iar. At p. 12 we read
of Defortes. The philosopher disguised under this strange name appears
to be Socrates. The story is told in the Apology of Socrates attributed
to Xenophon. The person to whom the saying was addressed was not
Xanthippe, but was a disciple named Apollodorus, whose understanding was
not equal to his admiration.

The statement that Didymus voluntarily blinded himself is made both by
Jerome (_Ep_. 68) and in the Ecclesiastical History of Socrates (iv.
29). Didymus was born 309 or 314, and became blind at the age of four,
as the result of disease. He learned the alphabet by wooden letters, and
by application and force of character became learned in all the learning
of his time. Is this a real anticipation of the use of raised letters
for the blind? What would be the use of a knowledge of the alphabet so
acquired in obtaining that skill in geometry, rhetoric, arithmetic, and
music for which he was famous? He owed to Athanasius his position as
head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria.

The readers of "Cymbeline" will remember the passage in the concluding
scene:--

"The piece of tender air, thy virtuous daughter,
Which we call _mollis aer_; and _mollis aer_
We term it _mulier_; which mulier, I divine,
Is this most constant wife: who even now,
Answering the letter of the oracle,
Unknown to you unsought, were clipp'd about
With this most tender air."

This quaint piece of etymology will be found at p. 123 of the present
volume.

There is an interesting personal reference in the following passage
which has not, it is believed, been pointed out:--

"And also hit is to be supposyd that suche as haue theyr goodes comune &
not propre is most acceptable to god/ For ellys wold not thise religious
men as monkes freris chanons obseruantes & all other auowe hem & kepe
the wilfull pouerte that they ben professid too/ For in trouth I haue my
self ben conuersant in a religious hous of white freris at gaunt Which
haue all thynge in comyn amonge them/ and not one richer than an other/
in so moche that yf a man gaf to a frere .iii.d or iiii.d to praye for
hym in his masse/ as sone as the masse is doon he deliuerith hit to his
ouerest or procuratour in whyche hows ben many vertuous and deuoute
freris And yf that lyf were not the beste and the most holiest/ holy
church wold neuer suffre hit in religion."

This description by the busy merchant of the "best life" might serve to
point