22 JULY 1938, Page 22

DR. JOHNSON AND A. E. HOUSMAN [To the Editor of

THE - SPECTATOR] Sul,—The very obvious similarity between some verses in A Shropshire Lad and those by Dr. Johnson which are referrecl.to

by Professor W. L. Phelps, must have been noticed by innu- merable people since 1896. It must have been mentioned in

many conversations, and it has been mentioned more than once in, print. See, for example, G. H. W. Rylands, Words and.

Poetry -(London, 1928), p. 44.—Yours, &c., _• • G. B. A. FLETCFIER.

King's College, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, University. of Durham.