EXPLORING THE COUNTRY. 21 



" Et tu, Brute ! this is dreadful. Pass the brandy, 

 and tell me, is the study of classic authors nothing?" 



" Pooh, pooh ! Who reads Greek or Latin authors 

 after leaving school or college, except for cram, or 

 some pecuniary end? a very few." 



"You uncharitable Bohemian, how else should 

 one get at the lore of Greek and Eoman ? " 



" Through an English road, as is done by even 

 tolerable scholars, if they confessed the truth." 



" What a barbarian ! is he not, Major ? " 



" I think, Hope," said Major Duncan, " you 

 willingly misunderstand for the fun of the thing. 

 Of course, you must feel that neither Abbott nor 

 I are barbarous enough to deprecate the classics. We 

 are simply agreed that extreme verbal scholarship 

 is for most men extreme folly and waste of mental 

 exercise. And possibly not all mental," he added, 

 laughing. "Many poor creatures are adepts at 

 languages and philology. Mezzofante, par exemple, 

 the most perfect linguist in Europe; in all other 

 matters a common-place person. In fact, I question 

 if it were great gain were all true Britons merely 

 able to speak Latin." 



Ward groaned, " Oh ! that I had Demosthenic 

 power of reply. Shall we have coffee ? " 



