Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 5.djvu/309

 s.v. APRIL 21, loco.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

301

LONDON, SA TVRDA F, APRIL tl. 1900.

CONTENTS. -No. 121.

NOTES : Cowper Centenary, 301 Moated Mounds, 309 Caxton's Good Priest- Colours of the Foe, 310 "Shot" Shakespeare's Prose Roumanian Place-names, 311 Barns Elms House- Lando " Ne pas valoir," &c. Link with the Past Dante's Vision W. Scafe, 312 Aldersgate ' Three Sister Arts ' Kindness to a Mother Gladstone Tablet, 313 Morecambe " Aberr," 314.

QUERIES : Burnet MSS. Armorial Sir A. Pitches Unicorns R. WhitcombeF. Chettell Gladstone and De Quincey, 314 Anti-Jewish Survival John Wilkes, M.P. " Salutation Tavern " Mazes cut in Turf " Redneck " Hannah More - Grosvenor MSS. Escape of Admiral Brodrick, 315" No deaf nuts "Cope of Hanwell Griffits Pownoll and Gennys - Bucth Mounde c mere Manor Stafford Family " Stand the racket" 'The Weariii' o' the Green,' 316 Authors Wanted, 317.

REPLIES : -Artists' Mistakes, 317 Church in Canterbury, 319-Derlication by Author to Himself Holbein Gateway Log-rolling Governor-General of Madras Box-irons Anglo-Saxon Speech Shares in Merchant Ships, 320 " Worst "Depreciation of Coinage Men wearing Kar- rings Maundeville, 321 Brothers with same Christian Nam* Shepherdess Walk, 322 ' Evolution of Editors' "Far cry to Loch Awe" "Hirst" Smock Marriages Adderley, 323" Doctor " Reclamation of Traeth Mawr " Pineapple "- Tom-all-Alone's " Up," 324 Plashed Hedges Vice- Admiral Mawdesley Family' ' Hippin," 325 -Will of Thomas Guy Mail Shirts Faggots for burning Heretics, 326.

NOTES ON BOOKS :-Shaw's 'History of the English Church' Fishwick's 'Pleadings and Depositions in the Duchy Court of Lancaster ' Wallace-James's 'Deeds relating to East Lothian ' James's ' Sources of Arch- bishop Parker's Collection of MSS.' "Chiswick Shake- speare " ' L'lntermgdiaire.'

Notices to Correspondents.

THE COWPER CENTENARY.

THE celebration at Gluey of the hun- dredth anniversary of the poet's death pro- mises to commend itself to all lovers of Cowper. Mr. W. H. Collingridge, who was born in the Cowper house, and has presented it to the town, purposes further to com- memorate the centenary by founding a museum of Cowper relics, to be placed in the famous parlour and Cowper's hall, the room to be used as a public library. Mr. Colling- ridge has for years been diligently collecting, and the result of his labours is to form what he modestly terms " a nucleus " for a Cowper and Newton Museum. The MSS. include a few of Cowper's and John Newton's, and the diary kept by Samuel Teedon. This extends from October, 1791, to February, 1794, and contains many references to the poet and to Mrs. Unwin. The celebration is to be marked by an address from Mr. Clement Shorter, who is at work on a life of Cowper ; the Dean of Canterbury is to preach ; and the children of Olney, wearing favours of buff and green (Cowper's colours), are to take part in the general proceedings, at the close of which each

child will receive a copy of the biography of Cowper kindly presented by the Religious Tract Society. It is also suggested that on the previous Sunday Cowper's hymns should be sung in all churches and chapels. It is pro- posed that a Cowper Society should be formed. My friend Mr. Collingridge considers it strange that Olney is still almost as little known to the inhabitants of London as it was in John Newton's time, and begs admirers of Cowper to take the short journey of sixty miles, when they will find the house in which the poet wrote "The Task,' the 'Olney Hymns,' and * John Gilpin,' the tiny summer- house " not much bigger than a sedan chair," and the old church, dating back to the four- teenth century, where Newton laboured for six- teen years before he was appointed to St. Mary Woolnoth. It will be remembered that his remains and those of his wife, on their re- moval from the vaults of St. Mary Woolnoth on the 24th of January, 1893, were reinterred at Olney. Weston Lodge, only a mile distant, where Cowper lived for ten years, should also be included in the visit. It is situated in the midst of beautiful scenery. Upon the shutter in the bedroom occupied by Cowper may still be seen faintly pencilled : Farewell, dear scene, for ever closed to me ; Oh ! for what sorrows must I now exchange you?

I have taken advantage of the Olney celebration to make a selection from the contributions on Cowper in Notes and Queries, which I hope may prove accept- able. The memoir in the 4 Dictionary of National Biography' contains many refer- ences to Notes and Queries and a complete bibliography. This includes the Aldine edition, edited by John Bruce, who, before publishing, sought the assistance of our pages. Mention is also made of the memoir by that old friend of Notes and Queries, the Rev. Canon Benham, prefixed to the Globe edition. This, up to the time the article was written in 1887, included all the latest information. In 1892 appeared Thomas Wright's 'Life of Cowper, which contained several new and important facts.

The Athenceumin its review of Mr. Wright's book on the 3rd of November, 1892, states that " Cowper's secret, as it has been called, has not been elucidated so clearly as Mr. Wright may imagine. Many who have read about Cowper, and all who have intently followed his career, have been somewhat puzzled with regard to the delusion which marred and embittered it." Prof. Goldwin Smith in his monograph on Cowper in the " English Men of Letters " considers the truth as to Cowper's malady to be that "it was simple hypo-