CHAPTER XXX 



DIVERS PUBLIC FUNCTIONS (1897) 



(Age 63) 



It is almost painful, reading Sir John's diaries, to 

 be obliged to realise how very often, usually twice 

 or thrice annually, he was afflicted by more or less 

 grievous attacks of the gout fiend. Seeing him, 

 as I did, at the times of his wonderful activity and 

 health (for in the intervals of the attacks his 

 system did not show the least resultant weakness) 

 I did not recognise how severe and frequent his 

 sufferings were. In the midst of them he had 

 two unfailing sources of support and strength — 

 his own great power of self-control and serenity 

 of mind in the first place, and the devoted care and 

 affection of Lady Lubbock in the second. Neither 

 of these were ever wanting to him, and in his 

 greatest pain they were his constant support. 



Some of his younger children were beginning not 

 only to take an interest in his scientific work — with 

 his almost unequalled gift of lucid exposition, 

 and with the perfect confidence and affection that 

 subsisted between him and them, he had been 

 able to engage this at a very early period of their 

 lives — but also to be useful assistants. In this 



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