at Littlecot Farm, in the parish of Enford; but he still occupied
Widdington Farm. Having spent two or three days, by invitation, with his
landlord, Mr. Wyndham, of Dinton, where he met Sir Thomas Heathcot, of
Hursley Park, who was the brother of Mrs. Wyndham, he was prevailed upon,
by the joint intercession of Sir Thomas and Mr. as well as Mrs. Wyndham,
to send me to be educated at Hursley, where Sir Thomas was patronising in
a school a very worthy man, of the name of Alner, the brother of Mr.
Alner, of Salisbury, who for so many years had the conducting and
arranging the materials which composed the Western Almanack. Mr. and Mrs.
Wyndham had also promised to send their three eldest sons at the same time
to the same school, and one or two sons of Mr. Wyndham, of Salisbury, were
also going there; and the worthy baronet, who never did a kind action by
halves, promised my father, who was a great favourite with him, that he
would take the same care of me, and shew me the same attention that he did
to his nephews; which promise he did not forget to perform during my stay
at Hursley School, which was about two years and a half.
Mr. Alner was a remarkably good penman and accountant, as well as a great
proficient in teaching the use of the globes. Here I became an adept in
writing, arithmetic, and geography, which were the principal things to be
learned at that school. During my stay there, I was in the frequent habit
of spending the Sunday with the young Wyndham's at Hursley Park; and, as
often as my father came to see me, the old baronet insisted upon his
making the Lodge his home. Kindness, generosity, and hospitality, welcomed
every visitor to Hursley Lodge, during the life of Sir Thomas; in fact,
his philanthropy was such, that it not only extended to his own tenants,
but to his brother-in-law's tenants, and to the whole of the surrounding
neighbourhood. Perhaps there never were two country gentlemen, who did
greater credit to the character of genuine old English hospitality, than
the then owners of Hursley Lodge, in Hampshire, and Dinton House, in
Wiltshire. My old school-fellow, the present proprietor of Dinton, still
keeps up the character of an hospitable English country gentleman; but,
alas! Hursley Lodge, since the death of old Sir Thomas----but, as I cannot
say any thing favourable, either from my own knowledge, or from the report
of others, I will content myself with saying nothing.
I left this school at the age of ten years. During the holidays I had
frequent means of seeing, and now first began to reflect, and make my
observations upon, the situation of the labouring poor of the parish of
Enford; for my mother devoted a very great portion of her time to
relieving the wants of those who, either through illness or accident,
stood in need of assistance; and although she was herself in a very weakly
state of health, yet neither inclemency of the weather, nor the distance,
ever deterred her from going in person to visit, to comfort, and to
assist, those of her fellow-creatures who were in distress. It was quite
enough for her to know, that any of her poor neighbours were in want, to
command her immediate aid. How often, when she was about to relieve some
one whom they supposed to be an unworthy object, who had brought want on
his own head by misconduct or crime, have I heard even my father, as well
as other friends, endeavour in vain to persuade her, that her
indiscriminate charity did almost as much harm as good. Her answer always
was, having first quoted some amiable Christian precept, "would you leave
them to starve, and thus drive them to despair? They are in want of bread;
and, after I have relieved them from their present distress, I shall have
some claim to their attention; and by setting them a _good Christian
example_, I shall be the better enabled to enforce the mild and wholesome
doctrines of religion. Surely, I shall have a much better chance of
reforming and reclaiming them by the _practice of kindness_, than I should
have by treating them with neglect, or casting on them the chilling and
forbidding look of harshness." And here let me observe, that if there ever
was a human being who acted up to the spirit and letter of Christianity,
both in profession and practice, I believe my excellent departed mother to
have been that mortal. Her greatest pleasure consisted in doing good; and
to pour the healing balm of comfort into the wounded and afflicted breast,
was to her the very essence of delight. Surrounded by every comfort
herself, her very existence appeared to depend upon her power to make
others participate in those comforts: no living creature in distress was
ever turned away from her door without being relieved. I could fill a
volume in her praise, without being able to do her common justice.
