‘O’level Latin is small Latin. It is very small Latin indeed. Why should a classical scholar be exercised by its problems? Why should a schoolmaster be exercised by them if his heart is in sixth-form Classics? Why indeed should anyone be interested?

During the recent controversy on entrance requirements for Oxford and Cambridge a curious but unmistakable reluctance could be observed among classical scholars in the universities. I mean the reluctance to defend or even pay attention to the precarious position of Latin as an entrance requirement. Those teaching Classics at provincial universities felt that this was a matter for the ancient universities since they themselves had no such requirements. And to many in the ancient universities small Latin seemed altogether too small to engage their attention. Hence the feeling, nihil ad nos. In any case, Latin, they argued, was firmly entrenched in the bigger schools, and faculty demands in all universities would do the rest.