21 Feb. 1722-3.-This day my daughter compleats ye 3rd year of her age... her Reason seems to ripen every Day, and unfold itself, by degrees, so as to give hopes she will at least have a common understanding. Some impressions likewise have been made on her mind of Religion & ye fear of God, Blour's History of the Bible having been of great use to give her some notions of the Goodness and Providence of God and Ye Evill of Sin.

Poor mite of three!

But, alas! there is a strong Byass in her Nature to Obstinacy & Wilfulness to a Selfish and narrow Spirit, to Anger and Impatience, to Gluttony, and Intemperance...

Severity has been often used to cure her stubborness and wilfull temper, and with good success for a good while. The vice of Gluttony does not so much appear in a greedy & voracious way of Eating as in thinking much and often talking of eating, as if She took too great pleasure in Gratifying her sense of Tasting. An Instance happened lately. Soon after Breakfast She was very inquisitive what was to be for Dinner, and with so much eagerness as to cry & chide her maid for not telling her. I took occasion to let her know this was a fault, that as God had hitherto provided constantly for her She needed not trouble her Self what her next meal was to be. That the sort ought to be left to her Mother, who would no doubt take care of what was proper, and that it was contrary to our Saviour's advice.

('By Nurture and Admonition of the Lord,' says Steele's charming pamphlet, 'may also be understood such a Religious Reproof and Castigation as is agreeable to the Doctrine and good Spirit of Christ. ..' Also No. 45: 'Discreetly check her longing Desire after things pleasant, and use her to frequent Disappointment.')

I have taken notice of some symptoms of Pride, in affecting praise, and taking upon her to repartee upon her Cousin, tho 3 years older, for some small slip in expression, by this instance, one may see ye Pride of judgment already beginning to Spring up, and therefore ye more care is to be taken not to commend in her hearing what she says, nor suffer any to admire her wit, to take notice sometimes of her Childish and silly sayings, &c.

No. 17. 'Slip no occasion to fore-arm her well against the Vanity of presuming or pretending!'

25 Feb. 1722.- Kitty begins to be inquisitive about Divine things -as angells, Heaven-and this day asked what she should do to please God. But then one may observe tis not so much from a warmth of Love she feels towards God, as ye effect of what we discourse to her and possibly an affectation to please.

...

Ideas together, in a Reasoning way. This may possibly be only ye effect of Childishness, & her little nonsensicall chat being rather in a ludicrous and Tricky way, as she calls it, may not proceed so much from a naturall defect in ye Judgment as a lively but giddy imagination. Tis true I deserve that God should deny her a good understanding, because I have of late been too apt to flatter my Self with the hopes of her good Sense, & what is much worse, to take a pride in and boast of ye forwardness of her parts, assuming too much ye praise to my Self of what was due to God alone, But o blessed Lord visit not ye sin of ye Father upon ye Child, punish not ye poor Innocent for my folly. I pray not that she may have a great, but a competent understanding, sufficient capacity to enable her to do thee service and work out her salvation, in a word grant her understanding in the way of Godliness. Amen.

6 March. Yesterday sevll. diverting and witty sayings of ye Child were told me by my Wife. But to-day what happen'd has given me a good deal of Speculation. She told a Ly- & her Mother whipt her. After some time sobbing, and being desir'd to thank her for ye correction, She answered. Pray maynt I Madam speak as well as you? This seem'd but impertinent, but was pronounced with such an air, such a look, and such a tone of anger and defiance, that she was ask'd sevll. times what She meant, & She repeated ye very same words in ye same manner and more distinctly than ever I heard her speak, 3 or 4 times-it very much astonished me, I confess, and taking it to proceed from perverseness and indignation, my anger began to rise, but her mother more prudent ask'd if she meant, whether She might speak to her as freely as she used to do. She answered, yes-and then ask'd pardon for her fault. Thus it ended. But I cannot yet account for ye manner and way of expressing her self on this occasion. She seems to have too much of a proud and impatient spirit-future occations may explain this better, & her Mother must pick quarrels with her, ye better to get occations of discovering her Naturall Temper & disposition.

11 March. This day her Mother tells me that when she hadd delivered her some Plumbs that came as a Present from her Cousin, She asked her to give her one, but ye Child refused tho much entreated & sued to and then told her Mamma she was a beggar, a mere beggar. This action betrays a Covetous Selfish temper, and is not ye first symptom of a stingy and narrow Spirit wch I have observed in her. I took occation to reprove her for this fault and wonder she could be so unkind to her Mother, who was continually giving her good things; that our Saviour bids us to give to them that ask, &c., &c.

