372 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 53. 



with such as they should choose to possess, on the same 

 terms as if they were the authors, or the owners of the 

 copyright. These, however, are details which, with 

 many others, must be settled by the managers ; they 

 are not mentioned as matters of primary importance or 

 inducement." 



Dr. Maitland concludes by observing, that he 

 should not have ventured to publish his plan, had 

 he not been encouraged to do so by some whose 

 judgment he respected ; and by inviting all who 

 may approve or sanction the plan, to make known 

 (either by direct communication to himself, or in 

 any other way) their willingness to support such a 

 Society, and the amount of contribution, or annual 

 donation, which, if the design is carried out, may 

 be expected from them. Of course such expres- 

 sions of opinion would be purely conditional, and 

 would not pledge the writers to support the Society 

 if, when organised, they did not approve of the 

 arrangements ; but it is clear no such arrange- 

 ments can well be made until something is known 

 as to the amount of support which may be ex- 

 pected. 



We have entered at some length upon this Plan 

 of a Church- History Society, and have quoted 

 largely from Dr.Maitland's pamphlet, because we 

 believe the subject to be one likely to interest a 

 large body of our readers, who might otherwise 

 not have their attention called to a proposal cal- 

 culated to advance one of the most important 

 branches of historical learning. 



BURNET AS A HISTORIAN. 



The following extract from Charles Lamb ought 

 to be added to the testimonia already given by 

 " NoTKs AND Queries" ("Vol. i., pp. 40. 181. 341. 

 493.) : — 



" Burnet's Own Times. — Did you ever read that 

 garrulous, pleasant history ? He tells his story like 

 an old man past political service, bragging to his sons 

 on winter evenings of the part he took in public trans- 

 actions when his ' old cap was new.' Full of scandal, 

 which all true history is. So palliative ; but all the 

 stark wickedness that actually gives the momentum to 

 national actors. Quite the prattle of age and out- 

 lived importance. Truth and sincerity staring out 

 upon you perpetually in alto relievo. Himself a party- 

 man, he makes you a party-man. None of the cursed 

 philosophical Humeian indifference, ' so cold and un- 

 natural and inhuman.' None of the cursed Gibbonian 

 fine writing, so fine and composite. None of Dr. Ro- 

 bertson's periods with three members. None of Mr. 

 Roscoe's sage remarks, all so apposite and coming in 

 so clever, lest the reader should have had the trouble 

 of drawing an inference. Burnet's good old prattle I 

 can bring present to my mind ; I can make the Revo- 

 lution present to me." — Charles Lamb : Letters. 



Gust AVE IMasson. 

 Hadley, near Barnet. 



Bishop Burnet. — An Epigram on the Reverend 

 Mr. Lawrence Eachard's and Bishop Gilbert 

 Burnet's Histories. By Mr. Matthew Green, 

 of the Custom-House. 



" Gil's History appears to me 

 Political anatomy, 

 A case of skeletons well done, 

 And malefactors every one. 

 His sharp and strong incision pen, 

 Historically cuts up men. 

 And does with lucid skill impart 

 Their inward ails of head and heart. 

 Lawrence proceeds another way, 

 And well-dressed figures does display: 

 His characters are all in flesh. 

 Their hands are fair, their faces fresh ; 

 And from his sweet'ning art derive 

 A better scent than when alive ; 

 He wax-work made to please the sons. 

 Whose fathers were Gil's skeletons." 

 From a Collection of Poems by several hands. London : 

 Dodsley, 1748. 



J. W. H. 



EPIGRAMS FROM BUCHANAN. 



A beautiful nymph wish'd Narcissus to pet her ; 

 But he saw in the fountain one he loved much 



better. 

 Thou hast look'd in his mirror and loved ; but 



they tell us 

 No rival will tease thee, so never be jealous, 



J. O, W. H. 



There's a lie on thy cheek in its roses, 



A lie echo'd back by thy glass, 

 Thy necklace on greenliorns imposes, 

 And the ring on thy finger is brass. 

 Yet thy tongue, I affirm, without giving an inch 



back. 

 Outdoes the sham jewels, rouge, mirror, and 

 pinchbeck, J. O. W. H. 



MISTAKES ABOUT GEORGE CHAPMAN THE POET. 



Dr. W. Cooke Taylor, in the introduction to his 

 elegant reprint of Chapma7i s Homer, says of George 

 Chapman, that "he died on the 12th of May, 1655, 

 and was buried at the south side of St. Giles's 

 Church." The date here is an error; for 1655 we 

 should read 1634. 



Sir Egerton Brydges, in his edition of Phillips's 

 Theatrum Poetarum (Canterbury, 1800, p. 252.), 

 says of the same poet, "A monument was erected 

 over his grave by Inigo Jones, which was de- 

 stroyed with the old church." Here also is an 

 error. Inigo Jones's altar-tomb to the memory 

 of his friend is still to be seen in the churchyard, 

 against the south wall of the church. The in- 



