NOTES:-An Octogenarian's Calligraphy, 329-The a REPLIES:-Johnson's Court: its name-Swallowing the moon, 337-Sir John Cotton-Sicander Jesus College, Oxford: arms-Chloroform, 338 Changes of name "Cock sure"-"I smell rat": origin of phrase-Oldaker-Street numbers in London-"You was"-William, Duke of Gloucester, son of Queen Anne-Other "Notes and Queries" Jane Nicolson of Lockhart's Scot, 339- Inn sign: Bull and Spectacles Manna Spike " The Feast of St. BlasiusAustralian obituaries, 340-Christian name. Everild: Cayley-John ap William-Sobieski StuartsSwift and Stella: iconography-The Rev. Mr. Vale - Animals (cow) on trial-The Bells of Torquay-Captain Cook: bibliography-Epitaph to be completed 341-Nursery rhymes: source wanted-Philosophic Cheesemites-Poem wanted -Riddle: solution wanted, 342. THE LIBRARY:-' Joseph Andrews '-' The Batchelars Banquet '-' Crabb Robinson in Germany, 1800-1805' Travels in France during the Years 1787, 1788, and 1789' 'The British in Tropical Africa.' New Cambridge Books SELECT DOCUMENTS for QUEEN ANNE'S REIGN DOWN TO THE UNION WITH SCOTLAND, 1702-7 Edited by Prof. G. M. TREVELYAN. Crown 8vo. 7s 6d net. THE GERMAN INFLUENCE By Prof. J. W. EATON. PROGRESS IN By LASCELLES ABERCROMBIE. KING DAVID A Play in Two Parts Taken from the Bible by RENÉ MORAX. Translated by DENNIS ARUNDELL. Fcap 8vo. 3s 6d net. POEMS BY JAN Translated from the Polish by D. Р. Demy 8vo. 10s 6d net. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS 11 Catholicism, monarchy and aristocracy, he remained, in days when Spain stood alone against Europe, firmly a Spaniard, and an adherent of the Spanish people, of independence and of pious patriotism. His panegyrist will have it that Goya doya is the most moving and tragic figure in Spanish popular history. 6 THE theatre is allowed to claim two articles in the May Fortnightly; first, Mr. Harley Granville Barker's 'Three Victorians and the Theatre,' then Mr. Percy Allen's Henry Arthur Jones.' Mr. Granville Barker's Victorians are Tennyson, Swinburne and Meredith. Perhaps, on the whole, what he says of each is what one would expect; but several dicta escape him which worth considering independently of their context. Thus, of blank verse he says: that all æsthetic merit apart, the Elizabethan dramatists had sound practical reasons for clinging to it, first, as being easy to write, they having no time to waste; then, as easy to learn, the actors having less. But the grand dramatic merit of verse, he finds in its being in itself an emotional thing; hypnotic, able, His most seem by mere rhythm, to fascinate. telling criticism of Swinburne's drama is as un that it is at a constant climax: healthy a condition in play as fever in human being." Apropos of Meredith he throws off the reproach: garded in England, artist." a a a "that thing least reconscious literary Mr. Allen takes occasion by 'The Silver King' to record Henry Arthur Jones's view that in writing that play-one of a type he would not have chosen but that it was required of him he gained experience in a form of stage writing which, henceforth, he regarded as peculiarly valuable to the young dramatist, helping him to acquire the quasi-architectural style essential, so he held, to the construction of all serious drama. It is interesting, at the close of a penetrating and suggestive review of Jones's work, to find quoted his opinions of younger contemporary dramatists. Of Bernard Shaw Jones thought that he did not really love his characters; of Galsworthy that though much to be respected he will not always bleed when pricked; of Somerset Maugham, that he is technically first among present-day dramatists: that is, more skilfully than any other reconciles the joint claims of literature and drama. THE first article in the May Connoisseur addresses itself to a question of very great interest, which is seldom discussed, yet must tion upon such a system as will give it unity, often occur to lovers of art when reflecting on Two Hundred Years Ago. the number of canvases produced, and their purpose and ultimate destination-the ques- From the Universal Spectator, and Weekly tion, we mean, of the formation of a collec- Journal. Saturday, May 10. 