Chapter 11
"It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my
being; all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct. A strange
multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the
same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish
between the operations of my various senses. By degrees, I remember, a
stronger light pressed upon my nerves, so that I was obliged to shut my eyes.
Darkness then came over me and troubled me, but hardly had I felt this when,
by opening my eyes, as I now suppose, the light poured in upon me again. I
walked and, I believe, descended, but I presently found a great alteration in
my sensations. Before, dark and opaque bodies had surrounded me, impervious to
my touch or sight; but I now found that I could wander on at liberty, with no
obstacles which I could not either surmount or avoid. The light became more
and more oppressive to me, and the heat wearying me as I walked, I sought a
place where I could receive shade. This was the forest near Ingolstadt; and
here I lay by the side of a brook resting from my fatigue, until I felt
tormented by hunger and thirst. This roused me from my nearly dormant state,
and I ate some berries which I found hanging on the trees or lying on the
ground. I slaked my thirst at the brook, and then lying down, was overcome by
sleep.
"It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as it were,
instinctively, finding myself so desolate. Before I had quitted your
apartment, on a sensation of cold, I had covered myself with some clothes, but
these were insufficient to secure me from the dews of night. I was a poor,
helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but
feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept.
"Soon a gentle light stole over the heavens and gave me a sensation of
pleasure. I started up and beheld a radiant form rise from among the trees.
[The moon] I gazed with a kind of wonder. It moved slowly, but it enlightened
my path, and I again went out in search of berries. I was still cold when
under one of the trees I found a huge cloak, with which I covered myself, and
sat down upon the ground. No distinct ideas occupied my mind; all was
confused. I felt light, and hunger, and thirst, and darkness; innumerable
sounds rang in my ears, and on all sides various scents saluted me; the only
object that I could distinguish was the bright moon, and I fixed my eyes on
that with pleasure.
"Several changes of day and night passed, and the orb of night had greatly
lessened, when I began to distinguish my sensations from each other. I
gradually saw plainly the clear stream that supplied me with drink and the
trees that shaded me with their foliage. I was delighted when I first
discovered that a pleasant sound, which often saluted my ears, proceeded from
the throats of the little winged animals who had often intercepted the light
from my eyes. I began also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that
surrounded me and to perceive the boundaries of the radiant roof of light
which canopied me. Sometimes I tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the
birds but was unable. Sometimes I wished to express my sensations in my own
mode, but the uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke from me frightened
me into silence again.
"The moon had disappeared from the night, and again, with a lessened form,
showed itself, while I still remained in the forest. My sensations had by this
time become distinct, and my mind received every day additional ideas. My eyes
became accustomed to the light and to perceive objects in their right forms; I
distinguished the insect from the herb, and by degrees, one herb from another.
I found that the sparrow uttered none but harsh notes, whilst those of the
blackbird and thrush were sweet and enticing.
"One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been left by
some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I
experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but
quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the
same cause should produce such opposite effects! I examined the materials of
the fire, and to my joy found it to be composed of wood. I quickly collected
some branches, but they were wet and would not burn. I was pained at this and
sat still watching the operation of the fire. The wet wood which I had placed
near the heat dried and itself became inflamed. I reflected on this, and by
touching the various branches, I discovered the cause and busied myself in
collecting a great quantity of wood, that I might dry it and have a plentiful
supply of fire. When night came on and brought sleep with it, I was in the
greatest fear lest my fire should be extinguished. I covered it carefully with
dry wood and leaves and placed wet branches upon it; and then, spreading my
cloak, I lay on the ground and sank into sleep.
"It was morning when I awoke, and my first care was to visit the fire. I
uncovered it, and a gentle breeze quickly fanned it into a flame. I observed
this also and contrived a fan of branches, which roused the embers when they
were nearly extinguished. When night came again I found, with pleasure, that
the fire gave light as well as heat and that the discovery of this element was
useful to me in my food, for I found some of the offals that the travellers
had left had been roasted, and tasted much more savoury than the berries I
gathered from the trees. I tried, therefore, to dress my food in the same
manner, placing it on the live embers. I found that the berries were spoiled
by this operation, and the nuts and roots much improved.
