Notes and Queries

alienated the good will of her majesty; and Cib.
– The Solent, the Swale, and Solway Firth - Political Sa ber, as a matter of course, was preferred before

tires, 6.

him.

QUERIES:- The German Church in London, 6– Blake The selection of Cibber for the vacant “ bays"
Queries - South Sea Stock - The Cobler of Glocester-
Stench and Smell - Armorial - Senex's "Map of Ireland” was doubly galling to Gay. The new laureate
-- Anglin: Lacount --- Sir Edward Dering - Aislabie of

was not only notoriously ill qualified for his office,
Studley, Co. York-Paul Washington alias Haine - Robert
Remington - Vowel Sounds - Alfieri - Maelstrom --In-

having no talent whatever for lyrical compositions ;
terludes — "The Manuscript" - The Reay Country - but, when Gay had avenged himself upon the
Randle Cotgrave - Richards's Welch Dictionary - "Albion

court, in his singularly successful Beggar's Opera,

Magazine" - Charles Johnston, 7.

Cibber had ventured to enter the dramatic lists

QUERIES WITH ANSWERS: - Gerberti “De Arte Musica”
- "King's Prerogative in Impositions " -- "Regno delle

with, and attempted by affecting a superior mo-

due Sicilie" - Old Tom - Oleron - Toads found alive in rality to turn the current of popular applause

Stone Coffins, &c.

from, him. The issue of this vain-glorious endea-

REPLIES:- College Salting, 10— "Coqueliner," 11 – Dr.
Parr and Tobacco, 12-“Fellowes' Visit to la Trappe," &c.,

vour is best expressed in the laureate's own

the Note on it in Willis's Catalogue, 13 - Centenarianism, words : -

15- Derivation of Shakspeare - Pencil Writing - De-

" Love in a riddle, for so my new-fangled performance

scriptive Catalogue - Library discovered at Willscot

Glebe-House – The Gold Ants of Herodotus — Mural

was called, was as vilely damned and hooted at as so

Burial - Hereditary Alias -- Ride v. Drive - Paul Hiffer- vain a presumption in the idle cause of virtue could

nan- Ventilate -- Carnival at Milan - Vant-Henry Can- | deserve."

trell, M.A. -Splitting Paper - Publication of Banns-

Rutherford Family - Submerged Bells - The Judas Tree The signal failure of that dramatic piece, no

- The Rev. John Hutton - Colonel Hooke-Britain 1116 | less than his “annual Odes," which had no merit

B.C. - John Wythers, 15.

but their loyalty, exposed the unlucky laureate to

Notes on Books.

the incessant attacks of Gay and his friends; and

amongst the latter not one was so persistent in his

Notes.

opposition as Fielding. Gay himself had established

the precedent of writing « volunteer Odes," and

COLLEY CIBBER AND GAY.

had by such means at first attracted the favour-

Cibber succeeded to the “bays" upon the death able notice of the Queen, whilst she was Princess
of Eusden in 1730. The poet who might have of Wales. The authors of the accompanying “Ode
calculated more surely than any other upon that for the New Year" (reprinted for the first time
distinction was Gay ; but, by a strange incon- | from the original broadside) intended as well to
sistency of conduct shortly after the accession of retaliate upon the presumptuous laureate as to ex-
George II., he had obstructed his promotion, and, pose the foibles of the principal personages in the
by greater subsequent acts of indiscretion, des court. Both the band and kindly nature of Gay
stroyed the faintest hope of establishing his for- | are discernible in it; in those stanzas, 1 mean,
tunes, at least through the influence of the court. which refer to that truly excellent, but oftentimes
Gay experienced, in fact, the truth contained in much abused lady, Queen Caroline. For whilst
his own inimitable fable of “ The Hare":-

the ballad hints at the parsimonious and irascible
“. . . . who depend

disposition of the King, the weakmindedness of his
On many, rarely find a friend.”

voluptuous and dependent son, Prince Frederic
No doubt, he had aspired to the office of lau-

Louis of Wales, and their mutual and disgraceful
reate, and would have obtained it most probably | squabbles, the allusion

squabbles, the allusions to her Majesty are rather
through the intervention of Queen Caroline ; whó,

complimentary than satirical; evidencing, in fact,
whilst Princess of Wales, had always been very

| her steady patronage of the most distinguished
favourably disposed towards him, and, imme-

men of her day, without regard either to their

diately upon her accession, had given him an | religious or political creeds.

earnest of her sincerity and condescension by

“An ODE FOR THE NEW YEAR:

offering him the situation of gentleman-usher to

Written by Colley Cibber, Esq.,
her daughter, the Princess Louisa. The office

Poet Laureate.
was almost a sinecure, worth more than 2001. per “ God prosper long our gracious King,
ann., and a sure stepping-stone to higher prefer-

Now sitting on the throne;
ment; yet Gay had the folly and indecency not

Who leads this nation in a String,

And governs all but One.*
only to reject it peremptorily, but with every
expression of scorn. The infatuated poet then! His minister, Sir Robert Walpole; whose red ribbon