Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 7.djvu/631

 10 s. VIL JUNE 29, 1907.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

519

nesse loseth his morsell," and "Q.Mary said before her death, that if they opened her, they should find Callis in her heart." A "Digression touching rash onsets and bravados" leads to a rebuke of "Sir R. Greenfield," called "Greenvill" in the note, for his inconsiderate bravery in a matter of which the world has heard much. His refusal to yield, though "beaten to fitters," was "a right antient Roman resolution, but somewhat too much varying from the true Christian Religion to draw a violent and sudden death on so many soules, for the better gracing of his particular errour."

Criticism is, however, deprecated when it takes the form of various inquiries as to why this and that was not done in the voyage to Cadiz, and is

answered with " our common English proverbe

which is : That one foole may aske moe qxiestions in one hour, than ten discreete men can well answere in five days." In " moe " the Elizabethan scholar will recognize a form of "more" well attested in Shakespeare. "Hapned" is a form of spelling which will appeal to some by its brevity.

London brewers are rebuked for " the careless brewing, as for the unseasonable stinking caske which they deliver, a fault much used among^ them, and too much tolerated, considering the infinite rate and gaines they make of selling Thames water, beyond all good order and proportions." In those days, it may be noted, there was an official the Ale-conner of the Ward, who looked to the sound- ness of liquor, on land at any rate. We do not now swallow Thames water with all its impurities, but the quality of "firewater" presented to the poor is one of the disgraces of the day. We are not so far ahead of the Elizabethans, who had good rules for sanitation, though they did riot keep them, just as some regulations to-day are notoriously in abeyance.

The classical tinge of these narratives is certainly out of date ; and our historians no longer adorn moral warnings by a reference to Hannibal's Capua or Paulus ^Emilius. Epigram has taken the place of instruction. No one, however, can accuse these Elizabethans of dullness.

A Spaniard who talked to Sir Arthur Gorges sneered at the English for taking soundings. His nation went by the heavens, the sun, stars, the use of art and instruments; whereas the English searched under water, being obliged to " scrape with Lead and Tallow to the bottome for Bankes, Sands and Shelves, as if you would rake Hell for instructions ; to find out the Channell, which you call the Sleeve, and yet for all your soundings, are oftentimes mistaken." Sir A. Gorges was equal to the occasion, and said something about " sounding Spanish Pockets " as well as the English Sleeve.

This little debate will show the racy character of much of the book. It ends with fulsome praise of King James, who "hath rooted out the wonted bar- barisme of Borderers, of Scottish Feuds, of English Duells, of Irish Bogges," and, being a most un- deniable and long-winded pedant, does not confine himself to apophthegme-flashes," but is "a Miracle and Oracle in "polemicall, politicall, proble- maticall, apocalypticall, positive Theology" and much else. He is, however, not fond of tobacco, and so his admirer expects from Virginia better commodities than the fragrant weed, keeping, indeed, judiciously clear of discussion as to that source of comfort.

The edition includes reproductions of ' Hondius his Map of England ' and another of Great Britain,

which are interesting in their evidence as to promi- nent towns. "Walderswyk" is the only place noted between Yarmouth and Ipswich. The towns mentioned on the line between Oxford and London are "Winsor" andAmersham. On the south-east coast Sandwich and Dover are followed by " Hyde," "Lyd," "Hastinge" and "Pemsey."

Poems of Tennyson. Selected, and with an Intro- duction by H. J. C. Grierson. (Jack.) THIS book belongs to the series of "The Golden. Poets," which in its excellent print and general get-up should attract the modern public, which apparently dotes on anthologies and selections of all kinds. The man of taste prefers to make his own selection, but the busy public may claim that it has not time t9 get through that study of poetry which alone entitles a reader with natural taste to decide what is excellent and what is not. This series has so far been edited by competent judges of poetry, and it is for this reason, rather than for the coloured illustrations it supplies, that we can com- mend it to the large body of readers who only know Tennyson, perhaps, in one or two poems which are recommended by their sentiment rather than their merit.

The Gentleman's Magazine for June reaches us- later than the rest of the magazines. We notice at the outset that it has more female than male con- tributors, but none of their articles is really notable. Lewis Melville, writing on ' George III. and Hannah Lightfoot,' has relied on the discoveries of our editor of former days, W. J. Thorns. There is, however,, no sound basis for supposing a marriage, the scanda- lous sources of information being of about the same authority as the late Historia Augusta ' concern- ing the Roman emperors. ' Some Aspects of the Devil in English Dramatic Literature' is an in- teresting study. In 'Leisure's Miscellany' Mr. H. C. Mlnchin draws on twenty-one stout volumes of commonplace books by an anonymous compiler who was apparently an Irishman. ' The Herbs of Good St. John,' by Maud E. Sargent, is a pleasant incursion into the realm of plant-lore and super- stition. The name of "Adam's flannel" for the mullein is new to us, and expressive. 'Charcoal Burning' is an illustrated article of an ancient craft which still lingers. The ' Retrospective Re- view' is devoted to Peacham's ' Compleat Gentle- man,' which was recently reprinted by the Clarendons Press, and fully deserved resuscitation. The ' Note- book' has found an amusing subject in the numbers^ from 1780 to 1783 of The Lady's Magazine. We read of the fashions of a bygone day, now rather mysterious in some details of dress; of the evil influence of amatory novels (which are abundantly provided to-day for the fair reader) ; and of a gentleman who at the age of 104 married in 1783 a lady of 19. We find that the usual obituary of the month no longer appears in this number. Notices of various learned societies and institutes are given, which prove pretty dull reading. Are not these records sufficiently accessible already in other publications ?

THE latest number of Folk-lore contains the eighth part of Mr. Cook's monograph on the European sky-god, followed by an account of the powers of evil in Jerusalem, by Mrs. H. H. Spoer. Among the reviews is one dealing with ' L Annee Socio- logique,' which contains a summary of the social habits of the Eskimo. This paper will attract