Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 10.djvu/563

 i2.8. x JUHB n. 1022.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 461 LONDON. JUNE 17. 1922. CONTENTS. No. 218. NOTES ; Thomas Ftognal Dibdin, 461 Marat in England, 4B:j The Chesapeake and Shannon, 465 Mutations of ( ild Katc-lift'e, 466 The Cutty Sark Flat Candle Dyarchy, 467 Old Law of Derbyshire Lead-mining, 468. QUERIES :- A Drought The London Mounted Police The Hands of a Clock" Hampshire Hogs " Waldegrave and Wentworth Families John Emery's Songs. 468 The Church of England Magazine Evelyn Query : Picture by Murillo Anthony Waite Cotes of Cotes Waddon Henry Blacket John Stackhouse Caxton Advertisement Dowding Drummond, 469 Thomas Denton Downman's ' Lady Gordon ' Dr. Crotch Chester Monastery William Bragge's Collection of Books about Tobacco Brooke Anns "Mother Anthony" "Cannot away with" Opinions on Prussia : References wanted, 470 Authors wanted, 471. REPLIES : A Curious Deed of Obligation, 471 Tailless Cats Apprentices to and from Overseas Prisoners who have survived Hanging, 472 Eighteenth Century German Principalities Salad Sea-serpent Stories " Sapiens dominabitur astris " The Woe Waters of Wharram-le- Street " Love " in Place-names Bredon Hill, 473 Rayment London Inns Adrian Stokes Mount Morgan Pudens Arms and Crest : Llangollen Identification of Arms sought " Dowle " " Intue," 474 Subscriptions for Polish Dissidents Equilincar Squares Hubert de Rie and Fulbert of Dover Early Victorian Literature, i75 Yorkshire Use of " Thou "American Civil War The Birmingham Harcourts Hungary Water Oldest Half- penny Evening Newspaper, 476 Barrel Organs in Churches Sir John Bourne Superstitions concerning Salt, 477 Wroth Family Brass Ornaments on Harness London Clockmakers, 478. NOTES ON BOOKS : ' Medieval France ' ' Tudor Consti- tutional Documents ' ' Twinings in the Strand.' Notices to Correspondents. THOMAS FROGNAL DIBDIN. VERY few collectors, or even lovers of old books they are not always synonymous can escape the influence of this bibliomaniac who, by his books and praise, made a scholar's pursuit into a fine art, and, in some measure, a commercial speculation. It is to be inferred and feared that some of his contemporaries amassed books and became learned in their value and qualifications without caring much what the author had to impart. Perhaps it will be claimed that this type of book amasser has passed ; but he persists, although less obvious or para- mount, and though there is to-day a larger number of scholarly collectors than Dibdin thought possible. Yet one may sometimes be thankful to the memory of the worthy exploiter of the cult of book-collecting. He wrought good by awakening an interest in the preservation of much that had been neglected. Even in the reaction and from Dibdin's enthusiasm and excessive praise a setback was inevitable there was no return to the negligence possibly best described as " pre-Roxburghe." So great was Dibdin's influence and apparent zeal that his motive may be sought. He was not a book -dealer, to gain by enhanced market values, nor associated with others in a " knock-out " conspiracy to penalize both the vendor and. buyer. Apparently his sole quest was patronage and influence, though the support of those able to influence and the consequent sale of his books pro- vided a reward not always commensurate with the exertion. The following letter is transcribed at length, as it best reveals the real Dibdin and his ambitions. It is addressed " To The Revd. Dr. Bliss, New College Lane, Oxford," from " Newmarket, October Ten, 1824," and franked " I. Douglas." The addressee is, of course, Dr. Philip Bliss, Bodley's Librarian. A few of the allusions are identified by inter- polated notes. Exiling Vicarage, Newmarket, Oct. 9, '24. MY DEAR BLISS, Walking in my rough rochelaure, this morn- ing, in my little kitchen garden, and giving instructions to an old fellow of 75 to transplant some box your letter was put into my hands just as the clock struck 8. I opened it with avidity, and you will anticipate the observation that the perusal of it gave me pleasure and pain. First, for the pain. It is only in instances and on occasions, like the present, that the ". mens conscia recti " the assurance and conviction of both thinking [and] acting aright befriends and sustains a man, so as to carry him through every imputation however harsh, and every inference however unjust. But to the point. Tell Bandinel, and tell him directly and strongly, from myself, that the omission of his name, labours, and reputation in my book, was purely and entirely accidental : without, first of all, supposing that either could be promoted by its insertion, or either injured by its omission. The fact, however was, and is, that his name, to any professed bibliographical work, is not before the public : and as to the omission of it in the Monasticon Anglicanum, that arose from pure ignorance, as I only read the title from some announce) ment], and have never seen the title page but the numbers I regularly see. However, Harding is more to blame than myself in this busi- ness, for that sheet was cancelled and he had the revision of the whole : not that B.'s name appeared in the previous one. Of course, I shall take special care to insert it in the new and forthcoming edition. TJu >n. as to Clarendon. Had I known what you now tell me, I could have joyed to have rendered justice to his valuable labours : and as to Gough's Topographical Library you'll see and he shall see, how he will be " encadre