Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/12

 4 NOTES AND QUERIES. t9"=s.v1.Jm' 7,l9(lJ. come to me all terror and distress. Her daughter was really taken prisoner, and she had been told her husband and his island were captive too.” The words “really taken prisoner” seem to imply a confirmation of a previous report relative to Mrs. Damer. As Mrs. Damer’s adventure was known to Horace Walpole before 20 Juk' (which was Tuesday), his letter to Lady ilesbury was probab y written on the revious Friday- 16 July. It may therefore he placed between No. 1,829 (14 Ju y) and No. 1,830 (20 July) in vol. vii. of Cunnm ham’s edition. Letters 1,845 and 1,846 (Cunningham’s ed. vol. vii. pp. 249 and 250), addressed to Earl Harcourt, and placed amongst letters of Sep- tember, 1779, appear to belong to a later period in the same year. Both were written during one of Horace Walpole’s severe attacks of gput. In No. 1,845, dated merely “ Friday nig t,” Walpole writes:- “I have not had the honour of seeing you this age, and cannot yet go to see anything. My gout, I own, lasts long enough to wear out anybody’s patience ...... However, do notbe frightened ; I trust that next week I shall be able to crawl about again: and then you will have ...... reason to be alarmed with my gratitude,” &.c. From Horace Walpole’s letter to Earl Har- court of October, 1779 (Cunnin ham’s ed., vol. vii. p. 255), it is clear that he had not been in communication with the earl for some time previously. He writes :- “l had set the remains of my heart on passing part of September at N uneham, my dear Lord ; but after a very uncomfortable summer, in which I had scarce a day of health I was confined to my couch the whole month with the gout, and have now the use but of one hand.” Had Walpole written so recently as September (as the present arrangement of the letters sup- poses), he would hardly have thought it necessary in October to inform his corre- spondent of the way in which he had passed his summer. He would also probably have mentioned his desire to visit N uneham. It appears from the extract given above that Horace Walpole suffered from ill health during the summer and from Tgout during the early part of the autumn. e gout became worse in November 1779, and continued very severe throughout November and December (see vol. vii. pp. 281, 282, 283-4, 285, 288, 289, 292, 293 295, 296). Writing to Cole on 27 Dec., 1779 (Clunn1ngham’s ed. vol. vii. p. 298a;el51e says, “ For these six weelrs almost I have n a prisoner with the gout, but begin to creep about my room.” The letter to Earl Harcourt (N o. 1,845) appears to have been written about the same time as that to Cole of 27 December, in which, as in the letter under consideration, Horace Walpole mentions the length of his illness. It is therefore lprobable that “ Friday night "was Friday, 31 ec.,1779. Letter 1,845 may then be placed between No. 1,879 (27 Dec., 1779) and No. 1,880 (1 Jan., 1780) in vol. vii. of Gunningham’s edition. ` Letters 1,859 and 1,860 (Cunningham’s ed., vol. vii. pp. 268-9), addressed to the Countess of Osso, and dated respectively “Monday night, Nyov. 3,” and “Tuesday four o’clock ” (without date of year in either case), are wrongly placed by both Vernon and Cun- ningham amongst letters of November, 1779. They were evi ently written in November, 1777. Reference is made in both letters to the re rts which had Ext reached England (see Hllorace Walpole, ‘ t Journals] vol. ii. . 160) of the critical situation of General gurgoyne and his army which resulted in Bu rgoyne’s surrender to the American General Gates on 17 Oct., 1777. After the surrender Burgoyne left America and did not return there, nor did he again see active service. It is therefore impossible that Horace Walpole should have re erred to him as still in com- mand in America in 1779. It may be mentioned that 3 Nov., 1779, fell on Wednesday, not on Monday. In 1777 it fell on Monday. The two letters in §uestion were therefore written on 3 and 4 ov., 1777, and should be placed between N o. 1,689 (30 Oct., 1777) and No. 1,690 (6 Nov., 1777) in Cunningham’s edition. HELEN Tovssss. SHAKESPEARIANA. ‘ THE WINTER’8 TALE,’ I. ii. 146-50.- Pol. What means Sicilia? Her. He something seems unsettled. Pol How lord ! ., my What cheer? how is ’t with you, best brother? Her. You look As if you held a brow of much distraction: Are you mov’d, my lord? It was long ago conjectured by Hanmer that 1. 148- What cheer! how is’t with you, best brother 2- belongs to Polixenes, instead of to Leontes as shown in the Folio, in which he has been followed by nearlgégll the modern editors. It seems to have n overlooked, however, that there is a further confusion in the Folio, and that the pereceding words “ How, my lord !” should given to Hermione, as a continuation of her speech, when she turns from Polixenes to ex ress wifely solicitude for Leontes. “M End” is her habitual expression in speaging of, or addressing, her husband (see lines 40, 61, 65, 87, and 150 in this scene and elsewhere in the play). The