Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 11.djvu/195

 10 s. XL FEB. 20, Km] NOTES AND QUERIES.

Jeremy Collier. In 1719 Bedford had reopened fire with ' A Serious Remonstrance against the Horrid Blasphemies and Impieties which are still used in the English Playhouses,' in which, says Leslie Stephen, he " collected seven thousand immoral sentiments from the plays (chiefly) of the last four years." But more probably Thom- son is here pointing at William Law of ' The Serious Call,' whose tract entitled ' The Absolute Unlawfulness of the Stage Entertainment Fully Demonstrated ' appeared hi this same year 1726. But to proceed : Thomson concedes that there is some " appearance of reason " for the existing contempt of poetry. This arises from the choice of " low, venal, trifling subjects," which reject a weighty and dignified treatment, while they invite " forced unaffecting fancies, little glittering prettinesses, mixed turns of wit and expression ' ' things " as widely different from native poetry as buffoonery is from the perfection of human thinking." If poetry is to regain her ancient honours, this can only come about through the choice of " great and serious subjects " such as will at once rouse the imagination, exercise the reason, and call the emotions into play. But how is this happy restoration to be wrought ? Thomson's reply shows him unconscious of the change rapidly approaching nay, even then at work in the conditions of literature in England : his eyes and hopes are bent exclusively on patronage ! The revival of poetry must not be looked for " till some long-wished, illustrious man of equal power and beneficence rise on the wintry world of letters." Thirty years had yet to elapse before the passing-bell of the literary patron was tolled by sturdy Sam Johnson.

The story goes that Thomson handed a draft of ' Winter ' to a friend and brother-rimester, Mitchell, with a request for candid criticism. Construing the invitation with Caledonian direct- ness, the critic presently restored to the poet his manuscript with this succinct " appreciation " superscribed :

Beauties and faults so thick he scatter'd here Those I could read, if these were not so near. Whereupon Thomson, it is said, exploded in the following impromptu :

Why not all faults, injurious Mitchell ? Why Appears one beauty to thy blasting eye ? Damnation worse than thine, if worse can be, Is all I ask, and all I want, from thee ! Intercourse with " the town," however, soon abated this crude intolerance, as may be seen from the many verbal and structural alterations in successive editions of ' Whiter ' and its fellows.

Animal Romances. By Graham Renshaw, F.Z.S.

(Sherratt & Hughes.)

MR. RENSHAW'S material is excellent, as are the illustrations, selected entirely from his own photo- graphs ; but his style of writing puts us out of love with his book. We continually find words and incomplete phrases followed by a full stop. Indeed, this is a stop which the author overuses every- where. He has not realized that the present tense is equally dangerous as an aid to vividness. The details of scenery are also often tedious. If Mr. Renshaw had been more natural, he would have produced a much more agreeable book. As it is, we find the notes at the bottom of the page, which are written in ordinary English, a relief to the high-flown ambitions of the general narrative.

BOOKSELLERS' CATALOGUES. FEBRUARY.

MR. FRANCIS EDWARDS sends Part III. of his Cata- logue of Old English Literature, ranging from the Middle Ages to 1799. This part opens with Milton, among the items being the poet's copy of Muretu& with his autograph on the fly-leaf, 601. Under Montaigne is the copy which belonged to Diodati, who assisted Florio in his English translation of the essays, third edition, 1587, l'2l. Under Napoleon is a personal soiivenir, being his copy of the ' His- toire de la deruiere Guerre, 1775-83,' 4to, in the original calf, with the arms of Napoleon, Paris, 1787, 251. This belonged to the library at St. Cloud,, and was given to Sir William Howard Russell by the German Emperor at Versailles in January, 1871. There is a note by Russell testifying to this. Under ' Nuremberg Chronicle ' are two copies of the first edition. Under Paltock is the first edition of ' Peter Wilkins,' 9^. The late William Bates of Bir- mingham wrote on this work in 'N. & Q.' as early as 1 S. x. 17. Under Popish Plot is a collection of tracts and broadsides, 3 vols, folio, calf, 1679-88, 91. A fine copy of the first edition of Prynne's ' Histrio- Mastix,' 1633, is 51. 5s. This contains leaf 707-8, cancelled by order of the Privy Council. Under Purchas is the edition of 1625-6, 5 vols., folio, contemporary calf, 7W. There is a copy of Rosset's ' Les Histoires tragiques de nostre Temps,' 12mo, Paris, 1616, 51. This belonged to Scott, and con- tains the following note by him : " Rossetis quoted by Langbaine as containing the plots of many of our plays. It is so scarce in England that I have never been able to complete this copy." The imperfection referred to is pp. 49 to 68, which are missing. Under Shakespeare is a good set of the first four folio editions, in clean condition, tall and genuine. The price for the set is 3.200/. Mr. Edwards is, however, prepared to sell them separately. A set was recently catalogued at 7,OOW., and another lately crossed the Atlantic at 10,000/. Mr. Edwards says: "Of the first edition not more than 200 copies exist. Of these only about 20 copies are quite perfect." A first edition of Somerville's 'Chace,' a presentation copy to Dr. Freind, Head Master of Westminster, with two- long autograph letters, 1735, is 211. Under Spanish is a copy of the ' Romancero General,' a large col- lection of Spanish ballads. This is of the first known edition, and is in the original vellum, 1602, 90/. A first edition of both parts of ' The Faerie Queene,' 2 vols., small 4to, green morocco extra, 1590-6, is 1501. The rare first edition of Suckling's Water-Poet are his works, "collected into one volume by the author," folio, full morocco by Bed- ford, 1630, 151. For fifteen years Taylor was collector of wine perquisites for the Lieutenant of the Tower, and afterwards kept a public-house in Phcenix Alley, Long Acre. A fine copy of 'The Compleat Angler,' 1676, is priced 501. Under Wierix are 161 exquisite engravings on copper by this eminent Dutch artist, mostly from nis own designs, small 4to, calf, 151.
 * Fragments Aurea,' 1646, is 151. Under Taylor the

Mr. Charles E. Goodspeed of Boston, Mass., de- votes his Catalogue 64 to a collection formed for his own use, the result of ten years' search and accumulation, each volume having his own book- plate, designed and etched by Sidney L. Smith. This is a facsimile reproduction of Revere's 'Boston Massacre.' The arrangement of the Catalogue is according to the names of the engravers who illus-