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seize the abbé and pitch him out of window
was carried out with fatal result.
H. E. M.
St. Petersburg.

jectors. The shaft was then seventy-five feet below water-mark. Father Thames, we presume, had not kept his agreement not to weep tears into it at that level. Rennie and Jessop reported in favour of its being sunk another seventy feet. On 10 Oct., 1802, a fire destroyed "HEER-BREEADS" (9th S. iv. 417).—The word the engine-house; Dodd reported a resumpin use here is ear-breeds. Its origin I cannot tion of work in December, but the thing ascertain, but the word is in common use in was evidently hopeless. Meetings were called the sense given in MR. MAYHEW's note. The and adjourned as before"; and the last side-bars of the cart-bottom, on which the word was a note made by one of the com-ear-breeds rest, are termed "soles." Similar mittee: "Total cost of Well! 15,2427. 10s. 44d." bars, to give additional strength, are someOne curious result may be mentioned. There times placed lengthwise under the cartwas in the neighbourhood a pond which sub- bottom, and these are called "middle-trees." sided at high water, and filled as the tide C. C. B. ebbed from a syphon in the bed of the stream. Epworth. The chalk, &c., excavated was flung into this pond, with the result that it choked the supply, and the pond disappeared.

Dodd was a man of ideas--and of ideas only. He lived to propose a canal from Gravesend to Strood, and an "improvement of the Port of London," both of which came to nothing. His son, George, was once supposed to be the designer of Waterloo Bridge. Both father

and son died in absolute want.

Sefton Park, Liverpool.

GEORGE MARSHALL.

In Timbs's 'Curiosities of London' it is recorded that

"in 1799 an attempt was made to construct an archway under the Thames, from Gravesend to Tilbury, by Ralph Dodd, engineer; and in 1804 the Thames Archway Company commenced similar work from Rotherhithe to Limehouse, under the direction of Vasey and Trevethick, two Cornish miners; and the horizontal excavation had reached 1,040 feet when the ground broke in under the pressure of high tides, and the work was abandoned, fifty-four engineers declaring it to be impracticable to make a tunnel under the Thames of any useful size for commercial progression."

RICH. WELFORD.

[Other similar replies acknowledged.] ALPHABETIC APOPHTHEGMS (9th S. iv. 224). -In quoting Pushkin's quaint little dwarf play MR. MARCHANT remarks that "it is hard to see why Pushkin calls his comical little piece a tragedy." Is it not because he makes believe to treat things au grand sérieux? Comical the play may seem to us who are behind the scenes and in the poet's confidence, but to the poor abbé it was no laughing matter, and as he shot downwards in his involuntary flight from window to pavement it must have flashed upon the brain (so soon to be scattered) of the luckless of letters" that a tragedy in very sooth was being performed himself the victim. It seems a fair inference to draw that the prince's command to the guards to

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Miscellaneous.

NOTES ON BOOKS, &c.

Our

The Eve of the Reformation. By Francis Aidan
Gasquet, D.D., O.S.B. (Nimmo.)
THE present book of Dr. Gasquet is a further out-
come of the studies to which we owe his popular
Writing as a Roman Catholic, Dr. Gasquet seeks to
work 'Henry VIII. and the English Monasteries.'
establish that the Reformation was, so to speak,
superimposed upon the English public, and was
not the outcome of any national and spon-
taneous uprising on their part against ecclesiastical
assumption, monastic misrule, and Papal preten-
sion. A work with such aim must necessarily
challenge controversy at every point. It is only
earnest of advocates, is also one of the most courteous
because Dr. Gasquet, although one of the most
of disputants that we dare deal at all with sub-
jects that threaten a prolonged polemic.
What he himself says is unaggressively said; he
author is, however, an admirable controversialist.
fortifies himself with the utterances of such unim-
peachable authorities as Dr. James Gairdner and
the late J. S. Brewer; and when he wishes, as
not in his own language, but in that of Erasmus
occasionally is the case, to hit hard, he does so
and Sir Thomas More. It is superfluous to say that
we in these later days are in a position to know
more concerning the springs of the Reformation
than were Burnet and Strype. The Record Office
has poured a flood of light upon the condition of
England in Tudor times. Other illumination breaks
upon us from Simancas and elsewhere. Not yet,
even, are we sure that we have anything approach-
mieux est l'ennemi du bien, and the present genera-
ing the data that our successors may possess. Le
tion may not wait for information or conjecture
concerning the Reformation until it is sure that
all available sources have been laid under con-
separate chapters of Dr. Gasquet's work stand by
tribution. Though forming a congruous whole,
themselves. In the case of some, moreover, we may
take exception to conclusions without appearing to
write as partisans of different views. Dr. Gasquet
is particularly anxious to separate Erasmus from
party of the Reformers. This is easy enough
exercised little influence upon the great Dutch
as regards matters of dogma. These appear to have
thinker, and it is probable that he would have
accepted without flinching most things that the

