I wish to make a correction in my essay on “Arthur” in the June number of PMLA. On page 590 I state that Professor Jackson overlooked my article in MLN, LVIII “for an unaccountable reason.” He informs me that when my article appeared in 1943 he was away on war service and therefore did not see it. That is an excellent reason, and I should not have termed it “unaccountable.” I am sure that whoever reads my articles will realize how much I esteem Professor Jackson and admire his scholarship.

John E. Hankins in his interesting article, “Hamlet's ‘God Kissing Carrion’: a Theory of the Generation of Life” (PMLA, LXIV, 507-516) suggests a possible theological interpretation to the lines: “For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion [or ‘god, kissing carrion’] …” (II, ii, 181). He points out that the belief in the generative power of the sun was not merely a pagan concept and (p. 515) quotes from Alanus de Insulis to show that the worm born in putrifying flesh by the power of the sun was regarded by mediæval theologians as a symbol representing Christ, who was born of carnal flesh and without masculine seed.

When giving, in his recent article on “Melville's Pierre and Dante's Inferno”, a list of references to pages in the published writings of Herman Melville on which are to be found references and allusions to, and echoes from, Dante, G. Giovannini left unnoticed at least three relevant passages. When Melville wrote in Redburn (1849) that “the scene of suffering is a scene of joy when the suffering is past; and the silent reminiscence of hardships departed is sweeter than the presence of delight”, he quite possibly had in mind Dante's reflection that there is no greater grief than to recall past joys in time of sorrow (Inferno v, 121 ff.), and was consciously inverting it. When writing in Pierre (1852), “Let all hope of moving her be immediately, and once for all, abandoned”, he very probably was influenced by Cary's translation of Inferno III, 9: “All hope abandon …” And when writing in Clarel the following lines (after having already used the phrase “the city Dis”): “They come: the vengeful vixens strive—The harpies, lo—hag, gorgon, drive!” he quite possibly had in mind the three furies at the gate to the City of Dis, who said, “Let Medusa come.”8 Cary calls the Furies “hags” (in line 44 of Canto IX), and refers to Medusa as “the Gorgon” (in line 57).