第7章

类别:其他 作者:Mark Twain字数:13581更新时间:18/12/18 14:51:42
IwasfiredwithalongingtoascendtheAmazon。Alsowithalongingtoopenupatradeincocawithalltheworld。DuringmonthsIdreamedthatdream,andtriedtocontrivewaystogettoParaandspringthatsplendidenterpriseuponanunsuspectingplanet。Butallinvain。ApersonmayPLANasmuchashewantsto,butnothingofconsequenceislikelytocomeofituntilthemagicianCIRCUMSTANCEstepsinandtakesthematteroffhishands。AtlastCircumstancecametomyhelp。Itwasinthisway。Circumstance,tohelporhurtanotherman,madehimloseafiftydollarbillinthestreet;andtohelporhurtme,mademefindit。Iadvertisedthefind,andleftfortheAmazonthesameday。Thiswasanotherturningpoint,anotherlink。 CouldCircumstancehaveorderedanotherdwellerinthattowntogototheAmazonandopenupaworldtradeincocaonafifty dollarbasisandbeenobeyed?No,Iwastheonlyone。Therewereotherfoolsthereshoalsandshoalsofthembuttheywerenotofmykind。Iwastheonlyoneofmykind。 Circumstanceispowerful,butitcannotworkalone;ithastohaveapartner。Itspartnerisman’sTEMPERAMENThisnaturaldisposition。Histemperamentisnothisinvention,itisBORNinhim,andhehasnoauthorityoverit,neitherisheresponsibleforitsacts。Hecannotchangeit,nothingcanchangeit,nothingcanmodifyitexcepttemporarily。Butitwon’tstaymodified。Itispermanent,likethecoloroftheman’seyesandtheshapeofhisears。Blueeyesaregrayincertainunusuallights; buttheyresumetheirnaturalcolorwhenthatstressisremoved。 ACircumstancethatwillcoerceonemanwillhavenoeffectuponamanofadifferenttemperament。IfCircumstancehadthrownthebanknoteinCaesar’sway,histemperamentwouldnothavemadehimstartfortheAmazon。Histemperamentwouldhavecompelledhimtodosomethingwiththemoney,butnotthat。ItmighthavemadehimadvertisethenoteandWAIT。Wecan’ttell。 Also,itmighthavemadehimgotoNewYorkandbuyintotheGovernment,withresultsthatwouldleaveTweednothingtolearnwhenitcamehisturn。 Verywell,Circumstancefurnishedthecapital,andmytemperamenttoldmewhattodowithit。Sometimesatemperamentisanass。Whenthatisthecaseoftheownerofitisanass,too,andisgoingtoremainone。Training,experience,association,cantemporarilysopolishhim,improvehim,exalthimthatpeoplewillthinkheisamule,buttheywillbemistaken。ArtificiallyheISamule,forthetimebeing,butatbottomheisanassyet,andwillremainone。 BytemperamentIwasthekindofpersonthatDOESthings。 Doesthem,andreflectsafterward。SoIstartedfortheAmazonwithoutreflectingandwithoutaskinganyquestions。Thatwasmorethanfiftyyearsago。Inallthattimemytemperamenthasnotchanged,byevenashade。Ihavebeenpunishedmanyandmanyatime,andbitterly,fordoingthingsandreflectingafterward,butthesetortureshavebeenofnovaluetome;IstilldothethingcommandedbyCircumstanceandTemperament,andreflectafterward。Alwaysviolently。WhenIamreflecting,ontheseoccasions,evendeafpersonscanhearmethink。 IwentbythewayofCincinnati,anddowntheOhioandMississippi。Myideawastotakeship,atNewOrleans,forPara。 InNewOrleansIinquired,andfoundtherewasnoshipleavingforPara。Also,thatthereneverhadBEENoneleavingforPara。 Ireflected。ApolicemancameandaskedmewhatIwasdoing,andItoldhim。Hemadememoveon,andsaidifhecaughtmereflectinginthepublicstreetagainhewouldrunmein。 AfterafewdaysIwasoutofmoney。ThenCircumstancearrived,withanotherturningpointofmylifeanewlink。Onmywaydown,Ihadmadetheacquaintanceofapilot。Ibeggedhimtoteachmetheriver,andheconsented。Ibecameapilot。 ByandbyCircumstancecameagainintroducingtheCivilWar,thistime,inordertopushmeaheadanotherstageortwotowardtheliteraryprofession。