26 "MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE!" 



The Latin verse * pre-eminence in the above record is 

 sufficiently obvious, but my dear, good housemaster, 

 Dr Jex Blake, afterwards Dean of Wells, wrote, many 

 years later, when sending me a testimonial : 



I should expect that his remarkable skill in composition dis- 

 tinguishes him still. 



This, with other complimentary allusions to myself, 

 which it is needless to mention. 



Now comes the tragedy for if I ever loved anything 

 in literary work it was the writing of Latin verses, and I 

 was a real craftsman at it. I don't mind saying so, for, 

 after all, what did it amount to, much though I thought 

 of it then, as did Dr Jex-Blake, who taught me to fairly 

 delight in the rhythm and poise of Latin words ? 



We come now to my examination for Mods, at Oxford 

 in 1872, and I suppose there never was anyone more 

 certain to get a First than I was, but, whoever you are, 

 you must, of course, do all your papers properly. 



The one absolutely convincing paper I could have done 

 was the Latin Verse one, which confronted us at 2.30 P.M. 

 on the 2Qth May 1872. It was the Derby Day, and Prince 

 Charlie, son of my beloved Blair Athol, was running. He 

 had won the 2000 Guineas and well, I know I was a fool 

 but I could write no Latin verses while thinking about 

 what was going on at Epsom, and I left the room within 

 the first hour to find what had won the Derby. Not only 

 had Prince Charlie not won, but he was unplaced, and it 

 was indeed pain and grief to me to know I could not go 

 back into the examination room and tackle those Latin 

 verses. 



That is how I got only a Second in Mods. 



