Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 3.djvu/131

 11 S. III. FEB. 18, 1911.;

NOTES AND QUERIES.

125

' THE MINOR ' AND ' THE METHODIST.' Mr. Percy Fitzgerald, in his recent biography of Samuel Foote (pp. 187-8), in discussing ' The Minor,' repeats the oft-repeated story of the Archbishop of Canterbury and his connexion with that farce, as follows :

" Not unnaturally, it went round that he [Foote] had offered to submit the piece to the Archbishop of Canterbury's perusal. On. the instant it was humorously forecasted that Foote would gravely issue an announcement that it had been revised *by his Grace the Archbishop, who would thus be accountable for Mother Cole and other enormities. His Grace was shrewd enough not to fall into the trap, as it was considered to be. Foote's jest on the Archbishop of Canterbury was well founded, for he strove hard to prevent the piece," &c.

To this perfectly clear recital of well- known facts the biographer appends the following mystifying foot-note :

" I confess that I cannot see the point of Foote's jest of opposing ' Tom Cant.' by ' Tarn Cant.' What was ' Tarn Cant ' ? "

Yet it will be seen that " Foote's jest on the Archbishop of Canterbury was well founded."

If Mr. Fitzgerald had made a careful examination of his own reference, he would have been " shrewd enough not to fall into the trap." In a letter dated 24 November, 1760, to George Montagu, Horace Walpole refers to the attempt by the Archbishop of Canterbury to prevent the licensing of ' The Minor.' The letter closes with, " Foote says he will take out a licence to preach, Sam. Cant against Tom Cant." It would seem hardly necessary to point out that, at that time, Thomas Seeker was Arch- bishop of Canterbury and that the pun is on the abbreviation " Cant."

Oddly enough, John Former (' Historical and Biographical Essays,' p. 373) makes exactly the same mistake as Mr. Fitzgerald ; but, in his case, it would seem that it was a typographical error.

By a curious slip on my part, the whole point of my note respecting the authorship of 'The Methodist' (see US. ii. 526) has been lost. In the last line for ' The Method- ist ' read ' The Minor.'

WATSON NICHOLSON.

Authors' Club, S.W.

PENN MEMORIAL, ST. MARY REDCUFFE, BRISTOL. L. M. R. is wrong in assuming (ante, p. 58) that this inscription has not appeared in any printed book. So early as 1861 it was printed in George Pryee's ' Popular History of Bristol,' and I dare say it is in other local books, for naturally a

great deal of matter has been printed about Admiral Penn and the famous church. Mr. Pryce's work is distinguished by the number of copies of memorial inscriptions and epitaphs it contains. I do not think Canon Maud, the present Vicar of St. Mary Redcliffe, would object to the churchyard inscriptions being copied by any respon- sible person for the excellent purpose indi- cated by L. M. R. St. Mary's is such an important church in all respects that several monographs have been written upon it by local historians, but it has not yet been included in Bell's admirable series o cathedrals, abbeys, &c., I believe.

CHARLES WELLS. 134, Cromwell Road, Bristol.

DOMENICO CAGNONI. This prolific en- graver, dismissed in the new edition of Bryan's ' Dictionary ' with four lines as an engraver of " little celebrity," is the subject of an exhaustive article, with many illustra- tions, in II Libro e la Stampa, July-December, 1909, pp. 107-24. In the course of the article it is stated :

" Quest' artista veramente geniale, la cui vita, ci e nota soltanto in poca parte, e del quale ignori- amo cosl la data di nascita come quella di morte,. aveva senza fallo derivata dalla scuola veneziana,. onde proviene, quella delicatezza di disegno,. quella precisione di tratti, quella blanda venusta di forma, delle quali ha dato cospicui saggi nella sua ricca e svariatissima produzione, che dal 1754 giunge, non mai interrotta, sino al 1796."

According to a foot-note, there is no doubt that Cagnoni died at Milan in 1796, " ma la data esatta manca." His elder son Gaspare finished the work begun by his father. The titles of 75 books illustrated by Cagnoni are given in the bibliography. W. ROBERTS.

JAQTJET DROZ'S SPECTACLE MECANIQUE. (See 10 S. vi. 388, 495.) The following advertisements appeared in The Public Advertiser during 1776 :

Wednesday, 21 February :

At the Great Room, No. 6, King Street,

Co vent Garden, to be seen this day,

Spectacle Mecanique

Or, Mechanical Exhibition, From Switzerland.

Nature in this exhibition is rivalled by Art; one figure writes whatever is dictated to it, another draws and finishes in a masterly Manner several curious designs ; another plays divers Airs on the Harpsichorde. There is also a Pastoral Scene, in which is introduced a great Number of Figures : the Trees blossom and bear fruit, the Sheep bleat, the Dog barks, and the Birds sing ; each so distinctly imitating Nature that they exceed every account that can be given of them, not only for the Variety but for the Exactness ot their different Operations.