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FICTION. Old Hermit and Some Modem Travellers. CBJKBnSO By ■*■ Ayscough. 12mo. pp. *-- 2ii. G. 1' l'utr.ani's Sons. mmnr wtiTOS VUP By C. X. and A. M. William- TH^° lUas^tod in color by F. Melville Da Mmd and F. UJwenhefan. Brno, pp. 345. DcaMeday. page & Co. JOHN MARSirS MIL.UONS. A V \KRATIVF By CharVos Klein and Arthur Hornblow. inustm ttaa by Samuel ■ ban. 12am, pp. 34.. The O. W. Dtllingnam Company. Mr. Ayscough's fictional biogmpliy of the simple hermit, who. late En the fifteenth cen tury, was dragged from his long contemplative life of rigorous asceticism to rule inefficiently r.nd in hopeless confusion over Christendom as Pope Celestino V. is an interesting study of the ir.an, but an altogether insufficient picture of his t:m<\ The average reader is not sufficiently fujniliar with the Church history or. for that matter, the secular history of th.it tangled period of mediaeval rivalries and intrigue to till in the lacking environment and atmosphere, the ro?ult being as great ■ bewilderment in the rcacers mind as was created ■:: Celestino's own after bis unwelcome elevation. Celesttoo was servant of God, according to the ideals of his time; his inexperience, his ignorance of the world unfitted him for the task of a servos SOT ronfffl Dei; his voluntary abdication after four noaths w as the only way cut for him and for the Church. The study of the religious temper axaeat. of the •"called" soul, is, however, a worthy effort cf the imagination. One Usotcs what to expect from the William sons, end they may be relied upon to produce it every time Their successive automobile trip ctories, part guide book and part cloying ro- T.ar.c<% resemble each other rather closely, but vfcy chd'?' 1 a formula that has evidently found -jjTOgo^t f-'cr in the public eye? So here we are o£ once more on a motoring tour, this time "lcrs the Riviera, and nee more the profes cjcnsl chauffeur is not ..:...: he appears to be. Viihor is I^ady Tumour's maid, who rides be rffle biin on the front seal Tl second day out thp t^lis him that he is a gentleman, he tells v . r ♦}}-• £ he is a lady, and each acknowledges eh *3 rt - Both are immensely amused by the nilzaritv o f the parvenue .'....■ Tumour, whose husband, a decent chap, has on his money and tfezailiions by the ma nu Picture of a pill. The jristocrals xnasaueradins as servants do not rjjcars p,vj true — as aristocrats — but we j.-0-x from many romances of high life that tirls sni good taste are not necessarily allied, -lie Moict ".. ":" is just the light sort of book | fcrtho?-? who like their romance "fluffy." The Xnniaisons h^ve a happy knack of suggesting Ox atoospfcere cf tho open, of sunshine and the joy of living of healthy youth. The latest rr°^ act °' the collaboration be nrecn Mr. Charles Klein, dramatist, and Mr. Arthur Homblow, novelist and "novelizer," is a r-arrative version cf Mr. Klein's play "The Next of Kin." produced last season. Mr. Bbrablow is fi-ddznd successful hand at this kind of vrork, \ jhici £»£ i's uses, since people in this country rar<-r.i'y cm not, or will not, read plays in fic;«it numbers to make their publication ■jStible. while yet they are carious to know ,hat they are about," Mr. Klein, who is a ■:xaust with many purposes, exposes In "John • - V ■ 'velixation is callt-d, *2E ENTOMBMENT (FRAGMENT). ' "- tbe engraving by A: In a ifM I llH.ll! XEW-YORK DAILY TRTBIXE, SUNDAY, AT GIST 21, 1010. the corrupt influence which political "pull" may exert on the judiciary. A young girl is the heiress of the millions, but others claim them, wherefore, after a vain questioning of the legit imacy of her birth, a conspiracy is entered upon to have the law declare her of unsound mind. The lawyer politician is a villain after the popu lar heart, and his plot plausible enough to make the story of timely interest. a TIIE PRINCE'S EXPERIMENT. How lie Pluuptd Ilia Hand Into a Cauldron of Boiling Lead. From The Manchester Guardian. A correspondent sends us the following ex tract from a penny life of King Edward: " While studying chemistry under Dr. Playfair he was one day being shown a curious experi ment, and after taking the precaution to wash his hands with ammonia to remove any grease that might be on them, the professor said: "Now, sir. if you have faith in science you will plunge your right hand Into that cauldron of boiling lead and ladle it out into the cold water •hat is standing by." "Are you serious?" ask d the prince. "Perfectly," was the reply. "If you tell me to do it. I will," said the prince. "I do tell you," replied Playfair: and the King, with out the slightest sign of fear, plunged his hand into the burning liquid and ladled it out with perfect impunity. "Can any of your scientific readers say,*" asks our correspondent, "whether the experiment re ferred to may be performed with 'perfect im punity' under the conditions named; and. sec ondly, whether it was ever actually performed by the late Kin??" We- only say that if any scientist, however