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The Life of the Rev. Thomas Scott, Rector of Aston Sandford, Bucks
The Life of the Rev Thomas Scott Rector of Aston Sandford Bucks Author:John Scott 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 II. FROM HIS APPRENTICESHIP TO HIS ORDINATION. The narrative now proceeds: " After a few unsuccessful attempts, my father gave up all thoughts of ... more »placing me out in any other way : and for above nine years I was nearly as entire a drudge as any servant or labourer in his employ; and almost as little known beyond the circle of immediate neighbours. My occupation was generally about the cattle, and particularly in the spring season, it consisted in following the ewes great with young. In this service I learned habits of hardiness in encountering all sorts of weather, (for the worse the weather the more needful was it that I should be with the ewes,) which have since proved useful to me : and, though I was not kept from learning many vices, I was out of the way of acquiring habits of ease and indulgence, as I should otherwise probably have done. " My situation, however, necessarily led me to associate with persons of the lowest station of life, and wholly destitute of religious principle—in all ranks the grand corrective, and in this rank almost the sole restraint upon character and manners. These persons tried to please me with flatteries, and to inflame still more the indignancy of spirit with which I rebelled against the supposed degradation that I suffered. I was induced also, not unfrequently, to accompany them in their low-lived riots; which further embittered the mind of my father respecting me. Yet still I not only had seasons of remorse, but, strange to say, continued to entertain thoughts of the university, and of the clerical profession ! These and various ideas and imaginations concerning study, and learning, and even the distinctions of learning, formed no small part of my waking dreams, in the tedious seasons of solitude which I was condemned frequen...« less