"The way to bliss lies not on beds of down,And he that had no cross deserves no crown."
"The way to bliss lies not on beds of down,
And he that had no cross deserves no crown."
MARICONDA.
"When Dido found Æneas did not come,She wept in silence, and was—di-do-dum."
"When Dido found Æneas did not come,
She wept in silence, and was—di-do-dum."
Who was the author of the above well-known bit of philology?
A. A. D.
—Dr. Schmitz (in Smith'sAntiq., articleSHIPS) speaks of "the pegs,σκαλμοί,between which the oars move[d], and to which they were fastened by a thong,τροπωτήρ." What is the authority for two pegs,between which, &c? A single peg and thong, as still in frequent use, would be intelligible!
Dr. Smith observes (ap. id. p. 1139.) that the decree of Scamandrius, which ordained that no free Athenian should be tortured, "does not appear to have interdicted torture as a means of execution,sincewe find Demosthenes (de Cor.271.) reminding the judges that they had put Antiphon to death by the rack." Does it not escape him that Antiphon wasthen an alien, having suffered expulsion from the Lexiarchic list. (See Dem.l.c.)
A. A. D.
—Where is the treaty or act of parliament to be found which guaranteed compensation to the French refugees at the end of the war? Is it possible to obtain a list of those who received compensation, and the amount paid; and if so, where?
S. QUARTO.
—In Charles Knight'sLondonmention is made, amongst the noble persons buried in the church of the Grey Friars, of Isabel, wife of Baron Fitzwarren, sometime queen of the Isle of Man. Will you or some of your correspondents be so kind as to tell me who this lady was, and when the Isle of Man ceased to be an independent kingdom?
FANNY.
—According to theFriend of Indiaof 4th September, 1851, there is at Cossimbazar the following inscription:—
"SARAH MATTOCKS,Aged 27.Much lamented by her husband,Lieutenant-Colonel JOHNMATTOCKS.Was the grand-daughter of theGreat JOHNHAMDEN, Esq.,Of St. James's, Westminster."
"SARAH MATTOCKS,
Aged 27.
Much lamented by her husband,
Lieutenant-Colonel JOHNMATTOCKS.
Was the grand-daughter of the
Great JOHNHAMDEN, Esq.,
Of St. James's, Westminster."
In the following number (dated 11th September, 1851), the editor offers an apology for having omitted the date of the decease of Mrs. Mattocks, viz. 1778; and then remarks that—
"As she was twenty-seven years old at her death, she must have been born in 1751; it was therefore impossible that she should have been the grand-daughter of the great John Hampden, that died in 1643, one hundred and eight years before her birth."
Query, Can any of your correspondents give me any information respecting the subject?
SALOPIAN.
—In Latrobe'sRambler in North America, London, 1835, vol. ii. p. 290., is a curious account of this insect, which visits Pennsylvania every seventeenth year, and appears about May 24. It is under an inch in length when it first appears early in the morning, and gains its strength after the sun has risen. These insects live ten or fifteen days, and never seem to eat any food. They come in swarms, and birds, pigs, and poultry fatten on them. The female lays her eggs in the outermost twigs of the forest; these die and drop on the ground. The eggs give birth to a number of small grubs, which are thus enabled to attain the mould without injury, and in it they disappear; they are forgotten till seventeen years pass, and then the memory of them returns, and they rise from the earth, piercing their way through the matted sod, the hard trampled clay, &c. They appeared in 1749, &c., to 1834, and are expected in 1851. Has this expectation been fulfilled?
C. I. R.
—Under this title (the proper spelling in which should beSinaorSenena) an article appears in Vol. iv., p. 120., comprising a portion of the genealogy of the Welsh princess, in which three of her sons are mentioned, viz., Owen, Llewellyn, and David. But there was afourthson, Roderic, who settled in England, and appears to have been residing there for some time, when the fatal rupture occurred between the two countries. It would appear that descendants of his have lived, and are living in our own times; among them, the late Dr. John Mawer, of Middleton Tyas, whose remarkable epitaph was given in a former number of "NOTES ANDQUERIES." My first inquiry is, Is there known to exist any genealogy assuming to extend between the Rev. and learned gentleman just named and Prince Roderic? I am told there was one published in theBritish Peerage for 1706, at which time John Mawer would be three years of age; is such the fact? I wish also to ask, whether PrinceOwenwas in existence at the time of the deaths of Llewellyn and David—whether in Wales or England? and whether he was the ancestor of Owen Tudor, the proud father of Henry VII.; and, if not, whowasOwen Tudor's ancestor?
