Life of James Sullivan

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. ATTORNEY-GENERAL. It has been frequent subject of remark that those most industrious with their pens have made it a rule to be up before the sun. Sullivan forms no exception to its truth. Long before the dawn, in winter, he left his couch, and, kindling his fire, applied himself for hours with...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. ATTORNEY-GENERAL. It has been frequent subject of remark that those most industrious with their pens have made it a rule to be up before the sun. Sullivan forms no exception to its truth. Long before the dawn, in winter, he left his couch, and, kindling his fire, applied himself for hours with energy to his labors. First attempts at new habits have their discouragements. The early riser dozes, becomes hungry or chilled, and hastily concludes the practice well enough for others, but ill suited to himself. By persevering, the discomforts gradually disappear, and a new life, invaluable to one with much to accomplish, is added to existence. But there are laws of nature not to be disregarded. The taper should not be lighted at both ends; if the early hours are to be improved for work, we must forego late vigils over night. Much away from home, and often in comfortless abodes, our subject could not be always constant to this excellent habit; and sometimes at his task reflection would subside into revery, and slumber, taking by surprise his wandering fancies, imprison them in dreams. On the morning of the new-year, in shaking off the cobwebs which had gathered for a while over his faculties, he indited the following verses, which, if they possess no great poetic merit, give some insight into the character of his mind. He sent them atbreakfast, with the accompanying note, to his widowed daughter; and, in defiance of the discouraging rule of Horace, Mediocribus ease poetis Non homines, non Di, non concesscre columnsc, unartistic as they are, we venture to insert them: THE CANDLE.?A NEW-YEAR'S GIFT. The dusk of evening had returned, My cottage shut, my candle burned, My wandering eye upon it gazed, While unconsumed the taper blazed. My eye discerned n...