23 JUNE 1888, Page 3

Oxford had her Commemoration day on Wednesday, when the Public

Orator, Professor Bryce, distinguished himself, as the Cambridge Public Orator did a week ago, in his graceful use of the language "created for the purpose of conferring honorary degrees." In introducing Dr. James Martineau for his degree at the age of eighty-three, Professor Bryce lamented that the University should so long have been prevented from distin- guishing merits like his by theological prejudices, describing him as one " qui,—multi quum in elementis mundi hcererent, —veram philosophiam a verce religionis cultu, nub o posse modo disjungi suasit." Professor Bryce had a worthy rival in Professor Pa1grave, whose Creweian oration paid a just and

happy compliment to Matthew Arnold, the greatest of his

recent predecessors :—" Non illi via, non subtilitas, non amaritudo, -non dulcedo, non lepos defuit." " Sonat amorem, sonat philosophiam, pacem, lyra ejus ; spem non sonat." The conjunction there of the dash of bitterness with the sweetness in Mr. Arnold's poetry, was due to a very happy critical instinct, and the " spern non sonat" gave just the touch of sadness which was needful to this pithy epitaph.