NOTES:-Colley Cibber and Gay, 1- Camden, Claren-
ceux, 2- Edgar Ætheling, 3-Christopher Lord Hatton,
the Author of a Book of Psalmody, 4.
MINOR NOTES:-Web of the Spider a Remedy for Fever
-The Solent, the Swale, and Solway Firth - Political Sa-
tires, 6.
QUERIES:- The German Church in London, 6- Blake
Queries-South Sea Stock-The Cobler of Glocester
Stench and Smell - Armorial - Senex's "Map of Ireland"
- Anglin: Lacount-Sir Edward Dering - -Aislabie of
Studley, Co. York-Paul Washington alias Haine - Robert
Remington-Vowel Sounds -Alfieri - Maelstrom-In-
cast himself upon the support of the King's fa-
vourite beauty, Mrs. Howard (afterwards Coun-
tess of Suffolk), and openly boasted that this
'allegorical creature of fancy" (as Swift calls
her) was "his sole trust and protector!" By
such extravagances of conduct, Gay completely
alienated the good will of her majesty; and Cib-
ber, as a matter of course, was preferred before
him.
The selection of Cibber for the vacant "bays"
was doubly galling to Gay. The new laureate
was not only notoriously ill qualified for his office,
having no talent whatever for lyrical compositions;
but, when Gay had avenged himself upon the
court, in his singularly successful Beggar's Opera,
Cibber had ventured to enter the dramatic lists
with, and attempted by affecting a superior mo-
rality to turn the current of popular applause
from, him. The issue of this vain-glorious endea-
vour is best expressed in the laureate's own
words: -
"Love in a riddle, for so my new-fangled performance
was called, was as vilely damned and hooted at as so
vain a presumption in the idle cause of virtue could
deserve."
The signal failure of that dramatic piece, no
less than his "annual Odes," which had no merit
but their loyalty, exposed the unlucky laureate to
the incessant attacks of Gay and his friends; and
amongst the latter not one was so persistent in his
opposition as Fielding. Gay himself had established
the precedent of writing "volunteer Odes," and
had by such means at first attracted the favour-
able notice of the Queen, whilst she was Princess
of Wales. The authors of the accompanying "Ode
for the New Year" (reprinted for the first time
from the original broadside) intended as well to
retaliate upon the presumptuous laureate as to ex-
pose the foibles of the principal personages in the
court. Both the hand and kindly nature of Gay
are discernible in it; in those stanzas, I mean,
which refer to that truly excellent, but oftentimes
much abused lady, Queen Caroline. For whilst
the ballad hints at the parsimonious and irascible
disposition of the King, the weak mindedness of his
voluptuous and dependent son, Prince Frederic
Louis of Wales, and their mutual and disgraceful
squabbles, the allusions to her Majesty are rather
complimentary than satirical; evidencing, in fact,
her steady patronage of the most distinguished
men of her day, without regard either to their
religious or political creeds.
"AN ODE FOR THE NEW YEAR:
Written by Colley Cibber, Esq.,
Poet Laureate.
"God prosper long our gracious King,
Now sitting on the throne;
Who leads this nation in a String,
And governs all but One.*
* His minister, Sir Robert Walpole; whose red ribbon