21 FEBRUARY 1964, Page 9

Spectator's Notebook

Sir Charles was shown a proof of Dr. Leavis's article as a matter of courtesy, or, as he prefers to put it elsewhere in this full text, 'in order to obtain 'my consent. I had to assure them that I did not propose to take legal action.'

What then, in all textual modesty, can in- demnification mean? Incidentally, in the TLS article the publishers `were given' this indemni- fication but in hard-covers they 'obtained' it.