Part 4 (1/2)

[29] Beau

[30] Henry Austen, and his elder brother, James

[31] In the _Memoir_ this action is by mistake attributed to the Count

[32] _National Archives_, Paris (de Feuillide), W 328, dossier 541, and T 738; (Marboeuf), W 320, dossier 481

CHAPTER IV

FAMILY LIFE

1779-1792

The eldest brother of the family, James, was nearly eleven years older than Jane, and had taken his degree at Oxford before she left school He had matriculated at St John's (where he obtained a 'founder's kin'

Scholarshi+p and, subsequently, a Fellowshi+p) in 1779, at the early age of fourteen; his departure fro been perhaps hastened in order tohis brothers' studies at that tilish literature, had a correct taste, and wrote readily and happily, both in prose and verse His son, the author of the _Me the reading, and for the taste, of his sister Jane James was evidently in sympathy with Cowper's return to nature from the more artificial and mechanical style of Pope's imitators, and so was she; in _Sense and Sensibility_, Marianne, after her first conversation with Willoughby, had happily assured herself of his ad Pope 'noin France; his cousin Eliza was hoping for a visit of some months from him; but in the next year he had returned, and heFellow of his College; for there, in 1789, he becainator and chief author of a periodical paper called _The Loiterer_, modelled on _The Spectator_ and its successors It existed for more than a twelvemonth, and in the last nuh, but not entirely inaccurate Sketch of the Character, the Manners, and the Ahteenth century' In after life, we are told, he used to speak very slightingly of this early work, 'which he had the better right to do, as, whatever ree of their merits, the best papers had certainly been written by himself'

Edward Austen's disposition and tastes were as different from James's as his lot in life proved to be Edward, as his mother says, 'made no pretensions' to literary taste and scholarshi+p; but he was an excellent man of business, kind-hearted and affectionate; and he possessed also a spirit of fun and liveliness, whichpeople His history was more like fiction than reality Most children have at soed in day-dreams, in which they succeed to unexpected estates and consequent power; and it all happened to Edward Mr Thoht of Godmersham Park in Kent, and Chawton House in Hae Austen, and had placed hiht, and his char Edward, had him often to their house, and eventually adopted hiht's asking for the co his holidays, of his father's hesitating in the interests of the Latin Gra 'I think, e your cousins and let the child go' There was no issue of the rees they made up their minds to adopt Edward Austen as their heir This resolution was not only a ard for Edward but also a coeneral, whose early promise their cousins had probably observed; the relationshi+p not being near enough to constitute any claiht was most serious in his intentions, for in his will he left the estates in remainder to Edward's brothers in succession in case of the failure of his issue, and Mrs Knight always showed the kindest interest in all the family Edas now more and hts'

auspices, he was sent, not to the University, but on a 'grand tour,'

which included Dresden and Rome He was probably away on this tour at the date which we have now reached

Jane's favourite brother, Henry, was nearly four years younger than Edward, and was no doubt still profiting by his father's instructions

By 1789 he was not only at Oxford but was contributing to _The Loiterer_ a paper on the sentience of the above-named sentiments affects the immediate happiness or misery of human life' Henry, whose course in life was marked by sharper curves than that of any of his brothers, was no doubt a very attractive personality His niece, Mrs Lefroy, says of him:--

He was the handsomest of his family and, in the opinion of his own father, also the most talented

There were others who forreater in show than in reality; but for the reatly admired Brilliant in conversation he was, and, like his father, blessed with a hopefulness of te itself to all circumstances, even the most adverse, seemed to create a perpetual sunshi+ne The race, however, is not all to the swift, it never has been, and, though so highly gifted by nature, my uncle was not prosperous in life

