An account of the religious and literary life of Rev. Adam Clarke ...

Front matter

AN ACCOUNT

t 2 hi

OF THE ^

Preface

The Work now presented to the public, claims for itself no originality of plan or finish of execution. It is but little more than an abridgment of the original " Life of Dr. Clarke," published at the Book Room. The size of that work is such as renders it unfit to be placed in our Sunday school libraries, as it would seldom be read by the scholars, who are not fond of searching a large book for interesting and instructive information.

In view of these circumstances the author of this abridgment has occupied the leisure of a few weeks in selecting those portions of Dr. Clarke's memoirs which he deemed sufficient to give a general outline of his life and character, and such as appeared likely to command the interest of the young, for whom the work has been mainly prepared. The chronological order of the larger biography has been followed as far as was practicable, and the writer of these sheets has not gone out of his way to avoid the

4 PREFACE TO LIFE OF ADAM CLARKE.

phraseology of the original memoir, wherever it appeared better than any suggested to his mind.

The little work is thus given, praying that it may be able to present the example of Adam Clarke to the young who shall read it in such a light as to induce them to imitate him in his greatness and goodness.

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Contents

CHAPTER L

Birth of Adam Clarke — Infancy — Early fondness for snow —Has the small-pox — Serious impressions — Antipathies — Dulness at school — Tries Latin grammar — Difficulties — Sudden illumination — His father's school — Courts the Muses — Catalogue of his library — Opinion of romances- Studies magic — Abandons it — Early religious education — Learns to dance — Nearly loses his life by two accidents,

CHAPTER IL

Contents To Life Of Clarke

CHAPTER IV.

Sent to Bradford circuit — Success at Road — Reads on horseback — Abandons his classical studies — Why — What caused him to resume them— Quits tea and coffee — Conscientiousness — Appointed to Norwich circuit — State of the

society Invitation to breakfast — Domestic economy

Chapter I

Birth of Adam Clarke — Infancy — Early fondness for snow —Has the small-pox — Serious impressions — Antipathies — Dulness at school — Tries Latin grammar — Difficulties — Sudden illumination — His father's school — Courts the Muses — Catalogue of his library — Opinion of romances — Studies magic — Abandons it — Early religious education — Learns to dance — Nearly loses his life by two accidents.

Adam Clarke, the subject of the following memoir, was born in the village of Moybeg, township of Cootinaglugg, county of Londonderry, Ireland. The precise date of his birth is not known, but was, most probably, in the spring of 1760. He was the second son of John Clarke, A. M., a sizer in Trinity College, Dublin, whose early marriage to Miss Hannah M'Lean blasted his hopes of preferment in the Church ; and the desire of emigrating to America, which was then prevalent in his native land, (owing to the intolerable taxation of oppressive landlords,) induced him to dispose of his property and make preparations to remove to the new world. On the eve of his departure, his father arrived in the city, and, by the influence of his entreaties, prevailed on Mr. Clarke to abandon the project, forfeit his passage money, and return to the country. The loss occasioned by the breaking up of his establishment left him in embarrassed circumstances, and he was for some time undetermined what pursuit in life to adopt. After encountering many difficulties, he finally settled in Moybeg, the obscure village which was honoured as the birth-place of his son Adam.

His brother, the first child of his parents, having been nearly spoiled by the indulgence of a fond uncle, to avoid a similar consequence in the case of Adam, he was almost wholly neglected in his infancy, meeting with little kind treatment, always corrected when in fault, and receiving punishment sometimes when he did not deserve it. Left comparatively to himself, he became quite hardy, uncommonly patient of cold, and remarkably fond of the snow. His attachment to it was so great, that he called it his brother^ and would often leave his bed in the mornings, and, with the slightest covering on, would build himself rooms in the snow, and sit down in them, almost naked, with the most perfect satisfaction.

At the age of five he was afflicted with the small-pox, and the treatment for that disease, at that time, was peculiarly aggravating and intolerable. The patient was bundled up in a load of clothes, placed in a warm bed, and dosed with spirituous liquors. This mode of treating an inflammatory disease was by no means adapted to Adam's views ; and accordingly he secured an opportunity, in the absence

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of his parents, to leap from his bed and run naked into the open air. This he repeated as often as possible ; and a custom so contrary to all medical authority terminated in his restoration to health, without being scarred with a single mark.

At six years of age he received his first serious impressions. His father was at that time teaching a school at Maghera, and the son of one of his neighbours was a favourite with Adam, and his almost constant companion. One day James Brooks and Adam were walking in the field, and began to enter into very serious conversation. They became greatly affected, and their emotions were deepened by the remark of little James, "O, Addy, Addy, what a dreadful thing is eternity ; and, O, how dreadful to be put into hell fire, and to be burned there for ever and ever V* They wept bitterly, begged God to forgive their sins, and resolved in future to lead better lives.

