"Templa Deo,"
"Templa Deo,"
but also—
"Templis Monachos, Monachis dedit agros."
"Templis Monachos, Monachis dedit agros."
Were not these strong reasons why the king should remain uncorrupted, at all events in the memory, and also the records, of the brotherhood?
J. J. S.
—The Rev. R. Gibbings, M.A., did some years since give to the public an exact reprint of the first RomanIndex Expurgatorius, in the lengthened Introduction to which he has treated of the whole literature pertaining to the question.
The same rev. gentleman is author of the following elegant inscription on the monument of the Rev. Archer Butler, recently professor of moral philosophy in Trinity College, Dublin. Your miscellany seems an appropriate place wherein to enshrine matters of this order.
"D. O. M."GUILIELMUS ARCHER BUTLER, A.M.Rathmothachiæ Rector in Diœcesi Rapotensi,Apud Dublinienses in Ethicis Professor,Theologus, Poeta, Philosophus,Optimis ingenii dotibus, summâque eloquentiâ præditus,Multa pro Ecclesiâ Christi feliciter conscripsit,Plura moliebatur.Viris ille bonis doctisque juxta carus,Integer vitæ, maturus animi,Religione devinctus, concionibus potensÆqualium decus, simul et exemplar,Malignâ febre correptus,Eheu, quàm intempestivè!E terris migravit A.D.MDCCCXLVIII. ætatis suæ XXXVII.,Triste desiderium superstitibus relinquens,Amici piè memores hoc illi monumentum poni voluere."
"D. O. M.
"GUILIELMUS ARCHER BUTLER, A.M.
Rathmothachiæ Rector in Diœcesi Rapotensi,
Apud Dublinienses in Ethicis Professor,
Theologus, Poeta, Philosophus,
Optimis ingenii dotibus, summâque eloquentiâ præditus,
Multa pro Ecclesiâ Christi feliciter conscripsit,
Plura moliebatur.
Viris ille bonis doctisque juxta carus,
Integer vitæ, maturus animi,
Religione devinctus, concionibus potens
Æqualium decus, simul et exemplar,
Malignâ febre correptus,
Eheu, quàm intempestivè!
E terris migravit A.D.MDCCCXLVIII. ætatis suæ XXXVII.,
Triste desiderium superstitibus relinquens,
Amici piè memores hoc illi monumentum poni voluere."
O. T. D.
—On the west side of the London Road, Westerham, Kent, are some neatly built brick cottages: before one of them stands a yew tree, which, I was informed by an intelligent inhabitant of the town, was planted by the Rev.—Hoadley, on the birth of his son Benjamin. Although the tree still marks the spot, the house itself does not now stand; it was razed to the ground some years since to make room for the present buildings. Benjamin's brother, who was afterwards Archbishop of Dublin, was also born in this house. I may add that this is not generally known in the town, but I think the above "Note" is accurate.
H. G. D.
—Observing that the learned and accomplished Humboldt has concluded hisCosmosin German, although the English translation of the last portion has not yet appeared,—an extremely valuable and interesting scientific contribution towards a general view of human knowledge regarding the universe,—will you permit me to observe, that as it perhaps did not enter into his plan to consider thereligiousconsiderations that arise from aChristian'sview of the universe in its relation to our small portion of its apparently illimitable extent, any reader of Humboldt's work who wishes to see how a scholar and a divine of a former generation has treated the subject, will, if I mistake not, peruse the following work with singular pleasure, making all due allowance for the imperfect stateof scientific knowledge at the time when the author wrote:—
"Εις Θεος Εις Μεσιτης; or, an Attempt to show how far the Philosophical Notion of a Plurality of Worlds is consistent, or not so, with the language of the Holy Scriptures. By the Rev. Edward Nares, A.M., Rector of Biddenden, Kent, and late Fellow of Merton College, Oxford. 8vo. London, 1801."
The author, I may add, was a friend of the eminent geologist, De Luc.
J. M.
—The following cutting from a Dublin bookseller's Catalogue (Connolly, 6. Chancery Place, Feb. 1852) may perhaps find a corner in "N. & Q." Dr. Ledwich was the Will-o'-the-Wisp that led Gough astray in the matter of Irish antiquities. Few, indeed, of the "additions" made to honest Camden's original are of value, many of them are worse than valueless:—
"ANTIQUITIES OF IRELAND, from Gough's edition of Camden's Britannia, profusely illustrated with plates and maps from various works, including Ortelliu's (Ortelius') rare map of Ireland, all of which were inserted by the Rev. Mr. Ledwich, the Irish Antiquarian, royal folio, half russia, neat, 3l.10s.