1729. and the distribution of the pictures in a house worthy of them. The ideal circumstance for pictures is doubtless fine, well-lighted rooms in an old historic house the portraits being portraits of the family who are masters there, and the other pictures acquisitions made by succeeding heads of the house as generations go on. But, between that ideal-at its most frequent necessarily rare-and the cold wall of the public gallery there is, or might be, the collection chosen to suit a particular house and disposed about it with the loving discretion that gives to every picture its due in light and surrounding, space and neighbourhood. Mr. Frank Rutter describes such a fortunate collection as this suitably a collection of eighteenth century picturesassembled by Sir Gomer Berry, Bart., at Chandos House. Mr. Rutter tells us the arrangement of the pictures in the several rooms, and gives illustrations of many examples, and notes on several of them. Sir Gomer Berry has, among much else, the Raeburn portrait of the first Marquess of Hastings with his charger and his orderly-in which the orderly's face, a splendid piece of painting, rather diverts attention from the Marquess; Hogarth's picture, newly re-discovered and restored to its original beauty, of a little girl, Miss Elizabeth Hatch; Zoffany's 'Miss Farren as "Hermione "," and Francis Cotes's beautiful portrait of 'Thomas Crathorne and his wife Isabel '-Isabel Swinburne, she was, great-grandaunt of the poet. The editor of the Connoisseur, has a charm ing article on 'Portraits in Norfolk, based upon the book by the late Prince Frederick Duleep Singh-one of the most remarkable examples of archæological and artistic sympathy transcending race and national tradition that could well be found. In this book as a result of visits to about two hundred houses nearly five thousand items have been catalogued only works of artistic or archæological interest having been counted. This opens up some idea of what must be the unknown riches in the way of portraits throughout the whole of England. Mr. Grundy begins his article by quoting Steele in the Spectator of Dec. 4, 1712: "No Nation in the world delights so much in having their own or Friends' or Relations' pictures." Yesterday died one of the Grooms of the Privy-Chamber to his Majefty. The Place, which has a Salary of 73l. per annum annex'd to it, is in the Gift of the Lord Chamberlain of his Majesty's Houfhold. On Thursday laft the Committee of the Honourable House of Commons, for infpecting the Gaols of this Kingdom, were at the Marshalfea. Several Perfons have been examin'd upon Oath at the faid Gaol; and it's faid that Mr. Acton, Keeper of that Prison, under Mr. Derby, has been given to know, that he will be call'd on to answer for his Cruelties at the next Affizes for Surry. We hear that the Annual Feast of the Musical Society at the Castle-Tavern in Pater-Nofter-Row, will be held at the Bowling-Green House at Putney, on Friday the 6th of June next, when there will be a fine Concert of Musick on the Water, both in the Morning and the Evening, and that on Wednesday the 21st, there will be a Rehearfal of the faid Musick at Stationers-Hall, when those Gentlemen who are Members are the Society, and Subscribers to the Feaft, will be admitted to the Rehearfal upon producing their Feaft-Tickets at the Hall-Door, and that each Gentleman will have the Privilege of bringing two Ladies. We hear that the Penalty for bribing any Perfon to vote for a Member to serve in Par liament, is made 500l. and to be recover'd by Action at Common Law. The new Church in Spittlefields will foon be open'd; and the Commiffioners, for building fifty new Churches, have given Orders for providing one Bell for calling the People to Church, as is done for all the new Churches; the reft of the Bells to be provided by the Parifh. Wednesday Dr. Mead gave a splendid Entertainment to Sir Hans Sloan, Dr. Crowe, Dr. Hulfe, Dr. Wadsworth, Dr. Plumbtree, Dr. Tyfon, Dr. Pellit, and many other Phy ficians, at his House in Ormond-Street. - Literary and Historical ang pandai men still aliving that high class penmanship has always admiration. At school we had a writingmaster whose efforts either on paper or on the blackboard--were nothing short of perfect: then, as a youth, the man in the Market Place who wrote your name on a visiting card "like copperplate was always sure of some of my pennies: and, later