Collected Works (Vol. II)

190 THE SWORD OF SONG Putney) in their newly-demonstrated capacity as ‘‘unnatural”’ sons, daughters, fathers, and so on. But I leave it. I am content—my work will have been well done—if this trifling essay be accepted asa just instalment towards a saner criticism of our holiest writers, a juster appre- ciation of the glories of our greatest poet, a possibly jejune yet assuredly historic attempt to place for the first time William Shakespeare on his proper pedestal as an early disciple of Mr. George Bernard Shaw; and by conse- quence to carve myself a little niche in the same temple : the smallest contributions will be thank- fully received. NOTES TO ASCENSION DAY 1. 1 fung outof chapel,\—Browning, Xmas five, III. last line. 3. Venus’ Bower and Osiris’ Crowley, Zannhduser, 5. God.3—Hebrew DYN, Gen. iii. s. 5. gods.4—Hebrew onde, Gen. iii. 5. The Revisers, seeing this most awkward juxtaposition, have gone yet one step lower and translated both words by ‘‘God.” In other passages, however, they have been com- pelled to disclose their own dishonesty and translate ods by ‘‘ gods.” For evidence of this the reader may look up such passages as Ex. xviii, 11; Deut. xxxli, 17; Ps. Ixxxii. [in particular, where the Tomb, 2— word occurs twice, as also the word 2X. But the revisers -twice employ the word ‘‘God” and once -the word ‘‘gods."” The A.V. has ‘‘ mighty” in one case]; Gen. xx. 13, where again the verb is plural; Sam. xxviii. 13, and SO on. See the Hebrew Dictionary of Gesenius (trans. Tregelles), Bagster, 1859, s.v., for proof that the Author is on the way to the true in- terpretation of these conflicting facts, as now established—see Huxley, H. Spencer, Kuenen, Reuss, Lippert, and others—and his orthodox translator's infuriated snarls (in brackets) when he suspects this tendency to accept facts as facts. 6, Svul went down.’— The Questions of King Milinda, 40-45, 48, 67, 86-80, 111, 132. , 7. The metaphysical lotus-eyed.6—Gautama| Buddha. 10. Chtlde Roland.?—Browning, Dramatic Romancees. 11. Two hundred thousand Trees.3—Brown- | ing wrote about 200,000 lines. 13. Your Reverence,29—TVhe imaginary Aunt | Sally for the poetic cocoanut.* | 16. ‘' God's right use of tt.”’ %"—'* And many an eel, though no adept In God's right reason for it, kept Gnawing his kidneys half a year.” Shelley, Peter Bell the Third. 17. One tree.A—Note the altered value of. * Crowley confuses two common pastoral amuse: | ments—throwing wooden balls at cocoanuts and sticks | at Aunt Sally. the metaphor, such elasticity having led Prof. Bliimengarten to surmise them to be india- rubber trees, 27. ‘' Truth, that's the gold.” “—Two Poets of Croisie, clii. 1, and elsewhere. 28. ‘7, you, or Simpkin.’13—Inn Album, ], 143. ‘‘Simpkin” has nothing to do with the foaming grape of Eastern France. 36. Azschulos.443—See Agamemnon (Brown- ing’s translation), Preface. 40. Aristobulus.}§—May be scanned elsehow by pedants. Cf. Swinburne’s curious scansion : Arlst6phanés, But the scansion adopted here gives a more creditable rhyme. 42. Barpaxouvouayxia.!6—Aristophanes Bat- rachoi., 46. Mine of so many pounds—pouch even pence of it ?17.—This line was suggested to me by a large holder of Westralians. 47. Something easter.8—Christmas Eve and - Easter Day. 51. Newton.'9—Mathematician and physicist of repute. 51. Haraday.—See Dictionary of National Biography. 64. /, of the Moderns, have alone Greek,A— As far as they would let me. I know some. 74. Beard,.—'‘ 150, A Barba Senioris Sanc- tissimi pendet omnis ornatus omnium: & in- fluentia ; nam omnia appellantur ab illa barba, Influentia. ‘‘r51. Hic est ornatus omnium ornatuum: Influentie superiores & inferiores omnes respi- ciunt istam Influentiam. ‘* 152. Ab ista influentia dependet vita om- nium, ‘© 153. Ab hac influentia dependent cceli & terra ; pluvize beneplaciti; & alimenta omnium. ‘154. Ab hac influentia venit providentia omnium. Ab hac influentia dependent omnes excrcitus superiores & inferiores. ‘* 155. Tredecim fontes olei magnificentize boni, dependent a barba hujus influentize glori- osce; & omnes emanant in Microprosopum. ‘756. Ne dicas omnes; sed novem ex iis inveniuntur ad inflectenda judicia. ‘‘ 157. Et quando heec influentia cequaliter pendet usque ad przecordia omnes Sanctitates Sanctitatum Sanctitatis ab illa dependent,