credit him with having exhausted, at least, ordinary works of reference—such, for example, as ‘N. & Q.’ William Clarke, the author of ‘The Cigar,’ is now fairly well known, and therefore I cannot understand how such a notice of him was allowed to pass as appears in ‘The Dictionary of National Biography.’
If nothing else had been done, surely the note (modesty forbids that I should say important note) about him which appears in ‘N. & Q.’ (5th S. ix. 329) should have been consulted, if not referred to. Then, again, the writer no doubt obtained the reference to the Courier from the Gentleman’s Magazine, which he ignores, though I think it would have been better to have referred to the Gent. Mag., which is in most libraries, and then credit would be given to whom credit is due. Query also whether some considerable space might not have been saved under Sir W. Blackstone by referring to the bibliography of his works (4th S. i., ii.), as is done under Lord Brougham. Ralph Thomas.
Level-Coil (7th S. v. 44).—Since writing my note on this queer word, I have received from a friend the following quotation from a book called ‘Shuffling, Cutting, and Dealing in a Game at Picquet,’ 1659, p. 5:—
“Haslerigg.—May we play not Levet-coyl? I have not patience to stay till another match he made.”
I cannot, however, regard “Levet-coyl” as other than a misprint for “Level-coyl,” as the word appears in all the other passages in which it has been found. Julian Marshall.
‘Murray’s Magazine’ (7th S. v. 106).—I think Mr. Vyvyan’s difficulty will admit of easy explanation. His binder has procured a case for the first volume of the magazine (Jan.–June, 1887) and has inadvertently bound up the contents of vol. ii. therein. On discovering his error he has converted vol. i. into vol ii., but has overlooked the “Jan.–June.” John Murray, Junior.
50, Albemarle Street.
Charles, a Miniature Painter (7th S. v. 88).—John Charles, who exhibited eight figure subjects and four portraits at the Academy, lived at 2, Jubilee Cottages, Chelsea, in 1880. He painted a son of Lord Edward Cavendish in 1877. Algernon Graves.
Vismes Family (7th S. iv. 449; v. 111).—Mr. De Vismes, chaplain to the British Embassy at Turin, who was sent for in hot haste to marry Lavinia Fenton (Polly Peachum) to the Duke of Bolton, on the death of the duke’s first wife (circa 1751), was, of course, a clergyman of the Church of England, and therefore presumptively of English birth. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu speaks of a Mrs. De Vismes in her letters to the Countess of Bute dated April 11 and May 22, and written—if I am correct in the conjectural date I have affixed to them in my edition of Lady Mary’s ‘Life and Works’—in the year 1759. The latter De Vismes was at this time travelling tutor or “governor” to Sir W. Knatchbull, and may have been the same person, though more probably a son. Lady Mary calls him “a worthy clergyman.” W. Moy Thomas.
Sturt’s Illustrations to ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ (7th S. v. 27)—Mr. Offor, in his introduction to the reprint of the first edition of ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ (Hanserd Knollys Society, 1847), says: “At length, in 1728, there appeared a handsome edition of the two parts, ‘adorned with curious sculptures by J. Sturt.’......The engravings are from the old designs and well executed” (pp. cxxviii–ix). The words quoted by Mr. Offor, oddly enough, appear on the title-page of the edition of 1760, not on that of 1728, where they run thus: “The Two and Twentieth edition, adorned with Twenty-two Copper plates engraven by J. Sturt.” G. F. R. B.
The 1728 edition is the first with these illustrations. As it was the twenty-second edition, the engraver perhaps was led to fix the number of engravings also at that number. There is a thorough bibliography of the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ prefixed by the late George Offor (a Bunyan worshipper) to the edition which he edited for the Hanserd Knollys Society in 1847, 8vo.; also a general one in the three-volume edition of all Bunyan’s works published under his care by Blackie & Co. in 1854, and subsequently reissued. A reference to these labours of Mr. Offor would solve many Bunyan queries. Since his work another copy of the first edition has been discovered, a full account of which is in ‘N. & Q.,’ 7th S. i. 227, 272, 336, 376. In my copy of the 1847 ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ there is a sheet of note-paper with gold lace-like border, signed by George Offor, which deserves to be known and preserved:—
“Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The Hanserd Knollys Society, having decided upon printing a correct text of this interesting allegory, requested me to edite the work, and to write an introduction. They allowed me the use of the type and cuts to print, at my own expense, fifty copies on Imperial Drawing Paper. This is to certify that Mr. Brown has paid twenty-five shillings for this copy, being his proportion of the expense for presswork, paper, binding, and embellishments. “George Offor.”
“Jan, 7, 1848.”
Another twenty-second edition of the first part was printed in chap-book form in 1727. The editor of the true twenty-second edition states that the former editions were for the poorer sort, at a cheap rate, in small type, so that many worthy Christians, by age and infirmities, were deprived of the benefit of it. This was duly weighed by persons of distinction and piety, who determined
