent　his　first　six　years。　　Already　the　child　unconsciously　showed　the　eager　thirst　for　knowledge；　and　perseverance　in　attaining　his　object；　which　made　him　chiefly　what　he　became。　　His　mother　would　often　be　awoke　in　the　night　by　the　pleasant　lisping　of　a　voice　〃casting　accompts；　so　intent　was　he　from　childhood　in　the　pursuit　of　knowledge。　　Whatever　he　began　he　finished；　difficulties　never　seemed　to　discourage　his　mind。〃　　On　removal　to　the　ancestral　schoolhouse　the　boy　had　a　room　to　himself。　　His　sister　describes　it　as　full　of　insects　stuck　in　every　corner　that　he　might　observe　their　progress。　His　many　birds　he　entrusted　to　her　care　when　he　was　from　home。　　In　this　picture　we　see　the　exact　foreshadowing　of　the　man。　〃Though　I　often　used　to　kill　his　birds　by　kindness；　yet　when　he　saw　my　grief　for　it　he　always　indulged　me　with　the　pleasure　of　serving　them　again；　and　often　took　me　over　the　dirtiest　roads　to　get　at　a　plant　or　an　insect。　　He　never　walked　out；　I　think；　when　quite　a　boy；　without　observation　on　the　hedges　as　he　passed；　and　when　he　took　up　a　plant　of　any　kind　he　always　observed　it　with　care。　　Though　I　was　but　a　child　I　well　remember　his　pursuits。　　He　always　seemed　in　earnest　in　his　recreations　as　well　as　in　school。　　He　was　generally　one　of　the　most　active　in　all　the　amusements　and　recreations　that　boys　in　general　pursue。　　He　was　always　beloved　by　the　boys　about　his　own　age。〃　　To　climb　a　certain　tree　was　the　object　of　their　ambition；　he　fell　often　in　the　attempt；　but　did　not　rest　till　he　had　succeeded。　　His　Uncle　Peter　was　a　gardener　in　the　same　village；　and　gave　him　his　first　lessons　in　botany　and　horticulture。　　He　soon　became　responsible　for　his　father's　official　garden；　till　it　was　the　best　kept　in　the　neighbourhood。　　Wherever　after　that　he　lived；　as　boy　or　man；　poor　or　in　comfort；　William　Carey　made　and　perfected　his　garden；　and　always　for　others；　until　he　created　at　Serampore　the　botanical　park　which　for　more　than　half　a　century　was　unique　in　Southern　Asia。

We　have　in　a　letter　from　the　Manse；　Paulerspury；　a　tradition　of　the　impression　made　on　the　dull　rustics　by　the　dawning　genius　of　the　youth　whom　they　but　dimly　comprehended。　　He　went　amongst　them　under　the　nickname　of　Columbus；　and　they　would　say；　〃Well；　if　you　won't　play；　preach　us　a　sermon；〃　which　he　would　do。　　Mounting　on　an　old　dwarf　witch…elm　about　seven　feet　high；　where　several　could　sit；　he　would　hold　forth。　　This　seems　to　have　been　a　resort　of　his　for　reading；　his　favourite　occupation。　　The　same　authority　tells　how；　when　suffering　toothache；　he　allowed　his　companions　to　drag　the　tooth　from　his　head　with　a　violent　jerk；　by　tying　around　it　a　string　attached　to　a　wheel　used　to　grind　malt；　to　which　they　gave　a　sharp　turn。

The　boy's　own　peculiar　room　was　a　little　library　as　well　as　museum　of　natural　history。　　He　possessed　a　few　books；　which　indeed　were　many　for　those　days；　but　he　borrowed　more　from　the　whole　country…side。　　Recalling　the　eight　years　of　his　intellectual　apprenticeship　till　he　was　fourteen；　from　the　serene　height　of　his　missionary　standard；　he　wrote　long　after：〃I　chose　to　read　books　of　science；　history；　voyages；　etc。；　more　than　any　others。　　Novels　and　plays　always　disgusted　me；　and　I　avoided　them　as　much　as　I　did　books　of　religion；　and　perhaps　from　the　same　motive。　　I　was　better　pleased　with　romances；　and　this　circumstance　made　me　read　the　Pilgrim's　Progress　with　eagerness；　though　to　no　purpose。〃　　The　new　era；　of　which　he　was　to　be　the　aggressive　spiritual　representative　from　Christendom；　had　not　dawned。　　Walter　Scott　was　ten　years　his　junior。　Captain　Cook　had　not　discovered　the　Sandwich　Islands；　and　was　only　returning　from　the　second　of　his　three　voyages　while　Carey　was　still　at　school。　　The　church　services　and　the　watchfulness　of　his　father　supplied　the　directly　moral　training　which　his　grandmother　had　begun。