Theboatsstoppedrunning,mylivelihoodwasgone。 Circumstancecametotherescuewithanewturningpointandafreshlink。MybrotherwasappointedsecretarytothenewTerritoryofNevada,andheinvitedmetogowithhimandhelphiminhisoffice。Iaccepted。 InNevada,CircumstancefurnishedmethesilverfeverandI wentintotheminestomakeafortune,asIsupposed;butthatwasnottheidea。Theideawastoadvancemeanothersteptowardliterature。ForamusementIscribbledthingsfortheVirginiaCityENTERPRISE。Oneisn’taprintertenyearswithoutsettingupacresofgoodandbadliterature,andlearningunconsciouslyatfirst,consciouslylatertodiscriminatebetweenthetwo,withinhismentallimitations;andmeantimeheisunconsciouslyacquiringwhatiscalleda\"style。\"Oneofmyeffortsattractedattention,andtheENTERPRISEsentformeandputmeonitsstaff。 AndsoIbecameajournalistanotherlink。ByandbyCircumstanceandtheSacramentoUNIONsentmetotheSandwichIslandsforfiveorsixmonths,towriteupsugar。Ididit;andthrewinagooddealofextraneousmatterthathadn’tanythingtodowithsugar。 Butitwasthisextraneousmatterthathelpedmetoanotherlink。 Itmademenotorious,andSanFranciscoinvitedmetolecture。 WhichIdid。Andprofitably。Ihadlonghadadesiretotravelandseetheworld,andnowCircumstancehadmostkindlyandunexpectedlyhurledmeupontheplatformandfurnishedmethemeans。 SoIjoinedthe\"QuakerCityExcursion。\" WhenIreturnedtoAmerica,Circumstancewaswaitingonthepier withtheLASTlinktheconspicuous,theconsummating,thevictoriouslink:IwasaskedtoWRITEABOOK,andIdidit,andcalleditTHEINNOCENTSABROAD。ThusIbecameatlastamemberoftheliteraryguild。Thatwasfortytwoyearsago,andIhavebeenamembereversince。LeavingtheRubiconincidentawaybackwhereitbelongs,IcansaywithtruththatthereasonIamintheliteraryprofessionisbecauseIhadthemeasleswhenIwastwelveyearsold。 III Nowwhatinterestsme,asregardsthesedetails,isnotthedetailsthemselves,butthefactthatnoneofthemwasforeseenbyme,noneofthemwasplannedbyme,Iwastheauthorofnoneofthem。Circumstance,workinginharnesswithmytemperament,createdthemallandcompelledthemall。Ioftenofferedhelp,andwiththebestintentions,butitwasrejectedasarule,uncourteously。IcouldneverplanathingandgetittocomeoutthewayIplannedit。ItcameoutsomeotherwaysomewayIhadnotcountedupon。 AndsoIdonotadmirethehumanbeingasanintellectualmarvelasmuchasIdidwhenIwasyoung,andgothimoutofbooks,anddidnotknowhimpersonally。WhenIusedtoreadthatsuchandsuchageneraldidacertainbrilliantthing,Ibelievedit。Whereasitwasnotso。Circumstancediditbyhelpofhistemperament。Thecircumstanceswouldhavefailedofeffectwithageneralofanothertemperament:hemightseethechance,butlosetheadvantagebybeingbynaturetooslowortooquickortoodoubtful。OnceGeneralGrantwasaskedaquestionaboutamatterwhichhadbeenmuchdebatedbythepublicandthenewspapers;heansweredthequestionwithoutanyhesitancy。 \"General,whoplannedthethemarchthroughGeorgia?\"\"Theenemy!\"Headdedthattheenemyusuallymakesyourplansforyou。Hemeantthattheenemybyneglectorthroughforceofcircumstancesleavesanopeningforyou,andyouseeyourchanceandtakeadvantageofit。 Circumstancesdotheplanningforusall,nodoubt,byhelpofourtemperaments。Iseenogreatdifferencebetweenamanandawatch,exceptthatthemanisconsciousandthewatchisn’t,andthemanTRIEStoplanthingsandthewatchdoesn’t。Thewatchdoesn’twinditselfanddoesn’tregulateitselfthesethingsaredoneexteriorly。Outsideinfluences,outsidecircumstances,windtheMANandregulatehim。Lefttohimself,hewouldn’tgetregulatedatall,andthesortoftimehewouldkeepwouldnotbevaluable。