the

ecclesiastical authorities chose to lay down. He was, however, strongly in favour of what may be called disciplinary reform. He disliked professed theologians almost as much as he hated monks, who, according to him, took vows of ignorance as well as of poverty. If he cannot be regarded as a supporter of the Reformation, his influence was, on the whole, favourable to it. There are those nowadays who regard men such as Erasmus and Rabelais-who, while aiding in the task of throwing off the fetters upon thought, held, from reasons of conviction, prudence, or indifference, aloof from active participation in efforts after doctrinal reform with more favour than combatants such as Luther, Zuinglius, and Calvin. It is true that neither Erasmus nor Rabelais can be claimed as a Reformer, and it is conceivable that a bigot such as Calvin would have treated either, if he had had the power, after the fashion in which he treated Servetus. The influence of both was, however, favourable in the main to the cause of reform, and the Encomium Moria'-which Dr. Gasquet, very strangely, allows thrice within two pages to appear as the Enconium Moria'-will, in spite of protest, be held to tell in favour of Protestantism. See what is said in it concerning miracles, indulgences, and the like. One of the most important chapters is that on "The Printed English Bible.' Following Brewer and Dore, Dr. Gasquet holds that at the time of the appearance of Tyndall's New Testament there was no call what ever on the part of the public for an English version, and he quotes Brewer's words that "to imagine that ploughmen and shepherds in the country read the New Testament in English by stealth [under hedges], or that smiths and carpenters in towns pored over its pages in the corners of their masters' workshops, is to mistake the character and acquirements of the age." Dr. Gasquet does not, however, quote-and in justice it must be owned is not called upon to quote-As his work is continued up to present times, and Brewer's subsequent statement that Tyndall's translation, to men who knew the Scriptures only through the Vulgate, was a great boon." He regards the translation, on the contrary, as disingenuous, following in so doing More, who calls it а false translation," leading those who studied it into very false and pestilent heresies." He defends the Church from the charge of entertaining hostility towards the vernacular Bible. Other chapters which will be read with interest are on Parish Life in Catholic England,' Pre-Reformation Guild Life," and "Wills, Chantries, and Obits." The book is so well written that we are unable to account for the slips we have indicated, and is admirable in spirit. It will be read with pleasure and advantage by many who will dispute its conclusions, and is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of a period of extreme interest.

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The Story of Tristan and Iseult. Rendered into
English from the German of Gottfried von Strass-
burg by Jessie L. Weston. 2 vols. (Nutt.)
A PROSE rendering of the story of Tristan and
Iseult, as told in the thirteenth century by Gott-
fried von Strassburg, constitutes the second issue
of the "Arthurian Romances" unrepresented in
Malory's Morte d'Arthur.' So far as regards
popular purposes the rendering is all that can be
desired. The translator has taken some liberties
with her theme, and omits much which she thinks
repellent or unsuited to the modern reader. As a

