ROAD-BOOKS.* THE motorist has many foes, but the most bitter

must admit that the circumstance that he has brought back the road-book should be counted to him for righteous- ness. For the road-book is a branch of literature which, even although in its modern form it tends to undue speed, noise, dust, and malodorous petrol, is still fascinating. There is still no better reading, whether for him who is bent on a journey or for him whose journeys are over. The one, as he pores over its pages, weighing the " pros " and "cons " of this route and that, is filled by it with an anticipatory glow that few tellers of mere stories can impart; the other, as he sits in his armchair, recreates the pleasures of past travel.

How many road-books have already been prepared for our latter-day devourer of the highway we cannot say, but Mr. Harper's is the first to come seriously under the notice of the present writer. His scheme is to cover England, Wales, and the South of Scotland in four volumes, of which the present— "South of the Thames "—is the first. Testing it over such pieces of road as we know best, we have found it satisfactory ; but our experience is that such a book consulted in the car itself is practically useless unless the chauffeur can be induced—which none that we have met ever have been—to slow down practi- cally to a standstill on this side of every sign-post. If that is done, one can extract light from any road-book ; if that is not done, one may as well leave it at home, using it only as a preparatory aid to determine a route by throwing out alluring particulars as to villages, towns, and scenery.

Our own tendency would be to use Mr. Harper purely in this way ; and there is no doubt of his provocativeness as a guide. He writes perforce with the utmost economy of adjectives, but he says a great deal, and by the time he has done, England, Wales, and the South of Scotland will be under a debt to him not much less heavy than that to the author of Polgolbiera. A few extracts taken at random will illustrate his manner:— or Town Ides,zure. The Muggleton ' of Pickwick. Swan' Inn pointed oat as original of Blue Lion.' Site of Benedictine Abbey, founded 1090, of which fine Norman remains of west front resembling that of Rochester Cathedral remain ; also Early English cloisters incorporated in modern mansion in park. Chapter-house, now kitchen. Perpendicular gateway. Church Norman and Early English. Brasses."

" SEMIS. Quaint, old-world village. Narrow street and ancient cottages. Church Norman and Decorated and curciform, with shingled spire, very interesting. Remains of stained glass. Brasses: Touchet, Lord Audley, 1401; Robert Scarclyf, rector, 1412, etc. Quaint interior of adjoining White Horse' Inn, with fine ingle-nook. On right, at fork of road to Newlands Corner, is the Silent PooL' Steep road ascends Downs to famous view- point of Newlands Corner' (500 feet)."

"The glory of Penshurst is Penshurst Place,' ancient baronial mansion in fine park. (Shown Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, 1s. each.) Seat of Lord de L'Isle and Dudley. Average annual number of visitors recorded, 6,000. Baron's Hall is most ancient part; built 1341 by Sir John de Pulteney, four times Lord Mayor of London. Came into Sidney family in reign of Edward VI. by gift to Sir Henry Sidney, whose son was that Sir Philip who was type of perfect courteous knight ; killed at siege of Zutphen. His nephew, Sir Algernon, was executed 1683 on Tower Hill on false charge of treason. 'Are you ready, Sir P ' asked the headsman ; or will you rise again "Not till the general resurrection. Strike on !' Portraits of Sidneys, including this heroic soul, are among attractions of mansion ; state rooms, etc. In park is lovely lime avenue (' Sacharissa's Walk '), with memories of Edmund Waller. Fine rookery in park."

" BILAY. Picturesque village. Approaching it on left, is Jesus Hospital, an almshouse founded by William Goddard in seven- teenth century. A statue of the founder stands in alcove over doorway. Quadrangle, with chapel, original of Fred Walker's picture, 'Harbour of Refuge,' painted 1871-2 ; but the picture is an idealisation. Bray churchyard entered by curious lidi-gate, with porch over. In church is monument to William Goddard and wife. Bray is famed in song as the home of celebrated ' Vicar of Bray.' Song originated 1712. It was then called 'The Religious Turncoat; but did not particularise any person or place, and put the period 100 years later than that of popular version of to-day. But the real Vicar of Bray, Simon Alleyn, was a worthy whose want of principle was quite in keeping, and he might readily have stood as model. He was, according to Fuller, vicar in reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary and Elizabeth, and trimmed so nicely through all the religious storms of those times that he did live and die Vicar of Bray, 1540-88."

