he spoke, he had a grave sleepy expression,
and prominent teeth; and, of course, we called
him 'Sheep.' He was a very honest, worthy
fellow, but he talked fine; he could not sound
the letter h, nor utter a Greek or Latin word
without, if possible, making a false quantity;
his duties (being English) were looked upon
as rather menial, and the science which he
professed was accounted mercantile and vulgar;
wherefore, on the whole, our somewhat
aristocratic community despised this excellent
gentleman very much.

Old Bob, in the face, was rather like
Socrates: in form, save as to the shoulders,
he strongly resembled Punch. His similitude,
however, to the sage, was merely physiognomical,
unless the ability to have disputed with
him in his own vernacular may be added to it.
He was intimately versed in what are termed
the liberal sciences, though I doubt if, in his
case, they had the mollifying effect ascribed
to them in the Eton Latin Grammar. With no
other kind of science was he acquainted, except
that of managing his own affairs. In this,
truly, he was a tolerable proficient, and had
made money by his school. But if his
acquirements were limited, they were sound;
and his intellect, though not comprehensive,
was strong. He would sometimes say to a
clever but eccentric boy—for he used to thee-
and-thou us like a Quaker—'Thou hast every
sense, my boy, but common sense.' Of this
faculty, in a practical acceptation, he possessed
a fair share himself. Old Bob had a fine sense
of justice, too, in his way, and he administered
his flogging system reasonably and equitably
—as far as rationality or equity were consistent
with such a system. There was also not
a little benevolence in Old Bob's composition.
It is true that his eyes could not help twinkling
when he caught a boy in any mischief,
and contrived to hit him, neatly, on a tense
and sensitive part. But I do not think that
he flogged principally, or in very great
measure, for the love of flogging. He had a
traditional belief in the virtues of the rod. He
looked upon birch as a necessary stimulant,
not knowing that stimulants, whether in the
mental or animal economy, are not ordinarily
necessary. Then, on the other hand, he was
very attentive to the health and comfort of
his boys. He took especial care that our meat
and other provisions should be of the very
best kind; and if his scholars were well
flogged, they were also well fed and well
cared for.

Old Bob, when first I knew him, was nearly
eighty years of age, but hale and robust still.
Divers legends were extant respecting the
strong man whom he had knocked down in
his youth. He dressed the character of the
old schoolmaster, from the shovel-hat and
powdered bald head to the gaiters, as correctly
as if he had proposed to act it in a farce.
His voice, I may here remark, was much like
Mr. Farren's in Sir Peter Teazle; only it was
slower, deeper, more powerful, and abounded
in strong and prolonged emphasis. He was
very fond of spouting—in an academical way
—and I think I see him now teaching us to
gesticulate, by putting himself in an attitude,
and giving us an idea of Cicero.

In general, Old Bob was good-tempered,
patient, and forbearing, not punishing without
fair warning, and then with deliberate dignity.
But on peculiar provocation, as by anything
like the exhibition of a mutinous spirit,
especially on the part of a big boy, he lost all
control of himself. His face grew pale, his eyes
twinkled ominously, he would puff his cheeks
out, and his whole form appeared actually to
swell. Then, pulling up his nether garments—
a habit with him when in a rage—and his voice
shaking with passion, he would exclaim, 'Take
care, Sir. Let me not hear thee say that again.
If thou dost, I'll whip thee. I'd whip thee
if thou wast as high as the house! I'd whip
thee if thou wast as big as Goliath!! I'd whip
thee if thou wast an angel from Heaven!!!'
And it was generally understood among us
that he would have done it in either case.

A flogging at the hands of Old Bob was
ordinarily the consequence of a series of
offences or shortcomings. Sometimes a pupil,
often within a brief period, had been guilty of
a false concord or quantity. Sometimes he
had been caught out of bounds, or had in
some other way infringed Old Bob's
ordinances. Sometimes he was denounced for
misconduct or idleness by one of the masters.
A very common case of punishment would
occur thus: Old Bob would suddenly call for
the 'Classicus' of a part which was under a
junior master. The 'Classicus' was a register
of our respective performances in learning.
The eye of Old Bob would light on a
succession of bad marks standing opposite the
name of some unlucky fellow. He then
gradually raised his eyebrows, and began to
whiff and whistle. Presently he repeated
the delinquent's name aloud, and proceeded,
whistling and whiffing still at each word, to
read out the adjoined record, 'Bradshaw!' he
would cry; 'Bradshaw!—Hi! hi! hi!—
Malè—malè—malè—mediocriter—malè—quam
pessimè—quam pessimè—quam pessimè——I 'll
whip thee!' And he put down the book,
and pushed his spectacles up on his forehead.
'Bring me the rod!—Bradshaw!—
Come here to me, my worthy, good Sir. I'll
whip thee. I will! Go into the porch!' So
saying, he gave the culprit a shove at the nape
of the neck, which almost sent him sprawling
headlong. 'Rod—boy—the rod! Jones—you
—Brown you—go in.' These boys were to
keep the porch doors. 'Robinson—go too.'
The fourth boy was wanted to sustain the
drapery of the victim. 'And here—you, Sir
—Smith!—you—go in as well.' This last was
some youth who had been misbehaving himself
lately, and whom Old Bob compelled to
witness the infliction, that he might profit by
it in the way of example. They all went into
the porch, and Old Bob, hitching up his small-