FOLK LORE.

"Nec nox ulla diem, neque noctem aurora secuta est,Quæ non audierit mistos vagitibus ægrisPloratus mortis comites, et funeris atri."—Lucretius, ii. 579.

"Nec nox ulla diem, neque noctem aurora secuta est,

Quæ non audierit mistos vagitibus ægris

Ploratus mortis comites, et funeris atri."—Lucretius, ii. 579.

G. P.

Sacramental Wine(Vol. iii., p. 179.).—From a note byMr. Albert Way, on the use of sacramental wine, one would be led to infer that it was recommended on account of some superstitious belief in its superior excellency from having been used in religious worship; but I would suggest that the same reasons which recommend Teynt wine, the kind generally used for the Sacrament, are those which have established for it a reputation in cases of sickness: these are its rich red colour, and sweet and agreeable flavour.

Weakness is popularly supposed to be caused by a thinness and want of blood; if wine be recommended for this, there is a deeply rooted prejudice in favour of red wine because the blood is red, and upon no better principle than that which prescribes the yellow bark of the barberry for the yellow state of jaundice; the nettle, for the nettle-rash; and the navel-wort (Cotyledon umbilicus), for weakness about the umbilical region. The truth is, that rustic practice is much influenced by the doctrine of similitudes, the principle of "similia similibus curantur" having been more extensively recognised in the olden time than since the days of Hahnemann.

The sweetness of Teynt wine would recommend it for children, to whom a stronger wine is generally distasteful; but Port is generally prescribed as a tonic for adults.

It may further be remarked, that the recommendation to give Sacramental wine might arise from the fact, that, as in some parishes more wine is provided than is required, the remainder is put by to be given to the poor who may require it at the hands of the clergyman.

In sending these remarks, I am led to request that your correspondents would make Notes upon such old wives' remedies as are employed upon the principles I have mentioned.

James Buckman.

Cirencester, April 12.

Cure of Disease by means of Sheep.—A child in my parish has been for some time afflicted with disease of some of the respiratory organs. The mother was recommended to have it carried through a flock of sheep as they were let out of the fold in the morning. The time was considered to be of importance.

ב.

L—— Rectory, Somerset.

I next transcribe the following lines from the same MS. as my last. It is another epitaph on the Mr. Browne that I mentioned in No. II. It contains a curious illustration of a passage in Shakspeare, which has been often debated in the pages of "Notes and Queries," and so deserves preservation.

"Vpon the death of that right worthye man,Mr. Browne, late of Caius and Gonville Colledge disceased. Epicedion."—(Harl. MSS., No. 367. fol. 155.)

"If vowes or teares from heartes or eyes,Could pearce the unpenitrable skyes,Then might he live, that now heere lyes.But teares are tonguelesse, vowes are vaine,5T' recall what fate calls; els how faineWhat death hath seis'd, wold I regaine.But sure th' immortal one belavesThis wished soule in 's blissfull waves:Ill comes too oft, when no man craves.10Rest, therefore, vrne, rest quietlye,And when my fates shall call on me,So may I rest, as I wish the."R. Constable,Caio-Gonvillensis."

"If vowes or teares from heartes or eyes,Could pearce the unpenitrable skyes,Then might he live, that now heere lyes.

"If vowes or teares from heartes or eyes,

Could pearce the unpenitrable skyes,

Then might he live, that now heere lyes.

But teares are tonguelesse, vowes are vaine,5T' recall what fate calls; els how faineWhat death hath seis'd, wold I regaine.

But teares are tonguelesse, vowes are vaine,

T' recall what fate calls; els how faine

What death hath seis'd, wold I regaine.

But sure th' immortal one belavesThis wished soule in 's blissfull waves:Ill comes too oft, when no man craves.

But sure th' immortal one belaves

This wished soule in 's blissfull waves:

Ill comes too oft, when no man craves.

10Rest, therefore, vrne, rest quietlye,And when my fates shall call on me,So may I rest, as I wish the."R. Constable,Caio-Gonvillensis."

Rest, therefore, vrne, rest quietlye,

And when my fates shall call on me,

So may I rest, as I wish the.

"R. Constable,

Caio-Gonvillensis."

I need hardly point out the striking similarity between the expression in Shakspeare—

"and the delighted spiritTo bathe in fiery floods,"—

"and the delighted spirit

To bathe in fiery floods,"—

and the third stanza of this poem.

Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie.

Byron.

In theJealous Loversof Thomas Randolph, the following passage occurs, which may possibly have suggested to Lord Byron the fearful curse he has put into the mouth of Eve, in "the grand and tremendous drama ofCain."[1]

"May perpetual jealousieWait on their beds, and poison their embracesWith just suspitions; may their children beDeform'd, and fright the mother at the birth:May they live long and wretched; all men's hate,And yet have misery enough for pity:May they be long a-dying—of diseasesPainful and loathsome," &c.

"May perpetual jealousie

Wait on their beds, and poison their embraces

With just suspitions; may their children be

Deform'd, and fright the mother at the birth:

May they live long and wretched; all men's hate,

And yet have misery enough for pity:

May they be long a-dying—of diseases

Painful and loathsome," &c.

