R,CHARD MONCKTON MILNES was born in the year - OUDL Home

Cambridge in the 'Seventies 269coherent form. I believe he never prepared a lecture asa lecture, but turned on his tap of erudition and let it run.This method did not suit men looking forward to aTripos examination; but for such considerations he hada heavenly contempt. To seek advice from him as to acourse of reading (freely given) left you staring in amazementat an ideal plan bearing no relation to the facts ofthe contemporary world.The truth was that Mayor's dominating impulse wasto learn, not to teach. All the while he was accumulatingvast stores of detail on a variety of subjects. I wonderwhat has become of the enormous commonplace-booksof which I had a sight now and then. English History,particularly in the seventeenth century, was one of thetopics. He did edit and publish five biographical booksof that period, and some were brought out after his deathby Dr M. R. James. He made raids on College recordsand edited Baker's History of St John's, but the registerof Admissions had to be completed by the present Master.It was the same with classical works. I recall one excellentlittle book which under great pressure he wasdriven to complete before publication. But in two othercases a part only was issued and the rest never appeared.I suggested to him that he should hand over his notes toa competent deputy, who would bring out the rest. Hereplied that he must keep faith with the public, and sothe books remain fragments to this day. When madeProfessor, he gleefully remarked that now he would haveleisure to finish his books. But it was again the old story;he added masses of illustrative notes to his alreadymassive Juvenal, but still left three of the Satires untouched,though to my knowledge he had by him a prodigiouscollection of material ready to hand. And so hepassed on to a stage in which one passing enthusiasmspeedily gave way to another, and in his latter years he