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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. vm. OCT. 26, 1901.

have been the one in question. On the whole, he leans to the conclusion that portions of the letter are genuine, though "the Lords may conceivably have added ' some principal and substantious clauses.'" The least difficulty is "that letter ii. is in part authentic, in part garbled." We can but commend to our readers a study of this work, which is an important contribution to the history of Scotland. Not difficult will be the task, since, apart from the delight to be derived from the close reasoning, the style is picturesque and animated, and the task of perusal once begun will not willingly be abandoned. On p. 365 an oversight gives 1681 instead of 1581 as the date of Morton's death. This is the only error we have detected. The facsimiles of portions of the Casket Letters will be of great ser- vice to those who seek to go deeply into the question of their authority. The work is admirably got up in all respects. It has many illustrations, among which are six photogravure plates of Mary at various ages, Darnley, Morton, and the house at Jedburgh occupied by the queen, reproduced by permission of His Majesty, the Earl of Morton, and others. One of them is the portrait known as ' Le Deuil Blanc.' Designs of the supposed casket, facsimiles of the handwriting of Mary herself, of Marie Beatoun, Marie Fleming, Maitland of Leth- ington, and Kirkcaldy, together with plans of the Kirk o' Field site, &c., are also among the illus trations. No pains have been spared that could render the volume attractive.

In Memoriam Verses for Every Day in the Year.

Selected by Lucy Ridley. (Chatto & Windus.) THIS little volume may be taken as a species of supplement to the birthday books which have become fashionable. It might, indeed, almost be called a deathday book, since it is intended to supply a few good and choice quotations for use on memorial cards and tombstones. Opposite each day are given a couple of passages emblematical of loss, extracted from Scripture or from various poets, including necessarily the elegiac. The compiler is sure that the book supplies a want generally felt. How far the passages given apply to the days opposite which they stand we may' not say. The sorrow must be exceptional that does not find in the volume something appropriate to the conditions of loss.

The Playgoer. Edited by Fred Dangerfield. Vol. I.

No. 1. (Dawbarn & Ward.)

THERE is room for an illustrated record of the drama convenient to handle and capable of being bound and kept for reference. This the new work edited by Mr. Dangerfield seems to supply. It is rather discursive, and includes information which we are inclined to regard as superfluous, but which may perhaps serve some useful purpose.

WE regret to chronicle the death of the Rev. Isaac Taylor, LL.D., Litt.D., canon of York Minster, and since 1875 rector of Settrington, Yorkshire. He has been during many years a loyal friend and con- stant contributor to ' N. & Q.,' to which to the end he was devoted. A contribution from his pen appears in the present number, and two more have been received since the news arrived of his death Born on 2 May, 1829, at Stanford Rivers, he was one of the well-known Taylors of Ongar, and was the fourth transmitter of his name. His father (best known for his 'Natural History of Enthu-

siasm '), his grandfather, and his great-grandfather were all painters or engravers, and all, together with some ladies of the family, find mention in the ' D.N.B.' Isaac Taylor the third is credited with the invention of the word " patristic" to designate the Fathers of the Church. The deceased gentle- man, whose loss we deplore for personal as well as professional reasons, married Georgiana, daughter of the Hon. and Rev. Henry Cockayne Gust, and was educated at King's College, London, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was a voluminous writer, largely on antiquarian subjects, his best-known works being ' Words and Places' (1864), ' Etruscan Researches ' (1874), ' The Etruscan Language ' (1876), 'The Alphabet: an Account of the Origin and Development of Letters ' (1883), * The Manx Runes' (1886), ' Leaves from an Egyptian Note-Book' (1888), and ' Origin of the Aryans ' (1890). He was one of the founders of the Alpine Club. His health had been impaired of late, and his sight was practically lost. He remained indefatigable in labour to the end.

IN continuation of her comprehensive work on ' French Art of the Eighteenth Century,' Lady Dilke this autumn provides a volume on ' French Decoration and Furniture ' of that period. It has been issued in two editions, and is illustrated with photogravures and half-tone blocks reproducing choice specimens from private collections in France and England, as well as from the Garde -Meuble National and the Wallace Collection. Messrs. Bell are the publishers.

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WE cannot undertake to answer queries prirately.

To secure insertion of communications corre- spondents must observe the following rules. Let each note, query, or reply be written on a separate slip of paper, with the signature of the writer and such address as he wishes to appear. When answer- ing queries, or making notes with regard to previous entries in the paper, contributors are requested to put in parentheses, immediately after the exact heading, the series, volume, and page or pages to which they refer. Correspondents who repeat queries are requested to head the second com- munication " Duplicate."

S. P. (" Wear and tear"). A proverbial locution such as this ceases naturally in time to be confined to its first signification, and becomes a synonym for use.

M. C. B. ("Oh dear! = Mon Dieu !")." Dear," used interjectionally, is sometimes equivalent to God, but the ejaculation " Oh dear ! " is not a corruption of " Mon Dieu 1" See ' H.E.D.,' under 'Dear'(C).

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