I beseech God to enable us to root this cursed weed of Covetousness out of her heart.

18 March, 1722-3.-She discovers every day a great deal of perverseness and peevish pride in her temper-often slaps ye maid, and takes upon her to speak in an imperious and chiding tone, tho without any occation. So it appears to be purely naturall, rather than ye effect of anger, or provocation, and even when her mother thwarted her well to-day, she had ye hardiness to tell her she was very cross. This gives us a good deal of uneasiness, and have been considering of proper measures to break her of this naughty quality-before it grows into a habit of Ill nature & moroseness. In whch I most humbly implore ye blessing and assistance of Almighty God.

30 March, 1723.-Another bad Symptom has this Day appeared, a Deceitfull Cunning, and prevaricating, as well as Disobedience, her Mother had forbidden her to go to Mrs. P-, but she took occation to steal over, and when examined how she come to go, she said Mrs. P. saw her at ye door, and called her in: this, tho true, was not the plain truth. Mrs. P. called her not till she saw her come to her door, and then asked her to come in. This subtlety in excusing and extenu

ating a fault is contrary to that Ingenuous & sincere spirit, that simplicity & freedom from guile, wherewith a Christian ought to be train'd up. So that her Mother chode her severely to make her sensible of ye fault, and would have corrected but that she fell on her knees and ask'd pardon and promised to do so no more.

No. 10. Win her to be in Love with openness in all her Acts and Words, and fail not to instil into her an abhorrence of all Serpentine Wit.'

31 March. An existance to-day of strong stubborness and perverseness of will, proceeding plainly from ye root of Pride. She had trode on ye Cat, and being blamed for hurting poor puss, she excused herself that she lay in her way. This not being allowed for a Sufficient reason, she seem'd to resent ye reproof & to pout. To correct her for this Sullenness she was ordered to go to her chair and sit down. This she refused and would not stir: when placed in her chair, she rose up again in a sturdy manner. When it came to so flagrant an act of Rebellion and Disobedience, her Mother (tho Sunday) was forced to take ye rod. After ye first whipping-She struck her Mo: for this whipp'd again-still rebellious-whipp'd again and confined to a room by herself till She came to temper, & then admitted to ask pardon on her Knees. I thank God she seems, tho exceeding passionate & soon angry, yet soon to get ye better of her pation, & retains no spitefull or revengefull thoughts.

On October 20, 1723, there comes an entry to the effect that visitors were with them whose notice of the child-praise and indulgence-was much exercising these conscientious parents :

So that a double will is the plain Consequence of this her new way of Living --a weakening of the Principles of Duty and Obedience to her Parents, and encouraging those deadly seeds of Corrupted Nature wch are the bane and poison of ye Soul, particularly Pride and Vanity, Intemperance and a Carnall mind, &c. and tis with great sorrow and grief of heart that I observe every Day some evill fruits appear of these roots of Bitterness.

It seems almost too cruel, even making allowance for the phraseology of the times, to find such terms applied to a baby. But William Wogan was well backed up.

No. 27. 'Set before her the Several Excesses of all the rougher Passions in its most ugly Shape that you can.' And as an antidote : No. 28. 'Set also before her the foolish Transports of the Softer Passions, to be laught at by her.'

The next thing we learn is of poor Kitty's being at death's door with fever. Wogan, in returning thanks for her recovery, adds a prayer for himself and his wife, in their charge 'To acquit our Selves of this weighty Duty,' which is a pathetic insight into the humility and purity of his intentions.

Give me, and my Wife Patience to bear with all ye trouble wch is unavoidable . may we never consult our own Ease, to ye Child's prejudice, or ever leave that to others wch requires ye watchfull care of a Parents Eye..... Let Discretion accompany us that we may understand when to connive, when to Reprove, when to Reward, and when to Correct that whenever either of us correct or reprove, it may not be done out of humour or in Passion....

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Give us likewise Discretion, O God, in ye Love of our Child, that we may Love her according to Reason, and let not Inclination, Nature or Passion have ye government and Discretion of this Love because I am sensible how very blind ye Love towards Children is wch is influenced by Passion, that by ye Suggestions of it Parents become the worst of Enemies to their own Children; laying in them ye seeds, not only of Temporall misfortunes, but of Eternall Ruine.

