198 EDINBUEGH 



could follow him through such a medley of subjects, intro- 

 duced wholly without method and order, and with no relation 

 to one another, he follows neither a book nor his subject. 

 He says he finds the students will not follow a regular course. 

 I am in a deplorable state of uncertainty : nor can I write 

 out a lecture to include, as each and all his seventy do, a 

 little of all branches of Botanical Science, including the 

 * original production of species ! in some. 



He also presses me, disagreeably hard, to take up my 

 quarters with him, which I have fifty reasons for not doing 

 and not wishing to do. I never more heartily wished a 

 man well in my life. 



To this Harvey replied on April 17 : 



I pity your lot about Graham — ^to me it seems absolutely 

 impossible to follow the course of such a Sun — and there- 

 fore I would cut out a new hne for myself — ^were I you — 

 digest my subject into seventy discourses (if there be that 

 fearful number) and write out at least the heads — with a 

 grand oratorical first lecture — in which you should talk 

 of matters and things in general — and, like a friend of 

 mine on a similar occasion, mention ' Oscillatoria trembling 

 on the borders of animal and vegetable life,' or hke the old 

 gentleman formerly, looking two ways at once. 

 The Professor of polite literature sends you the following : 



Solomon Grundy was bom on Monday, 



Was christened on Tuesday 



Was married on Wednesday 



Took sick upon Thursday 



Died upon Friday 



And waked on Saturday 



And buried on Sunday — 



And this was the life of Solomon Grundy. 



By the beginning of May he was settled in lodgings in 

 Edinburgh at 20 Abercromby Place. For personal reasons, 

 and wishing above all to be quite independent in his movements, 

 he declined Professor Graham's urgent invitation to be his 

 guest, though painfully conscious that he might be accounted 

 churlish in thus refusing the only form of return which, as 

 has been said, was possible on the part of his old friend. 



