Oxford Literary and Historical Studies. - Vol. IV. Bibliography of Johnson. By W. P. Courtney. Revised and seen through the press by David Nichol Smith. (Oxford, Clarendon Press.) To our readers a glance at the title and authorship of this volume will be a sufficient guarantee for its admirable quality. Against the violations of truth due to negligence or supineness" in a writer Johnson expressly protested, and this latest monument to his memory has all the exactitude that care and unremitting labour can bestow. Mr. Courtney did not, alas! live to read the proofs of his book, but we are well assured that his manuscript was more precise and complete than the printed books of a good many authors. Like Col. Prideaux, another constant contributor to our columns, he was exact to a comma, and we have verified the details he gives, both of rare books and common books, not with the idea of finding slips, but for the pleasure of realizing his wonderful accuracy. All is as it should be; the additions by Mr. Nichol Smith are useful, and the present reviewer has found his interest undiminished throughout the volume. Bibliography, so far as it concerns mere dates and tables, may be dull for the general reader. Here Mr. Courtney has given us liberal notes from his store of erudition which reveal the human side of Johnson. The volumes for which he wrote introductions, or supplied a line or two or some alteration, show us his friends; and the replies which his works elicited his enemies. Besides numerous corrections, ranging from The Gentleman's Magazine in 1789 to a modern edition of 1906, we find an excellent list of pertinent criticisms of various works. Thus Andrew Lang's discussion of the Cock Lane ghost is referred to under Johnson's Account of the Detection of the Imposture' in 1762; and we get exact references to Cowper's Correspondence concerning the treatment of Milton in the Lives of the Poets.' A glance at this section will show the elaborate care with which the larger works of Johnson have been annotated. The gem of the book is, perhaps, the comment on the Dictionary,' which is full of good things. Without further appreciation of a book which needs none for the judicious reader, we may add one or two notes which have occurred to us in our survey. The third item in the book, Johnson's proposal for an edition of the Poems of Politian, reminds us that Johnson used for upwards of fifty years "a very old and curious edition of the works of Politian, which appeared to belong to Pembroke College, Oxford." So Hawkins relates, to the disgust of Boswell. TheRichard Savage: a late Mr. Makower's work, Mystery in Biography,' is so considerable that itscharacter might have been stated. Το the references concerning No. 17, Gough Square, where the Dictionary' was composed, one might. be added to indicate that the house is now thoroughly repaired and a Johnson Museum. The False Alarm' was attacked by Wilkes,Birkbeck Hill says in The Gentleman's Magazine; but here the Letter' by Wilkes is noted as a separate production. The Deformities of Dr.. Samuel Johnson,' which he received with good humour, reached, we notice, a second edition. Here we miss the usual reference to Boswell's work conveniently added at the side. Under a new issue of The Lives of the Poets' (1783), a note tells us that "the alterations and corrections in this issue were printed separately, and offered gratis to the purchasers of the former editions." Perhaps Jowett, a great Johnsonian, may have been induced by this to offer a later edition of his translation of Plato's Republic' on unusually. generous terms to possessors of the earlier. Johnson's Prayers and Meditations' are little known to the reader to-day. Several editions are mentioned, and the later ones have introductions or annotations. But that the book was issued long after Johnson's death for practical purposes we gather from a little pocket edition in our possession, which contains the simple text without a word or note by an editor. This issue was published by T. Allman of Holborn Hill in 1845. We heartily thank the Press of Johnson's University for this complete and trustworthy guide to the writings of a truly great man. Some reputations of the eighteenth century have faded; Johnson's is secure, for he was a master of the art of life as well as of literature. Busones a Study and a Suggestion. By Arthur Betts. (Published by the Author, 18. net.) MR. BETTS's solution of this old puzzle is from the point of view of sense a tempting one. After duly rehearsing former conjectures, which connect the word with besoigne or with boujon, he asks us to consider a connexion with the Icelandic bu,. a house or estate, and búi, a neighbour-in a legal sense, a neighbour acting as juror. He would have us suppose that the busones comitatus ("ad quorum nutum dependent vota aliorum," as Bracton says, four or six of whom the justiciarii were bidden to take and consult with) were so called-by an unofficial nickname-in districts to which the Norse dialect had penetrated, from their being men of substantial estate, who could be considered responsible for and representative. of the county. Ingenious the theory certainly is, but Mr.. Betts has nothing to show in the way of direct evidence even as to the use of the word buimuch less as to its having been latinized in the form buso. Perhaps his happiest notion-suggested by buze in Roquefort's glossary, explained as habitation, lieu de résidence"-is that busones came through the Normans. Although we cannot pretend to a conviction that Mr. Betts is right, we found his pamphlet interesting and suggestive, and should learn with pleasure that he had traced some actual use of bui surviving in the Western districts where the Danes estab-jished themselves. LEVENTH SERIES.-VOL. XI. SUBJECT INDEX sified articles see ANONYMOUS WORKS, BIBLIOGRAPHY, BOOKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED, A urnell, Shropshire, a' History of,' 209, 287 es from French place-names, 116 Riviera de Ponente, Italy, inscriptions at, and Ypres, a comparison of the battles, , pronunciation of the place-name, 261, 369 a novel, 208, 287 1, the first Lords of, c. 1000, 126, 284, 423 der the Great, the tomb of, 361 1 problems wrought on leather, 429 Peter Snook, 340 Queen of Susa, a tragedy, 1816, MS., 472 Anstruther, Fife, history of the town, 188, 288, s. Meer Hassan), her Observations on the Anthem, English National, tune adopted by the ints, image of, the form, 300, 386, 456 acs, dissertation on, 1736, 261; red-letter bet of stray notes, 261, 293, 334, 369, 375, betical nonsense, alliterative, 13, 57 fen, besieged by the Prussians, 1686, 360 ets worn by German soldiers, 187, 256, 439 ew (Miss Sarah) and Henry Fielding, 1725, ll and Browne families, 172, 250 Prussians, 68, 113, 197, 441; standard version Anthem, Russian National, translation, 248, Apollo of the doors, representation of, 69, 115 Arabian Nights' Entertainments,' published Archer family, 471 Archives, ecclesiastical, the custody of, 359, 436, Arden, Etonian, 1781, his father, 452 Armitage (E.), his picture Socialists,' 1850, 29, 93 Army, general order against smoking, 1845, 105 Ashborne, thefts from the church, 1686, 261 FIRST EDITIONS AND AUTOGRAPHS, · chiefly Lyrical,' 1830; Poems,' 1833; and the Want of space forbids our mentioning many Byron is represented here by Don Juan,' in -- There are two noteworthy Keats items Messrs. The autographs we have seen this month are We further noticed Our next article will deal with works on French FROM L'Intermédiaire.-Réponse :-Le comte Messrs. Sawyer's first editions of Shelley are Notices to Correspondents. We noted also the following: Campbell's - WE cannot undertake to answer queries privately, EDITORIAL Communications should be addressed - A. B.- Thanks for reply anticipated ante, [For classified articles see ANONYMOUS WORKS, BIBLIOGRAPHY, BOOKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED, A Acton-Burnell, Shropshire, a' History of,' 209, 287 Adjectives from French place-names, 116 Alassio, Riviera de Ponente, Italy, inscriptions at, 296 Albuera and Ypres, a comparison of the battles, Alcester, pronunciation of the place-name, 261, 369 Alençon, the first Lords of, c. 1000, 126, 284, 423 - Alexander the Great, the tomb of, 361 All Saints, image of, the form, 300, 386, 456 Alphabet of stray notes, 261, 293, 334, 369, 375, Alphabetical nonsense, alliterative, 13, 57 Alt Ofen, besieged by the Prussians, 1686, 360 Amulets worn by German soldiers, 187, 256, 439 Andrew (Miss Sarah) and Henry Fielding, 1725, Angell and Browne families, 172, 250 Anonymous Works:- Aunt Mary's Tales, children's book, c. 1804,. Corinth, and other Poems, 1821, 472 Cup of Sweets, children's book, c. 1804, 131 Hair-Splitting as a Fine Art, 13, 54, 76 Peter Snook, 340 Queen of Susa, a tragedy, 1816, MS., 472 Anstruther, Fife, history of the town, 188, 288, Anthem, English National, tune adopted by the Anthem, Russian National, translation, 248, Apollo of the doors, representation of, 69, 115 'Arabian Nights' Entertainments,' published. Archer family, 471 Archives, ecclesiastical, the custody of, 359, 436, 501 Arden, Etonian, 1781, his father, 452 Ardington, Berks, letters of a priest of, 1317, Armitage (E.), his picture Socialists,' 1850, 29, 93 Army, general order against smoking, 1845, 105 Ashborne, thefts from the church, 1686, 261 |