Replies.

[Or, on a fesse indented az. three etoiles ar.; on a canton of the second, a sun in his glory, ppr.—Crest, an arm, erect, vested gu. cuff ar. holding in the hand ppr. five ears of wheat or. Motto, "In lumine luce."—Robson'sBritish Herald, vol. ii.s. v.; and for the plate, vol. iii. pl. 50.]

Ring, the Marriage.—When and how did the use of the ring, in the marriage ceremony, originate? Is it of Christian origin; or is it derived from the Jews, or from the Greeks or Romans?

Jonathan Pim.

[Brand quotes Vallancey and Leo Modena for the use of the marriage ring among the Jews (Popular Antiq., vol. ii. p. 103. edit. 1849). Wheatly, however, has given the most detailed account of its origin:—"The reason," he says, "why a ring was pitched upon for the pledge rather than anything else was, because anciently the ring was aseal, by which all orders were signed, and things of value secured (Gen. xxxviii. 18., Esther iii. 10. 12., 1 Maccab. vi. 15.); and therefore the delivery of it was a sign that the person to whomit was given was admitted into the highest friendship and trust (Gen. xli. 42.). For which reason it was adopted as a ceremony in marriage to denote that the wife, in consideration of her being espoused to the man, was admitted as a sharer in her husband's counsels, and a joint-partner in his honour and estate: and therefore we find that not only thering, but thekeysalso were in former times delivered to her at the marriage. That the ring was in use among the old Romans, we have several undoubted testimonies (Juvenal,Sat.vi. ver. 26, 27.; Plin.Hist. Nat., lib. iii. c. i.; Tertull.Apol., c. vi. p. 7. A.). Pliny, indeed, tells us, that in his time the Romans used an iron ring without any jewel; but Tertullian hints, that in the former ages it was a ring of gold."—Rational Illustration of the Common Prayer, p. 390. edit. 1759.]

Amusive.—Is this word peculiar to Thomson, or is it made use of by other poets? Its meaning does not appear to be very definite. In theSpringit is applied to the rooks, with their "ceaseless caws amusive;" in theSummerto the thistledown, which "amusive floats;" and in theAutumn, the theory of the supposed cause of mountain springs is called an "amusive dream." Thomson seems to have been partial to these kind of adjectives, "effusive," "diffusive," "prelusive," &c.

Cuthbert Bede, B.A.

[A reference to Richardson'sDictionarywill show that, however fond Thomson may have been of this word, it is not one peculiar to him. Whitehead says:"To me 'twas given to waketh' amusivereed,"and Chandler, in hisTravels in Greece, speaks of the wind "murmuringamusivelyamong the pines."]

[A reference to Richardson'sDictionarywill show that, however fond Thomson may have been of this word, it is not one peculiar to him. Whitehead says:

"To me 'twas given to waketh' amusivereed,"

and Chandler, in hisTravels in Greece, speaks of the wind "murmuringamusivelyamong the pines."]

Belfry Towers separate from the Body of the Church.—At Mylor, near Falmouth, there is an old tower for the bells (where they are rung every Sunday), separate from the church itself, which has a very low tower. Are there many other instances of this? I do not remember to have seen any.

J. S. A.

[If our correspondent will refer to the last edition of theGlossary of Architecture, s. v.Campanile, he will learn that though bell towers are generally attached to the church, they are sometimes unconnected with it, as at Chichester cathedral, and are sometimes united merely by a covered passage, as at Lapworth, Warwickshire. There are several examples of detached bell-towers still remaining, as at Evesham, Worcestershire; Berkeley, Gloucestershire; Walton, Norfolk; Ledbury, Herefordshire; and a very curious one entirely of timber, with the frame for the bells springing from the ground, at Pembridge, Herefordshire. At Salisbury a fine early English detached campanile, 200 feet in height, surmounted by a timber turret and spire, stood near the north-west corner of the cathedral, but was destroyed by Wyatt.]

An Easter-day Sun.—In that verse of Sir John Suckling's famousBallad upon a Wedding, wherein occurs the simile of the "little mice," what is the meaning of the allusion to the Easter-day sun?—

"But oh! she dances such a way,No sun upon an Easter-dayIs half so fine a sight!"

"But oh! she dances such a way,

No sun upon an Easter-day

Is half so fine a sight!"

Cuthbert Bede, B.A.

[It was formerly a common belief that the sun danced on Easter-day: see Brand'sPopular Antiquities, vol. i. p. 161.et seq.So general was it, that Sir Thomas Browne treats on it in hisVulgar Errors, vol. ii. p. 87. ed. Bohn.]

(Vol. vii., p. 285.)

On reference to the Peerages of Sir Harris Nicolas and Wood, I feel no doubt that the father of Lord Spencer Hamilton, asTee Beeremarks, was the fifth Duke of Hamilton, and not the third, as Collins (edition Brydges) states, who misled me. Perhaps the perplexity, if any, arose from Anne Duchess of Hamilton, the inheritress of the ducal honours by virtue of the patent of 1643, after the deaths of her father and uncles. p. m., having obtained alife dukedomfor her husband, William Earl of Selkirk, and, subsequently to his decease, having surrendered all her titles in favour of their eldest son, James Earl of Arran, who was in 1698 made Duke of Hamilton, with the same precedency of the original creation of 1643, as if he had succeeded thereto.