"This unique copy was presented by Mr. Gough to the Rev. Mr. Ledwich, and bears Gough's autograph: 'For the Rev. Mr. Ledwich. From the author. 1789.'
"Mr. Ledwich presented the book to Wm. Monck Mason, Esq., having written the following memorandum:—
"'I assisted Mr. Gough in this edition, and he spontaneously promised a copy of the work in 3 vols. folio, but put me off with this paltry volume. So he served my valuable friend, Mr. Beauford of Athy.
"'Viveret in terris te si quis avarior uno?'
"'Horace.
"'E. L., F.A.S., 1790.'
"A copy of the original note [to Mason] inserted in the book—
"'York Street, 3rd Feb. 1817.
"'Dear Sir—Having parted with all my books, for not one of my family could or would read them, I have retained what I send you. It is a small return for the presents you made me.
"'Small as it is, have the goodness to accept of it as a testimony of my obligations and friendship.
"'Believe me yours sincerely,
"'E. LEDWICH.'
"The work is Gough's Britannia, the Irish Part."
JAMESGRAVES.
Kilkenny.
Chronogramover the door of Sherborne school, marking the date 1670:
"Tecta, Draco custos, Leo vinDeX fLos Decus, auctor, ReX pius, hæc servat, protegit, ornat, aLit."
The lettersDLDXLDXLare capitals, and rubricated.
S. S.
—The article on the Letters of Junius, in the last number of theQuarterly Review, is very pleasantly written. But I suppose it will not be considered to have rendered probable the notion that Thomas Lord Lyttelton was the writer of those letters. The reviewer observes that "Lord Lyttelton," meaning George, the first Lord Lyttelton, is only once mentioned by Junius. Undoubtedly Junius mentions "LordLittleton'sintegrity and judgment" (Woodfall, ii. 305.) Can it be imagined that Thomas LordLytteltoncould have so mis-spelled his father's name?
CAROLUSCURSITOR.
1. On the 24th February, 1831, was published, at Speenhamland, the first number of theHistory and Antiquities of Newbury and its Environs. Was this work ever completed? If not, how many numbers were issued.
["The History and Antiquities of Newbury and its Environs, including twenty-eight Parishes situate in the County of Berks, also a Catalogue of Plants found in the Neighbourhood," was completed in 1839, and makes a volume of 340 pages.]
2. Can any information be given as to Hannah Woolley beyond what she gives in the curious autobiographical sketch prefixed to herGentlewoman's Companion, or a Guide to the Female Sex; 3rd edition. London, 1682, 12mo. Her maiden name she omits to mention; and all she discloses as to her family and fortunes is, that her parents died when she was very young, and that she had suffered "all manner of affliction," "by loss of husband, children, friend, estate."
3. Amongst Mr. C. K. Sharpe's MSS. was soldThe Force of Love, or the Ephesian Matron; a Dramatick Poem, in Three Parts. From a playbill, which was pasted on the fly-leaf, it seems that this drama was produced for the benefit of Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, at the theatre in Sadler Street, Durham, April 7, 1777. The performance was "gratis;" but 2s.6d., 2s., and 1s., for boxes, pit, and gallery, were charged for the "Concert of Music." The title was changed into theMatron of Ephesus, and the authorship was ascribed to Mr. Wallace. No notice either of play or author occurs in theBiographia Dramatica.
4. Does any MS. of theConquest of China, a tragedy, by Sir Robert Howard, exist? I have in my library a scene written by the Earl of Rochester for the author, and which, so far as I can trace, from the very defective state of the libraries of the north, was never printed. It is a beautiful MS., and some of the lines possess considerable vigour. It is written in rhyme.
5. Who was the author of theHistory of Faction, alias Hypocrisy, alias Moderation, from its first Rise, down to its present Toleration in these Kingdoms? &c. London, 1705, 8vo.
6. Where can the fourth and concluding(?) number of Wright'sHistory of Ludlowbe obtained?
[Only three Parts have been published. The last was issued in 1847.]
7. Can you inform me who was the translator of—
"The Idea of Christian Love; being a Translation, at the Instance of Mr. Waller, of a Latin Sermon upon John xiii. 34, 35., preached by Mr. Edward Young, Prebend of Salisbury. With a large Paraphrase on Mr. Waller's Poem ofDivine Love. To which are added, some Copies of Verses from that excellent Poetess Mrs. Wharton, with others to her. London, 1688, 8vo."
The versification is extremely good, but as I never saw the sermon, I can have no notion whether the translation be faithful, or the reverse. I suspect a Latin "preachment" would have few hearers, especially now-a-days: but it would be interesting to see a Latin sermon which Waller thought highly of, and which he proposed should be turned into verse.
I have not been able to procure any information as to the sermon, or its poetical translation, in any bibliographical work; but perhaps some of your numerous readers may know something either about Mr. Edward Young, the father I presume of the poet, or the translator.
Mrs. Wharton was the daughter of Sir H. Lee, of Ditchly, and the first wife of the future Marquis of Wharton. A manuscript tragedy by her, and in her own handwriting, is in my possession. It is the presentation copy to Miss Mary Howe, whose autograph is on the fly-leaf. It is beautifully bound in old morocco, and formerly belonged to Horace Walpole, whose book-plate is on it. Who was Miss Mary Howe? It was purchased at the dispersion of the curious MSS. of Mr. Charles K. Sharpe, who had a great fancy for the lady's poetry. She is erroneously styled Marchioness of Wharton in Park's edition of Walpole'sRoyal and Noble Authors.
J. MT.
[The Rev. Edward Young was father to the poet, and Rector of Upham in Hampshire, Prebendary of Salisbury, and lastly Dean of that church. He died in 1705. The translation and paraphrase inThe Idea of Christian Loveis attributed to William Atwood in the Bodleian Catalogue.]
In a recent and valuable report addressed to the General Board of Health, on the sanitary state of the borough of Dorchester, by a gentleman to whom I, in common with all the readers of "N. & Q.," have often been indebted—I mean Robert Rawlinson, Esq.,—an allusion is made to the existence of "Plague Stones" in different parts of the country. Briefly recording the principal visitations of plague in Dorchester and its neighbourhood, he describes these "plague stones" as "stones placed on the boundary limits of old towns, having a circular or square dish-like sinking in them, which was filled with water, into which the town's people dropped the purchase-money in their dealings with the country people, as was supposed, to prevent infection.Such stones may be seen in many places throughout England." The object of this communication is, to suggest the propriety of a list of these curious relics being made, through the medium of your excellent paper. I am not aware of any such list at present existing. A plague stone is to be seen, I believe, at Penrith; and another near Manchester, which is, I am told, called the "Giant's Stone." The name of the latter seems, to my mind, to point to a more remote period, unless an existing monument of antiquity bearing that title was during the times of plague converted to the temporary use of receiving the suspected money in the hollowed dish, which is made at the top of these "plague stones." By the way, might not our forefathers have suffered less from the fearful visitations and devastating epidemics to which so many hundreds of thousands of them fell victims, if they had been as careful towash themselveshabitually inaqua puraas they were to wash the money which they received from suspected localities. The custom above alluded to admitted the powerfully cleansing qualities of water. It would have been good for them, especially in trying times of plague, if they had not been so accustomed to "let" the "wellalone," as regards their own personal purification.
J. J. S.
The Cloisters, Temple.
—Can any of your correspondents inform me as to the origin and present use of the cross on counsels' briefs?
H. EDWARDS.
—It is mentioned in theGentleman's Magazine, 1792, p. 21., that on the foundation stone of Old Bedgebury House in Kent, was found, many years ago, an inscription recording the building of that house in 1688 by Sir James Hayes, and Rachel Viscountess Falkland, his wife. Allusion is made in the inscription to his having attainedgreat wealth from the depths of the ocean; and there was a tradition that he had made his fortune bydiving. Can any of your readers supply information upon this subject? Was he one of the party who under Phipps (the ancestor of the house of Mulgrave) recovered 200,000l.out of a Spanish vessel, sunkof the coast of Hispaniola in 1687? and where can the full particulars of that adventure be met with?
J. E. T.
—A question as to the nationality, if not the authorship, of this celebrated song was discussed (if I remember aright) not long ago in letters printed in one of the literary periodicals, probably theGentleman's Magazine, but I have not a reference at hand. It may be, that the facts I am about to mention were adverted to in that discussion, and that the words are admitted to be of English origin, and to have been written by Dr. Percy, yet I am induced to send you this communication. In the drawing-room at Ecton House, the mansion of Sam. Isted, Esq., at Ecton, a village about five miles from Northampton, there was, in 1814, a portrait of the wife of Thomas Percy, Bishop of Dromore (father of Mrs. Isted), holding in her hand a scroll, on which is the celebrated song "Oh Nanny!" she being the original, and the lines having been addressed to her before marriage by the bishop. (Account of a Tour, &c., published in the Scarborough Repository, by Cole, 1824.)
