IwasfiredwithalongingtoascendtheAmazon。Alsowithalongingtoopenupatradeincocawithalltheworld。DuringmonthsIdreamedthatdream，andtriedtocontrivewaystogettoParaandspringthatsplendidenterpriseuponanunsuspectingplanet。Butallinvain。ApersonmayPLANasmuchashewantsto，butnothingofconsequenceislikelytocomeofituntilthemagicianCIRCUMSTANCEstepsinandtakesthematteroffhishands。AtlastCircumstancecametomyhelp。Itwasinthisway。Circumstance，tohelporhurtanotherman，madehimloseafiftydollarbillinthestreet;andtohelporhurtme，mademefindit。Iadvertisedthefind，andleftfortheAmazonthesameday。Thiswasanotherturningpoint，anotherlink。
　　CouldCircumstancehaveorderedanotherdwellerinthattowntogototheAmazonandopenupaworldtradeincocaonafifty
　　dollarbasisandbeenobeyed？No，Iwastheonlyone。Therewereotherfoolsthereshoalsandshoalsofthembuttheywerenotofmykind。Iwastheonlyoneofmykind。
　　Circumstanceispowerful，butitcannotworkalone;ithastohaveapartner。Itspartnerisman’sTEMPERAMENThisnaturaldisposition。Histemperamentisnothisinvention，itisBORNinhim，andhehasnoauthorityoverit，neitherisheresponsibleforitsacts。Hecannotchangeit，nothingcanchangeit，nothingcanmodifyitexcepttemporarily。Butitwon’tstaymodified。Itispermanent，likethecoloroftheman’seyesandtheshapeofhisears。Blueeyesaregrayincertainunusuallights;
　　buttheyresumetheirnaturalcolorwhenthatstressisremoved。
　　ACircumstancethatwillcoerceonemanwillhavenoeffectuponamanofadifferenttemperament。IfCircumstancehadthrownthebanknoteinCaesar’sway，histemperamentwouldnothavemadehimstartfortheAmazon。Histemperamentwouldhavecompelledhimtodosomethingwiththemoney，butnotthat。ItmighthavemadehimadvertisethenoteandWAIT。Wecan’ttell。
　　Also，itmighthavemadehimgotoNewYorkandbuyintotheGovernment，withresultsthatwouldleaveTweednothingtolearnwhenitcamehisturn。
　　Verywell，Circumstancefurnishedthecapital，andmytemperamenttoldmewhattodowithit。Sometimesatemperamentisanass。Whenthatisthecaseoftheownerofitisanass，too，andisgoingtoremainone。Training，experience，association，cantemporarilysopolishhim，improvehim，exalthimthatpeoplewillthinkheisamule，buttheywillbemistaken。ArtificiallyheISamule，forthetimebeing，butatbottomheisanassyet，andwillremainone。
　　BytemperamentIwasthekindofpersonthatDOESthings。
　　Doesthem，andreflectsafterward。SoIstartedfortheAmazonwithoutreflectingandwithoutaskinganyquestions。Thatwasmorethanfiftyyearsago。Inallthattimemytemperamenthasnotchanged，byevenashade。Ihavebeenpunishedmanyandmanyatime，andbitterly，fordoingthingsandreflectingafterward，butthesetortureshavebeenofnovaluetome;IstilldothethingcommandedbyCircumstanceandTemperament，andreflectafterward。Alwaysviolently。WhenIamreflecting，ontheseoccasions，evendeafpersonscanhearmethink。
　　IwentbythewayofCincinnati，anddowntheOhioandMississippi。Myideawastotakeship，atNewOrleans，forPara。
　　InNewOrleansIinquired，andfoundtherewasnoshipleavingforPara。Also，thatthereneverhadBEENoneleavingforPara。
　　Ireflected。ApolicemancameandaskedmewhatIwasdoing，andItoldhim。Hemadememoveon，andsaidifhecaughtmereflectinginthepublicstreetagainhewouldrunmein。
　　AfterafewdaysIwasoutofmoney。ThenCircumstancearrived，withanotherturningpointofmylifeanewlink。Onmywaydown，Ihadmadetheacquaintanceofapilot。Ibeggedhimtoteachmetheriver，andheconsented。Ibecameapilot。
　　ByandbyCircumstancecameagainintroducingtheCivilWar，thistime，inordertopushmeaheadanotherstageortwotowardtheliteraryprofession。Theboatsstoppedrunning，mylivelihoodwasgone。
