🚀 go-pugleaf

I recently set up dvips-5.495 on my machine, and it is working fine except
for the font generation segment (MakeTeXPK).  I have mf2.7 accessible, but
upon trying to generate non-existent fonts, I end up with errors like the
following appended below, which continue ad nauseum (at least everytime that
mf needs to bring in cmbase.mf...).  Any suggestions as to what might be
wrong would be appreciated - I really havn't a clue, short of replacing the
file with a whole new installation of metafont (which is tempting, since I
didn't install it here).  Could it be that it "must" be in a directory such
as /usr/local/lib/mf2.7 or such?  Or might it just be that I have a bad copy
of cmbase.mf?  Or that I have a mis-matched (by version) set of *.mf files
and mf (metafont)?  If this is a FAQ, email me and I'll find the FAQ... (or
if it is RTFM, let me know which FM!)

thanks in advance,
-tony

---- appended problem -------------

This is dvips 5.495 Copyright 1986, 1992 Radical Eye Software
' TeX output 1992.10.29:0940' -> test
- MakeTeXPK cmr17 400 400 magstep\(0.0\)
mf \mode:=nexthi; mag:=magstep(0.0); scrollmode; input cmr17 </dev/null
This is METAFONT, C Version 2.7 (INIMF)

(/usr1/users/biostat/rossini/lib/mf2.7/inputs/cmr17.mf
(/usr1/users/biostat/rossini/lib/mf2.7/inputs/cmbase.mf
! Missing `=' has been inserted.
<to be read again> 
                   ,
l.22 vardef serif(suffix $,
                           $$,@)  % serif at |z$| for stroke from |z$$|
! Missing `=' has been inserted.
<to be read again> 
    
--
Anthony Rossini       -       rossini@biostat.harvard.edu
Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
677 Huntington Ave, Boston MA 02115  617-432-1056