LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2520, 2 July 1902, Page 79

LITERARY NOTES.

— The anniversary of Disraeli's death gives the Jewish World the opportunity of pointing out that "Lothair" had the greatest review space ever allotted to a book in England. It was published on May 9, 1870, and received page reviews in the dailies, was noticed in thousands of journals in the United States, and was eulogise-d by all the critics except those of the reviews and quarterlies. The author received somewhere about £20,000 for the copyright.

— On April 23, ISSO, William Wordsworth, the poet of Nature, died at the age of80. He had then held for seven years the Laureatesfaip vacated by Southey. In 1845 he wrote of Tennyson, "He is decidedly tho first of our living poets, and I hope will live to give the world still better things" ; and though the latter -did not publish "The Princess" till two years later, it was he who became Laureate at Wordsworth's death. Wordsworth was one of tho -most unequal .of writers. The late "J. K. S." says that T"is rhyin€s were sometimes like "the bleating of some half-witted sheep." though for bi3 better periods ho had nothing but admiration.

— The first edition of Lodge's "Rosalynd," 1590, upon which Shakespeare framed "As You Like It," is, say& Mr W. Roberts, in the Athenaeum, on© of the rarest books in the English language. A perfect copy was sold at Sotheby's on July 25, 1901, bound up with an example of the 1617 edition of Lilly's "Euphues." It was purchased by Messrs Pickering and Chatto for' £210. In spite of the fact- that it had a'remarkabie popularity in its day — eight editions appearing during the author's lifetime — "Rosalynd" owes much of its interest to-day to the fact that Shakespeare transformed this unpolished stone into a brilliant gem. The full title of tho work is: — "Rosalynde. Euphues golden legacie : found after his death in his Ce-11 at Silexedra. Bequeathed to Philautus sonnes noursed vp with their father in England. Fetcht from the Canaries. By T. L. Gent."

— A book on Egypt by Mr Edward Dicey appears under the title of "The Story of tho Khalifatc" (Rivingtonp). Mr Dicey (?ays the Aoadomy) 1-y no means shaies the general belief in the practical capacity of Gordon as a heaven-sent administrator, and thinks that his appointment was a, mistake, even had he be&n adequately backed by tho English Government. Apropos of this, he tells a story of Beaconsfield. When Gordon was on his way to Khartoum Beaconsfield was a^ked by a gentleman at dinner what he thought of the appointment. He replied that be once thought of sending Gordon to Turkey on a private mission, but the memo rauduin on the subject of the mission whi^h Gordon (by request) sent in to liim appeared to him tho work of a madman, and he altered his mind. "After all," gaid tho gentleman, "Gordon is a good man." "I hate good men," rejoined the author of "Coningsby," and dropped the conversation.

