25 JULY 1998, Page 25

Latin lessons

Sir: Mr Vines may have paid attention in his Latin lessons, even enjoyed them (Letters, 4 July). While considering myself reasonably educated, I have to admit that I and many others in my classics classes spent much time doing prep, reading trashy magazines and pretty well anything to alleviate bore- dom. Some pearls of wisdom undoubtedly got absorbed, but many did not, or at least not sufficiently well enough to be remem- bered this long afterwards. Please carry on `dumbing down' for us at the risk of patron- ising the swots who remember it all.

Giles Instone

200 East Spruce Mesa Drive, Durango, Colorado, USA