"Food, however, became scarce, and I often spent the whole day searching in
vain for a few acorns to assuage the pangs of hunger. When I found this, I
resolved to quit the place that I had hitherto inhabited, to seek for one
where the few wants I experienced would be more easily satisfied. In this
emigration I exceedingly lamented the loss of the fire which I had obtained
through accident and knew not how to reproduce it. I gave several hours to the
serious consideration of this difficulty, but I was obliged to relinquish all
attempt to supply it, and wrapping myself up in my cloak, I struck across the
wood towards the setting sun. I passed three days in these rambles and at
length discovered the open country. A great fall of snow had taken place the
night before, and the fields were of one uniform white; the appearance was
disconsolate, and I found my feet chilled by the cold damp substance that
covered the ground.
"It was about seven in the morning, and I longed to obtain food and shelter;
at length I perceived a small hut, on a rising ground, which had doubtless
been built for the convenience of some shepherd. This was a new sight to me,
and I examined the structure with great curiosity. Finding the door open, I
entered. An old man sat in it, near a fire, over which he was preparing his
breakfast. He turned on hearing a noise, and perceiving me, shrieked loudly,
and quitting the hut, ran across the fields with a speed of which his
debilitated form hardly appeared capable. His appearance, different from any I
had ever before seen, and his flight somewhat surprised me. But I was
enchanted by the appearance of the hut; here the snow and rain could not
penetrate; the ground was dry; and it presented to me then as exquisite and
divine a retreat as Pandaemonium appeared to the daemons of hell after their
sufferings in the lake of fire. I greedily devoured the remnants of the
shepherd's breakfast, which consisted of bread, cheese, milk, and wine; the
latter, however, I did not like. Then, overcome by fatigue, I lay down among
some straw and fell asleep.
"It was noon when I awoke, and allured by the warmth of the sun, which shone
brightly on the white ground, I determined to recommence my travels; and,
depositing the remains of the peasant's breakfast in a wallet I found, I
proceeded across the fields for several hours, until at sunset I arrived at a
village. How miraculous did this appear! The huts, the neater cottages, and
stately houses engaged my admiration by turns. The vegetables in the gardens,
the milk and cheese that I saw placed at the windows of some of the cottages,
allured my appetite. One of the best of these I entered, but I had hardly
placed my foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one of the
women fainted. The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me,
until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I
escaped to the open country and fearfully took refuge in a low hovel, quite
bare, and making a wretched appearance after the palaces I had beheld in the
village. This hovel however, joined a cottage of a neat and pleasant
appearance, but after my late dearly bought experience, I dared not enter it.
My place of refuge was constructed of wood, but so low that I could with
difficulty sit upright in it. No wood, however, was placed on the earth, which
formed the floor, but it was dry; and although the wind entered it by
innumerable chinks, I found it an agreeable asylum from the snow and rain.
"Here, then, I retreated and lay down happy to have found a shelter, however
miserable, from the inclemency of the season, and still more from the
barbarity of man. As soon as morning dawned I crept from my kennel, that I
might view the adjacent cottage and discover if I could remain in the
habitation I had found. It was situated against the back of the cottage and
surrounded on the sides which were exposed by a pig sty and a clear pool of
water. One part was open, and by that I had crept in; but now I covered every
crevice by which I might be perceived with stones and wood, yet in such a
manner that I might move them on occasion to pass out; all the light I enjoyed
came through the sty, and that was sufficient for me.
"Having thus arranged my dwelling and carpeted it with clean straw, I retired,
for I saw the figure of a man at a distance, and I remembered too well my
treatment the night before to trust myself in his power. I had first, however,
provided for my sustenance for that day by a loaf of coarse bread, which I
purloined, and a cup with which I could drink more conveniently than from my
hand of the pure water which flowed by my retreat. The floor was a little
raised, so that it was kept perfectly dry, and by its vicinity to the chimney
of the cottage it was tolerably warm.
