of the sort America now produces so freely. Compared with O. Henry, he is nowhere in point and smartness, in carefully engineering and revealing at the right moment a surprise, or even a double surprise. He lacks the restless vivacity and slang of modern America. He is not great at depicting incident as such. His bandits are nothing like so great, for instance, as Luigi Vampa in Monte Cristo.' The Adventure of the Little Antiquary seems rather tame, and Governor Manco and the Soldier' a little too obvious, though redeemed by the spirited touch of its last words. Irving knew that the author must be continually piquant," and hardly reached 'that difficult goal. But the very smoothness and excellence of his style may serve as a new recommendation nowadays. He does not write telegraphese, or pepper his narrative with dashes, like some formless purveyors of fiction in the twentieth century. He needed for his best work a story ready made for him, a legend he could embroider. His is not only a style recalling Addison, but also the sly wit of that master, excellently shown, as the Introduction points out, in the satirical medievalism of The Widow's Ordeal.' It is in touches of character that he excels, as in The Adventure of the Englishman accused of insensibility by the fair Venetian. The Stout Gentleman' is justly described as a "flawless episode." There is nothing of unusual incident in it, and the title-character never justifies himself by revealing to the reader in detail the figure of John Bull. He is seen only in a partial glimpse at the end. The piece is a success of style and, for once of imagination, for this was the quality which Irving lacked, or did not indulge, let us say, as freely as he might have. We think it quite likely that the present age, tired of excessive and devastating cleverness, may return to such writing as Irving's. Anyway, a judicious reader should find pleasure in this collection. It recalls what Dr. Saintsbury has described as the Peace of the Augustans.' We may not return exactly to that kind of peace: but we can appreciate the intellectual curiosity and social good sense of the eighteenth century as something more desirable than the world of frenzied fashion and vulgar advertisement which produces such inferior and snobbish journalism for eager readers to-day. The British Academy: Seals and Documents. By Reginald L. Poole. (Published for the Academy by Humphrey Milford, 2s. 6d. net.) THIS little paper booklet should not be overooked on account of its modest appearance, for it is the work of a master in diplomatics who compresses into a short space the results of abundant erudition. The path of the student of seals is strewn with difficulties and forgeries; and some curious gaps in our knowledge still require to be filled up. Mr. Poole shows the abundant interest of the subject and dwells briefly on the various forms which the seal has taken, not the least important of which is the Papal bull. England, however, can claim developments of her own as well as the use of foreign introductions. We are glad to see monographs of this kind: they are the best justification for the existence of an Academy, an institution which the average student of letters in this country does not regard Obituary. A. H. BULLEN. MR. ARTHUR HENRY BULLEN who was laid to rest at Lullington on March 5 last had a welldeserved reputation as a scholar, especially in the Elizabethan period. Indeed, he doubled for and his bluff, hearty personality fired the imaginamany years the parts of scholar and publisher, tion of more than one rising writer to whom he gave help and encouragement. We believe he figures, for instance, in Mr. Albert Kinross's novel The Way Out,' and in one of Major A. J. Dawson's earlier books. His first activities as a publisher were connected with the firm of Lawrence & Bullen, and in 1904 he established the Shakespeare Head Press at Stratford-onAvon, whence he issued his fine Stratford Town Shakespeare in several volumes, a work which reveals his mastery of Elizabethan drama. That indeed, was known to the expert from his excellent editions of Marlowe, Middleton, Marston, Peele and Campion. The last-named, a lyrist of the first quality, he may be said to have discovered when he was looking for songs in the