More Tox (M & D stuff)

[Mike Weaver]

Way back in the MDMD (pronounced - empty, empty)  I wrote a little about
Sir Francis Fletcher Vane, a descendent of Dixon's local lord.  His book I
had come across was dedicated to his dog Tox, suggesting a possible source
for Timothy, the poet's surname. 

	This Vane, was among other things,  a co-founder of the Boy Scouts who
split with Baden-Powell over the latter's rampant militarism, a serving
British officer who wrote anti-war pamphlets, and who later supported Irish
independence.  An altogether Pynchonian character, I'd say.

  Last week at work I was attempting to list all the boxfiles full of
uncatalogued material. Down in a dusty part of the cellar (not neglect but
recent building work) I came across a pile on the floor.  'Shields papers'
was what the boxes said,  except three labelled, 'Shields, Vane'.  The late
Mr Shields was a biographer of Sir Francis. 

 One of the items was a notebook of Shields.  One page had a copy of a
dedication by Vane, "To my nephew Douglas, who may be another Tox, though I
hope, with God's mercy, that he will not share his fate."  Another page has
a copy, presumably  of a title page of a book: ' Tox, or Everyboy'
published in Italy in 1923.  

 I assume Tox was originally the name for a  male relative or favourite of
Vane's who died young, the dog being a later holder of the honoured name.
Since Mr Shield's notebook script is as intelligible as my own I could
glean no more at the time.  I'll find a copy of the biography and
investigate further.