82 JAMES CLERK MAXWELL. [CHAP. IV. 



on him to which he reverted in a conversation many 

 years afterwards. 1 At the same time he had a quick 

 eye for the absurdities of pedantry. One of the 

 teachers was apt to annoy our youthful taste by a 

 literal exactness in translating the Greek particles, 

 which would have pleased some more recent scholars. 

 Maxwell expressed our feelings on this subject in a few 

 lines, of which I can only recall the beginning : 



" Assuredly, at least, indeed, 

 Decidedly als6 ..." 



The frigid climax in " decidedly " is a good instance of 

 his roguish irony. 



In September 1846 I made my first visit to Glen- 

 lair. It was a time of perpetual gladness, but the 

 particulars are hardly worth recording. James used 

 to sleep long and soundly, and seemed to be the whole 

 day at play, eagerly showing me his treasures and 

 accompanying each exhibition with lively talk, 

 sprinkled with innumerable puns. 2 After such a 

 breakfast as became that land of milk and honey, there 

 was a long interval, while Mr. Maxwell was attending 

 to home business and deliberating what the " expedite" 



1 The following bit of Diary deserves to be quoted in this connec- 

 tion : " 1845, Saturday, December 27. Jas. dined at Miss Cay's. I 

 went there to tea, taking Lewis and Kobert Campbell. Then we all 

 went to the play ' Antigone,' by Miss Faucit." 



2 I can only compare him to the fraternal spirit that William 

 Blake saw in vision " clapping its hands for joy" (Gilchrist's Life of 

 William BlaJce, vol. i. p. 59). In the talk of that period a butterfly 

 was always a " flutterby ; " and idiotisms such as " used to could " 

 and " be-you-have yourself ! " were in common use. 



