The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 17, No. 473, January 29, 1831

A little better taste (were it a very little) in the affair of life itself, would mend the manners and secure the happiness of some of our noble countrymen, who come with high advantage and a worthy character into the public.—Shaftesbury.

LORD BYRON

With the present Number, a SUPPLEMENT of

PIQUANT EXTRACTS

FROM

MOORE'S LIFE OF LORD BYRON,

Vol. II

notes

1

That street was so called in compliment to the celebrated Lady Rachel, daughter of Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, and consort of William Lord Russell. Several other places in this parish were also denominated from either the names or titles of the Russell family—as Russell Street, Bedford Street and Bury, Tavistock Street, Chandos Street, &c. King and Henrietta Streets were so named in honour of Charles I. and his Queen; and James and York Streets, of the Duke of York, afterwards James II.

2

Stow's "Survey," p. 829, edit. 1618.

3

Ibid. p. 130.

4

Ibid.

5

The church of St. Mary le Strand was first termed St. Mary le Strand Cross; but, as the Protector Somerset, in the reign of Edward VI. deprived the inhabitants of it, in order to afford a site for his intended palace (Somerset House), our historians have barely mentioned it, some of whom suppose it to have been alluded to in the decretal sentence of Stephen, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1222, already mentioned under the name of the Innocents. The parishioners, thus deprived of their place of worship, were compelled to find admittance at the neighbouring churches, till the commissioners for erecting fifty new ones determined this parish should contain one of the number.—Malcolm.

6

Stow's "Survey," p. 130, edit. 1618.

7

The old May-pole often mentioned as in a state of decay in various publications, which stood almost on the site of the present church, was removed in 1713, and a new one erected July 4, opposite Somerset House, which had two gilt balls and a vane on the summit, decorated on rejoicing days with flags and garlands.—When the second May-pole was taken down, in May, 1718, Sir Isaac Newton procured it from the inhabitants, and afterwards sent it to the Rev. Mr. Pound, rector of Wanstead, Essex, who obtained permission from Lord Castlemain to erect it in Wanstead Park, for the support of the then largest telescope in Europe, made by Monsieur Hugon, and presented by him to the Royal Society, of which he was a member. This enormous instrument, 125 feet in length, had not long remained in the park, when the following limping verses were affixed to the May-pole:

"Once I adorn'd the Strand,
But now have found
My way to pound,
In Baron Newton's land;
Where my aspiring head aloft is rear'd,
T' observe the motions of the ethereal herd.

"Here sometimes rais'd a machine by my side,
Through which is seen the sparkling milky tide:
Here oft I'm scented with a balmy dew,
A pleasing blessing which the Strand ne'er knew.

"There stood I only to receive abuse,
But here converted to a nobler use;
So that with me all passengers will say,
I'm better far than when the Pole of May."

8

Our correspondent assures us that the above lines were written many months before "The Tribute of Roses" appeared in the Literary Gazette.—See Mirror, vol. xvi. page 176.

9

"Softens the manners, nor permits to be cruel."

10

Bernard Barton.

11

There are thirty-two Italian operas by Handel, in MS. in his Majesty's collection, and he composed eleven others—making forty-three in all.—( Editor of Harmonicon.)

12

How many more might the American writer have added to this solitary one, had his list of Handel's Italian songs been at hand. This great German composer was nearly as well acquainted with the Italian language as with his own, and often not only wrote letters in it, but employed it in many of his private memorandums.—(Ib.)