　　Circumstancecametotherescuewithanewturningpointandafreshlink。MybrotherwasappointedsecretarytothenewTerritoryofNevada，andheinvitedmetogowithhimandhelphiminhisoffice。Iaccepted。
　　InNevada，CircumstancefurnishedmethesilverfeverandI
　　wentintotheminestomakeafortune，asIsupposed;butthatwasnottheidea。Theideawastoadvancemeanothersteptowardliterature。ForamusementIscribbledthingsfortheVirginiaCityENTERPRISE。Oneisn’taprintertenyearswithoutsettingupacresofgoodandbadliterature，andlearningunconsciouslyatfirst，consciouslylatertodiscriminatebetweenthetwo，withinhismentallimitations;andmeantimeheisunconsciouslyacquiringwhatiscalleda"style。"Oneofmyeffortsattractedattention，andtheENTERPRISEsentformeandputmeonitsstaff。
　　AndsoIbecameajournalistanotherlink。ByandbyCircumstanceandtheSacramentoUNIONsentmetotheSandwichIslandsforfiveorsixmonths，towriteupsugar。Ididit;andthrewinagooddealofextraneousmatterthathadn’tanythingtodowithsugar。
　　Butitwasthisextraneousmatterthathelpedmetoanotherlink。
　　Itmademenotorious，andSanFranciscoinvitedmetolecture。
　　WhichIdid。Andprofitably。Ihadlonghadadesiretotravelandseetheworld，andnowCircumstancehadmostkindlyandunexpectedlyhurledmeupontheplatformandfurnishedmethemeans。
　　SoIjoinedthe"QuakerCityExcursion。"
　　WhenIreturnedtoAmerica，Circumstancewaswaitingonthepier
　　withtheLASTlinktheconspicuous，theconsummating，thevictoriouslink:IwasaskedtoWRITEABOOK，andIdidit，andcalleditTHEINNOCENTSABROAD。ThusIbecameatlastamemberoftheliteraryguild。Thatwasfortytwoyearsago，andIhavebeenamembereversince。LeavingtheRubiconincidentawaybackwhereitbelongs，IcansaywithtruththatthereasonIamintheliteraryprofessionisbecauseIhadthemeasleswhenIwastwelveyearsold。
　　III
　　Nowwhatinterestsme，asregardsthesedetails，isnotthedetailsthemselves，butthefactthatnoneofthemwasforeseenbyme，noneofthemwasplannedbyme，Iwastheauthorofnoneofthem。Circumstance，workinginharnesswithmytemperament，createdthemallandcompelledthemall。Ioftenofferedhelp，andwiththebestintentions，butitwasrejectedasarule，uncourteously。IcouldneverplanathingandgetittocomeoutthewayIplannedit。ItcameoutsomeotherwaysomewayIhadnotcountedupon。
　　AndsoIdonotadmirethehumanbeingasanintellectualmarvelasmuchasIdidwhenIwasyoung，andgothimoutofbooks，anddidnotknowhimpersonally。WhenIusedtoreadthatsuchandsuchageneraldidacertainbrilliantthing，Ibelievedit。Whereasitwasnotso。Circumstancediditbyhelpofhistemperament。Thecircumstanceswouldhavefailedofeffectwithageneralofanothertemperament:hemightseethechance，butlosetheadvantagebybeingbynaturetooslowortooquickortoodoubtful。OnceGeneralGrantwasaskedaquestionaboutamatterwhichhadbeenmuchdebatedbythepublicandthenewspapers;heansweredthequestionwithoutanyhesitancy。
　　"General，whoplannedthethemarchthroughGeorgia？""Theenemy！"Headdedthattheenemyusuallymakesyourplansforyou。Hemeantthattheenemybyneglectorthroughforceofcircumstancesleavesanopeningforyou，andyouseeyourchanceandtakeadvantageofit。
　　Circumstancesdotheplanningforusall，nodoubt，byhelpofourtemperaments。Iseenogreatdifferencebetweenamanandawatch，exceptthatthemanisconsciousandthewatchisn’t，andthemanTRIEStoplanthingsandthewatchdoesn’t。Thewatchdoesn’twinditselfanddoesn’tregulateitselfthesethingsaredoneexteriorly。Outsideinfluences，outsidecircumstances，windtheMANandregulatehim。Lefttohimself，hewouldn’tgetregulatedatall，andthesortoftimehewouldkeepwouldnotbevaluable。Someraremenarewonderfulwatches，withgoldcase，compensationbalance，andallthosethings，andsomemenareonlysimpleandsweetandhumbleWaterburys。IamaWaterbury。AWaterburyofthatkind，somesay。
