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Dunford House. - He and his wife send a 'thousand thanks' for the 'delightful Christmas card' [this year's "From the Shiffolds"]: Trevelyan and Gilbert Murray are 'transubstantiating Menander', whom he only knew before through 'his dimidiated Terence'.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Glad that they found Caroline 'a great comfort and pleasure'; is not 'anxious' but 'much interested' about Elizabeth [due to give birth]. Interested by what Robert says about [Aeschylus's] "Eumenides", which he thinks the best Greek tragedy he has read. Hopes the newspaper reports of the discovery of a substantial fragment of Menander are true. Discusses his recent reading of Lucian, whom Macaulay quotes in his essay on Madame D'Arblay.

List of books on flyleaf, including [R.G.?] Collingwood's "An autobiography". Autobiographical fragment, including Trevelyan's childhood 'courting' of a girl at dancing class, friendships including two 'of an emotional, romantic kind' at Harrow, and thoughts on Keats's "Ode to a Nightingale". Translations: of first part of Sophocles' "Philoctetes"; the "Homeric Hymns to Pan, Dionysus, Aphrodite and Demeter; fragments of Greek New Comedy by Menander, Alexis and Philemon.

Book used from other end in: draft verse [translation?] on inside cover and flyleaf; list of possible topics under the heading "More Windfalls", including '[George?] Meredith', Reminiscences', '[Donald] Tovey'. Draft piece, "On losing one's bearings". Verse, 'Oh sea and shore, dearer to me than life...'. Ideas for "Less Simple Pleasures" under headings such as 'Literary', "Of Friendship', 'Of Walking'. Essay of pleasures of the senses. particularly touch. Piece about Horace and his friendships, perhaps as introduction for Trevelyan's two fictional dialogues about him, or part of the subsequent discussion of conversation. This mentions Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson, Roger Fry and Donald Tovey (Virginia Woolf and Lytton Strachey are also mentioned but Trevelyan then crosses this out)'; Henry Sidgwick, his father's friend, is mentioned as a 'perfect artist in conversation'. Discussion of philosophical dialogues. Biographical sketch of Thomas Sturge Moore. Piece on aging and desire. Notes on playing chess with Dickinson. Notes on Montaigne. Bertrand Russell and Bernard Shaw. Essay on the self, Buddhism, and change.

Yatscombe, Boars Hill, Oxford. - Thanks Trevelyan for his 'charming little gift "From the Shiffolds"': theses 'ancient fragments of wisdom' are much more interesting than 'the ordinary Christmas poems'. Menander is 'really wonderful as a critic of life' though he may be 'monotonous' as a playwright.

Yatscombe, Boars Hill, Oxford. - Had 'real pleasure' from Trevelyan's "From the Shiffolds": he seems to be able, unlike 'so many of the writers of "vers libre"' to compress 'a real thought into a short rhythmical statement' worthy of consideration. Expresses a mild criticism of one part. Likes the 'bits of Menander especially'.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Robert's account of the [recently discovered passages from?] Menander is very interesting; would like to see the book and will return it to the [London?] Library; this is an exception to his usual preference for not reading the classics when he is working. Paul 'winds himself round one's heart'; can see 'steady progress' and hopes this will be a turning point. Very glad Bessy has had her cousin with her. Sends a 'really amusing letter' from Everett. Asks the meanings of the titles of Menander's plays. Caroline will not write today.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Will be glad of the Menander and Robert's observations; sends a short amusing letter by [William] Everett, who is very clever about the quotation from Herodotus. Also sends some papers about 'a French Who's Who?'. He and Caroline are getting very fond of Paul; sure a long change of air will be good for him; when he fends off attention it is like 'a pretty squirrel scolding'.

7 Church Street, Durham [on University of Durham headed notepaper]. - Thanks Trevelyan for his translations [in the 1946 "From the Shiffolds"]: has read them 'with great pleasure', particularly the Menander fragments and the 'hotchpotch "Moretum"'. Glad Trevelyan liked the 'Boswell pamphlet'. Had hoped to go later to Silverdale, but is unsure whether it will be possible: G.B. [Gordon Bottomley ] says he is going to stay with Trevelyan later, and will not 'venture on Italy'.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Has read [Menander's] "Samian Woman" and is a little disappointed; interesting to feel the difference in the Greek. Asks which of the other plays Robert liked best; would like to read more but will wait to hear. Is going to shoot partridges at Hartington, and will take Paul out for a drive; he is 'infinitely amusing'.

The Shiffolds, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking. - Thanks his father for his 'kindness in paying the extra £50' into his account. Found Julian 'recovering from his catarrh'; expects he will be well enough to go to school at the end of the week. Meanwhile they 'go on with Latin' together: thinks Julian has made 'good progress'.

