,
whatever "_Messieurs les Ennemis_" may think of it, a work of rare
humour. Of course you must first of all be interested in King JAMES
and his subjects,--his principal subject being himself, (and lucky the
man who can _command himself_)--and you must wish to know the story of
his rights and wrongs; then this interest and desire being taken for
granted, the book of the butterfly is a thing of beauty and a joy for
now and ever. The heads are epigrammatic and the tails sprightly, and
both eminently characteristic, for the heads tell their own tales, and
the tails in tadpolian scheme are the outcome of the heads. Most
of the waggery is in these tailpieces, which, one and all of them,
represent the real Whistlerian spirit, "the Familiar" of ETCHER JAMES,
that is the Demoniacal Butterfly "in various aspics," as Mrs. MALAPROP
might say. Does the Butterfly's Master address "_Messieurs les
Ennemis_," the Familiar Spirit is all politeness, with head down and
wings outstretched saluting before coming to "on guard." Does Master
"rid himself of the friendship of the many?"--the little Demon shakes
a reef out of his tail and flies upwards, to return after a short
flight of fancy. On occasions when Master has been reflecting
comically and satirically on some of his attackers, or on his
detractors, the volatile Imp literally shakes his sides with
uncontrollable laughter, and can't stand upright for very mirth. The
famous "Ten o'clock" which has been immortalised by _Mr. Punch_ as
the "Ten-and-sixpenny o'clock," in consequence of the tickets being
half-a-guinea apiece, is here reprinted. PROSPERO WHISTLER packs up
his bag of tricks, buries his wand, makes his bow with a little speech
at a testimonial dinner given to him by his friends, and the Familiar
Demon Butterfly, free at last, darts into space, leaves "Finis"
below,--then, you turn over the page, all is blank,--Magician and
Familiar have vanished!

DAVID STOTT, not of Oldham, but of Oxford Street, publishes dainty
little pocket volumes, and here is one yclept _Essays or Counsels of
Francis Bacon_. "Put it in the bag!" says the Baron, "and let it be my
travelling companion, so that, whenever I want refreshment I may feed
on BACON, that many-sided philosopher." It is a wonderfully handy
volume, tastefully and substantially bound, and its type of the very
clearest. Much-occupied men, who can only snatch here a moment and
there a moment for reading, ought to be grateful to the inve