Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 7.djvu/408

 400 NOTES AND QUERIES. [11 s. vn. may w, wis. "sooth," with the companion verb "soothe"; while the compounds of " sol "—few of which have arrived at stability—afford some amusing examples of attempts at word-making. A pretty dialect word going back to the seventeenth century, for which an instance is quoted from our Seventh Series, is " songle " (a handful of gleaned corn). The Athenaeum in 1892 is quoted for " songwright"—a word which we dp not remember to have seen anywhere else, and which, indeed, seems a little heavy for the making of songs. Words which have some odd, or picturesque, or exotic interest, such as " sofa," " soldan," " solomon-gundy," and " sollar "—the student will find good store of them as he turns these pages—must not cause us to forget the able handling of the colourless "so" and "some," the principal words of the kind that fall within this division. The latter especially struck us as admirably done. Les Originex Politiques des Guerre* de Religion. —Vol. I. Henri II. et I'ltoJie (1547-1555). Par Lucien Romier. (Paris, Perrin.) This is a first instalment of what should prove an important work. It is well documented, largely from unpublished matter, and the material is handled with skill, judgment, and some unusual degree of discriminating sympathy. The author, not without reason, is desirous of redressing the balance, which in most historical work upon the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries has dipped too constantly on the side of purely religious con- troversy and war. But the political preoccupations of the time also were absorbing and complicated, and in reference to these, quite as conspicuously as in reference to their attitude towards religious disputes, were the characters of a time singularly rich in vivid, active, and various personalities, determined and developed. The task M. Romier has set himself is the double one of ascertaining, first, what were the events and causes which led up to the political situation im- mediately preceding the wars of religion, and, secondly, what were the political parties and what their action at the end of that preliminary period. Practically, for the years covered by the volume before us, this resolves itself into a history of the Italian policy of Henry II. In dealing with the confusion of interests which this part of history presents, where the interaction of persons is so unusually quick, decisive, and many-sided, M. Romier shows himself possessed of an excellent gift of portraiture. His labours in the archives of so many cities, whence ho has drawn for us much that should throw new light upon several difficult problems, have by no means blunted—they have rather whetted—his keenness of insight as to the players in the changing drama. To discuss in de- tail the questions here raised, and the new matter offered, would take up several columns. We regret that we have not spaoe for more than this brief recommendation of a valuable and at- tractive work to the attention of our readers. Messrs. Karslake of Hampstead send us Parti, of Vol. X. of Book-Auction R ecords,, edited by Mr. Frank Karslake. The records in this part run from October to December last, and a good new feature consists of the sales of Baxter prints, to the increasing demand for which we referred on the 29th of March. Productions of the Arundel Society are also included. The highest price under Baxter was for 'Pictorial Casket of Coloured Gems,' printed in oil colours by Bradshaw 4 Blacklock, licensees, 32 plates, 5 guineas. Among the Ackermanns is a copy of ' The Microcosm of London,' in which there is a note by Croker stating that he " bought these volumes at the sale of Theodore Hook's books in 1841." Hook contemplated writing an account of the streets of London, and these volumes are filled with his notes. Matthew Arnold's 'Alaric at Rome,' original edition, realized 41/. There are a number of Bewicks. Among the Borrows is ' The Zincali,' first edition, 12k 5s. Boydell's ' Thames' fetched \l. 5s. Among British Museum Catalogues we find the 'Birds,' Vols. I.-XXVII.. 36/. The first edition of 'Jane Eyre' brought 27/.; but the first edition of Burns's ' Poems, chiefly in the Scottish Dialect,' 22TV. Under Byron we find 'Fugitive Pieces,' presentation copy, 4457. This is the earliest volume of Byron's poetry, the whole issue of which, with the exception of a very few copies, was burnt by the author, on the advice of the Rev. John Becher, immediately after it was printed. Only three other copies of the book are known to exist. There are autograph corrections throughout. It was reprinted in facsimile in 1886. Combe's works include ' The English Dance of Death,' 100i. The 'Records' open with 'Some Literary Asso- ciations of Salisbury,' by Mr. Hugh Macdonald ; and there are some 'Colloquialisms' by the editor, who evidently does his work as a true lover of books. Jiotitts to (EomspDttijfnts. On all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. We cannot undertake to answer queries privately, nor can we advise correspondents as to the value of old books and other objects or as to the means of disposing of them. A. M. ffytche.—Forwarded to querist. H. Lonsdale.—We would suggest direct applica- tion to the periodicals mentioned. Shakespeare's Monument in Westminster Abbey (11 S. vii. 349).—See 8 S. iii. 364; iv. 110. John T. Page. J. Landfear Lucas.—Many thanks for Report of Deputation to the Local Government Records and Museums Committee of the L C.C. against the proposed re-naming of Hampstead Road. L. G. R. ("Serendipity").— The appearance of this word on a shop in VVeBtbourne Grove was the subject of a query at 9 S. xii. 349, which at id. 430 elicited a full reply from Col. Prideaux. The word was discussed in the Fifth and Sixth Series at references quoted by Col. Prideaux. It is included in the 'N.E.D.' It is a word coined by Horace Walpole—with the sense of " the faculty for making happy discoveries by accident "—from " Serendip," an old name for Ceylon, alluding to a fairy tale 'The Three Princes of Serendip,' in which the heroes "were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of. Corrigendum. — Ante, p. 367, col."!, 1.27, for " Trefoidow " read Trefridow.