Austin himself, with his mastery in seeking out, and his sensitivity in responding to, the finer points of linguistic usage, provided a splendid and instructive example to those who were concerned to include linguistic botanizing in their professional armoury. I shall recount three authentie anecdotes in support of this claim. Geoffrey Warnock was being dined at Austin's college with a view to election to a Fellowship, and was much disconcerted, even though he was already acquainted with Austin, when Austin's first remark to him was, What would be the difference between my saying to you that someone is not playing golf correctly and my saying to you that he is not playing golf properly?

On a certain occasion we were discussing the notion of a principle, and (in this connection) the conditions for appropriate use of the phrase

'on principle". Nowell Smith recalled that a pupil of Patrick Gardiner. who was Greek, wanting permission for an overnight visit to London, had come to Gardiner and offered him some money, saying 'I hope that you will not be offended by this somewhat Balkan approach. At this point, Nowell Smith suggested, Gardiner might well have replied,

*1 do not take bribes on principle. Austin responded by saying 1 should not say that; I should just say "No, thanks". On