WARNING. The Goldsmiths THE HE Tea and Coffee Service, with Tray, as illustrated, is an entirely hand-made reproduction of an antique-Queen Anne period - and is representative of a collection on view at the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company. An Illustrated Catalogue will be posted free on request, or articles can be sent on approval, carriage paid at the Company's risk. THE GOLDSMITHS & SILVERSMITHS COMPANY LTD with which is incorporated The Goldsmiths Alliance Est 1751 Jewellers to H.M. the King, LONDON, MAY 1, 1920 CONTENT S.- No. 107. *NOTES : —' Alice in Wonderland' and Wordsworth's and Thorp-Clergymen: Church of England: Roman One of the most elusive passages in the two books is the White Knight's song, in chap. viii. of 'Through the Looking-glass.' The song is charming enough in itself; and it is in its metre a parody on Thomas More's 'My Heart and Lute,' as Mrs. Florence Alice' the author himself gives the clue to that. But the real humour of the poem lies beyond that, and of this Lewis Carroll, in his characteristic way, has given no outward indication. To carry the White Knight's own description of his song one step further, "the song really is " a delicious parody of Wordsworth's Resolution and Independence,' or 'The Leech-gatherer.' Once the connection is suggested, this fact seems to me so evident as hardly to need detailed explanation. The parody is far cleverer than a mere line-for-line imitation would have been. It is a parody of the essential spirit of Wordsworth's poem. A slight sketch of the "story" of each poem, while fair to the true spirit of neither, will show at least the unmistakable connection between the original poem and its parody. In 'Resolution and Independence poet is wandering in the country, at first happy, but soon, with a sudden spiritual change in mood, downhearted and despairing. He meets a man, hairs. the The oldest man he seemed that ever wore grey who is wandering the country gathering leeches from the pools-a rather peculiar occupation, by the way, the peculiarity of which Lewis Carroll realized to the fullest extent of its implications and greets him, asking him What occupation do you there pursue? The old man answers gently, but the poet's mind is wandering; he is comforted by the voice of the old man, but does not attend to what he is saying, and renews the question— How is it that you live, and what is it you do? Again the old man answers gently. They part, and the poet determines in future despondent moods to make more firm his mind by thinking of the "Leech-gatherer on the lonely moor. In the White Knight's song, the poet He asks the old man how he lives, And his answer trickled through my head The old man tells of various, astounding things he does, such as making butterflies into mutton-pies. Twice more the poet asks the old man the same question over again, thumping him on the head and shaking him "until his face was blue,' while the old man continues to describe his varied occupations : WARNING The Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company have no branch establishments in Regent Street, Oxford Street, or elsewhere; only one address 112 Regent Street, London, W.1. THE Tea and Coffee Service, with Tray, as illustrated, is an entirely hand-made reproduction of an antique-Queen Anne period - and is representative of a collection on view at the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company. An Illustrated Catalogue will be posted free on request, or articles can be sent on approval, carriage paid at the Company's risk. THE GOLDSMITHS & SILVERSMITHS COMPANY LTD with which is incorporated The Goldsmiths Alliance L Est 1751. Jewellers to H.M. the King, LONDON, MAY 1, 1920 Alice '—the author himself gives the clue to that. But the real humour of the poem CONTENTS.- No. 107. lies beyond that, and of this Lewis Carroll, ‘NOTES : —' Alice in Wonderland' and Wordsworth's in his characteristic way, has given no Leech-gatherer, 161-London Coffee-houses, Taverns, outward indication. To carry the White and Inns in the Eighteenth Century, 162-"Strikes" in the Talmud, 164-Thomas Baschurch, Winchester Knight's own description of his song one Scholar, 165-A Gallician Inscription-Historical In- step further, "the song really is " a delicious accuracies, 166-Reference in Ruskin, 167. QUERIES:-Burton's 'Anatomy': "Deuce ace non ossunt" parody of Wordsworth's Resolution and -Van Balen: Charles Lamb-Toulmin, 167-Nicholas Independence,' or The Leech-gatherer.' Brown-Marten Arms-Italy and India in the Fifteenth Once the connection is suggested, this fact Century-Tom or Thoms: Nias-Coddington - Arthur Pole-Pigott-Wood (Thurston)-Lightfoo Marriage-A seems to me so evident as hardly to need New View of London, 1703, 163-Bronze of Shakespeare detailed explanation. The parody is far -Nouchette-Zeus and Chi-Whitelocke: Pryse: Scawen - Etonians in the Eighteenth Century-Cistercian Abbess cleverer than a mere line-for-line imitation -J. Murdoch, Burns's Schoolmaster-Maffey Family, 169 would have been. It is a parody of the -Cookes of Ireland-De Celle-Walthamstow-Darnell and Thorp-Clergymen: Church of England: Roman essential spirit of Wordsworth's poem. A Catholic-Caveac Tavern-Rev. John Gutch-Lacaux- slight sketch of the "story" of each poem, Marsh-Maynard-John Jones's Lord Viscount Nelson' while fair to the true spirit of neither, will -Author of Quotation Wanted, 170. REPLIES:-Portuguese Embassy Chapel-Cornish and show at least the unmistakable connection Devonian Priests Executed: George Stocker, 171 between the original poem and its parody. Jacobite Memorial Rings Letter from the King (George IV.) Celtic Patron Saints, 172-"The Lame In Resolution and Independence Demon "The Baskett Bible-Constable the Painter-poet is wandering in the country, at first Hawke's Flagship. 