before his death-to act for him in consecrating the cloisters and cemetery of New College, and also three of the bells of the great tower. The petition for the consecration by the then warden, Richard Malford, and all his scholars, addressed to Bishop Nicholas, and also the Deed executed by my Scotch predecessor in testimony of the consecration, are both preserved among the muniments of New College; and soon after I became Bishop twenty-seven years ago, the then Bursar and Librarian— now the honoured Warden of the College-was so kind as to favour me with a copy of them, which I still preserve.

The reader will notice how, in the midst of the homily, the natural man' breaks out; and there is no doubt that the youthful, sanguine, athletic temperament, which had much to do with the success, and sometimes with the failure, of the subject of this memoir, remained with him to the end of life. Perhaps as good an evidence of it as can be given is this short entry in his Diary for 24 October, 1890, in his eighty-fifth year: My first game of golf with K., on Ladies' Links.' Up to that time I believe he had rather 'vilipended' that ancient game. A much fuller example

is in the article Pindar and Athletics, Ancient and Modern' in the National Review' for April 1888, in which he discoursed at length on the subject originally for the benefit of the students of St. Andrews. There is much good advice in the address, and much apt classical quotation, for which, as regards Pindar, he had recourse to Bishop Moberly's admirable translation. But the striking thing in it is the broad knowledge of the subject and the evident sympathy with which it is written.

The following letter on skating addressed to Mr. W. Earl Hodgson, a young friend of later years, to whom, as to Canon Farquhar, the Bishop opened out with great freedom, is worth reading even by those who are not proficient in that delightful exercise.

On Skating

Kilrymont: 23 November, 1887.

My dear Mr. Hodgson,-Yesterday's article on 'Skating' is very good. Whoever wrote it understands his subject well; which is not always the case with those who undertake to discourse upon athletics. I venture to speak with some authority, as I was one of the best-if not the best-of the skaters at Oxford in my day. As a boy and young man I never missed a day's, or a night's, skating, when it was to be had, even at some risk of life; and consequently I had a narrow escape of drowning on more than one occasion-once at Harrow, and again at Oxford. At Berlin, in the winter of 1833, I made quite a sensation; no one could come near me in cutting figures! But more than that, I may claim to have been a pioneer in the most important of the improvements to which the said article refers. I was the first man at Oxford to have a pair of skates made without the curious, up-curling thing in front,' which was functionless, and with the blade curved up at heel, which is essential to skating backwards with ease and safety. I had the advantage which your writer justly observes is rare-of being equally strong and steady on both feet, which enabled me to do the outside edge backwards, as easily as I did it forwards; and I was master of the cross-cuts' in both. 'It is possible to have the blades over-fine.' Yes; quite true. But I rather demur to a remark that follows: the curved blade has, certainly, ' much revealed the gymnastic possibilities of skating;' but I doubt whether it ought to 'go further.' There are some figures such as the Flying Mercury'-one of the grandest of all-which could scarcely be performed without a considerable portion of the blade being in contact with the ice. So in this, as in other more important matters, we must have a compromise; and the wisest plan is to keep to the 'via media'!

Yours sincerely,

C. W., Bp.

This letter naturally led to a request for an explanation

of the Flying Mercury,' which was given a few days later (29 November).

Take a run at full speed, end with short stroke outside edge on right foot, then throw yourself round on left foot, and take, with outside edge backward, as long a sweep as you can.

The difficulty is to throw yourself round at full speed, and it requires great strength of foot, and no little skill, to avoid a heavy fall at the turn. When the feat is well performed, it produces a very fine effect. I only know one man, Cyril Page, who was with me at Christ Church, and was afterwards a leading member of the London Skating Club, who was pretty sure of doing it well. He was of a tall, graceful figure, bold, and very firm on his skates.

