NOTES 641 



question was raised whether hostile reviews did much harm to the sale of 

 any book, and the feeling seemed to be that they were apt to do more good 

 than harm. It was, of course, thought improper for editors to make altera- 

 tions in signed reviews without the reviewer's consent ; but they were fully 

 justified in changing unsigned ones, which would be generally held to involve 

 the editor's approval. 



Science and the Gods. 



Mr. Walter Leaf has recently issued an anthology called Little Poems 

 from the Greek (Second Series, Grant Richards, 5s.), in which, amongst many 

 other interesting quotations well translated by himself, he gives the famous 

 epigram of Claudius Ptolemy, the great astronomer who lived in the second 

 century a.d., namely — 



' ' No more am I than mortal man. 



The creature of a day ; 

 But when the circling stars I scan. 



The planets' mazy way. 

 My feet no longer tread the sod ; 



At Jove's right hand I sup. 

 The very essence of a god. 



Ambrosia from his cup." 



Probably all of those who are engaged in pure investigation or in considera- 

 tion of the great problems of nature have also, like Ptolemy, felt that they 

 have supped with Jove. It is to be suspected that this honour happens only 

 to men of science, philosophy, and art. Such may not be often called to the 

 table of kings, but apparently they have the consolation of being sometimes 

 summoned to that of the gods ! 



Life in Ireland (from a Correspondent). 



The writer lives in Cork, and knows nothing of the life in the countryside. 

 The reader may gather something for himself by noting the numerous cases 

 of burnings of country houses which are at present happening. So far as 

 the professional and upper middle classes in general are concerned, there is 

 at present no special hardship in the cities like Dublin ; at Cork, however, 

 things are very bad. People living anywhere in Cork are open to visits from 

 gangs of armed blackguards who may have no nice proper political con- 

 nections or convictions. 



In the Ireland of to-day it is dangerous to have, or to have had, con- 

 nections with England or with the Free State : the latter case is the more 

 risky. In the streets one sees little which would indicate the seething element 

 below. The Ford car is taking an important part in the course of events ; 

 to mention the automatic revolver and the Thompson machine-gun is un- 

 necessary. The latter is a new sort of Yankee machine-gun, which fires 

 about 900 or 1,000 shots per minute : it is so small and neat that two Repub- 

 lican women can, and often do, carry one in parts, with trays of shot, in those 

 little handbags which ladies nowadays affect. Young men in green uniforms 

 (Free Staters) or in mufti (either Republicans or Free State detectives) rush 

 now and then through the streets in Ford cars ; these men fight great bloodless 

 battles at the street corners, and in some of the suburbs bands of Republican 

 youths are especially active. 



Some years ago the writer's immediate neighbours were nearly all what 

 were called loyalists, and there was a sprinkling of persons who favoured the 

 expulsion of the English. These people, he soon found, were of two kinds : 



