Various

“ I have no Concordance at hand, but I suspect there is no passage in Scripture where the word hand-maid is more prominent; and so the idea became associated with the name Abigail. An Abigail for a hand-maid is therefore merely analogous to a Goliath for a giant; a Job for a patient man; a Samson for a strong one; a Jezebel for a shrew, &c. I need hardly add, that H. T. Ryley's conjecture, that this use of the term Abigail had any relation to the Lady Masham, is, therefore, quite supererogative—but I may go farther. ”

“ This really invaluable remedy is employed with the most satisfactory result, not only in bronchial and pulmonary complaints, where irritation and pain are to be removed, but also in pulmonary and bronchial consumption, in which it counteracts effectually the troublesome cough; and I am enabled with perfect truth to express the conviction that Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica is adapted to the cure of incipient hectic complaints and consumption. ”

“ Although I am not personally acquainted with him, we have had some correspondence, and I must always feel that a man so zealous and intelligent is entitled to the best reply I can afford. I can have no hesitation in informing him that, in preparing what he terms my "monovolume Shakspeare," I pursued this plan throughout; I adopted, as my foundation, the edition in eight volumes octavo, which I completed in 1844; that was "formed from an entirely new collation of the old editions," and my object there was to give the most accurate representation of the text of the folios and quartos. ”

“ But I repeat, it would be better still to give us the digest without the comment. All would go into one large volume. And it cannot be doubted that such a volume, if thoroughly well done, would furnish at once a sort of textus receptus, and a critical basis, from which future editors might commence their labours. It would also be an indispensable book of reference to all who treat of, or are interested in, the poet's text. Such, I say, would be its certain prospects if the editor were at once an accurate, painstaking scholar, and a man of true poetical feeling. ”

“ I do not believe it comes to us either from the Amazons or the Romans.
My own opinion, in the absence of any from the great writers to guide me, is, that we owe the use of this form of shield amongst ladies to hatchments or funeral achievements. During the time of mourning for persons of rank, their coats of arms are set up in churches and over the principal entrances of their houses. On these occasions it is well known their arms are always placed in a large black lozenge ”

“ It was not until the reign of Richard III. that the College of Arms was regularly incorporated; and though the science of heraldry received its highest polish during the splendid reigns of Edward III. and Henry V., it had yet scarcely been subjected to those rules which since the establishment of the College have controlled it. Mark Noble, in his History of the College of Arms, says that the latter reign—
"If it did not add to the wealth of the nation at large, gave rise to a number of great families, enriched by the spoils of Azincourt, the plunder of France, and the ransom of princes. ”

“ This is not in the least what we require: we need a regular digest of readings, wholly distinct from long debates about their value.
What I mean will be plain to any one who is familiar with any good critical edition of the Greek New Testament, or with such books as Gaisford's Herodotus, the Berlin Aristotle, the Zurich Plato, and the like. We ought to have, first, a good text of Shakspeare: such as may represent, as fairly as possible, the real results of the labours of the soundest critics ”

“ Individuals had their obsequies kept in various places where they had particular connexions. [3]
Is it too much then to presume that in the midst of all this pomp and affectation of grief, the hatchment of the deceased nobleman would be displayed as much, and continued as long, as possible by the widow? May we not reasonably believe that these ladies would vie with each other in these displays of the insignia of mourning, until, by usage, the lozenge-shaped hatchment became the shield appropriated to the sex? ”

“ A traditional anecdote is current of an old Presbyterian clergyman, unusually full of matter, who, having preached out his hour-glass, was accustomed to pause, and addressing the precentor, "Another glass and then," recommenced his sermon.
A pictorial representation of the hour-glass in a country church is to be seen in front of the precentor's desk, or pulpit, in a very scarce humorsome print, entitled "Presbyterian Penance," by the famous David Allan. It also figures in the engraving of the painting by Wilkie, of John Knox preaching before Mary Queen of Scots. ”

“ That evil appears to be good to him whose mind God leads to destruction; but that he (God) practises this a short time without destroying such a one."
Now, had Barnes referred to the scholiast on the Antigone, or remembered at the time the above-cited passage, he would either not have omitted the conclusion of his distich, or he would at once have seen that a passage quoted as "ἔκ του, of some one," by Sophocles, seventeen years the senior of Euripides, could not have been the original composition of his junior competitor. The conclusion of the distich is thus given by the old scholiast ”