Someraremenarewonderfulwatches,withgoldcase,compensationbalance,andallthosethings,andsomemenareonlysimpleandsweetandhumbleWaterburys。IamaWaterbury。AWaterburyofthatkind,somesay。 Anationisonlyanindividualmultiplied。ItmakesplansandCircumstancescomesandupsetsthemorenlargesthem。Somepatriotsthrowtheteaoverboard;someotherpatriotsdestroyaBastille。ThePLANSstopthere;thenCircumstancecomesin,quiteunexpectedly,andturnsthesemodestriotsintoarevolution。 AndtherewaspoorColumbus。Heelaboratedadeepplantofindanewroutetoanoldcountry。Circumstancerevisedhisplanforhim,andhefoundanewWORLD。AndHEgetsthecreditofittothisday。Hehadn’tanythingtodowithit。 Necessarilythesceneoftherealturningpointofmylife(andofyours)wastheGardenofEden。Itwastherethatthefirstlinkwasforgedofthechainthatwasultimatelytoleadtotheemptyingofmeintotheliteraryguild。Adam’sTEMPERAMENT wasthefirstcommandtheDeityeverissuedtoahumanbeingonthisplanet。AnditwastheonlycommandAdamwouldNEVERbeabletodisobey。Itsaid,\"Beweak,bewater,becharacterless,becheaplypersuadable。\"Thelattercommand,toletthefruitalone,wascertaintobedisobeyed。NotbyAdamhimself,butbyhisTEMPERAMENTwhichhedidnotcreateandhadnoauthorityover。FortheTEMPERAMENTistheman;thethingtrickedoutwithclothesandnamedManismerelyitsShadow,nothingmore。Thelawofthetiger’stemperamentis,Thoushaltkill;thelawofthesheep’stemperamentisThoushaltnotkill。Toissuelatercommandsrequiringthetigertoletthefatstrangeralone,andrequiringthesheeptoimbueitshandsinthebloodofthelionisnotworthwhile,forthosecommandsCAN’Tbeobeyed。TheywouldinvitetoviolationsofthelawofTEMPERAMENT,whichissupreme,andtakeprecedenceofallotherauthorities。IcannothelpfeelingdisappointedinAdamandEve。Thatis,intheirtemperaments。NotinTHEM,poorhelplessyoungcreatures afflictedwithtemperamentsmadeoutofbutter;whichbutterwascommandedtogetintocontactwithfireandBEMELTED。WhatI cannothelpwishingis,thatAdamhadbeenpostponed,andMartinLutherandJoanofArcputintheirplacethatsplendidpairequippedwithtemperamentsnotmadeofbutter,butofasbestos。 ByneithersugarypersuasionsnorbyhellfirecouldSatanhavebeguiledTHEMtoeattheapple。Therewouldhavebeenresults! Indeed,yes。Theapplewouldbeintacttoday;therewouldbenohumanrace;therewouldbenoYOU;therewouldbenoME。Andtheold,oldcreationdawnschemeofultimatelylaunchingmeintotheliteraryguildwouldhavebeendefeated。 HOWTOMAKEHISTORYDATESSTICK Thesechaptersareforchildren,andIshalltrytomakethewordslargeenoughtocommandrespect。Inthehopethatyouarelistening,andthatyouhaveconfidenceinme,Iwillproceed。 Datesaredifficultthingstoacquire;andaftertheyareacquireditisdifficulttokeeptheminthehead。Buttheyareveryvaluable。Theyarelikethecattlepensofaranchtheyshutintheseveralbrandsofhistoricalcattle,eachwithinitsownfence,andkeepthemfromgettingmixedtogether。Datesarehardtorememberbecausetheyconsistoffigures;figuresaremonotonouslyunstrikinginappearance,andtheydon’ttakehold,theyformnopictures,andsotheygivetheeyenochancetohelp。Picturesarethething。Picturescanmakedatesstick。 TheycanmakenearlyanythingstickparticularlyIFYOUMAKETHE PICTURESYOURSELF。Indeed,thatisthegreatpointmakethepicturesYOURSELF。Iknowaboutthisfromexperience。ThirtyyearsagoIwasdeliveringamemorizedlectureeverynight,andeverynightIhadtohelpmyselfwithapageofnotestokeepfromgettingmyselfmixed。Thenotesconsistedofbeginningsofsentences,andwereeleveninnumber,andtheyransomethinglikethis: \"INTHATREGIONTHEWEATHER\" \"ATTHATTIMEITWASACUSTOM\" \"BUTINCALIFORNIAONENEVERHEARD\" Elevenofthem。