—The miniature of Oliver Cromwell, inquired for by LORD BRAYBROOKE, I think was shown to me at a party in London, about five or six years since, by Mr. Macgregor, M.P.,—at least I suppose it to be the same, though I had forgotten the name of the painter; but Mr. Macgregor prized it very highly, as being the only original miniature of Cromwell, and I think he said it was the one that had belonged to Sir Joshua Reynolds. This slight recollection of having seen it, is almost too vague to be worth alluding to, but as no one appears to have replied to the inquiry, it may lead to connecting the true history to the miniature, and thereby enhance its value.
R.N.
Pope and Flatman (Vol. iv., p. 505.).
—Your readers will probably be tired of the subject, still MR. BREEN may like to know that the resembling passages in the two copies in question, are quoted with the names of the authors in the sixty-third number of The Adventurer, dated June 12, 1753, and Pope is directly accused of having copied from one of the vilest Pindaric writers, in the time of Charles II.
The same paper, and a subsequent one, No. 95., contain some excellent remarks upon the allegation of resemblance between authors, and the charge of plagiarism so frequently raised upon it, but not always to be allowed with equal readiness.
In conclusion, let me express a wish, that the essays which I have pointed out could be perused by some of your correspondents, because I am convinced that we should in future have fewer discussions on parallel passages, which seldom possess much real interest, and frequently have a tendency to injure the fair fame of our most gifted writers, by calling in question their literary honesty without establishing the charge brought against them.
B.
Voltaire (Vol. iv., p. 457.).
—Your correspondent J. R. is quite correct as to the name "Voltaire" being an anagram of "Arouet L. J." The fact, however, was first made public by M. Lepan in the Détails Préliminaires sur les Biographies de Voltaire, prefixed to his Vie Politique, Littéraire et Morale de Voltaire, many years before the communications to the Gentleman's Magazine and the Dublin Review, referred to by your correspondent.
Your correspondent states that "Voltaire was a little partial to his paternal name,"[7] and oddly enough gives two extracts from his letters to L'Abbé Moussinot, which prove the very contrary. Those extracts are also to be found in M. Lepan's work, who has adduced them to show "son mépris pour son nom de famille." Vie de Voltaire, p. 11. edit. 1817.