labour.  He would often drive me to the farm, and find a shady spot for me under the trees, while he attended to the work of the field.  When this was not the case, he always returned in time to take me, if the weather permitted, for an evening walk or drive.  In summer we often took our drives by moonlight, and in the beautiful Valley of Virginia the queen of night seemed to shine with more brightness than elsewhere.  When at home he would indulge himself in a season of rest and recreation after supper, thinking it was injurious to health to go to work immediately.  As it was a rule with him never to use his eyes by artificial light, he formed the habit of studying mentally for an hour or so without a book.  After going over his lessons in the morning, he thus reviewed them at night, and in order to abstract his thoughts from surrounding objects—­a habit which he had cultivated to a remarkable degree—­he would, if alone with his wife, ask that he might not be disturbed by any conversation; he would then take his seat with his face to the wall, and remain in perfect abstraction until he finished his mental task.  He was very fond of being read to, and much of our time in the evening was passed in my ministering to him in this way.  He had a library, which, though small, was select, composed chiefly of scientific, historical, and religious books, with some of a lighter character, and some in Spanish and French.  Nearly all of them were full of his pencil marks, made with a view to future reference.”  Next to the Bible, history, both ancient and modern, was his favourite study.  Plutarch, Josephus, Rollin, Robertson, Hallam, Macaulay, and Bancroft were his constant companions.  Shakespeare held an honoured place upon his shelves; and when a novel fell into his hands he became so absorbed in the story that he eventually avoided such literature as a waste of time.  “I am anxious,” he wrote to a relative, “to devote myself to study until I shall become master of my profession.”

The Jacksons were far from affluent.  The professor had nothing but his salary, and his wife, one of a large family, brought no increase to their income.  But the traditional hospitality of Virginia was a virtue by no means neglected.  He was generous but unostentatious in his mode of living, and nothing gave him more pleasure than to bid his friends welcome to his own home.

His outdoor recreations were healthful but not exciting.  The hills round Lexington teemed with game, the rivers with fish, and shooting and fishing were the favourite amusements of his colleagues.  But Jackson found no pleasure in rod or gun; and although fond of riding and a good horseman, he never appears to have joined in any of those equestrian sports to which the Virginians were much addicted.  He neither followed the hunt nor tilted at the ring.  His exercise was taken after more utilitarian fashion, in the garden or the farm.