23 FEBRUARY 1929, Page 39

Sir Charles Sedley wrote half-a-dozen of the most simple and

charming Restoration lyrics ; lyrics of such clearness and grace that we still wonder how they were done, what is the secret of their beauty. Ile wrote, too, a number of other poems which come nowhere near the level of his best, yet recall in a phrase here and there his greatest achievements. Of his three plays, two were very bad and one, Rellantira, amongst the best and wittiest of Restoration comedies. Professor Pinto has already- given us the life of Sedley. In the Poetical and Dramatic Works (2 vols., Constable, 52s. Od.) he has collected all the writings attributed to Sedley and has established the text. It is a scholar's work, indispensable for the student of Restoration literature.