The life and letters of Benjamin Jowett, M. A., master of Balliol college, Oxford.

1860-1865] Summer Haunts-Analysis of Plato 333

in a letter from Caird to Nichol, which reflects the
feeling of the younger graduates at this time:'How I wish you had been up to hear Stanley's noble
sermon on Sunday last, with its picture of Oxford as it is and
as it might be, and above all to hear his eloquent tribute to
our dear friend.... The University turned out to hear it
better than I have ever seen them do before. I said to Jowett
after, " Who will sing us battle-songs any more?" "We must
carry on the fight though," said he, looking as pertinacious
and as saintly-wicked as usual.'
Jowett was eager to complete his edition of the
Republic, 'to get rid of Plato and return to Theology,'
and he actually took leave of absence for the Summer
Term of i86I, with this object in view. But his literary
work was being more and more crowded into vacationtime. In Term-time he could only direct his reading
with a view to it, and to the preparation of his lectures.
For the sake of Plato, and of a select number of his
pupils, including some old friends, he resided for long
spells in summer at some country place-chiefly during
these years at Whitby (I86i), Braemar (I862), High
Force in Teesdale (i863), Askrigg in Wensleydale (I864) 2,
Pitlochry, and Tummel Bridge. The Plato, which he
had hoped to finish in a year or two, still remained on
hand, throwing the projected works on Theology more and
more into the background. In revising the notes to the
Republic, it had occurred to him that a complete analysis
of the Dialogues would form a suitable 'Prolegomena'
to his book. The analysis, as he conceived it, was to be
a sort of condensed translation, in which nothing essential
should be omitted, and even the force of connecting
1 Now Master of Balliol. White.' From a letter of 1883.
2 'Askrigg was recommendedto White was the author of A Month
me by an old fellow named Walter in Yorkshire, &c.