Perhaps some correspondent of yours in that vicinity would kindly say whether the picture remains at Ecton; or, if not, what has become of it?
W. S. G.
Newcastle-on-Tyne.
—Will any of your correspondents be kind enough to furnish me with a copy of a poem inhexameterverse, and in an abbreviated form, enumerating the shires or counties in England? In my early days it was very common in public schools, and I am enabled to give a portion of one verse, viz.—-—-"Dev. Dors. Gl. Oxfo. Buck. Hart. Ess."
M.
Dublin.
—Can any of your correspondents favour me with the origin and definition of the phrase "To sow your wild oats?" It has never been very clear to me why "oats" should be the grain selected as emblematical of the dissipations and excesses of youth. They constitute the food of the inhabitants of the poorest regions only, and where the absence of all aid from climate and sunshine, renders almost unceasing toil necessary, in order to obtain a meagre subsistence.
The "oat" appears to me so little the companion of luxury and pleasure, that I am wholly at a loss to account for the origin of this phrase, which is in the mouth of every one.
BEAUNASH.
Bath.
—I shall feel greatly indebted to any reader of "N. & Q." who can give me some account of Dr. Richard Morton, a celebrated physician of Greenwich,temp.William and Mary, and of his son Dr. Richard Morton, who died in 1730. Were they descended from the Mortons of Severn Stoke, co. Worcester? and what was the precise degree of their relationship with the Mortons of Slaugham, co. Sussex?
MARKANTONYLOWER.
—A correspondent shows the probability or certainty that the hitherto received opinion as to the long confinement and death in Guernsey of this old parliamentary general is not correct. But Mr. Hallam and others who report this, report also that he was tried with Sir Harry Vane; and that his "submissive behaviour" was such a contrast to that of his noble fellow-prisoner that it perhaps influenced his sentence. Where is the proof of his behaviour to be found? Vane's trial has been published separately. It is also in theState Trials, with the trials of the regicides; but neither there nor elsewhere can I find the trial of Lambert.
G. L.
—As some of your correspondents are sending to "N. & Q." accounts of sepulchral effigies bearing SS. collars, I should be obliged to them if they would mention when such effigies are cross-legged. Does any effigy in this attitude existbearing a dateas late as 1350?
W. H. K.
—Can any of your readers inform me whether there be any legend connected with the "Crooked Billet," which is frequently used in this neighbourhood as a sign to a village inn? The sign itself is formed of a crooked piece of wood, or two or three pieces joined, and suspended over the door of the public-house.
T. D.
Gainsbro'.
—In Seward'sAnecdotes of distinguished Personsthere is a letter from Collins to Dr. Hayes, professor of music, Oxford, in which, after alluding to his "Ode on the Passions," he mentions another Ode, which appears to have been actually written.
"The subject," he states, "isthe Music of the Grecian Theatre, in which," he goes on to say, "I have, I hope naturally, introduced the various characters with which the chorus was concerned, as Œdipus, Medea, Electra, Orestes, &c. &c. The composition too is probably more correct, as I have chosen the ancient tragedies for my models, and only copied the most affecting passages in them."
The letter is dated "Chichester, November 8, 1750." Collins died in 1756. The Ode is lost; but assuredly every effort should be made to bring it to light.
SMINTHEUS.
—In theLives of the Bishops of Bath and Wells, by the Rev. Stephen Hyde Cassan (Rivingtons, 1829), the greater portion of the notice there given of that learned writer and excellent divine, Richard Kidder, bishop of that see from 1691 to 1703, is derived from an autobiographical memoir, of which Mr. Cassan says, "the MS., one of undoubted authority, exists in original at Wells." The reasonable inference from this statement would be, that the MS. is in the Cathedral Library there; but from what I have recently been able to ascertain, through the kindness of a gentleman at Wells, it would appear that Kidder's autobiography is not in the Cathedral Library, nor in the hands of any individual in that place or its neighbourhood: the probability therefore is, that it is in some private collection; and as I believe it contains many particulars connected with the bishop's personal history, which Mr. Cassan has passed over, I shall be glad if any of your readers can inform me where it is to be met with. The bishop's birthplace has been left in some doubt; it has been stated that he was born at Lewes, at Brighthelmstone, and in Suffolk; in the memoir referred to, the question is set at rest, for he says that he was born at East Grinstead, Sussex, in 1633. While upon this subject I would beg information as to the name and family of the bishop's wife, who was killed with him in the great storm of Nov. 1703. I learn from the baptismal registers of their children that her christian name wasElizabeth.
JAS.CROSBY.