When Adam returned home he related the circumstance to his mother, who encouraged him in his good resolutions. The father, however, put little faith in the efforts of children to be pious ; and his neglect tended, in a great degree, to discourage his son. He did not altogether lose his serious impressions ; and although he then had no one to tell him he could be saved only by faith in Christ through the grace £iven of God, he retained and cherished those feelings which, doubtless, contributed in a great degree to the formation of his religious character.

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Dr. Clarke, in his childhood, entertained an ) unconquerable antipathy to very corpulent per- 1 sons, and relates the effect produced upon him : by the prediction of a dumb spae-man, or fortune-teller, who once visited his father's house. Adam was presented to the wizard, in order to ascertain the fate of his after life, and the " man of mysteries," after beholding him intently for some time, signified by his actions that the lad was destined to be very fond of the bottle and grow very fat ! Of all other things, I these two he most dreaded ; and, to avert the evil, he had immediate recourse to prayer : for, although he thought the wizard might be correct in his calculation, he believed that the interference of God's omnipotence could prevent this dire calamity. He kneeled down in the bushes, and earnestly uttered the following petition : — " 0. Lord God, have mercy upon me, and never suffer me to be like Pearce Quinlin !" (one of his father's neighbours, whose untiring kindness could not destroy the antipathy Adam entertained to his large stomach.) The effect of this prayer was to sooth his mind in some degree ; and, perhaps, had it not been for the prediction of the spae-man, he would not have been so careful in after days to observe that regularity of habit which, doubtless, prolonged his very valuable life.

The dulness of Adam in his school-boy days was very remarkable ; and the poor encouragement he found in endeavouring to acquire a knowledge of the alphabet, produced almost a despair of his ever making any progress in knowledge. When a neighbouring schoolmaster visited the school, he was invited by the teacher to hear his boys recite their lessons ; and the poor manner in which Adam went through his recitation, caused the teacher to make an apology for him, with the complimentary remark, that he was a grievous dunce. The visiter laid his hand on young Clarke's head, and replied to the teacher, " Never fear, sir, this lad will make a good scholar yet." These few words inspired him with some hope ; and the literary career of Dr. Clarke's subsequent life fully verified the correctness of the prediction.

As soon as Adam was able to read in the New Testament with some ease, his father, wishing to make him a scholar if possible, put him into Lilly's Latin grammar. At that stage of his progress this was a difficult task ; and one of the first sentences presented an obstacle which he was long in overcoming. He comprehended not the meaning of the sentence — " In speech be these eight parts following : noun, pronoun, verb, participle, declined; adverb, conjunction, preposition, interjection, undeclined." And although he committed it to memory, and repeated it correctly, he knew nothing of its signification.

The declensions of nouns he mastered with pain, and soon became familiar with the conjugation of verbs. One portion of this grammar, known as the As in prasenti, was not so

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easily managed, and with a neighbouring difficulty he halted. It appeared to him u useless and incomprehensible jargon ;" and, in distress and with tears he abandoned it, and with it all hopes of future progress. "He took up an English Testament, sneaked into an English class, and rose with it to say a lesson. The master, perceiving it, said, in a terrific tone, 4 Sir, what brought you here ? where is your Latin grammar V He burst into tears, and exclaimed, with a piteous tone, ' I cannot learn it V He had now reason to expect all the severity of the rod : but the master, getting a little moderate, perhaps moved by his tears, contented himself with saying, ' Go, sirrah, and take up your grammar : if you do not speedily get that lesson, I shall pull your ears as long as Jowler's, (a great dog belonging to the premises,) and you shall be a beggar to the day of your death.' " He went to his seat with feelings of indescribable poignancy, which were increased by the taunts of one of iis more successful school-mates. " What! have you not learned that lesson yet 1 O what a stupid ass ! You and I began together : you are now only in As in pressed, and I am m syntax !" This was not to be borne. Young Clarke felt " as if something had broken within him" — and the effect was a sudden illumination of his mind. He resolved not to be the butt of the insults of his fellows, not to be the jackass of the school, and " a beggar to the day of his death." He seized the book, com-

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mitted the lesson in a few minutes, and recited it without missing a single word. He forthwith proceeded to prepare others, and finally wearied his master by the frequency of his recitations. He soon mastered the most difficult parts of Lilly's grammar, and was thenceforth the prodigy of the school. Thus, as it were almost in a moment, he stepped from darkness to light, and his sorrow was turned into instant joy. In the words of his autobiography, " the reproaches of his school-fellow were the spark which fell on the gunpowder and inflamed it instantly. The inflammable matter was there before, but the spark was wanting."