"Being thus provided, I resolved to reside in this hovel until something
should occur which might alter my determination. It was indeed a paradise
compared to the bleak forest, my former residence, the rain-dropping branches,
and dank earth. I ate my breakfast with pleasure and was about to remove a
plank to procure myself a little water when I heard a step, and looking
through a small chink, I beheld a young creature, with a pail on her head,
passing before my hovel. The girl was young and of gentle demeanour, unlike
what I have since found cottagers and farmhouse servants to be. Yet she was
meanly dressed, a coarse blue petticoat and a linen jacket being her only
garb; her fair hair was plaited but not adorned: she looked patient yet sad. I
lost sight of her, and in about a quarter of an hour she returned bearing the
pail, which was now partly filled with milk. As she walked along, seemingly
incommoded by the burden, a young man met her, whose countenance expressed a
deeper despondence. Uttering a few sounds with an air of melancholy, he took
the pail from her head and bore it to the cottage himself. She followed, and
they disappeared. Presently I saw the young man again, with some tools in his
hand, cross the field behind the cottage; and the girl was also busied,
sometimes in the house and sometimes in the yard.
"On examining my dwelling, I found that one of the windows of the cottage had
formerly occupied a part of it, but the panes had been filled up with wood. In
one of these was a small and almost imperceptible chink through which the eye
could just penetrate. Through this crevice a small room was visible,
whitewashed and clean but very bare of furniture. In one corner, near a small
fire, sat an old man, leaning his head on his hands in a disconsolate
attitude. The young girl was occupied in arranging the cottage; but presently
she took something out of a drawer, which employed her hands, and she sat down
beside the old man, who, taking up an instrument, began to play and to produce
sounds sweeter than the voice of the thrush or the nightingale. It was a
lovely sight, even to me, poor wretch who had never beheld aught beautiful
before. The silver hair and benevolent countenance of the aged cottager won my
reverence, while the gentle manners of the girl enticed my love. He played a
sweet mournful air which I perceived drew tears from the eyes of his amiable
companion, of which the old man took no notice, until she sobbed audibly; he
then pronounced a few sounds, and the fair creature, leaving her work, knelt
at his feet. He raised her and smiled with such kindness and affection that I
felt sensations of a peculiar and overpowering nature; they were a mixture of
pain and pleasure, such as I had never before experienced, either from hunger
or cold, warmth or food; and I withdrew from the window, unable to bear these
emotions.
"Soon after this the young man returned, bearing on his shoulders a load of
wood. The girl met him at the door, helped to relieve him of his burden, and
taking some of the fuel into the cottage, placed it on the fire; then she and
the youth went apart into a nook of the cottage, and he showed her a large
loaf and a piece of cheese. She seemed pleased and went into the garden for
some roots and plants, which she placed in water, and then upon the fire. She
afterwards continued her work, whilst the young man went into the garden and
appeared busily employed in digging and pulling up roots. After he had been
employed thus about an hour, the young woman joined him and they entered the
cottage together.
"The old man had, in the meantime, been pensive, but on the appearance of his
companions he assumed a more cheerful air, and they sat down to eat. The meal
was quickly dispatched. The young woman was again occupied in arranging the
cottage, the old man walked before the cottage in the sun for a few minutes,
leaning on the arm of the youth. Nothing could exceed in beauty the contrast
between these two excellent creatures. One was old, with silver hairs and a
countenance beaming with benevolence and love; the younger was slight and
graceful in his figure, and his features were moulded with the finest
symmetry, yet his eyes and attitude expressed the utmost sadness and
despondency. The old man returned to the cottage, and the youth, with tools
different from those he had used in the morning, directed his steps across the
fields.
"Night quickly shut in, but to my extreme wonder, I found that the cottagers
had a means of prolonging light by the use of tapers, and was delighted to
find that the setting of the sun did not put an end to the pleasure I
experienced in watching my human neighbours. In the evening the young girl and
her companion were employed in various occupations which I did not understand;
and the old man again took up the instrument which produced the divine sounds
that had enchanted me in the morning. So soon as he had finished, the youth
began, not to play, but to utter sounds that were monotonous, and neither
resembling the harmony of the old man's instrument nor the songs of the birds;
I since found that he read aloud, but at that time I knew nothing of the
science of words or letters.
"The family, after having been thus occupied for a short time, extinguished
their lights and retired, as I conjectured, to rest."