Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/50

 42

NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. VIL JAN. 19, iwi.

These are Hereford, 1550; St. Vincent, 1801 ; Exmouth, 1816 ; Combermere, 1827 ; Hill, 1842; Gough, 1849; Portman, 1873; Wolseley, 1885; Knutsford, 1895; Esher, 1897; and Croraer, 1899. Seven other of these viscountcies were conferred with a barony annexed viz., Bolingbroke, 1712 (to which may be added St. John, 1716, now united therewith); Cobham, 1718 (the grantee in this case being himself also a baron) ; Falmouth, 1720; Torrington, 1721; Melville, 1802; Canterbury, 1835; and Kidley, 1900. Thus all the grantees of the above-named eighteen viscountcies either possessed ^ or received baronies. As to the remaining eleven viscountcies, they were conferred ivithout any barony annexed, though granted to a person who did not possess one ; but in tvro cases (Hood and Hampden) a barony has subsequently devolved on the holder of the viscountcy. These are Hood, 1796, as to which creation see above ; Sidmouth, 1805 ; Hardinge, 1846 ; Halifax, 1866 ; Bridport, 1868, the grantee being an Irish baron ; Hampden, 1884 ; Cross, 1886 ; Hambleden, 1891 ; Peel, 1895 ; Llandaff, 1895 ; and Goschen, 1900.

There are also four existing viscountcies (all without any barony annexed) which appear in the roll of the House of Lords (1900), and which were conferred on Scotch or Irish earls, being the titles under which their now holders sit in that house. These are Leinster, 1747, as above stated ; Gordon, 1814 ; Hutchinson, 1821 ; and Clancarty, 1823, the respective grantees being the Earl of Kildare, afterwards (1766) Duke of Lein- ster in Ireland ; the Earl of Aberdeen in Scotland, the Earl of Donoughmore in Ire- land, arid the Earl of Clancarty in Ireland. G. E. C.

WORDSWORTHIANA. THE late Walter Pater in his fine apprecia- tion of Wordsworth (first published in 1889) wrote: "Of all poets equally great he [Wordsworth] would gain most by a skilfully made anthology." There the critic only stated a fact which must have appeared obvious to all who have everstruggled through Wordsworth in the mass. In the second edi- tion (1890) of l Appreciations ' a foot-note tells us that two men eminently qualified for the task, Matthew Arnold and Prof. Knight, had each edited a selection from Wordsworth, perhaps (I know not) taking the hint from Pater. Mr. Pater's appreciation is dated 1874. ^ In 1885 there appeared in Mr. Walter bcotts "Canterbury" series a little book of selections from Wordsworth, with an

introduction by Mr. Symington, which intro- duction and selections have been deservedly praised. Here, then, we have three Words- worth anthologies, of which we may call Arnold's the "official" one it has been used as a text-book by the Royal University of Ireland. I am not quite certain, but I think another book of selections has since appeared. The honour, however, of having been the first culler in the garden of Wordsworth, or at least the first to put his name to a Words- worth anthology, was J. Hine a man of whom I know nothing save what he tells of himself in the preface of his book, an octavo of 326 pages published (" a new edition ") by Moxon, 1834. The book is entitled 'Selec- tions | from the Poems | of | William Words- worth, Esq.' This book must have been common enough : it was " designed chiefly for the use of schools and young persons": which fact would surely not have seemed sufficient reason to Mr. Pater for overlooking it, had he been aware of such a work. In any case, Mr. Hine's book must have exercised a very wide influence at a time when, to say the least of it, Wordsworth's genius was not widely recognized. This selection contains all my favourites, in addition to book i. of the ' Excursion ' and long extracts from books iv., vi., and vii. That the little work is worth all the space which I am here devoting to it lovers of Wordsworth will admit when I say that it is quite probable we have here an anthology made in great part by the poet himself, or at least one which was almost certainly submitted to him before publication. Mr. Hine mentions " an oppor- tunity of communicating with the poet"; and Wordsworth's own assuredness in speaking of his work may (such is my opinion) be detected in the preface : "Mr. Wordsworth's poetry is Philosophy set to Music." Hear this, again : "As soldiers are trained to the most stately motions to the sound of music, so does the poet put into like stately motion his bat- talions ; hence a poem and an army are objects that captivate all beholders" The italics are mine, and, if that phrase be not by Words- worth, it is surely not unworthy of him. Again : "[Who] sympathises with all parts of God's creation so deeply, widely, and highly, as he ? " Let me quote one longer passage :

"The people of the present age seem to be in danger of living too fast ; we had whipped our horses into a maximum velocity years ago, and were in danger of coming to a stand-still for want of fur- ther impulse, when our steam vessels and carriages set us all afloat and in motion ; and who shall say when and where we are to stop ? But of what use are or will be all these advantages in art or science ? Are men better? are men wiser? are they happier