Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 4.djvu/79

 9* 8. IV. JULY 15, '99.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 59 ' Paradise,' the fourth of the ' Canzoniere,' and the fifth, which is not the least interesting or valuable, of studies and estimates. The translations preserve the same level of excellence as in the previous volumes, and, though not the equivalents of the poems they render, are as good as we are like to see. Translations from Dante are now as plentiful as blackberries will shortly become: and though many are meritorious, none will suffice to replace the original, a truism which, of course, every essayist in translating Dante—and who in these days is not such?—will concede. The weakest point in Dean Plumptre is the top frequent use of inversion. In describing the white rose of heaven, canto xxxi.. the rendering is both more stilted and less poetical than that of Dayman, which has not received full recognition. We cannot attempt a sustained com- parison of various versions. To take, however, one or two lines. The appearance of the hosts con- stituting the Candida roua is in part thus described: Le facce tutte avean di fiamma viva, E I ale d' oro e 1' altro tantp bianco, Che nulla neve a quel termine arriva. Thus rendered by Dayman :— Their faces had they all of living flame. And wings of gold, and all the rest of hue So white—was never snow could reach the same. Plumptre gives it, Their faces had they all of living flame, Their wings of gold, and all the rest was white, That snow is none such purity could claim, which is decidedly weaker, being more distorted. Cayley, again, says, Their faces all were like as living fire. Their wings were golden, and the rest so white, That never snows in whiteness mounted higher, which is still less happy. But one more rendering will we give. Longfeflow has, Their faces had they all of living flame, And wings of gold, and all the rest so white No mow unto that limit doth attain. The reader will say that there is not much to choose, and should we even give further illustra- tions, the same might with equal truth be said. More often, however, do we find ourselves agreeing with Dayman than any other, if not for accuracy, at least for happiness of expression. The illustration to this volume consists of Dore's 'Rose of Heaven.' that to the 'Canzoniere' of Giotto's portrait of Dante, and that to the notes of the Tomgiani bust. A noteworthy feature in this last volume consists of the ' Estimates.' In these it is pleasant to find early England, thanks prin- cipally to Chaucer, standing foremost. Few render- ings of Dante are prettier as books or more satis- factory in scholarship than this, the completion of which we gladly welcome. The New Town Hall and Municipal Buildings for Colchetter. By Wilson Marriage and W. Gurney Benham. (Privately printed.) COLCHESTER is setting a worthy example to other municipalities in endeavouring to make its town hall more interesting and historically suggestive than is usual in England. With some difficulty a grant of between thirty and forty thousand pounds Has been obtained for the erection of a now town hall, the foundation stone of which was laid by tho Duke of Cambridge on 31 October last. To judge from the picture, for we have not seen the structure, the new edifice is picturesque, handsome, and well proportioned, recalling some of the less elaborate of the Flemish Hotels de Ville. Public spirit has been aroused, and in connexion with the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty many handsome gifts have been made. The hopes of the municipal committee appointed for the purpose seem in a fair way of being realized. The account now issued is profusely illustrated. It may with advantage be studied by other corporations. The Merchant's Handbook of Monty, Weight*, and Meamrt*. By W. A. Browne, LL.D. (Stanford.) IN seventeen years Mr. Browne's handbook has gone through no fewer than five editions. Since the appearance of the fourth edition in 1892 great changes have been made in the monetary systems of various countries, and the metric system of weights and measures has been legalized in the United Kingdom. A new edition, embodying the results of these changes, was called for, appears, and is welcome. To the " Chiswick Shakespeare " has been added An You Like It, with an excellent frontispiece representing the wrestling scene and other charac- teristic illustrations by Mr. Byam Shaw, and with introduction and notes by Mr. John Dennis. The designs are generally good, and the edition remains very attractive and convenient. IN the Fortnightly the first non-political article is ' Souvenirs of some Court Favourites,' by the Countess of Cork and Orrery. That these souvenirs are not personal will be shown when we state that they deal with Marie Therese, Louise de la Valliere, Josephine Beauharnais, Ca/xjtte, and the like. It is a pleasant fantasy which we will not attempt to vulgarize. A well - known story concerning the prophecies of Cazotte is much altered. ' In the Twilight' is a characteristic contribution of " A Son of the Marshes." It is naturally very pretty and sentimental, though full of the odour of carnage. 'The Legal Advantages of being a Drunkard' is a capital title. The paper thus named is a plea for the punishment of drunkards. Madame Yetta Blaze de Bury rhapsodizes about Sarah Bernhardt, but supplies also some judicious criticisms. Mr. William Archer writes on the ' Plays of the Season,' and finds great encouragement in the success of pieces such as ' The Gay Lord Quex,' ' The Tyranny of Tears,' and 'Wheels within Wheels.' Con- tinuing an old feud, Mr. Archer has "his knife into" Mr. Henry Arthur Jones. Mrs. Margaret that naturally appeals very directlv to him. The recently published work of Mr. William Gibson furnishes him with a text. He is far, however, from accepting as a whole Mr. Gibson's conclusions concerning Lamennais. Mr. Heathcote Statham deals with ' The Academy, the New Gallery, and the Guildhall." The contents of the Fortnightly aro very pleasantly varied, and most of them are excellent.—The Nineteenth Century contains a paper by Prof. Dowden on "Die English Masque,' the subject of which has doubtless been suggested by the recent performance at the Guildhall of^ Beauty s Awakening.' Nothing very novel is written on the subject, but all that is said is well said. The masque itself is " a flower of Italian culture, but grafted on