That exquisite stanza in the Third Canto ofChilde Harold, "Even as a broken mirror," &c., has been often admired. In Carew's poem,The Spark, I find the following lines, which contain similar image:

"And as a looking-glass, from the aspect,Whilst it is whole, doth but one face reflect,But being crack'd, or broken, there are shownMany half faces, which at first were one;So Love," &c.

"And as a looking-glass, from the aspect,

Whilst it is whole, doth but one face reflect,

But being crack'd, or broken, there are shown

Many half faces, which at first were one;

So Love," &c.

To the coincidences which have been already pointed out regarding that exquisite line in theBride of Abydos:

"The mind, the music breathing from her face,"

the following from Carew may perhaps be added:

"The harmony of colours, features, grace,Resulting airs (the magic of a face)Of musical sweet tunes, all which combin'd,To crown one sovereign beauty, lie confinedTo this dark vault."—Epitaph on the Lady S.

"The harmony of colours, features, grace,

Resulting airs (the magic of a face)

Of musical sweet tunes, all which combin'd,

To crown one sovereign beauty, lie confined

To this dark vault."—Epitaph on the Lady S.

All will recollect the wonderful description of the shipwreck inDon Juan; and more particularly the incidents so graphically related in stanzas 52 and 53 of the Second Canto: to a part of which, the following passage fro Lee'sŒdipusbears some resemblance:

"Methought I heard a voice,Now roaring like the ocean, when the windsFight with the waves; now in a still small toneYour dying accents fell, as wrecking ships,After the dreadful yell, sink murm'ring down,And bubble up a noise."

"Methought I heard a voice,

Now roaring like the ocean, when the winds

Fight with the waves; now in a still small tone

Your dying accents fell, as wrecking ships,

After the dreadful yell, sink murm'ring down,

And bubble up a noise."

I have now before me a print of John, the first Lord Byron, engraved from a painting in the collection of Lord Delaware; in which he is pourtrayed in armour, with a truncheon in the left hand, and theright arm bareto above the elbow. Can this have suggested to Lord Byron the idea of describing "Alp the renegade" as fighting with "the white arm bare," in theSiege of Corinth?

Byron refers to Smollett as an authority for "blatant beast," apparently forgetting that the figure originated with Spenser. Again, in a note toDon Juanrespecting his use of the phrase "reformadoes," he remarks:

"The Baron Bradwardine, inWaverley, is authority for the word."

It occurs, however, in Ben Jonson, and may be found in Blount'sGlossographia; Phillips'sWorld of Words, and other old dictionaries of the same period.

T. C. Smith.

Footnote 1:(return)Sir Walter Scott.

Sir Walter Scott.

Amidst the Apennines, far removed from the ordinary track of tourists, is the diminutive republic of San Marino, which boasts never to have been subjugated. Whether it has escaped invasion because it has escaped notice, or because burglars never attack an empty cottage, is a point which I shall not stop to discuss. Few travellers visit it, but the trouble of doing so would be amply repaid. The situation is highly romantic; and the view from the summit of the bold escarpment, upon which the town is perched, extends over a wilderness of mountains.

The population of the territory is said not to exceed 6,000 or 7,000 souls. Its whole income is derived from a moderate duty on tobacco; and its standing army (for it possesses this indispensable incident to political independence) is chiefly employed in vain attempts to prevent the evasion of that duty.

Among the greatest and most highly esteemed curiosities of the place, is a statue of Christ on the cross, with a head of real hair, which is cut twice a year, and always grows again! This faculty of reproduction is as profitable as it is wonderful; for, besides the resort of pious visitors, drawn by the capillary attractions of such a miraculous piece of sculpture, the locks that are cut off are stated, by the ecclesiastical functionaries in charge of the statue, to be a sure preservative against all harm to the wearer, and are of course in request as an article of commerce. My object in communicating to you these notes, is to introduce to you a copy, which I transcribed myself, of one of the state papers preserved in the archives of the republic. It appears to be a letter of encouragement, addressed by the Priors and Gonfaloniere of the republic of Florence to that of S. Marino, during a siege that the latter was undergoing. Perhaps some of your readers may be able to point out the precise occasion that called for the letter.

Sydney Smirke.

"Magnifici viri amici ñri carmi, Habbiamo vedato la lettera vi scrive il Governatore, et habbiamo inteso la voluntà dello exercito della Chiesa. Dovete essere di buono animo et stare constanti et fermi: et perdere la vita insieme con la libertà che è meglo allo huomo uso a essere libero, essere morto che essere servo. Iddio a chi piace la libertà vi aiutera difenderai: et noi et la ñra lega non vi manchera: havete inteso le provisioni facte et di denari et di gente ad Arimino; et faremo delle altre tante che saranno abastanza. Valete. Ex palatio ñro die viij. Junij,M.CCCCLXVIIIj."Priores libertatis etVexillifer JustitiæbracePopuli Florentinj."Barth. Scala."Magnificis Viris hominibus terræ Sā Marini amicis ñris carmis."

