To H.S.  Boyd Saturday night, March 5, 1842.

My very dear Friend,—­I am quite angry with myself for forgetting your questions when I answered your letter.

Could you really imagine that I have not looked into the Greek tragedians for years, with my true love for Greek poetry?  That is asking a question, you will say, and not answering it.  Well, then, I answer by a ‘Yes’ the one you put to me.  I had two volumes of Euripides with me in Devonshire, and have read him as well as Aeschylus and Sophocles—­that is from them—­both before and since I went there.  You know I have gone through every line of the three tragedians long ago, in the way of regular, consecutive reading.

You know also that I had at different times read different dialogues of Plato; but when three years ago, and a few months previous to my leaving home, I became possessed of a complete edition of his works, edited by Bekker, why then I began with the first volume and went through the whole of his writings, both those I knew and those I did not know, one after another:  and have at this time read, not only all that is properly attributed to Plato, but even those dialogues and epistles which pass falsely under his name—­everything except two books I think, or three, of the treatise ‘De Legibus,’ which I shall finish in a week or two, as soon as I can take breath from Mr. Dilke.

Now the questions are answered.

Ever your affectionate and grateful friend,
E.B.B.

To H.S.  Boyd Thursday, March 10, 1842 [postmark].

My very dear Friend,—­I did not know until to-day whether the paper would appear on Saturday or not; but as I have now received the proof sheets, there can be no doubt of it.  I have been and am hurried and hunted almost into a corner through the pressing for the fourth paper, and the difficulty about books.  You will forgive a very short note to night.

I have read of Aristotle only his Poetics, his Ethics, and his work upon Rhetoric, but I mean to take him regularly into both hands when I finish Plato’s last page.  Aristophanes I took with me into Devonshire; and after all, I do not know much more of him than three or four of his plays may stand for.  Next week, my very dear friend, I shall be at your commands, and sit in spirit at your footstool, to hear and answer anything you may care to ask me—­but oh! what have I done that you should talk to me about ‘venturing,’ or ‘liberty,’ or anything of that kind?

From your affectionate and grateful catechumen,
E.B.B.

To H.S.  Boyd.  March 29, 1842.

My very dear Friend,—­I received your long letter and receive your short one, and thank you for the pleasure of both.  Of course I am very very glad of your approval in the matter of the papers, and your kindness could not have wished to give me more satisfaction than it gave actually.  Mr. Kenyon tells me that Mr. Burgess[64] has been reading and commending the papers, and has brought me from him a newly discovered scene of the ‘Bacchae’ of Euripides, edited by Mr. Burgess himself for the ‘Gentlemen’s Magazine,’ and of which he considers that the ‘Planctus Mariae,’ at least the passage I extracted from it, is an imitation.  Should you care to see it?  Say ’Yes,’—­and I will send it to you.