56 " MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE ! " 



of forbidding the use of Cribs, he actually provided us 

 with them so that our reading of the classics might be 

 more rapid and extensive. 



This led, at first, to somewhat discouraging results, 

 as, for instance, when I, with the assistance of Bohn, 

 commenced translating the first Ode of Horace thus : 



Maecenas Maecenas, atavis sprung, edite regibus from 

 ancient kings ; 



but that sort of fiasco was not of frequent occurrence, 

 and I had read pretty nearly the whole of the JEneid of 

 Virgil when I was little more than twelve years old. 



Nor was it long before equally rapid strides were made 

 in Greek, and I had mastered several Greek plays, of 

 which the Medea of Euripides was one, before the end 

 of 1863. 



It is hardly conceivable that such a system of education 

 is good, except for cramming purposes, but somehow it 

 answered in my case, though I don't think Tom Scott 

 derived any benefit whatever from it. 



Mr Scott himself was a rare good sportsman, and as 

 fine a shot as you could find in those days. He was a 

 county magistrate at a time when that was some dis- 

 tinction, and though the good friend of all his parishioners 

 he never worried them by parochial visitations. The 

 old vicarage, immediately opposite the church, whose 

 beautiful octagonal tower is something unique in the way 

 of architecture, was formerly the village school, and the 

 house was for the headmaster at least, so I believe. 

 Even in 1863 the village schoolroom remained an integral 

 part of the vicarage, though with a separate entrance, 

 but so casual was the teaching given there that on one 

 occasion, when the schoolmaster, Mr Heron, was away 

 for a few days Tom Scott and I took charge and taught 

 the children. What we taught them, goodness knows, 

 but we were very severe on some of the boys that much 

 I remember well. This might seem incredible, but it 

 is recorded plainly enough in my Diary : 



