youth, the interruption of business, the variety "of his employments, the society of his friends, nor the bustle of the world, could ever mode"rate his ardour for study*." These expressions the Reminiscent has applied, with complete justice, to the reverend Mr. Alban Butler, the author of "The Lives of the Saints," his paternal uncle he believes that, with some justice at least, he may also apply them to himself. It is pleasing to him to reflect, that, though few have exceeded him in the love of literature, or pursued it with greater delight, it never seduced, or was suspected by his professional friends of seducing him, for one moment, from professional duty. M. Teissiert, in his account of one of the French jurisconsults noticed in his Eléges, mentions that he was so absorbed in his literary pursuits, that his wife was frequently obliged to drag him from his library to his bureau." To this necessity, the loved and revered person, to whom the Reminiscent owes thirty-seven years of happiness, was never exposed. Very early rising,-a systematic division of his time, abstinence from all company and from all diversions not likely to amuse him highly,from reading, writing, or even thinking on modern party politics,-and, above all,-never per * Pellisson, Histoire de l'Académie, vol. i. p. 102. In the account of his life inserted in the 3d vol. of the writer's works. Elôges des Hommes Sçavans tirés de l'Histoire de M. de Thou. Leyde, 4 vols. 12mo. mitting a bit or scrap of time to be unemployed,-have supplied him with an abundance of literary hours. His literary acquisitions are principally owing to the rigid observance of four rules:to direct his attention to one literary object only at a time; to read the best book upon it, consulting others as little as possible;--where the subject was contentious, to read the best book on each side ;—to find out men of information, and, when in their society, to listen, not to talk. The produce of his literary labours has appeared in the publications, which these pages, opus senile, will be found to mention. It is a great satisfaction to him to reflect that none of his writings contain a single line of personal hostility to any one. I. EDUCATION-FOREIGN COLLEGES FOR THE EDUCATION OF ENGLISH CATHOLICS. NO one ever discovered a passion for literature at an earlier hour in his life than the Reminiscent. He was first sent for EDUCATION to a roman-catholic academy at Hammersmith.During the two centuries, which immediately followed the reformation, the severity of the penal code had prevented the establishment, in England, of catholic institutions for education. The first, which acquired any thing like celebrity, was at Twyford in Hampshire; it had the honour of furnishing Mr. Pope with his first rudiments of learning the school at Hammersmith and a few others followed. They were occasionally interrupted by informers; so that it was deemed advisable to break up the establishment at Twyford; and more than once, the apprehension of a domiciliary visit forced the master of the school at Hammersmith to send away, suddenly, all its inmates to their parents. But, after the middle of the last century, the catholic schools were seldom molested. From Hammersmith, the Reminiscent was removed to an English catholic college in the university of Douay, under the care of secular priests. This was one of the seminaries of education, which, as education at home was denied them, the piety of roman-catholics formed on the continent. The principal of these were that at Douay, and one at St. Omer's under the direction of the Society of Jesus;-stirps ad promovendas bonas literas feliciter nata,—as Lipsius said of the Medici. The design of all these institutions was to educate, for the ecclesiastical state, a succession of youths, who might afterwards be sent on the English mission. The catholic gentry availed themselves of them for the education of their children. They were excellently instructed in their religion; the classics were well taught, but the main object of them being to form members for the church, they were not calculated to qualify the scholars either for business, the learned professions, or the higher scenes of life. Writing, arithmetic and geography were little regarded in them; modern history was scarcely mentioned, and little attention paid to manners. But every care was taken to form the infant mind to religion and virtue: the boys were secluded from the world; every thing that could inflame their imagination or passions was kept at a distance; piety, somewhat of the ascetic nature, was inculcated; and the hopes and fears, which christianity presents, were incessantly held in their view. No classic author was put into their hands, from which every passage, describing scenes of love or gallantry, or tending, even in the remotest degree, to inspire them, had not been obliterated. How this was done may be |