AMANUENSIS.
—Was the late Mr. Jenings of Acton Hall, Suffolk, descended from the family of Jenings, formerly of Silsden, Skipton in Craven, and afterwards of Ripon, Yorkshire; and if so, where can information as to the pedigree be obtained?
A. B. C.
Brighton.
—May not the site of Caleva Atrebatum have been at Caversham, on the north of the Thames, near Reading?
The distance of Caleva from Londinium was forty-four Roman miles, making forty English; and from Venta Belgarum, thirty-six Roman or thirty-three English miles.
Caleva, according to Ptolemy's map, was on the north of the Thames; a portion of the present Oxfordshire being in the country assigned by the same geographer to the Atrebates.
G. J.
—Whence, or when, originated the application ofAbigail, as applied to a lady's maid? It is used by Dean Swift in this sense; but in a way that shows that it was no new phrase in those days.
J. S. WARDEN.
Balica.
—Jacob, in hisLaw Dictionary, giving Cowel as his authority (who, however, advances no further elucidation), derives the word fromdur-den, a coppice in a valley. Does the worddursignify wood, or, if the Britishdwr, is it not water?
F. R. R.
—I have a halfpenny, apparently American, bearing on the obverse, a head to the right, and "Auctori Connect.;" and on the reverse, "Inde." forindependence, and "Lib." for liberty; date in the exerg., 1781 or 1787; and between "Inde." and "Lib." five stars. Can any of your correspondents tell me if my explanation of the reverse is the correct one? and also who was the "Auctori Connect.," or founder of the state of Connecticut?
J. N. C.
King's Lynn.
—For what reason are the arms of Methwen (and some others, I believe) placed on the breast of a two-headed eagle displayed sable?
H. N. E.
[When armorial ensigns are borne upon the breast of an eagle, the general inference is that the bearers thereof are Counts of the Holy Roman Empire, it being the practice in Germany for Counts of the Empire so to display the eagle.
There are some cases in which especial grants have been made to Englishmen so to do, as in the case of the family ofMethwen; and persons having received the royal licence in England to accept the dignity of Count of the Empire, so carry their arms, as in the cases of Earl Cowper, Lord Arundel of Wardour, St. Paul, &c.]
—Where can I obtain any information respecting St. Beuno, to whom I find several churches dedicated in Wales?
J. D. D.
[In Rees'sEssay on the Welsh Saints, p. 268., and Williams'sEcclesiastical Antiquities of the Cymry, p. 137. The college of Beuno is now called Clynog Vawr. See alsoThe Cambro-Briton, vol. iii. p. 14.]
—What publication contains a list of theknights bachelormade by George I. and George II. (1714-1760)? With regard to the subsequent reign I have found theCalendar of Knights, by Francis Townsend, London, 1828, very accurate and perfect.
☞ N.
[There is not any continuous list ofKnights Bachelorsin any published works since Philpot'sCatalogue, 1660, until Townsend'sCalendar, which commences in 1760. The knights made by Kings George I. and II. will be found only in some of the genealogical publications of the day, such as theBritish Compendium, published at intervals between 1720 and 1769; Chamberlayne'sState of Great Britain; or Heylin'sHelp to English History, or Phillipps'sList of Nobility, and similar works.
Mr Townsend contemplated the publication of a list, and left an imperfect MS., which passed into the hands of Sir Thomas Phillipps, who printed it; but though privately circulated, it was never published. See Moule'sBibliotheca Heraldicafor various works of the character referred to.]
—An American lady lecturing on Bloomerism last week was much puzzled by theaudience bursting into roars of laughter upon her quoting Professor Walker as an authority for some statement. The roars redoubled upon her declaring her belief that Professor Walker was a most respectable and trustworthy person. Can any one explain the origin of the joke that lies in the name "Walker?" Why do people say "Walker" when they wish to express ridicule or disbelief of a questionable statement?
DAVUS.
[The history of the renowned "Hookey Walker," as related by John Bee, Esq., is simply this:—John Walker was an out-door clerk at Longman, Clementi, and Co.'s in Cheapside, where a great number of persons were employed; and "Old Jack," who had a crooked or hooked nose, occupied the post of a spy upon their aberrations, which were manifold. Of course, it was for the interests of the surveillants to throw discredit upon all Jack's reports to the heads of the firm; and numbers could attest that those reports were fabrications, however true. Jack, somehow or other, was constantly outvoted, his evidence superseded, and of course disbelieved; and thus his occupation ceased, but not the fame of "Hookey Walker."]
