The Henson Journals

[217]

Thursday, May 20th, 1915.

290th day

I worked at Roger de Wendover: attended Evensong in the Cathedral: motored to Brancepeth with Fawkes, & saw the Church under the guidance of the Rector, to whom, by way of recompense, I promised to preach in the Church on the evening of June 13th at 6.30 p.m. My predecessor, Kitchin, extracted two couplets from the Philobiblion, & caused them to be printed on a card, & set above the grave of its author, Richard de Bury, Bishop of Durham, 1333–1345. They are the following:

"Delectant libri prosperitate arridente:

Consolantur nubila fortuna terrente.

"Ecce per libros adjuti beatitudinis nostrae,

Mercedem attingimus, dum adhuc existimus viatores.

I rendered them into English somewhat freely in this way: –

When prosperous winds our bark assist

Books bring us daily cheer.

When clouds our bark have wrapped in mist,

Books drive away our fear.

Through Books assisted, while on earth we stray,

Heav'n's bliss befalls us on the stony way.

These rough verses served well enough to suggest a peroration for my little oration at Hartlepool yesterday.

The evening papers report that the alleged spy, who is now on his trial, has removed all question as to his character by committing suicide in prison. He had the grace to leave a written statement to the effect that his trial had been a fair one. Suicide must be strangely near the thought of the German officer. Many suicides are reported from the seat of war.

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