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52 •. CAMBRIDGE FIFTY YEARS AGO [CHAP. IV
Thus we found ourselves exposed to temptations to
self-indulgence such as were, as far as we could tell, largely
condoned by most of the dons ; sloth, degrading conversation,
drinking clubs, and unabashed idleness on the part of
a large number of Public School men. Thus enumerated,
the evils fall into two classes. " Sloth " in its literal sense
has been explained. Late suppers and constant slight,
sometimes not slight, excess of food and drink, stimulated
concupiscence and loose talk to a terrible degree ; and if
anyone occasionally got drunk, there were well-known
examples among our elders to keep us in countenance.
Leave of absence to London during term time, known by
us all to be forbidden absolutely at Oxford for disciplinary
reasons, could be obtained and often was without much
difficulty, and though the rumours of vice were probably
exaggerated, the different standards of strictness in the
two places constituted an .. offence" to our notions of
right and wrong, which was accentuated by complete
omission of warning.
• Against idleness some few voices were raised, and the
gradual diminution in the number of brainless, sottish
young fools who haunted the lodgings began very soon
after my time ; but in 18'14 it is undeniable that for many
of us the building up of strong, clean,high"minded characters
was made decidedly more difficult than it need have been
by the apparent acquiescence of the dons ; by their
blindness to evils into which the heedless youngsters fell
almost §gainst their will. . ·
Under idleness I include, besides the heinous waste of
time, which was generally condemned, the fatal tendency.'
to trust to short cuts 't9 _knowledge encouraged by the
peculiar narrow 'tequirements of the Classical Tripos.
This I have discussed elsewhere, but the baneful spirit
exhibited itself in not infrequent " cribbing" in the
" Little-go," a rather absurd and very exasperating
examination. Public opinion was exceedingly lax on this
subject, and there was a notion abroad that the examination
was a recognized battle of wits between the freshmen and