What was to be done in the way of teaching him modern mathematics? The limitations of his knowledge were as startling as its profundity All his results, new or old, right or wrong, had been arrived at by a process of mingled argument, intuition, and induction, of which he was entirely unable to give any coherent account. It was impossible to ask such a man to submit to systematic instrue- tion, to try to learn mathematics from the beginning once more. I was afraid too that, if I had insisted unduly on matters which Ramanujan found irksome, I might destroy his confidence or break the spell of his inspiration