compensation for these proceedings, which stand in
need of some defence, she has told the story with
much spirit and charm. The narrative of the
manner in which the ill-starred and fateful passion
of Tristan and Iseult of Ireland was brought about
is very sweetly and pathetically told, and the con-
cluding scenes, due to the treachery of Iseult of the
white hands, draw tears. The story now told is
unfamiliar in England. All know of the effect upon
the lovers of the potion unhappily swallowed, of
Tristan's inevitable disloyalty to King Mark, his
uncle, and of the tragic deaths of the lovers. The
opening scenes will, however, be new to most-the
early adventures of Tristan, the death of Rivalin
and Blanchefleur, the protection accorded Tristan
by Rual, the means by which he reached Corn-
wall, his adventures in Ireland, and the circum-
stances that made Iseult for a while his enemy,
and even led her to aim at his life. These things
are admirably presented, and the story deserves
thoroughly the high praise bestowed upon it by
Miss Weston in her interesting and erudite pre-
face. To those who love to linger in the fields of
chivalry, and to read the adventures which surly
Ascham so fiercely denounced, these volumes may be
earnestly recommended. We can think of no legend
belonging to the Arthurian cycle, with which this
must necessarily be linked, more tender in itself or
told with more charm. In addition to her excellent
introduction, Miss Weston supplies a few-a very
few-pleasant and helpful notes. The designs, by
Miss Caroline Wells, are agreeably suggestive, and
constitute an enhancement of delight.
The History of Fettercairn. By Archibald Cowie
Cameron, A.M., LL.D. (Paisley, Parlane.)
A HISTORY of the Kincardineshire parish of Fetter-
cairn was undertaken by Dr. Cameron at the in-
stance of those who had listened to a lecture he
delivered seventeen years ago on the same subject.
deals discreetly with persons still living, it has
involved considerable labour. Works of the class
are always welcome, since some particulars of anti-
quarian interest are sure to be gathered from these
pages, or some light of illumination is safe to be
cast upon past customs or modes of thought.
Fettercairn possesses a fine market cross, with an
iron ring and links, to which the jougs, old instru-
ments of punishment, were formerly fastened, and
has also a line cut out, 3 ft. 1 in. long, representing
the Scottish ell. It has also a few signs of Roman
occupation, and a petrified fort of a kind not un-
common in the neighbourhood of the Grampians
(see N. & Q.,' 1st S. iii. 495). In connexion with
this (Greencairn) castle, at one time the supposed
residence of the legendary Fenella, to whom is
attributed the murder of Kenneth III., Dr. Cameron
prints for the first time a very interesting letter of
Walter, afterwards Sir Walter, Scott to the Rev.
Mr. Walker, minister of Dunnottar, describing some
researches made under Scott's own supervision into
the foundations of the castle. A portion of the
letter is given in facsimile. The historical and
descriptive portions of Dr. Cameron's work are of
general interest, and the whole will be of value
to local historians. The only part by which we
are unimpressed is the account of Fettercairn
Worthies." These strike a Southron reader with
apprehension that there may, after all, be some-
thing in the idea that a certain proportion of our
Scottish kinsmen have no very quick perception of

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humour. Useful as it is, the book would be the softness and delicacy. The figure subjects are of

better for an index.

Spain: the Story of a Journey. By Jozef Israëls. Translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. (Nimmo.)

IN this handsome and attractive volume Mr. Israëls, the celebrated Dutch painter, an exhibitor at our own Royal Academy, presents himself in a new light. He gives an account of a journey through Spain from Irun to Tangiers, and back by way of Barcelona, undertaken in the spring of 1898 in his seventy-fifth year, in company with his son, also a painter, and with a friend, a man of letters. Though attended with discomfort, for which, even on the beaten track, the traveller in Spain must prepare himself, the journey was, as was to be expected, uneventful, and the record is principally made up of observations on pictures, edifices, and scenery, and of experiences, mostly unpleasant, of Spanish hotels. A sunny optimist, Mr. Israëls was deter mined to be pleased with everything he saw, and his work cannot be otherwise than gratifying to those of his hosts who come across it. Of the crowning Spanish iniquity, the bullfight, he speaks cheerily and without a word of denunciation, leaving us, however, to gather his opinion and that of his friends from the fact that, having witnessed one combat, he refused to be tempted to another, saying that" to visit these performances repeatedly you have to be a Spaniard." What will chiefly interest the general reader will be found in the remarks on the picture galleries, the raptures concerning Velazquez in Madrid, the comments on Murillo in Seville. A man of his day, Mr. Israëls has no liking for Murillo, whom indirectly he calls "the painter of pious insipidity," lacking alike the "royal style of Velazquez" and the "rugged style of Ribera." A fine portrait of the writer serves as frontispiece to the volume, in which appear also thirty nine reproductions of drawings executed during his journey. These naturally assign the work signal value. They preserve few of the conventional aspects of Spanish life as we are accustomed to see them pictorially displayed. The atmosphere is best preserved in the interiors, which are, of course, admirable. Some of the por traits are very striking; see particularly that of the Spanish matrons at the head of the chapter on Cordova, or that, again, of Velazquez in the chapter on Madrid. Some spirited pictures of animals are also given. The book will delight the artist, and will recall to the traveller memories, pleasant or otherwise, of Spain. It is certainly a book to own. Mr. Teixeira de Mattos seems to have executed well his duties of translator, though as to the fidelity of his rendering we cannot speak. It is at least terse, readable, and vigorous.

