Chapter I: Preface

A very few of the following pieces appeared in "Punch," during the Consulship of Plancus. The rest have been written by me during the past twenty-five years, under the signature of "Arculus," for "The Eagle," the Magazine of St. John's College, Cambridge. I hope their reappearance will be welcome to a few of my old College friends.

The general reader will probably think that some apology is due to him from me for publishing verses of so crude and trivial a character.

I can only say that the smallest of bows should sometimes be unstrung, and that if my little arrows are flimsy and light they will, I trust, wound no one.

E. W. BOWLING.

CONTENTS.

THE BATTLE OF THE PONS TRIUM TROJANORUM
JULIA
CLIO FATIDICA
ATHLETES AND AESTHESIS
A VISION
A MAY TERM MEMORY
THE MAY TERM
A TRAGEDY OF THE 19TH CENTURY
"NUNC TE BACCHE CANAM"
A ROMANCE IN REAL (ACADEMIC) LIFE
THE SENIOR FELLOW
A VALENTINE
A CURATE'S COMPLAINT
TEMPORA MUTANTUR
SIMPLEX MUNDITIIS
TURGIDUS ALPINUS
THE ALPINE CLUB MAN
THE MODERN CLIMBER
THE CLIMBER'S DREAM
THE BEACONSFIELD ALPHABET
THE GLADSTONE ALPHABET
SOLITUDE IN SEPTEMBER
MEDITATIONS OF A CLASSICAL MAN ON A MATHEMATICAL
PAPER DURING A LATE FELLOWSHIP EXAMINATION
THE LADY MARGARET 5TH BOAT (May, 1863)
IN CAMUM
FATHER CAMUS
IN MEMORIAM G. A. P.
GRANTA VICTRIX
THE GREAT BOAT RACE
LINES BY A CAMBRIDGE ANCIENT MARINER
THE SORROWS OF FATHER CAM
THE COMING BOAT RACE
A BALLAD
AN APRIL SQUALL
BEDFORDSHIRE BALLAD.--I.
BEDFORDSHIRE BALLAD.--II.
BEDFORDSHIRE BALLAD.--III.
BEDFORDSHIRE BALLAD.--IV.

[Transcriber's note: The poems "In Camus" and "Father Camus" appear to be the same poem, the former in Latin; the latter in English. In the original book, they are printed on facing pairs of pages, the left-hand page Latin, the right-hand page English. In this e-text, each poem is together, and are in the same order as shown in the Table of Contents.]

THE BATTLE OF THE PONS TRIUM TROJANORUM:

_A lay sung in the Temple of Minerva Girtanensis_.

[NOTE.--On Thursday, February 24th, 1881, three Graces were submitted to the Senate of the University of Cambridge, confirming the Report of The Syndicate appointed June 3rd, 1880, to consider four memorials relating to the Higher Education of Women. The first two Graces were passed by majorities of 398 and 258 against 32 and 26 respectively; the third was unopposed. The allusions in the following lay will probably be understood only by those who reside in Cambridge; but it may be stated that Professor Kennedy, Professor Fawcett, and Sir C. Dilke gave their votes and influence in favour of The Graces, while Dr. Guillemard, Mr. Wace, Mr. Potts, Professor Lumby, Dr. Perowne, Mr. Horne and Mr. Hamblin Smith voted against The Graces.]

I

Aemilia Girtonensis,
By the Nine Muses swore
That the great house of Girton
Should suffer wrong no more.
By the Muses Nine she swore it,
And named a voting day,
And bade her learned ladies write,
And summon to the impending fight
Their masters grave and gay.

II.

East and West and South and North
The learned ladies wrote,
And town and gown and country
Have read the martial note.
Shame on the Cambridge Senator
Who dares to lag behind,
When light-blue ladies call him
To join the march of mind.

III.

But by the yellow Camus
Was tumult and affright:
Straightway to Pater Varius
The Trojans take their flight--
'O Varius, Father Varius,
'To whom the Trojans pray,
'The ladies are upon us!
'We look to thee this day!'