Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 2.djvu/467

 9 th S. II. DEC. 3, '98.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

459

trustworthy, and the most helpful guide to a know- ledge of Shakspeare that has appeared, a work the student is bound to possess and have under his hand for purposes of constant reference. We are the readier in according this praise, since, besides being bold and outspoken in all respects, and not hesitating, in Ben Jonson's phrase, "boldly" to " nominate a spade a spade " witness his trenchant dealing with the Collier forgeries, in which some benighted individuals yet confide Mr. Lee supplies unvaryingly his authorities. In so doing he shames some of the most influential among his predecessors, notably Halliwell - Phillipps, who, through some curious craze, not only failed to supply authorities, but refused to give them when the demand was made.

Writers on Shakspeare we know not quite how to call them, critics, commentators, interpreters, explorers, what not are an indefatigable and, perhaps it may be said, a cranky lot, with an exaggerated sense of the importance of their own views or discoveries, and with a corresponding contempt for those of others. It is certain, then, that a new-comer will be regarded as a trespasser, and that Mr. Lee will be bidden by some to retire from the Fashqda he occupies upon a spot claimed by others. Quite certain is it that his arguments, views, and assertions will be criticized and con- tested. It is right that this should be the case. There are points at which Mr. Lee's views, in spite of the mass of erudition and illustration by which they are backed up, do not altogether shake us in our prejudices or beliefs. Every point Mr. Lee brings forward is, however, carefully vindicated, and the amount of reading that has been brought to bear upon the subject is exemplary. As to the views Mr. Lee holds upon the share of Shakspeare in the authorship of various disputed plays, we find ourselves, as we have already stated in 8 th S. xii. 18, in complete accord, and we are disposed to assign high importance to his statements concern- ing those who were Shakspeare's collaborators in the production of various works.

The point of most serious import in the volume consists of the utterances concerning the Sonnets. A large amount of space is assigned the origin oi the Sonnets, the influences under which they were composed, and their value as autobiographica revelations. In regard to these things Mr. Lee dissents strongly from some recent writers. His opinion is that the Sonnets, as a rule, have little autobiographical value. Six Sonnets are scatterec through the collection in which there is traceable a " strand of wholly original sentiment." These are the Sonnets, easily traceable the keynote of which is struck in Sonnet cxliv., beginning,

Two loves have I of comfort and despair, in which Shakspeare rebukes his friend for winning the favours of Shakspeare's own beloved mistress Had the Sonnets as a whole expressed Shakspeare' personal passions and desires, his imagination woulc have carried them, Mr. Lee holds, far beyond the rather frigid limits of conventional compositions o the class. Petrarch had brought sonnets into vogue and a collection of those expressing imaginarj adorations, phases of unrest, and the like,^ was part of the equipment of almost every poet, English Italian, or French. Mr. Lee is at great pains t show how much Shakspeare's Sonnets have i common with those of Sidney, Drayton. Daniel and innumerable poets of the day, and brings t

he task of illustration a most Varied erudition, le shows in what forms a patron, such as was Southampton, was approached ; how men, address- ng other men, signed themselves lovers ; how they fleeted, while still young, to be suffering from ge ; in what conventional terms they lauded their mistresses ; what employment they made of con- eits : and how purely academical were their sighs and despairs. It is obviously impossible for us to llustrate the matter fully. We can but say that .n ingenious and a defensible theory is developed >y one who has studied closely his theme, and nas ought illustrations from the most remote sources. Ve have marked for special comment over a score lifferent points. How impossible it is for us to do ustice to all of these is at once evident. We can notice only one or two points on which error still )revails. Neither Burbage nor Hemminge was, as las been held until recently, a Stratford man. It is leld unlikely that Shakspeare was ever abroad, ilavenscroft asserts, 1678, that Shakspeare only gave some touches to ' Titus Andronicus.' ' The Merchant of Venice ' shows the last trace of Shakspeare's " dis- n the volume are the recognition awarded to Theobald, and, as has before been said, the relent- ess exposure of Collier's forgeries. The illustra- tions constitute a valuable addition to the book. As frontispiece is given a fine reproduction of the -ecently found Droeshout painting, supposed to have been engraved for the folios. Following this come a copy of the Devonshire bust of Shakspeare, in the possession of the Garrick Club, and one of a beau- tiful picture of the Earl of Southampton when a young man, from Welbeck Abbey. The remaining illustrations consist of reproductions of the auto- graphs of Shakspeare known to be genuine. Mr. Lee has given us a scholarly, fine, and trustworthy volume, a monument of patient study, intelligent interpretation, and assiduous research.
 * ipleship to Marlowe." Specially welcome features

The Romance of Book Collecting. By J. H. Slater.

(Stock.

As the compiler of a dozen consecutive volumes of ' Book - Prices Current ' Mr. Slater has paid the closest attention to recent book sales. His selec- tion for such a task shows that he was at the outset known as the possessor of bibliographical informa- tion. The erudition he has acquired has been turned to profitable account, and in addition to 'Book- Prices Current,' which we regard as his magnum opus, he has given us ' Early Editions,' ' Round and About the Bookstalls.' 'Ihe Library Manual,' ' Engravings and their y alue,' and lastly ' The Romance of Book Collecting.' Without furnishing many hints by which the purchaser or collector can benefit, it supplies much interesting and curious gossip more, indeed, than was to have been ex- pected, when it is thought how assiduously during recent years the ground has been gone over. Of the ten chapters constituting the latest book, the most interesting are chaps, ii., iii., and ix., deal- ing respectively with "A Comparison of Prices," "Some Lucky Finds," and "The Glamour of Bind- ings." Chap. iv. gives also, under a name which we are told is incorrect, "The Forgotten Lore Society," a history of a society established with the aim of collecting neglected treasures in any and every part of the kingdom. Such an institution holds out little promise. A single genuine collector will seize on every find that comes in his way, and ask for more. Real finds are, moreover, few, and a