Item 272 - Letter from Sir George Trevelyan to R. C. Trevelyan

Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth. - Glad that Bessie is really better for her time at Arnside. Effect of the thunderstorms very localised; Charles has described a 'most extraordinary flood which devastated the tunnel under the road in the London Zoo'. Wonders why Sophocles called his 'Satyric drama the "Ichneutae"'. Is just reading the "Bellum Alexandrinum" with 'great admiration'; believes it was written by Oppius, not Hirtius, 'on the rough draft of Caesar's "Bellum Civile"' which he did not live to finish. Macaulay told him the "[Battle of Lake] Regillus" was his favourite of his "Lays [of Ancient Rome]," as he 'had Homer always in mind'; Sir George turned a passage from it into Greek hexameters for his 'Monitor's Greeks' [at Harrow]; they are a 'sort of cento of Homer' and Vaughan told him to write them in the book but he did not, as he did not think them good enough. The pages were left blank; Butler later invited him and 'shut [him] up in his study to write them out', so they are there now, though there are still a blank pages for the letter in imitation of Cicero which he would not write out. Glad to remember that he did not 'over rate his own performance'.

Last part of letter written on a notice from Drummonds Bank that Sir George's account has received some money from the Charity Commissioners.