Photograms of the Year 1899. (Dawbarn & Ward.) THE fifth annual volume of Photograms, exhibiting a pictorial and literary record of the best photographic art of the year, is an interesting work, showing, like its predecessors, a steady advance in photographic work. The share in the production of the volumes previously taken by the late Gleeson White is now assigned Mr. A. C. R. Carter. Photograms opens with a capital picture, entitled 'Old Dapple, by Mr. H. P. Robinson, who has not previously contributed. With some of the following designs we are familiar, though most of them are new. Many of the landscapes are of marvellous

varying merit, but many of them are excellent. A collection of the volumes, which illustrate the art and productions of many countries, will be valuable as a record.

The Standard Intermediate-School Dictionary of the English Language. By James C. Fernald. (Funk & Wagnalls Co.)

THIS useful work is compiled for the use of teachers and pupils from the celebrated Funk & Wagnalls dictionary. It is well illustrated, concise, intelligible, and accurate, and is admirably adapted for intermediary school use.

"In your

THE REV. A. L. MAYHEW writes:friendly mention of the English Dialect Dictionary' in your Notes on Books,' p. 450, you say that Part VIII. carries on Dr. Wright's "Dictionary" to p. 432. May I be allowed to remind your readers that the first volume of this work A-C), consisting of 864 pages, is already published, so that Part VIII. will carry it on to vol. ii. p. 432? I will take this opportunity of thanking you for the valuable help given to the dictionary by N. & Q.'

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THE Class in Paleography of the London School of Economics are issuing by subscription, in a limited edition, under the supervision of Mr. Hubert Hall, F.S.A., The Receipts Roll of the Exchequer for Michaelmas Term, 1185' (31 Heury II.). This is to be the first of a series of palæographic publications which the class will undertake.

Notices to Correspondents.

We must call special attention to the following notices:

ON all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.

Let

WE cannot undertake to answer queries privately. To secure insertion of communications correspondents must observe the following rule. 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. Correspond. ents who repeat queries are requested to head the second communication "Duplicate."

A. R. WOOD (" Elementary Books on Heraldry"). Such are so numerous that the only difficulty is choice. Look at Elvin's Dictionary of Heraldry (Kent & Co.), Boutell's Heraldry' (Reeves & Turner), or Clark's 'Introduction to Heraldry' (Bell & Sons).

NOTICE.

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Messrs. W. H. SMITH & SON, 186, Strand, W.C.,

WILL FORWARD from the LIBRARY DEPARTMENT

MAGAZINES AND

REVIEWS,

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WITHDRAWN FROM
CIRCULATION,

POSTAGE FREE to any part of the United Kingdom at the Prices annexed,

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The terms will be 18. 6d. per annum less to Subscribers living sufficiently near the Bookstalls to have the Magazines delivered therefrom.

SUBSCRIPTIONS MUST BE PAID IN ADVANCE, and cannot be received for a less period than TWELVE MONTHS. If no remittance is received after the dispatch of the last number subscribed for, it will be understood that they are to be discontinued.

SUBSCRIPTIONS MAY COMMENCE AT ANY DATE.

A SELECTION OF MAGAZINE VOLUMES

OFFERED AT GREATLY REDUCED PRICES BY

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SON,

And at the Railway Bookstalls, to which places they will be forwarded carriage free.

