[In our Prospectus we spoke of NOTES AND QUERIES becoming everybody’s common-place book.  The following very friendly letter from an unknown correspondent, G.J.K., urges us to carry out such an arrangement.

“Sir,—­I beg leave to forward you a contribution for your ’NOTES AND QUERIES,’ a periodical which is, I conceive, likely to do a vast deal of good by bringing literary men of all shades of opinion into closer juxtaposition than they have hitherto been.

“I would, however, suggest that in future numbers a space might be allotted for the reception of those articles (short of course), which students and literary men in general, transfer to their common-place books; such as notices of scarce or curious books, biographical or historical curiosities, remarks on ancient or obsolete customs, &c. &c. &c.  Literary men are constantly meeting with such in the course of their reading, and how much better would it be if, instead of transferring them to a MS. book to be seen only by themselves, or perhaps a friend or two, they would forward them to a periodical, in which they might be enshrined in imperishable pica; to say nothing of the benefits such a course of proceeding would confer on those who might not have had the same facilities of gaining the information thus made public.

“In pursuance of this suggestion, I have forwarded the inclosed paper, and should be happy, from time to time, to contribute such gleanings from old authors, &c. as I might think worth preserving.

    “G.J.K.”

We readily comply with G.J.K.’s suggestion, and print, as the first of the series, his interesting communication, entitled:]

1. Writers of Notes on Fly-leaves, &c.

The Barberini Library at Rome contains a vast number of books covered with marginal notes by celebrated writers, such as Scaliger, Allatius, Holstentius, David Haeschel, Barbadori, and above all, Tasso, who has annotated with his own hand more than fifty volumes.  Valery, in his Voyages en Italie, states that a Latin version of Plato is not only annotated by the hand of Tasso, but also by his father, Bernardo; a fact which sufficiently proves how deeply the language and philosophy of the Greek writers were studied in the family.  The remarks upon the Divina Commedia, which, despite the opinion of Serassi, appear to be authentic, attest the profound study which, from his youth, Tasso had made of the great poets, and the lively admiration he displayed for their works.  There is also in existence a copy of the Venice edition of the Divina Commedia (1477), with autograph notes by Bembo.