Minor Notes
Local Rhymes, Norfolk.—
"Halvergate hares, Reedham rats,
Southwood swine, and Cantley cats;
Acle asses, Moulton mules,
Beighton bears, and Freethorpe fools."
Z. E. R.
"Hobson's Choice."—I, the other day, in a paper of 1737, came upon the inclosed, if of interest sufficient for insertion in "N. & Q.:"
"Upon the mention of Mr. Freeman being appointed one of the four horse carriers to the university of Cambridge, we had the following paragraph:—'This was the office that old Hobson enjoyed, in which he acquired so large a fortune as enabled him to leave the town that ever-memorable legacy the conduit, that stands on the Market Hill, with an estate to keep it perpetually in repair. The same person gave rise to the well-known adage, 'Hobson's choice—this or none;' founded upon his management in business. He used to keep, it seems, hackney horses, that he let out to young gentlemen of the university, with whose characters being well acquainted, he suited his beast to its rider, who upon a dislike was sure to receive that answer from him, 'This or none.'"
J. W. G. G.
Khond Fable.—The following is a free version of a fable current among the Khonds of Oriosa, of whom a very interesting account is given by Captain Macpherson in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for 1852:
"A mosquito was seated on the horn of a bull, and fearing that his weight might be oppressive to the quadruped, he politely accosted him, begging that, if he felt any inconvenience, he would mention it, and professing himself ready, in that case, to remove to some other position. The bull replied, 'O mosquito, so far are you from oppressing me with your weight, that I was not even aware of your existence.'"
The moral of this is common enough, but is the fable found elsewhere in a similar form?
J. C. R.
Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, Bart.—As those who have read the deeply interesting memoirs of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton are aware, he was placed at a school in Donnybrook in the year 1802, and shortly after "entered" the University of Dublin. His success in that seat of learning, where able competitors were many in number, was brilliant; for "on the 14th of April in the same year [1807], he received his thirteenth premium, and also the highest honour of the university,—the gold medal. With these distinctions, and the four silver medals from the Historical Society, he prepared to return to England." In fact, so high did his character stand, that a proposal was made to him by the electors (which, however, he deemed it prudent to decline) to come forward as a candidate for the representation of the university in the imperial parliament, and good grounds were given him to expect a triumphant return.
Now, this man was doubtless an honour to the "silent(?) sister" in Ireland; and, as an Irishman, I feel some little degree of pride in our having educated him so well for his subsequent career. With surprise, then, do I find, on referring to the Dublin University Calendar for the present year, the name of a "Mr. John Powell Buxton" in the list of gold medallists. The editor appears to be sadly ignorant of the proper person, and cannot lay the blunder at the printer's door, having very unaccountably repeated it from year to year. I have taken the trouble of examining many volumes of the Calendar.
Abhba
Anagrams.—I beg to forward the following:
"Antonius B. Magliabechius"
(He was the librarian at Florence, about the end of the sixteenth century). This name makes—
"Is unus Bibliotheca magna."
In the poems of some Jesuit father (Bacchusius, I think) the following rather offensive one is mentioned, on the celebrated father Costerus:
"Petrus Costerus Jesuita!"
i. e.
"Vere tu es asinus: ita!"
Philobiblion.
Queries
SEAL OF WILLIAM D'ALBINI
A few years since there was published a History of the Parish of Attleburgh, in Norfolk, by the then rector, Dr. Barrett. It is a very handsome volume in quarto, and reflects great credit upon the learning and taste of the reverend editor.
What I wish more particularly to allude to is an engraving of the seal of William de Albini, who was called "William with the Strong Hand;" of whom Dugdale records, that having distinguished himself at a tournament appointed by a queen of France, then a widow, she became so enamoured of him that she offered him marriage. But he, having plighted his troth to Adeliza, widow to King Henry I. of England, refused her. In revenge for this refusal, the queen of France inveigled him into a den in the garden, where was a fierce lion. Being in this danger, he rolled his mantle about his arm, and putting his hand into the mouth of the beast, pulled out his tongue by the root; followed the queen to her palace, and gave it to one of her maids to present to her. Returning to England with the fame of this glorious exploit, he was forthwith advanced to the earldom of Arundel, and for his arms the lion given him.
Amongst the many illustrations in Dr. Barrett's book is the seal of this William de Albini, representing a knight on horseback, in the usual style of such knightly seals; but in front of the knight is a young lion, and under the feet of the horse some sort of animal of the lizard kind.