I was now become of sufficient age, to be at once a companion and an
assistant in these charitable peregrinations. There was not a threshold in
the village but she had crossed at one time or another, in order to render
some act of kindness or attention; and, as she passed along, the grateful
inhabitants of every cottage came forth to bestow upon her their
spontaneous and fervent blessings, whilst those who were rolling in
wealth, and puffed up with pride, were suffered to pass unheeded by. Here
it was that my little heart first began to pant for the power to do good;
and I longed to receive, and to deserve such blessings, as were lavished
with grateful lips upon my angelic mother by the poor of all
denominations. I now began to pity their wants and sufferings, and to
participate and rejoice in their happiness. When I expressed a desire for
riches, to enable me to purchase such blessings as were bestowed upon her,
how often did my beloved mother reprove me in the kindest manner, and
endeavour to impress upon my young mind this valuable truth, that wealth
did not always afford the best means of doing good. She used to say, that
those who sincerely wished to do an act of charity, seldom wanted the
means of doing something to relieve the wants, and soothe the afflictions,
of those who were pining in wretchedness and want; for, said she, even a
kind consoling word, combined with a very little personal attention, is
frequently esteemed more valuable, and even proved to be more useful, than
money, to those whose spirits as well as bodies are pressed down to the
earth by unforeseen and frequently unmerited misfortune. These examples
opened to my susceptible mind a new field for reflection, and the scenes
of misery[4] I witnessed, although at that period they were not numerous,
and required to be sought for to be known, yet they created a sympathy in
my young breast, which I flatter myself I have ever cherished, and from
that period I may date the origin of my philanthropy. My mother saw the
impression which it had made upon the mind of her son, and having kindled
the sacred fire of benevolence, she took good care to fan the flame, by
giving me the means of exercising those charitable feelings, which she had
by her example created. Added to these, as well as all the other moral
virtues, this excellent woman practised the most pious and scrupulous
attention to her religious duties. Her motto was
"Teach me to feel another's woe,
To hide the fault I see;
That mercy I to others shew,
That mercy shew to me."
While my mother was instilling into my mind, and teaching me to practice,
the mild and lowly principles of Christianity, my father never failed to
hold up for my admiration and example, the exploits of the noble,
generous, brave, and renowned heroes of antiquity. Pope was his favourite
author; and of all Pope's works, his Universal Prayer, and his Translation
of Homer, were the theme of his never-ceasing and unqualified panegyric.
The former he never failed to repeat aloud, night and morning, in the most
fervent and impassioned manner. He made me learn it, and recommended me to
follow his example, by making it the daily expression of my praise and
adoration of the Allwise and Supreme Disposer of events. He could repeat
every line of the Iliad; and, what was more remarkable, he could begin at
any one line and proceed with the greatest fluency and correctness, even
to the end of any chapter or book. In short, he endeavoured to instil into
my breast the _patriotic principle of disinterested love of country_.
Although he was himself a man of business and of the world, he never
failed to hold up for my example, those heroes who had lived and died
alone for their country. Hector was his favourite warrior, and he appeared
to have obtained the dearest wish of his heart when, coming into my room
by accident one day, he found me reading aloud, and repeating the speech
of Hector to Andromache. I was taken by surprise, and laid down the book;
but he entreated me to continue the subject, and to oblige him I began the
dialogue again, and he repeated the part of Andromache. Although
heretofore a very shy boy, I now became warm, and at length impassioned;
he encouraged me, and before we had concluded I almost fancied myself a
hero. He was delighted; he took me in his arms, he embraced and caressed
me; he saw that I had caught the "_electric spark_;" he wept over me with
rapture, and he exclaimed aloud, in a sort of frantic extacy, "The name of
HUNT will again be recorded in the page of history, and I feel that you,
my dear boy, are destined to restore the fame of our family; and I hope to
live to see you prove yourself worthy of your ancestors."