Theyinitialedthebriefdivisionsofthelectureandprotectedmeagainstskipping。Buttheyalllookedaboutalikeonthepage;theyformednopicture;Ihadthembyheart,butIcouldneverwithcertaintyremembertheorderoftheirsuccession;thereforeIalwayshadtokeepthosenotesbymeandlookatthemeverylittlewhile。OnceImislaidthem;youwillnotbeabletoimaginetheterrorsofthatevening。InowsawthatImustinventsomeotherprotection。SoIgottenoftheinitiallettersbyheartintheirproperorderI,A,B,andsoonandIwentontheplatformthenextnightwiththesemarkedininkonmytenfingernails。Butitdidn’tanswer。I kepttrackofthefiguresforawhile;thenIlostit,andafterthatIwasneverquitesurewhichfingerIhadusedlast。I couldn’tlickoffaletterafterusingit,forwhilethatwouldhavemadesuccesscertainitalsowouldhaveprovokedtoomuchcuriosity。Therewascuriosityenoughwithoutthat。TotheaudienceIseemedmoreinterestedinmyfingernailsthanIwasinmysubject;oneortwopersonsaskedmeafterwardwhatwasthematterwithmyhands。 Itwasnowthattheideaofpicturesoccurredtome;thenmytroublespassedaway。IntwominutesImadesixpictureswithapen,andtheydidtheworkoftheelevencatchsentences,anddiditperfectly。Ithrewthepicturesawayassoonastheyweremade,forIwassureIcouldshutmyeyesandseethemanytime。 Thatwasaquarterofacenturyago;thelecturevanishedoutofmyheadmorethantwentyyearsago,butIwouldrewriteitfromthepicturesfortheyremain。Herearethreeofthem:(Fig。1)。 ThefirstoneisahaystackbelowitarattlesnakeandittoldmewheretobegintotalkranchlifeinCarsonValley。ThesecondonetoldmewheretobeginthetalkaboutastrangeandviolentwindthatusedtoburstuponCarsonCityfromtheSierraNevadaseveryafternoonattwoo’clockandtrytoblowthetownaway。Thethirdpicture,asyoueasilyperceive,islightning; itsdutywastoremindmewhenitwastimetobegintotalkaboutSanFranciscoweather,wherethereISnolightningnorthunder,eitheranditneverfailedme。 Iwillgiveyouavaluablehint。Whenamanismakingaspeechandyouaretofollowhimdon’tjotdownnotestospeakfrom,jotdownPICTURES。Itisawkwardandembarrassingtohavetokeepreferringtonotes;andbesidesitbreaksupyourspeechandmakesitraggedandnoncoherent;butyoucantearupyourpicturesassoonasyouhavemadethemtheywillstayfreshandstronginyourmemoryintheorderandsequenceinwhichyouscratchedthemdown。Andmanywilladmiretoseewhatagoodmemoryyouarefurnishedwith,whenperhapsyourmemoryisnotanybetterthanmine。 Sixteenyearsagowhenmychildrenwerelittlecreaturesthegovernesswastryingtohammersomeprimerhistoriesintotheirheads。PartofthisfunifyouliketocallitthatconsistedinthememorizingoftheaccessiondatesofthethirtysevenpersonageswhohadruledEnglandfromtheConquerordown。Theselittlepeoplefounditabitter,hardcontract。Itwasalldates,andalllookedalike,andtheywouldn’tstick。Dayafterdayofthesummervacationdribbledby,andstillthekingsheldthefort;thechildrencouldn’tconqueranysixofthem。 WithmylectureexperienceinmindIwasawarethatIcouldinventsomewayoutofthetroublewithpictures,butIhopedawaycouldbefoundwhichwouldletthemrompintheopenairwhiletheylearnedthekings。Ifoundit,andtheymasteredallthemonarchsinadayortwo。 TheideawastomakethemSEEthereignswiththeireyes; thatwouldbealargehelp。Wewereatthefarmthen。Fromthehouseporchthegroundsslopedgraduallydowntothelowerfenceandroseontherighttothehighgroundwheremysmallworkdenstood。Acarriageroadwoundthroughthegroundsandupthehill。