173-Slates and Slate Pencils-Burial happy, but soon, with a sudden spiritual at Sea: Mildmay-"Cockagee":"Cypress," 174-Cantrell Family - Anne of Geierstein'-Petrograd: Monument of change in mood, downhearted and despairPeter the Great, 175-Yale and Hobbs-Walter Hamiltoning. He meets a man, -Belt-buckle Plate and Motto-Finkle Street, 176-Mary Jones-Gender of Dish in Latin - Jenner Family Bradshaw-Lancelot Blackburne-Italian St. Swithin's | Day, 177-No Man's Land-Unannotated Marriages at Westminster-St Leonard's Priory, Hants-Uncollected Kipling Items, 178. NOTES ON BOOKS:- Paul-Louis Courier-Devonshire OBITUARY:-Charles William Sutton. the The oldest man he seemed that ever wore grey hairs. who is wandering the country gathering leeches from the pools-a rather peculiar Occupation, by the way, the peculiarity of which Lewis Carroll realized to the fullest extent of its implications and greets him, asking him — What occupation do you there pursue? The old man answers gently, but the poet's mind is wandering; he is comforted by the voice of the old man, but does not attend to what he is saying, and renews the question How is it that you live, and what is it you do? despondent moods to make more firm his In the White Knight's song, the poet THAT those delightful books, Alice in 'Wonderland,' and 'Through the Looking-part, and the poet determines in future glass and what Alice found there,' contain far more interest for the mature reader than is apparent at first sight, is a very well known fact. And while one feels almost sacrilegious in attempting to dissect such wonderful dream-stories, there still is no question but that all through them especially all through the 'Looking-glass ' book-Lewis Carroll deliberately provokes us to dissection, and no one can really be blamed for taking up the challenge. One of the most elusive passages in the two books is the White Knight's song, in chap. viii. of Through the Looking-glass.' The song is charming enough in itself; and it is in its metre a parody on Thomas More's 'My Heart and Lute,' as Mrs. Florence He asks the old man how he lives, And his answer trickled through my head The old man tells of various astounding things he does, such as making butterflies into mutton-pies. Twice more the poet asks the old man the same question over again, thumping him on the head and shaking him until his face was blue," while the old man continues to describe his varied occupations :— Finally the poet gets through his mindwanderings, and hears him. And after that whenever the poet becomes despondent (through dropping on his toe a very heavy weight, for example), he weeps, for it reminds him of the aged aged man a-sitting on a gate. The foregoing outlines show, as it were, the skeleton of the parody. For the full humour of the song in Alice' one must really enter into the spirit of Wordsworth's poem-for that, it seems to me, is precisely what Lewis Carroll had done when he wrote his parody. The various names which the Knight gives his son, too, are very probably further parodying of the two names of Wordsworth's роет. The resemblance between "The Aged Aged Man' and 'The Leech-gatherer,' between Ways and Means' and Resolution and Independence' is certainly not accidental. Some traits in the not altogether admirable character of the Aged Aged Man make me suspect very strongly that Lewis Carroll was pretty thoroughly acquainted, not only with the Wordsworth poem itself, but also with the history of the poem's composition, particularly the account of it in Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal.' The Aged Aged Man is, I am afraid, a good deal of a beggar, in spite of his extraordinary fertility of imagination. Now Wordsworth's old Leech-gatherer, in the poem, is not a beggar in any sense-far from it. But listen to Dorothy Wordsworth's more exact account of him: "His trade was to gather leeches ; but now leeches were scarce, and he had not strength for it. He lived by begging," &c. Perhaps it is as well not to investigate too closely into every nook and cranny of LewisCarroll's imagination-to say nothing of the impossibility of investigating fully such a vast and complex realm. But the more one reads the 'Aged Aged Man' as a parody of Wordsworth, the more delightful it becomes. And when it is remembered that in one and the same song Lewis Carroll is parodying Wordsworth, is imitating ThomasMoore's poem, is making the "hero" of the song exactly fit the character of his White Knight, and, best of all, is producing a poem utterly delightful to a child as well as to a more sophisticated reader—well, the poem is fully worthy of a place equal with the more renowned "Jabberwocky." GEORGE R. PORTER, B.A. Cambridge. Mass. PRINCIPAL LONDON COFFEE-HOUSES, TAVERNS, AND INNS IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. Sydney's XVIIIth Century, p. 186; |