　　Anationisonlyanindividualmultiplied。ItmakesplansandCircumstancescomesandupsetsthemorenlargesthem。Somepatriotsthrowtheteaoverboard;someotherpatriotsdestroyaBastille。ThePLANSstopthere;thenCircumstancecomesin，quiteunexpectedly，andturnsthesemodestriotsintoarevolution。
　　AndtherewaspoorColumbus。Heelaboratedadeepplantofindanewroutetoanoldcountry。Circumstancerevisedhisplanforhim，andhefoundanewWORLD。AndHEgetsthecreditofittothisday。Hehadn’tanythingtodowithit。
　　Necessarilythesceneoftherealturningpointofmylife（andofyours）wastheGardenofEden。Itwastherethatthefirstlinkwasforgedofthechainthatwasultimatelytoleadtotheemptyingofmeintotheliteraryguild。Adam’sTEMPERAMENT
　　wasthefirstcommandtheDeityeverissuedtoahumanbeingonthisplanet。AnditwastheonlycommandAdamwouldNEVERbeabletodisobey。Itsaid，"Beweak，bewater，becharacterless，becheaplypersuadable。"Thelattercommand，toletthefruitalone，wascertaintobedisobeyed。NotbyAdamhimself，butbyhisTEMPERAMENTwhichhedidnotcreateandhadnoauthorityover。FortheTEMPERAMENTistheman;thethingtrickedoutwithclothesandnamedManismerelyitsShadow，nothingmore。Thelawofthetiger’stemperamentis，Thoushaltkill;thelawofthesheep’stemperamentisThoushaltnotkill。Toissuelatercommandsrequiringthetigertoletthefatstrangeralone，andrequiringthesheeptoimbueitshandsinthebloodofthelionisnotworthwhile，forthosecommandsCAN’Tbeobeyed。TheywouldinvitetoviolationsofthelawofTEMPERAMENT，whichissupreme，andtakeprecedenceofallotherauthorities。IcannothelpfeelingdisappointedinAdamandEve。Thatis，intheirtemperaments。NotinTHEM，poorhelplessyoungcreatures
　　afflictedwithtemperamentsmadeoutofbutter;whichbutterwascommandedtogetintocontactwithfireandBEMELTED。WhatI
　　cannothelpwishingis，thatAdamhadbeenpostponed，andMartinLutherandJoanofArcputintheirplacethatsplendidpairequippedwithtemperamentsnotmadeofbutter，butofasbestos。
　　ByneithersugarypersuasionsnorbyhellfirecouldSatanhavebeguiledTHEMtoeattheapple。Therewouldhavebeenresults！
　　Indeed，yes。Theapplewouldbeintacttoday;therewouldbenohumanrace;therewouldbenoYOU;therewouldbenoME。Andtheold，oldcreationdawnschemeofultimatelylaunchingmeintotheliteraryguildwouldhavebeendefeated。
　　HOWTOMAKEHISTORYDATESSTICK
　　Thesechaptersareforchildren，andIshalltrytomakethewordslargeenoughtocommandrespect。Inthehopethatyouarelistening，andthatyouhaveconfidenceinme，Iwillproceed。
　　Datesaredifficultthingstoacquire;andaftertheyareacquireditisdifficulttokeeptheminthehead。Buttheyareveryvaluable。Theyarelikethecattlepensofaranchtheyshutintheseveralbrandsofhistoricalcattle，eachwithinitsownfence，andkeepthemfromgettingmixedtogether。Datesarehardtorememberbecausetheyconsistoffigures;figuresaremonotonouslyunstrikinginappearance，andtheydon’ttakehold，theyformnopictures，andsotheygivetheeyenochancetohelp。Picturesarethething。Picturescanmakedatesstick。
　　TheycanmakenearlyanythingstickparticularlyIFYOUMAKETHE
　　PICTURESYOURSELF。Indeed，thatisthegreatpointmakethepicturesYOURSELF。Iknowaboutthisfromexperience。ThirtyyearsagoIwasdeliveringamemorizedlectureeverynight，andeverynightIhadtohelpmyselfwithapageofnotestokeepfromgettingmyselfmixed。Thenotesconsistedofbeginningsofsentences，andwereeleveninnumber，andtheyransomethinglikethis:
　　"INTHATREGIONTHEWEATHER"
　　"ATTHATTIMEITWASACUSTOM"
　　"BUTINCALIFORNIAONENEVERHEARD"
