New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-31
COSSIpY MEMOIRS.

MEMOIRS or THE COURT or tN'-
land IN 1875 BY Marie Catherine
R ,s d'kulnov Translated from
tho Original French 10y Mrs William
Henry Arthur Edited. revised. ana
With annotations, including an accouht
Of Lucy Walter, evidence TOT pcli1Yl
FOR the defence. by George David Gll-
bert Illustrated Svo. PIP. NNA' 4oV
The John Lane Company
THE REATTIFI-L LADY CRAVEN. The
Original Memoirs Of Elizabeth Bar-
oness craven Afterward Margarine
Of Auspach and Raireuth and Irinctss
Berkeley Of the Holy Roman Empire
i-S0-lS2S Edited with notes and
Biographical and historical lniIoGuCs,
tiou containing much unpuonsheu
matter. by A. NJ. Broadley ana Lewis
Melville With 4S illustrations. SNo'
2 vols. PIP. cxlii, III, y, sos. The John
Lane Company.
The two works here grouped to-
gether arc both distinguished by the
thorouehness Of the editorial treatment
they have received. one Of them Nine.
d'Aulnoy's memoirs is practically
new book to the general reader. for
though frequently, il cautiously drawn
upon 10y English historians, it has not
hitherto been available in an English
translation A rough English version
published as far back as 170s. copy
Of which is in the British Museum
does hardly enter into considerations
the less so as the prudent hack who
made it suppressed the names Of the
men mentioned in its pages. Nine
d'Aulnoy herself had no such scruples,
though she indicated the women by
mere initials. II has been. by the way
one Of the tasks Of the present trans
lator and editor TO identify these la
dies. with. in all but one case. COM
plete success. The French woman's
delicious phonetic spelling of English
proper names has been changed for
the sake Of accuracy one almost re-
grets this. for "Vitheal" for Whitehall,
"Bouquinkam' for Buckingham. Am
toncour" for Hampton Court "d'EVin-
CHER" for Devonshire. and "Nelle CUM
for Nell Gwynn would have added still
another touch to a delightfully."- racy
translation The best comparison that
can be made Of these memoirs is with
those Of the Count de Grammont. As
the translator truly says in her intro
ducuon:
30 Restoration play is more vivid
than this book. And what adds 10 It's
charm is that. though the morals are of
the time, the manners are irreproacha-
BILE. and there - not one sentence that is
indicate. This IS more than can he
said Of Hamilton's masterpiece. Again
ana again the thought was forced upon
rs. What libretto for Mozart might
nave been constructed from this work.
Mr. Arthur is an acknowledged au-
thority on the period Of Charles III in
England. He seizes upon the oppor-
tunity offered by Nine. d'Aulnoy's fire.
quent mention Of the Duke Of Mon
mouth 10 offer what he calls evidence
for brief for the defence Of his
mother. Lucy Walter. generating her
of the ISLANDERS that have been heaped
upon her memory. But on the question
Of her marriage to Charles. and the
consequent right Of Monmouth to the
throne he sought 10 usurp, no new
light is thrown The value Of the book
is greatly enhanced by number OF
contemporary portraits in the collec-
ton Of the Duke Of Portland and
others. not hitherto reproduced. There
f.. also, a brief biography Of the eX-
tremely adventurous Nine. d'Aulnoy
whose name has. by little irony OF
history. come down to us chiefly as
that Of the presumably very domestic
writer of some charming fairy stories
for children.
The life and adventures Of the beau
tiful Lady Craven are of Infinitely
greater interest 10 us than the memoirs
which she wrote al the end OF her long
life. chiefly 70 defend her reputation
I'm the eyes Of posterity-a rather des-
perate venture. Walpole praised her
beauty and her talents, which she