scribed it in the preface to The Retrospect in the second
volume of his collected poetical works. It was a little vil-
lage south of the Avon and four or five miles from Bath.
Southey's father rode out with the stage-coach that carried
the boy, and left him with the master and mistress of the
school, who gave him a smiling welcome with talk of tender
care and happy sports, but after his father's form had dis-
appeared, "never spake so civilly again."
Thomas Flower, the master of the school, was interested
mainly in mathematics and astronomy, for the sake of
which he neglected his pupils, and left them largely to the
instruction of his son, whom the boys called Charley and
whose consequence may be judged therefrom. Writing,-
the flourishing ornamental penmanship of an older day,-
arithmetic, and spelling were the subjects taught. Southey,
with a few of the other scholars, was also taught Latin by a
Frenchman who came twice a week from Bristol, and the
youngster was required, either by his mates or his master,
to help some of the older boys at their tasks. The disci-
pline of the school was not severe; the boys were neglected
rather than abused, and although they were compelled to
sit sleepy and cold in a dark room on wintry Sunday even-
ings, there to listen to the droning of dull sermons, they
were given on the whole plenty of outdoor freedom for
play and getting dirty such as Miss Tyler's nephew had
never enjoyed -before.
The house in which the school was kept had been the
mansion of some departed family.
"There were vestiges of former respectability and comfort . . .
walled gardens, summer-houses, gate-pillars surmounted with huge
stone balls, a paddock, a large orchard, walnut trees, yards, out-
houses upon an opulent scale. I felt how mournful all this was in
its fallen state, when the great walled garden was converted into
a playground for the boys, the gateways broken, the summer-houses
falling into ruin, and grass growing in the interstices of the lozenged


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BOYHOOD