4. Revival or continuation of old friendships. Literary correspondence. Manning, Newman, de.

It is characteristic of the two English Cardinals that the revival of a certain amount of intercourse with Cardinal Manning was due to a cricketing reminiscence, while Newman's letter was elicited by a present of Latin translations from Keble. The Bishop in 1882 wrote a letter to the St. Andrews Gazette' headed Mr. Gladstone and Cardinal Manning more than fifty years since,' correcting some inaccurate statements as to their athletic performances. It was followed by a letter of some interest from Manning.

Archbishop's House, Westminster, S.W.: 6 October, 1882.

My very dear old Friend,-I have just read your letter in the Fifeshire paper. It comes to me like a kind voice from an old world and I must answer it. How many times I have been on the point of writing to you and to your brother in these last years I cannot tell you. For I have cherished all our old affection with great fidelity and warmth. I have not written to either of you, not knowing whether it would be acceptable. From the year 1851 I have rejoiced to renew my intercourse with all who sought it; but I have never made the first advance. And now for your letter. It brings back many happy memories of Harrow. I can see you in your broad-brimmed

CH. VIII EVENING OF LIFE AT ST. ANDREWS

313

white hat and green cut-away coat: the admiration and envy of all beholders. It reminds me of how much I owe you in my books and of your original ingratitude, for you know that I coached you in logic. I have also other memories as to how, the Bishop of St. Andrews and the Bishop of Lincoln preventing me, the Grape House at Coombe Bank was entered by the roof and robbed.

If you have the other verses from which you quote the thanks for the bat, I should much like to see them. I have burnt almost all the doggrel of those days.

I hope you are well in health. We have a long score to be thankful for; you, I think, 76, and I 74 years.

It would give me much pleasure to hear your voice again if you ever come south.

Believe me, my dear Friend,

Yours affectionately,

HENRY E. C[ARD]. MANNING.

Dean Merivale's memory was also stirred to compare past and present in regard to their old Harrow comrade. He writes (28 November) thus:

Your reminiscences of Manning are amusing enough. He was quite a crony of mine at Harrow, though I have seen very little of him since. I liked him notwithstanding his singular affectation. I just now recall to mind how once in playing cricket with him he hit a ball with a very pretty curve to the off and thereupon, instead of making his run, threw his bat back on his shoulder, exclaiming 'I say, Merivale, what a mysterious thing a cricket ball is!' And so he has gone on-and 'sibi constat.'

The intercourse thus affectionately renewed was kept up to some extent, but the Bishop never could bring himself to conquer the distrust with which perverts' inspired him. Pointing to their works on his bookshelves he would say,These are my black sheep.' Yet he was not bitter in controversy with them, nor did he fail to keep up kindly memories of past days.

The letter from Newman was, as I have said, elicited by a present of the Bishop's translations of those parts of Keble's Christian Year' which refer to and describe the Church's Ministry, to which he also added some beautiful versions of Ken's hymns, written at Winchester, and presented to the boys there many years before. The Bishop had perhaps a special right to do such a work for Keble, having been asked by him to revise the Latin of his famous 'Prælectiones,' and especially the dedication to the Poet Wordsworth, of which a translation is on the memorial slab in Grasmere Church.

(From J. H. Newman-thanks for present of Anni

Christiani &c.')

Birmingham: 13 November, 1882.

My dear Bishop of St. Andrews,-Thank you for your beautiful gift. The binding and letterpress are worthy of the translations, and the translations (as far as I have read them) are worthy of their originals in the Christian Year.'

It is not the first of my books with your name in it as the donor. You gave me in 1844 Wetstein's Greek Testament,' which has a place in our Oratory Library, as the present gift will have, as lasting memorial, of you, when I am gone. I am, my dear Bishop, Most truly yours,

JOHN H. CARD. NEWMAN.

The Bishop of St. Andrews.

The following criticism of Newman represents my uncle's feeling about him, of which he has left several similar expressions.

To W. Earl Hodgson, Esq. (On J. H. Newman)

Rydal Lodge, Ambleside: 17 August, 1890.

Your few remarks upon Newman in 'Rod and Gun' have interested me much. They are more to the point than almost anything else that (so far as I have seen) has been written about him. I cannot regard the incense that is being offered, so uni