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Books

Ancients on oldies: tips on ageing from the Romans are all Greek to Richard Ingrams

Reviewing the Ancient Art of Growing Old by Tom Payne, Richard Ingrams remembers sweating blood at school translating the smug, self-satisfied Cicero

14 March 2015

9:00 AM

14 March 2015

9:00 AM

The Ancient Art of Growing Old Tom Payne

Vintage Classics, pp.176, £14.99

A few months ago I went to a lunch at Univ, my old college in Oxford, to celebrate the 95th birthday of my Ancient History tutor George Cawkwell. There were toasts and speeches, including one from George himself and my fellow student Robin (now Lord) Butler, who did a brilliant imitation of George getting all excited when describing the battle of Marathon and reverting, temporarily, to his native New Zealand accent.

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