1818: Mallard House
To Her Serene Highness, La Princesse Espèce deCanard, At the Court of St. James
Madam,
With the deepest respect, and in accordance with your gracious request for regular reports, I take up my pen to describe the present progress of your daughter, Lady Espèce. I do so with both satisfaction and a measure of solemn apprehension, for it is my conviction that her gifts exceed the usual bounds of female education by such a margin that ordinary language scarcely does justice to her accomplishments.
Lady Espèce has now completed her eighteenth year, though her composure would suit a woman twice her age, and her intellect—if I may be so bold—belongs to a rarer order altogether. In every field to which I have introduced her, she has advanced far beyond what is customary, or even prudent, for a young woman of her station.
In Latin she reads with ease, preferring Livy to Virgil and Cicero to both; in Greek she is especially taken with the poets, having copied with her own hand considerable portions of Sappho and Theocritus. She has acquired English and Italian with equal facility, and I must confess she surprises me daily with her appetite for languages, having now begun to decipher the rudiments of both Russian and Arabic. I have been careful to inform her that such pursuits are uncommon in ladies, yet she regards this only as encouragement.
Her knowledge of history is already extensive. She speaks of the Roman emperors with an intimacy that suggests acquaintance, and has lately formed a critical view of Charlemagne which, though daring, is not without merit. Her grasp of European politics is—dare I say—dangerously keen, and there are moments when, hearing her arguments, I am reminded (though I beg Your Highness’s pardon for the comparison) of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth herself.
In the sciences she shows equal proficiency. I have never encountered a girl who can discuss the properties of light, the circulation of the blood, and the rotation of the planets with such serene assurance. She has, moreover, a habit of questioning every assertion, even mine, until she has traced its cause back to first principles. This is admirable, yet it makes her a challenge to govern; for where most pupils accept instruction, Lady Espèce insists upon understanding.
It is not only her intellect that distinguishes her, but the temper with which she wields it. She exhibits no vanity in her achievements; indeed, she appears unaware of their magnitude. Her curiosity is of a pure kind—directed not toward applause, but toward comprehension. If she has a fault, it is that she possesses too much mind for the circumstances into which she has been born. I fear the confines of court or marriage will sit uneasily upon her, unless she be given some liberty of thought.
I assure Your Highness that I take every care to temper her studies with the refinement and modesty befitting her future rank. Yet I would fail in my duty were I not to state plainly that Lady Espèce is unlike other girls. She has the learning of a scholar, the intuition of a statesman, and the memory of a historian. Hers is an erudition I have not seen in any woman of our age—indeed, not since the days of Good Queen Bess, whose education set a standard scarcely equalled by kings.
Forgive my frankness, Madam, but the truth compels me: your daughter is destined to astonish the world, or to be constrained by it. Which of these futures prevails may depend on the generosity with which those in authority regard her gifts.
I remain, with respectful devotion,
Madam,
Your Serene Highness’s most obedient and humble servant,
Miss Marie Blandy
Governess to Lady Espèce deCanard
You are here: States of Grace > Philosophy