Although Mr. Clarke's means were quite limited, he endeavoured to afford his sons the best education he could possibly give them. He lived on a small farm, and at the same time taught school. The price at which he taught the various branches has been preserved as a literary curiosity : — Reading, 1 l-2d. per week ; Writing, 2d. ; Writing and Accompts, 4d. ; and Greek and Latin, 7s. per quarter. These were the highest terms in that country in the latter end of the eighteenth century.

Mr. Clarke commenced his school, both in summer and winter, at eight o'clock in the morning, and continued until eight in the evening in summer, and four in winter. From May till September he allowed one hour for dinner ; during the remainder of the year, he continued his school without intermission ; and all the vacation he allowed in the year amounted to

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but three weeks. He paid attention to his farm before and after school hours, and during the rest of the time it was left to the care of his two sons. They went to school day about, and the scholar of one day was the farmer of the next. He who had the advantage of the day's instruction, imparted, on his return from school, as much of it as he could to him who was detained about the affairs of the farm.

The situation of the school was such as to give a fine prospect of hill, and dale, and woodland ; and with the beautiful landscape before him, Adam Clarke studied Virgil's Eclogues and Georgics, receiving from the scenery around him better comments on the beauties of the Mantuan bard than all the lucid annotations of editors and critics. In this place, when about eight or nine years old, he composed a satire on one of his school-mates, whose misdemeanors had brought him under the chastisement of Adam's severity. The original poem, which consisted of one hundred and seventy-five lines, was composed in one Saturday afternoon, after the school broke up, and was written down by his brother, as Adam could not yet write small hand with sufficient legibility for such a task. We will give as much of it as has been preserved.

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THE PARALLEL : — A POEM.

Or Verses on William W — k — w, of Portglenone, in the bounty of Antrim, describing the base extraction, high insignificance \ and family connections of the mid William W — k — n, alias Pigmy Will,

The Isle Egina, as it 's said,

Was once depeopled by a plague ;

Nor male nor female then was spared

Save Eacus, who was its laird.

Great Jove to Eacus gave birth,

As good a wight as lived on earth ;

And skilPd in magic, as it 's said,

He found out means to stop the plague.

The ants they saw, to their surprise,

The nation fall before their eyes ;

And earnestly desired then

That he would change them into men.

This was no sooner said than done,

For straight to conjuring he begun ;

Then feet and legs might there be seen,

And bodies moving on the green ;

With thighs, arms, shoulders, neck, and head,

Like ghosts arising from the dead.

(Much wanting.)

When ail this tiny race was framed, There was one of them that was named JYinnetis, he of stature small, The merest dwarf among them all ; The little Naethius, Pluto's client, Compared to him was like a giant ; — Nor all the race of Fairies dire, Nor Salamanders bred in fire, Nor Oberon, the fairy king, Nor all the race of dwarfs living, Nor one on earth compared him 'till, Except the moth called Pigmy Will. (1)

But certes here, you '11 think anon, This is a rare comparison ; That such a lad as Ninneus was, Should likened be to Will the dwarf.

(1) Pigmy Will, the school nickname of this young man,

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But now, my muse, forto be brief, On Willy's acts turn o'er a leaf. The Pigmy people did deelare With race of Cranes a dreadful war ; And urged them with their winged mighS To meet them on the field to fight.

The Cranes, not daunted at this news. Ne'er doubting that they 'd soon confuse This reptile face, void dread or fear, Unto the battle they drew near.

Our Pigmy, with his little page, (2) A fearful crane did soon engage : She tore their face with beak and nah% And dealt her blows as thick as hail. In minutes three the page was kill'd; And Will, being well irTrmtning skill'd, Took to his heels t' avoid disgrace, And shun the rage of cranish race. But fortune's smiles, that wait on th' brave, Beam'd not, our hero fleet to save ; For soon, alas ! he fell flat down. The crane, observing him in swoon, Clutch'd and lift high up in the air, Having fast hold of poor Will's hair.

At this unhappy change of place, "Will made a haggard, rueful face ; And earnestly desired to be Rid of his potent enemy.

The crane just sped, now high, now low, With her poor caitiff screaming foe ; Till coming o'er Portnegro town, (3) She loosed her fangs, and let him down : And he, poor wight, like old king Log, Came plumb directly to a bog.

