reason to complain of these "Ineptiae Bodleianae." I had pledged
myself in case of a loan "not to translate Tales that might be
deemed offensive to propriety:" the Curators have kindly set me
free from that troublesome condition and I thank them therefor.

Meanwhile I had not been idle. Three visits to Oxford in
September and October had enabled me to reach the DIVth Night.
But the laborious days and inclement evenings, combined with the
unsanitary state of town and libraries--the Bodleian and the
Rotunda--brought on a serious attack of "lithiasis" as it is now
called, and prostrated me for two months, until it was time to
leave England en route for my post.

Under these circumstances my design threatened to end in failure.
As often befalls to men out of England, every move ventured by me
menaced only check-mate. I began by seeking a copyist at Oxford,
one who would imitate the text as an ignoramus might transcribe
music: an undergraduate volunteered for the task and after a few
days dropped it in dumb disgust. The attempt was presently
repeated by a friend with the unsatisfactory result that three
words out of four were legible. In London several Easterns were
described as able and willing for the work; but they also were
found wanting; one could not be trusted with the MS. and another
was marriage-mad. Photography was lastly proposed, but
considerations of cost seemed to render it unavailable. At last,
when matters were at the worst, the proverbial amendment
appeared. Mr. Chandler, whose energetic and conscientious
opposition to all "Bodleian loans," both of books and of
manuscripts, had mainly caused the passing of the prohibitory
statute, came forward in the most friendly and generous way: with