Elizabethan music-books in 1887. He collected Campion's poems, the best of which have since figured in all good anthologies, but characteristically, as Mr. Gosse has recently written, warned admirers in 1903 against making Campion object of uncritical adulation." His first publication, an edition of the works of John Day, 1881, reveals that careful and measured erudition which is characteristic of all his work, and which will preserve it as of permanent value. Notices to Correspondents. "the To secure insertion of communications correspondents must observe the following rules. When answering queries, or making notes with regard to previous entries in the paper, contributors are requested to put in parentheses, immediately after the exact heading, the series, volume, and page or pages to which they refer. EDITORIAL Communications should be addressed to "The Editor of Notes and Queries'"-Advertisements and Business Letters to 66 "The Publishers"-at the Office, Printing House Square, London, E.C.4. WILL the writer of a query on Charles Marshall kindly forward his name and address which has become detached from the copy? of CORRIGENDA.-Owing to the late return proofs some errors appear in the article on Statues and Memorials ante. pp. 5-7. On p. 5 for "Skinner's" read Skinners and for "Sept." read Sep. ; on p. 6 for "Tunerelli" read Turnerelli, for "Ronwold" read Romwod, for "Irelane read Ireland. for "the" read their, from Berkeley Square onwards for "George II" read George III. The inscription on statue of George III (p. 7) on back of pedestal should read Hugoni Percy Hoc qualecunque Testimonium A.D. M.DCCLXXXVII. Have you ever thought of taking one of the recognized professional diplomas Chartered Institute of Secretaries, Accounts and Auditors, London Association of Accounts. F.C.I.8. F.S.A.A. F.L.A.A. Possessing one of these qualifications, there will be keen competition amongst business undertakings for your services in such a capacity as Then, given ordinary diligence on your part, your future career is assured. SPECIALIZED POSTAL TRAINING The necessary coaching may be undertaken, without interference with your present employment, and the cost of the necessary training is quite small. One of the above-mentioned examinations is easily within your reach. An hour or two per day for a few months-and the thing is done! If you would like to know more about these examinations and METROPOLITAN COLLEGE, Ltd. HAVE YOU ANY BOOKS TO SPARE ? FOR THE SICK AND SUFFERING IN OUR HOSPITALS When the joy and blessing a book gives to some sufferer lying perhaps for weeks in racking pain is realized there are few who will not be willing to spare some literature from their shelves. THE RED CROSS AND (The Hon. Sir ARTHUR STANLEY, M.P., G.B.E., Pres.) Aims at providing and maintaining a Library in every Naval, Military, and Civilian Hospital in the British Isles FREE OF ALL COST TO THE HOSPITAL The hospitals are at present supplied with a book a bed, but even on this conservative basis a vast number of books are required. WILL YOU HELP? Send every book you can spare, ESPECIALLY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN, not only to day, but from time to time, to Dept. Q. BRITISH RED CROSS AND ORDER OF ST. JOHN HOSPITAL LIBRARY, 48 QUEEN'S GARDENS, LANCASTER GATE, W.2. LONDON, APRIL 3, 1920 CONTENTS.- No. 103. NOTES:-Wordsworth's Ecclesiastical Sonnets': Date of Composition, 81-The Parish of St. Michael Crooked Lane, 83-Principal London Coffee-houses, Taverns, and Inns in the Eighteenth Century, 84-Hugh Griffin, Provost of Cambrai, 86 Bloody"-Book of Common PrayerFreight-charges during the War, 87-A Mid-Victorian Memory-John Felton, Assassin of the Duke of Marlborough, 1628, 88. ment " QUERIES:-Oliver Cromwell and Bogdan ChmielnitzkyThe "Big Four" of Chicago-The Three Westminster 'Boys'- Places in 'Sybil,' 88-Keith of Ravenscraig-"The Holy History-Sir Henry Cary, 89 Anne of Geierstein -Rev. Thomas Garden-Song: The Spade Le MonuQuand Même "-St. Leonard's Priory. HantsWilliam Thomas Rogers, 90-Theodorus of Cyrene, 91 REPLIES:- Chess: The Knight's Tour, 91-Mathew Myerse-Mrs. Gordon, Novelist, 93-Value of MoneyMorbus Anglicus- Quotation from Hood, 94--General Stonewall Jackson-Cantrell Family-Burial at Sea: Four Guns Fired for an Officer- Capt. B. Grant, 95George Shepherd-Capt. J. C. Grant Duff-Romeland, St. Alban's, 96-Clergymen at Waterloo-"Cockagee": Cypress": Wine Labels, 97-Bishops of the Fifteenth Century-Hallowe'en-Epigram: "A little garden little Jowett made"-Lieut.