“ Excepting sovereigns, women unmarried, or widows, bear their arms on a lozenge shield, which is of a square form, so placed as to have one of its angles upwards, and is supposed to resemble a distoff. ”

“ In order to come within the design of your pages, I must put this in the shape of a Query, and ask, if it is not a pity that this fact has ceased to be noticed? We do not know what treasures may be contained in the shabby covers which we contemplate getting rid of. "There are thousands" (of MSS.) , says the same writer, "equally destroyed,—thousands of murdered wretches not so completely annihilated: their ghosts do walk the earth; they glide unseen into our libraries, our studies, our very hands; they are all about and around us. ”

“ Robson, British Herald, 1830:—
"Lozenge, a four-cornered figure, differing from the fusil, being shorter and broader. Plutarch says that in Megara [read Megura] , an ancient town of Greece, the tombstones under which the bodies of Amazons lay were of that form: some conjecture this to be the cause why ladies have their arms on lozenges." ”

“ Those who are in the habit of looking at such things, know how commonly early printed books, whose binding has undergone the analytical operation of damp, or mere old age, disclose the under end pieces of beautiful and ancient manuscript. They know how freely parchment was used for backs and bands, and fly-leaves, and even for covers. The thing is so common, that those who are accustomed to see old books have ceased to notice it. ”

“ The words "when he wills it" being left out by Barnes and Carmeli, but which correspond with the last line of the quotation from Sophocles. The old scholiast introduces the exact quotation referred to by Sophocles as "a celebrated (notorious, ἀοίδιμον) and splendid saying, revealed by the wisdom of some one, μετὰ σοφίας γὰρ ὑπό τινος."
Indeed, the sentiment must have been as old as Paganism, wherein, whilst all voluntary acts are attributed to the individual, all involuntary ones are ascribed to the Deity. ”

“ Quant aux femmes mariées, elles accollent d'ordinaire leurs armes avec celles de leurs époux; mais quelquefois elles les portent aussi en lozenge."
Coates, Dictionary of Heraldry, 1725, quotes Colombière, a French herald, who, he says, gives upwards of thirty examples of differently formed shields; but no allusion is made to the lozenge. ”

“ Goodall, which is, strictly speaking, an emblem, though the artist calls it an historical episode. Now it appears to me an episode cannot be reduced into a representation; it might embrace a complete picture in writing, but as I read the picture it is an emblem, and would have been still more perfect had the painter treated it accordingly. The old man at the helm of the barge might well represent Strafford, because, though he holds the tiller, he is not engaged in steering right, his eyes are not directed to his port. ”

“ Critical Digest of various Readings in the Works of Shakspeare.—There is much activity in the literary world just now about the text of Shakspeare: but one most essential work, in reference to that text, still remains to be performed,—I mean, the publication of a complete digest of all the various readings, in a concise shape, such as those which we possess in relation to the MSS. and other editions of nearly every classical author. ”

“ Two holes are dug in the disputed spot, in each of which the lawyers on either side put one of their legs, and remain there until one of them is tired, or complains of being stung by insects, in which case his client is defeated. An American writer has remarked that in the United States it is generally the client, and not the lawyer, "who puts his foot in it." ”

“ There is no passion that he has not pourtrayed, and laid bare in its beauty or deformity; no feeling or affection to which his genius has not given the stamp of immortality: and does he want an interpreter? It is treading on dangerous ground to attempt to improve him. Even Mr. Knight, enthusiast as he is in his veneration for Shakspeare, and who, by his noble editions of the poet's works, has won the admiration and secured the gratitude of every lover of the poet, has gone too far in his emendations when he changes a line in Romeo and Juliet from ”

“ Few persons are more apt to make mistakes than F. W. J. He therefore sends the following extract from Twiss's Life of Lord C. Eldon, vol. i. p. 49. They are Lord Eldon's own words, after having narrated the anecdote to which C. refers:
"In short, in all that I have had to do in future life, professional and judicial, I have always felt the effect of this early admonition on the pannels of the vehicle which conveyed me from school, 'Sat cito, si sat bene.' It was the impression of this which made me that deliberative judge—as some have said, too deliberative ”

