universe of her own creation, she takes no account of men, or regards them as monsters and tyrants. When the book opens she discovers, or believes she discovers, a kindred soul,- Verena Tarrant, the daughter of a mesmeric healer, a beautiful red-haired impressionable girl; a singularly attractive prey for the monster man, but possessed nevertheless of gifts invaluable to the cause of women's rights, if properly utilized. Certain phases of Boston life-as women's club meetings, intellectual séances, and lecturesare depicted with great cleverness; and the characters are delineated with his wonted shrewdness and humor. The novel abounds in epigrammatic sentences. Olive's smile is likened to "a thin ray of moonlight resting upon the wall of a prison." The smile of Miss Birdseye, a worn philanthropist, was "a mere sketch of a smile,- a kind of installment, or payment on account; it seemed to say that she would smile more if she had time." Miss Chancellor "was not old-she was sharply young."

Copyright, The Question of. Compris

ing the Text of the Copyright Law of the United States, A Summary of the Copyright Laws at present in force in the chief countries of the world, together with a Report of the Legislation pending in Great Britain, a Sketch of the contest in the United States (1837-88), in behalf of International Copyright, and certain papers on the development of the conception of literary property, and on the results of the American Act of 1891. Compiled by George Haven Putnam. (2d Ed. Revised, 1896.) The full and exact account on the title-page, and the name of the scholarly publisher who has prepared the work, are a guarantee that nothing more could be desired for an arsenal of argument on copyright and a handbook of information absolutely complete.

Commentaries on American Law, by

James Kent. (4 vols., 1826-30.) Edition Annotated by C. M. Barnes, 1884. The celebrated Kent's Commentaries,' ranking in the literature of law with the English Blackstone. The work of one

of the most conspicuous and remarkable scholars in law and founders of legal practice in American history. A professor of law in Columbia College in 1796; judge of the Supreme Court of the State in 1798; Chief Justice in 1804; Chancellor in 1814-23. On retiring from the bench in 1823, Kent resumed the work of a Columbia professor, and gave lectures which grew into the Commentaries; the wide and accurate learning of which, with their clearness of exposition, have given him a high and permanent place among the greatest teachers of law. His decisions as Chancellor, published 1816-24, almost created American chancery law: and he added to his great work a Commentary on International Law, 1866; Abdy's Edition, 1877. A notable edition of the Commentaries is that edited by O. W. Holmes, Jr., 1873.

Com

'ommentaries on the Laws of England, appearing from 1765 to 1768, is the title of the celebrated law-book composed at forty-two by Sir William Blackstone, successively professor of law at Oxford and justice of the Court of Common Pleas in London. Unique among law treatises, it passed through eight editions in the author's lifetime, and has been annotated numberless times since, for the use of students and practitioners. It comprises a general discussion of the legal constitution of England, its laws, their origin, development, and present state; viewed as if the author were at work enthusiastically detailing the plans and structure of a stately edifice, complete, organic, an almost perfect human creation, with such shortcomings only as attend all human endeavor. The complacent, often naive, tone of fervent admiration betrays the attitude of an urbane, typical Tory gentleman of the eighteenth century, speaking to others of equal temper and station concerning their glorious common inheritance,— the splendid instrument for promoting and regulating justice that had been wrought out from the remnants of the Roman jurisprudence through slow, laborious centuries, by dint of indomitable British common-sense, energy, and intellect. The insularity and concordant air of tolerance with the established order of things gives piquancy to the limpid, easy style, dignified and grace. ful, with which a mass of legal facts is

ordered, arranged, and presented, with

abundant pertinent illustration. Especially characteristic is the account of the rise and status of equity practice, and of the various courts of the realm. Thoroughly a man of his complacent time, untroubled by any forecast of the intellectual and social ferment at the close of his century, Blackstone has yet written for the generations since his day the most fascinating and comprehensive introduction to legal study in English; and has the distinction of having written the sole law-book that by its literary quality holds an unquestioned position in English literature.

and of Cokaine, The. An old Eng

Land

lish poem, of a date previous to the end of the twelfth century, preserved, among other sources, in Hickes's Thesaurus' and the Early English Poems' of Furnivall. The name appears also in the French and German literatures, sometimes as 'Cocaigne,' again as 'Cokaygne. In every instance it represents an earthly land of delight, a kind of Utopia. Dr. Murray thinks the name implies "fondling,"-a gibe of countryfolk at the luxurious Londoners.

The old English poem in question is a naive description of the extremely unspiritual delights of a land on the borders of the earth, "beyond West Spain," where all the rivers run wine or oil, or at least milk, where the shingles of the houses are wheaten cakes, and the pinnacles "fat puddings,” and where, undoubted climax of felicity,— "water serveth to nothing but to siyt (boiling) and to washing."

In this fair land of Cokaine, where no one sleeps or works, and where men fly at will like the birds, stand a great abbey and cloisters both for nuns and monks. The ease and gayety of the religious vocation in this paradise of gray friars and white is depicted with the broad humor and exceeding frank

ness of our forefathers. It is a satire

on the morals and pretensions of the ecclesiastical body; but, though the picture is painted in colors veiled by no reverence, they are mixed with little bitterness. The author laughs rather than sneers.