{Some wanting-)

When from Portnegro he came home, His friends embraced him one by one ; But father said, " Til thrash your back, sir, (4) Gin ye dinna mend your manners straight, sir !"

(2) Little page, — this poor little serving lad, a sort of playmate of William's when he was at his father's house.

(3) Portnegro, — the town of Portglenone, on the river Ban, near to which this family dwelt.

(4) I 1 11 thrash your back, — a very common expression of William's father.

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Adam was extremely fond of reading, and entertained a great partiality for history. The classical allusions of the preceding poem exhibit a familiarity with a knowledge of antiquity truly astonishing in so young a boy. The manner in which he and his brother procured their books, was by saving the pennies given them for being good boys ; and when the joint stock amounted to a sufficiency to purchase the desired volume, to add it to their library. This example deserves the imitation of all children who prefer knowledge to sweetmeats, and the improvement of the mind to satisfying the appetites of the body. We will give a catalogue of their library, more, indeed, as a curiosity than a model : —

The Reading Made Easy, and Dilworth's Spelling-Book. The famous and delightful History of Tom Thumb. Ditto of Jack the Giant Killer. Ditto of Jack Horner. Ditto of Rosewall and Lilly Ann. Ditto of Guy, Earl of Warwick. Ditto of the Seven Wise Masters and Mistresses. Ditto of the Nine Worthies of the World. Ditto of Thomas Hickathrift. Ditto of Captain James Hind. Ditto of the Babes in the Wood. Ditto of the Seven Champions of Christendom. Ditto of Sir Francis Drake. Ditto of the New World, i. e., America. Ditto of Captain Falkner. Ditto of Montelion, or the Knight of the Oracle. Ditto of Robinson Crusoe. Ditto of Valentine and Orson. Ditto of Parismus and Parismenos. The Tale of the Three Bonnets. The Fairy Tales. Peruvian

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Tales. Tartarian Tales. Arabian Nights Entertainments. The Destruction of Troy. Robin Hood's Garland. The History of Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly. The Life of Sir William Wallace. A Groat's Worth of Wit for a Penny. Chevy Chase. The Cherry and the Sloe. The Gentle Shepherd. The Pilgrim's Progress. iEsop's Fables, by L'E strange. The Holy War. — With many others of the same kind.

Dr. Clarke attributes the strengthening of his belief in the existence of a God, a spiritual world, and the direct interposition of special providences, to the perusal of those little romances which related the adventures of heroes, and the acts of fairies and genii. He was naturally timid, but believed that the reading of these works tended to render him courageous. Speaking of this subject, he remarked to his friends, " I believe I should have been an arrant coward* had I never read romances ; such was the natural timidity, or, if you please, imbecility of my mind." He fully attested his courage in after life by braving the mobs that assailed him while endeavouring to proclaim salvation to a lost and sinful race.

In the course of his reading, as it lay principally in the department of romance, he

* Had Adam Clarke been as well versed in gospel history as he was in romance literature, he would have found a sufficient number of incidents of divine interposition to give him an unwavering trust in the providence of God, and thereby furnish him with all the moral courage which a Christian needs.

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acquired some information of magicians and their wonder-working power. He knew something, too, of the Occult Philosophy of Cornelius Agrippa, and of the wonderful book which " was obliged to be chained to a large block, else it would fly, or be carried away." His curiosity became greatly excited ; and having heard that a copy of the work was in the possession of a schoolmaster, a few miles from his father's residence, he had a letter written, and, although but eight years old, prepared to make the journey. In reply to his mother's expostulations, on account of his ignorance of the road, and his want of strength to complete the undertaking, he answered, "Never fear, mother; if I can get there, and get the book, I hope to get as much out of it as will bring me home without touching the ground." He had resolved to ride back on an angel. How great must have been his vexation and disappointment to find that the man would not lend the book !

This, however, only served to increase his curiosity ; and an occurrence shortly after gave him the satisfaction of at least seeing the book. A family of travelling tinkers came to that part of the country, and a report soon circulated that they were conjurers. Adam was not long in tendering them neighbourly attention ; and on his first visit, made known the desire of his heart to obtain a sight of certain magical books reported to be in their possession. The man of the house was pleased with the enthusiasm of the lad, and amused him with many thrilling

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stories of the supernatural effects of spells, figures, diagrams, letters, fumigations, &c, &c. But, to cap the climax of Adam's rapture, he handed him, on his second visit, the three books of Cornelius Agrippa on Occult Science ! With much fear was it touched, with much trembling was it read. Liberty was granted to take notes, and when the family removed from the place, which occurred shortly after, he supposed that he had culled the sweets of the volume, and rejoiced in the acquisition of his knowledge. He again felt chagrined when the tinker informed him that there was a fourth volume of the work, containing the practice of the art, without which the others were useless. The only solace was, to wait in patience until he could secure the remaining volume.