IstakeditoutwiththeEnglishmonarchs,beginningwiththeConqueror,andyoucouldstandontheporchandclearlyseeeveryreignanditslength,fromtheConquestdowntoVictoria,theninthefortysixthyearofherreignEIGHTHUNDREDAND SEVENTEENYEARSOFEnglishhistoryunderyoureyeatonce! EnglishhistorywasanunusuallylivetopicinAmericajustthen。TheworldhadsuddenlyrealizedthatwhileitwasnotnoticingtheQueenhadpassedHenryVIII。,passedHenryVI。andElizabeth,andgaininginlengtheveryday。Herreignhadenteredthelistofthelongones;everybodywasinterestednow itwaswatchingarace。WouldshepassthelongEdward?Therewasapossibilityofit。WouldshepassthelongHenry? Doubtful,mostpeoplesaid。ThelongGeorge?Impossible! Everybodysaidit。Butwehavelivedtoseeherleavehimtwoyearsbehind。 Imeasuredoff817feetoftheroadway,afootrepresentingayear,andatthebeginningandendofeachreignIdroveathreefootwhitepinestakeintheturfbytheroadsideandwrotethenameanddatesonit。AbreastthemiddleoftheporchfrontstoodagreatgraniteflowervaseoverflowingwithacataractofbrightyellowflowersIcan’tthinkoftheirname。ThevaseofWilliamtheConqueror。Weputhisnameonitandhisaccessiondate,1066。Westartedfromthatandmeasuredofftwentyonefeetoftheroad,anddroveWilliamRufus’sstate;thenthirteenfeetanddrovethefirstHenry’sstake;thenthirtyfivefeetanddroveStephen’s;thennineteenfeet,whichbroughtusjustpastthesummerhouseontheleft;thenwestakedoutthirtyfive,ten,andseventeenforthesecondHenryandRichardandJohn; turnedthecurveandentereduponjustwhatwasneededforHenryIII。alevel,straightstretchoffiftysixfeetofroadwithoutacrinkleinit。Anditlayexactlyinfrontofthehouse,inthemiddleofthegrounds。Therecouldn’thavebeenabetterplaceforthatlongreign;youcouldstandontheporchandseethosetwowideapartstakesalmostwithyoureyesshut。(Fig。2。) Thatisn’ttheshapeoftheroadIhavebunchedituplikethattosaveroom。Theroadhadsomegreatcurvesinit,buttheirgradualsweepwassuchthattheywerenomartohistory。 No,inourroadonecouldtellataglancewhowaswhobythesizeofthevacancybetweenstakeswithLOCALITYtohelp,ofcourse。 AlthoughIamawayoffhereinaSwedishvillage[1]andthosestakesdidnotstandtillthesnowcame,Icanseethemtodayasplainlyasever;andwheneverIthinkofanEnglishmonarchhisstakesrisebeforemeoftheirownaccordandI noticethelargeorsmallspacewhichhetakesuponourroad。 Areyourkingsspacedoffinyourmind?WhenyouthinkofRichardIII。andofJamesII。dothedurationsoftheirreignsseemaboutaliketoyou?Itisn’tsotome;Ialwaysnoticethatthere’safoot’sdifference。WhenyouthinkofHenryIII。doyouseeagreatlongstretchofstraightroad?Ido;andjustattheendwhereitjoinsontoEdwardI。Ialwaysseeasmallpearbushwithitsgreenfruithangingdown。WhenIthinkoftheCommonwealthIseeashadylittlegroupofthesesmallsaplingswhichwecalledtheoakparlor;whenIthinkofGeorgeIII。Iseehimstretchingupthehill,partofhimoccupiedbyaflightofstonesteps;andIcanlocateStephentoaninchwhenhecomesintomymind,forhejustfilledthestretchwhichwentbythesummerhouse。Victoria’sreignreachedalmosttomystudydooronthefirstlittlesummit;there’ssixteenfeettobeaddednow; Ibelievethatthatwouldcarryittoabigpinetreethatwasshatteredbysomelightningonesummerwhenitwastryingtohitme。 Wegotagooddealoffunoutofthehistoryroad;andexercise,too。Wetrottedthecoursefromtheconquerortothestudy,thechildrencallingoutthenames,dates,andlengthofreignsaswepassedthestakes,goingagoodgaitalongthelongreigns,butslowingdownwhenwecameuponpeoplelikeMaryandEdwardVI。,andtheshortStuartandPlantagenet,togivetimetogetinthestatistics。Iofferedprizes,tooapples。IthrewoneasfarasIcouldsendit,andthechildthatfirstshoutedthereignitfellingottheapple。 Thechildrenwereencouragedtostoplocatingthingsasbeing\"overbythearbor,\"or\"intheoakparlor,\"or\"upatthestonesteps,\"andsayinsteadthatthethingswereinStephen,orintheCommonwealth,orinGeorgeIII。Theygotthehabitwithouttrouble。Tohavethelongroadmappedoutwithsuchexactnesswasagreatboonforme,forIhadthehabitofleavingbooksandotherarticleslyingaroundeverywhere,andhadnotpreviouslybeenabletodefinitelynametheplace,andsohadoftenbeenobligedtogotofetchthemmyself,tosavetimeandfailure;butnowIcouldnamethereignIleftthemin,andsendthechildren。 NextIthoughtIwouldmeasureofftheFrenchreigns,andpegthemalongsidetheEnglishones,sothatwecouldalwayshavecontemporaneousFrenchhistoryunderoureyesaswewentourEnglishrounds。WepeggedthemdowntotheHundredYears’War,thenthrewtheideaaside,Idonotnowrememberwhy。AfterthatwemadetheEnglishpegsfenceinEuropeanandAmericanhistoryaswellasEnglish,andthatansweredverywell。Englishandalienpoets,statesmen,artists,heroes,battles,plagues,cataclysms,revolutionsweshoveledthemallintotheEnglishfencesaccordingtotheirdates。Doyouunderstand?WegaveWashington’sbirthtoGeorgeII。’spegsandhisdeathtoGeorgeIII。’s;GeorgeII。gottheLisbonearthquakeandGeorgeIII。theDeclarationofIndependence。Goethe,Shakespeare,Napoleon,Savonarola,JoanofArc,theFrenchRevolution,theEdictofNantes,Clive,Wellington,Waterloo,Plassey,Patay,Cowpens,Saratoga,theBattleoftheBoyne,theinventionofthelogarithms,themicroscope,thesteamengine,thetelegraph anythingandeverythingallovertheworldwedumpeditallinamongtheEnglishpegsaccordingtoitdateandregardlessofitsnationality。 IftheroadpeggingschemehadnotsucceededIshouldhavelodgedthekingsinthechildren’sheadsbymeansofpictures thatis,Ishouldhavetried。Itmighthavefailed,forthepicturescouldonlybeeffectiveWHENMADEBYTHEPUPIL;notthemaster,foritistheworkputuponthedrawingthatmakesthedrawingstayinthememory,andmychildrenweretoolittletomakedrawingsatthattime。And,besides,theyhadnotalentforart,whichisstrange,forinotherwaystheyarelikeme。 ButIwilldevelopthepictureplannow,hopingthatyouwillbeabletouseit。Itwillcomegoodforindoorswhentheweatherisbadandonecannotgooutsideandpegaroad。Letusimaginethatthekingsareaprocession,andthattheyhavecomeoutoftheArkanddownAraratforexerciseandarenowstartingbackagainupthezigzagroad。Thiswillbringseveralofthemintoviewatonce,andeachzigzagwillrepresentthelengthofaking’sreign。 Andsoon。Youwillhaveplentyofspace,forbymyprojectyouwillusetheparlorwall。Youdonotmarkonthewall;thatwouldcausetrouble。Youonlyattachbitsofpapertoitwithpinsorthumbtacks。Thesewillleavenomark。 Takeyourpennow,andtwentyonepiecesofwhitepaper,eachtwoinchessquare,andwewilldothetwentyoneyearsoftheConqueror’sreign。Oneachsquaredrawapictureofawhaleandwritethedatesandtermofservice。Wechoosethewhaleforseveralreasons:itsnameandWilliam’sbeginwiththesameletter;itisthebiggestfishthatswims,andWilliamisthemostconspicuousfigureinEnglishhistoryinthewayofalandmark;finally,awhaleisabouttheeasiestthingtodraw。 Bythetimeyouhavedrawntwentyonewalesandwritten\"WilliamI。10661087twentyoneyears\"twentyonetimes,thosedetailswillbeyourproperty;youcannotdislodgethemfromyourmemorywithanythingbutdynamite。Iwillmakeasampleforyoutocopy: (Fig。3)。 Ihavegothischinuptoohigh,butthatisnomatter;heislookingforHarold。Itmaybethatawhalehasn’tthatfinupthereonhisback,butIdonotremember;andso,sincethereisadoubt,itisbesttoerronthesafeside。Helooksbetter,anyway,thanhewouldwithoutit。 