—Can any of your readers inform me of "The privileges of, and the ancient customs appertaining to, the See of Durham?"
H. F.
Clapham, Nov. 3. 1851.
[These relate most probably to the palatine rights of the Bishops of Durham, granted by Egfrid, King of Northumbria, in 685; when he gave to St. Cuthbert all the land between the Wear and the Tyne, called "the patrimony of St. Cuthbert," to hold in as full and ample a manner as the king himself holds the same. This donative, with its ancient customs and privileges, was confirmed by the Danes, and afterwards by William the Conqueror; in addition to which, the latter made the church a sanctuary, and the county a palatinate. Its bishop was invested with as great a power and prerogative within his see, as the king exercised without the bounds of it, with regard to forfeitures, &c. Thus it was a kind of royalty subordinate to the crown, and, by way of eminence, was calledThe Bishoprick. For an account of the ancient customs connected with the cathedral, our correspondent is referred to the curious and interesting work of Davies of Kidwelly, entitled,The Ancient Rites and Monuments of the Monastical and Cathedral Church of Durham, 12mo. 1672, which has been republished by the Surtees Society.]
This body (of which I am a member) ought to meet on the same occasions with that of Canterbury; but owing to the neglect or the wilfulness of its officials, many omissions and mistakes occur. I have heard a commission tofurtheradjourn the Convocation, from a day to which it previously stood adjourned, read the dayafterthat on which it ought to have assembled, but which day had arrived and passed without any one recollecting the fact! Our Convocation appears at no time to have acted a very prominent part, though its constitution is far better fitted for a working synod than that of the southern province. In the latter theparochialclergy are so inadequately represented as to be much outnumbered by thedignitariesappointed by the crown and the bishops; but in York there aretwoproctors chosen by the clergy ofeacharchdeaconry and peculiar jurisdiction, andtwoby each cathedral chapter; thus affording a complete counterpoise to the deans and archdeacons who are membersex officio. Another peculiarity in the Convocation of York is, that it assembles inonehouse, the bishops commonly appearing by their proxies (priests), and the archbishop presiding by his commissioner, who is always the dean, or one of the residentiary canons of York.
In 1462 (temp.Archbishop Booth) the Convocation of York decreed that such constitutions of the province of Canterbury as were not prejudicial to those of York should be received, incorporated, and deemed as their own (Wilkins'sConcilia, vol. iii. p. 580.). Under Archbishop Grenefeld it was decreed that since the Archbishop of York hath no superior in spirituals except the Pope, no appeals should be suffered to the Archbishop of Canterbury (p. 663.). At an earlier period the northern metropolitan laid claim to all England north of the Humber, with the whole realm of Scotland (Wilkins, vol. i. pp. 325, 479, &c.). In a provincial council at London,A.D.1175, his jurisdiction was denied over the sees of Lincoln,Chester, Worcester, and Hereford, upon which he appealed to the Pope. With the exception of Chester, however, none of these sees were finally retained in the province.
The next year we are told that, in a (national) council at Westminster, the Pope's legate presiding, the Archbishop of York, "disdaining to sit at the left hand of the legate, forced himself into the lap of the Archbishop of Canterbury, but was immediatelyknocked downby the other bishops and clergy, severely beaten, and thrust out of the council!" (Hoveden ap. Wilkins, vol. i. p. 485.) How far the Northern Convocation supported their burly prelate in these claims I do not know; but Inotethat in those days the disorderly conduct of the clergy wasnotmade a pretext for the indefinite suspension of synodical functions; and Iquerywhether the clergy might not be trusted to behave quite as well in the nineteenth century.
But to return to the Convocation of York. There is a curious letter,A.D.1661, from Accepted Frewen, Archbishop of York, to the Convocation, desiring them to send up to London some of their members duly commissioned on their part to sitwith the Lower House of Canterbury for the review of the Liturgy. In this letter the archbishop says that himself and the other bishops of the province were sittingwith the bishops of the southern province in their House. A similar expedient for constituting aquasi-national synod seems to have been resorted to upon some earlier occasions; but the Convocation of York still passed in due form by their own separate decree what was so agreed upon. The Articles were thus subscribed by our Convocation in 1571, and the Canons in 1604 and 1640.
