This extraordinary statement cannot be accepted without the title of M. Fetis' work, and the passage upon which it rests, _verbatim_ in the author's own words. But I have no hesitation in saying that it is founded in error. Thibaut (_Ueber der Reinheit der Tonkunst_, pp. 28-30.) speaks of a MS. of the Gregorian chants at St. Gall, in Switzerland, as old as the _ninth_ century. This is believed, by all accredited modern writers upon music, to be the oldest MS. of the tones extant. EDWARD F. RIMBAULT. * * * * * LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, ACT V. SC. 2. (Vol. vi., pp. 268. 296.) Of this passage we might almost say _conclamatum est_; for really no good sense has yet been made of it, except by bold alterations. For my own part, I agree with A. E. B., that _no alteration is required_ except in the punctuation, and not much even then. The text of the folios is given by MR. SINGER (Vol. vi., p. 268.), and I would read it thus: "Nay, my good lord, let me o'errule you now. That sport best pleases that doth least know how, Where zeal strives to content, and the contents Dies in[5] the zeal of that which it presents. Their form confounded makes most form in mirth, When great things labouring perish in the birth." The whole difficulty seems to lie in the word _dies_ in the fourth line, and that I think may be removed by merely changing _i_ into _y_, and reading _dyes_. The meaning then will be: That sport will yield most pleasure in which, though the actors are devoid of skill, they are zealous and anxious to give pleasure for their zeal in the endeavour, {137} _dyes_, or tinges (_i. e._ communicates its own hue to) the _contents_ or satisfaction of the spectators (_i. e._ makes them sympathise with the actors). While on the other hand: My good lord, when, as in your late attempt, great things labouring perish in the birth, _their_ confusion causes laughter and derision instead of pleasure, like the former simple effort. I take, as will be seen, _contents_, in the third line, as the substantive of the preceding verb _content_, and not, with MR. KNIGHT and A. E. B., as "things contained." The poet put it in the plural evidently for the sake of the rhyme. In the next line, _zeal_ may not be the word actually written by the poet, but it makes a very fair sense; and I know no word that could be substituted for it with certainty--we still use the phrase, _to dye in_. In understanding the last two lines of the mask[6] of the king and his lords, I think I am justified by the remark of Byron: "A right description of our sport, my Lord." Perhaps it is needless to add, that _labouring_ is i.q. _travailing_; and that _most form in mirth_ means _the highest form in_ (i. e. _the greatest degree of_) _mirth_.