Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 1.djvu/231

 12 s. i. MA*, is, 1916.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

225

Possibly it is some palliation that addressing letters to oneself is not an unknown eighteenth-century trick. However this may be, the justification for publishing Mr. St. Barbe's " find " lies only in the light it throws on Fielding. It provides yet another example of his consummate ability in selecting, with unerring subtlety, traits from a friend's character wherewith to build up a model parson, and in shading off those less creditable to human nature ; and doing this in so masterly a manner as to leave no suspicion of blemish in the original source. To express the position in apter words, that is to say in Dr. Saintsbury's, Parson Adams was " an example in humanity, not so much copied from life into literature, as passing direct from literature into life."

The fact that Mr. Young was a Romsey schoolmaster throws light on the discussion on school discipline (' Joseph Andrews,' iii. 5), and on the remark that "if this good man had an enthusiasm, or what the vulgar call a blind side, it was this : he thought a schoolmaster the greatest character in the world, and himself the greatest of all schoolmasters."

As Adams is introduced into the story as the village curate merely, Fielding's observation has appeared heretofore a little inconsequent.

J. PAUL DE CASTRO. 1 Essex Court, Temple, E.G.

CHARLES DICKENS AND MICHAEL KELLY. I have recently been reading the " Reminiscences of Michael Kelly, of the King's Theatre, and Theatre Royal Drury Lane, including a, period of nearly half a century ; with original anecdotes of many distinguished persons, political, literary, and musical," 2 vols. 8vo, London, 1826.

In the author's account of his early life while studying music in Italy there occurs this passage, which may be of sufficient interest to note in your admirable paper :

"... .But in an instant, I was seized; and, for

the heinous crime of returning a blow, was hurried

to prison, and left there amongst culprits of every

description. My entree seemed to create a bustle

amongst them, and I felt myself a personage of

importance .... One of them had been a Captain

of Calabrian banditti, previous to which he had

been the hero of the pickpockets on the Largo di

Castello at Naples. He told us many of his

exploits, and something of his education. When a

boy, he had been placed at a school, where his

trade was regularly taught. A large figure made

of straw, was placed in the middle of the room,

about which were arranged watches, trinkets,

pocket handkerchiefs, &c., &c. The master of the

ihool (and a very great master of arts he was)


 * ood by and gave instructions. No one was

llowed to be an adept, or fit to take the field, till

e could rob the figure without being observed, or

deranging a single straw."

The similarity existing between the fore- going and a famous scene in ' Oliver Twist *' will readily be apparent :

" When the breakfast was cleared away, the merry old gentleman and the two boys played at a very curious and uncommon ga me .... The merry old gentleman, placing a snuff-box in one pocket of his trousers, a note-case in the other, and a watch in his waistcoat pocket, with a guard chain round his neck, and sticking a mock diamond pin in his shirt : buttoned his coat tight round him, and putting his spectacle-case and hand- kerchief in his pockets, trotted up and down the room with a stick. . . .he would look constantly round him for fear of thieves, and would keep slapping all his pockets in turn, to see that he hadn't lost anything. .. .All this time the two boys followed him closely about : getting, out of his sight, so nimbly, everj time he turned round, that it was impossible to follow their motions. At last, the Dodger trod upon his toes, or ran upon his boot accidentally,, while Charley Bates stumbled up against him. behind ; and in that one moment they took from him, with the most extraordinary rapidity, snuff- box, note-case, watch-guard, chain, shirt-pin^ pocket-handkerchief, even the spectacle-case^ If the old gentleman felt a hand in any one of hi& pockets, he cried out where it was ; and then the game began all over again."

Michael Kelly died in 1826, when Dickens was only twelve years of age, and the greater- part of ' Oliver Twist ' did not appear until some eleven years later, when it ran through Bentley's Magazine, of which " Boz " was at that time editor. Did Dickens plagiarize Kelly in this instance ? Surely it is not improbable to suppose that the novelist,, with his great love for the stage and things theatrical, read Kelly's ' Reminiscences ' some time between 1826 and 1837, and, wittingly or unwittingly, made capital out of this story ?

When a somewhat highly coloured drama- tic version of ' Oliver Twist ' was put on at the Lyceum Theatre by the Brothers Melville some few years since, Fagin was played by that admirable character - actor Albert Ward, and he introduced some business which, if my memory serves me rightly, was almost identical with the Kelly narrative. I believe that in theatrical ircles it was considered in the light of arx. innovation. C. EDGAR THOMAS.

Sion College.

DR. RICHARD HALL, 153-?-! 603/4. Mr- Joseph Gillow (in his * Bibliographical. Dictionary of the English Catholics,' vol. iii.

p. 93) seems to think that this worthy became "a canon of St. Gery's, in Cambray," in or about December, 1576. It is clear, however*

rom a letter which he wrote from Mar- chiennes, " ex monasteiio S. Rictrudis 5Kal. Feb., 1573," to Cardinal Morone, that he had-