"Barth. Scala.

"Magnificis Viris hominibus terræ Sā Marini amicis ñris carmis."

I think Mrs. Jameson, in herLegends of the Monastic Orders, has left unnoticed the very remarkable book of theConformity of St. Francis's Life with that of Jesus Christ, a work, the blasphemy of which is only equalled by its absurdity.

The book was written by Bartholomew of Pisa, a monk of the order, and licensed in 1399 by the general of the Minorites.

"Approbatum est a fr. Henrico ord. frat. Minorum generali ministro et servo et cæteris ministris et diffinitoribus capituli generalis apud Sacrum locum de Assisio die 2 AugustiA.D.1399."

The title of the first edition, which is very rare, is as follows:

"Liber Conformitatum Vitæ S. Francisci ad Vitam Jesu Christi. Authore Fr. Bartholomæo degli Albizzi, ex recens. Fran. Zenonis. Impressum Mediolani per Gotardum Ponticum apud templum Sancti Satyri. AnnoM.CCCCCX.die 18 mensis Septembris. In fol. literis quadratis."

The Second edition:

"Opus aur. et inexplicabilis bonitatis et continentiæ, Conformitatum scilicet vitæ Beati Frā. ad vitā Dī.nri Jesu xpi. Mediolani, in edibus Zanoti castilionei 1513. in fol. goth."

The third edition, also in folio, appeared at Bologne (1590) as "Liber aureus, inscriptus liber Conformitatum, etc., per Hierem Bucchium," with some alterations in the text.

Fourth edition:

"Vita S. Fran. conf. ad vit. Xti., per S. Bonaventuram Conscriptu ab Henr. Sedulio Com. illustrata, 4to., Antr. 1597."

Another edition, by Jer. Bacch, in folio, appeared at Bologne in 1620; and an abridged edition in octavo, by Phil. Bosquier, at Cologne, under the title ofAntiquitates Franciscanæ, a very good edition of theLiber Conform., "Et ex Annalibus Madingi collecta per Tibur. Navarrum," was published in 4to. at Rome in 1670.

The late Dr. Elrington had a very fine copy of the following French translation:—

"Traite des Conformités du Disciple avec son Maitre, c'est à dire, de Saint François avec J. C., etc., le tout recueilli par un frere mineur récollect. (Valentin Marée.) Liege, 1658-60. 4 part en 3 vol. in 4to."

In 1542 a small volume was put forth, containing choice passages from theLiber Conformitatum, with a preface and letter to the reader, purporting to be from Martin Luther. It was accordingly by many attributed to him; the real compiler was Erasmus Alberus. The title of the first edition is

"Alcoranus Franciscorum, etc., ex libro conformitatum: Francof. 1542, parv. 8vo."

It was reprinted, with a French translation, by Conrad Badius, at Geneva, 1560 or 1578; so says Brunet.

The best edition of this work was that published at Amsterdam in 1734, in two vols. 12 mo., with some capital plates by Picart. The title is—

"L'Alcoran des Cordeliers, tant en Latin qu'en François; c'est à dire, Recueil des plus notables bourdes et blasphemes de ceux qui ont osé comparer Sainet François à Jesus Christ; tiré du grand livre desConformités, jadis composé par frere Barthelemi de Pise, Cordelier en son vivant. Nouvelle edition, ornée de figures dessinées par B. Picart. A Amsterdam. Aux Defens de la Compagnie.MDCCXXXIV."

Another work, printed the same year, is often found with this:—

"Legende Dorée, ou Sommaire de l'Histoire des Freres-mendians de l'ordre de Saint François. (Par Nic. Vignier.) Amsterdam, 1734. 12mo. Réimpr. sur l'ed. de Leyde, 1608 in 8vo."

Thomas of Celano, the friend and scholar of St. Francis, and the author of the famousDies Iræ, after the saint's death composed a brief account of his life, which he afterwards greatly enlarged, and which even now is the most authentic we possess. I should be glad to know the best, as well as the latest editions of this life.

"Francis," said Luther, "was no doubt an honest and just man. He little thought that such superstition and unbelief should proceed out of his life."—Tischreden.

Berington says of St. Francis:

"In an age of less intemperance in religion, miracles and the fancied intervention of peculiar favours from heaven, would not have been deemed necessary to stamp worth and admiration on a character which in itself possessed the purest excellences that fall to the lot of man. But this circumstance, and more than this, the reception which an institute so peculiarly framed met with, serve to manifest the singular taste of the age."—Berington's Henry II., p. 629.

"It is scarcely possible," says Mr. Massingberd, "to read the history of St. Francis of Assisi, without believing that there was in him a sincere and self-devoted, however ill-directed, piety." We must not let the foolish legends afterwards written of him lower him in our estimation, nor cease to regard him as a sincere and devoted Christian.

Mariconda.

