sible. Ay, and now also his baneful influence has infected even the tender souls of maidens, whom he shuts up in dark prisons, and takes from them the joys of life and the desire for wedlock. So that wrinkled old age comes upon them unawares, and they know no discreet works of housewifery, while their speech savours not of sweetness and mirth, and the light of their sparkling eyes is dimmed, and the gay company of youths fear and shun their presence and conversation. But-I swear to thee by Styx, which is the strongest and greatest oath of the Blessed Ones-that he who has done the mischief shall himself insure the remedy. For I will send Hermes my messenger to seize him and force him by strong necessity to leave thy worshippers free, and enter into the assemblies of those whom Hebe and Heracles inspire with the love of bodily strength and matchless vigour; that they may be examined, and haply loathe their present pastimes. But thy temples shall be thronged with eager crowds, uncompelled, as it is fitting." He ceased and gave the Homeric nod, which was followed by the already frequently described phenomena; and even I was shaken in my shoes. So much so that my senses left me for an interval, the length whereof I was unable to determine.

From this swoon I was roused by a tap on the shoulder, and looking up saw standing over me an elegant figure, balanced upon one leg, having both his feet shod with sandals to which something like wings were attached, a broad-brimmed hat upon his head, and in his hand a staff adorned at the top with snake-like appendages. Bewildered at first, I fancied for a moment I must be at a Pantomime; but almost immediately recognised that I was in the presence of Hermes the Constable of the Gods, who runs in the souls of mortals to their appointed prison-house. And I trembled anew as he spake, methought in somewhat stern accents ;-" Come mortal, arise! this won't do you

no

must move on with me. I am bidden to take you down with me to the lower world. Don't be alarmed, I don't mean Hades yet. And to facilitate your descent (as you are longer, I perceive, in your first youth, but somewhat unwieldy and corpulent from much sedentary occupation) I have engaged the assistance of Iris, whose bow is there, you see, at our service, affording us a rapid but easy and safe pathway to earth. Follow me and do as I do, and don't be alarmed. Though I spoke just now in the language of a constable, and am about to show my familiarity with Bow Street, I shall not harm you, so long as you forget your trade and ask me no questions.' I was obliged to laugh at what I suppose he meant for a joke, for he poked me in the ribs with his wand to emphasise it; but I did not much relish being launched off into space in the company of such a wag, who might be contemplating some practical as well as verbal joke. However, there was no help for it; for now we were standing on the summit of the arch of a magnificent rainbow, and nothing more solid than floating clouds could be seen all round us; while far below were spread out the wide plains of Mother Earth. Hermes planted himself astride of the narrow arch and bade me sit in a similar posture close behind him, and lay my hands on his shoulders. This was not altogether strange to me, for I had been in a similar position when visiting one of the Austrian salt mines; but only for a very short descent. He then caught hold of one of my ankles in either hand; I shut my eyes in despair, and away we went! My breath all fled from my body with the rapidity of the motion, and I was momentarily expecting a stunning if not fatal shock when we should light upon the earth; but somehow the downward rush seemed to slacken, and then ceased altogether; when (oh, wonder of wonders!) on opening my eyes I found myself seated in my own armchair, while Hermes stood before me, on one leg as before.

His face wore, methought, rather a mischievous expression, so that I almost unconsciously felt in my pockets to ascertain if anything were missing, remembering the character given by some classical authors to that Deity. He observed the suspicious movement, but was evidently not offended, for he only laughed and said "Oh, you'll find everything right there; don't be thinking of your Horace now. But I have relieved you of something; and not only you, but all your countrymen, thanks to the protestations of Athene, and the far-seeing wisdom of counsellor Zeus. You and your fellows are now rid of the unwelcome task of destroying all natural healthy appetite for knowledge. And all your countrymen are rid of the bondage of the Demon of Examination, who, if not restrained, would have set no bounds to his tyranny until he had enacted that none should be married, or die, or even be born without previously satisfying his demands. But know that while you lay in a swoon up yonder, I have altered all this, and diverted the energies of this Spirit into another channel; and if you have, as is not unlikely, still a mind to serve him, lo! thus I change you as I have changed others!"