Robert has had lumbago for the last fortnight: the 'damp weather' makes it hard to get rid of. On his way home, stopped at Liverpool and 'made final arrangements' for the printing of his Aeschylus translation [The Oresteia]; hopes the Liverpool University Press will publish it before Christmas. Looking at his shelves the 'first thing' he saw was his Loeb edition of Menander: had 'evidently quite forgotten' that his father had sent it back and is very sorry to have troubled him.

Hopes his mother is keeping well, and that there may still be 'some really fine autumn weather before winter sets in. The leaves have hardly begun to turn here yet'. Julian greatly enjoyed his visit to Wallington. Sends love to his parents.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Thanks Robert for his Menander, which he will keep until he has got through his 'present course of reading', and send back before they leave Welcombe; intends to 'study the "Arbitrantes" ["Epitrepontes"] most thoroughly. Lists his planned schedule of reading, including Euripides and Plato; very grateful to Robert for introducing him to [Euripides's] "Hercules Furens", and hopes he will be rewarded by a pleasant time in Italy.

Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Glad that Robert has returned well, and saw [Bernard] Berenson before leaving Italy. Good that Elizabeth is coming here next week; Caroline will be well enough to enjoy her visit then. Glad Julian has returned to school 'under good auspices'. Thanks Robert for his Menander, which 'interested, and taught' him, though he did not care for it, thinking it 'trivial and petty' compared with Plautus and Terence; the Romans 'must have lent their own vigour and force'. Never tires of Euripides; 'delighted' by his "Andromache" in the same way as by the "Hercules Furens", since he 'feels a sort of personal pride in his grand old men' like Peleus and Amphitryon who 'have kept their pluck, and power of righteous indignation'; will soon have read all nineteen of Euripides's plays.

Tallboys, Abinger Hammer, Surrey. - They are thinking a great deal about Trevy at the moment: the 'darkest hour comes before the dawn', and he will soon be 'made whole and restored to [his] hills'; it is worthwhile to experience darkness, if only to appreciate light. 'Much depends on the nurses': for his own last operation, he was 'waited on hand and foot by Irish nuns, all young & of the most ravishing beauty'; he 'look[s] forward eagerly' to his next. Trevy's 'too slender sheaf of poems' [this year's "From the Shiffolds"] are a 'delight'. Likes the translation of Menander 165 best, but the 'matitutinal procedure practised by Simylus' reminded him 'almost too vividly of [his] Molly'; regrets that unlike Simylus she has 'no female Afrite with cracked heels to devil for her'. Hopes that Trevly will 'bring forth more gems' in the nursing home. Adds a postscript saying they have just had a 'scrap' from Nicky [Mariano], 'sadly over-worked as usual': B.B. [Berenson] should get her a secretary.

Sent from U.S.A.

End House, Chiltern Road, Chesham Bois. - Thanks him for sending them his 'Christmas book of poems' [this year's "From the Shiffolds"]; particularly likes "Dandelions" which expresses well an emotion she herself has often felt in May, "The Veil", amd the translation of Menander 533. Lucy [Ethel Luce-Clausen] seems 'much happier now she is leading an urban existence once more': happened to mention planting rose trees in a letter, and Lucy replied that the thought gave her 'cold shudders' and 'the word "garden" is anathema'; it must have been all the 'bitter winters in the country', but made Mona laugh. Sends best wishes to the Trevelyans for 1948.

West Melville, Northam, Devon. - Thanks Bob for his poens [this year's "From the Shiffolds"], particularly the poem to Goldie [Lowes Dickinson]. Likes the 'questioning in them all, and what seems to be the answer in the translation of Menander 550', which is of course 'vague'. Feels himself that it is a mistake to look for 'a goal to be fulfilled in this time-space we live in', and that 'Good and evil are always about balanced', so that it is not possible to 'build the kingdom of Justice and happiness'; is tempted to write an essay on injustice being 'the inevitable fate of man'. Thinks he must come and stay at Peaslake in the spring, and visit Bob and Bessie, so they can discuss all this. He and Katharine are living quietly, and like their home. Is finding things difficult financially since his books are 'held up so long in the publishing process': was meant to have two books out this year, now one will appear in January, and he only has a date of 'the autumn' for the other. Is now trying to write a 'very long and ambitious novel' about the first century, doing lots of 'interesting reading'. Thinks he will take the first six lines of Bob's Menander translation as his epigraph, with the theme being 'Lux, post has tenebras: tunc omnibus omne patebit" [After these shadows, light: then everything will be revealed to all (Latin)]. Finds life very interesting, and hopes that as in the story of Lot there 'may be enough for us to escape the fate of Sodom'; even if not, believes 'Life is always victorious' eventually.