The Note Books Of Samuel Butler

XXV
Poems

Prefatory Note

i. Translation from an Unpublished Work
of Herodotus

ii. The Shield of Achilles, with Variations

iii. The Two Deans

iv. On the Italian Priesthood

Butler wrote these four pieces while he was an undergraduate
at St. John's College, Cambridge. He kept no copy of any of
them, but his friend the Rev. Canon Joseph McCormick, D.D.,
Rector of St. James's, Piccadilly, kept copies in a note-book
which he lent me. The only one that has appeared in print is
" The Shield of Achilles," which Canon McCormick sent to The
Eagle the magazine of St. John's College, Cambridge, and it was
printed in the number for December 1902, about six months after
Butler's death.

" On the Italian Priesthood" is a rendering of the Italian
epigram accompanying it which, with others under the heading
" Astuzia, Inganno" is given in Raccolta di Proverb! Toscani
di Giuseppe Giusti (Firenze, 1853).

v. A Psalm of Montreal

This was written in Canada in 1875. Butler often recited it
and gave copies of it to his friends. Knowing that Mr. Edward
Clodd had had something to do with its appearance in the
Spectator / wrote asking him to tell me what he remembered
about it. He very kindly replied, 2§th October, 1905 :

" The 'Psalm' was recited to me at the Century Club by
Butler. He gave me a copy of it which I read to the late Chas.

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