_3, St George's Square, Primrose Hill, London, N.W., Sept. 27-Oct. 13, 1876._ FOOTNOTES: [v:1] Unsure myself as to the form of oxlip root-leaves, and knowing nothing of the use of marigolds alluded to in the lines "Oxlips in their cradles growing, Marigolds on death-beds blowing," also seeing no fancy even if there were fact in 'em, I applied to the best judge in England known to me, Dr R. C. A. Prior, author of the _Popular Names of British Plants_; and he says "I am quite at a loss for the meaning of _cradles_ and _death-beds_ in the second stanza. "The writer did not know much about plants, or he would not have combined summer flowers, like the marigold and larkspur, with the primrose. "I prefer the reading 'With hair-bells dimme'; for nobody would call the upright salver-shaped flower of the primrose a 'bell.' The poet probably means the blue-bell." On the other hand, Mr Wm Whale of our Egham Nurseries writes: "The root-leaves of the Oxlip are cradle-shaped, but circular instead of long. The growth of the leaves would certainly give one an idea of the stem and Oxlip flowers being lodged in a cradle [? saucer]. "I have seen the marygold[v:A] in my boyish days frequently placed on coffins; and in a warm death-room they would certainly flower. The flowers named may be all called Spring-flowers, but of course some blowing rather later than others." [v:A] This is called the _Calendula officinalis_, or _Medicinal Marygold_, not the African or French sorts which are now so improved and cultivated in gardens. [vii:1] _Edinb. Review_, July 1840, no. 144, p. 468. [vii:2] Surely the 'eminent living critic' made an awful mistake about this. Beaumont and Fletcher write Perdita's flowers, Florizel's description of her, Autolycus! [viii:1] In the _Edinburgh Review_ for April 1841, p. 237-8. Prof. Spalding says that in Fletcher's _Spanish Curate_, "The scene of defiance and threatening between Jamie and Henrique is in one of Fletcher's best keys;--not unlike a similar scene in 'The Two Noble Kinsmen.'" Act III. sc. i. [ix:1] His Dublin 'Afternoon Lecture' of 1863, shows that he then knew all that I in 1873 was trying in vain to find a known Shaksperian editor or critic to tell me. [ix:2] I name Beaumont because of his run-on lines, &c., and the power I find in some of the parts of his and Fletcher's joint dramas that I attribute to him. [x:1] I cannot get over Chaucer's daisies being calld "smelless but most quaint." The epithets seem to me not only poor, but pauper: implying entire absence of fancy and imagination.--F. "Chough hoar" is as bad though.--H. L. [xi:1] This was "A Letter / on / Shakspeare's Authorship / of / +The Two Noble Kinsmen+; / a Drama commonly ascribed / to John Fletcher. / Edinburgh: / Adam and Charles Black; / and Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman. / London. / M.DCCC.XXXIII."