26 JUNE 1926, Page 27

A BOOK OF ENGLISH VERSE SATIRE. Chosen by A. G.

Barnes. (Methuen. 4s. 6d. neL. )

THERE is very little modern literature on English satire, and Mr. Barnes' modest selection from thirty poets is welcome. Matthew Green is not as well known as his neat and gracious talent would warrant, and the passage Mr. Barnes qiiOt..s from him will perhaps send his readers in search of more. The selection is hard to criticize ; anyone with a liking for our satirists will find hirriself continually astonished that this piece or that has been omitted. For instance, though Mr. Barnes prints two passages from Charles Churchill, he does not quote from that great instance of savage effectiveness, the satire on Hogarth. Still, the selection will serve very well as an intro- duction to the subject.