198 EDINBUEGH 
could follow him through such a medley of subjects, intro- 
duced wholly without method and order, and with no relation 
to one another, he follows neither a book nor his subject. 
He says he finds the students will not follow a regular course. 
I am in a deplorable state of uncertainty : nor can I write 
out a lecture to include, as each and all his seventy do, a 
little of all branches of Botanical Science, including the 
original production of species ! in some. 
He also presses me, disagreeably hard, to take up my 
quarters with him, which I have fifty reasons for not doing 
and not wishing to do. I never more heartily wished a 
man well in my life. 
To this Harvey replied on April 17 : 
I pity your lot about Graham— to me it seems absolutely 
impossible to follow the course of such a Sun— and there- 
fore I would cut out a new line for myself— were I you— 
digest my subject into seventy discourses (if there be that 
fearful number) and write out at least the heads — with a 
grand oratorical first lecture— in which you should talk 
of matters and things in general — and, like a friend of 
mine on a similar occasion, mention ' Oscillatoria trembling 
on the borders of animal and vegetable hfe,' or hke the old 
gentleman formerly, looking two ways at once. 
The Professor of polite literature sends you the following : 
Solomon Grundy was born on Monday, 
Was christened on Tuesday 
Was married on Wednesday 
Took sick upon Thursday 
Died upon Friday 
And waked on Saturday 
And buried on Sunday — 
And this was the life of Solomon Grundy. 
By the beginning of May he was settled in lodgings in 
Edinburgh at 20 Abercromby Place. For personal reasons, 
and wishing above all to be quite independent in his movements, 
he declined Professor Graham's urgent invitation to be his 
guest, though painfully conscious that he might be accounted 
chm'lish in thus refusing the only form of retm^n which, as 
has been said, was possible on the part of his old friend. 
