CORRESPONDENCE, 1856-66. 309 



that he would hit the belfry at Notre Dame from as far off as 186? 

 Salamanca. The end of it I have long foretold to be that the 

 different capitals of Europe will shell one another without the 

 trouble of sending out soldiers. 



With kind regards to Lady Herschel and the juniors all, 



I am, yours very truly, 



A. DE MORGAN. 



To Sir J. Herschel. 



91 l Adelaide Road, April 29, 1862. 



MY DEAR SIR JOHN, Many thanks for the hexameters. They 

 are as good as they can be, but all the logic in the world does 

 not make me feel them to be English metre, and they give 

 satisfaction only by reminding me of the Greek. Just as, mark 

 you, a flute-player which I have been these forty-five years 

 only plays Haydn and Mozart because he has the association of 

 the orchestral accompaniment, which arises in his head with the 

 melody. 



The idea of the Scott ballad metre is not recent. When I 

 was at school, forty-two years ago, our ludi-magister read out 

 about 100 lines of Homer, which he said were versified by 

 Scott himself as a specimen. They were decidedly Scott, and 

 I thought not a little Homer. 



The hexameter, it is clear, does not fix itself in the popular 

 mind. If it has done so proofs can be given, but I have not 

 met with them ; the popular mind knows neither quantity nor 

 accent, but that which is to last bites its own way in, without 

 any effort. Is the hexameter making any way ? Do people 

 quote any hexameters ? 



It seems to me that the problem of a metre for translation of 

 the hexameter is not yet solved. The English hexameter is not 

 a better reminder of Homer than the usual metres of our 

 language. 



I have discharged my conscience, llichard's visual organ. 2 



Yours very truly, 



A. DE MORGAN. 



1 The number of the house had been changed. 



2 Dixi? S. E. DE M. 



