the original, is in alternate prose and verse, is excellent,
fulfilling every requirement of the student or the general
reader. He has taken, obviously, much pains with it,
and he has wisely left it unencumbered with a needless
display of erudition. It is in a convenient shape, suitable
for those who care to carry it as a companion. Few
now find time to peruse a work which was the delight of
the Middle Ages, and was translated or imitated by men
such as Alfred the Great, Jean de Meung, Chaucer, and
Charles d'Orléans. If, which is not unlikely, the present
edition brings a few to the appreciation of 'The Con-
solations' a good purpose will have been served.

In Praise of Music: an Anthology. Prepared by Charles
Sayle. (Stock.)

of human monsters to Marie Bashkirtseff, from the tricolour in the time of Henry IV. and the punishment of court pages to the iron plaques which were formerly fashionable as chimney-backs both in France and Eng land. Some of these chimney-backs, adorned with coats of arms, are, it appears, now to be found in their original position, but with the back placed towards the hearth and the ornamental front turned to the wall; a fact to be explained in the following manner. During the Reign of Terror the simple possession of any royal or feudal emblem whatever brought suspicion on its owner, yet many persons having plaques armoriées contented themselves with simply turning them back to front to escape detection. At a later time it dropped out of remem. brance that they had been thus reversed; so now many of them still remain, out of forgetfulness or pure ignor ance, with their faces to the wall as they were placed when men lived under the sombre shadow of the guillotine.

Mélusine, being exclusively devoted to folk-lore, has

FROM the many excellent anthologies that have of late seen the light this volume differs, since most of its flowers are of prose instead of verse. It consists of a series-large, of course-of extracts in praise of the most seductive of the arts, from the Bible down to modern poets and writers, such as Swinburne, Tolstoi, and Sully Prudhomme. Sometimes entire poems-Col-necessarily a more limited range than L'Intermédiaire. lins's 'Ode to the Passions,' Pope's Ode on St. Cecilia's The number for March and April publishes, among other Day, and the like-are given, sometimes a mere distich. articles, a paper on the Polish and Russian practices The conception of the book is happy, and its execution, illustrating the medical rite of passing a sick person so far as it goes, is good. One would suppose, however, through a hole to promote his recovery. Another paper that many volumes of the kind might be compiled. Is of interest is the one on the asserted ritual murder of the music, moreover, to have precedence of other arts; or Jewish Easter. may we not look for the praise of painting? The praise of poetry we have already had.

A History of Moray and Nairn. By Charles Rampini,
LL.D. (Blackwood.)

THIS is the latest volume in the series of popular county
histories that Messrs. Blackwood are publishing, and it is
quite up to the average of the other volumes that we have
read. It may be doubted whether, from the point of view
of history, in the highest and fullest sense of that much
slandered term, such books as these are worth publishing;
but if popular synopses of what never ought to be sub-
jected to such treatment are to be written, then we find
in the book before us much to praise. We consider the
plan Dr. Rampini has adopted, of dividing the subject, as
it were, into three semi-distinct subjects-namely the pro-
vince, the bishopric, and the earldom-is a very useful one,
and calculated to make a subject somewhat complex to
the ordinary reader with but little knowledge of his-
torical continuity, much clearer and more easily under-
stood than by treating them all as one. We are much
pleased by finding many of the superstitions, traditions,
beliefs, and games of the people described in a manner
which shows that the author has a sympathetic under-
standing of what he is writing about. We wish that he
would bring out a volume entirely upon these subjects.
Of course, in a book like the one before us it would be
out of place to devote much space to the bygone or pre-
sent beliefs of the people as regards folk-lore; but we
think that a volume might easily be compiled which
should at once be popular and yet of service to the
serious student of folk-lore. This work has, like the rest
of the series, a good index, and most carefully made
maps, both old and new. We can only say, in con-
clusion, that we consider Dr. Rampini has written as
good a book as the circumstances allowed him to do, and
that if the public will take a modicum of history in this
manner, well

If they will have it, let them have it so,

They might more hardly fare did they further go. L'Intermédiaire, like its English prototype, contains a most diverse collection of notes and of answers to historical, genealogical, and literary questions. The subjects treated on in the later numbers range from the baptism

ASH PARTNERS, LIMITED, have issued The Fairies' Favourite; or, the Story of Queen Victoria told for Children,' by T. Mullett Ellis. The life of the Queen is shown as having been under the special protection of the fairies.

YESTERDAY began at Messrs, Sotheby's the sale of the first part of the magnificent library of the Earl of Ashburnham, of which the illustrated catalogue is itself as Bible, Dante, Boccaccio, &c., will show the richness an acceptable possession. A glance under such headings of a collection which includes a copy on vellum of the famous Mazarine Bible, bought by the late_earl for 3,4001. The catalogue extends from A to F. Some beautiful bindings are reproduced.

Fotices to Correspondents,

We must call special attention to the following nolices: On all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for publication, bat as a guarantee of good faith.

We cannot undertake to answer queries privately. To secure insertion of communications correspondents must observe the following rule. Let 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. Correspondents who repeat queries are requested to bead the second communication "Duplicate,"

W. F. COLLIER ("How they brought the good news"). There is no such incident. The whole is purely imaginary. See N. & Q.,' 7th S. ii, 337.

and "beasom" read besomy and besom.
CORRIGENDUM.-P. 486, col. 2, 11, 25, 26, for "beasomy"

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INDEX.

EIGHTH SERIES.-VOL. XI.

[For classified articles, see ANONYMOUS WORKS, BIBLIOGRAPHY, BOOKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED, EPIGRAMS, EPITAPHS,
FOLK-LORE, HERALDRY, PROVERBS AND PHRASES, QUOTATIONS, SHAKSPEARIANA, and SONGS AND BALLADS.]