Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 4.djvu/466

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NOTES AND QUERIES. ui s. iv. DEC. 2, 1911.

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A Thomas Hardy Dictionary : 1he Characters and Scenes of the Novels and Poems Alphabetically Arranged and Described, by F. Outwin Saxelby '(Boutledge), is a very capable guide to the subject,
 * and should be of considerable use to those who

wish to refresh their memories concerning some story, locality, or incident. Synopses are pro- vided of all the novels and stories, and the details as to prototypes are presented with care. In some cases there is no exact original, or some detail has been added which does not belong to it _ a fact which distresses the crowd of commen- tators who hang round a classic, but not the people who realize that a great novelist is an artist.

Altogether, this seems to us the best of the literary dictionaries which Messrs. Routledge have produced of late years. There is a good Bibliography, including plays founded- on the novels, and articles and books on Hardy and Wessex. Among the plays we do not see mention of a drama derived from ' Tess,' and it was certainly not of memorable quality.

The brief ' Biographical Sketch ' says of Mr. Hardy : " His special studies, apart from his profession, were the Greek and Roman classics, and evidence of their strong influence on his mind is to be seen in his work." This is true, and a point not often noted, though plain to any one who, like the present reviewer, has made a study of Mr. Hardy's range of literary allusion.

Vol. II. of The Correspondence of Jonathan Swift, edited by Dr. F. Elrington Ball (Bell), is as excellent as its predecessor, and should establish the work in the favour of all those who like a thing thoroughly well done, yet without any fuss or parade. Swift's private hopes and fears, his likes and dislikes, his friends and enemies all are exhibited before us in his correspondence the term including letters to as well as from him. There is a curious interchange of letters in 1713 between Steele and Swift, the latter conceiving himself injured by the remarks of the former in his new paper The Guardian. Swift has the best .of it, though Steele plies a pretty pen on his own behalf. Miss Esther Vanhomrigh writes lively letters full of concern for her admirer, and seems .of the present century when she asks Swift, who has a bad head, not to be persuaded " to take many slops." In 1713 begins a correspond- . ence with Arbuthnot, a man of admirable humour and feeling, who deserved the love of his friends. Pope, Gay, and Prior are bright letter- writers, but Archbishop King, who occupies a good deal of space, is decidedly dull. The volume exhibits Swift's character better than a dozen fancy biographies, and is admirably edited, the notes at the bottom of the pages giving all the explanations and references that are required.

King Arthur in History and Legend, by W. Lewis Jones, is one of the " Cambridge Manuals of

-Science and Literature" (Cambridge University Press), which seek to provide summaries of knowledge by experts. Prof. Lewis Jones, following the lines of a chapter contributed by him to ' The Cambridge History of English Literature,' gives in his 137 pages an idea of the

.evidence concerning Arthur's personality and

legendary fame. Those who have gone at all seriously into Arthurian questions know how much of the mist of conjecture and rival theories involves the famous figure. We can but make the best of obscure hints, and are hampered everywhere by doubts and contradictions. A sound basis for inquiry, with references to authori- ties is at least provided by this judicious and clearly written little book, which gives students a fair idea of the difficulties before them. The author has probably more definite views than he has stated, e.g., concerning sites associated with King Arthur, but he is wise in not being dogmatic on such points.

MAJOR H. R. PHIPPS has just published Notes on Phipps and Phip Families in England, Ireland, the West Indies, and New England. The present pamphlet (Part I. ) deals with Phipps of Notting- ham and Reading, 1570 to 1700, and, as several queries have appeared in our columns on the subject, our readers may be glad to know that Mr. Henry Gray, of 1, Churchfield Road East, Acton, has a few copies of the pamphlet on sale. Major Phipps has now worked out his pedigree from 1570 onwards without a break, and uses arms which date back to 1664.

THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL added to their memorials a few days ago a bronze tablet at 8, Canonbury Square, Islington, where Samuel Phelps lived from about 1846 to 1867, and a lead tablet at 28, Newman Street, Oxford Street, where Thomas Stothard lived from 1794 until his death in 1834.

EDITORIAL communications should be addres&ed to "The Editor of ' Notes and Queries '"Adver- tisements and Business Letters to " The Pub lishers " at the Office, Bream's Buildups, Chancery Lr.ne, E.G.

CORRESPONDENTS who send letters to be for- warded to other contributors should put on the top left-hand corner of their envelopes the number of the page of 'N. & Q.' to which their letters refer, so that the contributor may be readily identified. Otherwise much time has to be spent in tracing the querist.

To secure insertion of communications corre- spondents must observe the following rules. -Let each note, query, or reply be written on a separate slip of paper, with the signature of the writer and such address as he wishes to appear. When answer- ing 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. Correspondents who repeat queries are requested to head the second com- munication " Duplicate."

P. W, A. ("Do the work that's nearest," &c.). Charles Kingsley, 'Invitation to Tom Hughes.' See 10 S. iv. 38.

E. J. T. A letter to be forwarded shonld bear a penny stamp.

CORRIGENDUM. Ante, p. 366, col. 1, 1. 9 from foot, for " Buntington " read Burlington.