Sir William Hamilton, the ambassador, married first, Jan. 25, 1752, the only child of Hugh Barlow, Esq., of Lawrenny in Pembrokeshire, with whom he got a large estate: she died at Naples, Aug. 25, 1782, and was buried in Wales. His second lady was Emma Harte, a native of Hawarden in Flintshire; where her brother, then a bricklayer working for the late Sir Stephen Glynne, was pointed out to me forty years ago. In Wood'sPeerageit is stated that Sir W. Hamilton's second marriage took place at London, Sept. 6, 1794: he died in April, 1803, and was buried in Slebech Church.

I well remember Single-speech Hamilton, who was a fried of the family, dining with my father when I was a little boy; and I still retain the impression of his having been a tall and thin old gentleman, very much out of health. He left a treatise calledParliamentary Logick, published in 1808. The brief memoir of the author prefixed to the work, makes no mention of him as a member of the House of Hamilton; but it is said that he derived his name of Gerard from his god-mother Elizabeth, daughter of Digby, Lord Gerard of Bromley, widow of James, fourth Duke of Hamilton, who fell in the duel with Lord Mohun, which looks as if some affinity was recognised.The same authority tells us that William Gerard Hamilton was the only child of a Scotch advocate, William Hamilton, by Hannah Hay, one of the sisters of David Bruce, the Abyssinian traveller; and that he removed to London, and practised with some reputation at the English bar. Mr. W. G. Hamilton died, unmarried, in July, 1796, æt. sixty-eight.

Braybrooke.

Tee Beehas, by his Queries about Sir W. Hamilton, recalled some most painful reminiscences connected with our great naval hero. According to the statement in theNew General Biographical Dictionary, Sir William Hamilton was married tohis first wifein the year 1755; but although it is asserted that she brought her husband 5000l.a-year, her name is not given. She died in 1782, and in 1791 "he married Emma Harte, the fascinating, mischievous, and worthless Lady Hamilton." Pettigrew, in hisMemoirs of Nelson, says, that this marriage took place at St. George's, Hanover Square,on the 6th of September, 1791.Tee Beewill find a full account of Lady H. in the above-mentioned work of Pettigrew.

F. S. B.

(Vol. vii., p. 177.)

I never heard of our Lord's cross having been made ofelderwood. The common idea, legend, or tradition, that prevailed formerly was, that the upright beam of the cross was made ofcedar, the cross-beam ofcypress, the piece on which the inscription was written ofolive, and the piece for the feet of palm.

The legend concerning the wood of the cross is very curious, and may be analysed as follows:—When Adam fell sick, he sent his son Seth to the gate of the garden of Eden to beg of the angel some drops of the oil of mercy that distilled from the tree of life. The angel replied that none could receive this favour till five thousand years had passed away. He gave him, however, a cutting from the tree, and it was planted upon Adam's grave. It grew into a tree with three branches. The rod of Moses was afterwards cut from this tree. Solomon had it cut down to make of it a pillar for his palace. The Queen of Sheba, when she went to visit Solomon, would not pass by it, as she said it would one day cause the destruction of the Jews. Solomon then ordered it to be removed and buried. The spot where it was buried was afterwards dug for the pool of Bethsaida, and the mysterious tree communicated the power of healing to the waters. As the time of the Passion of Christ approached, the wood floated on the surface of the water, and was taken for the upright beam of the cross. See this curious legend at greater length in theGospel of Nicodemus; theLegenda Aureaat the feasts of the Discovery and Exaltation of the Cross; Curzon'sMonasteries of the Levant, p. 163.; and Didron'sIconography, p. 367., Bohn's edition.

I think, however, that I can explain the origin of the question put toRubiby his poor parishioner as to the cross having been made ofelderwood. His question may have sprung from a corruption of an old tradition or legend regarding not our Saviour, but Judas his betrayer. Judas is said to have hanged himself on aneldertree. Sir John Maundeville, in his description of Jerusalem, after speaking of the Pool of Siloe, adds,

"And fast by is still the elder tree on which Judas hanged himself for despair, when he sold and betrayed our Lord."—P. 175., Bohn's edit.

To return to the wood of the cross. In Sir John Maundeville's time a spot was pointed out at Jerusalem as the spot where the tree grew:

"To the west of Jerusalem is a fair church, where the tree of the cross grew."—P. 175.

and he speaks of the wood of this tree as having once been used as a bridge over the brook Cedron (p. 176.). Henry Maundrell describes a Greek convent that he visited, about half an hour's distance from Jerusalem:

"That which most deserves to be noted in it, is the reason of its name and foundation. It is because there is the earth that nourished the root, that bore the tree, that yielded the timber, that made the cross. Under the high altar you are shown a hole in the ground where the stump of the tree stood."—P. 462.

These are some of the legendary traditions regarding the history and site of the wood of the cross, up to the time of the Passion of Christ.

Ceyrep.