In elucidation of this seal, there is a long and elaborate note, with remarks by Mr. Hawkins of the British Museum, with a view of showing that the device on this seal alludes to the story of his combat with the lion.
The attempt to establish this point appears to me amusing; for there seems nothing on the face of the seal different from the usual seals of royal and knightly rank in ancient times.
It strikes me, that the true interpretation of this device, and the introduction of the lion and the lizard-like animal under the horse's feet, may be found in the 13th verse of Psalm xci.:
"Thou shalt go upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou tread under thy feet."
I should like to learn from some of your correspondents, whether this Psalm, or this portion of it, was used in the solemnities attendant on the installation of a knight, which would tend much to confirm my conjecture.
Senex.
FORMS OF JUDICIAL OATH
The forms of an oath are different among different denominations of Christians. The Roman Catholics of the Continent swear by raising the hand; the Scotch Presbyterians follow the same practice. The Protestants of the Church of England are sworn on the Gospels; so also are the Irish Roman Catholics. The Quakers reject every form of oath, and confine themselves to a simple affirmation. Upon these points I beg leave to submit the following Queries.
1. What form of judicial oath was first sanctioned by the professors of Christianity as a body? It is stated in Haydn's Dictionary of Dates, that "oaths were taken on the Gospels so early as A.D. 528." How were they taken before then?
2. Did the practice of swearing on the Gospels prevail in England before the Reformation? If not, at what period was it introduced?
3. When was that form of oath first adopted by the Irish; and was its adoption a voluntary proceeding on their part, or enforced by legislative enactment?
4. Was the practice of raising the hand in use in Scotland before the Reformation?
5. At what period was the latter form adopted by the Continental Christians, in lieu of the more solemn oath on the Gospels?
6. Are there now, or have there been at any former period, any forms of judicial oath in use among Christians, other than the forms above mentioned?
Henry H. Breen.
St. Lucia.
Minor Queries
Passage in Boerhaave.—Will any of our readers kindly oblige me by the exact word of a passage in Boerhaave, of which I cite the following from memory?—
"The only malady inherent in the human frame, is the decay of old age."
A Foreign Surgeon.
7. Charlotte Street, Bedford Square.
Story of Ezzelin.—Where is the story to be found from which Fuseli derived the subject for his remarkable picture of Ezzelin (Braccioferro) musing over the body of Meduna? It was engraved by J. R. Smith, and published by Jas. Birchel, 473. Strand, May, 1781. What has become of the original picture?
J. Sansom.
The Duke.—Can any of your readers tell me whether Sir Arthur Wellesley's speech in the House of Commons upon Mr. Paull's charge against his brother, was the first he made in Parliament?
Robert J. Allen.
Oxford.
General Sir Dennis Pack.—This gallant officer, who, in command of the light division of the Duke's army, distinguished himself in nearly every battle of the Peninsula, and finally at Waterloo, was descended from a younger son of Simon, son of Sir Christopher Pack, Alderman and Lord Mayor of London. The family was originally from Leicestershire. Sir Christopher, having advanced money for the reduction of the Irish rebels of 1641, received a grant of land in the county of Westmeath; and his younger son, Simon, settled in Ireland about that period. From this Simon descended Thomas Pack, Esq., of Ballinakill in the Queen's County, grandfather of Sir Dennis Pack.
As I have in the press a History of the Cathedral of St. Canice, Kilkenny, which latter contains a monument and a fine bust of Sir Dennis Pack by Chantrey, and of which his father the Rev. Thomas Pack, D.D., was dean, any information which will enable me to complete the pedigree between Simon Pack and the above-named Thomas will be thankfully received.
James Graves.
Kilkenny.
Haveringemere.—Gervase of Tilbury, in the 4th book of his Otia Imperialia, sect. 88., mentions a certain pond or mere lying near the confines of Wales, and named Haveringemere, of which the peculiarity is, that if a person passing over it in a boat utters, in a loud voice, certain opprobrious words, a commotion arises in the waters and sinks the boat. The words, as printed in the edition of Leibnitz (Leibnitii Scriptores Brunsvicenses, tom. i. p. 990.), are "Prout haveringemere aut allethophe cunthefere;" which he explains to mean, "Phrut tibi, mare, et omnibus qui te transfretant." He adds with great simplicity: "Et satis mirandum, quod aquæ hujus modi concipiunt indignationes." It is plain that we ought to read, "Phrut Haveringemere, and alle thai that on thee fere" (i. e. ferry). Phrut or prut is a word of contempt, of which Mr. Halliwell gives an instance, s. v. Prut, from an Harleian MS.: "And seyth prut for thy cursing prest." Is anything known of this mere at the present day, and is there any remnant of this old superstition? Gervase wrote his book anno 1211.