still, the wonderful scribes in the streets of Cairo earned piastres by transliterating my pa دو Mr. Hill is well known in Southampton as a connoisseur in the arts and as an antiquarian: his knowledge of the local history of the town and district, and his alert memory, make him the court of appeal to all in doubt in such matters. Mr. Hill's usual signature is a striking contrast to his microscopic writing, it is what one who runs may read, for it is bold and big, unmistakable and unforgeable, and is about 4 inches long. His gardens are among the unlisted sights, and well worth going far to see: they contain besides a full-size replica of the trilithon of Stonehenge, a correct scale model of the mysterious group of stones and from these gardens-when en the season has been kindly, it has been Mr. Hill's custom to send a trolley load of roses for Queen Alexandra's Rose Day. Mr. Hill has known all Southampton's local artists and to some of a past era he has been that "friend in need" the proverb tells us about. The death of Dr. Wilhelm von Bode makes one of Mr. Hill's art experiences topical. The notorious Flora bust, on which the great art expert gave his benediction, passed through Mr. Hill's hands for twenty shillings: he was not impressed with its merits though he had known its sculptor-Richard Cockle Lucas-intimately. A genius Lucas was, and an eccentric one certainly. Mr. Hill once saw him driving on a low cart in the streets of Southampton, standing erect with his head through a hole in a blanket, posing as a Roman Senator. On learning that the bust had been purchased for the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum for £8,000, Mr. Hill told the facts of the case to the local representative of a London newspaper. When the story" appeared in print a very irate Teuton interviewed Mr. Hill and with true Prussian bluster, which connotes scant politeness, asked him how he dare publish such a statement. Having patiently listened to the outburst, Mr. Hill produced a photograph of the bust, on the back of which was written My Flora," by its creator Lucas, and then he proceeded to give his visitor some additional details to prove his statement, which, to give him his due, the German accepted. It was quite a different man who, towards the end of the talk, begged Mr. Hill to sell the photograph to him and who offered a nice toll of guineas for the ownership of a photoprint intrinsically worth possibly two. a copper or It is a matter of history that some pieces of bed covering-which experts of the South Kensington Museum pronounced to be Victorian-were later found inside the bust, where they had been used to eke out and support the wax. Mr. Hill possesses a collection of sand pictures which is unique, and I had the privilege of describing it in The Connoisseur about two years ago. This wonderful gathering shows Zobel to have been one of the most skilful of copyists; the characteristics of each artist is truly reproduced, and whether it was West, Stubbs, Rosa di Tivoli, Abraham Cooper, or George Morland, their own particis strong and ular manner or apparent. FRED. LEE CARTER. THE SITE OF THE CHURCHYARD OF GRAY'S 'ELEGY." WHERE is this? Why, of course, in the churchyard at Stoke Poges, every schoolboy would tell us, with no show of shyness or hesitation. So others than schoolboys heldMason, Mitford, Arnold, Gosse, Tovey, &c. But they were and are all wrong; even the acceptance by Viscount Grey in May, 1925, for public ownership, of the large meadow adjoining Stoke Poges churchyard, "lea" of the poem, was a farce and a topographical anachronism, if the recent contention of Mr. F. G. Stokes be accepted as final.* This is the staggering indictment: the The chief aspirants are five in number: Stoke Poges; Upton, near Slough; Grantchester and Madingley, both in the vicinity of Cambridge; and Thanington, near Canterbury. Though to some it may appear a hard saying, it may be confidently submitted that had it not been for Gray's intimate association with the neighbourhood (of course, a very important consideration), there would have been no reason for regarding Stoke Poges as a likely original if there was an original * An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. By Thomas Gray. Edited by F. G. Stokes. 1929. Oxford. 21s. net. |