Strantham.
—Is there any print or drawing, or any written description, which would show the condition of theshrine of King Edward the Confessorpreviously to the great Rebellion, or in any way throw light upon the various changes, mutilations, and restorations it has undergone, beyond such as is to be derived from the ordinary histories of the abbey?
GEO. S. SCOTT.
—Can any of your correspondents inform me where the words originally occur, "Wise above that which is written?" I was for a long time under the impression that they were taken from one of St. Paul's Epistles, or at least were to be found somewhere in the Bible; but, after having searched Cruden diligently, though ineffectually, I am pretty sure they are not to be found in Holy Writ.
I am convinced that most persons share in the opinion I formerly held, and I have often seen them quoted in sermons just as if they were a passage of Scripture, though, of course, without giving any reference.
R. C. C.
Oxon.
—Can any correspondent of the "N. & Q." throw any light upon the source of the plot ofHoffman, a Tragedy, by Henry Chettle, 4to. 1631? The scene is laid at Dantzig in Prussia; the hero revenges his father's death, which was caused by the Duke of Lüneburg and other princes, by means of a red-hot iron crown placed on his head. He kills the son of the Duke of Lüneburg in the same manner, and assumes his character; is adopted by the Duke of Prussia, and avenges himself by the murder of the duke, and others of his father's judges; is finally discovered, and put to death by means of the iron crown.
I have in vain searched the German chronicle of the period: from the geographical localities being well preserved, as well as the German names (a peculiarity in the old drama), the presumption is, that it has been taken from an historical source. Mention is made in Menzel'sHistory of Germany, of a Count Jordan who suffered death by means of an iron crown; and in Goldsmith'sTraveller, the line of—
"Luke's iron crown and Damon's bed of steel,"
is illustrated by a note in Bohn's edition of that author, of two brothers, George and Luke Leck, who had created a rebellion in Hungary, and of one of them suffering death in this manner; but neither of these two cases apply at all to the subject.
H. B. L.
—When were inverted commas first introduced to indicate quotations in writing?
S. W. RIX.
—If the subjoined Queries could be insertedearly, it would greatly oblige me. I want them for a work, of which the first proofs are now before me.
I should be glad if any of the readers of "N. & Q." could refer me to the precise places from whence the following quotations are made:—
1. "Qui vult plenè et sapidè Christi verba intelligere, oportet ut totam vitam suam Illi studeat conformare."
2. "Gaudium suum ob renascentes literas non sine metu exprimet, unus scrupulus habet animum meum, ne sub obtentu priscæ literaturæ caput erigere tentet paganismus.... Optarim frigidas istas argutias (humanæ eloquentiæ logicarumque subtilitatum) amputari prorsus, Christumque illum simplicem et purum restitui, penitusque humanis mentibus inseri."
Erasmus.Query—where?
3. "Cujus vita despicitur, restat ut ejus prædicatio contemnatur."
S. Gregory.
W. D—N.
—In the martyrology of John Foxe we read—
"King Edward died, the world being unworthy of him: the Duke of Northumberland came down to Cambridge with an army of men, having commissionto proclaim Lady Jane queen.... The duke sent for Doctor Sandys, being vice-chancellor, for Doctor Parker, for Doctor Bill, and Master Leaver to sup with him. Amongst other speeches he said, Masters, pray for us, that we speed well; if not, you shall be made bishops, and we deacons. And even so it came to pass: Doctor Parker and Doctor Sandys were made bishops; and he and Sir John Gates, who were then at the table, were made deacons, ere it was long after, on the Tower-hill."
I should be glad to know the allusion here, and how men who were executed could be said to be thereby made deacons.
W. D—N.
—When did the Count de Vordac, a general in the army of the Emperor of Germany, die? His memoirs are scarce; the copy which I have is reprinted at Paris in 1709. He was an Italian, bred for the church, which he relinquished for the profession of arms. He was born about 1660; his memoirs break off abruptly in 1695 when in midlife, and he was serving under our William III. He closes his memoirs with an account of his being at the siege of Namur, which he says cost his own party dear, and himself more particularly. It is very probable he fell at this siege if he continued his narrative while in the camp. His memoirs are curious and very entertaining. I find there that he was much esteemed at Vienna, and his conduct in rescuing the wife of one of the German nobility from a horrible imprisonment with the corpse of the man of whom her lord was jealous, is full of interest as well as horror, from the mode in which it was accomplished. He was personally acquainted with William III., who entrusted him with important commands. His narrative makes the reader anxious to know something of his subsequent history, if he were not a victim to the sword before the close of the war of which he spoke.
