Thanks for the pointer. I tried desultorily to get a (net-)look at the Gow text, but no dice. I'll have to leave it to some weekend/vacation time to chase sources.

It's curious that the A.E.H. vinegar does not get wider circulation. My copy of Matthew Parris' Scorn only features a couple of harmless barbs (one the 'malt/Milton' line). There are some scraps over at http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Edward_Housman , and here http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n13/frank-kermode/nothing-for-ever-...

(Also, a passing appreciation by Chesterton, a guide I trust, here http://wikilivres.info/wiki/Autobiography_%28Chesterton%29/C...)