THE BOOKS ARE NEW AS PUBLISHED.

Published Offered

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Vol. for 1890. Edited by Dr. WAUGH. Contains Maitland of Laurieston," by Annie 8.
Swan, and 'Rex Raynor, Artist,' by Silas K. Hocking
CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL of POPULAR LITERATURE, SCIENCE, and ARTS. Vol. for 1892...

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W. H. SMITH & SON'S SUBSCRIPTION LIBRARY, 186, STRAND, LONDON.
And at over 600 Railway Bookstalls, to which places Subscribers can be transferred, free of charge.
Prospectus of Terms, &c., sent free upon application to 186, STRAND, LONDON,

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This work has at once stepped into the front rank of Quotation Books. It supplies a vast body of references, in the Classical Volume giving the Original Texts, with translations from the best sources, or, where not already well translated, by Mr. Harbottle himself. Both books are fully indexed (pp. 152 and 100 respectively), under (a) Authors, (b) Subjects, (c) Catch Words. In all cases precise reference to "chapter and verse" of the best Editions is given. The Third Volume, dealing with FOREIGN QUOTATIONS, is in the press.

The FRANCO GERMAN WAR, The STORY of AUSTRALIAN BUSH

1870-71. By Generals and other Officers who took part in the Campaign. Translated and Edited by MajorGeneral MAURICE, C.B. R.A., Capt. WILFRED J. LONG, and A. SONNENSCHEIN. With hundreds of Plates, Illustrations, Portraits, Maps, and Plans. Imperial 8vo. 21s.

With a solitary exception, there is a consensus of favourable criticism of Mr. BUDGETT MEAKIN'S New Volume,

entitled

RANGING" enables us to study one of the strangest episodes in the history of crime," says the Spectator of Mr. G. E. BOXALL'S New Book, which is published at 6s. The Daily Telegraph thinks it "will appeal strongly to those who take an interest in the annals of crime and the daring of celebrated criminals." The Pall Mall Gazette asserts that "it could not well be more complete," and thinks "it is uncommonly well done," providing "385 pages of attractive reading."

The MOORISH EMPIRE, with 115 The LETTERS of LADY JANE

fine Illustrations, 3 Maps, 2 Charts, and a Copious Index, at 15s. The Daily News regards it as "just the sort of book writers and readers on the Moorish Question will like to have at hand "; and the Daily Chronicle says that "no student of Morocco can afford to be without this "most valuable" book. South Africa says:-" This admirable history may be heartily commended to all who have the cause of British Imperial expansion at

"

COKE, which Mrs. AMBROSE RATHBORNE has just edited, the Standard opens its review by saying, "affords one of the most amusing and interesting accounts of 'high life' in the last century which have recently been published." The book is illustrated with Portraits and Facsimiles, and its price is 7s. 6d.

heart. Its value is immensely enhanced by maps and INTRODUCTION to PHONETICS.

excellent photographs and drawings."

According to the Times, Mr. B. H. BADEN POWELL'S
VILLAGE COMMUNITIES in

By the late L. 8OAMES. New Edition, by Prof. W.
VIETOR. 65.

INDIA: their Origin and Growth (2s. 6d.), is by far The SCIENTIFIC BASIS of

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the best popular exposition of the Indian commune that has ever been written or is likely to be written in our day."

MORALITY. By G. GORE, LL.D. F.R.S., Author of
•The Art of Scientific Discovery,' &c.
592 pp.
10s. 6d. net.

The VICTORIA NYANZA: the Land, The PHENOMENA of NATURE as

the Races, and their Customs, by P. KOLLMANN, Lieut. Royal Saxon Regt., is just ready. It is fully illustrated from the Author's own Collections (now in the Berlin Museum). 73. 6d.

SEEN from the WORKSHOP, the FACTORY, and the FIELD. By JAMES WALKER. 2 Parts, each 2s. 6d.

SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO., LTD., London.

Printed by JOHN EDWARD FRANCIS, Athenæum Press, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, B.C.; and Published by
JOHN C. FRANCIS at Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E.Ö.—Saturday, December 2, 1899.

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