Since then the Convocation of York has been regularly summoned, met, adjourned, and been prorogued, without even the dutiful address to the crown, which is regularly discussed and adopted in Canterbury. In the year 1847, a spasmodic attempt at life was manifested in this venerable and ill-used institution. Archbishop Harcourt had consented that an address to the crown should be adopted, and himself procured a draft to be approved by the bishops. His grace however died before the day of meeting. Some difficulty was experienced by the officials, both in York and London, as to the course to be pursued; but a precedent having been pointed out in the reign of James I., when Archbishop Hutton died after summoning the Convocation and before its assembly, a writ was issued from the crown to the dean and chapter at York to elect apræsesfor the Convocation during the vacancy of the archbishoprick. They appointed the canon who happened to be in residence; an unusually large attendance was given; the Convocation was opened, the names called over, and then the officials had reached the limit of their experience; according totheirprecedents we ought all to have been sent away. The address however was called on by thepræses, being apparently quite unaware that aprolocutorshould be chosen by the clergy before they proceeded to business. Such an officer probably seemed to the dignitary already in the chair like asecond King of Brentford"smelling at one rose," and the demand was refused. Further difficulties ensued, of course, the moment the debate was opened; and finally, thepræses, determined not to be tempted out of his depth, rose all at once, and read the fatalformulawhich restored our glorious Chapter House to its silent converse with the ghosts. The Convocation has never since been heard of.
CANEBOR.
If your correspondent A. B. R. will refer to Walpole'sFugitive Pieceshe will find a minute inquiry into the person and age of this long-lived lady. This is doubtless the dissertation alluded to by C. (Vol. ii., p. 219.) Pennant hastwonotices of the countess in his Scotch tours. In that of 1769 (which somewhat strangely follows the one of 1772), he gives at p. 87. the engraving spoken of (Vol. iv., p. 306.), apparently taken from the original at Dupplin Castle. It differs a little from R's. description of another portrait, as the cloak is strapped over the chest, not held by a button. In 1772 Pennant again describes this portrait in hisTour in Scotland, vol. ii. p. 88., and speaks of four others, viz., first, at Devonshire House; second, at the Hon. John Yorke's seat, near Cheltenham; third, at Mr. Scott's, printer; and the fourth, in the Standard Closet, Windsor Castle. At the back of the last is written with a pen "Rembrandt." "A mistake (says P.) as Rembrandt was not fourteen years of age (he was indeed only eight) in 1614, at which time it is certain the countess was not living."
In my copy of theFugitive Pieces(the Strawberry Hill edition, presented by Walpole to Cole), I find the following manuscript note by Cole;an amplification of thepassage from Walpole's letters quoted at p. 306.:—
"Being at Strawberry Hill in April, 1773, I saw there a copy of the picture commonly attributed to the old Countess of Desmond; but Mr. Walpole told me that there is sufficient proof that it is a painter's mother, I think Rembrandt's. However, by a letter from Mr. Lort, April 15, 1774, he assures me that on Mr. Pennant's calling at Strawberry Hill to see this picture, he was much chagrined at having a print of it engraved for his book, till Mr. Lort revived him by carrying him to a garret in Devonshire House, where was a picture of this same countess with her name on it, exactly corresponding to his engraved print. I remember a tolerable good old picture of her at Mr. Dicey's, prebendary of Bristol, at Walton in Bucks."
Walpole could not dismiss Pennant without a disparaging remark. He is "a superficial man, and knows little of history or antiquity; but he has a violent rage for being an author." Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones: Pennant would not have displayed the ignorance which Walpole exhibits in the instance before us. In an inscription, which the latter gives, on a Countess of Desmond buried at Sligo, occurs the following contraction: "DesmoniæNoieElizabetha." Walpole says (Fugitive Pieces, p. 204.), "This word I can make no sense of, butsic originale; I take it to be redundancy of the carver. It seems to be a repetition of the last three syllables of Desmoniæ!"
The sarcastic observations which Walpole passes on the Society of Antiquaries, its members, and its publications, are so frequent and so bitter, that they must have been founded on some offence not to be pardoned. Were the remarks on the "Historic Doubts" by the president, Dean Milles, and by the Rev. Robert Masters (printed in the first two volumes of theArchæologia), regarded assatisfactorily confuting Walpole's arguments; or did he aim, but unsuccessfully, at the president's chair?
J. H. M.
Bath.
