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A resident, as we judge, at Leamington, Mr. Morley has acquired much familiarity with Warwickshire scenes, sights, characters, and customs, and has written thereanent some pleasant and gossiping volumes. His latest work on the subject, which is agreeably illustrated by Mrs. Caroline Watts, has already, in an abbreviated form, seen the light in periodicals such as Knowledge, Country Life, and the Art Journal. It deals satisfactorily, in the main, with Warwickshire language, superstitions, folk-lore, and natural history, with a few notabilities, and other matters. Mr. Morley will scarcely maintain that the expressions and beliefs with which he deals are confined to his own county. Some of them, indeed, extend over the greater part of England. There is, however, enough of what is individual to supply the work with a raison d'etre, and render it even characteristic. Bravery, as applied to feminine finery, is a pleasant Warwickshire survival. Shakespeare employs it more than ones in this sense, though the happiest use is in Milton's 'Samson Agonistes, ' when he depicts Dalila like a stately ship, with all her bravery on and tackle trim. Reckling, applied to the youngest and weakliest child, seems a diminutive of the Yorkshire greek, used for the weakest and last of a litter. To call a girl a faggot is to convey the idea of untidiness, slatternliness. This word, common in the north of England, and often spelt fagot, corresponds with the French fagoter, to dress frightfully or in slovenly fashion. To fend is said to equal to work for. Would not provide for be a happier equivalent? Go fend for yourself means Go provide for yourself. We own to being unaware that Charlecote Hall and other Tudor residences were built in the shape of an E, out of compliment to Queen Elizabeth; and we seem to scent an error when we read of an ideal Forest of Arden depicted in 'Measure for Measure.' Much interest attends the survival of colly as equivalent to dark, black. See the use in the 'Midsummer Night's Dream' of the collied night for blackened, darkened night. Among superstitions new to us is that the robin is believes to have scorched its breast with hell fire, near which it had ventured for a beakful of water to assuage the sufferings of our Saviour when on the Cross. ' Under 'Customs' we have interesting descriptions of the auction by candlelight and the payment of wroth-silver. Shakespeare's greenwood is said to seem to-day to be the only place in England where this relic of early Saxon times is still practiced with almost the same curious formalities as those observed at the wroth-silver payments of eight centuries ago. Mr. Morley's book may be road with amusement and advantage. Is it quite just to accuse Shenstone, on the strength of his lines Written at an Inn at Henley, of being addicted to the coarser pleasures of life ? Shenstone is, however, over-praised, and if from the point of view of the times in which he lived he is, as we think, unjustly condemned, we will strike a balance. -Notes and Queries, Ninth Series, Vol. 6, Jul. - Dec. 1900

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