Charles Lamb's Epitaph.—Perhaps the following lines, which I have copied from the gravestone of Charles Lamb, who lies in the churchyard at Edmonton, may be interesting to those of your readers who are among the admirers of the witty and gentle Elia:—

"Farewell, dear friend; that smile, that harmless mirth,No more shall gladden our domestic hearth;That rising tear, with pain forbid to flow,Better than words, no more assuage our woe;That hand outstretch'd from small but well-earn'd store,Yield succour to the destitute no more.Yet art thou not all lost; thro' many an ageWith sterling sense and humour shall thy pageWin many an English bosom, pleased to seeThat old and happier vein revived in thee.This for our earth, and if with friends we shareOur joys in heav'n, we hope to meet thee there."

"Farewell, dear friend; that smile, that harmless mirth,

No more shall gladden our domestic hearth;

That rising tear, with pain forbid to flow,

Better than words, no more assuage our woe;

That hand outstretch'd from small but well-earn'd store,

Yield succour to the destitute no more.

Yet art thou not all lost; thro' many an ageWith sterling sense and humour shall thy pageWin many an English bosom, pleased to seeThat old and happier vein revived in thee.This for our earth, and if with friends we shareOur joys in heav'n, we hope to meet thee there."

Yet art thou not all lost; thro' many an age

With sterling sense and humour shall thy page

Win many an English bosom, pleased to see

That old and happier vein revived in thee.

This for our earth, and if with friends we share

Our joys in heav'n, we hope to meet thee there."

I have heard it conjectured that the above were written by Wordsworth. I shall feel obliged if any of your readers will inform me whether the late laureate was the author of them or not?

Maria S.

Edmonton.

M. or N.(Vol. i., p. 415.; Vol. ii., p. 61.).—There have been several suggestions as to the origin of the use of these letters in the services of the church, but I do not think that any correspondent has hit upon the very simple one which I have always considered to be most probably the true explanation; which is, that as these services were compiled when algebra stood much higher in the rank of sciences than it does at present, it is by no means unlikely that these two letters should be used to signify indefinite and variablenames, as they are in algebra to represent indefinite or variablenumbers, in the same manner as A. B. C. are as signs of known or definite, and X. Y. Z. of unknown sums.

E. H. Y.

Henry VIII. and Sir Thos. Curwen.—The following quaint extract from Sandford's MS.History of Cumberland, now in the library of the Dean and Chapter of Carlisle, exhibits that "reknowned king," Henry VIII., in so good-natured a light, that I think, if you can find a corner for it, it may amuse some of your readers. That the good knight and "excelent archer" should have been so outwitted by his son-in-law is a matter of some regret to one of his descendants:—

"Sir Thos. Curwen, Knight, in Henry the Eight's time, an excelent archer at twelvescore merks; and went up with his men to shoote with that reknowned King at the dissolution of abbeys: and the King says to him, Curwen, why doth thee begg none of these Abbeys? I wold gratify thee some way. Quoth the other, Thank yow, and afterward said he wold desire of him the Abbie of ffurness (nye unto him) for 20tyone yeares. Sayes the King: take it for ever: quoth the other, it is long enough, for youle set them up againe in that time: but they not likely to be set up againe, this Sir Tho. Curwen sent Mr. Preston, who had married his daughter, to renew the lease for him; and he even rennewed in his own name; which when his father-in-law questioned, quoth Mr. Preston, you shall have it as long as you live; and I think I may as well have it with your daughter as another."

After some descents, this family of Preston, of the manor of Furness, terminated in a daughter, who married Sir William Lowther, whose grandson left his estates in Furness and Cartmell to his cousin, Lord George Cavendish, through whom they are inherited by the Earl of Burlington. As Harry the Eighth's good intentions towards Sir Thomas Curwen have been frustrated, his descendants must console themselves by knowing that the glorious old ruin of Furness could not be in better hands than his lordship's.

H. C.

Workington.

Periodical Literature, 1707.—

"The author of theObservatorisMr. Ridpath, yeauthor of theFlying Post. The base author of the late paper, which has been some time since dropp'd, viz.The Observator Reviv'd, was onePearce, an exchange broker, some time since concerned in the paper calledLegion's Address, and forced to fly on that account into Holland. The publisher of thePhœnixis a Presbyterian bookseller, named J. Darby, in Bartholomew Close, who has told me that he was chiefly assisted therein by the famousMr. Collins, the supposed author ofThe Use of Reason in Propositions, &c., and Dr. Tindal's familiar acquaintance."—Original Letter of the Rev. Robert Watts, M.A., dated London, Feb. 6. 1707-8.

P. B.

Archbishop Sancroft.—It is well known that Dr. William Dillingham, Master of Emanuel College, Cambridge, published, in 1678, a volume of Latin poems, partly translations from George Herbert, partly pieces of his own, with some few added from other sources. But it is not known that most of the pieces in this volume were corrected by the hand of Archbishop Sancroft, and that one certainly was from his own pen. It occurs at p. 155. of the octavo volume alluded to, and is entitled "Hippodromus." This is a translation from an epigram by Thomas Bastard, first printed in 1598, and beginning:

"I mett a courtier riding on the plaine."

