A SONNET IN THE OLD MANNER
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SM,—In your issue of February 12th you were kind enough to publish a letter from me, inquiring whether any of your readers could afford me information concerning authorship and approximate date of a sonnet beginning, " Mistress, those starry eyes " . . . whose text was given. Having now waited in vain for any elucidation from your readers or from yourself, I think it only fair that you should share the joke I wrote the sonnet myself. I did not really think I should succeed in " pulling your leg " and I apologize for having done so. Only my attempt at reproducing the old manner seemed (to me) successful ; and so I put its success to the test of your and your readers' censure, than which I could conceive of no more learned court of appeal. May I state that the word printed " those " in line 13 should be " thou " ? My writing's fault, not your compositor's.—I am, Sir, &c., W. W. C. DUNLOP.
Codrington College, Barbados.
Previous page
