New-York tribune., 1902-01-22
NEW PUBLICATIONS
TIMEs-MR. wEBB's NEW POEMS
CAMERA SHOTS AT BIG GAME

AN ITALIAN ON SHAKESPEARE
CAMERA SHOTS AT BIG GAME.
In one OF Queen Elizabeth's valiant pronounce
nents TO her faithful Commons she paid her
compliments TO the King of Spain In words
which il is still delight read for their dignity
and resonance. II fear not all his threaten
ings.' she said: his great preparations and
mighty forces do not stir me; for though he
cometh against with a greater power than
ever was his Invincible Navy, 1 doubt not. God
assisting me, but that I shall be able to defeat
and overthrow him. ] have great advantage
over him. for my cause is just" Her cause was
at once the preservation Of her growing State
and the assurance of her people in the right to
worship undisturbed in that faith to which they
were dedicated for all time. But the King of
Spain resented the waxing of an empire whose
power, IL II reached certain point. could only
be inimical to his own. and even after the defeat
Of the Armada Spanish intrgues against the
English went forward with unremitting hatred
and persistence. The fact has not been alto
gether unknown TO historians, but they have
underestimated its significance, and it has re-
mained for Major Martin A. S. Hume, that in
defatgable fisher in the stormy waters of Eliza
bethan history to bring documents to light
and 70 base upon them in his Treason and
Plot" ID. Appleton & Coz fresh and illuminat-
ing story.
He shows in this book that in his long cam
paign against the English Philip actuated
by strictly mundane motives. 1t was essential
10 the permanence of his foothold in Flanders
that he should be such terms with England
as to count upon the goodwill. if not upon the
active help, of that power in isolating the Low
Countries and In keeping France in check But
he chose the wrong instrument for his purpose
when he chose that which. as Major Hume puts
il, Ferdinand the Catholic and his immediate
successors deliberately forged in the fires of
the Inqusiton.' Spanish aggression the
mask of religious zeal and what Major Hume
has TO deal with in traversing the last ten years
OF Elizabeths reign is a series of efforts to make
England a willing pawn in the Spanish game by
making England Catholic. Not all the chapters
tn the narrative of equal interest. Some of
the conspiracies recited here SEEM indeed,
sQualid enough. But If the author cannot al
ways put material Of intrinscally great inter-
est before us, he can make strong appeal TO
the reader through his skill in exhibiting the
broad lines of Spanish policy and the general
drift of those expedients by which England
rendered it powerless. The Spaniards
patient. and took infinite pains in drec-
tions at least Father Persons. in his English
College at Valadolid. rendered as effective aid
10 Philip through breeding up devoted Eng
ishmen for him as the King received from his
proudest admirais Indeed. he loved to work by
indirect processes But two things were against
him. In the first place. the stars in their
were fighting the side of English Protestant
ism. Secondly. Major Hume plainly shows,
he was never quite willing to go the full length
required when he sought to take advantage of
the opportunities supplied by treachery dsaf-
fection in the British Islands.
Just as the naval enterprises touched upon
In +f;c
were I'll found and i'll managed the Scotch
1nalcontents and the rebels in Ireland were ex-
plotted with fatal slothfulness and insincerity
by the Spanish ruler. who could have found his
profit in them If he had used common sense
The whole story of Philips failure the con-
elusive revelation of his bad faith and conse-
quent futility is written in the note which
Major Hume quotes from among the papers re-
latng TO Ireland's appeal for Spanish co-opera-
tion against Elizabeth. In the Kings own hand
these remarks to the Secretary Idiaquez were
set forth:
Here are the letters and notes that the Irish
Archbishop has just given me. And If what ,
they say is true IL would be a great pity not to
help them What they demand in one of the
letters is very much. and would be If it were
less than it is. You Qdiaquez) talk to him and
get TO the bottom of it all, and then we will see
what is the very smallest aid that will be needed
If ii be so small that give it, it will be
well to help them.
Obviously 1t is not by these grudging methods
that great power is brought to ruin More
over, it would appear from Major Hume's book
that Elizabeth and her councillors were ex-
uaordinarily well supplied with news of all that
went on in even the most secret channels of
Spanish activity. Thus it is.with rather thank
less material that the author labors He treats
Of things that came to nothing. Yet these are
things Of which the student cannot be too care
fully informed, and value this volume as a
historical period hitherto too little understood
The prevailing tone of Mr. Charles Henry
Weobs new book of poems. With Lead and
Line Along Varying Shores" (Houghton. Mif
MN &CoD is one Of blitheness and content The
spirit Of this writer is free and happy, and his
style has the elasticity which in such circum-
stances We would expect. There are some grave
passages in the little volume: here and there
we meet meditatve strain, touch of tender
ness. CLEAN of delicate sentiment. But al
though Mr.. Webb can be effectively strenuous
IN ''Ishmae" or in "A REQUIEM for the Dead
Leader" tribute to John Rrown that strikes
q brave and ringing note, the most characteris-
tic things here are light, deftly turned verses in
which think first of the authors sunny
vivacity. Some of the best illustrations-too
long to quote-are to be found among the oc-
casional verses addressed to Mr.. Stedman Mr.
Jefferson, Mr.. Stockton and the Authors Club
and of the nirnblest and most readable of
Mr.. Webbs compositions is The Beautiful
Ballad Of Lady Lee" charmingly gay and
humorous piece of writing. From the shorter
pieces We may take this specimen of the au-
thors easy and pleasant manner: