Libro d'Oro of Venice was an actual book, and has its place in Venetian bibliography. The young student can look up the subject in Edmund Flagg's Venice, the City of the Sea. The overthrow of the Republic of Venice by Napoleon, in 1797, was signalized by the burning of the Golden Book in effigy at the foot of a French liberty-tree erected in the Piazza of St. Mark. This is an interesting subject for a little historical research. See Brewer's Historic Note Book, under "Golden Book." P. 241. The temples of Paestum. You may read a pleasing chapter on this subject in John Addington Symonds's Sketches in Italy. P. 242. The great kingdom. See Chap. XXIII. of Macaulay's History. See, also, his essay on Mahon's History of the War of the Succession in Spain. Look up the subject in Freeman's Historical Geography of Europe, Chap. XII., Sec. 3. the Tory fox-hunter. See p. 149. P. 243. the Duke of Shrewsbury. See Chap. XXII. of the History. Eugene had already descended, etc. To understand the military and political events here referred to, see the histories of the War of the Spanish Succession. For a brief account, see Richard Lodge's History of Modern Europe, in the Students' Series, Chap. XIII., Sec. 24. P. 245. Manchester was deprived of the seals. The office from which Manchester was removed was that of "principal Secretary of State." P. 246. Godolphin had been appointed lord treasurer by Queen Anne in 1702. Newmarket. See Encyclo. Brit. See, also, very interesting accounts of Newmarket and its dissipations, in Chaps. XXI. and XXIII. of Macaulay's History. P. 248. The Campaign. Do not fail to look up this poem in Addison's works; it is interesting. Look up, also, in Johnson's Life of Addison, in the Lives of the English Poets, the passage referred to below. P. 249. the Lifeguardsman Shaw. Shaw, who had already attained notoriety as a pugilist, became famous by his prowess in the battle of Waterloo, where he fought as corporal in the Second Lifeguards. The story of his valor is variously told by the histo rians of the battle. It may be read in Siborne, p. 282, and in Gleig, p. 191. From a contemporary account of the battle we extract the following: "Shaw was fighting seven or eight hours, dealing destruction to all around him. At one time he was attacked by six of the French Imperial Guard, four of whom he killed, but at last fell by the remaining two. A comrade who was at his side a great part of the day, and who is the relater of this anecdote, noticed one particular cut, which drove through his opponent's helmet, and with it cut nearly the whole of his face at the stroke." P. 250. Johnson's remarks on this passage should by all means be looked up and read in the class; they convey an interesting lesson in criticism. P. 251. the advantage which, in rhetoric and poetry, the particular has over the general. See this principle more fully set forth by Macaulay in his Essay on Milton, near the beginning. Rosamond will be found well worth looking into, at least for the sake of its pleasing metrical effect. The Great Seal was given to Cowper. (Pronounce Cooper.) That is, Cowper was made "Lord Keeper." See Webster's Dictionary, under "Lord keeper." In Southey's Life of Cowper, the poet, you may trace the kinship of the two men. the Order of the Garter. See the story of the origin of this order, briefly told in Hume's History, and more fully discussed in Encyclo. Brit., article "Knighthood." P. 253. the queen had now quarrelled, etc. For a full account of this famous quarrel, you will of course go to Miss Strickland; but all the histories give it. The Captain General. This was Marlborough's title. Sacheverell figures very largely at this period of English history. You will find an interesting brief account of him in Macaulay's essay on Lord Mahon's History of the War of the Succession in Spain. P. 254. During the interval, etc. See Samuel Rawson Gardiner's Student's History of England, pp. 663 and 779. the Conduct of the Allies. Swift published this tract in 1712, in support of the Tory opposition to the war, which was ended the next year by the peace of Utrecht. It is said that 11,000 copies of the Conduct of the Allies were sold within three months after its appearance. P. 255. governed by triennial parliaments. See Gardiner's Student's History, pp. 530, 661, 706. P. 256. "assented with civil leer." See note to p. 291. Lady Q-p-t-s. See Spectator, No. 568. P. 257. Such excess was in that age, etc. On the convivial habits of the literary men of that time, see Thackeray's English Humorists in many passages, but especially in the accounts of Addison and Pope. P. 258. Hurd. This is Bishop Hurd, whose edition of Addison's works is often mentioned in these notes. the last lines which he traced. See a short account of Budgell, including the "lines," in Encyclo. Brit. The very pleasing Spectator, No. 116, p. 41 of this book, is by Budgell. has been called, after his name, Namby Pamby. The coining of this epithet is ascribed, by Dr. Johnson, to Pope. The writer of the article on Ambrose Philips in the Encyclo. Brit. credits it to Henry Carey. See