There have been many attempts to explain the puzzlingVCRIMDR, on the supposition that a Latin sentence was concealed under these letters. Pinkerton suggested "Voluntate Cæsaris Romani Imperatoris Maximi Domini, Rex." I hope to offer a better solution, which, although not new, has been passed over, I believe, by all subsequent writers. The Rev. George North, in theMuseum Meadianum, p. 97., gives the following note: "Apud Arabes accepi verbum Karama significare Honoravit, a quo Ucrima, et Ucrim; quo sensu respondet hoc ArabicumΤῷ Σεβαστῷapud Græcos." On applying to a well-known scholar and linguist here, I found that from the verbKaramathere was derived the adjectiveKarīmat(nobilis), from which again the superlativeAkramcomes. There can, I think, be little doubt that the wordVCRIMDRis originally derived from this verbKarama, and that it is most probably equivalent toNobilissimus, a title so common shortly afterwards, as applied to the heirs to the empire.[3]
[3]"Nobilissimus, in the Byzantine historians, is synonymous with Cæsar."—Niebuhr.
The wordϹΡΩΙΑϹorϹΡΙΑϹ, which appears on the Alexandrian coins of this prince, is of more difficult explanation. Some think it a prænomen, some a Syriac or other Eastern title, perhaps corresponding toVCRIMDR. Pellerin thought so. I hope some Oriental scholar will direct his attention to this point. These coins are very often ill struck, so that the part of the legend below the head, where the word in question is found, is indistinct, for which reason I suppose MR.TAYLORhas followed the erroneous reading of Banduri,ΕΡΜΙΑϹ(properlyϵΡΜΙΑϹ, with lunate epsilon) forϹΡΩΙΑϹ, which has been corrected by Eckhel. Of three specimens which I possess, one only reads clearlyϹΡΩΙΑϹ, from the above-mentioned cause, but it is unquestionably the correct reading on all. The best arrangement of the legend, from analogy with those forms used by the Romans, is as follows:
ΑΥΤοκρατωρ . ϹΡΩΙΑϹ . ΟΥΑΒΑΛΛΑΘΟϹ . ΑΘΗΝΟδωρου . Υιος.
ΑΥΤοκρατωρ . ϹΡΩΙΑϹ . ΟΥΑΒΑΛΛΑΘΟϹ . ΑΘΗΝΟδωρου . Υιος.
The existence of coins, of which I possess a specimen also, reading
Α . ϹΡΙΑϹ . ΟΥΑΒΑΛΛΑΘΟϹ . ΑΘΗΝ . Υ.
Α . ϹΡΙΑϹ . ΟΥΑΒΑΛΛΑΘΟϹ . ΑΘΗΝ . Υ.
shows that we must not readΑΘΗΝΟΥas one word, but must divide it as above. I think MR.TAYLORwill find his specimen to read as the last-mentioned coin, theΕΡ(properlyϵΡ) beingϹΡ, and theΑΥin like mannerΑϹ. My coin gives the whole legend distinctly, and I can vouch for the exactitude of the above legend.
I believe there appeared some years ago, in theRevue de Numismatique, an article on the coins of the Zenobian family, but I do not remember when it was published, nor the conclusions to which the writer came. That is, however, the most recent investigation of the subject, and to it I must refer MR.TAYLOR, as I have not access to that periodical here.
Sir Gardner Wilkinson has published in theNumismatic Chronicle, vol. vii. or viii., an inscription containing the names of Zenobia and Vabalathus. After the name of Vabalathus, who has the title of Autocrator, is the wordΑΘΗΝΟΔΩΡΟΥ, which justifies the readingΑθηνοδωρου Υιοςon the coins. Vabalathus is thus probably the son of Zenobia by a former husband, Athenodorus, while bearing himself the same name, as Vabalathus (better Vaballathus, as on the Alexandrian coins) is said to be equivalent to Athenodorus, Gift of Pallas.
W. H. S.
Edinburgh.
I entirely agree with you that your pages are not a fit battle-ground for theological controversy. Still, since the question of the translation of Heb. xiii. 4. has been mooted, I beg with much deference to suggest that it will not be quite right to let it fall to the ground unsettled, especially since CEPHAShas thought fit to charge those of our Reformers who translated the Scriptures with mistranslating advisedly, and with propagating new doctrines.