This brought into the room my mother, who was struck with astonishment at
the unusual manner of my father. He repeated to her that be had, he
thought, discovered in me such seeds as would grow up and produce fruit of
future fame. She smiled in the most benignant manner, and said, he must
trust to time to realize such hopes; but at all events she could answer
for one thing, which was, that the seeds of humanity and philanthropy were
implanted in my breast; for she had hailed, with great satisfaction, the
proof that I could feel for others, and that it was a pleasure to me to
relieve the wants and sufferings of my fellow creatures; and therefore,
she fondly hoped, that I should make a good man and a good Christian; and
addressing herself to my father, she added, "we will, my dear, trust to
chance whether he ever makes a hero or not." I mention these particular
incidents, to shew what pains were taken by my excellent, noble-minded
father, and my amiable, tender-hearted, and affectionate mother, to instil
into my young mind those precepts which each conceived would be most
conducive to my future happiness. My fathers great object appeared to be,
to fire the young aspiring hope with deeds of honour, courage, and
patriotism. My mother's more gentle nature induced her to cultivate the
genial soil with the milder virtues, making Christian piety and charity
the foundation of all her present and future hopes. There never lived a
child that had more pains and care bestowed upon him, by his parents, than
I had. My father inherited and practised the noblest qualities; he was an
intelligent, industrious, strictly honest, honourable, high-spirited
Englishman; the motto, taken from his favourite author, was constantly
upon his lips, "An honest man is the noblest work of God." My mother may
be correctly described in one short sentence, to have been a gentle,
virtuous, amiable, charitable, and truly pious Christian.
Having now left the school at Hursley, where I had learned all that could
be learned there, my father received from Mr. Alner, the worthy master,
very similar assurances to those he had previously received from Mr.
Cooper: that I was a high-spirited, generous, volatile lad, capable of
learning any thing that I chose to apply myself to; but that I was rather
more fond of excelling in feats of activity, than of a strict adherence to
my studies.
I was now sent to the grammar school at Andover, under the care of the
Rev. Thomas Griffith, where I was to enter upon the study of the classics.
My father took me on a Saturday, that being a market-day at Andover; and
having introduced me to Mr. and Mrs. Griffith, he did not forget to give
me the character he had received from the masters of the two schools which
I had previously left; adding his own testimony, in confirmation of my
being of a kind, generous, and open disposition. Mrs. Griffith received us
very politely; and, as she had a very prepossessing manner, I felt pleased
with the prospect before me, although I thought I saw something that I did
not much like in the countenance of Mr. Griffith, who was a muscular,
swarthy, dark-looking person, with rather a forbidding air. My father,
having given me his blessing, took his leave, and consigned me to my new
master, who led me into the school; and, as it was then past eleven
o'clock, he gave me an Enfield's Speaker, and desired me to look it over,
as he should not place me in any class until Monday. The school hours were
up at twelve o'clock, Saturday afternoon being always a holiday, and
consequently I did not consider that I had any task to learn on that day.
I was therefore more employed in thinking of my mother at home, and in
looking round the school, surveying my new companions, than I was with the
volume. At length I caught my master's eye, and as he seemed to be
smiling, as I thought at me, I returned it, as an earnest of my sense of
his kindness. But alas! as it will appear, I mistook my man. He beckoned
to me, and called me up to his desk, at the other end of the school. I
obeyed; "Pray, Sir," said he, "what were you laughing at?" I found I was
deceived, and I stood silent, unable to answer the interrogatory; upon
which he gave me a severe box under the ear, which made me reel again, and
nearly knocked me down. He then sternly said, "Go, Sir, to your seat, and
mind your business, and in future take care how you let me catch you
laughing again." This at once impressed upon my mind the ferocity and
cowardice of his nature; for I had not been in the school at the time more
than ten minutes. It was such an act of injustice, cruelty, and tyranny,
and so very different from any thing that I had ever before experienced,
that I was almost stupified with indignation; but, recovering myself a
little, I was upon the point of rushing out of the school, and flying to
my father, who must have been yet at the inn in the town. I looked towards
the door; it stood enticingly open, and if my pride had not come to my
assistance, I should most assuredly have indulged the first impulse of my
resentment. From that moment to this, however, I have never thought of the
circumstance, without regretting that I did not follow that impulse.