He was persuaded of the propriety of all magical operations, because the name of God was so often and so reverently used in the incantations.

This view of the subject tended greatly to impose on his mind ; but he happened about this time to read an answer, in a book entitled The Athenian Oracle, to the question, — e< Is that magic lawful whose operations are perfoimed in the name of God, and by solemn invocations of his power," &c, &c. % The answer was, No : — for concerning such things, our Lord has said : " Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works ? And

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then will I profess unto them, I never knew you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity," Matt, vii, 22, 23. This answer, and the remarks made in connection with it, convinced Adam that it was a profanation of the name of God to use it in magical incantations, and made a termination of his studies in this department.

Doubtless the only good resulting from these studies was, the awe which their reputation, as conjurers, acquired by the young Clarkes, exerted over the minds of their neighbours ; for no intruder dared to trespass on the premises from night-fall until daylight, lest some dire calamity should befall him.

We come now to speak of Adam's religious education. His mother was a Presbyterian u of the strictest sect," a Puritan. She had so inspired her children with a reverence for the word of God, that a reproof drawn from the Bible was, to their minds, truly terrifying. An instance, illustrative of this, was preserved in the memory of her son to the latest hour of his life. He accompanied some act of disobedience with a look that seemed to express a contempt for her authority. She immediately had recourse to the Scripture, turned to Prov. xxx, 17, and commented with great solemnity on the passage, — " The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it." He was smitten in his conscience, went out into the fiold medi-

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tating on this " horrible denunciation," and the first sound that arrested his attention was the hoarse croak of a raven ! He looked up, and seeing this bird, supposed that it was the one mentioned in the text, and, under the influence of an instinctive impulse, covered his eyes with his hands and ran to the house in a state of excitement and alarm.

Together with a reverence for the Scriptures, the children were taught to pray. They were all made to kneel and repeat the Lortfs Prayer before retiring to bed at night,, and those who were over six years of age added the Apostles' Creed. The morning and evening prayers, were in verse ; and although they are very familiar, they deserve to be recorded in this place. AN EVENING PRAYER FOR A YOUNG CHILI\ " I go to my bed as to my grave,

And pray to God my life to save.

But if I die before I wake,

I pray to God my soul to take.

Sweet Jesus, now to thee I cry,

To grant me mercy before I die !

To grant me mercy, and send me grace.

That heaven may be my dwelling place !"

A MORNING PRAYER FOR A YOUNG CHILD. M Preserve me, Lord, amidst the crowd, From every thought that 's vain and proud ; And raise my wandering mind to see How good it is to trust in thee ! From all the enemies of thy truth, Do thou, O Lord, preserve my youth ; And raise my mincl from worldly cares, From youthful sins and youthful snares. Lord, though my heart 's as hard as stone, Let seeds of early grace be sown ; Still water'd by thy heavenly love, Till they spring up to joys above t"

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These were concluded with the following short doxology :

" Give to the Father praise, And glory to the Son ; And to the Spirit of his grace Be equal honour done !"

About his twelfth or thirteenth year, Adam learned to dance. With this worse than useless accomplishment, he acquired its concomitant evils, levity, idleness, and pride. His soul's utmost desires seemed to be centred in dress, in foolish conversation, and unprofitable company. Young Clarke's experience in this matter convinced him that the influence of dancing was decidedly deleterious : and in after life, as a minister of the gospel, he deemed it his bounden duty to exert his influence in the suppression of this pernicious branch of education.

As he grew older, it became necessary to think of some business of life in which to be engaged. It was first proposed to prepare him for the ministry, but the straitened circumstances of the family did not allow them the privilege of maintaining him at the university. It was then proposed to put him an apprentice to a surgeon ; but this plan failed, and as he was the " only remaining son" at home, he was retained to assist his father in attending to the school.

Two accidents about this time came near to putting a period to Adam's life. One day, as he was returning from the mill, he placed the bag of grain on the horse's back, and sat

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on the top, in order to prevent it from falling. One side, however, being heavier than the other caused him to lose his balance and fall from his seat, and threw him with his back i on a pointed stone. In this situation he was taken up as dead ; an ineffectual attempt was made to draw blood, and after lying in an insensible state for twenty-four hours, he awoke to a sense of the acutest pain. Every one despaired of his life being prolonged, and prepared to remove him to his father's. He refused to get into the chair, but, holding on to it, he walked to his father's residence, and to the astonishment of all he soon recovered his usual strength.