Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 8.djvu/542

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NOTES A"ND QUERIES. [9 th s. vm. DEC. 28, 1901.

THE DTJCHY OF BERWICK (9 th S. viii. 439). James Fitzjames, first Duke of Berwick, is described in the * Almanach de Gotha,' 1899, p. 333, as

" fils naturel de James Stuart, duke of York

fut cre4 Duke of Berwick (Ecosse meridionale ; titre angl.) 1687, Grand d'Espagne de Ire cl. au titre de Duque de Liria et de Xerica (localises de la prov. de Valence, Espagne) 1707, Due de Fitzjames (titre fran9-, primog.) 1710."

According to the * Alraanach de Gotha,' the title of Duque de Xerica is not now borne by the Dukes of Berwick, whose eldest sons now bear that of Duque de Huescar, whilst accord- ing to the same authority, 1897, p. 305, the younger or French branch are known only as " Due de Fitzjames." The late duke was "9e Duke of Berwick, 16e Duque de Alba de Tormes, duque de Liria, de Olivares et de Pefiaranda." The Duchy of Xerica is not mentioned by the 'Dictionary of National Biography ' (' Fitzjames, James, Duke of Ber- wick,' vol. xix. p. 178), but is given both by the 'Official Baronage of England,' by J. E. ' Doyle, and the 'Complete Peerage,' by G.E. C. The other English honours attached to the Duchy of Berwick were the Barony of Bos- worth, co. Leicester, and Earldom of Tinmouth (Tynemouth\ co. Northumberland. All were forfeited on the duke's attainder in 1695.

H.

It seems strange that the name of Bronte should have been omitted from the list o: peers who hold titles taken from foreign places. Viscount Brid port (Hood) is Duke o Bronte, with a residence at Castello d Maniace, Bronte, Sicily. In the same note the late Duke of Berwick is spoken of as a kinsman of St. Dominic, the founder of the Inquisition. Dominic died in 1221. In 1233 Gregory IX. established by rules the inquisi torial missions sent out by Pope Innocent III 1210-15, and committed them to the Domini cans. ALFEED F. CUKWEN.

H loses touch of his subject when h says that the Fitz - Jameses, illegitimatel descended from King James II. and VII., de rived their surname from the fact that th said king's ancestor, the fifth James, had th cognomen Fitz-James. What he does no know is that James V. was only so called b Scott in the ' Lady of the Lake,' and neve in reality had any such name. "Fitz" de notes illegitimacy. Again, H. is wrong i stating that the Fitz-Jameses' Dukedom o Berwick was not an English title. It wa English right enough, only it was not recog mzed by William of Orange and his successo on the throne.

WALTER M. GRAHAM EASTON

NOTES ON BOOKS, &o.

he Marquis. d'Argenson and JRichard II. By Reginald Rankiri, M.A. (Longmans & Co ) WING to punctuation, or rather neglect of punctua- on, the title of Mr. Rankin's book suggests that ome point of resemblance or contrast had been found >etween the French Secretary of State of Louis XV. nd the ill-starred English monarch of the fourteenth entury. Such is not, however, the case. Two ndependent historical studies are comprised in a ngle volume, the later in date being in almost all espects the more interesting and readable. Rene- jouis (de Voyer), Marquis d'Argenson, has attracted >ut little attention in this country, though his lemoirs must be studied by all who are concerned with the movements and speculations which ^receded the Revolution. In three chapters Mr. iankin treats of D'Argenson as the " man," the minister," and the "philosopher." As minister us record is of no special brilliancy. He held ffice for little over two years, and must be pro- ounced practically a failure. Englishmen have a ertain interest in his unavailing sympathy with he Jacobite movement. He did all he could, which not much, to restore Stuart ascendency in England, and his so doing contributed largely to his 'all. As a man, and even as a philosopher, though he employment of the latter term is perhaps ifficult to justify, he is more interesting. His elf-revelations necessarily recall those of Mon- aigne which, indeed, they professedly imitate and he is scarcely less cynical than his predecessor n outspokenness. A certain gaucherie of manners at Court, together with his affectations, caused him lis coarse and indelicate manner of speech was ridiculed in one of the most scathing satires or >urlesques ever written. He is said to have been an object of dread to thepetits maitres of the Court; \is ministerial interviews "were the terror of ambassadors," and members of the Royal Council shuddered when he rose. It is the obverse of the characteristically eighteenth-century literature and art of rue.lle and alcove which he shows us, revealing trimself, indeed, at times as something not far from a misogynist. Yet he is, in his way, an interesting and representative figure, and Mr. Rankin might, with advantage, have devoted more space to the description of his character and the analysis of his writings. Even now a portion only of his manu- scripts has been published, and that in a maimed and an abridged form. Sainte-Beuve devotes three successive causeries to showing the liberties taken with D'Argenson's style by his descendant and editor, who, in the introduction to the 1857 edition of the memoirs, makes vicariously but a lame defence. With these things Mr. Rankin might well have concerned himself, even though so doing might have restricted his volume to one study instead of two. For this neglect we cannot attempt to com- pensate, though the task would be easy and pleasant. D'Argenson's relations with Voltaire were close and honouring. The philosopher of Ferney spoke of him as an ideal secretary of state in the Republic of Plato, and Rousseau praises him in k Le Contrat Social.' At the house of the President Renault he was a member of the club known from its place of meeting as 1'Entresol, to which Bolingbroke also be- longed, and he was, especially for the dozen or so years
 * o be generally spoken of as D'Argenson la Bete ;