Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 5.djvu/146

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. v. MAY, ui%

rhyme are of exceptional interest, and in chide a long account of the use of the rhyme in Shetland as a charm-formula against witchcraft. It is also recorded, that Mr. Cecil Sharp has printed three interesting American variants of " The Ten Commandments " in his ' English Folk-Songs from the Southern Appalachians,' published in 1917.

Miss M. Arkwright contributes a collection of songs from Kent, and Lady Ashton of Hyde a collection from Sussex. The Appendix co'nsists of a note by Miss Lucy Broadwood on " Bango," the miller's dog, which she connects w T ith the " bandog " of Shakespeare, Sir Thomas More, and Spenser. It will be seen that a feast of good things has been provided.

BOOKSELLERS' CATALOGUES.

MESSRS. MAGGS'S catalogues are always in- teresting, but no. 377, ' The Drama and Music from the Time of Shakespeare to the Nineteenth Century,' is of special importance. The frontis- piece is a facsimile of ' The True Chronicle History of King Leir,' " Printed by Simon Stafford for lohn Wright," 1605. This is de- scribed as " the only absolutely perfect copy known," and the price is correspondingly high 2,8501. The title-pages of the first four Shake- speare folios are reproduced, the first edition being priced 8501. ; three copies of the second, 450Z., 400L, and 2251. ; and the fourth, 1251. Several Shakespeare plays of later date may, however, be had for Is. (M. or 10s. Qd. ; and a copy of 'Double Falsehood,' which Mr. Oliphant'has been analysing in recent numbers of ' N. & Q.,' is offered for II. 5s. The first edition of Cowley's ' Loves Riddle,' written while he was at West- minster School, is said to be " the finest copy in existence " (240L) A great rarity is the first edition of ' The Death of Robert, Earle of Hun- tington, otherwise called Robin Hood,' by Munday and Chettle (3001.) ; and almost equally rare is the first edition of Preston's ' Cambises King of Percia,' alluded to by Falstaff in the First Part of ' Henry IV.' (425Z.). The numerous apt quotations scattered through the catalogue will be a pleasure to many who cannot hope to possess the volumes described.

MR. JAMES MILES of Leeds has many noteworthy items in his Catalogue 211, for May and June, such as the 10 vols. of the 'History of North- umberland ' issued by the County History Com- mittee, 1893-1914, 81. 15s. ; a complete set of The Yorkshire Archatoloyical and Topographical Journal, 24 vols., half morocco, 1870-1919, 112. 11s. ; a complete set of the publications of the Yorkshire Parish Register Society, 56 vols., in wrappers, 1899-1916, SI 8s.; Foster's 'Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire,' 3 vols. folio, half crimson morocco, largest paper, 1874, 10^. 10s. ; and 22 vols. of the two series of Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian Society, 16. 16s. Among general works may be mentioned the "National Edition" of Dickens including his letters and speeches, and Forster's ' Life,' with 850 plates, 40 yols., green sateen, 1906, 301. ; and Tassin's 'Plans et Protils de tontes les principals Villes de France,' 233 illustrations, halt calf, 1634, 61. 6s. The section on Yorkshire

Topography and History includes a number of illustrations of monastic ruins ranging from 2-s. 6o5. to 10s. Qd,

MESSRS. SOTHERAN have just produced another of their piquantly annotated catalogues no. 772,. ' Bibliotheca Viatica ' (5s. per annum). Many of the works included are supplemented by comments affording much solid information* such as condensed biographies of the authors ; but the annotator's pungent criticisms attract the reader irresistibly. Thus Harper's ' Half- Hours with the Highwaymen ' leads him to remark : " There were few more attractive roads to the gallows than taking to the road, or few more excusable, in the good old days when^you were hung just the same for stealing a few shil- lings in silver or a piece of cloth from a bleaching- ground. Indeed, compared with the stuffy knights of the shire who drenched the Statute Book with blood to protect their bribe-gained guineas, the knights of the road were not only picturesque but pleasing." Of McAdam's- ' Remarks on the Present System of Road Making ' he says : " His memory has been badly used, for the present way of tipping large-sized lumps of granite over the highway anyhow, and flattening it out by a steam-roller, *is only a.

caricature of his 'method A really good

macadamised road was nearly as dull to the eye and as wearying to the walker's feet as the foot- pathless tarred road of motoring banality to-day.'* The catalogue contains over 900 entries relating, to all kinds of methods of locomotion stage coaches in their prime, the earliest railways, the first book on cycling, a splendid series of coloured aquatint engravings >of early steamships [from drawings by William John Huggins (marine painter to George IV. und William IV.), Lunardi's- account of the first aerial voyage hi England 1784), motor-cars, and airplanes.

[Notices of other Catalogues held over.]

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WE cannot undertake to answer queries but we will forward advance proofs of answers received if a shilling is sent with the query; nor can we advise correspondents as to the value of old books and other objects or as to the means of disposing of them.

CORRESPONDENTS who send letters to be forwarded 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.

ST. SWITHIN thanks S. F. for his letter.

J. R. H. ("French leave"). The phrase was- discussed at 7 S. iii. 5. 109, 518.

REV. E. COCKER (Touching Wood). The origin- of this superstition was discussed at some length at 10 S. vi. 130, 174, 230, 476.

H. S. BRANDRETH (Pentagram in 'Faust'). The pentagram was a rive-pointed figure so drawn as to- represent a star. It was used as a mystic symbol and credited with magical virtues.

CORRIGENDUM. Ante, p. 107, col. 2, 1. 16, for "light " read eight.