words, written in 1840 after his old friend's death, we read:—
'What he regretted was, that the great beauty and finessing of the old style had passed away with the new practice of throwing the balls, and which he maintained will eventually change the character of the game. He has given his opinions in the Book how the difficulties may be multiplied to the batter, and thereby that the desired object of shortening the contest may be obtained: and, indeed, there is no great foresight required to perceive that the present system of throwing, instead of bowling the ball, will not remain long in its present rate of speed, and that some evasion of the standing laws will suggest itself, whereby the ball shall be delivered with such swiftness that no batter shall have time to prepare for it; and then, the great legislators at "Lord's" must go back to the first principles of the game.'
The prophecy did not come true; cricket was not ruined by the new bowling: but what Nyren would say of Cotter or Mr. Knox one can only wincingly conjecture. If injury has come to cricket it is not by way of round-arm or over-arm.
Some day the first round-arm period may in its turn call for a celebrant; meanwhile I am necessarily excluded from the praise of such great and, to the biographic mind, alluring figures as Lillywhite the Nonpareil, Fuller Pilch, Felix and, above all, Alfred Mynn. But an end must be made somewhere, especially with a subject so rich in seductive by-paths as cricket, and particularly ancient cricket, can be.