eminent, told us to perform the experiment, we should decline without hesi tation, and we advise every reader of the penny life in question to take the same view. On thf story of the late King and the boiling lead experiment, referred to in yesterday's "Mis cellany." a correspondent writes: In the fifth edition of the late Professor Tyndall's "Heat a Mode of Motion." published in isTT,. chapter 5, page IT.?, paragrai h 200, will be found the fol lowing reference to the spheroidal condition as sumed by liquids: "M. Boutigny has lent new- Interest to this subject by expanding the fit-id of illustration and ;- 1 ; -1> in?? it t<> the explana tion of many extraordinary effects. If the hand be wet. It may be passed through ■< stream of molten metal without injury. I have M. Boutigny pass his wet hand through a sir- am <>i molten iron and toss with his fingers the fused metal from a crucible; a blacksmith will lick a whit. hot iron without f.:,r <■;" burning his tongue. Tne tongue Is effectui Sly preserved from contact with the iron by the rapor developed, and it was t<> the rapor of the carbonic acid, which shielded me from its contact, that 1 owed my safety when the substance was put into my mouth To the same j n -t.--t ivt- influence many escapes from the fiery ordeal of ancient times have been attributed by M. Boutigny." Perhaps I this may interest your correspondent. But th< re are many scientific experiments which may be I performed "with impunity" under well defined conditions, but the difficulty of being absolutely certain that those <..ii.iitK.ns are present im ports so grave a risk into the matter that such experiments are best left to experts THE FRENCH PEASANT Some Clever Sketches of Him at Home. Paris. August EL M. Charles Louis Philippe's "Dans la Petite Ville." brought out by Fasqudle, describes life in a charming village- of Bourhonnais, and makes a truthful analysis of the French peas ant. It is more conversational and sketchy than the classic works which Balzac and Zola devoted to the same subject. M. Philippe's book is full of amusing short stories, anecdotes and village tales and is replete with humor, irony and subtle sensibility. It is, in its way, a little gem of rural observations, a rustic sketch book having the charm of Mi>s Mitfords "Our Vil lage."' Although written in a light, almost flip pant vein, it is worthy of being placed beside "Les Paysans" and "La Terre,"' thus completing a literary, triptych portrait of that mysterious. EDEL • Giulio OampugnuLa.) GANY.Y (From the t ngravintJ b; cautious, thrifty, industrious, avaricious, fe rocious individual, the French peasant. "La Vie a Paris," by M. Jules Claretie, pub lished by Fasquelle, presents in bright, i ietu resijue pencillings the social, literary and artis tic balance sheet of the last year. During twenty years no important event or interest ing episode has escaped this alert observer's opera glass, and his weekly chronicle in "L.c Temps'' forms, a sort of Parisian log book, or diary, that will I"- a treasure for future his torians. M. Claretie is, above ail, a journalist, notwithstanding the heavy drafts upon his time caused by his duties as administrator general of the Com£die Francaise and as a member of the Academy. C. I. B. 7/7/; FIDDLER'S FAREWELL. Alfred Noyes, in Blackwoods Magazine. Witli my fiddle to my shoulder, And my hair turning gray. And mj heart growing older I must shuffle on my v>;i\ ! Tim' there's not ;i hearth to greet n:o 1 must i< -p as 1 sow d. And — th« Mii:.<t shall meet me At the turn of th< road. < ». the whin's a du«ky yellow Ami the road a i i«y v\ hite, And tin blackbird's '.-.11 is mellow At the falling of night : And there's honey in th< heather Where we'll maki our last abode. ;\1 y t unes and me together At the turn i l the road. I have fi'l'ii. d for j our city Thro' market-pl ice and inn! I have poured forth my pity On your sorrow and your sin! But your riches are your burden. And your pleasure is your goadJ I've the whip-gold for guerdon At the turn of the road. Your village-lights '11 call nr* As the lights of home the dead; But a black night b< fall me Err your pillows r< st my head! Cod be pniise.J. th© 1 like a jewel Every cottage casement showed. Then 's a star that's not so cruel At the turn of the road. Nay, beautiful and kindly An- the faces drawing nigh. Bat I gize on them blindly And hasten, hasten ry; For O, n<» face of irondi m < >n earth has ever glowed lake the One that waits me yonder At the turn of the road. Her face is lit with splendor. She dwells beyond the skies; But de< p, d«-ep and tender Are the tears in her eyes: The angels see them glistening Tn pity f.»r my load. And — she's waiting there, she's list* :;insf. At the turn of the road. LITERARY NOTES. Mrs. W. K. Clifford, is a novelist from whom ■we h<ar only too seldom, so it is good news that a pretty love story from her pen is among the autumn books. "Sir George's Objection" it is called. The Duttons announce two new hooks on de cidfdly picturesque ar.d interesting