"Where the murm'ring streams meander,Where the sportive zephyrs play,Whilst in sylvan shades I wander,Softly steal the hours away.I nor splendor crave nor treasure,Calmer joys my bosom knows;Smiling days of rural pleasure,Peaceful nights of soft repose."
"Where the murm'ring streams meander,Where the sportive zephyrs play,Whilst in sylvan shades I wander,Softly steal the hours away.I nor splendor crave nor treasure,Calmer joys my bosom knows;Smiling days of rural pleasure,Peaceful nights of soft repose."
"Where the murm'ring streams meander,
Where the sportive zephyrs play,
Whilst in sylvan shades I wander,
Softly steal the hours away.
I nor splendor crave nor treasure,
Calmer joys my bosom knows;
Smiling days of rural pleasure,
Peaceful nights of soft repose."
"Oh Music, if thou hast a charm,That may the sense of pain disarm,Be all thy tender tones address'dTo soothe to peace my Anna's breast,And bid the magic of thy strainTo still the throb of wakeful pain;That, rapt in the delightful measure,Sweet hope again may whisper pleasure,And seem the notes of spring to hear,Prelusive to a happier year.And if thy magic can restore,The shade of days that smile no more,And softer, sweeter colors giveTo scenes that in remembrance live,Be to her pensive heart a friend;And whilst the tender shadows blend,Recall, ere the brief trace be lost,Each moment that she priz'd the most."
"Oh Music, if thou hast a charm,That may the sense of pain disarm,Be all thy tender tones address'dTo soothe to peace my Anna's breast,And bid the magic of thy strainTo still the throb of wakeful pain;That, rapt in the delightful measure,Sweet hope again may whisper pleasure,And seem the notes of spring to hear,Prelusive to a happier year.And if thy magic can restore,The shade of days that smile no more,And softer, sweeter colors giveTo scenes that in remembrance live,Be to her pensive heart a friend;And whilst the tender shadows blend,Recall, ere the brief trace be lost,Each moment that she priz'd the most."
"Oh Music, if thou hast a charm,
That may the sense of pain disarm,
Be all thy tender tones address'd
To soothe to peace my Anna's breast,
And bid the magic of thy strain
To still the throb of wakeful pain;
That, rapt in the delightful measure,
Sweet hope again may whisper pleasure,
And seem the notes of spring to hear,
Prelusive to a happier year.
And if thy magic can restore,
The shade of days that smile no more,
And softer, sweeter colors give
To scenes that in remembrance live,
Be to her pensive heart a friend;
And whilst the tender shadows blend,
Recall, ere the brief trace be lost,
Each moment that she priz'd the most."
E. H. A.
The Rights of Women.—Single women, who were freeholders, voted in the State of New Jersey as late as the year 1800. In a newspaper of that date is a complimentary editorial to the female voters for having unanimously supported Mr. John Adams (the defeated candidate) for President of the United States, in opposition to Mr. Jefferson, who was denounced as wanting in religion.
Uneda.
Philadelphia.
Green Pots used for drinking from by Members of the Temple.—During the summer of 1849, when the new part of Paper Buildings in the Temple was being built, the workmen, in making the necessary excavations, dug up a great number of pots or cups, which are supposed to have been used for drinking from by the students. I have recently met with the following letter from SirJulius Cæsar to Sir W. More, which may be interesting to some of your readers:
"After my hartie commendac'ons, &c. Whereas in tymes past the bearer hereof hath had out of the Parke of Farnham, belonging to the Bishopricke of Winchester, certaine white clay for the making of grene potts usually drunk in by the gentlemen of the Temple, and nowe understandinge of some restraint thereof, and that you (amongst others) are authorized there in divers respects during the vacancye of the said Bishopricke; my request, therefore, unto you is, and the rather for that I am a member of the said house, that you would in favoʳ of us all p'mytt the bearer hereof to digge and carrie away so muche of the said claye as by him shalbe thought sufficient for the furnishinge of the said house wᵗʰ grene potts aforesaid, paying as he hath heretofore for the same. In accomplishment whereof myself with the whole societie shall acknowledge oʳselves much beholden unto you, and shalbe readie to requite you at all times hereafter wᵗʰ the like pleasure. And so I bid you moste heartilie farewel."Inner Temple, this xixᵗʰ of August, 1591."To the right worshipful Sir W'm More, Knight, geve these."
"After my hartie commendac'ons, &c. Whereas in tymes past the bearer hereof hath had out of the Parke of Farnham, belonging to the Bishopricke of Winchester, certaine white clay for the making of grene potts usually drunk in by the gentlemen of the Temple, and nowe understandinge of some restraint thereof, and that you (amongst others) are authorized there in divers respects during the vacancye of the said Bishopricke; my request, therefore, unto you is, and the rather for that I am a member of the said house, that you would in favoʳ of us all p'mytt the bearer hereof to digge and carrie away so muche of the said claye as by him shalbe thought sufficient for the furnishinge of the said house wᵗʰ grene potts aforesaid, paying as he hath heretofore for the same. In accomplishment whereof myself with the whole societie shall acknowledge oʳselves much beholden unto you, and shalbe readie to requite you at all times hereafter wᵗʰ the like pleasure. And so I bid you moste heartilie farewel.
"Inner Temple, this xixᵗʰ of August, 1591.
"To the right worshipful Sir W'm More, Knight, geve these."
This letter is printed in theLosely Manuscripts, p. 311.
B.
Bristol.
Quarles and Pascal.—In Quarles'Emblems, book i. Emblem vi., there is a passage:
"The world's a seeming paradise, but her ownAnd man's tormentor;Appearing fixed, yet but a rolling stoneWithout a tenter;It is a vast circumference where noneCan find a centre."
"The world's a seeming paradise, but her ownAnd man's tormentor;Appearing fixed, yet but a rolling stoneWithout a tenter;It is a vast circumference where noneCan find a centre."
"The world's a seeming paradise, but her own
And man's tormentor;
Appearing fixed, yet but a rolling stone
Without a tenter;
It is a vast circumference where none
Can find a centre."
And Pascal, in one of hisPensées, says:
"Le monde est une sphère infinie, dont le centre est partout, la circonférence nulle part."
"Le monde est une sphère infinie, dont le centre est partout, la circonférence nulle part."
Here we have two propositions, which, whether taken separately, or opposed to each other, would seem to contain nothing but paradox or contradiction. And yet I believe they are but different modes of expressing the same thing.
Henry H. Breen.
St. Lucia.
Offer to intending Editors.—I had hoped that some one would accept Mr. Crossley's offer of Ware's MS. notes for a new edition ofFoxes and Firebrands. I myself will with pleasure contribute a copy of the book to print from (assuming that it will be properly executed), and also of his much rarerCoursing of the Romish Fox, which should form part of the volume.
If any one is disposed to edit the works of Dr. John Rogers, the sub-dean of Wells, I will, with the same pleasure, supply his Address to the Quakers, of which I possess Mr. Brand's copy, which he has twice marked asextra rare; and Rodd, from whom I purchased it, had never seen another copy. The entire works might be comprised in two volumes octavo.
It is to be regretted that Mr. Flintoff has not yet published Wallis'sSermons on the Trinity, to accompany his excellent edition of Wallis'sLetters, 1840. Would it not be possible to obtain so many names as would defray the expense of printing?
S. Z. Z. S.
Head-dress.—The enormous head-dresses worn in the time of Charles I. gave rise to the following lines:
"Hoc magis est instar tecti quam tegminis; hoc nonOrnare est; hoc est ædificare caput."
"Hoc magis est instar tecti quam tegminis; hoc nonOrnare est; hoc est ædificare caput."
"Hoc magis est instar tecti quam tegminis; hoc non
Ornare est; hoc est ædificare caput."
Clericus (D.)
Fox-hunting.—Can any of your correspondents inform me, when the great national sport of fox-hunting first came into vogue?
