Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 1.djvu/458

 450

NOTES AND QUERIES.

[9 th S. I. JUNE 4, '98.

wanting verses, title, portrait, four prelimi- nary and last three leaves, was sold " with all faults" to Mr. J. R. Smith for 42/. Size 12^x8 in. "All faults," unless my memory deceives me, which it very seldom does, meant that one or two of the early leaves were so brittle that they were covered with gold - beater's skin, to hold them together. The other two copies had many facsimiles (or reprints), and sold for 311. and for 211.

The prices brought by these First Folios show what they were. What had Lilly done with the "shelves full"? He often issued catalogues without a First Folio in any con- dition.

The two best of the above had been, one at a time, in two of his catalogues printed a short time before his death, one as part of a set of the four folios, but without a price which is not a commendable practice.

He had also one copy of the Third, and two each of the Second and Fourth Folios. That is, when he died he had altogether ten Folio Shakesperes. They average about two inches in thickness, and would all stand on twenty inches, or about half a shelf of average length.

No doubt small variations are to be found in Shakespere as well as in most other old books of any importance; for it was the custom to correct mistakes which met the eye as the sheets were worked off. There was no stereotyping then.

Those who picture Lilly taking down a number of First Folios from "shelves full" before him, gravely turning over the leaves, and comparing page with page, looking for variations of text, indulge in a fancy vision. It is much more probable he never read Shakespere through in his life. Whatever variations or peculiarities he might become aware of would not be " forgotten," but would be pointed out in his catalogue, where he could make money by them.

Within the last few days the Ashburnham copy has been sold for 585/. I did not see it knocked down, but a day or two afterwards, on expressing my surprise to Mr. Hodge that it had not made at least 800/., he said that after it was catalogued two or three small blemishes were discovered, which were sup- posed to detract from its value. It measured 12$ x 8 in. which, although a fraction smaller than the Burdett-Coutts and Perkins copies. I should prefer, because more shapely and better proportioned. Additional inches are very well, but, as Iras says in * Antony and Cleopatra,' the value of them depends upon where they are. Those two celebrated copies,

as I have pointed out before, are too narrow for their height. R. R.

Boston, Lincolnshire.

The copy of the First Folio in the Sydney Public Library, and its oaken case, referred to by PROF. LEEPER, were presented by Sir Richard Tangye. E. A. PETHERICK.

It was not I who, as PROF. LEEPER supposes, bought the copy sold at J. R. Smith's sale in April, 1867. My copy was indeed bought from him, together with the Second, Third, and Fourth Folios (all four being the property of J. O. Halliwell), in 1855. The First had three leaves the verses, title (lettering), and last page in facsimile. It was bound in green morocco with gilt tooling of Grolier pattern.

ALDENHAM.

GENTLEMAN PORTER (8 th S. xii. 187, 237, 337, 438, 478; 9 th S. i. 33, 50). MR. FYNMORE'S quotation (ante, p. 33) has led me to study the lists of the Royal Household,* with the result of subverting my previous conclusion that Gentleman Porter, Groom Porter, and Serjeant Porter were designations of one and the same officer. I do not find that the term Gentleman Porter was used in the Royal Household until the present century, but, as indicated by D. at the last reference, it may have been sometimes applied to the officer usually and simply called "The Porter" at all important castles and fortified places. The knight Sir Nicholas Wentworth was in 1544 " Porter of Calais,"t and on the other hand the officer at the Tower of London was in 1559 called "The Gentleman Porter "(' Cal. State Papers, Dom.'). Coming down to the present century, there was in 1822 a Gentleman Porter at Carlton Palace (sic)', and since c. 1830 there has been a Gentleman Porter with several subordinates in the Lord Steward's department of the Royal House- hold, apart from the Serjeant Porter and his under officers.

The Groom Porter and the Serjeant Porter were absolutely distinct individuals : the first was in the Lord Chamberlain's department, with a salary, in 1728, of 550L per annum ;

hold are found in Chamberlayne's ' Angliae Notitia,' which in the British Museum Catalogue (press-mark P. P. 3360) is shown to have had its commence- ment in 1668, and to have been continued at intervals of three or four years until 1755. 'The Royal Kalendar' (P. P. 2506 g), originally called 'The Court Kalendar,' and containing similar informa- tion, commenced its course in 1733, and has been annually issued up to the present.
 * The earliest printed lists of the Royal House-

t In his will he styles himself " Chief Porter of Calais."