48 LORD LILFORD 



work,' in the ordinary sense of that expression, 

 he had not done much, but he had been learning 

 every day from other teachers. He was a good 

 Latin scholar, but his ' acquaintance with the 

 tongue of Hellas,' as he himself said, ' was 

 infinitesimal,' and not even the title nor the 

 wit of the ' Birds ' of Aristophanes could tempt 

 him to make much acquaintance with that, or 

 the other plays of the Greek master of comedy. 

 ' I' should be sorely put to it, to make anything 

 of the " Clouds " or the " Frogs," ' he wrote to a 

 friend in later years. After all, a mind of great 

 intelligence assimilates almost instinctively what 

 it needs for the strengthening of its particular 

 tastes. 



An old friend of my brother, Mr. Godfrey 

 Webb, has kindly sent me a brief account of the 

 ' Tom Powys ' of old Oxford days, on what may 

 be called ' his birdy and social side.' 



' Tom Powys was a well-known figure at 

 Oxford more than forty years ago, and he 

 had many friends, but not exclusively amongst 

 undergraduates, as was the case with most of 

 us at the University, for his tastes and pursuits 

 brought him into contact with all sorts and con- 