Teach me rather to deny my Self in what is most difficult to Nature; Teach me to govern my Inclinations for my Child's Good. For it is far better I should suffer all self Denyall than my Child be exposed to ye sad effects of my Blindness & Indiscretion.

Kitty got well, and reappears the natural child once more on July 5, 1725.

Yesterday when bid by her Moth. to desist a thing she was doing, and to remove to another place, she obeyed in neither, wch provoked me much, chid her sharply, banished her our presence-after some time, we employ'd her Cos. to visit her and advise her to submit & ask pardon, with some seeming reluctance she came, and ask'd her Moth. pardon on her knees, and with much crying promised to do so no more. We represented ye sin of disobedience aggravated ye fault, and told her what God threatens to disobedient Children (Prov. 30, 17): The Eye that mocketh at his Father, & despiseth to obey his Mother, the Ravens of ye Valley shall pick it out, and the young Eagles shall eat it. This seem'd to make an Impression, so that when she was gone to her chamber, & undressing for Bed, she cry'd again for fear, She said, the Eagles should pick out her Eyes.

The Mother's Maxim No.5: 'Give her a pleasing idea of Good, and an ugly frightful one of Evil,' fits in well here. But the training was beginning to tell :

Much pleased with ye relation of her Behaviour ye other day at Mrs. D., where she went to play with ye children-happening to go into a room where lay a Pack of Cards, she came running out in a great fright crying ye Devill, ye Devill! Where said they. There, says she, pointing to ye Cards, for there are his Books, and He is where his Books are. God continue this avertion in her.

Kitty began to learn to read at about six years old.

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I have begun teaching her to spell, and She improves daily, by making it a Divertion, and raising an emulation between her and her Cousin. She takes much delight in it. I cannot but observe with pleasure that she pronounces ye word God with a particular respect and humbleness of voice. Begins to read well and to take much delight therein, rather too much, being inclined to inactivity and a Lazy Temper....

Was there anything she hadn't?

By the time she was seven Kitty seems to have turned over a new leaf. 'I cannot indeed say that as to her mind anything appears in her extraordinary,' says this unprejudiced commentator, ' either as to sense or Piety; rather in a middling way, neither very frequent and forward nor yet very tardy and unpromising. She has this good symptom, that she is very orderly and Obedient, seems glad to please, expresses her affection, tho not in a fond yet a sincere manner, and has gained a great victory over her Naturall passions, wch appears in her Carriage towards her Cousins and all ye family.'

This does not appear to have lasted :

9 May 1727.-Informed yesterday of some very great faults of my Daughter, wch has given me an unspeakable uneasiness, and how to manage her I am quite at a loss. Instead of profiting by those Instructions I have taken so much pains to give her, she practises ye very reverse, and shews such a temper & such a disposition to vice as is beyond ye usuall capacity of ye age she is now of. So much pride & envy, so much ill nature and selfishness, so little sense of shame, so little affection & gratitude that I am quite confounded, and shrink with horror as well as anguish and Grief! Oh, my God, what shall I do? What measures shall I take to root out these accursed weeds, wherewith her poor Soul is already so overspread? My Endeavours hitherto have been to little purpose, some new way must be found out to manage her. I corrected her a few days ago with a Rod for her sauciness and malapertness to her Cousins, but this I perceive has had little or no effect-yet I will not despair of success because I trust not in my own skill or wisdom. Many of those faults I see ye seeds of in my own nature: the poor Child has inherited them from me; this also should teach me patience and pity towards her and make me ye more diligent to reform these evill Dispositions both in my Self and her.

Here the Diary abruptly ends. No more do we hear of Miss Kitty till she was near fourteen, and this only from a chance letter written to Mr. Wogan by one Mrs. Coke, evidently a family friend and warmly interested in the child's welfare.

It seems to have been a question of governesses for her-a necessary discipline, as she lost her mother in the summer of 1726. 'Yr dauter will lead,' she says, 'but she will never drive, & her unhappy disposition to Resent can no ways be conquered but by gaining her kindness (if possible). . . .'

The 'if possible' is significant. William Wogan's training may have been hard, but the material was apparently harder. The 'only child' is pretty much the same all the world's history through, after all. However, that exceptional supervision was hers, and that she was not left to the care of the maids, as most children were in the same circumstances, is sufficiently shown.

I think if Mrs. Hank had Miss with her Self and let her into the knowledge of seeing & doeing any business of the house with her, it would be a vast neces