That it is Archbishop Sancroft's is proved from an original letter addressed to him by Dillingham in 1677, and preserved in the Bodleian.

P. B.

Sir Henry Slingsby.—This gallant cavalier, who was murdered (as Lloyd says in hisMemoirs) by Oliver Cromwell in 1658, wrote an account of the scenes in which he bore a part, from 1638 to 1648, which he called "Commentaries, containing many remarkable occurrences during the Civil Wars." Can any of your correspondents tell me where the original manuscript is to be found, and whether it was ever printed? I have seen an indifferent transcript, beginning, "The chappel at Red House was built by my father, Sir Henry Slingsby." If it has never been published, it would be an acceptable contribution to the historical memoirs of the times, and worth the attention of the Camden Society.

P. B.

Origin of a Surname.—Martha Denial, widow, aged seventy-five, was buried in Ecclesfield churchyard, 3rd February, 1851. Her husband, Joseph Denial, told the parish clerk that his grandfather was found when an infant deserted in a church porch; and that he was surnamed Denial, as one whomall deny; and was christened Daniel, which is composed of the same letters. This is the tradition of the origin of a surname now common in this parish.

A. G.

Ecclesfield.

Madden's Reflections.—Madden'sReflections and Resolutions for the Gentlemen of Ireland. In the preface to the reprint of this work we meet with the following paragraph:

"The very curious and interesting work which isnow reprinted, and intended for a wide and gratuitous circulation, is also of uncommon rarity: there is not a copy of it in the Library of Trinity College, or in any of the other public libraries of this city [Dublin], which have been searched on purpose. The profoundly-learned Vice-Provost, Doctor Barrett, never met with one; and many gentlemen well skilled in the literature of Ireland, who have been applied to for information on the subject, are even unacquainted with the name of the book."

The full title of the work to which I refer, and which is an 8vo. volume of 200 or 300 pages, isReflections and Resolutions proper for the Gentlemen of Ireland, as to their Conduct for the Service of their Country. It was printed in Dublin in 1738; it was reprinted there in 1816 at the sole expense of the well-known philanthropist, Thomas Pleasants, and the author was Samuel Madden, D.D., the author of several publications: a great patron of arts and literature in his native land, and one of whom Dr. Johnson remarked with truth,—"His was a name Ireland ought to honour." For some authentic information respecting him, see Nichols'sLiterary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century, vol. ii. pp. 31. 699.; and Grosley'sTour in England, vol. ii p. 260. These writers, however, make no mention of hisReflections.

The original edition may indeed be looked upon as rather rare, but not so rare as some appear inclined to think. I have a copy, and until lately had two; and at different times I have met with copies for sale. However, the copy now in the library of the Royal Dublin Society was purchased some years ago at a high price; and, unless I am mistaken, there is not one as yet in the British Museum. The reprint which is there is much to be preferred by readers in general.

Abhba.

I have often read Vincent Bourne's poem, "Ad Davidem Cook, Westmonasterii Custodem Nocturnum et Vigilantissimum, Anno 1716:" Pickering's edition, p. 129. This nightly guardian, it appears, was accompanied by a dog:

"Cùm variis implent tenebræ terroribus orbem,Tu comite assuetum cum cane carpis iter,"

"Cùm variis implent tenebræ terroribus orbem,

Tu comite assuetum cum cane carpis iter,"

was armed with a stout staff, or knotty club:

"Nec te perterrent, nodoso stipite fretum,Subdola qui tacito pectore furta parant,"

"Nec te perterrent, nodoso stipite fretum,

Subdola qui tacito pectore furta parant,"

and carried a bell:

"Tinnitu adventum signans, oriantur an astra,Narras, an purè lucida Luna micet."

"Tinnitu adventum signans, oriantur an astra,

Narras, an purè lucida Luna micet."

To the last-mentioned part of his equipment, he owed the title of "Bellman."

The Bellman's duty, however, was not confined to crying the rising of the stars, or the shining of the moon, but he cheered his nightly round with many a chant:

Nocturnum multo carmine fallis iter."

The next lines are descriptive of the Bellman's poetry, and tell us the subjects of it. Of some of these I want explanation; and of all, examples. I am at a loss to explain the following four lines:

"Divorum hyberni menses quotcunque celebrant,Cuique locum et versum dat tua musa suum:Crispinoante omnes; neque enim sine carmine fas estNobile sutorum præteriisse decus."

"Divorum hyberni menses quotcunque celebrant,

Cuique locum et versum dat tua musa suum:

Crispinoante omnes; neque enim sine carmine fas est

Nobile sutorum præteriisse decus."

The next lines refer to the Bellman's loyalty in ever remembering the Royal Family; to his salutation of masters and mistresses; to the useful instruction he pours forth in song to young men and maidens; and to the happy marriages he wishes to such as give heed to his warnings. The Bellman then addresses himself to men-servants and maid-servants, enjoining honesty on the former, cleanliness on the latter. Repeatedly wishing prosperity to his masters, he concludes with one pre-eminent exhortation to keep in mind, that the friendly hand of death levels the highest and the lowest.