The　Paulerspury　living　of　St。　James　is　a　valuable　rectory　in　the　gift　of　New　College；　Oxford。　　Originally　built　in　Early　English；　and　rebuilt　in　1844；　the　church　must　have　presented　a　still　more　venerable　appearance　a　century　ago　than　it　does　now；　with　its　noble　tower　in　the　Perpendicular；　and　chancel　in　the　Decorated　style；　dominating　all　the　county。　　Then；　as　still；　effigies　of　a　Paveli　and　his　wife；　and　of　Sir　Arthur　Throckmorton　and　his　wife　recumbent　head　to　head；　covered　a　large　altar…tomb　in　the　chancel；　and　with　the　Bathurst　and　other　monuments　called　forth　first　the　fear　and　then　the　pride　of　the　parish　clerk's　eldest　son。　　In　those　days　the　clerk　had　just　below　the　pulpit　the　desk　from　which　his　sonorous　〃Amen〃　sounded　forth；　while　his　family　occupied　a　low　gallery　rising　from　the　same　level　up　behind　the　pulpit。　　There　the　boys　of　the　free　school　also　could　be　under　the　master's　eye；　and　with　instruments　of　music　like　those　of　King　David；　but　now　banished　from　even　village　churches；　would　accompany　him　in　the　doggerel　strains　of　Sternhold　and　Hopkins；　immortalised　by　Cowper。　　To　the　far　right　the　boys　could　see　and　long　for　the　ropes　under　the　tower；　in　which　the　bell…ringers　of　his　day；　as　of　Bunyan's　not　long　before；　delighted。　The　preaching　of　the　time　did　nothing　more　for　young　Carey　than　for　the　rest　of　England　and　Scotland；　whom　the　parish　church　had　not　driven　into　dissent　or　secession。　　But　he　could　not　help　knowing　the　Prayer…Book；　and　especially　its　psalms　and　lessons；　and　he　was　duly　confirmed。　　The　family　training；　too；　was　exceptionally　scriptural；　though　not　evangelical。　〃I　had　many　stirrings　of　mind　occasioned　by　being　often　obliged　to　read　books　of　a　religious　character；　and；　having　been　accustomed　from　my　infancy　to　read　the　Scriptures；　I　had　a　considerable　acquaintance　therewith；　especially　with　the　historical　parts。〃　　The　first　result　was　to　make　him　despise　dissenters。　　But；　undoubtedly；　this　eldest　son　of　the　schoolmaster　and　the　clerk　of　the　parish　had　at　fourteen　received　an　education　from　parents；　nature；　and　books　which；　with　his　habits　of　observation；　love　of　reading；　and　perseverance；　made　him　better　instructed　than　most　boys　of　fourteen　far　above　the　peasant　class　to　which　he　belonged。

Buried　in　this　obscure　village　in　the　dullest　period　of　the　dullest　of　all　centuries；　the　boy　had　no　better　prospect　before　him　than　that　of　a　weaver　or　labourer；　or　possibly　a　schoolmaster　like　one　of　his　uncles　in　the　neighbouring　town　of　Towcester。　　When　twelve　years　of　age；　with　his　uncle　there；　he　might　have　formed　one　of　the　crowd　which　listened　to　John　Wesley；　who；　in　1773　and　then　aged　seventy；　visited　the　prosperous　posting　town。　　Paulerspury　could　indeed　boast　of　one　son；　Edward　Bernard；　D。D。；　who；　two　centuries　before；　had　made　for　himself　a　name　in　Oxford；　where　he　was　Savilian　Professor　of　Astronomy。　　But　Carey　was　not　a　Scotsman；　and　therefore　the　university　was　not　for　such　as　he。　　Like　his　school…fellows；　he　seemed　born　to　the　English　labourer's　fate　of　five　shillings　a　week；　and　the　poorhouse　in　sickness　and　old　age。　　From　this；　in　the　first　instance；　he　was　saved　by　a　disease　which　affected　his　face　and　hands　most　painfully　whenev