CEPHAS'Sversion of the passage is right, and our English version is wrong; but the fault lies in the ignorance of our translators, an ignorance which they shared with all the scholars of their day, and many not bad scholars of our own, of the effect produced on the force of the article by the relation in which it stands to the other words in the clause, in point of order.ὁ τίμιος γάμοςis "the honourable marriage;"ὁ τίμιος γάμος ἐστίis "the honourable marriage is;"ὁ γάμος τίμιοςis untranslateable, unless you supplyἐστί, and then it means "the marriage" (or, marriage in general, in the abstract) "is honourable." Butἔστωmight be supplied, as it is in Heb. xiii. 4., when it will mean, "let marriage be honourable:" andτίμιος ὁ γάμοςhas just the same meaning, with perhaps this difference, that the emphasis falls more distinctly onτίμιος. The circumstance that the mere assertion that marriage is honourable in all (men or things), true as it is in itself, ill accords with the tenor of the passage of which it forms a part, which is hortatory, not assertive, is a good reason whyCEPHAS'Sversion should be preferred. But when we find afterwards the wordsκαὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος, it is impossible to deny this hortatory force to the sentence; for those words cannot mean "the undefiled bed:" and to translate them "the (or their) bed is undefiled"—which is the only version which they will here bear, but one—would give but a feeble sense. That sole remaining sense is, "the bed (let it) be undefiled;" subauditeἔστωin the verse is, "Let marriage be honourable in all" (men or things), "and the bed be undefiled; but (or for) whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." Had our translators known thatἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντοςcould not mean "the bed undefiled," they would at once have been driven to see that the verse is a commandment: and the commandment that marriage should be held honourable in all men (or in all respects), would have served the purpose of their doctrines quite as well as the affirmative form which they have given to their present version. I say, it would have served their purpose; but I say more: they heeded not what did or would serve their purpose. They looked only for the truth and disregarded all else in their pursuit of it. With regard to the controversy aboutἐν πᾶσι, it is immaterial which version be adopted. MR.WALTERis right in the rule which he enunciates, if he means that in those cases of adjectives in which the masculine and neuter forms are the same, "man" or "men," not "thing" or "things," must be understood: but it is not always observed, even in classical writers, either in Latin or in Greek. There is no reason why it should be broken here; and I do not believe it is broken. It must have been only by a slip of CEPHAS'Spen that he calledπᾶσιa feminine adjective. It undoubtedly refers to both sexes. I wish E. A. D. had given the Greek of the passages from Chrysostom and Augustine, of which he has communicated the Oxford translation, which is as likely to err, perhaps, as any other. Jerome's Latin, like the Vulgate, though the words are not precisely the same, gives a literal version of the Greek, without supplying any verb at all, eitherestorsit, and, since the Latin has not that expressive power in cases like this which the article gives to the Greek, leaves the passage obscure and undecided.
THEOPHYLACT.
—The lines alluded to by your correspondent MR.ABSALONform a inscription on a portrait of King James I. in the Cracherode Collection. (Vide Beloe'sAnecdotes, vol. i. p. 210.)
"Crownes have their compasse, length of dayes their date,Triumphes their tombes, felicitie her fate;Of more than earth can earth make none partaker,But knowledge makes the king most like his Maker."
"Crownes have their compasse, length of dayes their date,
Triumphes their tombes, felicitie her fate;
Of more than earth can earth make none partaker,
But knowledge makes the king most like his Maker."
I am aware that this reference does not go to the "root of the matter," if MR.ABSALONwishes to ascertain the author's name; but it may serve as a clue to further discovery.
MARGARETGATTY.
Ecclesfield.
It is quite obvious what lines your correspondent alludes to, though the above quotation which he gives as the commencement of them is not quite correct, nor were they written with the object he supposes.
I send a correct copy of them below, taken from Mr. Payne Collier's very interestingLife of Shakspeare, to whom they have always been attributed; and, it is said, with every show of reason. It is supposed they were written by him in the shape of a complimentary allusion to King James I., in grateful acknowledgment of the patronage bestowed by that monarch upon the stage. The subject is fully discussed at pp. 202, 203. of Mr. Knight's volume, whence, indeed, the above information is derived; and he publishes the lines, as follows, stating then to be copied from a coeval manuscript in his possession:—
"SHAKSPEARE ON THE KING."Crowns have their compass—length of days their date—Triumphs their tomb—felicity, her fate—Of nought but earth can earth make us partaker,But knowledge makes a king most like his Maker."
"SHAKSPEARE ON THE KING.
"SHAKSPEARE ON THE KING.
"Crowns have their compass—length of days their date—Triumphs their tomb—felicity, her fate—Of nought but earth can earth make us partaker,But knowledge makes a king most like his Maker."
