Why therefore not make my first experiment with my little
precocious Grandson, whose casual remarks on the meaning of 3^3 had met with the approval of the Sphere?
"Unjust!--unjust!" said my reason, forced by the agonising stimulus into
precocious though transitory power: and Resolve, equally wrought up, instigated some strange expedient to achieve escape from insupportable oppression--as running away, or, if that could not be effected, never eating or drinking more, and letting myself die.
He was one of the most
precocious of the long list of
precocious versifiers; his own words are: 'I lisped in numbers, for the numbers came.' The influences which would no doubt have determined his style in any case were early brought to a focus in the advice given him by an amateur poet and critic, William Walsh.
He also possessed a philosophic bent, to the great delight of his grandfather, who used to hold Socratic conversations with him, in which the
precocious pupil occasionally posed his teacher, to the undisguised satisfaction of the womenfolk.
The faithful Seesaw had called at the side door of the brick house on the evening before his departure, and when Rebecca answered his knock, stammered solemnly, "Can I k-keep comp'ny with you when you g-g-row up?" "Certainly NOT," replied Rebecca, closing the door somewhat too speedily upon her
precocious swain.
Stryver laughed till he shook his
precocious paunch.
Allan took much pride in the captivating,
precocious lad.
She was a fearless and familiar little thing, who asked disconcerting questions, made
precocious comments, and possessed outlandish arts, such as dancing a Spanish shawl dance and singing Neapolitan love-songs to a guitar.
His brain was
precocious. His uncle and aunt, seeing that he occupied himself and neither worried nor made a noise, ceased to trouble themselves about him.
I had never had a real boyhood, and in this, my
precocious manhood, I was very hard and woefully wise.
An act of so much precipitancy and presumption would seal the downfall of
precocious intellect forever.
I judged, then, that the children of that time were extremely
precocious, physically at least, and I found afterwards abundant verification of my opinion.