CYRUSREDDING.
—Inside the cover of a copy ofThe Whole Duty of Man(8vo., London, 1727, John Baskett) now before me, is pasted a slip of paper, containing a coat of arms, "Sable, a double eagle expanded or (?) in a bordure argent," surrounded by mantling, and surmounted by helmet and crest; below this is the following:—
"The gift ofHENRY HOARE, Esq., who died March 12, 1724-5, aged forty-seven, and by his last Will and Testament hath vested the sum̅e of two thousand pounds in trustees, who are to apply the yearly interest, rents, and profits arising out of the said sum̅e to the purchasing, dispensing, and giving away, yearly, Bibles, Common Prayer-Books, and such other books as are intirely agreeable to the principles and doctrine of the Church of England, as now by law established, and most conducive to the advancement of Christian faith and piety in the world."
I shall be glad to learn whether this charity is still bestowed, and where: any particulars relative to the original donor will be acceptable. Permit me to add the Query,—Is mine the first edition ofThe Whole Duty of Man? if not, when was it first published, and who was the author?
W. SPARROWSIMPSON, B.A.
[Mr. Henry Hoare was a son of Sir Richard Hoare, Lord Mayor of London, and an intimate friend of that worthy man, Robert Nelson, author of theCompanion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England; a work which Dr. Johnson recommends as being a most valuable help to devotion, and as having had the greatest sale of any book ever printed in England, except the Bible. Mr. Hoare's name occurs in several parts of Robert Nelson's will, viz. "I give and bequeath to Mr. Henry Hoare, of London, goldsmith, one of my executors, 200l., upon trust to distribute 100l., part thereof, in such manner as shall be directed by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; and the other 100l.to be employed by him in promoting parochial libraries.... I give and bequeath to Mrs. Jane Hoare, wife of the said Mr. Henry Hoare, two pair of little silver candlesticks for her closet." It is also worthy a note in our pages that the first legacy received by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge was that of Robert Nelson's, which is thus entered on the minutes of the Society:—"3d Feb. 1714-15. Mr. Hoare reported, that Mr. Nelson, lately deceased, had ordered him by his will, as one of his executors, to pay 100l.to the Society for promoting their designs; and also 50l.towards supporting the charity-school at St. George's Chapel." The name of Mr. Henry Hoare occurs among the list of subscribers in the first volume of Jeremy Collier'sEcclesiastical History, fol. 1708; and some of his letters to John Strype, the historian, will be found among the Additional MSS. in the British Museum, No. 5853. No biographical notice of Mr. Henry Hoare appears to have been preserved. See Herbert'sHistory of the Twelve Great Livery Companies, vol. ii. p. 285., for a notice of his gift to the Goldsmiths' Company.
The first edition ofThe Whole Duty of Manwas published in 1657. Like the enigmatical Junius, its authorship still remains a problem; but we believe it is now generally supposed to be written either by Lady Packington or Archbishop Sterne. Our correspondent will find the question discussed in the Rev. W. B. Hawkins's Introduction to Pickering's edition of this work, published in 1842; as well as in the valuable communication of J. E. B. Mayor, Esq., of Marlborough College, in our second volume, p. 292.]
—Can any of your correspondents furnish me with information as to the various editions which were published of Dr. Henry Sacheverell'sSermon at Derbyin 1709? I am anxious to ascertain how many editions were issued, with their dates and other particulars.
L. J.
[We think our correspondent will not be able to obtain the information he requires, owing to the great demand at the time for the two Sermons for which theDoctor was prosecuted. Mr. Lathbury states (History of the Nonjurors, p. 237) that "of the Sermon 'Perils among False Brethren,' no less than forty thousand copies were sold in a few weeks." We have also now before us two copies of the Derby Sermon, both printed in 1709, 8vo., but no intimation on the title-page of their being different editions, which they evidently are, on an examination of their typographical composition. The Bodleian contains a quarto edition of the latter Sermon, 1710.]
—I have an old 12mo. volume with the following title-page:
"Annotationes Scholasticæin Evangelia Dominicalia etea quæ in Festis IESV CHRISTI, et Sanctorum ejus præcipuis, leguntur in Ecclesia,per totius Anni circulum: non inutile futuræ puerilibus Scholis.
"His adjectæ sunt in singula Evangelia Disticha, Argumenta, Doctrinæ Summariæ, Loci etObjectiones præterea, cum brevibus ac veris earum solutionibus Dialecticis, exercendæ adolescentiæ causa.
"Collecta et dictata à Luca Lossio, in Schola Lunæburgensi.