"Crowns have their compass—length of days their date—
Triumphs their tomb—felicity, her fate—
Of nought but earth can earth make us partaker,
But knowledge makes a king most like his Maker."
Some one, to make the allusion more complete, that is, to over-do it, changed "aking" into "theking" in a subsequent publication of the lines. But this, as Mr. Payne Collier very justly feels, completely spoils the whole complexion of the epigram, and perverts a fine allusion into a raw personality.
J. J. A.
—The observations of BOLTONCORNEYupon my incidental mention of Dr. Farmer, are, I think, wholly unwarranted, both in substance and manner, especially as he himself furnishes ample confirmation of its truth.
[4]At page 379., second column, fifth line from bottom, for "thrice" read "twice."
Taking his quotations in due order—
1. The certificate of Dr. Farmer's character for learning and ability is unnecessary, because neither was impugned; nor does an allegation of atrocity in taste and judgment necessarily imply deficiency in mere book-learning.
2. As for Isaac Reed's opinion in favour of Farmer's Essay, it might be met by many of directly opposite tendency, and of at least equal weight.
3. In the only point really in question, BOLTONCORNEY"cannot deny that Farmer related the anecdote of thewool-man" (that being the reputedtrade of Shakspeare's father); but to what end was it related, if not to suggest an application of which Steevens was only the interpreter?
But BOLTONCORNEYthinks the character of the witness suspicious; he forgets that only just before he had stated that the anecdote and its application had been repeated in three editions, extending over thirteen years, all within the lifetime of Dr. Farmer!
A. E. B.
Leeds.
—The correspondent who asserts thecurious factthat Johnson, Richardson, and Webster do not notice the wordearwigmust have consulted some expurgated editions of the works of those celebrated lexicographers—or else we must consider his assertion as acurious factin the history of literary oversights.
BOLTONCORNEY.
Although there are few books which have proved of greater utility to inquirers into the more recent history of England than Beatson'sPolitical Index, yet it is also true that there are few which have more frequently or more justly caused the reader to feel the want of a new and improved edition. A very short examination, however, of Mr. Haydn's recently published Beatson'sPolitical Index Modernised, The Book of Dignities, containing Rolls of the Official Personages of the British Empire, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Judicial, Military, Naval, and Municipal, &c., will satisfy the reader that such want has at length been supplied in a manner the most ample and the most satisfactory. For though we have referred to Beatson's well-known work for the purpose of furnishing a better idea of theBook of Dignities, we are bound to acknowledge that Mr. Haydn is justified in stating, that in the work in question he owes little more than the plan to Beatson. Mr. Haydn's volume not only contains many lists (among them the "Administrations of England, and the Judges of the Ecclesiastical Courts") not to be found in thePolitical Index, but the author has had the advantage of being permitted to search the various official records with the view of enabling him to give complete and accurate information. The result, of course, is obvious; namely, that just in the same proportion that our author surpasses Beatson in the extent and accuracy of his various lists, does theBook of Dignitiesexceed its predecessor in usefulness to the official man, the historian, and the scholar.
Mr. Hunt's experience as a public lecturer at the various literary and scientific institutions of the country, having convinced him that for the majority of the members of those institutions most of the existing works on natural philosophy are of too abstruse and technical a character—are, in short, sealed books,—he has been led to publish a small volume which we have no doubt will soon become extremely popular. It is entitledElementary Physics, an Introduction to the Study of Natural Philosophy; and, as its object is to teach physical science so far as to render all the great deductions from observation and experiment satisfactorily clear, without encountering the difficulty of mathematics,—and no one is better able to do this, and throw a charm over such a subject, than the author of thePoetry of Science,—the work, which is illustrated with upwards of two hundred woodcuts, will be found eminently useful; not only to those who have neither time nor opportunity to carry their studies beyond its pages, but especially as a "first book" to those in whom it may awaken the desire for a more perfect knowledge of the beautiful and important truths of which it treats.
The nature of theHand Atlas of Physical Geography, consisting of a Series of Maps and Illustrations, showing the Geographical Distribution of Natural Phenomena, embracing the Divisions of Geology, Hydrography, Meteorology, Natural History: from the Physikalischer Atlas of Berghaus, and the Maps of the Erdkunde, drawn by and under the immediate Superintendence of Drs. Ritter and Kiepert, Oetzel, Grimm, &c., by the Editor of the University Atlas of the Middle Ages, is sufficiently described by its ample title-page; which shows, moreover, that the work is not a mere copy or reduction of the great atlas of Berghaus, on which it is founded. As a companion to the works of Humboldt, Mrs. Somerville, and other writers on physical geography, it will be found most useful; while its convenient size, and moderate price, place it within the reach of almost all classes of readers.