　　Elevenofthem。Theyinitialedthebriefdivisionsofthelectureandprotectedmeagainstskipping。Buttheyalllookedaboutalikeonthepage;theyformednopicture;Ihadthembyheart，butIcouldneverwithcertaintyremembertheorderoftheirsuccession;thereforeIalwayshadtokeepthosenotesbymeandlookatthemeverylittlewhile。OnceImislaidthem;youwillnotbeabletoimaginetheterrorsofthatevening。InowsawthatImustinventsomeotherprotection。SoIgottenoftheinitiallettersbyheartintheirproperorderI，A，B，andsoonandIwentontheplatformthenextnightwiththesemarkedininkonmytenfingernails。Butitdidn’tanswer。I
　　kepttrackofthefiguresforawhile;thenIlostit，andafterthatIwasneverquitesurewhichfingerIhadusedlast。I
　　couldn’tlickoffaletterafterusingit，forwhilethatwouldhavemadesuccesscertainitalsowouldhaveprovokedtoomuchcuriosity。Therewascuriosityenoughwithoutthat。TotheaudienceIseemedmoreinterestedinmyfingernailsthanIwasinmysubject;oneortwopersonsaskedmeafterwardwhatwasthematterwithmyhands。
　　Itwasnowthattheideaofpicturesoccurredtome;thenmytroublespassedaway。IntwominutesImadesixpictureswithapen，andtheydidtheworkoftheelevencatchsentences，anddiditperfectly。Ithrewthepicturesawayassoonastheyweremade，forIwassureIcouldshutmyeyesandseethemanytime。
　　Thatwasaquarterofacenturyago;thelecturevanishedoutofmyheadmorethantwentyyearsago，butIwouldrewriteitfromthepicturesfortheyremain。Herearethreeofthem:（Fig。1）。
　　ThefirstoneisahaystackbelowitarattlesnakeandittoldmewheretobegintotalkranchlifeinCarsonValley。ThesecondonetoldmewheretobeginthetalkaboutastrangeandviolentwindthatusedtoburstuponCarsonCityfromtheSierraNevadaseveryafternoonattwoo’clockandtrytoblowthetownaway。Thethirdpicture，asyoueasilyperceive，islightning;
　　itsdutywastoremindmewhenitwastimetobegintotalkaboutSanFranciscoweather，wherethereISnolightningnorthunder，eitheranditneverfailedme。
　　Iwillgiveyouavaluablehint。Whenamanismakingaspeechandyouaretofollowhimdon’tjotdownnotestospeakfrom，jotdownPICTURES。Itisawkwardandembarrassingtohavetokeepreferringtonotes;andbesidesitbreaksupyourspeechandmakesitraggedandnoncoherent;butyoucantearupyourpicturesassoonasyouhavemadethemtheywillstayfreshandstronginyourmemoryintheorderandsequenceinwhichyouscratchedthemdown。Andmanywilladmiretoseewhatagoodmemoryyouarefurnishedwith，whenperhapsyourmemoryisnotanybetterthanmine。
　　Sixteenyearsagowhenmychildrenwerelittlecreaturesthegovernesswastryingtohammersomeprimerhistoriesintotheirheads。PartofthisfunifyouliketocallitthatconsistedinthememorizingoftheaccessiondatesofthethirtysevenpersonageswhohadruledEnglandfromtheConquerordown。Theselittlepeoplefounditabitter，hardcontract。Itwasalldates，andalllookedalike，andtheywouldn’tstick。Dayafterdayofthesummervacationdribbledby，andstillthekingsheldthefort;thechildrencouldn’tconqueranysixofthem。
　　WithmylectureexperienceinmindIwasawarethatIcouldinventsomewayoutofthetroublewithpictures，butIhopedawaycouldbefoundwhichwouldletthemrompintheopenairwhiletheylearnedthekings。Ifoundit，andtheymasteredallthemonarchsinadayortwo。
　　TheideawastomakethemSEEthereignswiththeireyes;
　　thatwouldbealargehelp。Wewereatthefarmthen。Fromthehouseporchthegroundsslopedgraduallydowntothelowerfenceandroseontherighttothehighgroundwheremysmallworkdenstood。Acarriageroadwoundthroughthegroundsandupthehill。IstakeditoutwiththeEnglishmonarchs，beginningwiththeConqueror，andyoucouldstandontheporchandclearlyseeeveryreignanditslength，fromtheConquestdowntoVictoria，theninthefortysixthyearofherreignEIGHTHUNDREDAND
