Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 1.djvu/489

 9 th S. I. JUNE 18, '98.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

481

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE IS, 1898.

CONTENTS. -No. 25.

NOTES : Gladstone as a Verse- Writer, 481 Shakspeariana. 483-Whist in Early Ages, 484 Newington Butts Eng- lish Custom in Australia" Harrow," 485 Tea grown in Russia Hampton Court Palace" Paejama," 486.

QUEKIBS : " Hop-picker"" Horse-sense"" Doveale" Books at the Beginning of the Century Providence on

Flodden " There is a garden in her face" Folk-lore- Churches of St. Paul Heraldic Precedence of Chan- cellor of England, 488 ' Buondelmonti's Bride' "Nice fellows," 489.

BEPLIES : A Domestic Implement, 489 " Dannikins," 490 Faithorne's Map of London "God tempers the wind," &c. Nicknames for Colonies Restoration of Heraldry, 491 " Auld Kirk" Juvenile Authors French Psalter Nicholson Family Gladstone Bibliography Gloves at Fairs, 492 " Dewsiers" " Nynd" " Tiger' The Mauthe Doog Nathan Todd Anchorites-Theroigne de Mericourt Remembrance of Past Joy, 493-Origin of Expression "Shot" of Land. 494 Barrel of Gunpowder as Candlestick Sir Thomas Dale " Who stole the donkey?" 495 -Will Found Foot Measure "Are you there with your bears ?" Swansea, 496 'Veni, Creator Spiritus 'Rolls in Augmentation Office Hasted's Kent "Picksome" Processions, 497 Novel by Jean Ingelow Sir W. B. Rush, 498.

NOTES ON BOOKS : ' English Dialect Dictionary' St. Glair's Creation Records in Egypt ' Wills's W. G. Wills' Harrison's 'Some of the Women of Shakespeare' Whitaker's Naval and Military Directory.'

Notices to Correspondents.

GLADSTONE AS A VERSE-WRITER.

MR. GLADSTONE had many and widely different interests and sympathies, yet some who knew him as statesman and theologian may be surprised to hear that verse-writing was an accomplishment which he sedulously cultivated. An examination of dates would show that even in the midst of the cares of state and the stress of political warfare, he made time for, or found relief in, poetical composition. It was a habit that dated from his student days, and in this he did not differ from many other public men whose training has been 'that of the public school and the university. Too many of these, however, fail to retain more than a passive interest in literature. Few could venture to publish the versions they had made more than sixty years earlier. Mr. Gladstone worthily maintained the English tradition of literary statesman- ship which we hope will never die out.

Some of Mr. Gladstone's Eton verses ap- peared in the Contemporary Review of June, 1893, and in the second volume of the * Musse Etonenses,' 1869. But the chief result of his literary activity of that period is to be found in the Eton Miscellany which he edited, and to which he was in addition a very liberal

contributor. Arthur Hallam, who is im- mortalized in 'In Memoriam, was another of the contributors. The magazine is one of unusual ability, and shows that Mr. Gladstone already possessed in a remarkable degree the fluency and resource that distinguished him in after life. We do not readily think of Glad- stone as a humourist, but in his early verses there is evidence of a talent for the light vein of burlesque. Thus, in a mock-heroic 'Ode to the Shade of Wat Tyler,' we read :

I hymn the gallant and the good From Tyler down to Thistlewood ; My Muse the trophies grateful sings, The deeds of Miller and of Ings ;

She sings of all who soon or late Have burst subjection's iron chain,

Have sealed the bloody despot's fate Or cleft a peer or priest in twain.

Notwithstanding the obvious irony of these verses, they have been regarded as " revolu- tionary " in sentiment. The unexpected vein of humour is visible also in this :

SONNET TO A REJECTED SONNET. Poor child of Sorrow ! who didst boldly spring, Like sapient Pallas, from thy parent's brain, All armed in mail of proof ! and thou wouldst fain Leap further yet, and, on exulting wing, Rise to the summit of the Printers Press ! But cruel hand hath nipp'd thy buds amain, Hath fix'd on thee the darkling inky stain, Hath soil'd thy splendour, and defiled thy dress ! Where are thy ' ' full-orbed moon " and ' ' sky serene " ? And where thy "waving foam" and "foaming

wave " ?

All, all are blotted by the murd'rous pen, And lie unhonour'd in their papery grave ! Weep, gentle sonnets ! Sonneteers, deplore ! And vow and keep the vow you '11 write no more !

In July, 1836, Mr. Gladstone wrote a lengthy poem " On an infant who was born, was bap- tized, and died on the same day," but, with reticence rarely observed in these days, he did not publish it until 1871, when it appeared in Good Words (vol. xii. p. 365), thirty-five years after its composition.

There is a pretty Italian custom of printing and distributing among guests and friends wedding memorials. These editions per nozze sometimes consist merely of a few leaves, often on paper or in ink of unusual colour, fastened together by a gay ribbon, whilst occasionally they are handsome and im- portant works. It is possible that Mr. Glad- stone's acquaintance with the custom may have suggested a book which appeared in 1861 and came to a second edition in 1863. This later issue is a small quarto of 205 pages, and is entitled ' Translations, by Lord Lyttel- ton and the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone,' second edition (London, Bernard Quaritch, 1863). The place of a dedication is occupied