C. W. G.
Old Pictures of the Spanish Armada.—At Beddington Hall, famous for its fine banqueting-hall, in which Queen Elizabeth feasted, I have heard that there used to be one or more pictures of the Spanish Armada, presented by Elizabeth herself to the family resident there. Can any reader of "N. & Q." inform me whether these pictures (if more than one) are still in existence: if so, where they are, and whether they are to be seen? A large gilt lock, also presented by Queen Elizabeth, still remains on one of the doors of the said banqueting-hall.
J. S. A.
Old Broad Street.
Bell Inscription.—The following inscription occurs on two bells formerly belonging to St. Sepulchre's Church, Cambridge. I should be glad of an explanation:
"[DE] [PVRI] SANTI EDMONDVS STEFANVS TOMMI ME FECIT [WL] 1576."
C. W. G.
Loselerius Villerius, &c.—I wish to know who was Loselerius Villerius, who edited an edition of the Greek Testament, with the Vulgate and Beza's Latin version (I think) in parallel columns. This edition seems to have been successful, as I have a copy of the third edition. The title-page of my copy is missing, but the dedication to Henry Earl of Huntingdon is dated "London, vi cal. Nov. 1573." Any information about Loselerius would be acceptable. I should also be glad to know whether the edition is considered at all valuable.
Whilst upon this subject, let me ask whether there is any list of editions of the Bible that can be looked upon as in any way complete? I have had occasion to refer to the Duke of Sussex's catalogue, but have there been unable to find all that I required. There is, for instance, in a friend's possession, a Bible which his family traditions maintain to be of great rarity. I find it catalogued nowhere, and should be glad to know if it is really so great a curiosity. It is a fine folio, profusely illustrated. I subjoin a copy of the title-page:
"The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, &c., with most profitable Annotations on all the hard Places, and other Things of great Importance; which Notes have never before been set forth with this new Translation, but are now placed in due order, with great Care and Industry. A Amsterdam, printed for Stephen Swart, at the Crowned Bible, on the West Side of the Exchange. 1679."
S. A. S.
Bridgewater.
The Vinegar Plant.—Is it indigenous or imported? Some botanists and savans who have examined the subject take the former view. I should be inclined to take the latter, for the following among other reasons:—First, because it is known that many specimens of it have been so introduced from various quarters. Secondly, because in all the attempts to produce it that I have heard of, including some experiments made by myself, in no instance has a specimen been procured by means of any of the moulds that are of spontaneous growth in this country, which has entirely resembled the vinegar plant, or which has been so efficient in the production of vinegar. Thirdly, because in tropical and warm climates abnormal variations of vegetable productions are much more likely to originate, and to become naturalised, than in this country. If imported, perhaps some of your correspondents could say where it was originally brought from.
Fritz.
Westminster Parishes.—What are the names of the respective parishes in the city of Westminster in 1630; how far back do their records extend; and what charge would be made for a search in them? I wish to trace a family whose ancestor was born in that city, but in what parish I am ignorant. Were any churches in Westminster, as distinguished from London, destroyed in the Great Fire?
Y. S. M
Dublin.
Harley Family.—Can any reader of your invaluable miscellany give an account of Thomas Harley, citizen of London, who died in the year 1670, ætat. fifty-six? The Thomas Harley referred to possessed good estate in the county of Leicester, particularly at Osgathorpe, Walton-on-Wolds, Snibston, and Heather. He founded a hospital at Osgathorpe, and endowed the same at 60l. for the maintenance and support of six clergymen's widows. Moreover he also erected a free-school, which he endowed with 60l. a year. He married Mary, widow of William Kemp, citizen of London. His daughter, and sole heiress, married into the family of Bainbrigge of Lockington Hall, county of Leicester; which alliance carried with it the estate of Thomas Harley into that family.
The arms of Thomas Harley are: Crest, a lion's head rampant; shield, Or, bend cotized sable.
Is the foregoing family a branch of that of Herefordshire, now ennobled; or does it come down from one of the name anterior to the time when such earldom was made patent, viz. from Sir Richard Harley, 28 Edward I.: whose armorial bearings, according to one annalist, is mentioned as Or, bend cotized sable?
Brian de Harley, son of Sir Robert Harley, in the reign of Henry IV., changed his crest; which was a buck's head proper, to a lion rampant, gules, issuing out of a tower, triple towered proper.
