2"'^ S. VII. Mau. 19. '59.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



247 



J3en Jonson and Bricks (Q"* S. vii. 149.) — • 



" 1618, Jan. 10, London. The Masque of Twelfth Night 

 was so dull that people say the Poet [Ben Jonson] 

 should return to his old trade of brickmaking," — Calendar 

 of State Papers, Domestic, 16U — 1618, p. 512. 



J. K. 



Highclere. 



NOTES ON BOOKS, ETC. 



A Catalogue of the Collection of Tracts for and against 

 Popery (^published in or about the Reign of James II.) in 

 the Manchester Library, founded by Humphrey Ck<:tham, in 

 which is incorporated, ivith large Additions and Bibliogra- 

 phical Notes, the ivhole of Peek's List of the Tracts in that 

 Controversy, loith his References. Edited by Thomas Jones, 

 B. A., Librarian of the Chetham Library. Parti. Printed 

 for the Chetham Society. 



The value of Peck's Catalogue of all the Discourses 

 written both for and against Popery in the Time of King 

 James II., is as well known to all students of literary 

 history, as its scarcity to all bibliographers. Rare as it is, 

 however, the Chetham Library possesses no less than 

 three copies in which extensive AIS. additions have been 

 made by former learned possessors. That eminent theo- 

 logian, the Eev. Dr. Todd, had been for some time making 

 collections for a second edition of Peck ; but when he be- 

 came aware that the learned librarian of the Chetham 

 Library, (taking advantage of the fact that that library 

 contains a more than ordinarily complete collection of 

 the Tracts published on both sides in the liomaH Catholic 

 controversy, which was waged with so much learning 

 and argumentative skill during the reigns of Charles II. 

 and his successor,) was about to give to the world a bib- 

 liographical view of that controversy in a list of such 

 Tracts which should incorporate not only Peck's Cata- 

 logue, but also all the Tracts and Books upon the subject 

 to be found in the other great libraries in the kingdom, 

 Dr. Todd most kindly placed his materials in the hands 

 of Mr. Jones. The l\ev. J. Dredge, Robert Travers, Esq., 

 of Trinity College, Dublin, Mr. Crossley, and the late 

 Rev. R. R. Mendham, have all given the editor the bene- 

 lit of their counsel and assistance; and the result is, as 

 may be supposed, a work of the greatest possible interest 

 and utility — one calculated to reflect the highest credit 

 upon the learning of its editor, and upon the good judg- 

 ment of the Council of the Chetham Society, in adding so 

 valuable a contribution to literary history to the long list 

 of excellent books which they have published. 



Japan and her People. By Andrew Steinmetz. With 

 numerous Illustrations. (Routledge & Co.) 



The readers of " N. & Q.," who have had frequent op- 

 portunities of knowing how varied and extensive are the 

 acquirements of Mr. Steinmetz, will readily understand 

 how large an amount of information, drawn from the 

 most authentic sources, he would contrive to compress 

 within the limits of a moderate volume. Mr. Steinmetz 

 points out that, owing to the fact that during nearly a 

 century from the year 1548 Japan was open to the na- 

 tions of the West — Portugal, Holland, and England all 

 having a footing there — we have the means of becoming 

 better acquainted with Japan and her people than with 

 any other eastern nation. No wonder then that with 

 this advantage, Mr. Steinmetz has succeeded in compiling 

 (for he honestly claims credit for little more) from the 

 authorities enumerated by him, a volume as amusing and 

 graphic as it is replete with information. 



The Works of Thomas Suckville Lord Buchhurst, after- 

 wards Lord Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth, and Earl of 

 Dorset. Edited by the Hon. and Rev. Reginald VV. Sack- 

 ville West, M.A. (John Russell Smith.) 



A new and complete edition of the works of the author 

 of the first tragedy in the English language, is an appro- 

 priate addition to Mr. Russell Smith's Library of Old 

 Authors. The Ferrex and Porrex was a great advance 

 upon English dramatic composition, and though re- 

 printed by the Shakspeare Society from Griffith's editioa 

 of 1565, it well deserves to be again produced from the 

 authorised edition printed by Daye. The present volume 

 contains moreover Sackville's Induction to the Mirrour 

 for Magistrates, and his Legend of Henry Stafford, Duke 

 of Buckingham; together with an interesting biographi- 

 cal Memoir of the author, with an appendix of Letters, 

 from the originals in his own handwriting, 



Messrs. Sotheby & Wilkinson announce for sale on 

 Monday the 28th, and seven following days, the remark- 

 able collection of Manuscripts formed by M. Libri, who, 

 being compelled to leave London on account of ill health, 

 is about to dispose of all his literary treasures. It is impos- 

 sible for us, in the limited space which we can devote to 

 the subject, to do justice to this very extraordinary col- 

 lection, the Catalogue of which, enriched as it is with 

 nearly forty lithographed facsimiles, is a perfect store- 

 house of information with respect to literary history and 

 palaeography. To say that there are nearly 1200 lots in 

 the collection, is to give but a meagre and unsatisfactory 

 idea of its richness or its extent. For though the num- 

 ber of MSS. is large, it is in the fact that they represent all 

 countries, all ages, and ever}' branch of human learning, 

 that their great value consists. Ancient MSS., which 

 may be termed palseographic, Latin Classics, Greek, and 

 Oriental MSS., History, Science, Autographs, Old French 

 and Italian Poets, all are represented here: while we 

 may show in another way the extraordinary character of 

 the library by stating that among these MSS. there are 

 more than seventy Latin MSS. older than the twelfth 

 century. We should like to enumerate some kyi of the 

 choicest articles in the collection, but selection seems al- 

 most impossible; while the vast amount of information 

 with respect to the literary interest, curiosity, or value of 

 each MS., is such as to preclude us from giving a speci- 

 men. We should otherwise have been glad to have quoted 

 M. Libri's account of Lot 399., an autograph and un- 

 known work of Galileo ; that of Lot 19., the Apocryphal 

 Bible and Pseudo-Gospel of Aklimas ; or that of No. 299., 

 Cypriani Epistola, which occupies nearly two pages, and 

 in which, among other matters, we have much curious 

 information on the subject of the Greek letters as nu- 

 merals, and the supposed introduction of their use into 

 England by John Basing in the thirteenth century. We 

 have done enough, however, to show the important cha- 

 racter of the Libri Collection of MSS. 



The programme of arrangements for The Handel Com- 

 memoration Festival at the Crj'stal Palace has just been 

 issued. The performances will consist of The Messiah on 

 Monday, 20th June; Dettingen Te Deum, and Selection, 

 on Wednesdaj', 22nd; and of the Israel in Egypt, on 

 Friday the 24th. The additions now being made to the 

 great orchestra in the central transept will render it 

 capable of accommodating a band and chorus of nearly 

 four thousand performers. Costa will conduct, and the 

 entire arrangements will be under the direction of the 

 Sacred Harmonic Society. Those who remember tho 

 success which attended the experimental performance in 

 1857 will readily anticipate that, great as was that suc- 

 cess, the experience gained on that occasion will now be 

 turned to so good an account, more especially in the 