"⁕☞⁕
"Adiecimus et iam recens erudita Evangeliorum Dominicalium et Festivalium Disticha, inundæ memoriæ causa, à Vuendelino Helbachio conscripta.
"⁕
"Franc. Apud Hæred. Christ. Egen.
"M.D.LXXVIII."
The words, and parts of words, in Italics are rubricated.
As I live at a distance from any large library, and have consulted in vain such biographical works as my own scanty shelves afford, I shall be greatly obliged to any of your correspondents who have access to our public libraries, to inform me who Lucas Lossius was, and where any account of him may be met with? Also, who Wendelinus Helbachius, Stigelius, and Bernardus Bomgardius were, whose "Disticha" are interspersed throughout the volume? In the "Epistola Nuncupatoria" mention is made of "Joannis Stigelij, Poetæ clarissimi, nostra ætate," and of "M. Bernardi Bomgardij, Ludimoderatoris Vlzeniani;" but I cannot find any account of these worthies.
I ought to add that each Sunday or Saint's Day is preceded by a curious woodcut representing the subject of which the Gospel treats.
R. BN.
[Lucas Lossius, of Lunenburg, was a Lutheran divine and schoolmaster, well skilled in music, who published at Nuremberg, in 1553,Erotemata Musicæ practicæ, and together with Melancthon, the Lutheran ritual,Psalmodia, seu Cantica sacra veteris ecclesiæ selecta. At the period of the Reformation, the Lutherans preserved more of the ancient hymns and music of the church in their services than the Calvinists. Some account of Lossius is given in Hawkins'sHistory of Music, vol. iii. p. 102. There is an edition ofAnnotationes Scholasticæ, with the curious woodcuts printed in the year 1560, at Leipsic.]
—Can you inform me who were the authors of the "Athenian Oracle," or, in other words, the members of the "Learned Society" who conducted this work? You may feel some interest in it as a kind of prototype and progenitor of your own "N. & Q." Your work, as I apprehend, does not profess to solve and answer so many nice puzzling points in divinity, philosophy, love, &c., as that of theOracle, which furnishes us with a curious picture of the wants, opinions, and manners of the age in which it appeared; butyours, though neither dipping so deeply nor ranging so widely, ought to be highly prized as the exponent of the demands of our times more improved, enlightened, and not less inquisitive, and as affording to some of your correspondents far from the great metropolis of letters, a ready channel for information, much to their instruction and pleasure. Pardoning this digression, the copy of theAthenian OracleI possess is in 3 vols. 8vo., purporting to be an entire collection of all the valuable questions and answers in the old Athenian Mercuries, &c., by a member of the Athenian Society; London, printed for Andrew Bell at the Cross Keys and Bible in Cornhill, near Stocks Market, the second volume 1703, the first and third 1704. The copy bears an autograph on the fly-leaf; "Ex Libris Thomas Browne, Ex Dono plurim; MriGuil Carstairs Acad. Edinburg. primarij professoris Cui omnia (two words obscure) Ed. Nov. 23, 1706." The historical celebrity of Carstairs is asmall feather in the capof the copy, but unimportant to some farther knowledge from you of the book and its authors, the former having often supplied much rational fireside entertainment.
N.
Glasgow.
[The Athenian Gazette, afterwards calledThe Athenian Mercury, swelled at last to twenty volumes folio; these becoming scarce, a collection of the most valuable questions and answers was reprinted under the title ofThe Athenian Oracle, in 4 vols. 8vo. The fourth volume contains a Supplement, to which is prefixed "The History of the Athenian Society," and an "Essay upon Learning." It was projected by the celebrated John Dunton, who says, "My first project was theAthenian Gazette. As the Athenian Society had their first meeting in my brain, so it has been kept ever since religiously secret: but I will now oblige the reader with a true discovery of thequestion-project, and of the several persons that engaged in it." These were his brother-in-law, the Rev. Samuel Wesley and Mr. Richard Sault, who were occasionally assisted by Dr. Norris. The work was also countenanced by several of the most eminent writers of the age; and was honoured in particular with a commendatory poem by Swift. Some curious notices respecting Dunton and his numerous literary projects will be found in theLife and Errors of John Dunton, 2 vols. 8vo., 1818; and in Nichols'Literary Anecdotes, vol. v. pp. 59-83.]