　　SEVENTEENYEARSOFEnglishhistoryunderyoureyeatonce！
　　EnglishhistorywasanunusuallylivetopicinAmericajustthen。TheworldhadsuddenlyrealizedthatwhileitwasnotnoticingtheQueenhadpassedHenryVIII。，passedHenryVI。andElizabeth，andgaininginlengtheveryday。Herreignhadenteredthelistofthelongones;everybodywasinterestednow
　　itwaswatchingarace。WouldshepassthelongEdward？Therewasapossibilityofit。WouldshepassthelongHenry？
　　Doubtful，mostpeoplesaid。ThelongGeorge？Impossible！
　　Everybodysaidit。Butwehavelivedtoseeherleavehimtwoyearsbehind。
　　Imeasuredoff817feetoftheroadway，afootrepresentingayear，andatthebeginningandendofeachreignIdroveathreefootwhitepinestakeintheturfbytheroadsideandwrotethenameanddatesonit。AbreastthemiddleoftheporchfrontstoodagreatgraniteflowervaseoverflowingwithacataractofbrightyellowflowersIcan’tthinkoftheirname。ThevaseofWilliamtheConqueror。Weputhisnameonitandhisaccessiondate，1066。Westartedfromthatandmeasuredofftwentyonefeetoftheroad，anddroveWilliamRufus’sstate;thenthirteenfeetanddrovethefirstHenry’sstake;thenthirtyfivefeetanddroveStephen’s;thennineteenfeet，whichbroughtusjustpastthesummerhouseontheleft;thenwestakedoutthirtyfive，ten，andseventeenforthesecondHenryandRichardandJohn;
　　turnedthecurveandentereduponjustwhatwasneededforHenryIII。alevel，straightstretchoffiftysixfeetofroadwithoutacrinkleinit。Anditlayexactlyinfrontofthehouse，inthemiddleofthegrounds。Therecouldn’thavebeenabetterplaceforthatlongreign;youcouldstandontheporchandseethosetwowideapartstakesalmostwithyoureyesshut。（Fig。2。）
　　Thatisn’ttheshapeoftheroadIhavebunchedituplikethattosaveroom。Theroadhadsomegreatcurvesinit，buttheirgradualsweepwassuchthattheywerenomartohistory。
　　No，inourroadonecouldtellataglancewhowaswhobythesizeofthevacancybetweenstakeswithLOCALITYtohelp，ofcourse。
　　AlthoughIamawayoffhereinaSwedishvillage[1]andthosestakesdidnotstandtillthesnowcame，Icanseethemtodayasplainlyasever;andwheneverIthinkofanEnglishmonarchhisstakesrisebeforemeoftheirownaccordandI
　　noticethelargeorsmallspacewhichhetakesuponourroad。
　　Areyourkingsspacedoffinyourmind？WhenyouthinkofRichardIII。andofJamesII。dothedurationsoftheirreignsseemaboutaliketoyou？Itisn’tsotome;Ialwaysnoticethatthere’safoot’sdifference。WhenyouthinkofHenryIII。doyouseeagreatlongstretchofstraightroad？Ido;andjustattheendwhereitjoinsontoEdwardI。Ialwaysseeasmallpearbushwithitsgreenfruithangingdown。WhenIthinkoftheCommonwealthIseeashadylittlegroupofthesesmallsaplingswhichwecalledtheoakparlor;whenIthinkofGeorgeIII。Iseehimstretchingupthehill，partofhimoccupiedbyaflightofstonesteps;andIcanlocateStephentoaninchwhenhecomesintomymind，forhejustfilledthestretchwhichwentbythesummerhouse。Victoria’sreignreachedalmosttomystudydooronthefirstlittlesummit;there’ssixteenfeettobeaddednow;
　　Ibelievethatthatwouldcarryittoabigpinetreethatwasshatteredbysomelightningonesummerwhenitwastryingtohitme。
　　Wegotagooddealoffunoutofthehistoryroad;andexercise，too。Wetrottedthecoursefromtheconquerortothestudy，thechildrencallingoutthenames，dates，andlengthofreignsaswepassedthestakes，goingagoodgaitalongthelongreigns，butslowingdownwhenwecameuponpeoplelikeMaryandEdwardVI。，andtheshortStuartandPlantagenet，togivetimetogetinthestatistics。Iofferedprizes，tooapples。IthrewoneasfarasIcouldsendit，andthechildthatfirstshoutedthereignitfellingottheapple。
