That word '_Magnus_' rules in Lucretius as much as 'Nequicquam.' I was rejoiced to meet Tennyson quoted in the notes too, and my old Montaigne who discourses so on the text of Pascit amore avidos inhians in te, Dea, visus. [i. 36.] Ask Mr. Munro, when he reprints, to quote old Montaigne's Version of Nam verae voces tum demum, etc. [iii. 57.] 'A ce dernier rolle de la Mort, et de nous, il n'y a plus que feindre, il faut parler Francais; il faut montrer ce qu'il y a de bon et de net dans le fond du pot.' {219a} And tell him (damn my impudence!) I don't like my old Fathers '_dancing_' under the yellow and ferruginous awnings. {219b} . . . There is a coincidence with Bacon in verses 1026-9 of Book II. (Lucretius, I mean). _To John Allen_. MY DEAR ARCHDEACON, I have little else to send you in reply to your letter (which I believe however was in reply to one of mine) except the enclosed from Notes and Queries: which I think you will like to read, and to return to me. I think I will send you (when I can lay hand on it) two volumes of some one's Memorials of Wesley's Family: which you can look over, if you do not read, and return to me also. I wonder at your writing to me that I gave you his Journal so long as thirty years ago. I scarce knew that I was so constant in my Affections: and yet I think I do _not_ change in literary cases. Pray read Southey's Life of him again: it does not tell all, I think, which might be told of Wesley's own character from his own Mouth: but then it errs on the right side: it does not presumptuously guess at Qualities and Motives which are not to be found in Wesley: unlike Carlyle and the modern Historians, Southey, I think, cannot be wrong by keeping so much within the bounds of Conjecture: Conjecture about any other Man's Soul and Motives! _To FitzEdward Hall_. {220a} WOODBRIDGE: _June_ 24 [1877]. MY DEAR SIR, I have run through your _Ability_ {220b} again, since I sent it to Wright: but as I before said (I believe) am not a competent Critic. I know that I coincide (unless I misconstrue) with your Canons laid down at pp. 162, etc. I am for all words that are smooth, or strong, (as the meaning requires) which have proved their worth by general admission into the Language. '_Reliable_' is, what '_trustworthy_' is not, good current coin for general use, though '_trustworthy_' may be good too for occasional emphasis. I remember old Hudson Gurney cavilling a little at '_realize_' as I innocently used the word in a Memoir of my old Bernard Barton near thirty years ago: this word I have also seen branded as American; let America furnish us with more such words; better than what our 'old English' pedants supply, with their '_Fore-word_' for 'Preface,' '_Folk-lore_,' and other such conglomerate consonants. Odd, that a Lawyer (Sugden) should have lubricated '_Hand-book_' by a sort of Persian process into 'Handy-book'!