“ The two instances cited by him are rather unfortunate, the connexion of both ladies with royalty being sufficiently close to suggest the possibility of their right to the "full and complete" shield.
Margaret, Duchess (not Countess) of Norfolk, was sole heir of her father, Thomas of Brotherton, fifth Earl of Norfolk, son of King Edward I., and Marshal of England. She, "for the greatness of her birth, her large revenues and wealth," was created Duchess of Norfolk for life ”

“ The Romans had the Ancile, the Scutum, the Clypeus, the Parma, the Cetra, and others; but none of these approached the shape of the lozenge. The shields of modern nations are also dealt with at length; still the author appears to have had no information nor an opinion upon the lozenge, which he dismisses with these remarks:—
"L'écu des filles est en lozenge, de même de celui des veuves ”

“ Cure, No. 4,208:—"Eight years' dyspepsia, nervousness, debility, with cramps, spasms, and nausea, for which my servant had consulted the advice of many, have been effectually removed by Du Barry's delicious food in a very short time. I shall be happy to answer any inquiries.—Rev. John W. Flavell, Ridlington Rectory, Norfolk." ”

“ A man who lives on the spot speaks of a fine wood screen, and highly decorated pulpit, some portions of which were sold by auction; and the rest was in his possession for some time, and portions of it were given away by him to all who applied for it.
The Treasurer.
Trin. Coll. Camb.
"The Mitre and the Crown."—I find the following work, at first published anonymously, reprinted as Dr. Atterbury's in Sir Walter Scott's edition of the Somers' Tracts. No reason is assigned by the editor for ascribing it to him, and I should be glad to know whether there is any satisfactory evidence for doing so. ”

“ Blake, and in which he pleads earnestly for his hobby. In An Essay, or Humble Guess, how the Noble Ladies may be inclined to give to and encourage their Charity-school at Highgate, Mr. Blake farther humorously shows up the various dispositions of his fair friends:—"And first," says he, "my lady such-a-one cryed, Come, we will make one purse out of our family;" and "my lady such-an-one said she would give for the fancy of the Roll and charity stick. My lady such-an-one cryed by her troth she would give nothing at all, for she had waies enough for her money ”

“ Ingleby will see that in the brief preface to the "monovolume Shakspeare," I expressly say that "while a general similarity (to the folio 1632) has been preserved, care has been taken to rectify the admitted mistakes of the early impression, and to introduce such alterations of a corrupt and imperfect text, as were warranted by better authorities. ”

“ Those labours, it will be seen, essentially contributed to lighten my task in preparing the "monovolume Shakspeare."
My answer respecting the passage in The Taming of the Shrew, referred to by Mr. Ingleby, will, I trust, be equally satisfactory; it shall be equally plain.
I inserted ambler, because it is the word substituted in manuscript in the margin of my folio 1632. I adopted mercatantè, as proposed by Steevens, not only because it is the true Italian word, but because it exactly fits the place in the verse, mercatant (the word in the folios) being a syllable short of the required number. ”

“ Kenne of Kenne.—Can any of your Kentish correspondents inform me to whom a certain Christ. Kenne of Kenne, in co. Somerset, sold the manor of "Oakley," in the parish of Higham, near Rochester; and in whose possession it was about the close of the reign of Queen Elizabeth or commencement of James I.?
The above Kenne, by marrying Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir Roger Cholmeley, and widow of Sir Leonard Beckwith, of Selby, in co. York, acquired possession of the same manor in co. Kent.
After the death of his first wife, he married a Florence Stalling, who survived him. He died in 1592. ”

“ The scheme seems to have offered attractions to the Highgate gentry:—"The great ladies do allow their house-keeper," he continues, "one bottle of wine, three of ale, half a dozen of rolls, and two dishes of meat a-day; who is to see the wilderness, orchard, great prospects, walks, and gardens, all well kept and rolled for their honours' families ”

“ Blake for their assistance and support, it is to be feared that the noble ladies allowed the predictions of his friends to be verified, and did "suffer such an inferiour meane and little person (to use his own phraseology) to sink under the burden of so good and great a work:" for we find that Gough, in allusion thereto, says (Topographical Anecdotes, vol. i. p. 644.) :—
"This Hospital at Highgate, called the Ladies' Charity School, was erected by one W. Blake, a woollen-draper in Covent Garden ”