BeverycarefulandATTENTIVEwhileyouaredrawingyourfirstwhalefrommysampleandwritingthewordandfiguresunderit,sothatyouwillnotneedtocopythesampleanymore。 Compareyourcopywiththesample;examineclosely;ifyoufindyouhavegoteverythingrightandcanshutyoureyesandseethepictureandcallthewordsandfigures,thenturnthesampleandcopyupsidedownandmakethenextcopyfrommemory;andalsothenextandnext,andsoon,alwaysdrawingandwritingfrommemoryuntilyouhavefinishedthewholetwentyone。Thiswilltakeyoutwentyminutes,orthirty,andbythattimeyouwillfindthatyoucanmakeawhaleinlesstimethananunpracticedpersoncanmakeasardine;also,uptothetimeyoudieyouwillalwaysbeabletofurnishWilliam’sdatestoanyignorantpersonthatinquiresafterthem。 YouwillnowtakethirteenpiecesofBLUEpaper,eachtwoinchessquare,anddoWilliamII。(Fig。4。) Makehimspouthiswaterforwardinsteadofbackward;alsomakehimsmall,andstickaharpooninhimandgivehimthatsicklookintheeye。OtherwiseyoumightseemtobecontinuingtheotherWilliam,andthatwouldbeconfusingandadamage。Itisquiterighttomakehimsmall;hewasonlyaboutaNo。11whale,oralongtheresomewhere;therewasn’troominhimforhisfather’sgreatspirit。Thebarbofthatharpoonoughtnottoshowlikethat,becauseitisdowninsidethewhaleandoughttobeoutofsight,butitcannotbehelped;ifthebarbwereremovedpeoplewouldthinksomeonehadstuckawhipstockintothewhale。Itisbesttoleavethebarbthewayitis,theneveryonewillknowitisaharpoonandattendingtobusiness。 Rememberdrawfromthecopyonlyonce;makeyourothertwelveandtheinscriptionfrommemory。 Nowthetruthisthatwheneveryouhavecopiedapictureanditsinscriptiononcefrommysampleandtwoorthreetimesfrommemorythedetailswillstaywithyouandbehardtoforget。 Afterthat,ifyoulike,youmaymakemerelythewhale’sHEADandWATERSPOUTfortheConquerortillyouendhisreign,eachtimeSAYINGtheinscriptioninplaceofwritingit;andinthecaseofWilliamII。maketheHARPOONalone,andsayovertheinscriptioneachtimeyoudoit。Yousee,itwilltakenearlytwiceaslongtodothefirstsetasitwilltodothesecond,andthatwillgiveyouamarkedsenseofthedifferenceinlengthofthetworeigns。 NextdoHenryI。onthirtyfivesquaresofREDpaper。 (Fig。5。) Thatisahen,andsuggestsHenrybyfurnishingthefirstsyllable。 Whenyouhaverepeatedthehenandtheinscriptionuntilyouareperfectlysureofthem,drawmerelythehen’sheadtherestofthethirtyfivetimes,sayingovertheinscriptioneachtime。Thus: (Fig。6)。 Youbegintounderstandhowhowthisprocessionisgoingtolookwhenitisonthewall。FirsttherewillbetheConqueror’stwentyonewhalesandwaterspouts,thetwentyonewhitesquaresjoinedtooneanotherandmakingawhitestripethreeandone halffeetlong;thethirteenbluesquaresofWilliamII。willbejoinedtothatabluestripetwofeet,twoincheslong,followedbyHenry’sredstripefivefeet,tenincheslong,andsoon。Thecoloreddivisionswillsmartlyshowtotheeyethedifferenceinthelengthofthereignsandimpresstheproportionsonthememoryandtheunderstanding。(Fig。7。) StephenofBloiscomesnext。HerequiresnineteentwoinchsquaresofYELLOWpaper。(Fig。8。) Thatisasteer。ThesoundsuggeststhebeginningofStephen’sname。Ichooseitforthatreason。IcanmakeabettersteerthanthatwhenIamnotexcited。Butthisonewilldo。Itisagoodenoughsteerforhistory。Thetailisdefective,butitonlywantsstraighteningout。 NextcomesHenryII。GivehimthirtyfivesquaresofREDpaper。 Thesehensmustfacewest,liketheformerones。(Fig。9。) Thishendiffersfromtheotherone。HeisonhiswaytoinquirewhathasbeenhappeninginCanterbury。 HowwearriveatRichardI。,calledRichardoftheLion heartbecausehewasabravefighterandwasneversocontentedaswhenhewasleadingcrusadesinPalestineandneglectinghisaffairsathome。