And

then, without allowing me a moment for reflection or reply, he slapped me Harlequin-wise with his wand, and after mysteriously waving it around and over all the papers on my table, he backed into the corner of the room, and gradually diminishing and becoming less definite in form as he approached it, finally resolved himself into an impalpable vapour and absorbed himself into the cistern of my Standard Barometer which hung there.

The illusion, if illusion it was, was so unaccountable, and my mind so clear and unbiassed (for I am not a member of the Psychical Society), that I thought I would at once make some notes of the circumstances, and send them as a puzzle to that eminent body. On my writing-table lay a number of

-

the Oxford University Gazette,' and as I was removing it, these words caught my eye :- "The Cricket University Scholarship has been adjudged to Mr. Stumps of Balliol: the Examiners are of opinion that the excellent form shown by Mr. Padds, of Wadham, in keeping wicket deserves special commendation." Turning over a leaf, I read:"Lectures will be given during the ensuing term on the Science of Drop-kicking, by Professor Toeit; and on Sliding Seats by the Provost of Oriel." In amazement I turned to the Cambridge University Reporter,' and there I read :-"The annual examination of Freshmen for admission into the U.B.C. will be held early next month, consisting of two parts, Theoretical and Practical. Candidates will be expected to have an accurate knowledge of the mechanical principles of various styles of rowing, of the proper proportions of the different parts of the oar, of the topography of the usual course for the Eight-Oarraces, as well as of the history and records of the University races.' Here also,

as in the 'Gazette' of the Sister University, were announcements of Scholarships and Exhibitions gained by proficients in Rackets, Football, Hurdleracing, and the like; of forthcoming examinations in bowling, running, and other tests of athletic skill and vigour ; and in the speech of the retiring ViceChancellor eloquent allusion was made to the great success which had during his year of office attended the important reformation by which students had been led to work eagerly and voluntarily at subjects in which they were no longer examined. Strange it seemed to me, not only that those pastimes so recently abused and despised by the cultured philosophers, among whom I was not the least, should now be in such high repute at the ancient seats of learning, but also that the Examiners' names should be the same as of old; the same with whom I had devised searching questions in philology and classical literature, or who had (with a pride with which I could not

shapes, the manner of its inflation; as well as the measures of the height and width of goals in the different games. And so with all their lessons. Our masters are well up in all the details and grammar of the various sports, which are treated historically, ethnologically, physiologically, and psychologically. In short, everything is done to fit them for their forthcoming examinations."

"These are strange revolutions indeed;" replied I, "but no doubt they will have at least this advantage, that boys will respect their masters more. For I remember that those teachers who were known to be athletic and well-versed in all manner of physical exercises, used to be the favourites with their class, and held them more in subjection than those whose intellectual superiority ought to have been more reverenced." "Nay, not so now," said my friend; "I see you are far from appreciating this great work. Now, the boys despise those masters who have played in College Elevens, or stroked College Eights; and only reverence those who can join with them best in the great relaxations of Literature and Science." Before I could recover from the shock of this further revelation, a number of boys crowded round me, and without any semblance of reserve, and apparently without any respect for the sacred person of an Examiner, seized my hands and shook them frantically, some even patting me on the back. I was at first in mortal terror, for once I had examined this school, and was sure, from the demeanour of the boys at viva voce, and from the strange caricatures that I found on scraps of paper after they had left the Examination room, that I was not liked; and I had not given them a good report. But there was no mistake about this reception; it was a genuine outburst of affection. "Now that you are not going to examine us," said the chief speaker of the group, are so glad to have you here. We want to talk to you about so many

'we

things. Why have you not brought your friend who examined us in Mathematics, and that dear old fussy Frenchman? What a good time we might have!"

