9 6 COLLOQUY 



stick, or bludgeon, with which he every now and then 

 threatened those who interrupted his discourse, or other- 

 wise offended him by laughter or mockery. 



On my passing him — for on my way to the coach I 

 could not avoid so doing — he cried out, in a stentorian 

 voice, " Who are you, sir ? " To this I did not deign an 

 answer, when he loudly added, " What are you, sir ? " 



To this question I should have been puzzled to give an 

 answer to a more polite inquirer ; but judging from the 

 man's appearance that he must be a maniac, and knowing 

 from experience that it was better to please than to tease 

 — either a fool or a madman, I deliberately took off my 

 hat, and bowing, said, — 



" That can be of no importance to so great a man." 



Upon this the crowd set up a loud laugh, which I was 

 willing to accept as a sort of recognition of my ignorance 

 of the man's character, when he, turning round, with a 

 knowing shake of his head to them, observed, — 



" He knows how to behave to his superiors, you see." 



I have since heard many facetious anecdotes of this 

 compound of the lowest of vices with the highest attain- 

 ments — (for he had been known to expound the most 

 difficult passages in Tacitus, and other ancient winters, 

 when appealed to by the students) — but as his doings 

 have been referred to and his character drawn — rather in 

 caricature — by the author of " Pelliam," perhaps two will 

 suffice. 



One day, when in a little better trim than that in which 

 I saw him — that is, before his irreclaimable conduct had 

 brought him quite so low — he met the Master of Trinity, 

 Bishop Mansel, whose son had just then made his escape 