GivehimtensquaresofWHITEpaper。(Fig。10)。 Thatisalion。Hisofficeistoremindyouofthelion heartedRichard。Thereissomethingthematterwithhislegs,butIdonotquiteknowwhatitis,theydonotseemright。 Ithinkthehindonesarethemostunsatisfactory;thefrontonesarewellenough,thoughitwouldbebetteriftheywererightsandlefts。 NextcomesKingJohn,andhewasapoorcircumstance。 HewascalledLackland。HegavehisrealmtothePope。 LethimhaveseventeensquaresofYELLOWpaper。(Fig。11。) Thatcreatureisajamboree。Itlookslikeatrademark,butthatisonlyanaccidentandnotintentional。Itisprehistoricandextinct。ItusedtoroamtheearthintheOldSiluriantimes,andlayeggsandcatchfishandclimbtreesandliveonfossils;foritwasofamixedbreed,whichwasthefashionthen。 Itwasveryfierce,andtheOldSilurianswereafraidofit,butthisisatameone。Physicallyithasnorepresentativenow,butitsmindhasbeentransmitted。FirstIdrewitsittingdown,buthaveturnedittheotherwaynowbecauseIthinkitlooksmoreattractiveandspiritedwhenoneendofitisgalloping。IlovetothinkthatinthisattitudeitgivesusapleasantideaofJohncomingallinahappyexcitementtoseewhatthebaronshavebeenarrangingforhimatRunnymede,whiletheotheronegivesusanideaofhimsittingdowntowringhishandsandgrieveoverit。 WenowcometoHenryIII。;REDsquaresagain,ofcourse fiftysixofthem。WemustmakealltheHenrysthesamecolor; itwillmaketheirlongreignsshowuphandsomelyonthewall。 AmongalltheeightHenrystherewerebuttwoshortones。A luckyname,asfaraslongevitygoes。ThereignsofsixoftheHenryscover227years。ItmighthavebeenwelltonamealltheroyalprincesHenry,butthiswasoverlookeduntilitwastoolate。 (Fig。12。) Thisisthebestoneyet。Heisonhisway(1265)tohavealookatthefirstHouseofCommonsinEnglishhistory。Itwasamonumentalevent,thesituationintheHouse,andwasthesecondgreatlibertylandmarkwhichthecenturyhadsetup。IhavemadeHenrylookingglad,butthiswasnotintentional。 EdwardI。comesnext;LIGHTBROWNpaper,thirtyfivesquares。 (Fig。13。) Thatisaneditor。Heistryingtothinkofaword。Hepropshisfeetonachair,whichistheeditor’sway;thenhecanthinkbetter。Idonotcaremuchforthisone;hisearsarenotalike;still,editorsuggeststhesoundofEdward,andhewilldo。IcouldmakehimbetterifIhadamodel,butImadethisonefrommemory。Butisnoparticularmatter;theyalllookalike,anyway。Theyareconceitedandtroublesome,anddon’tpayenough。EdwardwasthefirstreallyEnglishkingthathadyetoccupiedthethrone。TheeditorinthepictureprobablylooksjustasEdwardlookedwhenitwasfirstborneinuponhimthatthiswasso。Hiswholeattitudeexpressedgratificationandpridemixedwithstupefactionandastonishment。 EdwardII。now;twentyBLUEsquares。(Fig。14。) Anothereditor。Thatthingbehindhisearishispencil。 Wheneverhefindsabrightthinginyourmanuscripthestrikesitoutwiththat。Thatdoeshimgood,andmakeshimsmileandshowhisteeth,thewayheisdoinginthepicture。Thisonehasjustbeenstrikingoutasmartthing,andnowheissittingtherewithhisthumbsinhisvestholes,gloating。Theyarefullofenvyandmalice,editorsare。ThispicturewillservetoremindyouthatEdwardII。wasthefirstEnglishkingwhowasDEPOSED。Upondemand,hesignedhisdepositionhimself。Hehadfoundkingshipamostaggravatinganddisagreeableoccupation,andyoucanseebythelookofhimthatheisgladheresigned。Hehasputhisbluepencilupforgoodnow。Hehadstruckoutmanyagoodthingwithitinhistime。 EdwardIII。next;fiftyREDsquares。(Fig。15。) Thiseditorisacritic。Hehaspulledouthiscarving knifeandhistomahawkandisstartingafterabookwhichheisgoingtohaveforbreakfast。Thisone’sarmsareputonwrong。