(Vol. vi., p. 292.)

I have been waiting for several months in expectation of seeing some satisfactory reply toUrsula'sQuery. It seems, however, that, in common with myself, your numerous correspondents are quite at a nonplus. Wood, in hisAthenæ Oxoniensis, vol. ii. p. 163., mentions this Edmund Chaloner as being about nineteen (Ursulasays twenty-one) years old at the death of his father, James Chaloner, in 1660. Wood, Granger, as also Burke in hisExtinct Baronetage, represent James as being the fourth son of Sir Thomas Chaloner of Gisborough, in the county of York, and this appears to be the general impression as to his parentage. In aHistory of Cheshire, however, written, I believe, by Cowdray, and published in 1791, the author claims him as a native of that county, and makes him to be of muchhumbler birth and descent than any of his other biographers. Hear him in his own words:

"Our succeeding (Cheshire) collectors form a family harmonic trio, a father, son, and grandson, of the surname of Chaloner, and of the several Christian names, Thomas, Jacob, andJames. Thomas was an arms-painter in Chester about 1594; he knew the value of learning sufficiently to give his son a better education than he received himself. And this son followed the same occupation in Chester, and made collections, about the year 1620. But it wasJames, the grandson, who reflected the greatest credit upon his family, by a very concise, accurate, and sensible account of the Isle of Man, printed at the end of King'sVale Royal, in 1656. He laid the foundation of a learned education in our much honoured college (Brazennoze); and when the parliament invested Lord Fairfax with the Seignory of Man, he was one of his lordship's three commissioners for settling the affairs of that island. The antiquarian collections of all the three Chaloners are valuable."

Without specially binding myself to either one of these conflicting testimonies, I may be allowed to suggest that, apart from any proof to the contrary, the inference that he was a native of Chester is a perfectly fair and legitimate one. HisShort Treatise of the Isle of Man, which was the only work he ever sent to press, was printed at the end of that famous Cheshire work, theVale Royal of England, in 1656, and was illustrated with engravings by Daniel King, the editor of that work, himself a Cheshire man. Independent of this, his biographer Wood informs us that he was "a singular lover of antiquities," and that he "made collections of arms, monuments, &c., in Staffordshire, Salop, andChester," the which collections are now, I believe, in the British Museum. He made no collections for Yorkshire, nor yet for London, where he is stated by Wood to have been born. One thing is certain, James Chaloner of Chester was living at the time this treatise was written, and was, moreover, a famous antiquary, and a collector for this, his native county; but whether he was,de facto, the regicide, or merely his cotemporary, I leave it to older and wiser heads to determine.

T. Hughes.

Chester.

*[In theHarleian Collection, No. 1927., will be found "A paper Book in 8vo., wherein are contained, Poems, Impreses, and other Collections in Prose and Verse; written by Thomas Chaloner and Randle Holme, senior, both Armes-Painters in Chester, with other Notes of less value."—Ed.]

Mr. Fraser'sremark about the wordanywhenhas brought to my mind two passages in Shakspeare which have been always hitherto rendered obscure by wrong printing and wrong pointing. The first occurs inMeasure for Measure, Act IV. Sc. 2., where the Duke says:

"This is a gentle provost:seldom-whenThe steeled gaoler is the friend of men."

"This is a gentle provost:seldom-when

The steeled gaoler is the friend of men."

Here the compound word, signifyingrarely,not often, has been always printed as two words; andMr. Collier, following others, has even placed a comma betweenseldomandwhen.

The other passage occurs in the Second Part ofKing Henry IV., Act IV. Sc. 4.; where Worcester endeavours to persuade the king that Prince Henry will leave his wild courses. King Henry replies:

"'Tisseldom-whenthe bee doth leave her combIn the dead carrion."

"'Tisseldom-whenthe bee doth leave her comb

In the dead carrion."

Here also the editors have always printed it as two words; and, as before,Mr. Collierhere repeats the comma.

That the word was current with our ancestors, is certain; and I have no doubt that other instances of it may be found. We have a similar compound in Chaucer'sKnight's Tale, v. 7958.:

"I me rejoyced of my lyberté,Thatselden-tymeis founde in mariage."

"I me rejoyced of my lyberté,

Thatselden-tymeis founde in mariage."

Palsgrave, too, in hisEclaircissement de la Langue Françoise, 1530, has—

"Seldom-what, Gueres souvent."

Seldom-when, as far as my experience goes, seems to have passed out of use where archaisms still linger; butanywhenmay be heard any day and every day in Surrey and Sussex. Those who would learn therationaleof these words will do well to consult Dr. Richardson's most excellentDictionary, under the wordsAn, Any, When, andSeldom.

This is at least a step towardsMr. Fraser'swish of seeinganywhenlegitimatised; for what superior claim hadseldom-whento be enshrined and immortalised in the pages of the poet of the world?

S. W.Singer.

Manor Place, South Lambeth.

Your correspondent C. affirms, as a mark of the Roman origin of Chichester, that "the little stream that runs through it is called the Lavant,evidently from lavando!" Now nobody, as old Camden says, "has doubted theRomanityof Chichester;" but I am quite sure that the members of the Archæological Institute (who meet next summer upon the banks of this sameLavant) would decidedly demur to so singular a proof of it.