My ignorance asks several questions. When did the Bellman lay aside his bell, and assume the rattle; and, with this change (I presume), drop the name of Bellman for that of Watchman, to whom the silent policeman has succeeded? Was the dog the usual aide-de-camp of the Bellman? Are there any other instances in which the dog is mentioned as assisting the Bellman in his nocturnal guardianship?

As to the Bellman's poetry, Milton will occur to every one:

"Or the bellman's drowsy charmTo bless the door from nightly harm."—Il Penseroso.

"Or the bellman's drowsy charm

To bless the door from nightly harm."—Il Penseroso.

1. Herrick'sHesperides, p. 169., is a Bellman's song, a blessing, concluding:

"Past one o'clock, and almost two,My masters all, good-day to you."

"Past one o'clock, and almost two,

My masters all, good-day to you."

2. Ibid. p. 251. is another song; a warning to remember the judgment-day, and ending—

"Ponder this when I am gone,By the clock 'tis almost one."

"Ponder this when I am gone,

By the clock 'tis almost one."

SeeThe Tatler, No. 111., for the Bellman's salutation:

"Good morrow, Mr. Bickerstaff, good morrow, my masters all."

"It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman,Which gives the stern'st good night."—Shakspeare,Macbeth, Act II. Sc. 2.

"It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman,

Which gives the stern'st good night."—Shakspeare,Macbeth, Act II. Sc. 2.

Gay refers to the Bellman's song in the following lines:

"Behold that narrow street which steep descends,Whose building to the slimy shore extends;Here Arundel's fam'd structure rear'd its frame,The street alone retains the empty name;Where Titian's glowing paint the canvass warm'd,And Raphael's fair design, with judgment, charm'd,Now hangsthe bellman's song, and pasted hereThe colour'd prints of Overton appear."—Trivia, book ii. 482.

"Behold that narrow street which steep descends,

Whose building to the slimy shore extends;

Here Arundel's fam'd structure rear'd its frame,

The street alone retains the empty name;

Where Titian's glowing paint the canvass warm'd,

And Raphael's fair design, with judgment, charm'd,

Now hangsthe bellman's song, and pasted here

The colour'd prints of Overton appear."—Trivia, book ii. 482.

In theArchaic and Provincial Dictionary, the duty of the Bellman in his poetic character seems to be limited to blessing the sleepers. It appears from the poem by Vincent Bourne, that his Muse took a much more extensive range.

Can you inform me where I can find more about the Bellman, his bell and his dog; and, especially, his songs? Where can I find "The Bellman's Songs?"

Is "Bellman" a name given to dogs in modern times? SeeTaming of the Shrew, Induction.

F. W. T.

[We cannot insert F. W. T.'s Query without referring to the admirable translation of Vinny Bourne's Ode, which is to be found in our First Volume, p. 152.]

Sallustius, in his celebrated abstract of the Punic records of Thempsal, makes the following remark:

"Nam de Carthagine silere melius puto, quam parum dicere,quoniam alio properare tempus monet."—De Bello Jugurthino, c. xix. ed. Allen.

Does not this sound as if the history has been read out to an assembly? There is strong presumptive evidence in favour of such a supposition, in the tradition of Herodotus having read aloud his history at the Grecian Games. Besides, it was a common practice of Cicero and Plinius the Younger to read out their orations and treatises. I cannot help thinking that the histories of Sallustius were first delivered as lectures,taken down by reporters[2]employed by himself for the purposes of preserving his words, as he had only notes before him, fairly transcribed from the stenographic character, and then,but not till then, made a subject of closet-study. This, I think, is easy of proof, and instances may be adduced (the expression I have quoted is one) where the lecturer peeps out.

The interpolated state in which this classic has come down to us is indeed sad: there is scarcely a chapter throughout the Catiline and Jugurtha where some transcriber has not been at work, sticking in words and sometimes whole sentences, which, I am astonished to see, have escaped the notice of Cortius, Allen, and the older editors.

I said above that Sallustius made his lectures or orations on the history of his country a subject of closet study. He did so, and in an eminent degree. His conciseness, clearness (when relieved from the burden of interpolation), and usual impartiality, point to a careful and spiritual study of Thucydides; but he could not attain to an equal degree of sweetness as the Greek historian, on account of the general character of their several languages differing. As far, however, as Roman could approach to Greek, I conceive Sallustius has approached to Thucydides. Tacitus (whose mind was impregnated with, and steeped in Sallustius) rarely enounces a sentiment in his numerous works the origin of which is not referable to the latter author. It requires some careful thought sometimes, before the passages can be traced; but theyaretraceable; and if we had the whole works of Sallustius, I doubt not but that we should be able to trace them all much more easily. Perhaps—I say it without stress, mind; it is a mere suggestion—it would be possible to restore, or rather connect some of the historical fragments of Sallustius by means of the works of Tacitus. When we find a sentiment of Sallustius half expressed in the fragment, and trending towards the conclusion arrived at by Tacitus, may we not, as we know how completely the latter had imbibed the thoughts of the former, reasonably suppose the remainder of the passage to be parallel; and, following out the idea, restore it, taking into consideration the difference of the mode of expression in the two eras? And this may hold good, not only between Tacitus and Sallustius, but between Sallustius and Thucydides.