CATALOGUESRECEIVED.—Nattali and Bond's (23. Bedford Street) Catalogue Part II. of Ancient and Modern Books; Adam Holden's (60. High Street, Exeter) Catalogue Part XXXIII. of Second-hand Books in Excellent Condition; B. Quaritch's (16. Castle Street, Leicester Square) Catalogue No. 37. of Books in Oriental Literature; J. Russell Smith's (4. Old Compton Street, Soho) Catalogue Part VII. of an Extensive Collection of Choice, Useful, and Curious Books.
HUNTER'SDEANERY OFDONCASTER.Vol. I. Large or small paper.
CLARE'SRURALMUSE.
CHRISTIANPIETY FREED FROM THEDELUSIONS OFMODERNENTHUSIASTS. A.D. 1756 or 1757.
ANANSWER TOFATHERHUDDLESTONE'SSHORT ANDPLAINWAY TO THEFAITH ANDCHURCH. By Samuel Grascombe. London, 1703. 8vo.
REASONS FORABROGATING THETEST IMPOSED UPON ALLMEMBERS OFPARLIAMENT. By Samuel Parker, Lord Bishop of Oxon. 1688. 4to.
LEWIS'SLIFE OFCAXTON. 8vo. 1737.
CATALOGUE OFJOSEPHAMES'SLIBRARY.8vo. 1760.
TRAPP'SCOMMENTARY. Folio. Vol. I.
WHITLAY'SPARAPHRASE ON THENEWTESTAMENT. Folio. Vol. I. 1706.
LONG'SASTRONOMY.4to. 1742.
MAD. D'ARBLAY'SDIARY. Vol. II 1842.
ADAMS'MORALTALES.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OFDR.JOHNSON.1805.
***Letters, stating particulars and lowest price,carriage free, to be sent to MR.BELL, Publisher of "NOTES AND QUERIES," 186. Fleet Street.
J. NORTHwill find his Query respecting theZollvereinanswered in our3rd Vol. p. 451.His others shall appear shortly.
LOVELACE'SPOEMS. D. H. M. C.is informed that these were reprinted in 1817, under the editorship of our valued correspondentMR.SINGER.
J. RAYNER,who asks for names of present reigning sovereigns, of presidents of the United States for the last thirty years, and of the governors-general of India, is referred to Mr. Haydn'sBook of Dignities(noticed in our present number), where he will find all the information of which he is in search.
W. S. W.Many thanks for your kind reminder. The article is in type, although omitted this week from want of room.
J. S. B.is thanked. Such a list would be most useful.
REPLIESRECEIVED.—Pope's Honest Factor—Serpent with Human Head—Marriage of Ecclesiastics—Hobbes's Leviathan—Definition of Truth—Wearing Gloves before Royalty—Derivation of Earwig—Dictionary of Hackneyed Quotations—Passage in Campbell—"'Tis Twopence now"—Cozens the Painter—"Acu tinali meridi"—Nightingale and Thorn, &c.—Theodolite—Temple of Ægina—Ashen Fagots—Cause of Transparency—Praed's Charade—Marriages in ruined Churches—Age of Trees—Joceline's Legacy—St. Bene't Fink—Bristol Tables—"A little Bird told me"—Lycian Inscriptions—Tuden Aled.
Copies of ourProspectus,according to the suggestion ofT. E. H.,will be forwarded to any correspondent willing to assist us by circulating them.
VOLS.I., II.,andIII.,with very copious Indices, may still be had, price 9s. 6d. each, neatly bound in cloth.
NOTES ANDQUERIESis published at noon on Friday, so that our country Subscribers may receive it on Saturday. The subscription for the Stamped Edition is 10s. 2d. for Six Months, which may be paid by Post-office Order drawn in favour of our Publisher, MR. GEORGEBELL, 186 Fleet Street;to whose care all communications for the Editor should be addressed.
Errata.—Page 345, for "FERMILODUM" read "FERMILODVNI;" p. 394. col. 1. l. 34. for "Danish" read "Dutch;" p. 395. col. 1. l. 19. for "Dunferline" read "Dunfermline."