" -MARBLE " OR " SABLE "
[To the 'Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sra,—In the very appreciative review of my Seventeenth Century Lyrics your reviewer takes me to task On- one point : "Surely it was -unnecessary to alter the line, 'Underneath this sable hearse,' -So Well -known as it is; to 'Underneath this marble
herirOe.' " .
By my title, Seventeenth Century Lyrics from the Original Text's, r bind' myself to give the mdst authoritative text. Thus, in 'every case; I" print the earliest text, except where a poet is known to have revised his work, when, of course, I follow his' latest tevision. In this particular instance (as in many others) my researches brought to light both a printed. and a MS. text Of the poem earlier than any hitherto known ; and I have printed the earliest. I did not "alter the line."
Incidentally, I may remark that " sable " is actually given in a footnote as the reading of the second oldest text I
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