The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 3 (of 4)
History
The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 3 (of 4)
Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Geology -- England -- Cornwall (County)
The celebrity which Miss Dennis had now acquired, brought her
acquainted with the Rev. Mr. Hitchins, the learned vicar of St.
Hilary, with the Editor of this work, and with several others, more or
less scholars, from all of whom she received the praises due to her
superior talents, and such instruction or assistance as they could
afford, by lending books, or by indicating the most approved methods
of proceeding; and with such slender help her progress was so great
and almost unexampled, that not only were all the Roman authors soon
read, but the Greek writers followed in a rapid succession, till
Æschylus and Pindar became her familiar acquaintance.
About this time Miss Dennis was induced to accompany Mr. and Mrs.
Josiah Wedgewood from Penzance, chiefly as a friend and a visitor, but
partly also, in return for their civilities and kindness, to overlook
the progress of their son; but her health began to fail, her only
sister fell into a consumption, she returned to nurse her, and died of
the same most pitiable complaint.
Εν Μακαρεσσι πονων ανταξιος ειη Αμοιβη.
Nothing of her poetry has been given to the public; nor would it now
be fair to print a few trifles. Miss Dennis proved herself adequate to
the composition of any work in prose, by publishing in 1806, at Mr.
Johnson’s in St. Paul’s Churchyard, “Sophia St. Clare,” in name indeed
a novel, but far superior in style of writing and in correctness of
sentiment, to the fictions of the day. From the want of incident,
however, similar to those which are characterized in the drama by
producing stage effect, the work failed of becoming popular.
This parish, after Trereen Dinas, is distinguished by the possession
of Tol-Peder-Penwith, about a mile westward from the church, the
approach to which lies under romantic cliffs, and crosses a short deep
vale, where boats are sheltered in a small cove apparently
inaccessible to human art or daring. At the very extremity of the
point an excavation has been made by the sea, of some portion less
compacted than the remainder of the rock, probably of a lode, which
opens to the surface in the form of an inverted cone. This place is
very dangerous of access, on account of the steep descent covered by a
slippery turf; but strangers are tempted to risk their lives in
approaching the abyss, by the dashing of the waves within it, and by
the tremendous roar of the sea. Two gentlemen from London were induced
to enter the cavern leading from the sea, and were surrounded by the
tide. One, who excelled in swimming, fortunately got out and
communicated the perilous situation of his companion to a neighbouring
farmer, who hastened with assistance and with ropes to the spot, and
succeeded in lifting him to the surface through the cone. Nor must the
circumstance be omitted, that, although the stranger was possessed of
a very large fortune, he could not prevail on his rescuer to accept
of the least pecuniary reward for preserving the life of a
fellow-creature.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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