subjects. One is "The Navy of Venice," by Mrs. Alethea Wiel. She enters a field which has been unac countably neglected. Her illustrations are from Old drawings of Venetian warships and old pict ures of famous sea lights. The other book is Mr. Ezra Pound's study of the Treub::dours and other early poets in Southerr Europe. Ho calls his work "The Spirit of Re manee." Mr. Bram Stoker, whose "Dragila" has shown that he has a faculty for picturesque narrative, is presently bringing out a volume on "Famous Impostors." In it he discourses of various kinds of humbugs, including pretenders to royal honors, financial scamps and queer religious types. Sturgis it Walton will print the book. Nearly every ■writer on the Italian Renais sance finds occasion to pay more or less atten tion to the mercenary captains who spent part of their time fighting the battles of this or that petty dfspot, and otherwise devoted th- mselves to marauding on their own account. But it must be some twenty years since Temple Leader published his monograph on Sir John I'awk wood, and since then we do not recall any simi lar study of one of these sanguinary figures; There should be a place, therefore, for "The Great C'ondottiere." the book which the lady who calls herself Christopher Hare is to pub lish this winter through the John Lane Com pany. She has so very good a subject that we shall await her work with interest tinged with solicitude. Coleridge's "Ancient Mariner" will figure among the holiday picture books this season. Mr. Willy Pogany, the Hungarian artist, has been making a series of illustrations for the poem, following in some ways the manner of Durer. Mr. Lewis Melville's "I^ife and Letters of William Beckford," just published here by Duf field & Co.. is an alluring book. It is well illus trated and beautifully printed on paper which, by itself adds to the pleasure of the reader. We note with appreciation the inclusion of a good bibliography. Here are some passages from the author's summing up of his hero's character: There was no vice in him; he was not a roi:£, nor was he unduly addicted to the pleasures of the table; while such hobbies as he bad — the collection of pictures, prints and books — were virtues. At tacked early in life by a vile slander, he held his head high and let only an intimate friend here and there suspect how sorely ho was hurt by the un founded charge. lie would not even condescend to deny the accusation ; and his seclusion at Fonthill — though, as has been said, this seclusion has been grossly exaggerated — a dignified protest against it. His pride was great, and nothing could break it down. . . . He was, too, extremely charitable, though for this quality he obtained no credit in his lifetime, because he never allowed his name to appear In any lists. He did gorvi by stealth. . . . Beckford had his weaknesses, of course. He was egotistical, Impetuous and impe rious. He was also too fond of praise, and tolerated such a man as John Britton, who beslavered him with flattery in his lifetime and slandered him dead. lie was inclined, especially in his later days, to take himself very seriously, hut his sense of honor (humor?) always saved him from becoming ridiculous; and if at one time he aimed at being the English milord of Continental fancy, a char acter gent-rally contemptible, he was yet pre served from conton-pt by his great intellectual ability. . . . Beckford was a considerate host and a delightful companion. He had a thorough knowledge of the world and understood the mo tives of men and women better than they desired- He was not a deep scholar, but lie was, as we have seen, undoubtedly a singularly accom plished man. Obviously, Mr. Melville has been at r«ii riS to do justice to :s man who has hitherto received only inadequate attention from biographical writers. It is odd that so original a type should have waited so long for really sympathetic treatment. It is a long time since anything has been heard of Dr. Max Nordau, whose ideas on "De generation" rna<l< quite a stir. He hr.s :i book in press on "The Meaning of History." A new periodical is soon to be laun< hed under the imprint of Adam B»»dge (Inc.). It will be called "Arts and Decoration," and the first number is l<> appear in October. From the prospectus we gather that it will especially appeal to the makers of ironies, treating all manner of decorative subjects, but purely ;t sthetic as well as practical motives will receive due attention. Prom certain fiction that he has published w« have inferred thai Mr. Frankfort Moore is es pecially interested in Goldsmith and his period. it now appears that he has for some time been engaged upon a biography of that "golef< n" writer, and the volume is announced for this autumn. Th.- Sturgis A- Walton Company will issue in the autumn what promises to be a charming volume, the "Leittrs to Several Persons of Honor." written in the seventeenth century, by John Donne. ?.!r. Charles E. Merrill, jr., has • dir.d th" book, rt'hlch will bo printed in a limited edition. 7