Such is the aspect under which I endeavour to behold the classics, viz. as one great whole, having here and there pieces gone or faded (lost or hopelessly corrupted), and which fit into each other, showing the building which intellect erects, the only building calculated to withstand the hand of time. Thanks be to printing, to cheap literature, and to English energy and investigation, antiquity may again rear her head, and fell that it is comprehended in all its varied bearings, and lights and shadows.

To men like Niebuhr, Grote, Layard, Prescott, St. John, Wilkinson, Rawlinson, and Norris, do we owe a debt of gratitude, for such patience and investigation; and no one cheers them on with a more sincere feeling, and thanks them for their past exertions, than

Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie.

Footnote 2:(return)Short-hand, we know, was in use at Rome.

Short-hand, we know, was in use at Rome.

Mr. Peter Cunningham, in his delightfulHandbook of London, says that when the New Temple "passed to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, the Inner and Middle Temple were leased to the Students of the Common Law; and theOuter Templeto Walter Stapleton, Bishop of Exeter:" and in describing Essex House, by which name itwas afterwards known, he repeats the same statement; as if the Outer Temple was part of the original property of the Knights Templars.

I should be very glad to know what authority he has for this; because I have very great doubt whether the "Outer Temple" ever belonged to the Knights Templars or to the Knights of St. John, or was in any manner comprehended within the property. The New Temple, as the whole property was called, belonged to Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, at the time of his death, in June, 1323. The Council of Vienna, in 1324, bestowed all the lands of the Knights Templars on the Knights of St. John. Since my letter to you on the general subject of the Temple, and L. B. L.'s obliging answer (Vol. ii., pp. 103. 123.), I have been kindly furnished by Mr. Joseph Burtt, of the Chapter House, with a deed, dated June 28, 1324, by which the Knights of St. John granted thewholeof the New Temple, "totum messuagium nostrum vocatum Novum Templum," to Hugh le Despencer the younger; describing it to be lyingbetween the house(hospicium)of the Bishop of Exetertowards the west, and the house of Hugo de Courteneye towards the east. This shows manifestly that if the Bishop of Exeter's house ever belonged to the Temple, it did not at that time; and I am not aware of any earlier evidence proving that the Templars ever possessed it.

I believe, though I have not seen the record, that, in the grant to Sir William Paget, temp. Henry VI., it is described as the "Outer Temple;" but I am inclined to think, from various circumstantial testimonies, that it was merely so called because it was situate on theoutsideof the Temple.

If any of your correspondents could illustrate this question, or that more curious one,—when the new Temple was first divided between Inner and Middle,—I should feel infinitely obliged.

Edward Foss.

1. Can any of your readers give me any information regarding a work which I find recorded in a catalogue thus:—A Catalogue of above 300 Coins of Canute, King of Denmark and England, found near Kirkwall, with Specimens.4to. London, 1777? I should like, if possible, to have a copy of the title-page, the size, and the number of pages; and, if possible, the name of the compiler.

2. I should like to find out the name of the translator into English, of Pontoppidan'sNatural History of Norway, published in folio in London in 1755.

3. Can any of your readers oblige me with the name of the author of a controversial sermon, entitledWhigs no Christians, preached at London, on the anniversary of the martyrdom of King Charles, in 1712-13, and published in the same year?

Βορεας.

Although the Dutch language is now regarded in foreign countries with a neglect bordering on contempt, and its study, when attended to at all, generally undertaken as a work of necessity rather than a labour of love, I have thought it would not be without interest to examine to what extent it was formerly cultivated (were it even chiefly by Dutchmen) in foreign lands; to institute a search after the productions of the Dutch mind in the Dutch language brought forth on foreign soils; in a word, to pass in review the Dutch books which have been published in other countries during the period included between the invention of printing and our own days.

It appears to me that such a review would lead to much interesting research, and would tend not only to illustrate our literature, but also to clear up many points still obscure in our national, and more especially in our ecclesiastical, history.

The review which I propose would be limited, in the first instance, to the formation of an exact and complete list of suchexoticworks, with the addition of such notes as I might be able to add. A more experienced hand may then make use of these materials to form a more perfect treatise on this portion of our literature.

In execution of this plan I have already compiled a list of names of books and authors; these have been gathered partly from an examination of the works themselves, partly from catalogues and other sources where such works are mentioned. Now, however, as my resources are nearly exhausted, and my labours by no means complete, I take the liberty to lay my plan before those who may be disposed to concur with me, those who may be able to procure me information, those who have the possession or the care of libraries in which such books are to be found, and of which catalogues have not been printed; and, for the end I have in view, I invite them all to help me in the completion of my work. The editors of theNavorscherhave consented to open their columns to contributors. To spare needless trouble, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not include any works published inBelgium, or in the colonies now or formerly in our possession.