-General Sharpe, 98-Pseudonyms -"Fray": Archaic Meaning of the Word, 99. NOTES ON BOOKS:-'French Terminologies in the Making Studies in Conscious Contributions to the Vocabulary'. -Elkstone : its Manors, Church and Registers." Notices to Correspondents. Lotes. WORDSWORTH'S ECCLESIASTICAL SONNETS': DATE OF COMPOSITION. (Pt. iii., Nos. 16, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31.) THE following paragraphs embody the results of some recent investigations made among the manuscript collection of the late Mrs. Henry A. St. John of Ithaca, New York, and it has been suggested that the establishment of the dates of composition of certain of Wordsworth's Ecclesiastical Sonnets' might be of interest to the readers of "N. & Q.' Of Pt. iii., Nos. 26, 27, 28, and 31. In the Letters of the Wordsworth Family,' iii. 249, Knight has printed as -follows part of a letter from William Wordsworth to Henry Reed :— Rydal Mount, Sept. 14 [sic] 1842, MY DEAR MR. REED, ...A few days ago, after a very long interval, I returned to poetical composition: and my first 66 ..and the Funeral Service. I have also, at the same time, added two others, one upon Visiting the Sick, and the other upon the Thanksgiving of Women after Childbirth, both subjects taken from the Services of our Liturgy. To the second part of the same series I have also added two, in order to do more justice to the Papal Church for the services which she did actually render to Christianity and humanity in the Middle Ages...." Bishop Wordsworth, in his 'Memoirs of William Wordsworth,' quotes the letter correctly (London edition, 1851, ii. 389-90), as does also Henry Reed, under whose supervision the Memoirs were published in America (Boston edition, 1851, ii. 394-5). We have final evidence, then, that Ecclesiastical Sonnets,' iii. 26, 27, 28, and 31, entitled respectively 'The Marriage Ceremony,' Thanksgiving after Childbirth,' 'Visitation of the Sick,' and 'Funeral Service,' were composed а few days before Sept. 4, 1842. They must have been composed after April 28, 1842, as is proved by the following quotation from Reed's letter of that date. The original manuscript in Mrs. St. John's library has been consulted : "....I trust you will not think your kindness in this matter [the composition of the sonnets on 'Aspects of Christianity in America '] is made a pretext for me to abuse it, if I suffered myself to be tempted to make another suggestion respecting the Ecclesiastical Sonnets, the completeness of which, considering the sacred association of the whole series, is especially to be desired. This consideration will I hope weigh with you as some excuse for my venturing to inquire whether among the sonnets in the latter part of the series on the rites and ceremonies of the ChurchBaptism-Catechizing and those (very favourite ones) on Confirmation, there should not be introduced two more, on the solemnization of Matrimony, and the other on the Burial Service...." That Hutchinson and Nowell C. Smith in their respective editions of Wordsworth's poetical works show uncertainty as to the date of the sonnets Thanksgiving after Childbirth' and 'Visitation of the Sick' is partly due to their failure to consult the reprint of Wordsworth's letter of Sept. 4, 1842, as given in the Memoirs,' but perhaps HAVE YOU ANY BOOKS TO FOR THE SICK AND SUFFERING IN OUR HOSPITALS When the joy and blessing a book gives to some sufferer lying perhaps for THE RED CROSS AND (The Hon. Sir ARTHUR STANLEY, M.P., G.B.E., Pres.) Aims at providing and maintaining a Library in every Naval, Military, and Civilian Hospital in the British Isles FREE OF ALL COST TO THE HOSPITAL The hospitals are at present supplied with a book a bed, but even on this conservative basis a vast number of books are required. WILL YOU HELP? Send every book you can spare, ESPECIALLY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN, not only to day, but from time to time, to Dept. Q. BRITISH RED CROSS AND ORDER OF ST. JOHN 48 QUEEN'S GARDENS, LANCASTER GATE, W.2. the of a .stu vit |