However, I sat down; but, from that time, I never failed to consider him
as an unjust and cruel petty tyrant; nor did I ever, for one moment
afterward, look up to him even with common respect.
I continued at this place for nearly two years and a half, during which
time, in common with many of my school-fellows, I had to endure the cruel,
unnecessary, and wanton punishments, indiscriminately inflicted by this
modern Dionysius. I soon became hardened, and set all controul at
defiance; and, instead of my pride being hurt, or being ashamed of
punishment, it became a boast and a pride to brave it, and to bear it with
indifference and contempt. This monster in human form would come into the
school and flog half a dozen boys before he sat down, under some pretence
or other; either that he had heard some noise in their bedroom the night
before, or that they had not washed their hands clean; nay, he sometimes
flogged a boy without ever telling him what it was for; and frequently,
while his hand was in, he would, gnashing his large white teeth, which
looked white from the same cause that a chimney-sweeper's teeth look so,
merely because they were such a great contrast to his black fiend-like
visage, he would dart his eye round the different classes to see which boy
he should fix upon as his next victim. During these disgusting periods,
with the exception of two or three favourites, every one's heart
palpitated within his agitated breast. When this vindictive mania was upon
him, myself and three or four other boys were almost certain to come in
for a share. In fact, when his eye came to my class, I would almost
involuntarily lay down my book, and meet his horrid gaze, as if prepared
to receive a beckon from him to come out. If he passed me over, which was
very seldom, it was considered as a miracle. Frequently, while he was
punishing me, and while the blood was running almost in streams from my
lacerated back, I have looked him steadily in the face, and I could fancy
I saw him enjoying the same sort of savage ferocious delight, that a
hungry wolf would discover in gorging upon the mangled vitals of the
unoffending lamb. Such is the effect which tyranny produces upon the noble
mind, that although I was of a tender delicate frame, and rather of a
timid nature, yet I soon became so inured to punishment, that I constantly
bore the most severe flogging without altering a muscle of my face,
notwithstanding I frequently received from ten to twenty lashes from the
recently made instrument of torture, which was composed of new _birch
twigs_, each stroke from which drew the blood; and it was no uncommon
thing, after I had left the room, to get some other boy to pick out the
spills which were left sticking in my lacerated flesh, some of them more
than half an inch long. Nay, at last it became so bad that one of the
washerwomen made a serious complaint to Mrs. Griffith, about the horrid
state of my linen. Mrs. Griffith's expostulations were in vain, although
they were made in the most urgent and pressing manner in my hearing.
I speak of myself here, but there were several other boys, who were
punished equally without justice and without mercy, as well as myself. To
recite particular acts of this sort would be as disgusting as they would
be tedious and uninteresting. But there was a nice lad, of the name of
George Blandford, that he had literally flogged into a _hardened
dunce_--he had whipped every power of learning out of him, and then he
whipped him daily because he could not learn. At length his elder brother,
who slept in the same room with me, planned their escape from the school.
I went down stairs with them very early one morning, and having let them
out I locked the doors again, and returned to my bed, without being
detected. Griffith, however, called me up to his desk, and having charged
me with having assisted in their escape, I boldly admitted the fact,
rather than tell a lie; upon which I received a most severe flogging
before he set off to reclaim the fugitives. The Blandfords escaped all
pursuit, and reached their home; and fortunately for them their parents
never suffered them to return. As for myself, he continued to flog, and I
continued to set him at defiance. One more act of his extreme injustice I
will relate, to shew how unfit he was to have the care of children; and as
a caution to parents not to place them in the power of such men,
particularly under the care of such clergymen, who, while they practise
every species of _tyranny, injustice,_ and _cruelty_, upon their pupils,
contrive to escape detection by covering their real character with the
garb of religion, and thus hide the most atrocious acts under the cloak of
their hypocritical sanctity.
