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DOCTOR DANIEL DOVE OF DONCASTER AND HIS HORSE NOBS--GOLDEN AGE OF
MAGAZINES.
It appears from the preface to the last edition of _The Doctor, &c._
that the story of Dr. Daniel Dove and his horse was one well known in
Southey's domestic circle.
A letter is there quoted from Mrs. Southey (then Miss Caroline Bowles),
in which she says:--
"There is a story of Dr. D.D. of D. and of his horse Nobs, which
has I believe been made into a Hawker's Book. Coleridge used to
tell it, and the humour lay in making it as long-winded as
possible; it suited, however, my long-windedness better than his,
and I was frequently called upon for it by those who enjoyed it,
and sometimes I volunteered it, when Coleridge protested against
its being told."
While upon the subject of _The Doctor_, may I direct your attention to
the following passage on p. 269. of the one volume edition, which you
will admit in many respects accurately describes your "NOTES AND
QUERIES"?
"Our Doctor flourished in the golden age of magazines, when their
pages were filled with voluntary contributions from men who never
aimed at dazzling the public, but each came with his scrap of
information or his humble question, or his hard problem, or his
attempt in verse.
"In those days A was an antiquary, and wrote articles upon altars
and abbeys, and architecture. B made a blunder, which C corrected.
D demonstrated that E was in error, and that F was wrong in
philology, and neither philosopher nor physician, though he
affected to be both. G was a genealogist. H was an herald who
helped him. I was an inquisitive inquirer who found reason for
suspecting J to be a Jesuit. M was a mathematician. N noted the
weather. O observed the stars. P was a poet who peddled in
pastorals, {317} and prayed Mr. Urban to print them. Q came in the
corner of the page with his query. R arrogated to himself the right
of reprehending every one who differed from him. S sighed and sued
in song. T told an old tale, and when he was wrong, U used to set
him right. V was a virtuoso. W warred against Warburton. X excelled
in algebra. Y yearned for immortality in rhyme, and Z in his zeal
was always in a puzzle."
Surely, Sir, you have revived the Golden Age of magazines, and long may
you flourish.