Identifier: ridpathlibraryof20ridp (find matches)
Title: The Ridpath library of universal literature : a biographical and bibliographical summary of the world's most eminent authors, including the choicest extracts and masterpieces from their writings ...
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900
Subjects: Literature
Publisher: New York : The Fifth avenue library society
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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tion in Sussex. Timothy, thepoets father, succeeded in 1815 to the baronetcygiven Bysshe in 1806. Shelleys schooling beganat six. At ten he was sent to Sion House, nearBrentford, and at twelve to Eton. In the fallof 1810, having finished in good standing atEton, he entered Oxford. He was an incessantreader, speculator, and writer from his early daysat Eton, and, though he slighted the prescribedstudies, he became greatly interested in chemis-try and read deeply in the works of Locke, Hume,DHolbach, Volney, Rousseau, and Voltaire. ByMarch, 1811, he had produced two novels, arhymed narrative, a play (now lost), a great quan-tity of verse of indifferent or wholly bad quality,and was joint author with his cousin Medwin ofa romance. He had also already begun QueenMab. On March 25, 1811, he, with his friendThomas Jefferson Hogg, was expelled from Ox-ford for having written, printed, and circulateda pamphlet. The Necessity of Atheism. Shelleysfather cut off the boys allowance, and for a time
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PERCY BYSSIIE SHELLEY 459 he was reduced to want, living upon small sumssent him by his relatives, the Medwins and Groves,and the pocket-money of his sisters, at school atClapham, near London. A girl of sixteen, HarrietWestbrook, the daughter of a retired tavern,keeper and a school-mate of his sisters, acted asmessage-bearer between the Shelleys. Early inJune, a family truce having been patched up, Shel-ley returned home. From there he made a visitto Wales, but on receiving a despairing letterfrom Harriet, went to London. In August thepair eloped, and on the 28th were married in Edin-burgh. Shelleys father again cut off his allow-ance. In December Harriets father allowed hisdaughter $1,000 a year, and in January, 1812,Shelleys father made an equal allowance. Fromthis time until March, 1814, the youthful pairwandered about England, Wales, and Ireland,Shelley finishing Queen Mab, and producing somemiscellaneous verse, and a number of pamphletsurging political reforms. The union had nowb

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