121:
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9* s. xii. AUG. 15, 1903.
infant daughter. It was to her that he addressed
the noble sonnet which begins :
Methought I saw my late espoused saint Come to me, like Alcestis, from the grave. Milton's connexion with the church of St. Margaret was therefore very close, and if any of his American admirers are willing to assist me in my design, I shall on public grounds most heartily welcome their munificence. They have already beautified this fine old historic church by their splendid gift of a window in honor of Sir Walter Raleigh, whose headless body lies under the altar. Milton has even higher claims on their gratitude and admi- ration."
All the letters written upon this matter are of much interest, but I fear too long to be quoted at any length, therefore extracts will have to suffice. One was written by Arch- deacon Farrar to Mr. G. W. Childs, of Phila- delphia, in November, 1886'. In this many of the words just given were repeated, and to it the latter gentleman replied by offering to contribute such a memorial as his friend should deem suitable. On 4 February, 1887, the Archdeacon wrote from St. Margaret's Rectory, 17, Dean's Yard, stating that he did not * 4 write at once to express his delight and heartfelt gratitude" for the offer, as he wished to give full particulars. These are supplied at considerable length, as well as much information concerning the poet, it being added that the formal acceptance of the offer would be delayed until the donor had been "informed of the cost and character of the proposed window"; and further, that the artist would not be set to work until sanction was received in a subsequent letter. It may be well to remark that something said in a previous communication had been misunderstood by Mr. Childs, for Dr. Farrar, in this letter, says :
" I did not say that Milton himself was buritd at St. Margaret's, but that he was married in the church, was closely connected with it through the Parliament (for it is and always has been the church of the House of Commons), and that his dearest wife, the one to whom he wrote the immortal sonnet which begins
Methought I saw my late espoused saint- was buried in the church, as was his child, wholly without memorial."
In this is a strange error for one like Dr. Farrar, who was steeped to his finger-tips in the lore of this old church, to have made. As we have seen, Milton was not married here, but in the City of London, in which his wife was, and had been, a resident. Mr. Childs was told that the window would be worthy of Milton, worthy of the church, and worthy of his munificence. To this was received a reply, dated 1C February, in which Mr. Childs states that he has but "one
thought with regard to the memorial, which
is that I am particularly anxious that you
should write the inscription," all other
matters being left to the " taste and good
judgment" of the Archdeacon. With this
came the draft for an amount which
covered the entire cost of the work. On
5 March this letter was replied to, and Mr.
Childs informed that the window, " which
will be a very beautiful one, will be proceeded
with"; the writer going on to say:
" You cannot tell how much I am pleased that one of the greatest, purest, and least commemorated of English poets should receive one more testimony to the immortal gratitude which is his due, and that the memorial to this mighty Puritan should come from the land of the Pilgrim Fathers, and be placed in the church of the House of Commons, with which he was so closely connected."
In another letter, written on 19 March, Dr. Farrar briefly sketches the design and gives a " general conception of the mode of treat- ment." He goes on to say :
" In the centre is Milton dictating to his daughter the ' Paradise Lost ' ; underneath is a scene from his student life, and his visit to Galileo. All around are scenes from ' Paradise Lost ' and ' Para- dise Regained.' Above are the rejoicing angels, the figures of Adam and our Lord."
Westminster.
W. E. HARLAND-OXLEY.
(To be continued.)
LEO XIII. : CHRONOGRAM. The Germania,
a German paper, has published the following
clever chronogram on the death of the Pope:
t LEO XIII.
QVI QVlNQVE ET VIolNTl ANiVOS EX VITA FVlT
pONTlmX DE!
IVBlLAEl SVI ANNO
MORTWs EST. REQVIESCAT IN PACE !
It consists of 93 letters (the age of the dead Pope), forming 20 words arranged in 7 lines (he died on the 20th day of the seventh month), and the figures added together give the year 1903. L. j^
PASQUIL AGAINST THE SURGEONS OF POPE LEO XIII. The following pasquil, or pas- luinade, which is said to have been affixed upon the columns of St. Peter's in Kome on the morning of 13 July, may perhaps find a corner in your columns (although it appears to be neither true nor ben trovato, considering
- hat the Popes life was, indeed, prolonged
by his medical attendants' united efforts) f- Si dice che la for/a deriva dall' unione Infatii, due Somari uccidono un Leone!
?ndJ5 ay t tha A strei ]gth is derived from union ; Indeed, two Asses kill one Lion [Leo XIII ]
H. k.
