They call themselves 'Slaveonians' or 'Sclavonians.' The only
notice we have of them in the city records is by the name of
'Slovens Hall.' Reading _Romany Rye_ I notice your account of
the Sclaves and venture to trouble you with this, and to
enquire whether you think that the Sclaves might be connected
through the Saxons with the ancient municipal institutions of
this country. You are no doubt aware that Oxford is one of the
most ancient Saxon towns, being a royal bailiwick and fortified
before the Conquest,--Yours truly.

GEORGE P. HESTER.

In spite of contemporary criticism, _The Romany Rye_ is a great book, or
rather it contains the concluding chapters of a great book. Sequels are
usually proclaimed to be inferior to their predecessors. But _The Romany
Rye_ is not a sequel. It is part of _Lavengro_, and is therefore
Borrow's most imperishable monument.

FOOTNOTES:

[198] Borrow was fond of writing out title-pages for his books, and I
have a dozen or so of these draft title-pages among my Borrow Papers.

[199] Dr. Knapp's _Life_, vol. ii. p. 167.

[200] Borrow's association with the firm of Murray deserves a chapter to
itself, but the material for writing such a chapter has already been
used by Dr. Knapp and Mr. Herbert Jenkins. The present Mr. John Murray,
John Murray IV., has seventy letters from Borrow to his firm in his
possession. The first of the name to publish Borrow's works was John
Murray II., who died in 1843. John Murray III., who died in 1892, and
his partner and cousin Robert Cooke, were Borrow's friends. He had
differences at times, but he was loyal to them and they were loyal to
him as good authors and good publishers ought to be. With all his
irritability Borrow had the sense to see that there was substantial
reason in their declining to issue his translations. That, although at
the end there were long intervals of silence, the publishers and their
author remained friends is shown by letters written to his daughter
after Borrow's death, and by the following little note from Borrow to
John Murray which was probably never sent. It is in the feeble, broken
handwriting of what was probably the last year of Borrow's life.

To John Murray, Esq.

'OULTON (_no date_).

'MY DEAR FRIEND,--Thank you most sincerely for sending me the last vol.
of the _Quarterly_, a truly remarkable one it is, full of literature of
every des