Random Readings.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 707, 26 September 1914, Page 2

Random Readings.

BLUNDERS OF FAMOUS AUTHORS Miss Marie Corelli, in "The Treasure of Heaven," makes one of her characters say, "After school hours I got an evening job of a shilling a week for bringing home eight highland bullheifers from pasture"! ■ A common blunder in poetry is to make tho female bird sing. Shakespeare—referring to a nightingale—says, "Nightly she sings on yond pomegranate tree" and "The nightingale if she shall sing by day. . . ." Milton also trips in this respect—"Wakeful nightingale, She all night long her amorous descant sung." Scott and Br.rna, both keen nature-lov-ers. were always correct in this detail. Sir Walter Scott once confessed to having a bad memory, but in dealing with the wealth of historical incidents in his books he is remarkably accurate. On occasion, however, he is at fault. In "Ivanltoe". "vVamba says, "I am a brother of St. Francis." The Order of St. Francis was founded in 1206, but Wamba lived in the time of Richard tho First 1189-1199. In the "Heart of Midlothian," Scott' errs in some of his references to Ccdriddin Hassan, of "The Arabian Nights." As Thackeray copied the name mistakes into "Vanity Fair," he is also at fault. One of Scott's most picturesque incidents is that in "Waverley" when Prince Charles Edward leads Flora Mclvor out to the dance. Whether Scott erred knowingly cannot be said, but a good authority has recently told us that "there is ixotJvinp; so authentic as our knowledge of the fact that Prince Charles never danced at all." Pope was wont to boast of his accuracy, but he blunders in translating the "Iliad," where he transforms Homer's "horned stag" into a "branching hind.' Hinds do not possess horns. Campbell writes of aloes and palm trees in Wyoming, but neither of these trees grows there. In "Paradise Lost" Milton says, "Thick as autumn leaves that atrow the brook in Vallambrosa." The trees of Vallambrosa, being pines, do not strow the brooks in autumn with their leaves. A. certain English novelist put Bombay in Bengal. Not until the. edition was printed was the mistake discovered, and, rather than sacrifice the edition, the'author, evidently of a humorous turn of mind, had a slip of paper printed and inserted in each copy of the edition with the words —"It must be understood that for the purposes of this story, and this story only, Bombay is in Bengal."

ROYAL CANDLES

Those acquainted with the life and history of the Prince Consort are well aware that he was a- man of keen business instinct, witn a penchant for economy, particularly in regard to the expenditure of Queen \ ictoria and himself. At times, however, his economy was carried .to ridiculous extiemes, judging from the revelations contained in Mrs. Clare Jerrold's book,. "The Married Life of Queen Victoria." Some time after the, marriage" the Prince turned his attention to domestic finance, and, with a view of limiting the Royal expenditure, the underlings of the Palace were actually ordered to find their own soap. A little later they were deprived of their tea, only cocoa being dispensed to the servants. But the climax came when it was reported that mops, brooms, and brushes were, in future, to be found by the users thereof. Economy in candles, too, was carefully studied, and Madame Titiens often told the story of how, being summoned to TVindsor to sing before the Queen, she found herself condemned to dress by the light of two candles only. On asking, for more, she was informed fcy a servant that the"" aliowance to each room was two candles and no more. "But," added the maid, considerately, "there- is no regulation to prevent you cutting those #wo candles in halves and making four." An amusing rule concerning the Royal candles stipulated that the remains of those used for lighting the ball-room on State occasions should become the perquisifcies of the footmen. This had the amusing effect of causing those men to forget- their duties when the guests were departing, that they might linger iri the vicinity of the ball-room, and as soon as the room was empty they would sweep in like an army and tear the candle ends from the sconces, each fighting and struggling to get the greatest number. On the other hand, it was a somewhat extravagant custom on the part of O.ueen Victoria to have a fresh bottle of brandy placed in her carriage every time she went out. This custom, according to Mrs. Jerrold, arose from an incident which happened during a long drive in Scotland. The Prince Consort fainted, and the coachman had to gallop his horse over four or five miles of road before brandy could be procured. The incident prompted the Queen to give instructions for a fresh bottle of brandy to be placed in her carriage every time she went out, but she never had cause to open one bottle. All the same, a fresh bottle .was supplied for each drive.