tion out of their tumuli, that the skins and
bones of them may help to hold our living nonsense together; while
languages called living, but which live only to slack themselves into
slang, or bloat themselves into bombast, must one day have new grammars
written for their license, and new laws for their insolence.

[2] Greek is now a living nation's language, from Messina to
Delos--and Latin still lives for the well-trained churchmen
and gentlemen of Italy.

Observe, however, that the recast methods of classification adopted in
this book, and in 'Proserpina,' must be carefully distinguished from
their recastings of nomenclature. I am perfectly sure that it is wiser
to use plain short words than obscure long ones; but not in the least
sure that I am doing the best that can be done for my pupils, in
classing swallows with owls, or milkworts with violets. The
classification is always given as tentative; and, at its utmost,
elementary: but the nomenclature, as in all probability conclusive.

For the rest, the success and the service of all depend on the more or
less thorough accomplishment of plans long since laid, and which would
have been good for little if their coping could at once have been
conjectured or foretold in their foundations. It has been throughout my
trust, that if Death should write on these, "What this man began to
build, he was not able to finish," God may also write on them, not in
anger, but in aid,

"A stronger than he, cometh."

LOVE'S MEINIE.

"Il etoit tout convert d'oisiaulx."

_Romance of the Rose._

LECTURE I.[3]

THE ROBIN.

1. Among the more splendid pictures in the Exhibition of the Old
Masters, this year, you cannot but remember the Vandyke portraits of
the two sons of the Duke of Lennox. I think you cannot but remember it,
because it would be difficult to find, even among the works of Vandyke,
a more striking representation of the youth of our English noblesse;
nor one in which the painter had more exerted himself, or with better
success, in rendering the decorous pride and natural grace of honorable
aristocracy.

[3] Delivered at Oxford, March 15th, 1873.

Vandyke is, however, inferior to Titian and Velasquez, in that his
effort to show this noblesse of air and persons may always be detected;
also the aristocracy of Vandyke's day were already so far fearful of
their own position as to feel anxiety that it sh