The French poem of the same name, 'Pays de Cocaigne,' differs from the English in that it lacks the whole satirical description of the cloisters.

Man of Feeling, A. by Henry Mac

kenzie. This short novel, published anonymously in 1771, is said to have created as much interest in England, when first published, as did 'La Nouvelle Héloise' in France. It is remarkable for its perspicuity of style; though it shows the influence which Sterne exercised over the author. Endeavoring to profit by the fact that the author was unknown, a clergyman of Bath, Mr. Eccles, claimed to be the author, presenting a manuscript with corrections, erasures, etc. Although the publisher then announced the name of the real author, on Eccles's tomb is inscribed: "Beneath this stone, the Man of Feeling lies." The story purports to be the remainder of a manuscript left after the curate had extracted sevetal leaves at random for gun-wadding. Yourg Harley, who is in love with his neighbor's daughter, Miss Walton, sets out for London with the object of acquiring the lease of an adjoining property. His experiences on the trip make up several short stories. He is a great physiognomist, but is deceived by two plausible gamblers. He visits Bedlam Hospital; and the pitiable sights there seen are described. A very interesting chapter is that describing a dinner with a Misanthrope, in which the latter's complaints of his time seem to be the sempiternal ones of all nations. The story of his meeting with Miss Atkins, her rescue from a brothel and return to her father, is skillfully told. The cruelties of the press-gang, and of the treatment of East-Indian subjects, afford an opportunity for the "Man of Feeling" to condemn the East-Indian policy of the government. Upon his return, believing that Miss Walton is to marry another, he falls sick. She visits him; and her acknowledgment that she returns his affection does not come soon enough to save his life.

Belinda, by Maria Edgeworth. Belinda

Portman, the charming niece of Mrs. Stanhope, goes to spend the winter in London with Lady Delacour, a brilliant and fashionable woman; at her house she meets Clarence Hervey for the first time. He admires Belinda and she likes him, but mutual distrust serves to keep them apart. Belinda is greatly beloved in the household; and her influence almost succeeds in bringing about a recon

ciliation between Lady Delacour and her dissipated husband, when her Ladyship becomes most unreasonably jealous, and Belinda is forced to seek refuge with her friends the Percivals. While there, Mr. Vincent, a young Creole, falls violently in love with her; but the old friendship with Lady Delacour is re-established, and Belinda returns without having bound herself to him. Believing that Clarence Hervey's affections are already engaged, she would have married Mr. Vincent had she not discovered his taste for gaming. Clarence is deeply in love with Belinda, but feels obliged to marry Virginia St. Pierre, whom he had educated to be his wife. Fortunately she loves another. The story ends happily with the reconciliation of the Delacours, and the marriage of Clarence Hervey and Belinda.

Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, by

Lew Wallace. The scene of this extremely popular story is laid in the East, principally in Jerusalem, just after the Christian era. The first part is introductory, and details the coming of the three wise men, Melchior, Kaspar, and Balthasar, to worship the Babe born in the manger at Bethlehem. Some fifteen years later the hero of the tale, Judah Ben Hur, a young lad, the head of a rich and noble family, is living in Jerusalem, with his widowed mother and little sister to whom he is devotedly attached. When Valerius Gratus, the new Roman governor, arrives in state, and the brother and sister go up on the roof to see the great procession pass, Judah accidentally dislodges a tile which fells the governor to the ground. Judah is accused of intended murder; his (till then) lifelong friend Messala, a Roman noble, accuses him of treasonable sentiments, his property is confiscated, and he is sent to the galleys for life. In the course of the narrative, which involves many exciting adventures of the hero, John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth are introduced, and Ben Hur is converted to the Christian faith through the miracles of our Lord.

This book is one of the most successful examples of modern romantic fiction. It displays great familiarity with Oriental customs and habits of mind, good constructive ability, and vivid powers of

description. The story of the Sea Fight,

for example, and of the Chariot Race (quoted in the LIBRARY), are admirably vivid and exciting episodes.

L'

ight of Asia, The, by Edwin Arnold.

(1878.) The Light of Asia' is a poetic exposition in eight books of the Hindoo theology. "It was," the author says, "inspired by an abiding desire to aid in the better mutual knowledge of East and West." Through the medium of a devout Buddhist, Arnold presents the life of the young Gautama, living in princely joy, shielded from every care and pain. He develops the wistfully dreamy character of the young prince into the loftiness of the noble, loving Buddha, who "cast away the world to save the world.» The religious teaching is merely indicated, because of the limitations of the laws of poetry and the sacrifice of philosophical details to dra matic effect.

