I invited Mr. Lattin to dine here to-day, and as an inducement mentioned that it was to meet Dr. Parr. He wrote a gallant reply, accompanied by the following verses, which he says are the first he ever wrote in French:—
L’Histoire nous apprend, que pour être écoutée
La Sagesse eut recours
Aux grâces, aux amours,
Et même de la Fable, à la voix empruntée.
Mais pour nous persuader, c’est la première fois
Que la beauté s’adresse
A la froide sagesse,
Où Vénus de Minerve ait employé la voix.
27th April.—On Wednesday, ye 23rd, Dr. Parr dined and slept here. He was pleasant enough and not too full of grammatical niceties. I overheard him and Knight condemn various corrupt pronunciations and agree in saying, ‘You and I can never pass them: we can never call Xenophon otherwise than Xenopho.’