C. is informed that, in the fourth volume of theArchæologia, p. 27., there is a paper by the Hon. Daines Barrington, on the termLavant, which, it appears, is commonly applied in Sussex to all brooks which are dry at some seasons, as is the case with the Chichester river.

"From the same circumstance," it is added, "the sands between Conway and Beaumaris in Anglesey, are called theLavant sands, because they are dry when the tide ebbs; as are also the sands which are passed at low water between Cartmell and Lancaster, for the same reason."

To trace the origin of the termLavant, we must, I conceive, go back to a period more remote than the Roman occupation; for that remarkable people, who conquered the inhabitants of Britain, and partially succeeded in imposing Roman appellations upon the greater towns and cities, never could change the aboriginal names of the rivers and mountains of the country. "Our hills, forests, and rivers," says Bishop Percy, "have generally retained their old Celtic names." I venture, therefore, to suggest, that the British word for river,Av, orAvon, which seems to form the root of the wordLavant, may possibly be modified in some way by the prefix, or postfix, so as to give, to the compound word, the signification of anintermittentstream.

The fact that, amidst all the changes which have passed over the face of our country, the primitive names of the grander features of nature still remain unaltered, is beautifully expressed by a great poet recently lost to us:

"Mark! how all things swerveFrom their known course, or vanish like a dream;Another language spreads from coast to coast;Only, perchance, some melancholy stream,And some indignant hills old names preserve,When laws, and creeds, and people all are lost!"Wordsworth'sEccles. Sonnets, xii.

"Mark! how all things swerve

From their known course, or vanish like a dream;

Another language spreads from coast to coast;

Only, perchance, some melancholy stream,

And some indignant hills old names preserve,

When laws, and creeds, and people all are lost!"

Wordsworth'sEccles. Sonnets, xii.

W. L. Nichols.

Bath.

The mention of the distinction between the broad and narrow scarf, alluded to by me (Vol. vii., p. 215.), was made above thirty years ago, and in Ireland. I have a distinct recollection of the statement as to whathadbeen the practice, then going out of use. I am sorry that I cannot, in answer to C.'s inquiry, recollect who the person was who made it. Nor am I able to specify instances of the partial observance of the distinction, as I had not till long after learned the wisdom of "making a note:" but I had occasion to remark that dignitaries, &c. frequently wore wider scarfs than other clergymen (not however that the narrower one was ever that slender strip so improperly and servilely adopted of late from the corrupt custom of Rome, which has curtailed all ecclesiastical vestments); so that when the discussion upon this subject was revived by others some years ago, it was one to which my mind had been long familiar, independently of any ritual authority.

I hope C. will understand my real object in interfering in this subject. It is solely that I may do a little (what others, I hope, can do more effectually) towards correcting the very injurious, and, I repeat, inadequate statement of theQuart. Reviewfor June, 1851, p. 222. However trifling the matter may be in itself, it is no trifling matter to involve a considerable portion of the clergy, and among them many who are most desirous to uphold both the letter and the spirit of the Church of England, and to resist all real innovation, in a charge of lawlessness. Before the episcopal authority, there so confidently invoked, be interposed, let it beprovedthat this is not a badge of the clerical order, common to all the churches of Christendom, and actually recognised by the rules, in every respect so truly Catholic, of our own Church. The matter does not, I apprehend, admit of demonstration one way or the other, at least till we have fresh evidence. But to me, as to many others, analogies seem all in favour of the scarf being such a badge; and not only this, but the very regulation of our royal ecclesiastical authorities. The injunctions of Queen Elizabeth, in 1564, seem to mark the tippet as a distinction between clergymen and laymen, who otherwise, in colleges and choirs at least, would have none. I also am strongly of opinion that the tippets mentioned in the 58th and 74th English canons are the two scarfs referred to: the silken tippet (or broad scarf) being for such priests or deacons as hold certain offices, or are M.A., LL.B., or of superior degree; the plain tippet (or narrow scarf) being for all ministers who are non-graduates (Bachelors of Arts were not anciently considered as graduates, but rather as candidates for a degree, as they are still styled in many places abroad); so thatallin orders may have tippets. This notion is confirmed by the fact, that the scarf was frequently called atippetin Ireland within memory. And in a letter, discussing this very subject, in theGentleman's Mag.(for 1818, part ii. p. 218.[7]), the testimony of one is given who had for upwards of fifty years considered the two words as identical, and had heard them in his youth used indiscriminately by aged clergymen. It is notorious that in Ireland, time out of mind,tippetshave been more generally worn thanhoodsin parish churches there. I am not sure (though I lay no stress on the conjecture) whether this may not have been inconsequence of the option apparently given by the Canons of wearingeitherhood or tippet.

It is not correct to restrict thecustomaryuse of the scarf to doctors, prebendaries, and chaplains. In some cathedrals the immemorial custom has been to assign it to minor canons and clerical vicars also. At Canterbury, indeed, the minor canons, except otherwise qualified, do not wear it. (But is not this an exception? Was it always so? And, by the way, can any cathedral member of old standing testify as to the customary distinction in his church between the two scarfs, either as to size or materials?) The very general use of it in towns cannot be denied.

I may add, that Bishop Jebb used to disapprove of its disuse by country clergymen. In his Charge he requests that "all beneficed clergymen" of his diocese "who areMasters of Arts, or of any superior degree, and who by chaplaincies or otherwise are entitled to the distinction, may with their surplices wear scarfs ortippets." This apparently was his construction of the Canons.

John Jebb.

Footnote 7:(return)See also p. 315.; and 1819, part i. p. 593.

Footnote 7:(return)

See also p. 315.; and 1819, part i. p. 593.

The narrow scarf, called the stole or orarium, is one of the most ancient vestments used by the Christian clergy, representing in its mystical signification the yoke of Christ. Though it may be true that its use is not enjoined by any modern rubric or canon, custom, I think, fully warrants the clergy in wearing it. What other sanction than custom is there for the use of bands?

E. H. A.

A great deal of very interesting matter bearing upon this question, both in an ecclesiastical and antiquarian point of view, though no definite conclusion is arrived at, will be found in a pamphlet by G. A. French, entitledThe Tippets of the Canons Ecclesiastical.

An Oxford B.C.L.

The following were lines much used when I was at school, and I believe are still so now:

"This book is mineBy right divine;And if it go astray,I'll call you kindMy desk to findAnd put it safe away."

"This book is mine

By right divine;

And if it go astray,

I'll call you kind

My desk to find

And put it safe away."

Another inscription of a menacing kind was,—

"This book is one thing,My fist is another;Touch this one thing,You'll sure feel the other."

"This book is one thing,

My fist is another;

Touch this one thing,

You'll sure feel the other."

A friend was telling me of one of these morsels, which, considering the circumstances, might be said to have been "insult added to injury;" for happening one day in church to have a book alight on his head from the gallery above, on opening it to discover its owner, he found the following positive sentence:

"This book doant blong to you,So puttem doon."

"This book doant blong to you,

So puttem doon."

Russell Gole.

The following salutary advice to book-borrowers might suitably take its position in the collection already alluded to in "N. & Q.":

"Neither blemish this book, or the leaves double down,Nor lend it to each idle friend in the town;Return it when read; or if lost, please supplyAnother as good, to the mind and the eye.With right and with reason you need but be friends,And each book in my study your pleasure attends."

"Neither blemish this book, or the leaves double down,

Nor lend it to each idle friend in the town;

Return it when read; or if lost, please supply

Another as good, to the mind and the eye.

With right and with reason you need but be friends,

And each book in my study your pleasure attends."

O. P.

Birmingham.

Is not this curious warning worthy of preservation in your columns? It is copied from a black-letter label pasted to the inside of an old book cover:

"Steal not this booke, my honest friende,For fear ye gallows be ye ende;For if you doe, the Lord will say,'Where is that booke you stole away?'"

"Steal not this booke, my honest friende,

For fear ye gallows be ye ende;

For if you doe, the Lord will say,

'Where is that booke you stole away?'"

J. C.

To the collection of inscriptions in books commenced byBalliolensis, allow me to add the following:

"Hic liber est meus,Testis et est Deus;Si quis me quærit,Hic nomen erit."

"Hic liber est meus,

Testis et est Deus;

Si quis me quærit,

Hic nomen erit."

In French books I have seen more than once,—

"Ne me prend pas;On te pendra."

"Ne me prend pas;

On te pendra."

An on the fly-leaf of a Bible,—

"Could we with ink the ocean fill,Were ev'ry stalk on earth a quill,And were the skies of parchment made,And ev'ry man a scribe by trade,To tell the love of God aloneWould drain the ocean dry.Nor could the scroll contain the whole,Though stretch'd from sky to sky."

"Could we with ink the ocean fill,

Were ev'ry stalk on earth a quill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

And ev'ry man a scribe by trade,

To tell the love of God alone

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretch'd from sky to sky."

George S. Master.

Welsh-Hampton, Salop.

I beg to subjoin a few I have met with. Some monastic library had the following in or over its books:

"Tolle, aperi, recita, ne lædas, claude, repone."

The learned Grotius put in all his books,—

"Hugonis Grotii et amicorum."

In an old volume I found the following:

"Hujus si quæris dominum cognoscere libri,Nomen subscriptum perlege quæso meum."

"Hujus si quæris dominum cognoscere libri,

Nomen subscriptum perlege quæso meum."

Philobiblion.

Head-rests.—The difficulty I have experienced in getting my children to sit for their portraits in a steady position, with the ordinary head-rests, has led me to design one which I think may serve others as well as myself; and I therefore will describe it as well as I can without diagrams, for the benefit of the readers of "N. & Q." It is fixed to the ordinary shifting upright piece of wood which in the ordinary rest carries the semicircular brass against which the head rests. It is simply a large oval ring of brass, about an inch and a half broad, and sloping inwards, which of the following size I find fits the back of the head of all persons from young children upwards:—five inches in the highest part in front, and about four inches at the back. It must be lined with velvet, or thin vulcanised India rubber, which is much better, repelling grease, and fitting quite close to the ring. This is carried forward by a piece of semicircular brass, like the usual rest, and fixes with a screw as usual. About half the height of the ring is a steel clip at each side, like those on spectacles, but much stronger, about half an inch broad, which moving on a screw or rivet, after the sitter's head is placed in the ring, are drawn down, so as to clip the head just above the ears. A diagram would explain the whole, which has, at any rate, simplicity in its favour. I find it admirable. Ladies' hair passing through the ring does not prevent steadiness, and with children the steel clips are perfect. I shall be happy to send a rough diagram to any one, manufacturers or amateurs.

J. L. Sisson.

Edingthorpe Rectory.

Sir W. Newton's Explanations of his Process.—In reply toMr. John Stewart'sQueries, I beg to state,

First, That I have hitherto used a paper made by Whatman in 1847, of which I have a large quantity; it is not, however, to be procured now, so that I do not know what paper to recommend; but I get a very good paper at Woolley's, Holborn, opposite to Southampton Street, for positives, at two shillings a quire, and, indeed, it might do for negatives.

Secondly, I prefer making the iodide of silver in the way which I have described.

Thirdly, Soft water is better for washing the iodized paper; if, however, spring water be made use of,warmwater should be added, to raise it to a temperature of sixty degrees. I think that sulphate or bicarbonate of lime would be injurious, but I cannot speak with any certainty in this respect, or to muriate of soda.

Fourthly, The iodized paper should keep good for a year, or longer; but it is always safer not to make more than is likely to be used during the season.

Fifthly, If I am going out for a day, I generally excite the paper either the last thing the night before, or early the following morning, and develope them the same night; but with care the paper will keep for two or three days (if the weather is not hot) before exposure, but of course it is always better to use it during the same day.

Wm. J. Newton.

6. Argyle Street.

Talc for Collodion Pictures.—Should any of your photographic friends wish to transmit collodion pictures through the post, I would suggest that thin plates of talc be used instead of glass for supporting the film; I find this substance well suited to the purpose. One of the many advantages of its use (though I fear not to be appreciated by your archæological and antiquarian section) is, that portraits, &c., taken upon talc can be cut to any shape with the greatest ease, shall I say suitable for a locket or brooch?

W. P.

Headingley, Leeds.

Portrait of the Duke of Gloucester(Vol. vii., p. 258.).—I beg to informMr. Waythat he will find an engraving of "The most hopefull and highborn Prince, Henry Duke of Gloucester, who was borne at Oatlandes the eight of July, anno 1640: sould by Thos. Jenner at the South entry of the Exchange," in a very rare pamphlet, entitled:

"The Trve Effigies of our most Illustrious Soveraigne Lord, King Charles, Queene Mary, with the rest of the Royall Progenie: also a Compendium or Abstract of their most famous Genealogies and Pedegrees expressed in Prose and Verse: with the Times and Places of their Births. Printed at London for John Sweeting, at the Signe of the Angell, in Pope's Head Alley, 1641, 4to."

For Henry Duke of Gloucester, see p. 16.:

"What doth Kingdomes happifieBut a blesst Posteritie?This, this Realme, Earth's Goshen faire,Europe's Garden, makes most rare,Whose most royall Princely stemme(To adorne theire Diadem)Two sweet May-flowers did produce,Sprung from Rose and Flower-de-Luce."

"What doth Kingdomes happifie

But a blesst Posteritie?

This, this Realme, Earth's Goshen faire,

Europe's Garden, makes most rare,

Whose most royall Princely stemme

(To adorne theire Diadem)

Two sweet May-flowers did produce,

Sprung from Rose and Flower-de-Luce."

Φ.

Richmond, Surrey.

Key to Dibdin's "Bibliomania" (Vol. vii., p. 151.).—There are some inaccuracies in the list of namesfurnished by W. P., which may be corrected on the best authority, namely, that of Dr. Dibdin himself, as put forth in his "new and improved edition" of theBibliomania, with a supplement, "including a key to the assumed characters in the drama," 8vo., 1842. According to this supplement we are to interpret as follows:

A complete "key" is not furnished; but there is reason, I think, to doubt a few of the other names in W. P.'s list. Moreover, in the edition of 1842, several other pseudonymes are introduced, which do not appear in the list; namely, that of Florizel, for Joseph Haslewood; Antigonus; Baptista; Camillo; Dion; Ferdinand; Gonsalvo; Marcus; and Philander; respecting whom some of your readers may possibly enlighten us further. As to the more obvious characters of Atticus, Prospero, &c., see theLiterary Reminiscences, vol. i. p. 294.

μ.

High Spirits a Presage of Evil("N. & Q."passim).—In a case lately detailed in the newspapers, a circumstance is mentioned which appears to me to come under the above heading.

In the inquiry at the coroner's inquest, on Feb. 10, 1853, concerning the death of Eliza Lee, who was supposed to have been murdered by being thrown into the Regent's Canal, on the evening of the 31st of January, by her paramour, Thomas Mackett,—one of the witnesses, Sarah Hermitage, having deposed that the deceased left her house in company with the accused at a quarter-past ten o'clock in the evening of the 31st, said as follows:

"Deceased appeared in particularly good spirits, and wanted to sing. Witness's husband objected; but she would insist upon having her way, and she sang 'I've wander'd by the Brook-side.'"

The deceased met with her death within half an hour after this.

Cuthbert Bede.

Hogarth's Works.—Observing an inquiry made in Vol. vii., p. 181. of "N. & Q." about a picture described in Mrs. Hogarth's sale catalogue of her husband's effects in 1790, made by Mr. Haggard, I am induced to ask whether a copy of the catalogue, as far as it relates to the pictures, would not be a valuable article for your curious miscellany? It appears from all the lives of Hogarth, that he early in life painted small family portraits, which were then well esteemed. Are any of them known, and where are they to be seen? Were they mere portraits, or full-length? Are any of them engraved? I had once a picture, of about that date, which represented a large house with a court-yard, and a long garden wall, with a road and iron gate, something like the old wall and road of Kensington Gardens, with the master, mistress, and dog walking in front of the house, and evidently portraits. I always suspected it might be by Hogarth; but I am very sorry to say I parted with it at auction for a few shillings. It was (say) two feet square: the figures were about four inches in height, and dressed in the then fashion. I would further ask if any oil painting or sketches are known of the minor engravings, such as "The Laughing Audience," "The Lecture," "The Doctors," &c.?

An Amateur.

Town Plough(Vol. vi., p. 462.; Vol. vii., p. 129.).—In Vol vi., p. 462.,Gastronnotices the Town Plough; and it is again noticed by S. S. S. (Vol. vii., p. 129.) as never having been seen by him mentioned in ancient churchwardens' accounts.

Not ten years since there was in the belfry of Caston Church, Northamptonshire, a large clumsy-looking instrument, the use of which was not apparent at first sight, being a number of rough pieces of timber, put together as roughly. On nearer inspection, however, it turned out to be a plough, worm-eaten and decayed, I should think at least three times as large and heavy as the common ploughs of the time when I saw the one in question. I have often wondered at the rudeness and apparent antiquity of that plough, and whether on "Plough Monday" it had ever made the circuit of the village to assist in levying contributions.

I have only for a week or two been in the possession of "N. & Q." when having accidentally, and for the first time, met with the Number for that week, I could not resist the temptation of becoming the owner of the complete series. Under these circumstances, you will excuse me if I am asking a question which may have been answered long since. What is the origin of Plough Monday? May there not be some connexion with the Town Plough? and that the custom, which was common when I was a boy, of going round for contributions on that day, may not have originated in collecting funds for the keeping in order, and purchasing, if necessary, the Town Plough?

Brick.

Shoreditch Cross and the painted Window in Shoreditch Church(Vol. vii., p. 38.).—I beg to acquaint your correspondent J. W. B. that although I had long searched for an engraving of Shoreditch Cross, my labour was lost. The nearest approach to it will be found in a modern copy of a plan of London, taken in the time of Elizabeth, in which its position is denoted to be on the west side of Kingsland Road; but, from records towhich I have access, I believe that the cross stood on the opposite side, between the pump and the house of Dr. Burchell. Most likely its remains were demolished when the two redoubts were erected at the London ends of Kingsland and Hackney Roads, to fortify the entrance to the City, in the year 1642.

The best accounts that I have seen of the painted window are in Dr. Denne'sRegister of Benefactionsto the parish, compiled in 1745, and printed in 1778; and Dr. Hughson'sHistory of London, vol. iv. pp. 436, 437.

Henry Edwards.

Race for Canterbury(Vol. vii., pp. 219. 268.).—It is probable that the lines

"The man whose place they thought to take,Is still alive, and stilla Wake,"

"The man whose place they thought to take,

Is still alive, and stilla Wake,"

are erroneouslywrittenon the print referred to; but I have no doubt of having seen a print of which (with the variation of "ye think" for "they thought") is the genuine engraved motto.

B. C.

Lady High Sheriff(Vol. vii., p. 236.).—There is a passage in Warton'sHistory of English Poetry(Vol. i. p. 194., Tegg's edition) which will in part answer the Query of your correspondent W. M. It is in the form of a note, appended to the following lines from the metrical romance ofIpomydon:

"They come to the castelle yateThe porter was redy there at,The porter to theyme they gan calle,And prayd hym go in to the halle,And say thy lady gent and fre,That comen ar men of ferre contrè,And if it plese hyr, we wolle hyr pray,That we myght ete with hyr to-day."

"They come to the castelle yate

The porter was redy there at,

The porter to theyme they gan calle,

And prayd hym go in to the halle,

And say thy lady gent and fre,

That comen ar men of ferre contrè,

And if it plese hyr, we wolle hyr pray,

That we myght ete with hyr to-day."

On this passage Warton remarks:

"She was lady, by inheritance, of the signory. The female feudatories exercised all the duties and honours of their feudal jurisdiction in person. In Spenser, where we read of theLady of the Castle, we are to understand such a character. See a story of aComtesse, who entertains a knight in her castle with much gallantry. (Mém. sur l'Anc. Chev., ii. 69.) It is well known that anciently in England ladies were sheriffs of counties."

To this note of Warton's, Park adds another, which I also give as being more conclusive on the subject. It is as follow:

["Margaret, Countess of Richmond, was a justice of peace. Sir W. Dugdale tells us that Ela, widow of William, Earl of Salisbury, executed the sheriff's office for the county of Wilts, in different parts of the reign of Henry III. (SeeBaronage, vol. i. p. 177.) From Fuller'sWorthieswe find that Elizabeth, widow of Thomas Lord Clifford, was sheriffess of Westmoreland for many years; and from Pennant'sScottish Tourwe learn that for the same county Anne, the celebrated Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, often sat in person as sheriffess. Yet Riston doubted of facts to substantiate Mr. Warton's assertion. See his Obs. p. 10., and reply in theGent. Mag. 1782, p. 573.—Park."]

T. C. S.

I can answer part of W. M.'s Query, by a reference to a personage who could not have been very far from being the first instance of the kind (Query, was she?).

"About this time (1202) Gerard de Camville, his old and faithful adherent, was restored by John to the possession of the honours of which he had been deprived by King Richard; and it is a remarkable circumstance that, on the death of the said Gerard, in the eighteenth year of the king's reign, his widow, Nichola Camville (who is described by an ancient historian as being 'a martial woman of great courage and address') had the sheriffalty of the county of Lincoln committed to her; which honourable and important trust was continued to her by a grant of Henry III.," &c.

The above quotation is taken from Bailey'sAnnals of Nottinghamshire, now publishing in Numbers (Part III. p. 107.). Should I be wrong in asking correspondents to contribute towards a list of ladies holding the above honorable post?

Furvus.

St. James's.

Burial of an unclaimed Corpse(Vol. vii., p. 262.).—E. G. R.'s question is easily answered. The parish of Keswick proved that some years before they had buried a body found on a piece of land. This was evidence of reputation that at the time of the burial the land was in Keswick, otherwise the parishioners would not have taken on themselves this work of uncalled-for benevolence. The fact of their having incurred an expense, which, unless the land was in their parish, would have been the burden of Markshall, satisfied the commissioner that the land must have belonged to Keswick. I have no doubt this was the reason, though I never heard of the question in connexion with Keswick and Markshall. Battersea Rise, I heard when a boy, had formerly belonged to Clapham, and been given to Battersea for the same reason as E. G. R. states to have been the cause of Markshall losing its territory to Keswick.

J. H. L.

Surname of Allan(Vol. vii., p. 205.).—I think A. S. A. will find that this name was introduced into Britain from Normandy. It occurs in early Norman times as a personal name, and afterwards as a patronymic. Thus Alan, the son of Flathald, who had the castle of Oswestry granted him by the Conqueror, had a son, William Fitz-Alan, ancestor of the great baronial house of Arundel. In theHundred Rolls, temp. Edward I., it is very common under the orthographies offil. Alan,fil.Alain,Alayn,Aleyn,Aleyne,Aleynes,Aleynys, &c. Allen has always remained a baptismal name, and hence it is probable that there is no more affinity between the numerous families now bearing it as a surname, than between the various Thompsons, Williamses, and others of this class. The MacAllans of Scotland may have a separate Celtic source, though it is far likelier that this name (like MacEdward, MacGeorge, and numerous others) is the English appellative with the patronymic Mac prefixed.

Mark Antony Lower.

Lewes.

The Patronymic Mac(Vol. vii., p. 202.).—The present Earl of Stair has collected and printed, under the title ofAlmacks Extraordinary, a list of seven hundred Scotch and Irish surnames with the prefix "Mac;" and a highly esteemed correspondent promises me asupplementarylist of "a few hundreds" of such appellatives, which must therefore be in the aggregate upwards of a thousand in number. I hope to include all these in my forthcomingDictionary of British Surnames.

Mark Antony Lower.

Lewes.

Cibber's "Lives of the Poets" (Vol. v., p. 25.).—WhenMr. Crossleyinserted in your pages, at great length, theoriginalprospectus of Cibber'sLives, he was not aware that it had beenreprintedbefore. Such, however, is the case, as may be seen by turning to the sixth volume of Sir Egerton Brydges'Censura Literaria, ed. 1808, p. 352. It was communicated to the columns of that work by that diligent antiquary in literary matters, Joseph Haslewood.Mr. Crossleysays, "It is rather extraordinary that none of Dr. Johnson's biographers appear to have been aware that the prospectus of Cibber'sLiveswas furnished by Johnson." Where is there the slightestproofthat Johnson wrote one line of it? Haslewood believed it to have been the production of Messrs. Cibber and Shiels. DoesMr. Crossleyground his claim for Johnson merely upon a fancied resemblance instyle?

Edward F. Rimbault.

Parallel Passages, No. 2.—Stars and Flowers(Vol. vii., p. 151.).—Other parallels on this subject are given in "N. & Q." (Vol. iv., p. 22.), to which may be added the following:

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