Martinus.

Amsterdam, March 11. 1851.

What country was inhabited by the Angles before they occupied Britain? Adam of Bremen (Hist. Eccl.c. 3.) says:

"Igitur Saxones primo circa Rhenum sedes habitant et vocati sunt Angli quorum pars inde veniens in Britanniam, etc."

Notwithstanding the opinion of Turner, and most other historians, I venture to offer a few facts in confirmation of the monk's testimony. 1. The names of places on the Lower Rhine, and more especially in Guelderland, point to anAnglianorigin for instance,Engelanderholt,EngelenburgandEngelenberg,AngerloolimAngelerlo.Engeland, near Beekbergen, is mentioned in a charter[3]dated 801 asvilla Englandi. Several other places bear the same name: two near Hardenberg, one in the land of Putten, another in our parish; which also containsHenschotenolimHengestschoten, and owes its own name toWoden. Near Nimwegen, we haveHorssen. 2. Many local names in the same district, which can only be explained by reference to the A.-S.Hulkesteinon the Zuyder Sea,Hulkesteinnear Arnhem, from A.-S.hulc, a dwelling: thus, stone buildings, castles.Thri, A.-S., three, is mentioned in a charter dated 855 as the name of a villa, now the hamletDrie, near Ermelo.HierdandHeerd, from A.-S.hierde, perhaps alsoHardewickorHarderwykfrom the same.Braclog, a wood near Engelanderholt, frombrac, enemy, andlocen, an enclosure, is mentioned in a charter (801).LunternandLunhorst, from A.-S.Lun, poor.Wigmond, fromwig, war; andmund, defence.Culenburg, fromciolorceol, a ship.Klingelbeck, near Arnhem, fromclingan, to shrink up.Ysseloordfromord, a point; and thus confluence of two rivers, as we see also on the Rhine,RoerortandAngerort.Herwynen,Herveld,Hernen,Herwaarden,Winden Delwynen,Sennewyn, can be explained[4]by A.-S.hereandwin. 3. The agreement between the names of places here, and those of every part of England occupied by the Angles. Out of a great number of instances collected by Mr. Molhuysen (see Nyhoff'sBijdragen, vol. iii.) I will take a few. In Kent we have Appledore, Appleton, Appleby; hereAppeldorn,Appel,Appeltern,Appelenburgon the Wahal. Ashe and Ash;Asch, near Buren, and others. Barne;Bernnear Heusden, andBaarnnear Amersfoort. Barnefield;Barneveld. Bonington,Boningen. Dover;Doveren. Gillingham;Gellinchem. Hearne;Hiern, near Waardenburg. Herne;Hernen. Leisdon;Leusden. Lone;Loenen. Sandwich;Sandwyk, near Tiel. Watchorne;Waghorn, in the Velume. In Yorkshire: Beel;De Beele, near Voorst. Byland;Byland. Campe;Campen. Catwich;Katwyk. Dodworth;Dodewaard. Ecope;Heicop. Grimestone;Grimmestein, on the Eem. Heck;Eck. Hampall;Empel, near Engelen. Herfield;Herveld. Hewick;Ewyk, &c. &c.—The evident similarity of names in this list, which might be extended through several pages, affords at least a strong presumption that a part of the land of our fathers is to be sought here. I will just add that there is a MS. containing copies of charters, registers, &c., collected by Opstraeten van der Moelen, a genealogist, who died in the early part of the seventeenth century, now in the possession of Mr. Van Asch van Wyck. In this is an article entitled "De Nobili et Antiqua Familia dicta Amersfoort seu potius Heemsfurt vel Hemefurt a vado Heeme seu Hemi fluvii." The writer makes mention of the well-known grant of Charlemagne to the cathedral of Utrecht, by which Lisidunum (Leusden) and four forests on the banks of the Eem were ceded to this church:Hengestschoten,Fornese,Mocoroth, andWidoc. The writer considers the last-named forest to be that ofWedeorWoden; and derives thence the family-nameWeede. ConcerningHengestschotenis remarked:

"Hengist, qui circum annum 450 Britanniam insulam cum suis Frisonibus et Saxonibus occupat." And further: "Weede nomen adhunc retinere videtur aWoden, qui fuit avus aviHengesti, sicutHengestschoten, nune prædium dominorum Oestbroek, abHengistonominatur."

Henschoten was ceded to the abbey of Oestbroek in 1130, and sold at the breaking up of the monasteries; and is now the property of Mr. Van Asch van Wyck. Since, therefore, the above extract must have been written before the Reformation, the belief that our forefathers proceeded from this country is by no means new; and the evidence in its support is, I think, stronger than that adduced by Turner and Lappenberg in favour of an immigration from Sleswig; indeed it seems not improbable that the first settlers, withHengistat their head, sailed from the mouth of the Eem. I have more to add in a future Number, if "Notes and Queries" can afford me space.

J. S.

Woudenberg, April, 1851.

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