by Edgar Allan Poe

What say of it ? what say of CONSCIENCE grim, That spectre in my path ?

Chamberlayne's Pharronida

LET me call myself, , William Wilson The fair page now lying before me sullied with my real appellation This already an object scorn -- horror -- detestation race uttermost regions globe the indignant winds bruited its unparalleled infamy ? Oh, outcast of all outcasts most abandoned ! -- earth art thou not forever dead ? to its honors, to its flowers, to its golden aspirations ? -- and cloud, dense, dismal, and limitless, does it not hang eternally between thy hopes and heaven ?

, if , here or to-day, embody record later years of unspeakable misery, and unpardonable crime This epoch -- these later years -- took unto themselves sudden elevation in turpitude, whose origin alone my present purpose to assign Men usually grow base by degrees From me, in an instant, all virtue dropped bodily as mantle From comparatively trivial wickedness I passed, stride of giant, into more enormities of an Elah-Gabalus What chance -- what one event brought this evil thing , bear with me while I relate Death approaches; shadow which foreruns him has thrown softening influence over my spirit I long, in passing dim valley, sympathy -- I had nearly said pity -- fellow men fain have them believe that , in some measure, the slave of circumstances beyond human control wish them to seek out , details about , some little oasis of fatality amid wilderness of error them allow -- what refrain from allowing -- that, although temptation erewhile existed as great, man was never thus, , tempted before -- certainly, never thus fell it therefore that he has never thus suffered ? Have I not indeed been living in dream ? And am I not now dying victim horror mystery wildest of all sublunary visions ?

the descendant of race whose imaginative and easily excitable temperament has at all times rendered them remarkable; and, in my earliest infancy, evidence of having fully inherited the family character As I advanced in years more strongly developed; becoming, for many reasons, cause of serious disquietude to my friends, and of positive injury to myself I grew self-willed, addicted wildest caprices, and prey most ungovernable passions Weak-minded, and beset with constitutional infirmities akin to my own, my parents could do but little the evil propensities which distinguished me Some feeble and ill-directed efforts resulted in complete failure on their part, and, , in total triumph on mine Thenceforward my voice was household law; and at an age when few children have abandoned their leading-strings, left guidance own will, and became, in all but name, the master own actions

My earliest recollections of school-life, are connected with large, rambling, Elizabethan house, in misty-looking village of England, where were vast number of gigantic and gnarled trees, and where all the houses were excessively ancient In truth, dream-like and spirit-soothing place, that venerable old town moment, in fancy, the refreshing chilliness deeply-shadowed avenues, inhale the fragrance thousand shrubberies, and thrill anew with undefinable delight, deep hollow note church-bell, breaking, each hour, with sullen and sudden roar, stillness dusky atmosphere fretted Gothic steeple lay imbedded and asleep

It gives me, perhaps, of pleasure as now in any manner experience, to dwell upon minute recollections school and its concerns Steeped in misery as -- misery, alas ! only too real -- pardoned for seeking relief, however slight and temporary, weakness of few rambling details These, moreover, utterly trivial, and even ridiculous in themselves, assume, to my fancy, adventitious importance, as connected with period and locality when and where I recognise the first ambiguous monitions destiny which afterwards so fully overshadowed me Let me then remember

The house, said, was old and irregular The grounds were extensive, and high and solid brick wall, topped with bed of mortar and broken glass, encompassed the whole This prison-like rampart formed the limit domain; beyond it we saw but thrice week -- once every Saturday afternoon, when, attended by two ushers, we were permitted brief walks in body through neighbouring fields -- and twice during Sunday, when we were paraded same formal manner morning and evening service one church village church the principal school was pastor With how deep spirit of wonder and perplexity was I wont to regard him remote pew gallery, as, with step solemn and slow, he ascended the pulpit ! This reverend man, with countenance so demurely benign, with robes so glossy and so clerically flowing, with wig so minutely powdered, so rigid and so vast, -- -could this be he who, of late, with sour visage, and in snuffy habiliments, administered, ferule in hand, the Draconian laws academy ? Oh, gigantic paradox, too utterly monstrous for solution !