There can be no doubt that by his bright and lovable nature he contributed greatly to the happiness of his sister Jane She tells us that he could not help being ae of that quality that we accept her opinion of Henry's hurandiloquent ishi+ng to be serious that he certainly ift of a hu at hiain was the self-contained and steadfast Francis--the future Admiral of the Fleet; as born in April 1774, and divided in age from Henry by their sister Cassandra He must have spent some time at home with his sisters, after their return from school, before he entered the Royal Naval Academy, established in 1775 at Portsmouth under the supreme direction of the Lords of the Admiralty Francis joined it when he was just twelve, and, 'having attracted the particular notice of the Lords of the Admiralty by the closeness of his application, and been in consequence marked out for early promotion,'[33] embarked two and a half years later as a volunteer on board the frigate _Perseverance_ (captain, Isaac Smith), bound to the East Indies His father on this occasion wrote hiiven in _Jane Austen's Sailor Brothers_[34] Nothing in this wise and kind letter is more remarkable than the courtesy and delicacy hich the father addresses his advice to the son, as but a boy, but who hest hopes, consequent upon his previous good conduct He speaks on iven the first place ah character Francis had acquired in the acadeood mother, brothers, sisters and myself will all exult in your reputation and rejoice in your happiness' The letter concludes thus: 'I have nothingand best prayers for your health and prosperity, and to beg you would never forget you have not upon earth a more disinterested and warm friend than your truly affectionate father, Geo Austen' We need not be surprised to learn that this letter was found ae of ninety-one

The re brother, Charles, his sisters' 'own particular little brother,' born in 1779, must have been still in the nursery when his sisters left school

These brothers reat deal to Jane[35]; 'but dearest of all to her heart was her sister Cassandra, about three years her senior Their sisterly affection for each other could scarcely be exceeded Perhaps it began on Jane's side with the feeling of deference natural to a loving child towards a kind elder sister So always remained; and even in thesuccess, she would still speak of Cassandra as of one wiser and better than herself' 'Their attachment was never interrupted or weakened; they lived in the same home, and shared the same bedroom, till separated by death They were not exactly alike Cassandra's was the colder and cal, but with less outward de and less sunniness of temper than Jane possessed It was remarked in the fa her temper always under command, but that Jane had the _happiness_ of a temper which never required to be commanded”'

Such was the fareeable in it that its members may be excused if they were inclined to live soht see in each otherto admire The family talk had abundance of spirit and vivacity, and was never troubled by disagreements even in little ue with each other; above all, there was strong family affection and firm union, never to be broken but by death It cannot be doubted that all this had its influence with the author in the construction of her stories,' in which fae part

The party which we have described was for many years 'unbroken[37] by death and seldom visited by sorrow Their situation had soes beyond those of ordinary rectories Steventon was a faht, the patron, was also proprietor of nearly the whole parish He never resided there, and, consequently, the Rector and his children cahbourhood as representatives of the family They shared with the principal tenant the command of an excellent manor, and enjoyed, in this reflected way, some of the consideration usually awarded to landed proprietors They were not rich, but, aided by Mr Austen's power of teaching, they had enough to afford a good education to their sons and daughters, to hbourhood, and to exercise a liberal hospitality to their own relations and friends' 'A carriage and pair of horses were kept'; but this could be done hteenth century than in the nineteenth 'There were then no assessed taxes; the carriage, once bought, entailed little further expense; and the horses, probably, like Mr Bennet's (in _Pride and Prejudice_), were often employed on farm work Moreover, it should be remembered that a pair of horses in those days were almost a necessity, if ladies were to move about at all; for neither the condition of the roads nor the style of carriage-building adle horse'; indeed, the object of the builders seeht with the least possible amount of acco on the career of authorshi+p She wrote because she enius was afterwards to s of talent within her and the absorbing interest of early coe she began There are copy-books extant containing tales, soirl, as they had amounted to a considerable number by the tiht and flienerally intended to be nonsensical, but the nonsense has much spirit in it They are usually preceded by a dedication of mock solerandiloquent dedications prevalent in those days had not escaped her youthful penetration Perhaps the most characteristic feature in those early productions is that, however puerile the lish, quite free froht be expected fro is a specimen:--