　　Thechildrenwereencouragedtostoplocatingthingsasbeing"overbythearbor，"or"intheoakparlor，"or"upatthestonesteps，"andsayinsteadthatthethingswereinStephen，orintheCommonwealth，orinGeorgeIII。Theygotthehabitwithouttrouble。Tohavethelongroadmappedoutwithsuchexactnesswasagreatboonforme，forIhadthehabitofleavingbooksandotherarticleslyingaroundeverywhere，andhadnotpreviouslybeenabletodefinitelynametheplace，andsohadoftenbeenobligedtogotofetchthemmyself，tosavetimeandfailure;butnowIcouldnamethereignIleftthemin，andsendthechildren。
　　NextIthoughtIwouldmeasureofftheFrenchreigns，andpegthemalongsidetheEnglishones，sothatwecouldalwayshavecontemporaneousFrenchhistoryunderoureyesaswewentourEnglishrounds。WepeggedthemdowntotheHundredYears’War，thenthrewtheideaaside，Idonotnowrememberwhy。AfterthatwemadetheEnglishpegsfenceinEuropeanandAmericanhistoryaswellasEnglish，andthatansweredverywell。Englishandalienpoets，statesmen，artists，heroes，battles，plagues，cataclysms，revolutionsweshoveledthemallintotheEnglishfencesaccordingtotheirdates。Doyouunderstand？WegaveWashington’sbirthtoGeorgeII。’spegsandhisdeathtoGeorgeIII。’s;GeorgeII。gottheLisbonearthquakeandGeorgeIII。theDeclarationofIndependence。Goethe，Shakespeare，Napoleon，Savonarola，JoanofArc，theFrenchRevolution，theEdictofNantes，Clive，Wellington，Waterloo，Plassey，Patay，Cowpens，Saratoga，theBattleoftheBoyne，theinventionofthelogarithms，themicroscope，thesteamengine，thetelegraph
　　anythingandeverythingallovertheworldwedumpeditallinamongtheEnglishpegsaccordingtoitdateandregardlessofitsnationality。
　　IftheroadpeggingschemehadnotsucceededIshouldhavelodgedthekingsinthechildren’sheadsbymeansofpictures
　　thatis，Ishouldhavetried。Itmighthavefailed，forthepicturescouldonlybeeffectiveWHENMADEBYTHEPUPIL;notthemaster，foritistheworkputuponthedrawingthatmakesthedrawingstayinthememory，andmychildrenweretoolittletomakedrawingsatthattime。And，besides，theyhadnotalentforart，whichisstrange，forinotherwaystheyarelikeme。
　　ButIwilldevelopthepictureplannow，hopingthatyouwillbeabletouseit。Itwillcomegoodforindoorswhentheweatherisbadandonecannotgooutsideandpegaroad。Letusimaginethatthekingsareaprocession，andthattheyhavecomeoutoftheArkanddownAraratforexerciseandarenowstartingbackagainupthezigzagroad。Thiswillbringseveralofthemintoviewatonce，andeachzigzagwillrepresentthelengthofaking’sreign。
　　Andsoon。Youwillhaveplentyofspace，forbymyprojectyouwillusetheparlorwall。Youdonotmarkonthewall;thatwouldcausetrouble。Youonlyattachbitsofpapertoitwithpinsorthumbtacks。Thesewillleavenomark。
　　Takeyourpennow，andtwentyonepiecesofwhitepaper，eachtwoinchessquare，andwewilldothetwentyoneyearsoftheConqueror’sreign。Oneachsquaredrawapictureofawhaleandwritethedatesandtermofservice。Wechoosethewhaleforseveralreasons:itsnameandWilliam’sbeginwiththesameletter;itisthebiggestfishthatswims，andWilliamisthemostconspicuousfigureinEnglishhistoryinthewayofalandmark;finally，awhaleisabouttheeasiestthingtodraw。
　　Bythetimeyouhavedrawntwentyonewalesandwritten"WilliamI。10661087twentyoneyears"twentyonetimes，thosedetailswillbeyourproperty;youcannotdislodgethemfromyourmemorywithanythingbutdynamite。Iwillmakeasampleforyoutocopy:
　　（Fig。3）。
　　Ihavegothischinuptoohigh，butthatisnomatter;heislookingforHarold。Itmaybethatawhalehasn’tthatfinupthereonhisback，butIdonotremember;andso，sincethereisadoubt，itisbesttoerronthesafeside。Helooksbetter，anyway，thanhewouldwithoutit。
　　BeverycarefulandATTENTIVEwhileyouaredrawingyourfirstwhalefrommysampleandwritingthewordandfiguresunderit，sothatyouwillnotneedtocopythesampleanymore。
