CHAP. V.] OPENING MANHOOD 1847 TO 1850. 139 



regular study, which I have nearly forgot, for when I had 

 got to the end of the first chorus I began to think of the 

 rods and wires that I had in a box. They have entirely 

 stopped Eurip., for I found that if I spent the best part of 

 the day on him, and took reasonable exercise, I could not 

 much advance the making of the apparatus for tormenting 

 these wires and rods. So the rods got the better of the Lexi- 

 con. The observations on the rods are good for little till 

 they are finished ; they are of three kinds, and are all 

 distinguished for accuracy and agreement among themselves. 

 Thus a rod bent by a weight at the middle takes the 

 form of a curve, which is calculated 

 to be one of the fourth order. Let 

 A C B be the rod bent by a weight 

 at C. Mirrors fastened to it at A 

 and B make known the changes of 

 the inclination of the tangent to 



the rod there, and a lens at C projects an image of a copper 

 scale of inches and parts from A to B, where it is observed, 

 and so the deflection of the rod at C becomes known. Now 

 the calculated value of the elasticity deduced from the 

 deflection differs from that deduced from the observations 

 on the mirrors by about y^ of either, and as the deflection 

 at C was about ^ inch, the difference of the observed and 

 calculated deflections is about ^^ of an inch, which is near 

 enough for home-made philosophical instruments to go. 



Thus you see I would run on about rods and wires, 

 and weights, angles, and inches, and copper and iron, and 

 silvered glass, and all sorts of practicalities. Where is now 

 Eurip.? Ay, where ? On the top of the Lexicon, and behind 

 bundles of observations and. calculations. When will he 

 come out ? for he was a good soul after all, and wise (beg his 

 pardon, wiser). For the rest I have been at Shakespeare and 

 Cowper. I used to put Thomson and Cowper together (why ?), 

 and Thomson first ; now they are reversed and far asunder. 



As I suppose my occupations are not very like yours, I 

 pray you send me an account of what Oxford notions you 

 have got, either from Oxonians, books, or observation; and 



