Our old friend MADDISON MORTON'S _Box and Cox_ runs SHAKSPEARE'S works
generally very near in the matter of daily application. But fancy its
being quoted as an authority by Sir HORACE DAVEY, in his masterly reply
to t'other side in the Bishop of LINCOLN'S case. Yet so it was. "Bishop
COSIN," said Sir HORACE, "had erroneously assumed that a letter had been
written by CALVIN to KNOX, whereas it had been really written to an
Englishman named Cox." So it was a mistake of the postman, after all,
and it only wants the introduction of the name of Box to make the whole
thing perfect and satisfactory. "It will be within the recollection of
the Court," Sir HORACE might have continued, "that Cox was prevented
from becoming the husband of PENELOPE ANNE, relict of WILLIAM WIGGINS,
Proprietor of Bathing Machines at Margate and Ramsgate, by the sudden
and totally unforeseen union of the lady in question with one KNOX,
whose residence, as the Musical Revised Version has it, was usually 'in
the Docks'; and with this marriage of PENELOPE ANNE WIGGINS with Mr.
KNOX of the Docks, Messrs. BOX AND COX professed themselves entirely and
completely satisfied, as it is my earnest hope that Your Grace, and My
Lords the Bishops, will also be. And should this be the result, then I
assure Your Grace that there will not be a happier party sit down this
night to supper than 'READ and others,' of which fact you may take your
Davey."
On the Learned Counsel resuming his seat, there would have been
considerable applause, which, of course, would have been instantly
suppressed.
* * * * *
NOTES "IN GLOBO."--_Dorothy_ was long ago taken off the stage of the
Prince of Wales's to make room for _Paul Jones_. But another DOROTHY has
recently reappeared at the Globe Theatre in the pretty Shakspearian
fairy-play entitled, _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, wherein DOROTHY DENE
enacts the part of _Hippolyta_. By the way, the lady who used to speak
of that immortal work, _Dixon's Johnsonary_, the other day referred to
SHAKSPEARE as being "contemporaneous with that great wit--dear me--what
was his name?--who wrote _Every Man in his own Humour_--oh, I
remember--JOHN BENSON." Eminently satisfactory.
* * * * *