Herbert Edward Douglas Blakiston

“ Both by constitution and by habit Ellis was a recluse; his simplicity, his dependence on physical help, his unconventional but frequent hospitality, and not least his impressive devotion to scholarship, attracted the interest not only of his colleagues but also of many of the undergraduates, especially the rising scholars of about 1880 to 1900. ”

“ In later life he was attracted, but only superficially, by the Church of Rome, since, apart from pure scholarship and literature, he cared only for classical music. After twelve years of college teaching, mostly in composition and Latin authors, varied by reading parties, he was elected in 1870 professor of Latin at University College, London; but he was not successful with the larger and less advanced classes there, and in 1876 returned to Oxford for good. ”

“ At the same time the naïveté, not always unintentional, of his remarks about his acquaintances and his or their tastes, opinions, appearance, and his casual familiarity with the improprieties of his favourite authors, made him somewhat embarrassing in social life, and led to the circulation of numerous stories about him. ”