CONTINUED ILL-HEALTH U^ 



except a strong tendency to put the most evil construction upon 

 everything. 



I am fairly dreading to-morrow \i.e. receiving the D.C.L. 

 degree at Oxford *] but why I don't know probably an attack 

 of modesty come on late in life and consequently severe. 



Very likely it will do me good and make me " fit " for Thurs- 

 day [i.e. Council and ordinary meetings of Royal Society], 



And a month later: 



I have been idling in the country for two or three days 

 but like the woman with the issue, " I am not better but rather 

 worse " blue devils and funk funk and blue devils. Liver, I 

 expect. [An ailment of which he says to Prof. Marsh, " I rather 

 wish I had some respectable disease it would be livelier."] 



And again : 



Everybody tells me I look so much better, that I am really 

 ashamed to go growling about, and confess that I am continually 

 in a blue funk and hate the thought of any work especially of 

 scientific or anything requiring prolonged attention. 



At the end of July he writes to Sir W. Flower 



4 MARLBOROUGH PLACE, July 27, 1885. 



MY DEAR FLOWER I am particularly glad to hear that things 

 went right on Saturday, as my conscience rather pricked me for 

 my desertion of the meeting.f But it was the only chance we 

 had of seeing our young married couple before the vacation 

 and you will rapidly arrive at a comprehension of the cogency of 

 that argument now. 



I will think well of your kind words about the Presidency. 

 If I could only get rid of my eternal hypochondria the work of 

 the R.S. would seem little enough. At present, I am afraid of 

 everything that involves responsibility to a degree that is simply 

 ridiculous. I only wish I could shirk the inquiries I am going 

 off to hold in Devonshire ! 



P.R.S. in a continual blue funk is not likely to be either 

 dignified or useful; and unless I am in a better frame of mind 

 in October I am afraid I shall have to go. Ever yours very 

 faithfully, T. H. HUXLEY. 



A few weeks at Filey in August did him some good at 

 first ; and he writes cheerfully of his lodgings in ' a place 



* See p. 118. f British Museum Trustees, July 25. 



44 



