388 MEMOIR OF AUGUSTUS DE MORGAN. 



1869. and it was completely at my fingers' ends. I consider that I was 

 the last geometrical and fluxional senior wrangler ; I was not up 

 to the differential calculus, and never acquired it. I went np to 

 college with a knowledge of Euclid and algebra to quadratic 

 equations, nothing more ; and I never read any second year's lore 

 during my first year, nor any third year's lore during my second ; 

 my forte was, that what I did know I could produce at any 

 moment with PERFECT accuracy. I could repeat the first book of 

 Euclid word by word and letter by letter. During my first year 

 I was not a ' reading J man (so called) ; I had no expectation of 

 honours or a fellowship, and I attended all the lectures on all 

 subjects Harwood's anatomical, Woollaston's chemical, and 

 Farish's mechanical lectures but the examination at the end of 

 the first year revealed to me my powers. I was not only in the 

 first class, but it was generally understood I was first in the first 

 class ; neither I nor any one for me expected I should get in at 

 all. Now, as I had taken no pains to prepare (taking, however, 

 marvellous pains while the examination was going on), I knew 

 better than any one else the value of my examination qualities 

 (great rapidity and perfect accuracy) ; and I said to myself, * If 

 you're not an ass, you'll be senior wrangler ; ' and I took to 

 1 reading ' accordingly. A curious circumstance occurred when 

 the Brackets came out in the Senate-house declaring the result 

 of the examination : I saw at the top the name of Walter 

 bracketed alone (as he was) ; in the bracket below were Fiott, 

 Hustler, Jephson. I looked down and could not find my own 

 name till I got to Bolland, when my pride took fire, and I said, ' I 

 must have beaten that man, so I will look up again ; ' and on look- 

 ing up carefully I found the nail had been passed through my 

 name, and I was at the top bracketed alone, even above Walter. 

 You may judge what my feelings were at this discovery ; it is 

 the only instance of two such brackets, and it made my fortune 

 that is, made me independent, and gave me an immense college 

 reputation. It was said I was more than half of the examination 

 before any one else. The two moderators were Hornbuckle, of 

 St. John's, and Brown (Saint Brown), of Trinity. The Johnian 

 congratulated me. I said perhaps I might be challenged ; ho 

 said, * Well, if you are you're quite safe you may sit down and 

 do nothing, and no one would get up to you in a whole day.' 



This is confirmed by what the Bishop of Gloucester told me 

 Brown said at Lord Lonsdale's table at Lowther. The examina- 

 tion in the Senate-house became the subject of conversation. 