— Someone has made a collection of "slips of the pen" made by well-known authors. Sonic of them are interesting. Wilkie Collu.s, in some mysterious fashion, makes the moon ii<r- in the west: Rider Haggard, in "King Solomon's Minei," contrives an eclipse of the new moon for the benefit -of hi.-* readers ; and Coleridge places a star between the horns of the crescent moon as she ri r e<i in the east. Shakespeare makes a clock strike in ancient Rome more than 2000 years befoie clocks were invented, llobiuson Crusoe, deciding to abandon the wreck, removes his clothes in order to swim a-hore ; the author makes him, in this condition, fill his pockets full of bise-uilc Anihony Trollope pictures Andy Scott '"coming whistling up the street with a cigar in his mouth." —Mr Stephen Phillips (says the Globe) has received so much homage that reactionary criticism becomes a certainty of the fciture. Its vanguard is perhaps to be found in the article on his poetry in" tho new Quarterly Review. Mr -Phillips, -t is contended, h"a» not left this dint of the inimitable on his work. But it seems hard to compare him with a housemaid who "has laid the paper, the sticks, and tho coals neatly in the grate, where they remain in undisturbed order, awaiting the flame th.it never \>ak^ii3 them into light or heat." The w liter of tin-- article ia. however, applying the higher standards to Mr Phillips's wo'-k Dante, Shakespeare, Coleridge, nnd Plpko aro quoted to show what i-> tho "instan-. inevitable, unmistakable thrill and onUauxht of poetry " And this is the only way, after all, to a«ay new ver a e with any provision or finality of judgm*!-!. T';e jru^e i= a ■■irong piece of cinici-m; s<-\'-re, but ro-pe-ctful. — Amoi'g't tho nrmrral htrrriur.^ recfnilv published wa>> a thin paper, cloth bound, ( lghtrriipcnny reprint of "John Halifax, (i.-ntleman" iTrfhemr). In thu young clay? of many of us Mr- C'raik -ua*. a wiitcr \vho<-/» book" ut*re received into thr "tr rlo>t hou=e holds, without the phatlow of a question It was by "John Halifax" that Mivs Mulrc li achiovi-d her greatest triumph, though a ■■> a mistake to supp''-e that by H sl.o c-li 1--li-hod hci leputation. "The OKihiet-" (IS'9) pM^ c hoi at t>nc» a place in fictu n, and thi^ -lie -itr"i'gtheiipd by three .succfedinc; no\rlprevioiw to the publication of 'John Ilalifa\" (1857) This was translated i-nn half a dozen foifign lan!?uae;cs, and ha" pimt Dr^n on- of sight o. memory Tho lutlo edition which we now notice is therefore enmmend.\hl" cmerpii-e. A older frierd appears m the late-t example of th<* limp lambskin, gilt-edgo'l, thrpo-shilling Caxton *pri<s of (Joorge Xewnes ai.'l Co It is a lolume of "Hood; Serioti' Poem-," illustrated by H. Gianvillo Foil Some of these poems, such as "The Bridge of Sighs" (which appropriately comes first), "The Song of "the Shirt," and "The Dream of Eugene Aram," ar-e of wOlw ol Id- wide fame; but we suspect thore are many j-oung men and women «;'io arc unaware of the number of beautiful poems which may fairly be termed serious which were written by the mnn whose principal reputation was that of a humourist. Another book of poems deserving of notice is Grant Riehards'a shilling collection of "English Songs and Balladfe," wi&ely compiled by Mr T. W. H. Croßlaud. The editor has £&ne back through the copturiea. and

ftutdsked us with examples- of Lord Yaux* Edwardes, Wyatt, Marlowe, and Dyer, ami. there arc also many poems not often included in a cheap and popular collection of this description. — Field. —Mr Edward Dicey \ book, "The Story of the Khedivate" (Rivingtons), comes at an opportune moment. Lord Crorner's report on the progress of Egypt and the Soudan, issued recently, has once again directed attention to the monumental work which is being performed by men of British race in the hind of the Pharaohs. Mr Dioey has an intimate acquaintance extending over many years with the affairs of Egypt; ha has known personally not a few of the men who have figured prominently in its history during the last quarter of a century, and is therefore well qualified to give jis the story of the events which, rightly considered, make one of the most romantic pages of nineteenth century political history. Mr Dicey is a firm believer in the bright destiny of Eprvpfc under British rule. But he has, he says, Dcver been a supporter of the theory that' our occupation can be defended solely on the ground of th© benefits it was expected to confer — and to a great extent has conferred — on E"-"-pt. What he has contended throughout is. that our occupation of the Valley of the Nile -is -iustiffed by tho exigencies of our Imperial position in India. Mr Dicey might also have instificd our occupation by the remarkable circumstance that from time -im* memorial Egypt has been under the domination of the mistress of the seas, whether Phoenician, Roman, Ajpb, Turkish, or British. That has ever "bsen her fate,, and it is probably safe to predict that England, will never quit Egypt so long- as she retaina her supremacy of the ocean. Meanwhile Mr.- . Dieey's book may be warmly commended for the clear and succinct manner in which it traces the events that led up to and succeeded the intervention of Great Britain in. Ftgvpt. It i« an entrancing story, cntrancinely told. Ti- scarcely ranks sidp by side with Lord Milner's standard work, but it forms an admirable supplement to "England in Egypt," and is therefore valuable as it is welcome — London Sun.