10 Dun territory—circle of creditors to be paid.
11 Preserve of long bills—stock of debts to be discharged.
12 Blunted—London slang for plenty of money.
13 Marshes of impediment—troublesome preparation for the
schools.
14 East jeopardy—terrors of anticipation.
15 Cave of antiquity—depot of old authors.
16 The long hope—Johnson defines "a Hope" to be any sloping
plain between two ridges of mountains. Here it is the symbol
of long expectations in studying for a degree.
Aldrich and Euclid,{17} the Roman tumuli{18} and Point Failure{19} and then, having gained Fount Stagira{20} pass easily through Littlego Vale,{21} reach the summit of the Pindaric heights{22} and set yourself down easy in the temple of Bacchus{23} and the region of rejoicing"{24} "Or if you should fall a sacrifice in the district of {sappers,{25} old fellow!" said Echo, "or founder in Dodd's sound,{26} why, you can retreat to Cam Roads,{27} or lay up for life in the Bay of Condolence."{28} "For heaven's sake, let us leave the Gulf of Misery," said I, alluding to the state of my rooms, "and bend our course where some more amusing novelty presents itself." "To Bagley wood," said Echo, "to break cover and introduce you to the Egyptians; only I must give my scout directions first to see the old bookseller{29} and have my imposition{30} ready for being absent from chapel this morning, or else I shall be favoured with another
17 Mount Aldrich, mount Euclid—logic and mathematics.
18 Tumuli raised by the Romans—difficulties offered by Livy
and Tacitus in the studies for first class honours.
19 Point Failure—catastrophe of plucking.
20 Fount Stagira—fount named after the birth-place of Aris-
totle.
21 Littlego Vale—orderly step to the first examination.
22 Pindaric heights—study of Pindar's odes.
23 Temple of Bacchus—merry-making after getting a liceat.
24 Region of rejoicing—joy attendant on success in the
schools.
25 District of sabers—track of those who sap at their quarto
and folio volumes.
26 Dodd's sound—where the candidate will have to
acknowledge the receipt of a certificate empowering him to
float down Bachelor Creek.
27 Cam Roads—retreat to Cambridge by way of a change.
28 Bay of Condolence—where we console our friends, if
plucked, and left at a nonplus.
29 A well-known bookseller in Oxford generally called
imposition G-, from his preparing translations for the
members of the university.
30 Imposition—see prick bill.
visit from the prick bill."{31} "Agreed," said Eglantine, "and Blackmantle and myself will, in the meantime, visit Sadler, and engage a couple of his prime hacks to accompany you."
31 Prick bills—at Christ Church, junior students who prick
with a pin the names of those gentlemen who are at chapel.
Immediately after the service, the bills, with the noblemen
and gentlemen commoners' names, are taken to the dean; those
with the students and commoners' names, to the acting censor
for the week; and the bachelors' bills to the sub-dean, who
generally inform the prick bills what impositions shall be
set those gentlemen who absented themselves from chapel:
these are written upon strips of paper and carried to the
gentlemen by the prick bill's scouts.
Copy of an original imposition.
"Sp 259 particular M M C. P. B."—Signifies translate No. 259
Spectator to the word "particular" by Monday morning at
chapel time.—Prick bill.