At an angle ponderous wall frowned more ponderous gate riveted and studded with iron bolts, and surmounted with jagged iron spikes What impressions of deep awe did it inspire ! never opened save three periodical egressions and ingressions already mentioned; then, in every creak mighty hinges, plenitude of mystery -- world of matter for solemn remark, or for more solemn meditation

The extensive enclosure was irregular in form, having many capacious recesses , three or four largest constituted the play-ground level, and covered with fine hard gravel I well remember it had no trees, nor benches, nor anything similar within it rear house In front lay small parterre, planted with box and other shrubs; but sacred division we passed only upon rare occasions indeed -- such as first advent to school or final departure thence, or perhaps, when parent or friend having called , we joyfully took our way home Christmas or Midsummer holy-days

But the house ! -- how quaint an old building ! -- how veritably palace of enchantment ! really no end to its windings -- to its incomprehensible subdivisions difficult, at any given time, with certainty two stories one happened From each room to there found three or four steps either in ascent or descent Then the lateral branches were innumerable -- inconceivable -- and so returning in upon themselves, most exact ideas in regard whole mansion very far different from those we pondered upon infinity During the five years residence here, never able to ascertain with precision, in what remote locality lay the little sleeping apartment assigned to myself and some eighteen or twenty other scholars

The school-room largest house -- help thinking, very long, narrow, and dismally low, with pointed Gothic windows and ceiling of oak In remote and terror-inspiring angle was square enclosure of eight or ten feet, comprising the sanctum, "during hours," principal, the Reverend Dr Bransby solid structure, with massy door, sooner than open which absence "Dominic," all have willingly perished peine forte et dure In other angles were two other similar boxes, far less reverenced, indeed, but still greatly matters of awe pulpit "classical" usher, "English and mathematical " Interspersed room, crossing and recrossing in endless irregularity, were innumerable benches and desks, black, ancient, and time-worn, piled desperately with much-bethumbed books, and so beseamed with initial letters, names at full length, grotesque figures, and other multiplied efforts knife, as entirely lost what little of original form their portion in days long departed huge bucket with water stood at one extremity room, and clock of stupendous dimensions other

Encompassed massy walls venerable academy, I passed, yet not in tedium or disgust, the years third lustrum life The teeming brain of childhood requires no external world of incident to occupy or amuse it; apparently dismal monotony of school was replete with more intense excitement than my riper youth has derived from luxury, or my full manhood from crime Yet believe that my first mental development had much uncommon -- even much outre Upon mankind at large the events of very early existence rarely leave in mature age any definite impression All is gray shadow -- weak and irregular remembrance -- an indistinct regathering of feeble pleasures and phantasmagoric pains With me so In childhood felt energy of man what I now find stamped upon memory in lines as vivid, as deep, and as durable exergues Carthaginian medals

Yet -- fact world's view -- how little was there to remember ! The morning's awakening, the nightly summons to bed; the connings, the recitations; the periodical half-holidays, and perambulations; the play-ground, with its broils, its pastimes, its intrigues; -- these, by mental sorcery long forgotten, were made to involve wilderness of sensation, world of rich incident, an universe of varied emotion, of excitement the most passionate and spirit-stirring "Oh, le bon temps, que ce siecle de fer ! "

In truth, the ardor, the enthusiasm, imperiousness disposition, soon rendered me marked character among my schoolmates, and by slow, but natural gradations, an ascendancy over all not greatly older than myself; -- over all with single exception This exception was found person of scholar, who, although no relation, bore the same Christian and surname as myself; -- circumstance, , little remarkable; for, notwithstanding noble descent, mine was one everyday appellations which seem, by prescriptive right, , time out of mind, the common property mob narrative therefore designated myself as William Wilson, -- fictitious title not very dissimilar real My namesake alone, who in school phraseology constituted "our set," presumed to compete with me studies class -- sports and broils play-ground -- to refuse implicit belief in my assertions, and submission to my will -- indeed, to interfere with my arbitrary dictation in any respect whatsoever on earth supreme and unqualified despotism, despotism of master mind in boyhood over the less energetic spirits companions