40 THE LIFE OF PHILIP HENRY GOSSE. 



Non omnes arbusta [ankle turns : limp, limp] 



Non omnes arbusta juvant, humil [psha !] 



humilesque myricae ; 

 Si canimus silvas, silvse sint Consule dignae !' 



" The last line was brought out with great oratorical 

 " power, as being ' eminently beautiful ; ' to which I 

 " assented without hesitation — requesting you, over and 

 " over, to repeat it, perhaps half a dozen times before we 

 " reached the bridge ; and always with an eye to have 

 "you spouting the incomprehensible language just as 

 "somebody — it might be only Johnny Dunn the cooper 

 " — was passing. But the naughty beach-stones sadly 

 " disturbed my calculations, and the audience was sure 

 " to pass in the midst of a parenthesis ; thereby render- 

 ing the limping sufferer anything but an object of envy 

 " or admiration. I have picked up a little Latin since ; 

 " and many and many a time have those lines recurred 

 " to me, — with all their concomitants of ' psha ! O dear ! ' 

 "etc., etc., as well as the glowing expression of counte- 

 " nance at the inimitable — 



" * . . . silvae sint Consule dignae/ 



" On this memorable occasion you discovered that I 

 " knew a little about French, and had dabbled somewhat 

 " in chemistry, and you were prepared to assure Pack's 

 " chaps that I wasn't such an ignoramus as they took 

 " me to be.* I think it was this evening that, on our 

 " return to our chambers, you produced a voluminous 

 "compilation of Joe Miller anecdotes in manuscript, 

 " many of which you read to me, taking care to look 

 " grave on reaching the point, lest it should be thought 

 "(as I took it) that you knew no better than to laugh 

 "at your own (compiled) jokes ! " 



* " The fact was ' Pack's chaps ' were very much in awe of my friend's wit 

 and powers of sarcasm. For his candle was not hid under a bushel." 