The Buddha of Arnold teaches that the way to attain Nirvana, the highest desire of every soul, is through four truths. The first truth is Sorrow: "Life which ye prize is long-drawn agony." The second truth is Sorrow's Cause: "Grief springs of desire." The third truth is Sorrow's Ceasing. The fourth truth is the way, by an eightfold path, "To peace and refuge"; to Nirvana, the reward of him who vanquishes the ten great sins. Nirvana, according to the poet, is not annihilation. It is the calm sinless state reached, by the suppression of all fond desires, through an existence continually renewed according to the law of Karma. The poem, which was published in 1878, is rich in sensu ous Oriental pictures and imagery. It has been translated into many languages, both European and Asiatic; and has done much to create an interest in the religion of Buddha.

In 1890 appeared The Light of the World,' written, it was said, to silence the criticism that Buddha was Christ under another name, and to show the essential differences in the teachings of the two. The story follows the historical life of Jesus. It is divided into five sections, each of which sets forth a special aspect of the divine life. spite its Oriental setting, the character of Christ remains simple and dignified. Like its predecessor, the book has become a popular favorite.

De

John Inglesant, a Inglesant, a notable historical romance by J. H. Shorthouse, was published in 1881, when he was fortyseven years old. It depicts with a won

derful atmosphere of reality the England of Charles I.'s time, and the Italy of the seventeenth century, when the tarnished glories of the Renaissance were concealed by exaggerations of art and life and manners. In John Inglesant,' the hero, is drawn one of the most complete portraits of a gentleman to be found in the whole range of fiction. Like a Vandyke courtier, he is an aristocrat of the soul, sustaining the obliga tions of his rank with a kind of gracious melancholy. Of a sensitive, dreamy temperament, possessing consummate tact, he has been trained from childhood by a Jesuit Father, St. Clare, for the office of court diplomat, and of mediator between the Catholics and Protestants in England. His introduction to the court of Charles I. is the beginning of a most picturesque and dramatic career in England, and afterwards in Italy, where he goes to seek the murderer of his twinbrother Eustace. He enters into the sumptuous life of the Renaissance; but in his worldly environment he never blunts his fine sense of honor, nor loses his ethereal atmosphere of purity. When he at last finds his brother's murderer in his power, he delivers him over in a spirit of divine chivalry to the vengeance of Christ. The novel as a whole is like an old-world romance, a seventeenthcentury Quest of the Holy Grail. It abounds in rich descriptions of the highly colored spectacular existence of the time, and follows with sympathy and comprehension the trend of its complex religious life.

Kenilworth, by Sir Walter Scott, ap

peared in 1819, when its author was fifty and had long been distinguished both as poet and novelist. 'Kenilworth' was the second of his great romances drawn from English history. The central figure is that of Elizabeth, the haughty queen. She is surrounded by the brilliant and famous characters of the period - Burleigh, Edmund Spenser, Sir Walter Raleigh; and also by a host of petty sycophants. The Earl of Surrey and the Earl of Leicester are rivals, each high in her favor, each thought to be cherishing a hope of winning her hand. But beguiled by the charms of Amy Robsart, the daughter of a country gentleman, Leicester has secretly married her, and established her at Cumnor Place, a lonely manor-house

where she lives with surly Tony Foster as guardian, and his honest young daughter, Janet, as attendant. Amy had formerly been engaged to Tressilian, a worthy protégé of her father. Tressilian discovers her hiding-place; and not believing her married, vainly tries to induce her to return home. He then appeals to the queen before the whole court. A disclosure of the truth means Leicester's ruin, but seems inevitable, when his confidential follower, the unscrupulous Richard Varney, saves the situation. He affirms Amy to be his own wife, and is ordered to appear with her at the approaching revels at Kenil worth, Leicester's castle, which the queen is to visit. Amy scornfully refuses to appear as Varney's wife, and Varney attempts to drug her. In fear of her life, she escapes and makes her way to Kenilworth. The magnificent pageant prepared there for Elizabeth, and the motley crowds flocking to witness it, are brilliantly described. Amy cannot gain access to her husband, but is discovered and misjudged by Tressilian. The Queen finds her half-fainting in a grotto, and again Varney keeps her from learning the truth. He persuades Elizabeth that Amy is mad. He persuades Leicester that she is false and loves Tressilian, and obtains the earl's signet ring and authority to act for him. Amy is hurried back to Cumnor Place. There, decoyed from her room by her husband's signal, she steps on a trap-door prepared by Varney and Foster, and is plunged to death, just before Tressilian and Sir Walter Raleigh arrive to take her back to Kenilworth. They have been sent by Elizabeth, to whom Leicester, discovering the injustice of his suspicions, has confessed all. He falls into the deepest disgrace; and Elizabeth, feeling herself insulted both as queen and as woman, treats him with scorn and contempt. (Kenilworth' is regarded as one of the most delightful of English historical romances.

Redgauntlet, by Sir Walter Scott.

Sir Alberick Redgauntlet, ardently espousing the cause of the Young Pretender in 1745, pays for his enthusiasm with his life. The guardianship of his infant son and daughter is left to his brother, outlawed for violent adherence to the House of Stuart; but the widow, ascribing her bereavement to