Hurd's Addison. P. 259. had tried to find the philosopher's stone. See, in Hurd's Addison, Vol. VI., p. 532, a pleasant bit of verse, in which Addison rallies his friend Steele on his erratic life. Notice in these lines an allusion to Steele's "religious treatise,” which was humorously dedicated to the Pope. The spunging house is well known to readers of earlier English fiction and biography. You may get a glimpse into a spunging house in Thackeray's History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond, Chap. XI. The definition of spunging house in the Century Dictionary is peculiarly satisfactory. P. 260. the rival bulls in Virgil. See the third Georgic. P. 262. Periodical papers had during many years been published in London. The history of the newspaper is very interesting and may easily be looked up. By all means, read Macaulay's paragraphs on this subject in Chap. XXI. of his History. gazetteer. The reference just made to Macaulay abundantly explains this word. Will's and the Grecian. On the inns and coffee-houses of the eighteenth century, see Knight, History of England, Vol. VII., Chap. V., and Chap. III. of Macaulay's History. See, also, p. 271 of this book. P. 263. Mr. Paul Pry. See Dictionary of Noted Names of Fiction, in Webster's Dictionary. To understand the Bickerstaff-Partridge affair, you must look it up in some life of Swift, as, e.g., in Sir Walter Scott's, end of Sec. II. It will be interesting to look up the original documents in the case in Scott's edition of Swift's works, Vol. VIII. "Swift is said to have taken the name Bickerstaff from a smith's sign, and added that of Isaac, as a Christian appellation of uncommon Occurrence. Yet it was said a living person was actually found who owned both names." Later in the century a dramatic writer of some note bore precisely this name. Thus there are three Isaac Bickerstaffs, Swift's pseudonym in the Partridge episode, The Tatler's pseudonym, and a real author. - Dryden's prose have been (Macmillan & Co.) P. 264. Dryden. Selections from edited for school use by C. D. Yonge. Temple. Macaulay has an essay on this writer. the half French style of Horace Walpole. See Macaulay's essay on Walpole's Letters to Sir Horace Mann. the half Latin style of Dr. Johnson. See Macaulay's two essays on Johnson. But, better, see Rasselas, the Rambler, or The Lives of the Poets. the half German jargon of the present day. Macaulay wrote this essay in 1843, when Carlyle was 48 years old, and had produced some of his most characteristic works. the lines to Sir Godfrey Kneller. By all means, look up these lines in Hurd's Addison, I., p. 229. Consider if these lines are heroic couplets. Hudibras is accessible in an edition excellently annotated for students by Alfred Milnes. (Macmillan & Co.) P. 266. Bettesworth and Franc de Pompignan were victims of the satire, respectively, of Swift and Voltaire, and must be looked up in the lives of these writers, as, e.g., in Scott's Swift and Parton's Voltaire. See P. 267. Jeremy Collier had shamed the theatres, etc. Macaulay's essay on the Comic Dramatists of the Restoration. The Tatlers named on this page are, except such as are included in this volume, Nos. 155, 160; 250, 253, 256, 259, 262; 220; 249. P. 268. There is one still better paper, etc. It has been surmised that Macaulay meant Tatler, No. 257. By all means look up this paper, and consider why he should not have dared to name it. reigning by a disputed title. See Gardiner's Student's History, p. 643, par. 18. the outbreaks in 1820 and in 1831. See Mackenzie's The Nineteenth Century, a History, and Gardiner's Student's History of England. P. 269. acting by the advice of Harley. This is explained by the article on Harley in the Encyclo. Brit. See under" Oxford." See in Encyclo. Brit. Sunderland was the first who fell. what was Sunderland's connection with Marlborough, and from what office he was dismissed in 1710. directed him to break his white staff; i.e. dismissed him from his office as Lord High Treasurer. had ventured to raise his eyes to a great lady. To be explained further on in the essay. P. 270. forcing Tory members on Whig corporations. By corporations are meant here the constituencies that elect members of parliament. P. 271. an imaginary Spectator. The young reader must not allow himself to imagine that in the papers of the Spectator the pronoun of the first person stands for Addison. Whoever may be the writer of any paper, it is always "the imaginary Spectator" that speaks. Spectator is the pseudonym of the collective authors of the papers. P. 273. The seven papers named near the bottom of the page are all in this volume, except the Journal of the Retired Citizen, which is No. 317. P. 274. the stamp tax was imposed. See Spectator, No. 445, p. 89 of this book. P. 275. Nestor Ironside is to the Guardian precisely what Isaac Bickerstaff is to the Tatler, and Mr. Spectator to the Spectator. He is the Guardian. The Miss Lizards are his wards: hence the name of the paper. P. 278. Athalie, Saul, Cinna, cine, Alfieri, Corneille. tragedies, respectively, by Ra |