Chapter Erragon to Errors of Authors of E by Brewer's Readers Handbook

(43) Richardson’s Dictionary, under the word “taper,” a wax candle, gives as an illustration of the meaning—

And in the night she listeth best tapere (i.e. to appear).

(44) Printers Error (A curious). The Annual Register, 1879, p. 373, speaks of the monument of Byron, and a statue done by Thomas Walden, meaning Thorwaldsen.

(45) Rymer, in his Fœdera, ascribes to Henry I. (who died in 1135) a preaching expedition for the restoration of Rochester Church, injured by fire in 1177 (vol. I. i. 9).

In the previous page Rymer ascribes to Henry I. a deed of gift from “Henry king of England and lord of Ireland;” but every one knows that Ireland was conquered by Henry II., and the deed referred to was the act of Henry III.

On p. 71 of the same vol. Odo is made, in 1298, to swear “in no wise to confederate with Richard I.;” whereas Richard I. died in 1199.

(46) Sabine Maid (The). G. Gilfillan, in his introductory essay to Longfellow, says, “His ornaments, unlike those of the Sabine maid, have not crushed him.” Tarpeia, who opened the gates of Rome to the Sabines, and was crushed to death by their shields, was not a Sabine maid but a Roman.

(47) Scott (Sir Walter). In the Heart of Midlothian we read—

She [Effie Deans] amused herself with visiting the dairy … and was near discovering herself to Mary Hetley by betraying her acquaintance with the celebrated receipt for Dunlop cheese, that she compared herself to Bedreddin Hassan, whom the vizier his father-in-law discovered by his superlative skill in composing cream-tarts with pepper in them.

In these few lines are several gross errors: (1) “cream-tarts” should be cheese-cakes; (2) the charge was “that he made cheese-cakes without putting pepper in them,” and not that he made “cream-tarts with pepper;” (3) it was not the vizier his father-in-law and uncle, but his mother, the widow of Noureddin, who made the discovery, and why? for the best of all reasons—because she herself had taught her son the receipt. The party were at Damascus at the time.—Arabian Nights (“Noureddin Ali,” etc.). (See p. 338, “Thackeray.”)

“What!” said Bedreddin, “was everything in my house to be broken and destroyed … only because I did not put pepper in a cheese-cake?”—Arabian Nights (“Noureddin Ali,” etc.).

In The Fortunes of Nigel (chap. xxxii.) lord Dalgarno speaks of that happy period “which begins with ‘Dearly beloved,’ and ends with ‘amazement;’ ” but in the time of James I. the Marriage Service did not end with the word “amazement.”

In his Antiquary (chap. x.) he speaks of “the philosopher who appealed from Philip inflamed with wine to Philip in his hours of sobriety.” This “philosopher” was a poor old woman.

In The Betrothed (time, Henry II.) he speaks of the “bishop of Gloucester;” but there was no such bishop till 1541, which was in the reign of Henry VIII.

In Ivanhoe (chap. xxvii.) he makes Wamber the jester say, “I am a poor brother of St. Francis;” but that Order was founded in 1206, and Wamber lived in the reign of Richard I. (1189–1199).

§ Again, in Ivanhoe, the “monk of Croydon” should be the “monk of Croyland.”

§ In chap. vii. the Christian name of Malvoisin is Richard, elsewhere it is Philip.