Gervase Markham, whose work on sports, calledCountry Contentments, or the Husbandman's Recreations, was published in 1654, gives due honour to stag-hunting, which he describes as "the most princely and royall chase of all chases." Speaking of hare-hunting, he says, "It is every honest man's and good man's chase, and which is indeed the freest, readiest, and most enduring pastime;" but he classes the hunting of the fox and the badger together, and he describes them as "Chases of a great deal lesse use or cunning than any of the former, because they are of a much hotter scent, and as being intituled stinking scents, and not sweet scents."
Although he does admit that this chase may be profitable and pleasant for the time, insomuch as there are not so many defaults, but a continuing sport; he concludes, "I will not stand much upon them, because they are not so much desired as the rest."
R. W. B.
Broderie Anglaise.—Being a young lady whose love for the fine arts is properly modified by a reverence for antiquity, I am desirous to know whether the present fashionable occupation of the "Broderie Anglaise," being undoubtedly a revival, is however traceable (as is alleged) to so remote a period as the days of Elizabeth?
Sarah Anna.
"The Convent," an Elegy.—Among the works ascribed to the Abbé François Arnaud, a member of the French Academy, who died in 1784, there is one entitled,Le Couvent, Elégie traduite de l'Anglais. What is the English poem here alluded to?
Henry H. Breen.
St. Lucia.
Memorial of Newton.—The subscription now in progress for raising a statue to Sir Isaac Newtonat Grantham, the place of his early education, recalls to my recollection a memorial of him, about which I may possibly learn a few particulars from some one of the numerous readers of "N. & Q."
I remember hearing when a school-boy at the college, Grantham, some thirty-five years ago, that Newton's name, cut by himself on a stone in the recess of one of the windows of the school-house, was to be seen there no long time back; but that the stone, or the portion of it which contained the name, had been cut out by some mason at a time when the building was being repaired, and was in the possession of a gentleman then living in the largest house in Grantham—built, I believe, by himself. Those of your readers who knew Grantham at the time, will not need to be told the name of the gentleman to whom I allude. The questions I would wish to ask are these:
1. Was such a stone to be seen, as described, some forty or fifty years since?
2. Is it true that it was removed in the way that I have stated?
3. If so, in whose possession is the stone at this present time?
M. A.
Mammon.—Perhaps some of your readers could refer me to some work containing information in reference to the following allegation of Barnes, on Matt. vi. 24.:
"Mammon is a Syriac word,a name given to an idol worshipped as the god of riches. It has the same meaning as Plutus among the Greeks. It is not known that the Jews even formally worshippedthis idol, but they used the word to denote wealth."
"Mammon is a Syriac word,a name given to an idol worshipped as the god of riches. It has the same meaning as Plutus among the Greeks. It is not known that the Jews even formally worshippedthis idol, but they used the word to denote wealth."
My question relates to the passages in Italics.
B. H. C.
Derivation of Wellesley.—In a note to the lately publishedAutobiographic Sketchesof Thomas De Quincey, I find (p. 131.) the following passage:
"It had been always known that some relationship existed between the Wellesleys and John Wesley. Their names had in fact been originally the same; and the Duke of Wellington himself, in the earlier part of his career, when sitting in the Irish House of Commons, was always known to the Irish journals as Captain Wesley. Upon this arose a natural belief, that the aristocratic branch of the house had improved the name into Wellesley. But the true process of change had been precisely the other way. Not Wesley had been expanded into Wellesley, but inversely, Wellesley had been contracted by household usage into Wesley. The name must have beenWellesleyin its earliest stage, since it was founded upon a connexion with Wells Cathedral."
"It had been always known that some relationship existed between the Wellesleys and John Wesley. Their names had in fact been originally the same; and the Duke of Wellington himself, in the earlier part of his career, when sitting in the Irish House of Commons, was always known to the Irish journals as Captain Wesley. Upon this arose a natural belief, that the aristocratic branch of the house had improved the name into Wellesley. But the true process of change had been precisely the other way. Not Wesley had been expanded into Wellesley, but inversely, Wellesley had been contracted by household usage into Wesley. The name must have beenWellesleyin its earliest stage, since it was founded upon a connexion with Wells Cathedral."
May I ask what this connexion was, and whence the authority for the statement? Had the illustrious Duke's adoption of his title from another town in Somersetshire anything to do with it?
J. M.
Cranwells, Bath.
The Battle of Cruden—A Query for Copenhagen Correspondents.—In the year 1059, in the reign of Malcolm III., king of Scotland, a battle was fought on the Links of Cruden, in the county of Aberdeen, between the Danes and the Scots, in which the Prince Royal, who commanded the Danish forces, was slain. He was buried on the Danish field, near to which, according to the custom of the times, King Malcolm "biggit ane kirk." This church was overblown with sand, and another built farther inland, which is the present parish church. To the churchyard wall there leans a black marble gravestone, about 7 ft. × 3 ft. 6 in., which is said to have been sent from Denmark as a monument for the grave of his royal highness. The stone has the appearance of considerable antiquity about it, and appears to have been inlaid with marble, let into it about half an inch; the marks of the iron brads, and the lead which secured it, are still visible.
"Tradition says it did from Denmark come,A monument the king sent for his son."
"Tradition says it did from Denmark come,A monument the king sent for his son."
"Tradition says it did from Denmark come,
A monument the king sent for his son."
And it is also stated that, until within the last hundred years, a small sum of money was annually sent by the Danish government to the minister of Cruden for keeping the monument in repair. I should be glad to learn if there are any documents among the royal archives at Copenhagen, which would invalidate or substantiate the popular tradition.
Abredonensis.
Ampers and(Ampersand symbol, ornate 'et' styleorAmpersand symbol, the more common '&' style).—I have heard this symbol called bothampers andandapussé and. Which, if either, is the correct term; and what is its derivation?
C. Mansfield Ingleby.
Birmingham.
The Myrtle Bee.—I should feel much obliged to any reader of "N. & Q." who would answer the following questions respecting the bird called the Myrtle Bee; separating carefully at the same time the result of hispersonal experiencefrom anyhearsay evidencethat he may have collected on the subject. In what places in the British Isles has the bird been seen? During what months? Is it gregarious, or solitary? What are its haunts and habits, and on what does it feed? What is its colour, shape, and size? Its mode of flight? Does any cabinet contain a preserved specimen, and has any naturalist described or figured it either as a British or a foreign bird?
W. R. D. Salmon.
Birmingham.
Henry Earl of Wotton.—Jan van Kerckhove, Lord of Kerkhoven and Heenvliet, who died at Sassenheim, March 7, 1660, married Catherine Stanhope, daughter of the Earl of Chesterfield; and had issue Charles Henry, who in 1659 was chief magistrate of Breda, and was created Earlof Wotton by the king of England. Could any of your readers favour me with the date of the above marriage, as also those of the birth of the father and the son; as well as that of the elevation of the latter to the peerage of England?—From theNavorscher.
A. I.
Connexion between the Celtic and Latin Languages.—Can any of your correspondents supply any links of connection between the Celtic and Latin languages?
M.
Queen Anne's Motto.—What authority have we for asserting that "Semper eadem" was Queen Anne's motto, and that it expired with her?
Clericus (D.)
Anonymous Books.—Can any of the readers of "N. & Q." furnish the names of the authors of either of the following works?
1. The Watch; an Ode, humbly inscribed to the Right Hon. the Earl of M—f—d. To which is added, the Genius of America to General Carleton, an Ode. London: J. Bew, 1778. 4to.2. Fast Sermon, preached at —— Feb. 10th, 1779, by the Reverend —— ——; showing the Tyranny and Oppression of the British King and Parliament respecting the American Colonies. Inscribed to the Congress. 8vo. (Sine loco aut anno.An ironical Piece, severe on America.)3. National Prejudice opposed to the National Interest; candidly considered in the Detention or Yielding up Gibraltar and Cape Breton, by the ensuing Treaty of Peace, &c. In a Letter to Sir John Bernard. London: W. Owen, 1748. 8vo.4. The Blockheads; or Fortunate Contractor. An Opera, in Two Acts, as it was performed at New York, &c. Printed at New York. London: reprinted for G. Kearsley, 1783. 12mo.5. The Present State of the British Empire in Europe, America, Asia, and Africa, &c.: London, 1768, 8vo., pp. 486.
1. The Watch; an Ode, humbly inscribed to the Right Hon. the Earl of M—f—d. To which is added, the Genius of America to General Carleton, an Ode. London: J. Bew, 1778. 4to.
2. Fast Sermon, preached at —— Feb. 10th, 1779, by the Reverend —— ——; showing the Tyranny and Oppression of the British King and Parliament respecting the American Colonies. Inscribed to the Congress. 8vo. (Sine loco aut anno.An ironical Piece, severe on America.)
3. National Prejudice opposed to the National Interest; candidly considered in the Detention or Yielding up Gibraltar and Cape Breton, by the ensuing Treaty of Peace, &c. In a Letter to Sir John Bernard. London: W. Owen, 1748. 8vo.
4. The Blockheads; or Fortunate Contractor. An Opera, in Two Acts, as it was performed at New York, &c. Printed at New York. London: reprinted for G. Kearsley, 1783. 12mo.
5. The Present State of the British Empire in Europe, America, Asia, and Africa, &c.: London, 1768, 8vo., pp. 486.
Who prepared the chapters on America in this volume?
Serviens.
Major André.—A subscriber having observed the amount of valuable and recondite information elicited by a happy Query concerning General Wolfe, hopes to obtain like success in one he now puts forward in regard to the personal history, &c. of the unfortunate Major John André, who was hung by the Americans as a spy during their Revolutionary War. Being engaged upon a biography of Major André, he has already collected considerable matter; but wishes to leave no stone unturned in his task, and therefore begs his brethren of "N. & Q." to publish therein any anecdotes or copies of any letters or documents concerning that gallant but ill-fated gentleman. A reference to passages occurring in printed books bearing on this subject, might also well be given; for there is so little known about Major André, and that little scattered piecemeal in so many and various localities, that it is hardly possible some of them should not have escaped this writer's notice.
Serviens.
[Smith'sAuthentic Narrative of Major André, 8vo. 1808, has most probably been consulted by our correspondent. There is a good account of the Major in vol. ii. of theBiographical Dictionaryof the Useful Knowledge Society, and it is worth consulting for the authorities quoted at the end of the article. See also theEncyclopædia Americana, article "Benedict Arnold;" theAmerican Whig Review, vol. v. p. 381.;New England Magazine, vol. vi. p. 353.; and for a vindication of the captors of André, theAnalectic Magazine, vol. x. p. 307. Articles also will be found respecting him inGentleman's Magazine, vol. l. pp. 540. 610.; vol. li. p. 320.; vol. lii. p. 514. Major André is one of the principal subjects ofThe British Hero in Captivity, a poem attributed to Mr. Puddicombe, 4to. 1782.]
[Smith'sAuthentic Narrative of Major André, 8vo. 1808, has most probably been consulted by our correspondent. There is a good account of the Major in vol. ii. of theBiographical Dictionaryof the Useful Knowledge Society, and it is worth consulting for the authorities quoted at the end of the article. See also theEncyclopædia Americana, article "Benedict Arnold;" theAmerican Whig Review, vol. v. p. 381.;New England Magazine, vol. vi. p. 353.; and for a vindication of the captors of André, theAnalectic Magazine, vol. x. p. 307. Articles also will be found respecting him inGentleman's Magazine, vol. l. pp. 540. 610.; vol. li. p. 320.; vol. lii. p. 514. Major André is one of the principal subjects ofThe British Hero in Captivity, a poem attributed to Mr. Puddicombe, 4to. 1782.]
"The Fatal Mistake."—Can you tell me where the scene of the following play is laid, and the names of thedramatis personæ:The Fatal Mistake, a Tragedy, by Joseph Haynes, 4to., 1696?
The author of this play, who was known by the name of Count Haynes, was an actor in the theatre at Drury Lane about the time of James II., and died in 1701. There is an account of his life written by Tom Browne.
Gw.
[The title-page ofA Fatal Mistakestates that it was written by Jos. Hayns; but according to theBiog. Dramatica, it is not certain that Count Haines was the author. Thedramatis personæare:Men, Duke, Duke of Schawden's ambassador, Rodulphus, Baldwin, Eustace, Ladovick, Albert, Godfrey, Arnulph, Frederick, Welpho, Conradine, Gozelo, Lewis, Ferdinando.Women, Duchess Gertruedo, Lebassa, Clementia, Idana, Thierrie, Maria, Lords and Ladies, Masquers, Soldiers.]
[The title-page ofA Fatal Mistakestates that it was written by Jos. Hayns; but according to theBiog. Dramatica, it is not certain that Count Haines was the author. Thedramatis personæare:Men, Duke, Duke of Schawden's ambassador, Rodulphus, Baldwin, Eustace, Ladovick, Albert, Godfrey, Arnulph, Frederick, Welpho, Conradine, Gozelo, Lewis, Ferdinando.Women, Duchess Gertruedo, Lebassa, Clementia, Idana, Thierrie, Maria, Lords and Ladies, Masquers, Soldiers.]
Anonymous Plays.—
1. A Match for a Widow; or, the Frolics of Fancy. A Comic Opera, in Three Acts, as performed at the Theatre Royal, Dublin. London: C. Dilly, 1788. 8vo.2. The Indians; a Tragedy. Performed at the Theatre Royal, Richmond. London: C. Dilly, 1790. 8vo.3. André; a Tragedy in Five Acts, as now performing at the Theatre in New York. To which is added the Cow Chase; a Satirical Poem, by Major André. With the Proceedings of the Court Martial, and authentic Documents concerning him. London: Ogilvy & Son, 1799. 8vo.
1. A Match for a Widow; or, the Frolics of Fancy. A Comic Opera, in Three Acts, as performed at the Theatre Royal, Dublin. London: C. Dilly, 1788. 8vo.
2. The Indians; a Tragedy. Performed at the Theatre Royal, Richmond. London: C. Dilly, 1790. 8vo.
3. André; a Tragedy in Five Acts, as now performing at the Theatre in New York. To which is added the Cow Chase; a Satirical Poem, by Major André. With the Proceedings of the Court Martial, and authentic Documents concerning him. London: Ogilvy & Son, 1799. 8vo.
Serviens.
[A Match for a Widowis by Joseph Atkinson, Treasurer of the Ordnance in Ireland, the friend and associate of Curran, Moore, and the galaxy of Irish genius. He died in 1818.2.The Indiansis by William Richardson, Professor of Humanity in the University of Glasgow, who died in 1814.3.Andréis by William Dunlap, an American dramatist.]
[A Match for a Widowis by Joseph Atkinson, Treasurer of the Ordnance in Ireland, the friend and associate of Curran, Moore, and the galaxy of Irish genius. He died in 1818.
2.The Indiansis by William Richardson, Professor of Humanity in the University of Glasgow, who died in 1814.
3.Andréis by William Dunlap, an American dramatist.]
High Commission Court.—Can any of your readers refer me to works bearing on the proceedings of the High Commission Court? The sort of information of which I am in search is not so much on the great constitutional questions involved in the history of this court, as in the details of its mode of procedure; as shown either by actual books of practice, or the history of particular cases brought before it.
J. F. M.
[Some account of the proceedings of the High Commission Court is given in Reeves'sHistory of the English Law, vol. v. pp. 215-218. The Harleian MS. 7516. also contains Minutes of the Proceedings of the High Commissioners at Whitehall, July 6, 1616, on the question of Commendums, the king himself being present. It makes twenty-one leaves.]
[Some account of the proceedings of the High Commission Court is given in Reeves'sHistory of the English Law, vol. v. pp. 215-218. The Harleian MS. 7516. also contains Minutes of the Proceedings of the High Commissioners at Whitehall, July 6, 1616, on the question of Commendums, the king himself being present. It makes twenty-one leaves.]
(Vol. vii., p. 619.; Vol. viii., p. 106.)
We frequently see Queries made in these pages which could be satisfactorily answered by turning to the commonest books of reference, such as Brand, Fosbroke, Hone, the various dictionaries and encyclopædias, and the standard works on the subjects queried. Now it seems to me that "N. & Q." is not intended for going over old ground, and thus becoming a literary treadmill; but its mission lies in supplying informationnot easily found, and in perfecting, as far as possible, our standard works and books of reference.Mr. Taylor'sQuery affords an opportunity for this, as the ordinary sources of information are very deficient as regards the Rosicrucians.
According to some, the name is derived from their supposed founder,Christian Rosencreutz, who died in 1484. And they account for the fact of the Rosicrucians not being heard of till 1604, by saying that Rosencreutz bound his disciples by an oath not to promulgate his doctrines for 120 years after his death. The mystical derivation of the name is thus given in theEncyc. Brit.:—
"The denomination evidently appears to be derived from the science of chemistry. It is not compounded, as many imagine, of the two wordsrosaandcrux, which signifyroseandcross, but of the latter of these two words and the Latinros, which signifiesdew. Of all natural bodiesdewwas deemed the most powerful dissolvent of gold; and thecrossin the chemical language is equivalent tolight, because the figure of thecrossexhibits at the same time the three letters of which the wordlux, light, is compounded. Nowluxis called by this sect the seed or menstruum of the red dragon, or, in other words, gross and corporeallight, which, when properly digested and modified, producesgold. Hence it follows, if this etymology be admitted, that a Rosicrucian philosopher is one who, by the intervention and assistance of thedew, seeks for light; or, in other words, the philosopher's stone."The true meaning and energy of this denomination did not escape the penetration and sagacity of Gassendi, as appears by hisExamen Philos. Fludd, tom. iii. s. 15. p. 261.; and it was more fully explained by Renaudot in hisConférences Publiques, tom. iv. p. 87."
"The denomination evidently appears to be derived from the science of chemistry. It is not compounded, as many imagine, of the two wordsrosaandcrux, which signifyroseandcross, but of the latter of these two words and the Latinros, which signifiesdew. Of all natural bodiesdewwas deemed the most powerful dissolvent of gold; and thecrossin the chemical language is equivalent tolight, because the figure of thecrossexhibits at the same time the three letters of which the wordlux, light, is compounded. Nowluxis called by this sect the seed or menstruum of the red dragon, or, in other words, gross and corporeallight, which, when properly digested and modified, producesgold. Hence it follows, if this etymology be admitted, that a Rosicrucian philosopher is one who, by the intervention and assistance of thedew, seeks for light; or, in other words, the philosopher's stone.
"The true meaning and energy of this denomination did not escape the penetration and sagacity of Gassendi, as appears by hisExamen Philos. Fludd, tom. iii. s. 15. p. 261.; and it was more fully explained by Renaudot in hisConférences Publiques, tom. iv. p. 87."
The encyclopædist remarks that at first the title commanded some respect, as it seemed to be borrowed fromthe arms of Luther, which were a cross placed upon a rose.
The leading doctrines of the Rosicrucians were borrowed from the Eastern philosophers[4]; the Christian Platonists, schoolmen, and mystics: mixed up with others derived from writers on natural history, magic, astrology, and especially alchemy. All these blended together, and served up in a professional jargon of studied obscurity, formed the doctrinal system of these strange philosophers. In this systemthe doctrine of elemental spirits, and the means of communion and alliance with them, andthe doctrine of signatures, are the most prominent points.
Let me referMr. Taylorto Michael Meyer'sThemis Aurea, hoc est de legibus Fraternitatis Roseæ Crucis, Col. 1615; the works of Jacob Behmen, Robt. Fludd, John Heydon, Peter Mormius, Eugene Philalethes; the works of the Rosicrucian Society, containing seventy-one treatises in different languages; the Catalogue of Hermetic books by the Abbé Lenglet du Fresnoi, Paris, 1762; Manget'sBiblioth. Chem. Curios., Col. 1702, 2 vols. folio; and theTheatrum Chemicum, Argent. 1662, 6 vols. 8vo.
I must make particular mention of the two most celebrated of the Rosicrucian works; the first isLa Chiave del Cabinetto, Col. 1681, 12mo. The author, Joseph Francis Borri, gives a most systematic account of the doctrine of the Rosic Cross in this interesting little volume. He was imprisoned for magic and heresy, and died in his prison at Rome in 1695 at the age of seventy years. On this work was founded one still more remarkable—
"Le Compte de Gabalis, ou Entretiens sur les Sciences Secrètes. 'Quod tanto impendio absconditur etiam solum modo demonstrare, destruere est.'—Tertull.Sur la Copie imprimée à Paris, chez Claude Barbin.—M.DC.LXXI.12mo., pp. 150."
"Le Compte de Gabalis, ou Entretiens sur les Sciences Secrètes. 'Quod tanto impendio absconditur etiam solum modo demonstrare, destruere est.'—Tertull.Sur la Copie imprimée à Paris, chez Claude Barbin.—M.DC.LXXI.12mo., pp. 150."
This work, thus published anonymously, was from the pen of the Abbé de Villars. An English translation was published at London in 1714.
The doctrine of the Rosy Cross entered largely into the literature of the seventeenth century. This applies especially to the masques of James I. and Charles I. To the same source Shakspeare owes hisAriel, and Milton much of hisComus.
It is strange, but instructive, to observe how variously different minds make use of the same materials. What greater contrast can we have thanThe Rape of the LockandUndine?—the one redolent of the petit-maître and the Cockney; the other a worksui generis, of human conceptions the most exquisite and spirit-fragrant. Wieland'sIdris and Zenide, Bulwer'sZanoni, and Mackay'sSalamandrine, are also based on Rosicrucian principles. Mention of the Rosicrucians occurs in Izaak Walton's Angler and Butler'sHudibras—see Zachary Grey's note and authorities referred to by him. See also two interesting papers on the subject in Chambers'sEdinb. Journal, ed. 1846, vol. vi. pp. 298. 316.
Eirionnach.
July 20, 1853.
P. S.—I may as well notice here a very curious book of Rosicrucian emblems, as I have it beside me:
"Atalanta Fugiens, hoc est, Emblemata Nova de Secretis Naturæ Chymica. Accommodata partim oculis et intellectui, figuris cupro incisis, adjectisque sententiis, Epigrammatis et notis, partim auribus et recreationi animi plus minus 50 Fugis Musicalibus trium vocum, quarum duæ ad unam simplicem melodiam distichis canendis peraptam correspondeant, non absq; singulari jucunditate videnda, legenda, meditanda, intelligenda, dijudicanda, canenda, et audienda. Authore Michaele Majero, Imperial. Consistorii Comite, Med. D. Eq. Ex. etc.: Oppenheimii, ex Typographia Hieronymi Galleri, sumptibus Joh. Theodori de Bry,MDCXVIII." Small 4to. pp. 211.
"Atalanta Fugiens, hoc est, Emblemata Nova de Secretis Naturæ Chymica. Accommodata partim oculis et intellectui, figuris cupro incisis, adjectisque sententiis, Epigrammatis et notis, partim auribus et recreationi animi plus minus 50 Fugis Musicalibus trium vocum, quarum duæ ad unam simplicem melodiam distichis canendis peraptam correspondeant, non absq; singulari jucunditate videnda, legenda, meditanda, intelligenda, dijudicanda, canenda, et audienda. Authore Michaele Majero, Imperial. Consistorii Comite, Med. D. Eq. Ex. etc.: Oppenheimii, ex Typographia Hieronymi Galleri, sumptibus Joh. Theodori de Bry,MDCXVIII." Small 4to. pp. 211.
The title-page is adorned with emblematical figures. The work contains a portrait of the author, and fifty emblems executed with much spirit. Amongst others we have a Salamander in the fire, a green lion, a hermaphrodite, a dragon, &c. Every right page has a motto, an emblem, and an epigram under the emblem in Latin. The left page gives the same in German, with the Latin words set to music. After each emblem we have a "Discursus."
The following remarks on the title occur in the preface:
"Atalanta Poëtis celebrata est propter fugam, qua omnes procos in certamine antevertit, ideoque ipsis victis pro Virgine, præmio Victoriæ proposito, mors obtigit, donec ab Hippomene, Juvene audaciore et provido, superata et obtenta sit trium malorum aureorum per Vices inter currendum objectu, quæ dum illa tolleret, præventa est ab eo, metam jam attingente: Hæc Atalanta ut fugit, sic una vox musicalis semper fugit ante aliam et altera insequitur, ut Hippomenes: In tertia tamen stabiliuntur et firmantur, quæ simplex est et unius valoris, tanquam malo aureo: Hæc eadem virgo merè chymica est, nempe Mercurius philosophicus a sulfure aureo in fuga fixatus et retentus, quem si quis sistere noverit, sponsam, quam ambit, habebit, sin minus, perditionem suarum rerum est interitum," &c.—Page 9.
"Atalanta Poëtis celebrata est propter fugam, qua omnes procos in certamine antevertit, ideoque ipsis victis pro Virgine, præmio Victoriæ proposito, mors obtigit, donec ab Hippomene, Juvene audaciore et provido, superata et obtenta sit trium malorum aureorum per Vices inter currendum objectu, quæ dum illa tolleret, præventa est ab eo, metam jam attingente: Hæc Atalanta ut fugit, sic una vox musicalis semper fugit ante aliam et altera insequitur, ut Hippomenes: In tertia tamen stabiliuntur et firmantur, quæ simplex est et unius valoris, tanquam malo aureo: Hæc eadem virgo merè chymica est, nempe Mercurius philosophicus a sulfure aureo in fuga fixatus et retentus, quem si quis sistere noverit, sponsam, quam ambit, habebit, sin minus, perditionem suarum rerum est interitum," &c.—Page 9.
Footnote 4:(return)The Jewish speculations on the subject of elemental spirits and angels (especially those that assumed corporeal forms, and united themselves with the daughters of men) were largely drawn on by the Rosicrucians. (See the famousLiber Zohar, Sulzbaci, 1684, fol.; and Philo,Lib. de Gigantibus. See also Hoornbeek,Lib. pro Convert. Jud., Lug. Bat., 1665, 4to.)
The Jewish speculations on the subject of elemental spirits and angels (especially those that assumed corporeal forms, and united themselves with the daughters of men) were largely drawn on by the Rosicrucians. (See the famousLiber Zohar, Sulzbaci, 1684, fol.; and Philo,Lib. de Gigantibus. See also Hoornbeek,Lib. pro Convert. Jud., Lug. Bat., 1665, 4to.)
(Vol. vii., p. 131.)
John Searson was a merchant in Philadelphia in the year 1766. A few days before seeing the inquiry respecting him, I came across his advertisement in thePennsylvania Gazette; but not having made a note of the date, I have since been unable to find it. His stock was of a very miscellaneous character, as "Bibles and warming pans," "spelling-books and swords," figured in it in juxtaposition. He taught school at one time in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
A copy of his poem on "Down Hill" is before me; and it is quite as curious a production as the volume of poems which he afterwards published.
He describes himself in the title-page as "Late Master of the Free School in Colerain, and formerly of New York, Merchant." The volume was printed in 1794 by subscription at Colerain.
The work is introduced by "A Poem, being a Cursory View of Belfast Town," thus commencing:
"With pleasure I view the Town of Belfast,Where many dear friends their lots have been cast:The Buildings are neat, the Town very clean,And Trade very brisk are here to be seen;Their Shipping are numerous, as I behold,And Merchants thrive here in riches, I'm told."
"With pleasure I view the Town of Belfast,Where many dear friends their lots have been cast:The Buildings are neat, the Town very clean,And Trade very brisk are here to be seen;Their Shipping are numerous, as I behold,And Merchants thrive here in riches, I'm told."
"With pleasure I view the Town of Belfast,
Where many dear friends their lots have been cast:
The Buildings are neat, the Town very clean,
And Trade very brisk are here to be seen;
Their Shipping are numerous, as I behold,
And Merchants thrive here in riches, I'm told."
Here are some farther specimens from this poem:
"I've walk'd alone, and view'd thePaper Mill,Its walk, the eye with pleasure fill.I've view'd the Mountains that surroundBelfast,And find they are romantic to the last....The Church ofBelfastis superb and grand,And to the Town an ornament does stand;Their Meeting Houses also is so neat,The congregation large, fine and complete."
"I've walk'd alone, and view'd thePaper Mill,Its walk, the eye with pleasure fill.I've view'd the Mountains that surroundBelfast,And find they are romantic to the last....The Church ofBelfastis superb and grand,And to the Town an ornament does stand;Their Meeting Houses also is so neat,The congregation large, fine and complete."
"I've walk'd alone, and view'd thePaper Mill,
Its walk, the eye with pleasure fill.
I've view'd the Mountains that surroundBelfast,
And find they are romantic to the last.
...
The Church ofBelfastis superb and grand,
And to the Town an ornament does stand;
Their Meeting Houses also is so neat,
The congregation large, fine and complete."
The volume contains a dedication to the Rev. Mr. Josiah Marshall, rector of Maghera, a preface, a table of contents, and "A Prayer previous to the Poem."
The whole book is so intensely ridiculous that it is difficult to select. The following are rather chosen for their brevity than for any pre-eminent absurdity:
"The Earl of Bristol here some time do dwell,Which after-ages sure of him will tell."
"The Earl of Bristol here some time do dwell,Which after-ages sure of him will tell."
"The Earl of Bristol here some time do dwell,
Which after-ages sure of him will tell."
"Down Hill's so pleasing to the traveller's sight,And th' marine prospect would your heart delight."
"Down Hill's so pleasing to the traveller's sight,And th' marine prospect would your heart delight."
"Down Hill's so pleasing to the traveller's sight,
And th' marine prospect would your heart delight."
"The rabbit tribe about me run their way,Their little all to man becomes a prey.The busy creatures trot about and run;Some kill them with a net, some with a gun.Alas! how little do these creatures knowFor what they feed their young, so careful go.The little creatures trot about and sweat,Yet for the use of man is all they get."
"The rabbit tribe about me run their way,Their little all to man becomes a prey.The busy creatures trot about and run;Some kill them with a net, some with a gun.Alas! how little do these creatures knowFor what they feed their young, so careful go.The little creatures trot about and sweat,Yet for the use of man is all they get."
"The rabbit tribe about me run their way,
Their little all to man becomes a prey.
The busy creatures trot about and run;
Some kill them with a net, some with a gun.
Alas! how little do these creatures know
For what they feed their young, so careful go.
The little creatures trot about and sweat,
Yet for the use of man is all they get."
"He closed his eyes on ev'ry earthly thing.Anglessurround his bed: to heaven they bringThe soul, departed from its earthly clay.He died, he died! and calmly pass'd away,His children not at home; his widow mourn,And all his friends, in tears, seem quite forlorn."
"He closed his eyes on ev'ry earthly thing.Anglessurround his bed: to heaven they bringThe soul, departed from its earthly clay.He died, he died! and calmly pass'd away,His children not at home; his widow mourn,And all his friends, in tears, seem quite forlorn."
"He closed his eyes on ev'ry earthly thing.
Anglessurround his bed: to heaven they bring
The soul, departed from its earthly clay.
He died, he died! and calmly pass'd away,
His children not at home; his widow mourn,
And all his friends, in tears, seem quite forlorn."
Some of the London booksellers ought to reprint this work as a curiosity of literature. Some of the subscribers took a number of copies, and one might be procured for the purpose. The country seats of the largest subscribers are described in the poem.
The book ends with these lines (added by the "devil" of the printing-office, no doubt):
"The above rural, pathetic, and very sublime performance was corrected, in every respect, by the author himself."
"The above rural, pathetic, and very sublime performance was corrected, in every respect, by the author himself."
This is erased with a pen, and these words written below—"Printer's error."
Uneda.
Philadelphia.
(Vol. v., p. 100.)
Since my former communication on the use of the phrase "From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but a step," I have met with some farther examples of kindred forms of expression, which you may deem worth inserting in "N. & Q."
Shakspeare has an instance inRomeo and Juliet, where he describes "Love" as—
"A madness most discreet,A choaking gall, and a preserving sweet."
"A madness most discreet,A choaking gall, and a preserving sweet."
"A madness most discreet,
A choaking gall, and a preserving sweet."
Quarles has it in hisEmblems, Book iv. Epigram 2.:—
"Pilgrim, trudge on; what makes thy soul complain?Crowns thy complaint; the way to rest is pain:The road to resolution lies by doubt;The next way home's the farthest way about."
"Pilgrim, trudge on; what makes thy soul complain?Crowns thy complaint; the way to rest is pain:The road to resolution lies by doubt;The next way home's the farthest way about."
"Pilgrim, trudge on; what makes thy soul complain?
Crowns thy complaint; the way to rest is pain:
The road to resolution lies by doubt;
The next way home's the farthest way about."
We find it in this couplet in Butler:
"For discords make the sweetest airs,And curses are a kind of prayers."
"For discords make the sweetest airs,And curses are a kind of prayers."
"For discords make the sweetest airs,
And curses are a kind of prayers."
Rochester has it in the line—
"An eminent fool must be a man of parts."
"An eminent fool must be a man of parts."
"An eminent fool must be a man of parts."
It occurs in Junius's remark—
"Your Majesty may learn hereafter how nearly the slave and the tyrant are allied."
"Your Majesty may learn hereafter how nearly the slave and the tyrant are allied."
and in the following well-known passage in the same writer:
"He was forced to go through every division, resolution, composition, and refinement of political chemistry, before he happily arrived at thecaput mortuumof vitriol in your grace. Flat and insipid in your retired state; but, brought into action, you become vitriol again. Such are the extremes of alternate indolence or fury which have governed your whole administration."
"He was forced to go through every division, resolution, composition, and refinement of political chemistry, before he happily arrived at thecaput mortuumof vitriol in your grace. Flat and insipid in your retired state; but, brought into action, you become vitriol again. Such are the extremes of alternate indolence or fury which have governed your whole administration."
The thought here (be it said in passing) seems to have been adopted from these lines in Rochester:
"Wit, like tierce claret, when 't begins to pall,Neglected lies, and 's of no use at all;But in its full perfection of decayTurns vinegar, and comes again in play."
"Wit, like tierce claret, when 't begins to pall,Neglected lies, and 's of no use at all;But in its full perfection of decayTurns vinegar, and comes again in play."
"Wit, like tierce claret, when 't begins to pall,
Neglected lies, and 's of no use at all;
But in its full perfection of decay
Turns vinegar, and comes again in play."
But the most beautiful application of this sentiment that I have met with, occurs in an essay on "The Uses of Adversity," by Mr. Herman Hooker, an American writer:—
"A pious lady, who had lost her husband, was for a time inconsolable. She could not think, scarcely could she speak, of anything but him. Nothing seemed to take her attention but the three promising children he had left her, singing to her his presence, his look, his love. But soon these were all taken ill, and died within a few days of each other; and now the childless mother was calmed even by the greatness of the stroke. As the lead that goes quickly down to the ocean's depth ruffled its surface less than lighter things, so the blow which was strongest did not so much disturb her calm of mind, but drove her to its proper trust."
"A pious lady, who had lost her husband, was for a time inconsolable. She could not think, scarcely could she speak, of anything but him. Nothing seemed to take her attention but the three promising children he had left her, singing to her his presence, his look, his love. But soon these were all taken ill, and died within a few days of each other; and now the childless mother was calmed even by the greatness of the stroke. As the lead that goes quickly down to the ocean's depth ruffled its surface less than lighter things, so the blow which was strongest did not so much disturb her calm of mind, but drove her to its proper trust."
Henry H. Breen.
St. Lucia.
(Vol. iii., p. 78.)
"In the midst of life we are in death."
A writer in theParish Choir(vol. iii. p. 140.) gives the following account of this passage. He says:
"The passage in question is found in theCantarium Sti. Galli, or choir-book of the monks of St. Gall in Switzerland, published in 1845, with, however, a slight deviation from the text, as we are accustomed to it.'Mediâ Vitâ of St. Notker.'Mediâ Vitâ in morte sumus: quem quærimus adjutorem, nisi Te Domine, qui pro peccatis nostris justè irasceris. Ad te clamaverunt patres nostri, speraverunt, et liberasti eos. Sancte Deus: ad te clamaverunt patres nostri, clamaverunt et non sunt confusi. Sancte Fortis, ne despicias nos in tempore senectutis: cum defecerit virtus nostra, ne derelinquas nos. Sancte et misericors Salvator amaræ morti ne tradas nos.'"On consulting theThesaurus Hymnologicusof Daniel (vol. ii. p. 329.) I find the following notice.It is called 'Antiphona pro Peccatis,' or 'de Morte;' and the text there given corresponds nearly with that in our Burial Service."Mediâ vitâ in morte sumus:Quem quærimus adjutorem nisi Te Domine,Qui pro peccatis nostris justè irasceris:Sancte Deus, sancte fortis, sancte et misericors Salvator,Amaræ morti ne tradas nos."Rambach says, '"In the midst of life" occurs in MSS. of the thirteenth century, as an universally common dirge and song of supplication on all melancholy occasions, and was in this century regularly sung at Compline on Saturdays. A German translation was known long before the time of Luther, and was enlarged by him by the addition of two strophes.' Martene describes it as forming part of a religious service for New Year's Eve, composed about the year 1800."Hoffmann says that this anthem 'by Notker the Stammerer, a monk of St. Gall's (an. 912), was an extremely popular battle-song, through the singing of which, before and during the fight, friend and foe hoped to conquer. It was also, on many occasions, used as a kind of incantation song. Therefore the Synod of Cologne ordered (an. 1316) that no one should sing theMediâ vitâwithout the leave of his bishop.'"Daniel adds that it is not, to his knowledge, now used by the Roman Church in divine worship; but that the admirable hymn of Luther, 'Mitten wir im Leben sind,' still flourishes amongst the Protestants of Germany, just as the translation in our Prayer-Book is popular with us."
"The passage in question is found in theCantarium Sti. Galli, or choir-book of the monks of St. Gall in Switzerland, published in 1845, with, however, a slight deviation from the text, as we are accustomed to it.
'Mediâ Vitâ of St. Notker.'Mediâ Vitâ in morte sumus: quem quærimus adjutorem, nisi Te Domine, qui pro peccatis nostris justè irasceris. Ad te clamaverunt patres nostri, speraverunt, et liberasti eos. Sancte Deus: ad te clamaverunt patres nostri, clamaverunt et non sunt confusi. Sancte Fortis, ne despicias nos in tempore senectutis: cum defecerit virtus nostra, ne derelinquas nos. Sancte et misericors Salvator amaræ morti ne tradas nos.'
'Mediâ Vitâ of St. Notker.
'Mediâ Vitâ in morte sumus: quem quærimus adjutorem, nisi Te Domine, qui pro peccatis nostris justè irasceris. Ad te clamaverunt patres nostri, speraverunt, et liberasti eos. Sancte Deus: ad te clamaverunt patres nostri, clamaverunt et non sunt confusi. Sancte Fortis, ne despicias nos in tempore senectutis: cum defecerit virtus nostra, ne derelinquas nos. Sancte et misericors Salvator amaræ morti ne tradas nos.'
"On consulting theThesaurus Hymnologicusof Daniel (vol. ii. p. 329.) I find the following notice.It is called 'Antiphona pro Peccatis,' or 'de Morte;' and the text there given corresponds nearly with that in our Burial Service.
"Mediâ vitâ in morte sumus:Quem quærimus adjutorem nisi Te Domine,Qui pro peccatis nostris justè irasceris:Sancte Deus, sancte fortis, sancte et misericors Salvator,Amaræ morti ne tradas nos.
"Mediâ vitâ in morte sumus:Quem quærimus adjutorem nisi Te Domine,Qui pro peccatis nostris justè irasceris:Sancte Deus, sancte fortis, sancte et misericors Salvator,Amaræ morti ne tradas nos.
"Mediâ vitâ in morte sumus:
Quem quærimus adjutorem nisi Te Domine,
Qui pro peccatis nostris justè irasceris:
Sancte Deus, sancte fortis, sancte et misericors Salvator,
Amaræ morti ne tradas nos.
"Rambach says, '"In the midst of life" occurs in MSS. of the thirteenth century, as an universally common dirge and song of supplication on all melancholy occasions, and was in this century regularly sung at Compline on Saturdays. A German translation was known long before the time of Luther, and was enlarged by him by the addition of two strophes.' Martene describes it as forming part of a religious service for New Year's Eve, composed about the year 1800.
"Hoffmann says that this anthem 'by Notker the Stammerer, a monk of St. Gall's (an. 912), was an extremely popular battle-song, through the singing of which, before and during the fight, friend and foe hoped to conquer. It was also, on many occasions, used as a kind of incantation song. Therefore the Synod of Cologne ordered (an. 1316) that no one should sing theMediâ vitâwithout the leave of his bishop.'
"Daniel adds that it is not, to his knowledge, now used by the Roman Church in divine worship; but that the admirable hymn of Luther, 'Mitten wir im Leben sind,' still flourishes amongst the Protestants of Germany, just as the translation in our Prayer-Book is popular with us."
Geo. A. Trevor.
Your correspondent J. G. T. asks whence comes the expression in the Burial Service, "In the midst of life we are in death?" There are some lines in Petrarch which express precisely the same idea in nearly the self-same words; but as the thought is by no means an unlikely one to occur to two separate and independent authors, we may not go to the length of charging the seeming plagiarism upon the compilers of our Prayer-Book. I have mislaid the exact reference[5], but subjoin the lines themselves:
"Omnia paulatim consumit longior ætas,Vivendoque simul morimur, rapimurque manendo:Ipse mihi collatus enim, non ille videbor;Frons alia est, moresque alii, nova mentis imago,Voxque aliud mutata sonat."
"Omnia paulatim consumit longior ætas,Vivendoque simul morimur, rapimurque manendo:Ipse mihi collatus enim, non ille videbor;Frons alia est, moresque alii, nova mentis imago,Voxque aliud mutata sonat."
"Omnia paulatim consumit longior ætas,
Vivendoque simul morimur, rapimurque manendo:
Ipse mihi collatus enim, non ille videbor;
Frons alia est, moresque alii, nova mentis imago,
Voxque aliud mutata sonat."
John Booker.
Prestwich.
Footnote 5:(return)Barbato Sulmonensi, epist. i.—Ed.
Barbato Sulmonensi, epist. i.—Ed.
(Vol. vii., p. 552.)
Dr. Lanigan, in his learnedEcclesiastical History of Ireland(vol. i. p. 368.), states that the so-called Patrick's Purgatory is situated at Lough Derg (Donegal). It is never mentioned in any of the lives of the apostle, nor heard of till the eleventh century, the period at which the canons regular of St. Augustine first appeared, for it was to persons of that order, as the story goes, that St. Patrick confided the care of that cavern of wonders. Now there were no such persons in the island in which it is situated, nor in that of St. Davoc [Dabeoc?] in the same lake, until about the beginning of the twelfth century. This purgatory, or purging place, of Lough Derg, was set up against another Patrick's purgatory, viz. that ofCroaghPatrick, mentioned by Jocelyn, which, however ill-founded the vulgar opinion concerning it, was less objectionable. Some writers have said that it got the name of Patrick's Purgatory from an Abbot Patrick, that lived in the ninth century; but neither were there canons regular of St. Augustine at that time, nor were such abridged modes of atoning to the Almighty for the sins of a whole life then thought of. It was demolished in the year 1497, by order of the Pope, although it has since been in some manner restored.
The original Patrick's Purgatory then, it would appear, was at Croagh Patrick, in Mayo, near Westport; speaking of the pilgrimages made to which, the monk Jocelyn (in hisLife of St. Patrick, writtenA.D.1180, cap. 172.) says that—
"Some of those who spent a night there stated that they had been subjected to most fearful torments, which had the effect, as they supposed, of purging them from their sins, for which reason also certain of them gave to that place the name of St. Patrick's Purgatory."
"Some of those who spent a night there stated that they had been subjected to most fearful torments, which had the effect, as they supposed, of purging them from their sins, for which reason also certain of them gave to that place the name of St. Patrick's Purgatory."
By the authority of the Lords Justices who governed Ireland in 1633, previously to the appointment of Wentworth, Lough Derg Purgatory was once more suppressed; but the sort of piety then fostered among the members of the Roman communion in Ireland could ill afford to resign without a struggle what was to them a source of so much consolation. High influence was, therefore, called into action to procure the reversal of the sentence; and the Roman Catholic Queen of Charles I. was induced to address to the Lord Deputy of Ireland a letter in which she requested that he would be pleased "to allow, that the devotions which the people of that country have ever been wont to pay to a St. Patrick's place there, may not be abolished." The Lord Deputy declined acceding to this request, and said in his reply, "I fear, at this time, when some men's zeal hath run them already, not only beyond their wits,but almost forth of their allegiance too, it might furnish them with something to say in prejudice and scandal to his majesty's government, which, for the present indeed, is by all means to be avoided." And adds, "your Majesty might do passing well to let this devotion rest awhile." After this second suppression, the devotion has a second time been "in some manner restored;" andmultitudes throng to the place on the faith of a false tradition, so long since exposed and exploded by their own authorities. Three hundred and fifty years ago, the Pope, the representative of the Bishop of Clogher, and the head of the Franciscans in Donegal, combined their efforts to put down the scandalous fabrication; but yet it remains to this day an object of cherished religious veneration—an object of confidence and faith, on which many a poor soul casts itself to find consolation and repose. And those multitudes of pilgrims, year after year, assemble there, no influence which they look to for guidance forbidding them, to do homage to the vain delusion.
D. W. S. P. will find farther information on this subject inThe Catholic Laymanfor April last: Curry, Dublin.
William Blood.
Wicklow.
(Vol. viii., p. 100.)
In answer to W. L. M.'s inquiry, "where the virtuous and patriotic William Lord Russell was buried?" I beg to state that I possess a pamphlet entitled:
"The whole Tryal and Defence of William Lord Russel, who Dyed a Martyr to theRomishFury in the Year 1683, with the Learned Arguments of the Council on both sides. Together with his Behaviour and Speech upon the Scaffold: His Character and Behaviour. London: printed by J. Bradford, at the Bible in Fetter Lane."
"The whole Tryal and Defence of William Lord Russel, who Dyed a Martyr to theRomishFury in the Year 1683, with the Learned Arguments of the Council on both sides. Together with his Behaviour and Speech upon the Scaffold: His Character and Behaviour. London: printed by J. Bradford, at the Bible in Fetter Lane."
There is no date to it; but from the appearance of the paper, type, a rude woodcut of the execution, &c., I doubt not that it was printed soon after the event, or certainly immediately after the Revolution, to meet the popular wishes to have information on the subject. It consists of sixteen octavo pages, very closely printed. The opening paragraph says:
"Among the many that suffered in aProtestantcause [all theItalicsused in this communication are those of the pamphlet], and indeed whose measure seem'd to be the hardest of all, was this honorable personWilliamLordRussel, who was generally lamented for his excellent Temper and good Qualities; being allowed to be one of the most sober and judicious Noblemen in the Kingdom, which even his Enemies could not deny; and the Merit and Esteem he bore was more cause of Offence against him than any Matter that was reap'd up at his Tryal; all which in effect was merely grounded upon Malice (I meanPopishMalice) that could not be forgot, from his Lordship's being one of those earnest sticklers forProtestantLiberty, and even the very foremost that prefer'd the Bill of Exclusion," &c.
"Among the many that suffered in aProtestantcause [all theItalicsused in this communication are those of the pamphlet], and indeed whose measure seem'd to be the hardest of all, was this honorable personWilliamLordRussel, who was generally lamented for his excellent Temper and good Qualities; being allowed to be one of the most sober and judicious Noblemen in the Kingdom, which even his Enemies could not deny; and the Merit and Esteem he bore was more cause of Offence against him than any Matter that was reap'd up at his Tryal; all which in effect was merely grounded upon Malice (I meanPopishMalice) that could not be forgot, from his Lordship's being one of those earnest sticklers forProtestantLiberty, and even the very foremost that prefer'd the Bill of Exclusion," &c.
Then follows the trial, headed "July 13, 1683, theLordRusselcame to his Tryal at theOld Bailey." The indictment is described; the names of the jury are given; judges and counsel named; the evidence, examinations, and cross-examinations (by Lord Russel) very interestingly narrated: the Report concluding, after a short address from Lord Russel, "Then the Court adjourned till four in the afternoon, and brought him in guilty."
These particulars are followed by "The last Speech and Carriage of the LordRusselupon the Scaffold, &c." As to the executioner's work, all other accounts that I have seen state that after "two" strokes the head was severed from the body. The publication says:
"The Executioner, missing at his first Stroke, though with that he took away his Life, at two more severed the Head from the Body.... Mr. Sheriff [continues the account] ordered his Friends or Servants to take the Body, and dispose of it as they pleased, being given them by His Majesty'sFavour and Bounty."
"The Executioner, missing at his first Stroke, though with that he took away his Life, at two more severed the Head from the Body.... Mr. Sheriff [continues the account] ordered his Friends or Servants to take the Body, and dispose of it as they pleased, being given them by His Majesty'sFavour and Bounty."
The narrative proceeds:
"His Body was conveyed toCheneysinBuckinghamshire, where 'twas Buried among his Ancestors. There was a greatStorm, and many loudClapsofThunderthe Day of hisMartyrdom. AnElegywas made on him immediately after his Death, which seems, by what we have of it, to be writ with someSpirit, and a great deal of Truth and Good-will; only this Fragment on't could be retriev'd, which yet may not be unwelcome to the Reader:''Tis done—he'sCrown'd,and one brightMartyrmore,BlackRome,is charg'd on thy too bulky score.Alllike himself,he mov'd so calm, so free,A general whisper question'd—Which is he?Decked like aLover—tho' pale Death's hisBride,Hecame,andsaw,andovercame,anddy'd.Earth weeps, and all the vainly pitying Crowd:But Heaven his Death inThundergroan'd aloud.'"
"His Body was conveyed toCheneysinBuckinghamshire, where 'twas Buried among his Ancestors. There was a greatStorm, and many loudClapsofThunderthe Day of hisMartyrdom. AnElegywas made on him immediately after his Death, which seems, by what we have of it, to be writ with someSpirit, and a great deal of Truth and Good-will; only this Fragment on't could be retriev'd, which yet may not be unwelcome to the Reader:
''Tis done—he'sCrown'd,and one brightMartyrmore,BlackRome,is charg'd on thy too bulky score.Alllike himself,he mov'd so calm, so free,A general whisper question'd—Which is he?Decked like aLover—tho' pale Death's hisBride,Hecame,andsaw,andovercame,anddy'd.Earth weeps, and all the vainly pitying Crowd:But Heaven his Death inThundergroan'd aloud.'"
''Tis done—he'sCrown'd,and one brightMartyrmore,BlackRome,is charg'd on thy too bulky score.Alllike himself,he mov'd so calm, so free,A general whisper question'd—Which is he?Decked like aLover—tho' pale Death's hisBride,Hecame,andsaw,andovercame,anddy'd.Earth weeps, and all the vainly pitying Crowd:But Heaven his Death inThundergroan'd aloud.'"
''Tis done—he'sCrown'd,and one brightMartyrmore,
BlackRome,is charg'd on thy too bulky score.
Alllike himself,he mov'd so calm, so free,
A general whisper question'd—Which is he?
Decked like aLover—tho' pale Death's hisBride,
Hecame,andsaw,andovercame,anddy'd.
Earth weeps, and all the vainly pitying Crowd:
But Heaven his Death inThundergroan'd aloud.'"
A "sketch of his character" closes the account. Perhaps W. S. M. may deem these particulars not wholly uninteresting, but tolerably conclusive, considering the time of publication, when the fact must have been notorious.
A Hermit at Hampstead.
(Vol. vii., p. 528.)
At Banham, Norfolk, in a recess in the wall of the north aisle of the church, is an oaken effigy of a knight in armour in a recumbent position. Blomefield says:
"It is plain that it was made for Sir Hugh Bardolph, Knight, sometime lord of Gray's Manor, in this town, who died in 1203, for under his left arm there is a large cinquefoil, which is the badge of that family," &c.
"It is plain that it was made for Sir Hugh Bardolph, Knight, sometime lord of Gray's Manor, in this town, who died in 1203, for under his left arm there is a large cinquefoil, which is the badge of that family," &c.
Since he wrote, however (1739), with a view to the better preservation of this interesting relic, some spirited churchwarden has caused it to bewell painted and sanded so that it now looksalmostas well as stone. At the same time, the marks by which Blomefield thought to identify it are necessarily obliterated.
T. B. B. H.
William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, who was slain at Bayonne in 1296,—his effigy in wood is in St. Edmund's Chapel in Westminster Abbey, covered with enamelled brass. There is also in Abergavenny Church, amongst the general wreck of monumental remains there, a cross-legged effigy in wood, represented in chain mail; which the late Sir Samuel Meyrick supposed to have been that of William de Valence. It is mentioned in Coxe'sMonmouthshire, p. 192.
The effigy of Aymer de Valence referred to in Whitaker ("N. & Q.," Vol. vii., p. 528.) is not of wood; he evidently refers to that of William de Valence.
In Gloucester Cathedral there is the wooden monument of a cross-legged knight attributed to Robert Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of the Conqueror; but it is probably of a little later period.
Thomas W. King(York Herald).
College of Arms.
In the Cathedral of Gloucester, there is a wooden effigy of the unfortunate Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of the Conqueror. It is so many years since I saw it, that I do not offer any description: but, if my memory be correct, it has the legs crossed, and (what is curious) is loose, and can be turned about on the tomb.
A. C. M.
Exeter.
On the south side of the chancel of St. Giles' Church, Durham, is a wooden effigy in full armour; the head resting on a helmet, and the hands raised as in prayer. It is supposed to be the tomb of John Heath, who became possessed of the Hospital of St. Giles Kepyer, and is known to have been buried in the chancel of St. Giles' Church. He died in 1590. At the feet of the wooden effigy, are the words "HODIE MICHI." The figure was restored in colours about ten years ago.
Cuthbert Bede, B. A.
(Vol. viii., p. 127.)
Thebonâ fideauthor of the following lines—