登陆注册
5169600000027

第27章

ON UNIVERSITY SNOBS

All the men of Saint Boniface will recognize Hugby and Crump in these two pictures.They were tutors in our time, and Crump is since advanced to be President of the College.He was formerly, and is now, a rich specimen of a University Snob.

At five-and-twenty, Crump invented three new metres, and published an edition of an exceedingly improper Greek Comedy, with no less than twenty emendations upon the German text of Schnupfenius and Schnapsius.These Services to religion instantly pointed him out for advancement in the Church, and he is now President of Saint Boniface, and very narrowly escaped the bench.

Crump thinks Saint Boniface the centre of the world, and his position as President the highest in England.He expects the fellows and tutors to pay him the same sort of service that Cardinals pay to the Pope.I am sure Crawler would have no objection to carry his trencher, or Page to hold up the skirts of his gown as he stalks into chapel.He roars out the responses there as if it were an honour to heaven that the President of Saint Boniface should take a part in the service, and in his own lodge and college acknowledges the Sovereign only as his superior.

When the allied monarchs came down, and were made Doctors of the University, a breakfast was given at Saint Boniface; on which occasion Crump allowed the Emperor Alexander to walk before him, but took the PAS himself of the King of Prussia and Prince Blucher.He was going to put the Hetman Platoff to breakfast at a side-table with the under college tutors; but he was induced to relent, and merely entertained that distinguished Cossack with a discourse on his own language, in which he showed that the Hetman knew nothing about it.

As for us undergraduates, we scarcely knew more about Crump than about the Grand Llama.A few favoured youths are asked occasionally to tea at the lodge; but they do not speak unless first addressed by the Doctor; and if they venture to sit down, Crump's follower, Mr.Toady, whispers, 'Gentlemen, will you have the kindness to get up?--The President is passing;' or 'Gentlemen, the President prefers that undergraduates should not sit down;' or words to a similar effect.

To do Crump justice, he does not cringe now to great people.He rather patronizes them than otherwise; and, in London, speaks quite affably to a Duke who has been brought up at his college, or holds out a finger to a Marquis.He does not disguise his own origin, but brags of it with considerable self-gratulation:--'I was a Charity-boy,' says he; 'see what I am now; the greatest Greek scholar of the greatest College of the greatest University of the greatest Empire in the world.' The argument being, that this is a capital world, for beggars, because he, being a beggar, has managed to get on horseback.

Hugby owes his eminence to patient merit and agreeable perseverance.He is a meek, mild, inoffensive creature, with just enough of scholarship to fit him to hold a lecture, or set an examination paper.He rose by kindness to the aristocracy.It was wonderful to see the way in which that poor creature grovelled before a nobleman or a lord's nephew, or even some noisy and disreputable commoner, the friend of a lord.He used to give the young noblemen the most painful and elaborate breakfasts, and adopt a jaunty genteel air, and talk with them (although he was decidedly serious) about the opera, or the last run with the hounds.It was good to watch him in the midst of a circle of young tufts, with his mean, smiling, eager, uneasy familiarity.He used to write home confidential letters to their parents, and made it his duty to call upon them when in town, to condole or rejoice with them when a death, birth, or marriage took place in their family; and to feast them whenever they came to the University.I recollect a letter lying on a desk in his lecture-room for a whole term, beginning, 'My Lord Duke.' It was to show us that he corresponded with such dignities.

同类推荐
  • 阙题

    阙题

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 锦江禅灯目录

    锦江禅灯目录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 道德经注释

    道德经注释

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 杨太真外传

    杨太真外传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 梵网经古迹记

    梵网经古迹记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 青少年百科·下

    青少年百科·下

    《青少年百科》是我社最近推出系列长卷之一,是促进青少年健康成长的必不可少的百科全书,是一部提高青少年综合素质、增强青少年全面修养的良师益友。
  • The Foolish Dictionary

    The Foolish Dictionary

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神医毒后之狂放七小姐

    神医毒后之狂放七小姐

    抓鬼被雷劈结果一朝穿越,她成了废材七小姐,不想正好砸中绝世美男,奈何邪王太凶猛。什么?她是废物?看老娘天雷咒劈死你!“王爷,王妃说她要去浪了。”“那就把浪的地方铲平了。”
  • 世界最具推理性的侦破故事(2)

    世界最具推理性的侦破故事(2)

    我的课外第一本书——震撼心灵阅读之旅经典文库,《阅读文库》编委会编。通过各种形式的故事和语言,讲述我们在成长中需要的知识。
  • 天龙剑尊

    天龙剑尊

    偶获华夏龙魂神血,剑尊霸体觉醒,一剑出而天下惊!曾经,他是叶族弃少,受尽冷眼与嘲笑,被家族侮辱驱逐。如今,他是一代邪龙剑尊、恶魔大帝,他魔杀天下,镇压万古八荒!仙子圣女对他又爱又恨,天骄俊才对他又敬又怕!
  • 觉醒日4

    觉醒日4

    唐缺沉寂四年的爆发大作《觉醒日》系列第4部,现代长篇奇幻大作!唤醒了自己初步的能力之后,冯斯不断寻找着突破自身极限的方法,但一直收效甚微。在此期间,魔王世界里发生了诸多巨大变故:全球的魔仆和妖兽集体爆发向守卫人发起攻击;一支神秘莫测的第四方势力突然出现加入到乱局中;一个家族被屠灭后侥幸脱逃的少年试图刺杀冯斯,并给他带来了和祖父有关的最新消息。而姜米出人意料地回到了中国,和冯斯重新相遇,更是给他带来了无穷的困扰。在这一片纷纷扰扰的乱局中,更多的秘密浮出水面,一步步指向魔王的真实身份……
  • 总有一刻不同寻常(保持学生良好心态的故事全集)

    总有一刻不同寻常(保持学生良好心态的故事全集)

    走进如歌的生命,走过诗意的青春。曾几何时,我们叹息时光的飞逝,叹惋落日的凄美,却任凭美好从身边转瞬即逝。不是青春短暂、岁月苍白,而是我们不曾将它涂上丰富的色彩。何不于喧闹中体会宁静,于繁杂中感受简约,以平静的心情看待得失,以良好的心态面对功利,“不以物喜,不以己悲”才是人生之大境界。
  • 伤寒缵论

    伤寒缵论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 紫微星主

    紫微星主

    修真百态,道法自然。陨落的星球,平凡人的悲哀。大浪淘沙中,且看每个人的求生之道。与天争,与人争,争争不息。为你讲述修真界的是是非非。
  • 非我不娶

    非我不娶

    作为异姓王郕王府世子爷嫡出的三姑娘,除了爹不疼之外,没有什么缺的了,但是老天爷似乎就是看不惯她日子过得太闲适了,所以在未来的日子里她真是好忙好忙的……