Poems 385

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For they dcfnot call them by their names but by certain
numbers, each man of them having a number allotted to him
in accordance with his place in the boat, and the first man
they call stroke, but the last man bow ; and when they have
done this for about 50 miles they come home again, and the
rate they travel at is about 25 miles an hour ; and let no one
think that this is too great a rate for I could say many other
wonderful things in addition concerning the rowing of the
Johnians, but if a man wishes to know these things he must
go and examine them himself. But when they have done
they contrive some such a device as this, for they make them
run many miles along the side of the river in order that they
may accustom them to great fatigue, and many of them,
being distressed in this way, fall down and die, but those who
survive become very strong and receive gifts of cups from
the others; and after the revolution of a year they have
great races with their boats against those of the surrounding
islanders, but the Johnians, both owing to the carefulness of
the training and a natural disposition for rowing, are always
victorious. In this way, then, the Johnians, I say, practise
their tub.

The Shield of Achilles
With Variations

And in it he placed the Fitzwilliam and King's College
Chapel and the lofty towered church of the Great Saint Mary,
which looketh towards the Senate House, and King's Parade
and Trumpington Road and the Pitt Press and the divine
opening of the Market Square and the beautiful flowing
fountain which formerly Hobson laboured to make with
skilful art; him did his father beget in the many-public-
housed Trumpington from a slavey mother and taught him
blameless works ; and he, on the other hand, sprang up like
a young shoot and many beautifully matched horses did he
nourish in his stable, which used to convey his rich posses-
sions to London and the various cities of the world; but
oftentimes did he let them out to others and whensoever
any one was desirous of hiring one of the long-tailed horses
he took them in order, so that the labour was equal to all,

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