POETICAL SALADS. [To THE EDITOR or rat " SPECTATOR."] Sm,—In

the early romances of William Morris the device of a French refrain in an English poem is used three times:-

(1) In " Sir Giles' War-song," e.g., "The clink of arms is good to hear, The flap of pennons fair to see: Hol Is there any will ride with me, Sir Giles le bon des barrieres."

(2) In the " Eve of Crecy," e.g.,

" Gold on her head and gold on her feet And gold where the hems of her kirtle meet, And a golden girdle round my sweet, Ah I Wale est belle La Marguerite."

(3) In the "Gillillower of Gold," where the effect is very inspiriting, e.g., " A golden gilliflovrer to-day, I wore upon my helm alway And won the prize of this tourney, Halt! Hahl La belle jaune girofiee.

• • • • • .

Crash! How the swords met ! 'Girofide '1 The fierce tune in my helm would play, ' La belle] La belle jaune giroflee I ' Hah I /fah! La belle jaune girofiee."

Lindsay Gordon's "Credat Judaeus Apella" has already been noticed by the writer of the article, but he does not mention the half-English, half-Latin burial chant by the monks at the end of " Ashtaroth." I can quote from memory only—a Nigerian library is necessarily limited—but it begins, I think {- "Earth to earth, and dust to dust, Ashes unto ashes go.

Judge not; he that judgeth just, Judgeth merciful also.

Earthly penitence has fled, Earthly sin has ceased to bet Pile the sods on heart and head. Miserere, Domino.

Hominum et Angelorum Dominum precamur to Ut immemor sis malorum; Miserere, Domine."

Lastly, though this is perhaps hardly analogous, the use of Greek words in an English setting gave Browning the chance for one of his typically daring rhymes in " The Grammarian's Funeral " :—

" He settled Hoti's business—let it be—

Properly based Oun, Gave us the doctrine of the enclitic De, Dead from the waist down."

Nigeria, August 1st.

[Newman also worked Latin prayers into the metre of his "Dream of Gerontius."—En. Spectator.]