　　Compareyourcopywiththesample;examineclosely;ifyoufindyouhavegoteverythingrightandcanshutyoureyesandseethepictureandcallthewordsandfigures，thenturnthesampleandcopyupsidedownandmakethenextcopyfrommemory;andalsothenextandnext，andsoon，alwaysdrawingandwritingfrommemoryuntilyouhavefinishedthewholetwentyone。Thiswilltakeyoutwentyminutes，orthirty，andbythattimeyouwillfindthatyoucanmakeawhaleinlesstimethananunpracticedpersoncanmakeasardine;also，uptothetimeyoudieyouwillalwaysbeabletofurnishWilliam’sdatestoanyignorantpersonthatinquiresafterthem。
　　YouwillnowtakethirteenpiecesofBLUEpaper，eachtwoinchessquare，anddoWilliamII。（Fig。4。）
　　Makehimspouthiswaterforwardinsteadofbackward;alsomakehimsmall，andstickaharpooninhimandgivehimthatsicklookintheeye。OtherwiseyoumightseemtobecontinuingtheotherWilliam，andthatwouldbeconfusingandadamage。Itisquiterighttomakehimsmall;hewasonlyaboutaNo。11whale，oralongtheresomewhere;therewasn’troominhimforhisfather’sgreatspirit。Thebarbofthatharpoonoughtnottoshowlikethat，becauseitisdowninsidethewhaleandoughttobeoutofsight，butitcannotbehelped;ifthebarbwereremovedpeoplewouldthinksomeonehadstuckawhipstockintothewhale。Itisbesttoleavethebarbthewayitis，theneveryonewillknowitisaharpoonandattendingtobusiness。
　　Rememberdrawfromthecopyonlyonce;makeyourothertwelveandtheinscriptionfrommemory。
　　Nowthetruthisthatwheneveryouhavecopiedapictureanditsinscriptiononcefrommysampleandtwoorthreetimesfrommemorythedetailswillstaywithyouandbehardtoforget。
　　Afterthat，ifyoulike，youmaymakemerelythewhale’sHEADandWATERSPOUTfortheConquerortillyouendhisreign，eachtimeSAYINGtheinscriptioninplaceofwritingit;andinthecaseofWilliamII。maketheHARPOONalone，andsayovertheinscriptioneachtimeyoudoit。Yousee，itwilltakenearlytwiceaslongtodothefirstsetasitwilltodothesecond，andthatwillgiveyouamarkedsenseofthedifferenceinlengthofthetworeigns。
　　NextdoHenryI。onthirtyfivesquaresofREDpaper。
　　（Fig。5。）
　　Thatisahen，andsuggestsHenrybyfurnishingthefirstsyllable。
　　Whenyouhaverepeatedthehenandtheinscriptionuntilyouareperfectlysureofthem，drawmerelythehen’sheadtherestofthethirtyfivetimes，sayingovertheinscriptioneachtime。Thus:
　　（Fig。6）。
　　Youbegintounderstandhowhowthisprocessionisgoingtolookwhenitisonthewall。FirsttherewillbetheConqueror’stwentyonewhalesandwaterspouts，thetwentyonewhitesquaresjoinedtooneanotherandmakingawhitestripethreeandone
　　halffeetlong;thethirteenbluesquaresofWilliamII。willbejoinedtothatabluestripetwofeet，twoincheslong，followedbyHenry’sredstripefivefeet，tenincheslong，andsoon。Thecoloreddivisionswillsmartlyshowtotheeyethedifferenceinthelengthofthereignsandimpresstheproportionsonthememoryandtheunderstanding。（Fig。7。）
　　StephenofBloiscomesnext。HerequiresnineteentwoinchsquaresofYELLOWpaper。（Fig。8。）
　　Thatisasteer。ThesoundsuggeststhebeginningofStephen’sname。Ichooseitforthatreason。IcanmakeabettersteerthanthatwhenIamnotexcited。Butthisonewilldo。Itisagoodenoughsteerforhistory。Thetailisdefective，butitonlywantsstraighteningout。
　　NextcomesHenryII。GivehimthirtyfivesquaresofREDpaper。
　　Thesehensmustfacewest，liketheformerones。（Fig。9。）
　　Thishendiffersfromtheotherone。HeisonhiswaytoinquirewhathasbeenhappeninginCanterbury。
　　HowwearriveatRichardI。，calledRichardoftheLion
　　heartbecausehewasabravefighterandwasneversocontentedaswhenhewasleadingcrusadesinPalestineandneglectinghisaffairsathome。GivehimtensquaresofWHITEpaper。（Fig。10）。
