6 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



the half-dozen nearest to the starting-point for 

 the last, and picked them up rapidly, winning his 

 wager with several minutes to spare. 



" Doubtless, in the present day, the above record 

 has been beaten, and the same number of stones 

 has been picked up in three-quarters of an hour, 

 and even less, by those whom Dr Arnold might 

 have designated as fortemque Gyan, fortemque 

 Cloantlium. But Hodson's feat, in the 'Thirties, 

 was thought a great achievement. 



"Hodson was a good disciplinarian, and could 

 keep the fags in order. At the end of 1839 it 

 happened that the captain, or head of Cotton's 

 house, was unequal to the task of ruling some 

 rather overgrown fellows who were in the Lower 

 Forms. So, after due consultation, Arnold resolved 

 on transferrino; Hodson from Price's to Cotton's 

 house with this master's approval. The ' Doctor ' 

 always set a value on physical strength and deter- 

 mination as useful adjuncts to scholarship, and he 

 was well aware of the importance of ' muscular 

 Christianity' in its proper place, in support of 

 brains. Hodson's friends and colleagues at Price's 

 were sorry to lose him ; but there was no more 

 trouble or turbulence at Cotton's when Hodson had 

 cleared the way. I left Eugby at Midsummer 

 1840, while Hodson stayed till 'Lawrence Sheriff,' 

 or Founder's day, in October." 



The under-master with whom young Hodson first 

 resided was the Eev. Bonamy Price, who had been 

 one of Mr Hodson's pupils at Maisemore Court. 

 Among William Hodson's younger schoolfellows 

 M^as another boy, who afterwards became a distin- 

 guished member of the Lidian Civil Service, Mr 