A remarkable instance of foresight relative to the fate of some of the French sovereigns appears in an epistle of Erasmus to King Francis I.:
"Prætexunt fidei titulum, sed revera aliud agunt; moliuntur tyrannidem, etiam in capita Principum. Huc tendunt per cuniculos. Nisi Princeps ipsorum voluntati per omnia paruerit, dicetur fautor Hæreticorum; et destitui poterit per Ecclesiam; hoc est, per aliquos conjuratos Pseudomonachos et Pseudotheologos."
Richer, Doctor of the Sorbonne, after having alluded to this passage, uses the following very striking language:
"Cæterum regno Franciæ his artibus everso, (quod omen Deus avertat,) reliquis Monarchiis Christianis quæ supererunt eadem manet pestis; ut prophetia Apostoli,de iniquitatis mysterio, et politicarum Potestatum ruina atque interitu, complementum sortiatur; cujus pestis et ruinæ complementum in dies singulos Bullæ Cœnæ Domini et Directorii Inquisitorum arcanis promovetur.Tumque demum, in fine sæculorum, seditiones, conspirationes, et bella plusquam civilia fervebunt, propter Potestatum sæculi exarmatorum imbecillitatem atque impotentiam; quæ nec sibi ipsis, nec aliis, sufficienter consulere poterunt; quia omnes imperare, et nemo parere volet: quibus de bellis consule caput 24. Matthæi."
Apologia pro Joanne Gersonio, pp. 203-4. Lugd. Bat. 1676.
R. G.
NAUTICUSis informed that in Norfolk one of the hundreds, or subdivisions of the county, is calledGrimshooorGrimshow, after (as it is supposed) a Danish leader of the name ofGrimeorGryme. He was undoubtedly eitherPræsitus ComitatusorCenturiæ Præpositusof that part of the country, and gave his name to the hundred as hundred-greeve, which name it still retains. In about the centre of this hundred is a very curious Danish encampment, in a semicircular form, consisting of about twelve acres.
In this space are a great number of large deep pits, joined in a regular manner, one near to another, in form of a quincunx, the largest in the centre, where the general's or commander's tent was placed. These pits are so deep and numerous as to be able to conceal a very great army. At the east end of this entrenchment is a large tumulus, pointing towards Thetford, from which it is about five or six miles distant; and which might possibly have served as a watch tower, or place of signal: and here the hundred court used to be called. This place also is known by the name ofThe Holes, orGrimes-graves. This part of the country, being open, was a great seat of war between the Saxons and Danes, as appears from many tumuli throughout this hundred, erected over the graves of leaders who fell in battle; or as tokens of victory, to show how far they had led their armies and conquered.—SeeBlomfieldin loco.
J. F. F.
West Newton.
To the various instances already recorded in "N. & Q.," of ancient earthworks having received the name "Grimesdyke," the following may be added.
One on Cranbourne Chase, Dorset; three in Berkshire, viz., one near Silchester, one near Oare, where also are Grimsbury, and Grimsbury Forest; another, intersected by the Thames, near Wallingford; another near Witney, Oxfordshire.
The great fossa and vallum of Lollius Urbicus in Scotland, is called Graham's and Grime's Dyke. The frequency of its application to various earthworks in such distant parts of the kingdom may perhaps be considered sufficient evidence that the name is not derived from that of any landed proprietor, as suggested by one of your correspondents. I have no doubt the derivation suggested by your first correspondent, NAUTICUS, is the true one, viz., that it is of Saxon origin, signifying Wizard, or the Evil Spirit, which indicates, not only that these earthworks were in existence in Saxon times, but that their origin was even then so remote and mysterious that they were supposed to be the work of supernatural agency. Grimesdyke, described by NAUTICUSas beginning near Berkhamsted, Herts (not Hants, as misprinted in "N. & Q."), and running across the Chiltern hills, is mentioned,temp.Henry III., in a charter of Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, granting Ashridge to the fraternity of the Bonhommes:
"Usque ad quoddam fossatum quod dicitur Grymesdich."
If this should meet the eyes of my friend NAUTICUS, wherever in the broad seas he may happen to be, he will be glad to hear that this extensive earthwork of antiquity is now undergoing the investigation of an Archæological Society, of which he is an esteemed member. I may further remark that the family name of Grimesdike is doubtless from some ancient place so named, and not these several places from the family. The armorial bearings of the family would at once suggest this conclusion. I have not found the name given to any ancient work in Wales, which of course would not be the case, if it be of Saxon origin.
W. H. K.
The poet referred to by Bacon is not the author of theMirror for Magistrates, but ARIOSTO, whoseOrlando Furiosowas then popular in the recent translation of Sir John Harrington. The allegory will be found at the close of the thirty-fourth and commencement of the thirty-fifth books: