Minor Queries with Answers.

"Epitaphium Lucretiæ.Dum foderet ferro tenerum Lucretia pectusSanguinis et torrens egrederetur: ait,'Accedant testes me non cessisse tyranno'Ante virum sanguis, spiritus ante Deos.'"

"Epitaphium Lucretiæ.

Dum foderet ferro tenerum Lucretia pectus

Sanguinis et torrens egrederetur: ait,

'Accedant testes me non cessisse tyranno

'Ante virum sanguis, spiritus ante Deos.'"

Balliolensis.

M‘Dowall Family.—More than a century ago there was a family (since extinct) of the name of M‘Dowall, in the county Cavan, Ireland, belonging to some branch of the ancient and noble Scottish family of that name, who had migrated to these shores. Perhaps some of your readers could inform me as to what branch they belonged, and when they settled in Ireland, as also if there be any pedigree of them extant, as I am very anxious to learn something of them at all events?

Gulielmus.

Dublin.

Arms of Geneva.—Will any of your correspondents oblige me with a technical blazon of the arms of the town of Geneva?

F. F. B.

Bury St. Edmunds.

Webb of Monckton Farleigh.—Perhaps some reader of "N. & Q." would be so good as to inform me what were the arms, crest, and motto of the Webbs of Monckton Farleigh, co. Wilts; also, if there be any pedigree of them extant, and where it is to be found; or otherwise would direct me what would be my best means to ascertain some account of that family, who are now represented by the Duke of Somerset?

Henri.

Dublin.

Translation Wanted.—Can any of your correspondents inform me where I may meet with a translation by the Rev. F. Hodgson, late Provost of Eton, &c., of theAtysof Catllus?

P. J. F. Gantillon, B.A.

Latin Translation from Sheridan, &c.—My treacherous memory retains one line only of each of two translations into Latin verse, admirably done, of two well-known pieces of English poetry. The first from a song by Sheridan, of the lines:

"Nor can I believe it then,Till it gently press again."

"Nor can I believe it then,

Till it gently press again."

"Conscia ni dextram dextera pressa premat."

The second:

"Man wants but little here below,Nor wants that little long."

"Man wants but little here below,

Nor wants that little long."

is thus rendered:

"Poscimus in terris pauca, nec illa diù."

If in the circle of your correspondents the complete translations can be furnished, you will by their insertion, gratify other lovers of modern Latin poetry besides

Balliolensis.

Gale of Rent.—I can imagine what is meant by agale of rent, and be thankful I have not to pay one. But what is the origin of the termgaleas thus applied?

Y. B. N. J.

Arms of Sir Richard de Loges.—What were the arms borne by Sir Richard de Loges, or Lodge, of Chesterton, in the county of Warwick, temp. Henry IV.?

Ln.

Gentile Names of the Jews.—Are the Jews known to each other by their Gentile names of Rothschild, Montefiore, Davis, &c.? or are these only theirnommes de guerre, assumed and abandoned at will on change of country?

G. E. T. S. R. N.

Henry, Earl of Wotton(Vol. viii., pp. 173. 281.).—The editors of theNavorscherexpress their thanks toBroctunafor his reply to their Query, but hope he will kindly increase their debt of gratitude by elucidating three points which seem to them obscure:

1. Which Lord Stanhope died childless? Not Henry, Lord Stanhope, for he (see p. 281.) left a son and two daughters; nor yet Philip, for his widow had borne him daughters. Or have we wrongly understood the letterss. p.to signifysine prole?

2. Was it the Earl of Chesterfield, half-brother of Charles Henry van den Kerckhove, or CharlesStanhope his nephew, who took the name of Wotton?

3. Knight'sNational Cyclopædia of Useful Knowledge(vol. xi. p. 374.) names James Stanhope, Earl Stanhope, the eldest son of the Hon. Alexander Stanhope, second son of Philip Stanhope, first Earl of Chesterfield. Had the latter then, besides the above-named (see p. 281.) Henry, Lord Stanhope, also other sons?

Kicker-eating.—Can any of your West Yorkshire readers supply me with information relative to a practice which is said formerly to have prevailed at Cleckheaton, of eating "kicker," or horseflesh? It is a fact that natives of that locality who come to reside at Leeds are still subjected to the opprobrium of beingkicker-eaters.

H. W.

Chadderton of Nuthurst, co. Lancashire.—When did the family of Chadderton become extinct? Had Edmund Chadderton, son and heir of George Chadderton by Jane Warren of Poynton, any descendants? and if so, what were their names and the dates of their respective births, marriages, and deaths? In short, any particulars relating to them down to the period of the extinction of this family would be most acceptable.

J. B.

George, first Viscount Lanesborough, and Sir Charles Cotterell.—G. S. S. begs to submit the following questions to the readers of "N. & Q.:" When did George Lane, first Viscount Lanesborough, in Ireland, die? And when Sir Charles Cotterell, the translator ofCassandra?Where were they both buried?

"Firm was their faith," &c.—Who was the writer of those beautiful lines, of which the following, the only verse I remember, is a portion?

"Firm was their faith, the ancient bands,The wise in heart, in wood and stone,Who rear'd with stern and trusting hands,The dark grey towers of days unknown.They fill'd those aisles with many a thought,They bade each nook some truth recall,The pillar'd arch its legend brought,A doctrine came with roof and wall!"

"Firm was their faith, the ancient bands,

The wise in heart, in wood and stone,

Who rear'd with stern and trusting hands,

The dark grey towers of days unknown.

They fill'd those aisles with many a thought,

They bade each nook some truth recall,

The pillar'd arch its legend brought,

A doctrine came with roof and wall!"

And where can they be met with entire?

P. M.

The Mother of William the Conqueror.—Can you or any of your correspondents say which is right? In Debrett'sPeeragefor 1790 the genealogy of the Marchioness Grey gives her descent from "Rollo or Fulbert, who was chamberlain to Robert, Duke of Normandy; and of his gift had the castle and manor of Croy in Picardy, whence his posterity assumed their surname, afterwards written de Grey. Which Rollo had a daughter Arlotta, mother of William the Conqueror." Now history says that the mother of the Conqueror was Arlette or Arlotte, the daughter of a tanner at Falaise. We know how scrupulous the Norman nobility were in their genealogical records; and likewise that in the lapse of time mistakes are perpetuated and become history. Can history in this instance be wrong? and if so, how did the mistake arise? I shall feel obliged to any one who can furnish farther information on the subject.

Alpha.

Pedigree of Sir Francis Bryan.—This accomplished statesman, and ornament of Henry VIII.'s reign, married Joan of Desmond, Countess Dowager of Ormonde, and died childless in IrelandA.D.1550. Query, Did any cadet of his family accompany him to that country? I found a Louis Bryan settled in the county of Kilkenny in Elizabeth's reign, and suspect that he came in through the connexion of Sir F. Bryan with the Ormonde family. Any information as to the arms and pedigree of Sir F. Bryan will greatly oblige

James Graves.

Kilkenny.

"The Whole Duty of Man."—Of what nature is the testimony that this book was written by Dorothy Coventry, "the good Lady Pakington?"

Quæsitor.

[The supposition that Lady Packington was the author ofThe Whole Duty of Man, arose from a copy of it in her handwriting having been found at Westwood after her death. (Aubrey'sLetters, vol. ii. p. 125.) But the strongest evidence in favour of Lady Packington is the following note: "Oct. 13, 1698. Mr. Thomas Caulton, Vicar of Worksop, in Nottinghamshire, in the presence of William Thornton, Esq., and his lady, Mrs. Heathcote, Mrs. Ashe, Mrs. Caulton, and John Hewit, Rector of Harthill, declared the words following: 'Nov. 5, 1689. At Shire-Oaks, Mrs. Eyre took me up into her chamber after dinner, and told me that her daughter Moyser, of Beverley, was dead. Among other things concerning the private affairs of the family, she told me who was the author ofThe Whole Duty of Man, at the same time pulling out of a private drawer a MS. tied together, and stitched in 8vo., which she declared was the original copy written by Lady Packington her mother, who disowned ever having written the other books imputed to be by the same author, exceptingThe Decay of Christian Piety. She added, too, that it had been perused in MS. by Dr. Covel, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, Dr. Stamford, Prebendary of York, and Mr. Banks, Rector of the Great Church at Hull.' Mr. Caulton declared this upon his death-bed, two days before his decease. W. T. and J. H." This is quoted from the Rev. W. B. Hawkins's Introduction to Pickering's edition of 1842; and a similar account, with unimportant variations, is given in "N. & Q.," Vol. ii. p. 292.: see also Vol. v., p. 229., and Vol. vi., p. 537.]

"It rained cats and dogs and little pitchforks."—Helter-skelter.—What can be the origin of this saying? I can imagine that rain may descend with such sharpness and violence as to cause as much destruction as a shower of "pitchforks" would; but if any of your readers can tell me why heavy rain should be likened to "cats and dogs," I shall be truly obliged. Many years ago I saw a most cleverly drawn woodcut, of a party of travellers encountering this imaginary shower; some of the animals were descending helter-skelter from the clouds; others wreaking their vengeance on the amazed wayfarers, while the "pitchforks" were running into the bodies of the terrified party, while they were in vain attempting to run out of the way of those which were threatening to fall upon their heads, and thus striking them to the ground. So strange an idea must have had some peculiar origin.—Can you or your readers say what it is?

M. E. C.

P. S.—I find I have used a word above, of which every one knows thesignification, "helter-skelter;" but I, for one, confess myself ignorant of itsderivation. And I shall be glad to be informed on the subject.

[As to the etymology ofhelter-skelter, Sir John Stoddart remarks, "The real origin of the word is obscure. If we suppose the principal meaning to be in the first part, it may probably come from the Islandichilldrpugna; if in the latter part, it may be from the Germanschalten, to thrust forward, which in the dialect of the north of England means 'to scatter and throw abroad as molehills are when levelled;' or fromskeyl, which in the same dialect is 'to push on one side, to overturn.'"]

Father Traves.—Can any of your Lancashire readers refer me to a source whence I might obtain information on matters pertaining to the life of one Father Travers [Traves], the friend and correspondent of the celebrated martyr John Bradford?

As yet I have but met with the incidental mention of his name in the pages of Fox, and in Hollingworth'sMancuensis, pp. 75, 76.

A Jesuit.

[The name is spelt by Fox sometimes Traves and sometimes Travers; but who he was there is no particular mention; except that it appears from Bradford's letters that he was some friend of the family, and from the superscription to one of them, that he was the minister of Blackley, near Manchester, in which place, or near to which, Bradford's mother must then have resided. Strype says, he was a learned and pious gentleman, his patron and counsellor.—Mem. Eccles., vol. iii. partI.p. 364.]

Precise Dates of Births and Deaths of the Pretenders.—Will any one be so kind as to tell me the date of the birth and death of James VIII. and his son Charles III. (commonly called Prince Charles Edward Stuart)? These dates are given so variously, that I am anxious to ascertain them correctly.

L. M. M. R.

[We believe the following to be the precise dates:—James VIII., born June 10, 1688; died January 2, 1765-6. Charles Edward, born December 20, 1720 (sometimes printed as New Style, Dec. 31); died January 31, 1788.]

Clarence.—Whence the name of this dukedom? Was the title borne by any one before the time of Lionel, son of Edward III.?

W. T. M.

[The titleClarencewas, as we learn from Camden (Britannia, edit. Gough, vol. ii. pp. 73, 74.), derived from the honour of Clare, in Suffolk; and wasfirstborne by Lionel Plantagenet, third son of Edward III., who married Elizabeth de Burgh, daughter and heir of William, Earl of Ulster, and obtained with her the honour of Clare. He became,jure uxoris, Earl of Ulster, and was created, September 15, 1362, Duke of Clarence.]

(Vol. viii., p. 468.)

About the year 1827, when the prosecutions for blasphemy were leading hundreds and thousands to see what could be said against Christianity, with a very powerful bias to make the most of all that they could find, some friends of mine, of more ingenuity than erudition, strongly recommended to my attention the works of a shoemaker at Norwich, named Mackey, who they said was more learned than any one else, and had completely shown upthe thing. It is worth a note that I perfectly remember the cause of their excitement to have been the imprisonment of the Rev. Robert Taylor, for publishing various arguments against revelation. I examined several works of Mackey's, and I have yet one or two bound up among my wonders of nature and art. As in time to come, when neither love nor money will procure a copy of these books, some tradition may set inquirers looking after them, perhaps it may be worth while to preserve a couple of extracts for the benefit of those who have the sense to hunt the index of "N. & Q." before they give up anything.

"The Virgin Andromeda, the daughter ofCepheusandCassiopeia, was the representative of Palestina; a long, narrow, rocky strip of land; figuratively called the daughter of Rocks and Mountains; because it is a country abounding with rocks and stones. And the Greeks, really supposingCepha, a rock or stone, to have been the young ladies father, added their sign of the masculine gender to it, and it became Cepha-us. And mount Cassius being its southern boundary was calledCassiobi; from its being also the boundary of theoverflowed Nile, called Obi, which the Greekssoftened intoCassiopeia, and supposed it to have been her mother;..."—Mythological Astronomy, part second, Norwich, 1823, 12mo., p. xiii.

"The story ofAbraham, notwithstanding all the endeavours of theologians to give it the appearance of the history of human beings, has preserved its mythological features with an outline and colouring, easily to be recognised by every son ofUrania[Ur of the Chaldees is subsequently made to contain the root ofUranus]. We have just seen that the Egyptians have their harvest about the time which the sunpasses overthe equator, and if we go back to the time ofAbrahamwe shall find that the equator [perhaps he means equinox] was inTaurus; the Egyptians must, then, have had their harvest while the sun was in the Bull; the Bull was, therefore, in their figurative way of speaking, the father of harvest, not only because he ploughed the ground, but because the sun was there when they got in their harvest: thus the Bull was doubly distinguished as their benefactor; he was now, more than ever, become theBull of life, i. e. he was not only calledAbir, the Bull, butAbir-amor Ab'-r-am, theBull of life,—the father of harvest. And as their harvest was originally under the direction of Iseth, or Isis, whatever belonged to harvest wasIsiac; but the Bull,Abiram, was now become thefather of Isiac! and to give this the appearance of a human descent, they added to Abir, the masculine affixah; then it becameAb'-rh-amwho was the father of Isiac. And we actually findthis equivoquein the hebrew history ofAbramwhom the Lord afterwards calledAbraham, who was thefather of Isaac, whose seed was to be countless as the sand on the sea-shore for multitude; even this is truly applied toIsiacthe offspring of Ab'-rh-am; for countless indeed are the offspring of thescythe and sickle! but if we allowIsiacto be areal son of Ab-rah-amwe must enquire after hismother. During the time that the equator [perhaps he means the sun] is passing through the constellation of the Bull in the spring, the Bull wouldrise in the eastevery morning in the harvest time, in Egypt,—but in thepoetical language of the ancients, it would be said that, whenAbir-amconsortswithAurorahe will produceIsiac. ButAurorais well known to be thegolden splendour of the east, and the brightness of the east is calledZara, and the morning star isSerah, in the eastern languages, and we find a similar change of sound in the name of Isaac's mother, whom the Lord would no longer callSaraibut Sarah.TheseAREremarkable coincidences!"—Companion to the Mythological Astronomy, Norwich, 1824, 12mo. pp. 177-179.

In answer to the inquiry respecting this singular man, I beg to say that I remember him between the years 1826 and 1830, as a shoemaker in Norwich. He was in a low rank of trade, and in poor circumstances, which he endeavoured to improve by exhibiting at private houses an orrery of his own making. He was recognised as a "genius;" but, as may be seen by his writings, had little reverence for established forms of belief. At the period of which I speak, which was soon after the publication of his first work, I knew but little of his mind, and lost sight of him altogether till about 1840. Then circumstances connected with my own line of study led me to call on him in Doughty's Hospital, Norwich, an asylum for aged persons. I found him surrounded by astronomical apparatus, books, the tools of his former trade, and all kinds of strange litters. In the conversation that ensued, I learned much of the workings of his mind; though his high self-appreciation could not descend to unreserved converse with a woman. My object was, to ascertain by what steps he had arrived at his theory of the earth's motion, but I could gain nothing distinct. He mentioned theAsiatic Researchesas containing vast information on his peculiar subject; quoted Latin, and I think Greek, authors; and seemed to place great dependence on Maurice and Bryant; but, above all, on Capt. Wilford'sEssays. He showed me some elaborate calculations, at which he was then working and still fancied himself qualified, perhaps destined, to head a great revolution in the astronomical world. I cannot say how far his knowledge of geology went, as I am not well acquainted with that science. He had evidently read and studied deeply, but alone; his own intellect had never been brushed by the intellects and superior information of truly scientific men, and it appeared to me that a vast deal of dirt, real dirt, had accumulated in his mind. My visit disappointed and pained me, but he seemed gratified, and I therefore promised to call again, which I did, but he was not at home. I think this visit was soon after he had removed into the hospital, for I then purchased his last work,The Age of Mental Emancipation, published 1836, before he obtained that asylum. He died before 1849, but I do not know the exact year.

In any next visit to Norwich, I will make inquiries on all points relating to Mackey, of the very few persons now left who took interest in him, and I think I can find the printer of his last pamphlet.

I have not the work mentioned in "N. & Q.;" but, besides his last work, I haveThe Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients demonstrated, which is partly in poetry.

I have been obliged to write this Note in the first person, as I can give only my own impressions respecting Mackey; and I wish that ere this you may have received clearer information from more competent persons. If your Querist have theleast grainof faith in the theory of Mackey, I hope he will not let the subject drop, for I have long been deeply interested in it.

F. C. B.

Diss.

Mackey, of whom your correspondent inquires, was an entirely self-educated man, but a learned shoemaker, residing in Norwich. He devoted all his leisure time to astronomical, geological, andphilological pursuits; and had some share in the formation of a society in his native town, for the purpose of debating questions relative to these sciences. I have understood that he was for some time noticed by a small portion of the scientific world, but afterwards neglected, as, from his own account, he appears also to have been by his literary fellow townsmen; and at last to have died in a Norwich alms-house. This is but a meagre account of the man, but it is possible that I may be able to glean farther particulars on the subject; for a medical friend of mine, who some time ago lent meMythological Astronomy, promised to let me see some papers in his possession relative to this learned shoemaker's career, and to a few of his unpublished speculations. When I have an opportunity of seeing these, I shall be glad to communicate to your correspondent through "N. & Q." anything of interest. The title-page ofMythological Astronomyruns thus:

"The Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients demonstrated by restoring to their Fables and Symbols their Original Meanings. By Sampson Arnold Mackey, Shoemaker. Norwich: printed by R. Walker, near the Duke's Palace. Published May 1, 1822, by S. A. Mackey, Norwich."

The book contains a variety of subjects, but principally treats of the Hindoo, Greek, and Roman mythology; and endeavours to deduce all the fables and symbols of the ancients from the starry sphere. It also contains a singular hypothesis of the author's upon the celebrated island of Atlantis, mentioned by Plato and other Greek authors; and some very curious speculations concerning the doctrine of the change in the angle which the plane of the ecliptic makes with the plane of the equator.

Urania'sKey to the Revelationsis bound up with the above work. I forgot to say that hisAncient Mythology demonstratedis written in verse, and afterwards more fully explained by notes. His poetical abilities, however, neither suit the subject, nor are of a very high order. His prose is better, but here and there shows the deficiency of education.

E. M. R.

Grantham.

(Vol. viii., pp. 195. 328. 399.)

When a hive of bees is taken, the practice is to lay the combs upon a sieve over some vessel, in only that the honey may drain out of the combs. Whilst the combs are in the hive, they hang perpendicularly, and each cell is horizontal; and in this position the honey in the cells which are in the course of being filled does not run out; but when the combs are laid on the sieve horizontally, the cells on the lower side of the combs hang perpendicularly, and then the honey begins to run out of those that are not sealed up. The honey that so runs out is perfectly pure, and free from wax. The cells, however, that are sealed up with wax still retain their honey; and the ordinary process to extract it is to place the sieve with the combs upon it so near a fire as gradually to melt the wax, so as to let the honey escape. During this process, some portion of wax unavoidably gets mixed with the honey. Here then we have two kinds of honey: one in a perfectly pure state, and whollysine cerâ; the other in some degree impure, and mixedcum cerâ. Can anything be more reasonable than to suppose that the former was calledsincerum mel, just as we call it virgin honey? And this accords with Ainsworth's derivation, "ex sine et cerâ: ut mel purum dicitur quod cerâ non est permixtum." If it be said that there is nothing to show that the old Romans adopted the process I have described, I reply it is immaterial what process they followed in order to extract what would not flow out of itself; as whatever did flow out of itself would bemel sine cerâ.

If such were the origin of the term, it is easy to see how appropriately, in a secondary sense, it would denote whatever was pure, sweet, unadulterated, and ingenuous.

Now if we apply this sense to the line:

"Sincerum est nisi vas quodcunque infundis acescit,"—

it will mean, "unless the vessel be sweet and pure, it will turn whatever you pour into it sour."

This is the interpretation that has always hitherto been put upon the line; which is thus translated by Tommaso Gargallo, vol. iii. p. 19. edit. 1820:

"Se non è puro il vase, ecco già guastoChe che v' infondi."

"Se non è puro il vase, ecco già guasto

Che che v' infondi."

And by Francis (vol. iv. p. 27., 6th edit.):—

"For tainted vessels sour what they contain."

The context shows that this is the correct translation, assincerum vasis obviously in opposition to "auriculascollectâ sordedolentes," in the preceding line.

The line itself plainly refers to the well-known fact, that if wine or other liquor be poured into a foul vessel, it will be polluted by it. Nor can I avoid noticing the elegant opposition, according to this construction, between the sweetness insincerum, and the acidity inacescit.

I also think thatMr. Inglesby'sversion cannot be correct for the following reason. Cracks may exist in every part of a vessel alike; and as the part filled by the liquor is always many times greater than the remainder of the vessel, cracks would more frequently occur in the former; and, as where air can get in the liquor can get out, itis plain that in the majority of instances the liquor would run away instead of turning sour. Now the line plainly contains ageneralaffirmative proposition that all liquor whatsoever will be turned sour, unless the vessel besincerum; and therefore that version cannot be right which applies only to a few instances.

"Sincerum cupimus vas incrustare" is well rendered by Gargallo (vol. ii. p. 37.):

" . . . . Insudiciar bramiamoAnco il vase più puro;"

" . . . . Insudiciar bramiamo

Anco il vase più puro;"

and by Francis (vol. iii. p. 39.):

"And joy th' untainted vessel to begrime."

The passage is well explained in the note to Baxter'sHor.(p. 310. edit. 1809):

"Incrustari vas dicitur cum aliquo vitioso succo illinitur atque inquinatur."

And the passage in the 18th satire of Lucilius shows that this is an accurate explanation:

" . . . . . Regionibus illisIncrustatu' calix rutâ caulive bibetur."

" . . . . . Regionibus illis

Incrustatu' calix rutâ caulive bibetur."

A practice, I rather think, prevails in some parts of England of rubbing the inside of a vessel with sweet herbs, in order to flavour cyder or other liquor.

It appears from the same note:

"Fracta vasa et gypsare et pelliculare Veteres consuevêre. Gypsantur et pelliculantur vasa plena ad aëra et sordes excludendas. Sincerum proprie mel sine cerâ, vel, quod magis huc pertinet, vas non ceratum: nam a ceraturâ odorem vel saporem trahit."

If these passages show the practice of sealing vessels with wax, they also show that the wax was what affected the flavour of the liquor.

Mr. Jeffcockplainly errs in saying thatsimplex"does not mean without a fold, but once folded." In Latin we have the seriessimplex,duplex,triplex, &c., corresponding precisely to the Englishsingle,double,treble, &c. And assingledenotes a thing without a fold, so doessimplex.Mr. Jeffcock'sderivation would makesimplexandduplexmean the same thing. Nowduplexdoes not mean twice folded, but double.

Nor can I think thatsinguluscan be "semel and termination." Ainsworth derives it from the Hebrewסגלה‎, which denotes whatever is peculiar or singular. It occurs to me to suggest whether it may not be derived fromsine angulis. The term denotes unity—one person, one thing. Now the Roman mark for one is a straight line, and that is "that which lies evenly between its extreme points;" it is emphatically a line without bend, angle, or turning—"linea sineangulis:"angulus, like its Greek original, denoting any bend, whether made by a straight or curved line.

Though I cannot at this moment refer to any other Latin words compounded ofsine, we have in Spanishsimpar, without equal:sinigual,sinjusticia,sinrazon,sinnumero,sinsabor.

The delight I take in endeavouring to attain the correct meaning of the classics will, I hope, form some apology for the length of this Note.

S. G. C.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

(Vol. viii., p. 242.)

In an old collection of tavern signs of the last century, among many others I find the following. On the sign of the "Arrow," at Knockholt, in Kent,—

"Charles Collins liveth here,Sells rum, brandy, gin, and beer;I made this board a little wider,To let you know I sell good cyder."

"Charles Collins liveth here,

Sells rum, brandy, gin, and beer;

I made this board a little wider,

To let you know I sell good cyder."

On the sign of the "Shoulder of Mutton and Cat," at Hackney, in Middlesex,—

"Pray Puss don't tear,For the mutton is so dear;Pray Puss don't claw,For the mutton yet is raw."

"Pray Puss don't tear,

For the mutton is so dear;

Pray Puss don't claw,

For the mutton yet is raw."

On the sign of the "Gate," at Blean Hill, in Kent,—

"Stop, brave boys, andsquenchyour thirst,If you won't drink, the horses must."

"Stop, brave boys, andsquenchyour thirst,

If you won't drink, the horses must."

On the sign of the "Ship in Distress," in Middle Street, Brighton, Sussex,—

"With sorrows I am compass'd round;Pray lend a hand, my ship's aground."

"With sorrows I am compass'd round;

Pray lend a hand, my ship's aground."

On the sign of the "Waggon and Horses," in Black Lion Street, Brighthelmstone,—

"Long have I travers'd both far and near,On purpose to find out good beer,And at last I found it here."

"Long have I travers'd both far and near,

On purpose to find out good beer,

And at last I found it here."

Ruby.

At a small way-side beer-shop in the parish of Werrington in the county of Devon, a few years since there was the following sign:

"The Lengdon Inn, kept by M. Vuller.Gentlemen walk in and sit at your aise,Pay for what you call for, and call for what you plaise;As tristing of late has been to my sorrow,Pay me to-day and I'll tristee to-morrow."

"The Lengdon Inn, kept by M. Vuller.

Gentlemen walk in and sit at your aise,

Pay for what you call for, and call for what you plaise;

As tristing of late has been to my sorrow,

Pay me to-day and I'll tristee to-morrow."

J. D.

Launceston.

Not far from Kilpeck, Herefordshire, I have seen a wayside public-house, exhibiting the sign of the "Oak," under which is the following couplet:

"I am an oak, and not a yew,So drink a cup with good John Pugh."

"I am an oak, and not a yew,

So drink a cup with good John Pugh."

As "good John Pugh" sold excellent cider, I did not repent complying with the injunction.

W. J. Bernhard Smith.

Temple.

This is at a roadside public-house near Maidenhead, known by the sign of the "Gate." It is thus:

"This gate hangs high,It hinders none;Drink hearty, boys,And travel on."

"This gate hangs high,

It hinders none;

Drink hearty, boys,

And travel on."

I remember a sign near Marlborough of the "Red Cow," and the landlord, being also a milkman, had inscribed under the rude drawing of a cow these lines:

"The Red CowGives good milk now."

"The Red Cow

Gives good milk now."

Newburiensis.

(Vol. viii., p. 440.)

I have not verified in the works of St. Thomas this saying ascribed to him, but I subjoin a passage from Bishop Taylor, where it is quoted:

"A river cut into many rivulets divides also its strength, and grows contemptible and apt to be forded by a lamb and drunk up by a summer sun; so is the spirit of man busied in variety, and divided in itself; it abates its fervour, cools into indifferency, and becomes trifling by its dispersion and inadvertency. Aquinas was once asked, with what compendium a man might best become learned? He answered,By reading of one book; meaning that an understanding entertained with several objects is intent upon neither, and profits not." —Life of Christ, part ii. s. xii. 16.

He also quotes Ecclus (xi. 10.), St. Gregory, St. Bernard, Seneca, Quintillian, and Juvenal to the same purpose.

Southey quotes part of this passage from Bishop Taylor (in theDoctor) and adds:

"Lord Holland's poet, the prolific Lope de Vega, tells us to the same purport. TheHomo Unius Libriis indeed proverbially formidable to all conversational figurantes: like your sharpshooter, he knows his piece, and is sure of his shot."

The truth of this dictum of St. Thomas cannot be too much insisted on in this age of many books, which affords such incentives to literary dissipation and consequent shallowness.

"An intellectual man, as the world now conceives of him, is one who is full of 'views,' on all subjects of philosophy, on all matters of the day. It is almost thought a disgrace not to have a view at a moment's notice on any question from the Personal Advent to the Cholera or Mesmerism. This is owing in a great measure to the necessities of periodical literature, now so much in request. Every quarter of a year, every month every day, there must be a supply for the gratification of the public, of new and luminous theories on the subjects of religion, foreign politics, home politics, civil economy, finance, trade, agriculture, emigration, and the colonies. Slavery, the gold fields, German philosophy, the French empire, Wellington, Peel, Ireland, must all be practised on, day after day, by what are called original thinkers."—Dr. Newman's Disc. on Univ. Educ., p. xxv. (preface).

This writer follows up the subject very ably, and his remarks on that spurious philosophism which shows itself in what, for want of a better word, he calls "viewiness," are worth the attention of allhomines unius libri.

P.S.—As I think of it, I shall make a cognate Query. Some facetious opponent of the schoolmen fathered on St. Thomas Aquinas an imaginary work in sundry folio volumes entitledDe Omnibus Rebus, adding an equally bulky and imaginary supplement—Et Quibusdam Aliis. This is as often used to feather a piece of unfledged wit, as the speculation concerning the number of angels that could dance on the point of a needle, and yet I have never been able to trace out the inventor of these visionary tomes.

Eirionnach.

(Vol. viii., p. 411.)

My attention was directed to the consideration of this expression some years ago when reading in John Dymmoks'Treatise of Ireland, written about the year 1600, and published among theTracts relating to Ireland, printed for the Irish Archæological Society, vol. ii., the following paragraph:

"Before the vant-guard marched theforelorn hope, consisting of forty shott and twenty shorte weapons, with order that they should not discharge untill they presented theire pieces to the rebells' breasts in their trenches, and that sooddenly the short weapons should enter the trenches pell mell: vpon eyther syde of the vant-guarde (which was observed in the batle and reare-guarde) marched wings of shott enterlyned with pikes, to which were sent secondes with as much care and diligence as occasion required. The baggage, and a parte of the horse, marched before the battell; the rest of the horse troopes fell in before therearewardeexcept thirty, which, in the head of therearelorne hope, conducted by Sir Hen. Danvers, made the retreit of the whole army."—P.32.

The termsrearelorne hopeandforlorne hopeoccur constantly in the same work, and bear the same signification as in the foregoing.

Remarking upon this circumstance to my friend the late Dr. Graves, he wrote the following notice of the word in theDublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science, of which I was then the editor, in Feb. 1849:

"Military and civil writers of the present day seem quite ignorant of the true meaning of the wordsforlorn hope. The adjective has nothing to do with despair, nor the substantive with the 'charmer which lingers still behind;' there was no such poetical depth in the words as originally used. Every corps marching in any enemy's country had a small body of men at the head (hauptorhope) of the advanced guard; and which was termed theforlorne hope(lornbeing here but a termination similar towardinforward), while another small body at the head of the rere guard was called therear-lorn hope(xx.). A reference to Johnson'sDictionaryproves that civilians were misled as early as the time of Dryden by the mere sound of a technical military phrase; and, in process of time, even military men forgot the true meaning of the words. It grieves me to sap the foundations of an error to which we are indebted for Byron's beautiful line:

'The full of hope, misnamedforlorn.'"

W. R. Wilde.

Dublin.

(Vol. viii., p. 126.)

The title-page of this work is:Comœdia Divina, mit drei Vorreden von Peter Hammer, Jean Paul, und dem Herausgeber, 1808. The absence of publisher's name and place of publication leaves little doubt that the name W. G. H. Gotthardt, and the date "Basel, Mai 1, 1808," are both fictitious.

But for finding the passage cited by M. M. E. at p. 38., I should have supposed that the Munich critic had referred to some other book with the same title. No one who has read this can suppose it was written by Tieck. The Catholic-romantic school, of which he was the most distinguished member, furnishes the chief objects of the author's ridicule. Novalis, Görres, and F. Schlegel are the most prominent; but at p. 128. is an absurd sonnet "an Tieck."

TheComœdia Divinais a very clever and somewhat profane satire, such as Voltaire might have written had he been a German of the nineteenth century. It opens with Jupiter complaining to Mercury of ennui (eine langweilige Existenz), and that he is not what he was when young. Mercury advises a trip to Leipzig fair, where he may get good medical advice for his gout, and certainly will see something new. They go, and hear various dealers sing the catalogues of their goods. The lines quoted by M. M. E. are sung by a young man with a puppet-show and barrel-organ to the burden:

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