Immediately before the holidays, there was a prize to be written for,
which prize was a handsome pen-knife. The Rev. Hugh Stevens, a gentleman
in every respect exactly the reverse of Mr. Griffith, was the principal
assistant and writing-master, who always decided which was the best
written piece; and he at once declared that I was the winner. Griffith,
who had never before interfered in a matter of this kind, was enraged that
I should be successful, in spite of his malignant exertions always to put
me back; and he insisted upon it, that a boy of the name of Butcher had
written his piece better than mine, and that he should have the prize. Mr.
Stevens felt indignant at this barefaced act of partiality and gross
injustice, and would not be come a party to it. After having expostulated
some time in vain, he handed me over the prize upon his own
responsibility, in the presence of the enraged parson; and desired
Griffith, if he wished to favour Butcher, to do it by giving him a knife
out of his own pocket, which he actually did, in order to sneak out of the
business. By these repeated acts of injustice and cruelty he, however,
soon lost his school. Another boy, Mrs. Griffith's own nephew, whose name
was Bradley, now ran away, for setting a hollow tree on fire in the public
parade, called the Acre.
To shew what acts of tyranny and oppression will drive even a lad to do,
in the way of hardened resistance, observe the following instance
Seventeen of the boys were to be flogged for making a bonfire on the 5th
of November, myself of course among the number; many of them were large
boys, and we were left together while Griffith was busily employed making
up a number of rods out of half a dozen new birch brooms, a great many
dozens of which he bought every year at Weyhill fair, expressly for that
purpose. While he was thus amiably occupied, although I was one of the
smallest and youngest among them, I volunteered to recommend forcible
resistance; and proposed, if they would all stick together, that when he
came into the school we would seize him, lay him down, tie him hand and
foot, and give him a good flogging, instead of taking the flogging
ourselves; and I believe that I went so far as to offer to become myself
the operator. This was listened to for a moment, but such is the effect of
tyranny upon the human mind, that the majority were for remaining passive
slaves, and accordingly we all patiently suffered him to flog us one after
the other. When it came to my turn I looked him in the face, and received
any punishment with a hardened indifference, which enraged him to such a
degree, that he gave me a double dose; declaring at one time, as he
gnashed his teeth, that he would flog me till I did cry out. In spite of
his threat, however, he became tired first; for I believe I should have
expired under his bloody hand before I would have uttered a single sigh or
a groan. I must do my fellow-sufferers the justice to say, that the whole
seventeen acted in the same manner, not one of them gratified his tender
ear with a shriek, a groan, or even a complaint.
Our play ground was the church yard, at the back of the school; a very
improper place indeed for boys to amuse themselves in, as it was covered
with graves, and tomb and head stones, over which it was our occupation to
be constantly jumping. The churchwardens complained to Griffith of the
injury done to the graves by our jumping on them, and Griffith, tyrant
like, always ready to curtail any indulgence and liberty we had, however
previously limited it might be, instead of appropriating a fresh play
ground to our use, threatened to punish any boy who was found jumping over
the tomb stones, or upon the graves, and prohibited almost every species
of amusement that we had hitherto enjoyed. A consultation was held, and it
was agreed, in order to be revenged upon the churchwardens, that we would
all meet, in the dusk of the evening, or rather as soon as it was dark,
and that every one should throw a stone into the chancel window. When the
time arrived, this was _religiously_ performed; and I believe myself and
some half dozen more remained, while the rest were scampering off, and had
a second throw, although the first did ample execution, and made a
tremendous crash, particularly at that still hour of the night. The noise
brought all the neighbours out of their houses, who perceived us flying;
but we all escaped, and got into the school, without the detection of any
one in particular. However, as it was known that some of the boys had done
this, we were, all told by Griffith, the next day, that unless we gave up
the boy or boys who did it, to be flogged, he would not grant a holiday
the whole half year; and he only gave us till two o'clock in the afternoon
to consider of what he had said.