CocKrIELD. Fine church, Early English and Perpendicular, crowded with memorials of Sergisons and Barrel's, old-time Sussex ,ironmasters, etc. Fine marble monument, with effigy, to Charles Sergison, died 1732, with sub-acid inscription reflecting upon Civil • "The Aut.:war koad-Book. Vol. I„: "South ot, the Thames." By Charles '43...lierper. London : Methuen and Co. [7s: ed. net.]

Lords of Admiralty of period. Tablet to Guy Carleton, died 1824, with inscription, The end of all things is at hand.' But the world still wags and the universe is not yet in the melting-pot. Ancient clock, 1667, from tower of church now (1904) removed below. Cuckfield Place, old seat of Sergison family, in Park to south of town, scene of Harrison Ainsworth's Rookwood. Picturesque entrance avenue of elms, etc., and Jacobean gateway from Slaugham Place."

" WICKHAM. Birthplace, 1324, of William of Wykebam, whose patronymic was Long. Interior timbers of commonplace-looking flour mill by river are from U.S. frigate Chesapeake, captured by

H.M.S. Shannon, 1813. Church contains monuments of Uvedale family."

Particulars linking these towns and villages with London ca other starting-points, and dealing with gradients, turnings,

inns, nearest stations, petrol stores, repairers, and so forth, are added ; but, as we have said, we have doubts as to the practical momentary utility of much of such information, except for snails.

So much for Mr. Harper's positive virtue. His negative virtue was to send us to the shelf where Paterson and Cary stand side by side in honourable rivalry. Any man who can do that is a benefactor, for Paterson and Cary come very high among the hundred best authors ; about one and two, in fact.

Paterson comes first, for more than one reason ; but Cary is a good second. The edition of Paterson that lies open before us at the moment is the eighteenth, 1826, Cary's the eleventh,

1828. Paterson is dedicated to the King, Cary to his Grace the Duke of Manchester, his Majesty's Postmaster-General. Both cover in one volume England, Wales, and part of Scotland ; both are models of typographical ingenuity as well as topographical knowledge. Both give long lists of coaches, which alone cause the heart to beat faster. And then Paterson begins to forge ahead, partly because of a clearer system of arrangement, partly because of greater

generosity as to information, for he describes where Cary only mentions. He is far fuller even than the four-volumed Mr. Harper, who has cultivated a style for his work that comes between that of Mr. Alfred Jingle and Sir Henry Lucy.

But where both Paterson and Cary are really at their best and moat entertaining is in their passion for gentlemen's places. That is their greatest charm. They knew the foibles of their fellows, and how exasperating it is to see from a coach or post-chaise a fine estate and mansion and be ignorant as to whom it belonged; and therefore they never omitted a residence of any pretensions unless it was empty. It was nothing to Paterson that at Cuckfield there are memorials to ironmasters or an ancient clock ; but it was a great deal to him and his public that in the neighbourhood lived the Rev. W. Sergison, Admiral Sir John Wells, and Joseph Baker, Esq. To these Cary adds T. P. Cherry, Esq., and Captain Benton. Cary, indeed, is fuller in this respect than Paterson ; perhaps his standard of social distinction was lower. Thus Balham Hill spurs him to this list :—

" Balham Hill, just beyond the Terrace on L— Banks and — Webb Esqs. ; nearly opposite, — Malthus Esq.; little further, BalhamHouse, G. Wolfe, Esq.; and on 1. Bedord Hill, R. Borradaile, Esq. ; beyond the 5th milestone, at Tooting, on r. — Cook Esq. - on L — Rogers, Esq. ; beyond, o:3. r. — Flood, — Parish, and R. Gibson. Esqs. ; on 1. — Lucas, — Bailey, and — Brown, Eggs. ; see on 1. Hill House, — — Hobson Esq., nearly opposite, J. Moore, Esq. and Mrs. Window ; further on r. Manor House, Jacob Goodhart, Esq. • on 1. Hill House, J. Hodges, Esq.; and Furzdown Park, Dan. Hague, Esq."

Delightful to get on a coach climbing Balham Hill in 1828 and speculate as to which was Lucas's place, which Flood's ! If Mr. Harper also had added gentlemen's placea he would have been almost worthy to stand beside Paterson and Cary ; but, alas! he has not. And yet human nature does not change'