Five Minute? Daily Readings of Poetry. Selected by H. L.
Sidney Lear. (Rivingtons.)—This little book is intended to suggest the habit "of daily learning by heart a few lines of poetry," and also to lead to the reading of authors " who, in these busy days of ours, get crowded out." A religious and ecclesiastical motive runs through the selection. December 28th introduces Miss Rossetti's beautiful verses for the Innocents' Day; January 30th, lines written by Charles I. at Cerisbrooke. On June 25th is commemorated, in a poem by Dr. Neale, the " martyrdom " of the Archbishop of Paris in 1848. But this tendency has led in very few instances to the inser- tion of anything second-rate. The dates of Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in the present year bring us the blame of gluttony, from "The Pardoner's Tale" and George Herbert's poem on Lent. Apart from this, the selection is guided to some extent by the seasons, March 1st being appropriately heralded by Kingsley's " Welcome, wild North-easter !" As a whole, we can heartily commend the col- leetica as well chosen and tastefully printed. Every one will find here many old favourites, while we have noticed many pieces which have not hitherto found their way into books of the kind.
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