Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 4.djvu/462

 494 NOTES AND QUERIES. p* s. iv. i>w n w. Mr. Fitzgerald thinks that " the evidence of distance does not help us." It has not helped very much, certainly. "The 'Bull' waiter informed the Pickwickians that Muggleton was fifteen miles." "Fifteen miles to Muggleton — two miles further to Manor Farm," <fec. Where the " fifteen miles " come from is a mystery. The distance from Rochester to Muggleton is never men- tioned in ' Pickwick,' either by the waiter at the " Bull" or any one else. The waiter said it was " fifteen miles—cross road" to Dingley Deli. The party did not pass through Muggleton at all on the first journey. They went there for the cricket match, and Pick- wick had some first impressions to jot down " at a more convenient period " on that occa- sion. A hopeless moss of mistakes and con- tradiction the whole chapter is. It is eight miles, we read, from Rochester to Maid- stone. The party "had to walk the whole way ; yet they arrived late in the afternoon. No one could walk from Rochester to Maid- stone in that time" (about five or six hours !). If the question, Where was Muggleton ? is serious, perhaps the indications in the book might help. 'Up the street"—short journey —horses episode ; then " an hour's walk " to the red-headed man, whose abode was " better er seven mile " from Dingley Dell. But the whole question has a farcical turn, and has been taken too seriously. P. 63. "Where did Mrs. Cluppins live?" At the trial, near Mrs. Bardell; at the party to Harapstead, somewhere near Mrs. Raddle, in whose " cabrioily " she came. " Perhaps she had moved, though this is not likely." Why ? " She was clearly Mrs. Raddle's friend and neighbour." She was something more than either. She was Mrs. Raddle's sister. There is absolutely nothing to remark on once the details are corrected. P. 64. "'The Spaniards' at Hampstead. Boz calls it 'The Spaniard,'" &c. Every edition that I have seen has "Spaniards." _ P. 84. " Vith " twice appears for vidth (and visdom). _ P. 85. Another eulogy of Calverley's ' Ques- tions' ! It is useless to repeat that they nave been much overpraised — that they are not at all difficult, and not even always correctly quoted. But they are a tradition : they are, according to the " 1st prize " (Sir W. Besant), "a very real and searching examination"; and nobody cared, or cares, for minute accuracy, so the 'Questions' are famous. Prof. Skeat was second. P. 87. Among the "unexplained " things is " my Prooshan Blue." Mr. Lang's wonderful attempt is gravely put aside, as well it may be, but not gravely. Were not the " Prussian Blues" Frederick William's big grenadiers? What other " explanation " is required ? P. 88. "'Old Nobs' is just as reasonable as Hamlet's ' Old Truepenny.' ' Are you there, old Truepenny?' might have been said by Sam to his father, as Hamlet addressed it to his." Unfortunately, " Old Truepenny " is not Hamlet. Take away the non-existent " old," and is the thing a possible Wellerism ? P. 89. "The truculent Dowler figured before in'The Tuggs at Ramsgate' [sic] under the title of Capt. Waters." Like all Mr. Fitzgerald's excursions into the 'Sketches,' this is bold and original, but utterly wrong. Where are the points of resemblance ? P. 97. When Jingle eloped with Rachael, Wardle said that the fat boy was "under some delusion." Later, at Osborne's Hotel, in the Snodgrass affair, he " insisted that he was drunk. So here were the incidents re- peating themselves." This is very funny. Has Mr. Fitzgerald compared the two inci- dents ? The above version of the first is certainly original. P. 98. Who was the other " keeper " at the September shooting ? P. 102. In a chapter on "Violent Assaults, Shooting, &c," the author returns to a well- worn theme, and handles it as boldly as ever. A few lines will best show this :— "Mr. Pickwick met him with a cordial 'come on,' throwing himself into a pugilistic attitude, supposed by the two bystanders to have been intended as a posture of defence. This seems to have been accepted as a natural incident, though it was deprecated. In the Fleet Prison, when Mr. Pickwick s night-cap was snatched off, he retorted with a smart blow, and again invited every one, 'all of you,' to 'come on.' When the coachmen attended Sam to the Fleet, walking eight abreast, they had to leave behind one of the party ' to fight a ticket-porter.'" New Calverleys should write passages like this, and put them in for correction. Three incidents are dealt with, every one incorrectly. The way the whole point has been missed in writing "pugilistic" for paralytic is, in the author's words, " rich enough." So is the awful "piece of money" (p. 104) which he has read into ' Pickwick.' P. 109. Wardle did not live at Muggleton. P. 110. It was not Winkle who blamed it on the salmon. P. 111. The Christian name of Nupkins, George, is given in the book, though Mr. Fitzgerald does not seem to know it. Who were "Mr. and Mrs. Slummin Towken and Mr. Slummin Towken, jun."? These are generally matters of fact,