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I wish we had a dictionary, like that of Hoogeven for Greek, arranging words according to their terminations.

C.B.

Miscellanies

Blue Boar Inn, Holborn.—The reviewer in the last "Quarterly" of Mr. Cunningham's Handbook for London, makes an error in reference to the extract from Morrice's Life of Lord Orrery, given by Mr. Cunningham under the head of "Blue Boar Inn, Holborn," and transcribed by the reviewer (Qu. Rev. vol. lxxxvi., p. 474.). Morrice, Lord Orrery's biographer, relates a story which he says Lord Orrery had told him, that he had been told by Cromwell and Ireton of their intercepting a letter from Charles I. to his wife, which was sewn up in the skirt of a saddle. The story may or may not be true; this authority for it is not first-rate. The Quarterly reviewer, in transcribing from Mr. Cunningham's book the passage in Morrice's Life of Lord Orrery, introduces it by saying,—"Cromwell, in a letter to Lord Broghill, narrates circumstantially how he and Ireton intercept, &c." This is a mistake; there is no letter from Cromwell to Lord Broghill on the subject. (Lord Broghill was Earl of Orrery after the Restoration.) Such a letter would be excellent authority for the story. The mistake, which is the Quarterly reviewer's, and not Mr. Cunningham's, is of some importance.

C.H.

Lady Morgan and Curry.—An anecdote in the last number of the Quarterly Review, p. 477., "this is the first set down you have given me to-day," reminds me of an incident in Dublin society some quarter of a century ago or more. The good-humoured and accomplished—Curry (shame to me to have forgotten his christened name for the moment!) had been engaged in a contest of wit with Lady Morgan and another female célébrité, in which Curry had rather the worst of it. It was the fashion then for ladies to wear very short sleeves; and Lady Morgan, albeit not a young woman, with true provincial exaggeration, wore none, a mere strap over her shoulders. Curry was walking away from her little coterie, when she called out, "Ah! come back Mr. Curry, and acknowledge that you are fairly beaten." "At any rate," said he, turning round, "I have this consolation, you can't laugh at me in your sleeve!"

Scotus.

Sir Walter Scott and Erasmus.—Has it yet been noticed that the picture of German manners in the middle ages given by Sir W. Scott, in his Anne of Geierstein (chap. xix.), is taken (in some parts almost verbally) from Erasmus' dialogue, Diversoria? Although Sir Walter mentions Erasmus at the beginning of the chapter, he is totally silent as to any hints he may have got from him; neither do the notes to my copy of his works at all allude to this circumstance.

W.G.S.

Parallel Passages.—A correspondent in Vol. i., p. 330, quoted some parallels to a passage in Shakspeare's Julius Cæsar. Will you allow me to add another, I think even more striking than those he cited. The full passage in Shakspeare is,

"There is a tide in the affairs of man,
Which taken at the flood leads on to fortune.
Omitted, all the voyage of their lives
Is bound in shallows and in miseries."

In Bacon's Advancement of Learning, book 2, occurs the following:—

"In the third place, I set down reputation because of the peremptory tides and currents it hath, which, if they be not taken in due time, are seldom recovered, it being extreme hard to play an after game of reputation."
E.L.N.

Gray's Ode.—In return for the information about Gray's Ode, I send an entertaining and very characteristic circumstance told in Mrs. Bigg's (anonymous) Residence in France (edited by Gifford):—

"She had a copy of Gray when she was arrested in the Reign of Terror. The Jacobins who searched her goods lighted on the line—

'Oh, tu severi religio loci,'

and said, 'Apparemment ce livre est quelque chose de fanatique.'"

My informant tells me that the monk he saw was the same as the one mentioned by your correspondent, and that he had a motto from Lord Bacon over his cell.

C.B.

The Grand Style.—Is it not extremely probable that Bonaparte plagiarised the idea of the centuries observing the French army from the pyramids from these lines of Lucan?—

"Sæcula Romanos nunquam tacitura labore, Attendunt, oevumque sequens speculatur ab omni Orbe ratem."—Phars. viii. 622.

One of the recent French revolutionists (I think Rollin) compared himself with the victim of Calvary. Even this profane rant is a plagiarism. Gracchus Baboeuf, who headed the extreme republican party against the Directory, exclaimed, on his trial, that his wife, and those of his fellow-conspirators, "should accompany them even to Calvary, because the cause of their punishment should not bring them to shame."—Mignet's French Revolution, chap. xii.

J.F. Boyes.

Hoppesteris.—The "shippis hoppesteris," in Chaucer's Knight's Tale, 2019., is explained by Tyrwhitt to mean dancing, and that in the feminine—a very odd epithet. He tells us that the corresponding epithet in Boccaccio is bellatrici. I have no doubt that Chaucer mistook it for ballatrici.

C.B.

Sheridan's Last Residence (Vol. i., p. 484.).—I wonder at any doubt about poor Sheridan's having died in his own house, 17. Saville Row. His remains, indeed, were removed (I believe for prudential reasons which I need not specify) to Mr. Peter Moore's, in Great George Street; but he was never more than a temporary, though frequent visitor at Mr. Moore's.

C.

Miscellaneous

NOTES ON BOOKS, CATALOGUES, SALES, ETC

The Devices and Mottoes of the later Middle Ages (Die Devisen und Motto des Späteren Mittelalters, von J.V. Radowitz), just imported by Messrs. Williams and Norgate, is one of those little volumes which such of our readers as are interested in the subject to which it relates should make a note of. They will, in addition to many novel instances of Devices, Mottoes, Emblems, &c., find much curious learning upon the subjects, and many useful bibliographical references.

Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson still sell, on Saturday next, the very beautiful collection of Oriental Manuscripts of the late Dr. Scott; on Monday and Tuesday, his Medical Library; on Wednesday, his valuable Collection of Music; and on Thursday, his Philosophical and Mathematical Instruments, Fire-arms, and other miscellaneous objects of interest.

We have received the following catalogues:—John Petheram's (94. High Holborn) Catalogue, Part CXII., No. 6. for 1850 of Old and New Books; W.S. Lincoln's (Cheltenham House, Westminster Road) Fifty-Seventh Catalogue of Cheap Second-hand Books, English and Foreign; James Sage's (4. Newman's Row, Lincoln's Inn Fields) Miscellaneous List of Valuable and Interesting Books; Edward Stibbs' (331. Strand) Catalogue of Miscellaneous Collection of Books, comprising Voyages, Travels, Biography, History, Poetry, Drama, &c.

Notices to Correspondents

Index and Title-Page to Volume the First. The Index is preparing as rapidly as can be, consistently with fullness and accuracy, and we hope to have that and the Title page ready by the 15th of the Month.

Covers for the First Volume are preparing, and will be ready for Subscribers with the Title-Page and Index.

NEW WORKS IN GENERAL LITERATURE

I

MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO (1440 to 1630). By JAMES DENNISTOUN, of Dennistoun. With numerous Portraits, Plates, Facsimiles, and Woodcuts. 3 vols. square crown 8vo. 2l. 8s.

II

SIR ROGER DE COVERLEY. From "The Spectator". With Notes, &c., by W.H. WILLIS and Twelve fine Woodcuts from drawings by F. TAYLER. Crown 8vo. 15s.; morocco, 27s.

III

Mrs. JAMESON'S SACRED and LEGENDARY ART or, LEGENDS of the SAINTS and MARTYRS. New Edition, complete in One Volume with Etchings by the Author, and Woodcuts. Square crown 8vo. 28s.

IV

Mrs. JAMESON'S LEGENDS OF THE SAINTS AND MARTYRS, as represented in the Fine Arts. With Etchings by the Author, and Woodcuts. Square crown 8vo. 28s.

V

THE CHURCH IN THE CATACOMBS: a Description of the Primitive Church of Rome. BY CHARLES MAITLAND. New Edition, with Woodcuts. 8vo. 14s.

VI

Mr. MACAULAY'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND, from the Accession of James II. New Edition. Vols. I. and II. 8vo. 32s.

VII

JOHN COAD'S MEMORANDUM of the SUFFERINGS of the REBELS sentenced to Transportation by Judge Jeffreys. Square fcap. 8vo. 4s. 6d.

VIII

AN INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH ANTIQUITIES. Intended as a Companion to the History of England. BY JAMES ECCLESTON. With many Wood Engravings. 8vo. 12s.

IX

Mr. A. RICH'S ILLUSTRATED COMPANION to the LATIN DICTIONARY and GREEK LEXICON. With about 2,000 Woodcuts, from the Antique. Post 8vo. 21s.

X

MAUNDER'S TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE and LIBRARY of REFERENCE: a Compendium of Universal Knowledge. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 10s.; bound 12s.

XI

MAUNDER'S BIOGRAPHICAL TREASURY; a New Dictionary of Ancient and Modern Biography; comprising about 12,000 Memoirs. New Edition, with Supplement. Fcap. 8vo. 10s. bound, 12s.

XII

MAUNDER'S SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY TREASURY: a copious portable Encyclopædia of Science and the Belles Lettres. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 10s.; bound, 12s.

XIII

MAUNDER'S HISTORICAL TREASURY: comprising an Outline of General History, and a separate History of every Nation. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 10s. bound, 12s.

XIV

MAUNDER'S TREASURY OF NATURAL HISTORY, or, a Popular Dictionary of Animated Nature. New Edition; with 900 Woodcuts. Fcap. 8vo. 10s.; bound, 12s.

XV

SOUTHEY'S COMMON-PLACE BOOK. First series—CHOICE PASSAGES, &c. Second edition with Medallion Portrait. Square crown 8vo. 18s.

XVI

SOUTHEY'S COMMON-PLACE BOOK SECOND SERIES—SPECIAL COLLECTIONS. Edited by the REV. J.W. WARTER, B.D., the Author's Son-in-Law. Square crown 8vo. 18s.

XVII

SOUTHEY'S COMMON-PLACE BOOK. THIRD SERIES—ANALYTICAL READINGS. Edited by Mr. SOUTHEY's Son-in-Law, the Rev. J.W. WARTER, B.D. Square crown 8vo. 21s.

XVIII

SOUTHEY'S COMMON-PLACE BOOK. FOURTH AND CONCLUDING SERIES—ORIGINAL MEMORANDA, &c. Edited by the Rev. J.W. WARTER, B.D., Mr. SOUTHEY's Son-in-Law. Square crown 8vo. [Nearly Ready.

XIX

SOUTHEY'S THE DOCTOR. &c. Complete in One Volume, with Portrait, Bust, Vignette, and coloured Plate. Edited by the Rev. J.W. WARTER, B.D., the Author's Son-in-Law. Square crown 8vo. 21s.