HÀItiidAH MORE, attention to the instructions bestowed on her elder sisters. The first sixpence she ever possessed was given to her, in her fourth year, by the clergy- man of the parish, for repeating the catechism i l the church with the utmost accuracy. Making rhymes was a. favourite amusement with her, and when but five years old, she composed some satirical verses on Bristol, of which all that remained in the chronicles of the family was this couplet:- " This road leads to a great city, Which is more populous than witty," Her nurse, a pious, respectable person, had lived in the family of Dryden; and the inquisitive mind of the little Hannah was continually prompting her to ask for anecdotes of the great poet. Jacob More devoted his leisure to the education of his quick, clever little girls; and he was delighted with the sprightliness and talent of Hannah, whose aptness rendered it a pleasant relaxation to instruct her. Latin and the rudiments of mathematics she acquired with magical ease. On his removal from Norfolk, Mr. More had lost the principal part of his books, having sent them by a separate conveyance; but his excellent memory enabled him to satisfy in some measure the ardent desire of Hannah to learn the histories of the Greeks and Romans. Seating her on his knee, he would relate to her the stories of the lives of the illustrious heroes of antiquity, reciting their speeches first in their original sonorous language, and then in English, to gratify the at- 7
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