He was
born, too, in very different circumstances, for whereas Shelley
was the eldest son of a country gentleman, John Keats, was the
eldest son of a stableman.
As a boy Thomas Keats had come to London and found a situation as
ostler in some livery stable. He was clever and steady, and
before he was twenty had risen to be head ostler and married his
master's daughter. Keats then became manager of the stables, and
his father-in-law, who was comfortably off, went away to live in
the country. John's parents were not poor, nor were they common
people. In all they had four children, two boys besides John,
and a little girl, and they determined to give their children a
good education. They would have liked to send their boys to
Harrow, but finding that would cost too much they sent them to a
smaller school at Enfield. It was a good school, with a large
playground, and John seems to have had a happy time there. He
was a little chap for his years, but a manly little fellow, broad
shouldered and strong.
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