And then they all began to ply me with questions and to propose subjects for discussion, and to tell me all they had been reading, and so on; till I began to feel that after all there must be something in this new state of things that the protest of the great Goddess of Wisdom had brought to pass. Here was a glimpse of the

Golden Age, when the unploughed land cultivated itself and bore fruit, and the plants required no stimulating process of uprooting to see how they grew. Then one of these enthusiasts pulled out of his pocket a crumpled piece of paper, and said, "Wouldn't you like to see one of our last Examination Papers, which was set for the Certificate?" I took it, and read it: it contained the following questions :

1. Give the dates of the following events, mentioning any circumstances of special interest connected with them:-The first University Boat Race; the introduction of sliding seats; the first cricket-match where roundhand bowling was employed; the first occasion when the Gentlemen beat the Players; the foundation of the Marylebone Club.

2. Write a short biography of W. G. Grace, the Hon. Robert Grimston, Justice Chitty, the Bishop of Southwell.

3. Draw a map of the Henley Regatta Course, marking the line to be taken by the coxswain of a boat who has drawn the Oxfordshire station.

4. Sketch the position of the field as placed for a slow bowler bowling to a left-handed batsman.

5. Explain in what circumstances an umpire is justified in giving a man out leg-before-wicket.

6. What are the present "records," and by whom held, of the Quarter mile flat race, the Ten-mile walking race, the High Jump, the Quarter-mile hurdle-race, Throwing the hammer?

7. Supposing you have won the toss, on a morning when the weather has just cleared and the sun is shining after heavy rain, with a fast bowler against you, would you go to the wicket or send in your adversaries ? Give reasons for your answer.

8. Name the Bishops, Deans, and Judges who have been in their University Eight or Eleven.

9. Explain the following terms :— "popping-crease," "catching a crab," "fair heel and toe," "bump-ball," "catch the beginning," "in touch," 99.66 a Barter," scratch," " "in calx," " daisy-cutter," "off-side," "a yorker," "a pair of spectacles."

a

And then, as I was reading, the dinnerbell rang, and by degrees the playground cleared, and I was left alone in silent meditation over all the wonders that

I had seen. As I turned to go away, lo! there stood before me, on one leg as usual, the now familiar figure of Hermes. "Come, old gentleman,' said he, "compose yourself. You have had no leisure, I dare say, to-day, to meditate calmly on what you have seen; let me just suggest to you something for serious consideration. You have been for several years complaining that the present generation have no love of learning for its own sake; that the beauty of wisdom and the fair harvest of intellectual culture have no attraction for them; and all that sort of thing; and you have joined the outcry that games are ruining the youth of England, and Heracles has usurped the throne of Athene. What has been your remedy? To offer rewards greater and greater, and to hamper those who sought them for lucre's sake with examinations harder and harder; and now you have learned the error of your ways by seeing the result of applying your remedy as a repulsive instead of as an attractive agent. Now don't interrupt me: I know what you are

going to say about examinations being a test of knowledge and not an enticement to learning: but you did not see that a race had sprung up which had never known what it is to work for love of wisdom, and never conceived the possibility of such a thing, seeing nothing but marks and exhibitions and examinations. You now realise what the transference of this influence to the rival object has effected. Could you live on through a cycle of generations, you would probably find all once more altered; for the excessive development of the mental faculties would in time cause an outcry to be raised against them in turn, and the world would wonder why the athletic instincts of by-gone days had died out; until Zeus once more interfered and showed them that the process of examination had stifled it, and must again be employed on the other side as a deterrent and a disgustant. And now my task is over, as far as you are concerned; I am not going to argue with you, only to see you safe home. Fix your eyes steadily on me, and look at nothing else."

I meekly obeyed him; and as I looked, the figure of the God began to suffer diminution and change; his other leg was drawn up from the ground; his caduceus vanished; his arms were drawn into his body, which was contracted into the semblance of a narrow tube; his head assumed a rectangular shape, and the features were replaced by lines and figures. I saw nothing else. What was this object? It became more and more definite: it was- -a Barometer: nay, it was my Barometer. I rubbed my eyes and looked round. I was once more (or rather still) in my own room; my pipe lying on the floor; my sheets of marks on the table. It had been all a dream; and I was still-an Examiner !