Oxford (England) -- Description and travel; University of Oxford
Here was one that might be a monk and might equally well be St. Michael,
with flashing eyes and high white forehead that catches a light from
beyond the dawn and glows. He is a splendour among men as he walks in
the crowd of high churchmen, low churchmen, broad churchmen,
nonconformists, and men who on Sunday wear bowler hats.
Here was a shy don, married to Calliope--a brilliant companion--one who
shares a wisdom as deep and almost as witty as Montaigne’s, with a few
fellows of colleges, and ever murmuring “Codex.”
Here was one, watched over alike by the Muses and the Graces;
honey-tongued; athletic; who would rather spend a life in deciding
between the Greek and Roman ideals than in ruling Parliament and being
ruled by society. He strode like a Plantagenet. When he stood still he
was a classical Hermes.
Here was a Blue “with shy but conscious look”; and there the best of all
Vices.
Here was a youth, with gaudy tie, who believed that he was leading a
bull-dog, but showed a wise acquiescence in the intricate canine
etiquette. May his dog not cease before him.
Here was a martial creature, walking six miles an hour, pensively, in
his master’s gown. His beard, always blown over his shoulder, has been
an inspiration to generations of undergraduates, and, with his bellying
gown, gives him a resemblance to Boreas or Notus.
Probably because the able novelist has not visited Oxford, men move
about its streets more naïvely and with more expression in their faces
than anywhere else in the world. There you may do anything but carry a
walking-stick. (As I write, fashion has changed her mind, and
walking-sticks of the more flippant kinds are commonly in use.) There
are therefore more unmasked faces in half of Turl Street than in the
whole of the Strand. Almost every one appears to have a sense of part
proprietorship in the city; walks as if he were in his own garden; has
no fear lest he should be caught smiling to himself, or, as midnight
approaches, even singing loudly to himself. A don will not hesitate to
make the worst joke in a strong and cheerful voice in the bookseller’s
shop, when it is full of clever freshmen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account