Cedars. 17th day.

Alack. ― Breakfast at 8.30

XX3

from 10 painted, but with awful fits of κῶμα.1

Wrote to Ann, F.L. ― & W.N.

Improved the Cedars ―: did some Θουκυδύδης.2

Walked to Weybridge ― after 4 ― & back by 5.30.

Visit of W. Tottie & the 2 Raleighs to my study.

Dinner: ― 2 strangers. ― Much talk with the old society ― but at 9 they went away.

The 2 Melbourne lads are really nice youths ― & very intelligent & pleasant: & I am only glad that they go, because it saves me vexation & regret which I should have had at their going after a longer stay.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

  1. Sleep, or coma; Nina writes: “Until recently κῶμα primarily meant deep sleep, slumber, not only coma. Last time I thought he used it metaphorically, which is why I agreed to ‘coma,’ but now I am not so sure. (How could he have awful fits of sleep? Or coma, for that matter. Poetic license, I suppose. Unless he was narcoleptic.)” [↩]
  2. The correct spelling of Θουκυδύδης would be Θουκυδίδης, Thucydides, the historian (NB). [↩]