HOME LIFE UNDER THE STUARTS.
Home Life under the Stuarts. By Elizabeth Godfrey. (Grant Richards. 12s. 6d. net.)—This is a volume of which we can say that it is nothing less than delightful. Mrs. Godfrey begins at the beginning. Her first chapter is given to "The Nursery," the second and third to " Children's Games " and—observe the prece- dence—to " Some Lesson Books." There are shadows in the picture ; the infant mortality, still so deplorably great in some classes of the population, then prevailed everywhere. And the nursery rule was severe ; its inmates were taught to bear the yoke. Those samplers, for instance, which we wonder at were not wrought without many tears. Then the way of knowledge was not smoothed as it is now. One shudders to think, what had to be borne by young scholars of the early Stuart times ; as by Master Evelyn, who when two years and a half old " could perfectly reade any of the English, Latine, French, or Gothic letters,"—the poor child died at five. Passing on, we read what the boys of the family did at the University afid what the girls did at home. From the girls we pass naturally to chapters on " Courtship " and "Marriage," and to various romantic stories of young ladies who had the idea of choosing for themselves, Venetia Stanley, for instance, and Anne Murray. Domestic rule, housekeeping, dress, are among the other subjects dealt with, and, very properly, there is a chapter on
"Gardens." Mrs. Godfrey speaks highly of the dress fashion of the early Stuart times. It had a freedom and a good taste which were wanting in the Elizabethan and the Restoration periods. As to its cost our information is not as exact as could be wished. It seems, however, to have been considerable. Black satin was 14e. a yard, nearly as many pounds according to the present value of money. Lord Cork allowed his daughter Marie £100, a very large sum indeed. We would gladly give more space to this most interesting book ; what we have said, however, will doubtless suffice to commend it to our readers.
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