Part 12 (2/2)
_Tommy._--Thirty-nine.
_Mr Barlow._--Now, look, I have just taken away nineteen from the number; how many, do you think, remain?
_Tommy._--I will count them.
_Mr Barlow._--And cannot you tell without counting? How many are there, Harry?
_Harry._--Twenty, sir.
_Mr Barlow._--All this is properly the art of arithmetic, which is the same as that of counting, only it is done in a much shorter and easier way, without the trouble of having the things always before you. Thus, for instance, if you wanted to know how many barley-corns were in this sack, you would perhaps be a week in counting the whole number.
_Tommy._--Indeed, I believe I should.
_Mr Barlow._--If you understood arithmetic you might do it in five minutes.
_Tommy._--That is extraordinary, indeed; I can hardly conceive it possible.
_Mr Barlow._--A bushel of corn weighs about fifty pounds; this sack contains four bushels; so that there are just two hundred pounds weight in all. Now, every pound contains sixteen ounces, and sixteen times two hundred makes thirty-two hundred ounces. So that you have nothing to do but to count the number of grains in a single ounce, and there will be thirty-two hundred times that number in the sack.
_Tommy._--I declare this is curious indeed, and I should like to learn arithmetic. Will Harry and you teach me, sir?
_Mr Barlow._--You know we are always ready to improve you. But before we leave this subject, I must tell you a little story. ”There was a gentleman who was extremely fond of beautiful horses, and did not grudge to give the highest prices for them. One day a horse-courser came to him, and showed him one so handsome, that he thought it superior to all he had ever seen before. He mounted him, and found his paces equally excellent; for, though he was full of spirit, he was gentle and tractable as could be wished. So many perfections delighted the gentleman, and he eagerly demanded the price. The horse-courser answered, that he would bate nothing of two hundred guineas; the gentleman, although he admired the horse, would not consent to give it, and they were just on the point of parting. As the man was turning his back, the gentleman called out to him, and said, 'Is there no possible way of our agreeing, for I would give you anything in reason for such a beautiful creature?' 'Why,' replied the dealer, who was a shrewd fellow, and perfectly understood calculation, 'If you do not like to give me two hundred guineas, will you give me a farthing for the first nail the horse has in his shoe, two farthings for the second, four for the third, and so go doubling throughout the whole twenty-four, for there are no more than twenty-four nails in all his shoes?' The gentleman gladly accepted the condition, and ordered the horse to be led away to his stables.”
_Tommy._--This fellow must have been a very great blockhead, to ask two hundred guineas, and then to take a few farthings for his horse.
_Mr Barlow._--The gentleman was of the same opinion; ”however, the horse-courser added:--'I do not mean, sir, to tie you down to this last proposal, which, upon consideration, you may like as little as the first; all that I require is, that if you are dissatisfied with your bargain, you will promise to pay me down the two hundred guineas which I first asked.' This the gentleman willingly agreed to, and then called the steward to calculate the sum, for he was too much of a gentleman to be able to do it himself. The steward sat down with his pen and ink, and, after some time, gravely wished his master joy, and asked him, 'in what part of England the estate was situated that he was going to purchase.' 'Are you mad?' replied the gentleman; 'it is not an estate, but a horse, that I have just bargained for; and here is the owner of him, to whom I am going to pay the money.' 'If there is any madness, sir,' replied the steward, 'it certainly is not on my side; the sum you have ordered me to calculate comes just to seventeen thousand four hundred and seventy-six pounds, besides some s.h.i.+llings and pence; and surely no man in his senses would give this price for a horse.' The gentleman was more surprised than he had ever been before, to hear the a.s.sertion of his steward; but when, upon examination, he found it no more than the truth, he was very glad to compound for his foolish agreement, by giving the horse-courser the two hundred guineas, and dismissing him.”
_Tommy._--This is quite incredible, that a farthing just doubled a few times, should amount to such a prodigious sum; however, I am determined to learn arithmetic, that I may not be imposed upon in this manner, for I think a gentleman must look very silly in such a situation.
Thus had Tommy a new employment and diversion for the winter nights--the learning arithmetic. Almost every night did Mr Barlow, and Harry, and he, amuse themselves with little questions that related to numbers; by which means Tommy became, in a short time, so expert, that he could add, subtract, multiply, or divide almost any given sum, with little trouble and great exactness. But he did not for this forget the employment of observing the heavens, for every night when the stars appeared bright, and the sky was unclouded, Harry and he observed the various figures and positions of the constellations. Mr Barlow gave him a little paper globe, as he had promised, and Tommy immediately marked out upon the top his first and favourite constellation of Charles' Wain. A little while after that, he observed on the other side of the Pole-star another beautiful a.s.semblage of stars, which was always opposite to Charles'
Wain; this, Mr Barlow told him, was called _Ca.s.siopeia's_ Chair, and this, in a short time, was added to the collection.
One night as Tommy was looking up to the sky in the southern part of the heavens, he observed so remarkable a constellation that he could not help particularly remarking it; four large and s.h.i.+ning stars composed the ends of the figure, which was almost square, and full in the middle appeared three more placed in a slanting line and very near each other.
This Tommy pointed out to Mr Barlow, and begged to know the name. Mr Barlow answered that the constellation was named _Orion_, and that the three bright stars in the middle were called his belt. Tommy was so delighted with the grandeur and beauty of this glorious constellation, that he could not help observing it, by intervals, all the evening; and he was surprised to see that it seemed to pa.s.s on in a right line drawn from east to west, and that all the stars he had become acquainted with moved every night in the same direction.
But he did not forget to remind Harry one morning of the history he had promised to tell him of Agesilaus. Harry told it in the following manner:--
”HISTORY OF AGESILAUS.”
”The Spartans (as I have before told you, Master Tommy) were a brave and hardy people, who despised everything that tended to make them delicate and luxurious. All their time was spent in such exercises as made them strong and active, able to bear fatigue, and to despise wounds and danger, for they were situated in the midst of several other nations that frequently had quarrels with each other, and with them; and therefore it was necessary that they should learn to defend themselves.
Therefore all the children were brought up alike, and the sons of their kings themselves were as little indulged as anybody else.”
_Tommy._--Stop, stop!--I don't exactly understand that. I thought a king was a person that dressed finer and had less to do than anybody else in the world. I have often heard my mamma and the ladies say that I looked like a prince when I had fine clothes on; and therefore I thought that kings and princes never did anything but walk about with crowns upon their heads, and eat sweetmeats all day long.
_Harry._--I do not know how that may be, but in Sparta the great business of the kings (for they had two) was to command them when they went out to war, or when they were attacked at home--and that, you know, they could not do without being brave and hardy themselves. ”Now it happened that the Spartans had some dear friends and allies that lived at a distance from them across the sea, who were attacked by a great and numerous nation called the Persians. So when the Spartans knew the danger of their friends, they sent over to their a.s.sistance Agesilaus, one of their kings, together with a few thousands of his countrymen; and these they judged would be a match for all the forces that could be brought against them by the Persians, though ever so numerous. When the general of the Persians saw the small number of his enemies, he imagined it would be an easy matter to take them prisoners or to destroy them.
Besides, as he was immensely rich, and possessed a number of palaces, furnished with everything that was fine and costly, and had a great quant.i.ty of gold and silver, and jewels, and slaves, he could not conceive it possible that anybody could resist him. He therefore raised a large army, several times greater than that of the Spartans, and attacked Agesilaus, who was not in the least afraid of him; for the Spartans, joining their s.h.i.+elds together, and marching slowly along in even ranks, fell with so much fury upon the Persians, that in an instant they put them to flight.”
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