Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 9.djvu/205

 ii s. ix. MAK. 7, 1914.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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Molts 0tt 1800hs.

A Short History of London. By Kenneth H.

Vickers. ( Macdonald & Evans, 2s. 6U) IN a small volume of less than two hundred pages Prof. Vickers gives us a lively account of the de- velopment of London from the Roman settlement (for he lends no countenance to legends of a Celtic origin) to the beginning of the Victorian era. This little work has no claim to novelty, nor yet exactly to originality, but it is unmistakably the work of one who is entirely at his ease among "sources" and records, and draws from them rather than from histories. And the material which, though long since ready to the student's hand, is thus freshly taken possession of, is treated both with judgment as to selection and emphasis, and with energy as to the way in which it is set forth.

We do not remember to have seen anywhere a better-constructed popular account of the founda- tion and earliest centuries of the city than is given in the first chapter, and that on ' Norman London ' is both equally attractive and equally full of well- chosen detail. Especially valuable are the pages which explain the civic development of London, and the account of the short-lived London Com- mune, wrested by the citizens from John as the price of their aid against Longchamp. London in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries is de- scribed in three chapters on ' The Guilds and Com- panies,' ' Ecclesiastical London,' and * Social and Political Upheaval.' The second is somewhat slight, and would have been considerably improved by a mention of some of the great ecclesiastical personages who were connected with London during the characteristically mediaeval period. The last of the three is, again, a piece of excellent popular writing.

Prof. Vickers seems to have 'lavished his chief resources, and himself to have most thoroughly

among whom inquiries concerning Whittingtbn crop up again and again, may like to know that, while Prof. Vickers rejects the story of Bow Bells, he does not find that of Whittington's cat, his mascot, incredible. In the Bow Bells legend he sees an indication " how it was only determination and confidence in his destiny that made a man a successful trader in the growing competition of that day." We think there should be added to this a recognition that the legend, whether true or not, proves the high imaginative power of Whit- tington since if an invention, it is a tribute to what his fellow-citizens perceived in him of that quality. It was surely as much to that " magnetism " which waits on high imagination, as to mere commercial ability and determination, that he owed the posi- tion he gained in his own London, and in the memory of later days.

The closing chapters of the book and particularly If they prove in some degree unsatisfying, it is because the material with which they have to deal has become too vast to be treated adequately within the scope the author proposed to himself. Nevertheless, we should heartily recommend them to any one who is attacking the history of London
 * The London of John Stow 'deserve warm praise.

from Elizabeth onwards for the first time. There is a fairly good Index. If, as we should hope, a second edition is called for, we would suggest, in addition to the chapter on Modern London which Prof. Vickers proposes, a short, carefully considered bibliography 'and a map.

Coppersmiths in Liverpool and Birkenhead. y Andreas (Mui Shuko). (Liverpool, Young

& Sons, Is. net.)

THIS little book gives particulars of the author's visits to the Gipsy Coppersmiths while they were in Liverpool, and vividly describes their manners and customs. The portrait of " Uncle Kola " shows a man tall and powerfully built ; his dress is a dark-blue coat and waistcoat, with enormous buttons, splendid examples of the silversmith's craft, while his baggy trousers are decorated with wide stripes of white, green, and red. " Intellec- tually he is a giant." He wears his finery with effect, supporting himself by a five-foot staff, almost covered with silver, on which shine countless little images of Buddha. He is re- ported to be worth 30,000?. " With his pockets well lined with money, he neglects to buy table cutlery, tears his portion of bread from the loaf,, and scrapes it clumsily on the butter dish." He has now removed his kingdom to Brazil. The author not only visited the gipsies, but invited: them to afternoon tea, at which they behaved with good manners and self-possession.

Some of the articles have appeared in The Bazaar, Manchester Guardian, and The BirJcenhead News. They are all bright and fresh.

A Primer of English Literature. By W. T~ Young. (Cambridge University Press, 2s. net.) WE commend to Mr. Young's readers and to future compilers of Primers the words with which he opens this useful guide : " The book is offered as a companion to studies, not as a short cut to a superficial knowledge of the classics of our language. It does not seek to pronounce- any final criticism, or to dictate on matters of judgment or taste, for these are disservices a teacher can render to a student."

This Primer is a model of what such a book should be : it leads the student in a pleasant way through all the stages of English literature, from before the Norman Conquest to the close of the Victorian age ; and although it is condensed into 200 pages, Mr. Young's pleasant style saves it from the dullness of a mere chronicle.

The Manual of Heraldry. Edited by Francis J.

Grant, Rothesay Herald. (Edinburgh, John

Grant, 2s. net.)

WE are glad to see this revised edition, called for by " the great revival which has taken place in the study and appreciation of the Science of Heraldry." The first chapter is devoted to the origin of coats of arms, and is followed by par- ticulars as to the right to arms, arms of alliance, and arms of affection, such as have been as- sumed out of gratitude to a benefactor.

In reference to the old royal banner of the Scottish Kings, Mr. Grant points out that a practice has arisen in recent times of flying it in the mistaken idea that it is the national flag. " This not only displays a lack of historical know- ledge on the part of the persons who do so, but it is illegal, as it is the exclusive property of the sovereign [like the English Royal Standard],