　　Thatisalion。Hisofficeistoremindyouofthelion
　　heartedRichard。Thereissomethingthematterwithhislegs，butIdonotquiteknowwhatitis，theydonotseemright。
　　Ithinkthehindonesarethemostunsatisfactory;thefrontonesarewellenough，thoughitwouldbebetteriftheywererightsandlefts。
　　NextcomesKingJohn，andhewasapoorcircumstance。
　　HewascalledLackland。HegavehisrealmtothePope。
　　LethimhaveseventeensquaresofYELLOWpaper。（Fig。11。）
　　Thatcreatureisajamboree。Itlookslikeatrademark，butthatisonlyanaccidentandnotintentional。Itisprehistoricandextinct。ItusedtoroamtheearthintheOldSiluriantimes，andlayeggsandcatchfishandclimbtreesandliveonfossils;foritwasofamixedbreed，whichwasthefashionthen。
　　Itwasveryfierce，andtheOldSilurianswereafraidofit，butthisisatameone。Physicallyithasnorepresentativenow，butitsmindhasbeentransmitted。FirstIdrewitsittingdown，buthaveturnedittheotherwaynowbecauseIthinkitlooksmoreattractiveandspiritedwhenoneendofitisgalloping。IlovetothinkthatinthisattitudeitgivesusapleasantideaofJohncomingallinahappyexcitementtoseewhatthebaronshavebeenarrangingforhimatRunnymede，whiletheotheronegivesusanideaofhimsittingdowntowringhishandsandgrieveoverit。
　　WenowcometoHenryIII。;REDsquaresagain，ofcourse
　　fiftysixofthem。WemustmakealltheHenrysthesamecolor;
　　itwillmaketheirlongreignsshowuphandsomelyonthewall。
　　AmongalltheeightHenrystherewerebuttwoshortones。A
　　luckyname，asfaraslongevitygoes。ThereignsofsixoftheHenryscover227years。ItmighthavebeenwelltonamealltheroyalprincesHenry，butthiswasoverlookeduntilitwastoolate。
　　（Fig。12。）
　　Thisisthebestoneyet。Heisonhisway（1265）tohavealookatthefirstHouseofCommonsinEnglishhistory。Itwasamonumentalevent，thesituationintheHouse，andwasthesecondgreatlibertylandmarkwhichthecenturyhadsetup。IhavemadeHenrylookingglad，butthiswasnotintentional。
　　EdwardI。comesnext;LIGHTBROWNpaper，thirtyfivesquares。
　　（Fig。13。）
　　Thatisaneditor。Heistryingtothinkofaword。Hepropshisfeetonachair，whichistheeditor’sway;thenhecanthinkbetter。Idonotcaremuchforthisone;hisearsarenotalike;still，editorsuggeststhesoundofEdward，andhewilldo。IcouldmakehimbetterifIhadamodel，butImadethisonefrommemory。Butisnoparticularmatter;theyalllookalike，anyway。Theyareconceitedandtroublesome，anddon’tpayenough。EdwardwasthefirstreallyEnglishkingthathadyetoccupiedthethrone。TheeditorinthepictureprobablylooksjustasEdwardlookedwhenitwasfirstborneinuponhimthatthiswasso。Hiswholeattitudeexpressedgratificationandpridemixedwithstupefactionandastonishment。
　　EdwardII。now;twentyBLUEsquares。（Fig。14。）
　　Anothereditor。Thatthingbehindhisearishispencil。
　　Wheneverhefindsabrightthinginyourmanuscripthestrikesitoutwiththat。Thatdoeshimgood，andmakeshimsmileandshowhisteeth，thewayheisdoinginthepicture。Thisonehasjustbeenstrikingoutasmartthing，andnowheissittingtherewithhisthumbsinhisvestholes，gloating。Theyarefullofenvyandmalice，editorsare。ThispicturewillservetoremindyouthatEdwardII。wasthefirstEnglishkingwhowasDEPOSED。Upondemand，hesignedhisdepositionhimself。Hehadfoundkingshipamostaggravatinganddisagreeableoccupation，andyoucanseebythelookofhimthatheisgladheresigned。Hehasputhisbluepencilupforgoodnow。Hehadstruckoutmanyagoodthingwithitinhistime。
　　EdwardIII。next;fiftyREDsquares。（Fig。15。）
　　Thiseditorisacritic。Hehaspulledouthiscarving
　　knifeandhistomahawkandisstartingafterabookwhichheisgoingtohaveforbreakfast。Thisone’sarmsareputonwrong。