nza be regarded as more vigorous?

G. A. S.

_Fairfax's Tasso._--In the elegant edition published by Mr. Singer in 1817,
the first stanza is printed according to the variation noticed by your
correspondent T. N. (Vol. ii., p. 325.), "I sing the warre," &c., and the
original stanza is printed at the end of the first book, with a note
stating that the pasted slip is found "in most copies" of the first
edition. My copy contains no such peculiarity, but it is of course possible
that the pasted slip may have been removed. The second edition (folio,
London, 1624) has the stanza in the form in which it originally stood in
the first, beginning "The sacred armies," &c.

J. F. M

* * * * *

ALE-DRAPER.--EUGENE ARAM.

(Vol. ii., p. 310.)

Your correspondent D. asks whether the word _ale-draper_ was ever in "good
use." The only place in which I can find it is Bailey's _Dictionary_, where
it occurs thus:

"Ale-draper (a humorous name), a seller of malt liquors; an
alehouse-keeper or victualler."

The humour, I suppose, consists in applying to one kind of occupation that
which was commonly given to another; in taking _draper_ from the service of
cloth, and pressing it by force into that of _ale_. That it was ever
considered as a word of respectable standing, can hardly be imagined. In
such writers as Tom Brown it is most likely to occur.

1. With reference to Eugene Aram, D.'s remark about the
_over-ingeniousness_ of his defence has been anticipated by Paley, who was
present at the trial, and said that Aram would not have been hanged had he
less studiously defended himself. That laboured address to the jury must
have employed his thoughts for years. I should like very much to know
whether anyone has ever attempted to verify the references which he gives
to the cases in which he says that bones have been found. The style of the
speech has been much praised, but is surely not very surprising when it is
considered that Johnson had previously written the _Rambler_. The
composition wants ease.

2. Ever since I began to read about Eugene Aram, and that is some years
ago, I have had a settled opinion that his attainments, and perhaps his
abilities, had been greatly overrated. He was doubtless a man of
considerable mental powers; but we cannot but suspect that had he acquired
all the learning which is attributed to him, he would have attracted more
notice than it was his fortune to obtain.