DANGERS AT CORNELL 1868-1872 357 



ning over the whole audience, which instantly disap- 

 peared as he settled into his work. He had a way of 

 giving color to his lectures by citing bits of humorous 

 history. Thus it was that he threw a vivid light on the 

 horrors of civil war in Ireland during the sixteenth and 

 seventeenth centuries, when he gave the plea of an Irish 

 chieftain on trial for high treason, one of the charges 

 against him being that he had burned the Cathedral of 

 Cashel. His plea was: "Me lords, I niver would have 

 burned the cathaydral but that I supposed that his grace 

 the lord archbishop was inside." 



Speaking of the strength of the clan spirit, he told me a 

 story of the late Duke of Argyll, as follows : At a banquet 

 of the great clan of which the duke was chief, a splendid 

 snuff-box belonging to one of the clansmen, having at- 

 tracted attention, was passed round the long table for in- 

 spection. By and by it was missing. All attempts to trace it 

 were in vain, and the party broke up in disgust and distress 

 at the thought that one of their number must be a thief. 

 Some days afterward, the duke, putting on his dress-coat, 

 found the box in his pocket, and immediately sent for the 

 owner and explained the matter. ' ' I knew ye had it, ' ' said 

 the owner. ' ' How did ye know it 1 ' ' said the duke. "Saw 

 ye tak' it." "Then why did n't ye tell me?" asked the 

 duke. ' ' I thocht ye wanted it, ' ' was the answer. 



Speaking of university life, Froude told the story of an 

 Oxford undergraduate who, on being examined in Paley, 

 was asked to name any instance which he had himself no- 

 ticed of the goodness and forethought of the Almighty as 

 evidenced in his works : to which the young man answered, 

 "The formation of the head of a bulldog. Its nose is so 

 drawn back that it can hang on the bull and yet breathe 

 freely; but for this, the bulldog would soon have to let 

 go for want of breath. ' ' 



Walking one day with Froude, I spoke to him regarding 

 his "Nemesis of Faith," which I had read during my at- 

 tacheship at St. Petersburg, and which had been greatly 

 objected to by various Oxford dons, one of whom is said to 