Aldrorandus.
Leicester.
Lord Cliff.—In 1645, James Howell published his Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ; amongst the letters was one on Wines, addressed to the Right Hon. Lord Cliff. Who was he? The letter is dated Oct. 7, 1634.
Y. S. M
Dublin.
Enough.—Was this word always pronounced as at present, enuf? I am inclined to think not; for Waller, in his poem "On a War with Spain," rhymes it with bough:
"Let the brave generals divide that bough,
Our great Protector hath such wreaths enough."
And again, in his "Answer to Sir John Suckling's Verses," he couples it with plough, in those anti-Malthusian lines:
"The world is of a large extent we see,
And must be peopled: children there must be!—
So must bread too; but since there are enough
Born to that drudgery, what need we plough?"
When did the change of pronunciation take place? Perhaps some reader of "N. & Q." can also give the etymology of the word.
Robert Wright.
Archbishop Magee.—In a committee of the House of Lords, 1825, Lord Holland asked Archbishop Magee: "Does your grace really think that there is any person capable of holding such a monstrous opinion, as that the Roman Catholic religion is idolatrous?" The Archbishop calmly fixed his eyes on Lord Holland's countenance, and replied "My Lord, some have sworn to it."—I only quote so much of the anecdote (which your readers will find in Archbishop Magee's Works, vol. i. p. 67., 1842) as my purpose requires.
As reported in The Times, on April 18, 1853, Lord Lansdown, speaking of an old committee in the House of Lords, said:
"During those two days, a right reverend prelate was examined; and he was required to state upon oath whether the Creed of St. Athanasius was necessary to salvation. The reply was, 'He would not say whether it was that, but a great many persons had sworn that it was.'"
Some correspondent may be able to state whether these two extracts pertain or not to one and the same occurrence, and which is the true version.
Indagator.
Carpets at Rome.—In a cutting from a newspaper or periodical, apparently of the year 1790, narrating an accident that happened to Lady Augusta Clavering, daughter of the Duke of Argyle (whilst staying at Rome) by her muslin dress catching fire, it is said:
"Fortunately, the gentlemen did not lose their presence of mind; and there happening to be a carpet in the room, a thing very uncommon in that that country, they covered her with it," &c.
Can any of your readers oblige me by informing me whether it is a fact, that the luxury of a carpet was very uncommon at Rome at the period referred to; and when carpets were first introduced at Rome?
L. A. M.
Great Yarmouth.
Nursery Rhymes.—Can you or any of your correspondents tell me where I shall find an account of the origin of our common nursery rhymes? Is there not reason to believe that many of them are of great antiquity?
L.
Oxford.
Gloves at Fairs.—I think that I have read that at some large fair it was customary to hang out on the town-hall a large gilt glove, as a token of freedom from arrest for debt during the period that the fair lasted. Can any of your correspondents inform me if such was the case, and where? In Halliwell's Dictionary, "hoisting the glove" is said to be practised at Lammas Fair, in Devonshire: but why? In the east of England certain village fairs are called Gants,—Mattishall Gant, &c. Forby derives this from A.-S. gan, to go; but may it not have some reference to the French gants, gloves?
E. G. R.
Mr. Caryl or Caryll.—Every one knows that the Rape of the Lock was written at the request of Mr. Caryl, stated by Pope to have been private secretary to James II.'s queen before the Revolution. It also appears in the Prolegomena to the Life of James, that two royal warrants issued at St. Germains by the abdicated monarch and his son the Pretender in 1701 and 1707, are counter-signed Caryll as Secretary of State. Is there any doubt that this is the same person; and if not, is there any account of when and on what terms he returned to England? where he must have been again domiciled in 1711, and some years after, during which period he corresponded with Pope. His family was settled near East Grinstead, in Sussex.
C.
Early Reaping-machines.—Have the former Numbers of "N. & Q." contained an account of the invention of a reaping-machine in the last century, similar in design and construction to the one lately invented in America? A friend of mine has in his possession a work, entitled The Complete Farmer, or a General Dictionary of Husbandry; containing the various methods of improving the land, &c., together with great variety of new discoveries and improvements, the 4th edition, by a society of gentlemen. There is no date on the title-page; but from internal evidence, I am led to think that the work was not published before 1780. If it be thought desirable, I shall be happy to send an extract from the work, giving an account of the machine, or, if drawings be admitted into the pages of "N. & Q.," the work might be sent to the Editor.
H. D. W.