Chapter 5

_Astronomical Query_ (Vol. vii., p.84.).--Your fair correspondent LEONORA makes a mistake in reference to the position, in regard to the zodiac, of the newly-discovered planets. It is indeed not at all surprising that these bodies were not discovered before, for this reason--they _do not move within the circle of the zodiac_: they lie far beyond it, so much so, that to include them the zodiac must be expanded to at least five times its present breadth. Hence they lie out of the path of ordinary observation, and their discovery is usually the result of keen telescopic examination of distant parts of the heavens. LEONORA is of course aware, that, with the exception of Neptune (the discovery of which is a peculiar case), all the recently discovered planets belong to the cluster of asteroids which move between Mars and Jupiter. These are all invisible to the eye with the exception of Vesta, and she is not to be distinguished by any but an experienced star-gazer, and under most favourable circumstances; their minuteness, their _extra_-zodiacal position, and the outrageous orbits which they describe, all conspire to keep them out of human ken until they are detected by the telescope, and ascertained to be planets either by their optical appearances, or by a course of watching and comparison of their positions with catalogues of the fixed stars.

SHIRLEY HIBBERD.

_Tortoiseshell Tom Cat_ (Vol. v., p. 465.; Vol. vii., p. 271.).--See Hone's _Year Book_, p. 728.

ZEUS.

_Sizain on the Pope, the Devil, and the Pretender_ (Vol. vii., p. 270.).--This is given as one of the prize epigrams in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ for 1735, vol. v. p. 157.

ZEUS. {511}

_Wandering Jew_ (Vol. vii., p. 261.).--Your correspondent will find an account of the Wandering Jew prefixed to "Le Juif errant," the 3ième livraison of _Chants et Chansons Populaires de la France_.

THOS. LAWRENCE.

Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

The earliest account of this legend is in Roger of Wendover, under the year 1228: _De Joseph, qui ultimum Christi adventum adhuc vivus exspectat_, vol. iv. p. 176. of the Historical Society's edition, vol. ii. p. 512. of Bohn's Translation: see also Brand's _Popular Antiquities_, vol iii. p. 360., Bohn's edition.

ZEUS.

_Hallett and Dr. Saxby_ (Vol. vii., p. 41.).--I know nothing of the parties, but have the book about which S. R. inquires. The title is not accurately given in the _Literary Journal_. Instead of "An Ode to Virtue," by Dr. Morris Saxby, it is _An Ode on Virtue by a Young Author, dedicated to Dr. William Saxby; with a Preface and Notes, Critical and Explanatory, by a Friend_--"Mens sibi conscia recti"--A good intention. Printed anno Domini MDCCXCI, pp. 16.

A more stupid production could not easily be found; but, as it must be scarce, if the story about the destruction of all but eight copies is true, I transcribe a part of the dedication:

"Most August Doctor,

"The reputation you have acquired by professional merit, with the respect which is universally shown to you on account of your practical observance of moral philosophy, has induced me to select you as a protector of the following work; which being evidently intended to promote a cause for which you was always a zealous advocate, I have nourished the most flattering hopes that you will be rather pleased than offended by this unwarrantable presumption.

"It is necessary I should deviate from the general rule of celebrating a patron's virtues in a high strain of panegyric, being sensible how generally yours are known, and how justly admired."--P. 3.

The ode contains only ten lines:

"Virtue, a mere chimera amongst the fair, Is now quite vanquished into air; Formerly it was thought a thing of worth, But now who thinks of such poor stuff. It's only put on to deceive, That us poor mortals on them may crave; Fall down and swear their beauty far Surpasses what are ever saw! Then they who think all's true that's said," &c.

I omit the final line as unseemly.

Dr. Saxby is mentioned only on the title-page, and that part of the dedication which I have copied. He must have been a sensitive man to have felt such an attack, and a prompt one to settle his account with the author so quickly. As it is obvious that the ode was published solely to annoy him, we may be allowed to hope that in the "severe personal chastisement" he was not sparing of whipcord. The absence of place of publication and printer's name render inquiry difficult; and there is no indication as to whether Dr. Saxby was of Divinity, Law, or Physic.

H. B. C.

U. U. Club.

_"My mind to me a kingdom is"_ (Vol. i., pp. 302. 489.; Vol. vi., pp. 555. 615.).--The idea is Shakspeare's (Third Part of _Hen. VI._):

"_Keeper._ Ay, but thou talk'st as if thou wert a king. _K. Henry._ Why, so I am in mind; and that's enough."

C. MANSFIELD INGLEBY.

Birmingham.

_Claret_ (Vol. vii., p. 237.).--The word claret seems to me to be the same as the French word _clairet_, both adjective and substantive; as a substantive it means a low and cheap sort of _claret_, sold in France, and drawn from the barrel like beer in England; as an adjective it is a diminutive of _clair_, and implies that the wine is transparent.

JOHN LAMMENS.

Manchester.

_Suicide at Marseilles_ (Vol. vii., pp. 180. 316.).--The original authority for the custom at Marseilles, of keeping poison at the public expense for the accommodation of all who could give the senate satisfactory reasons for committing suicide, is Valerius Maximus, lib. ii. cap. vi. § 7.

ZEUS.

_Etymology of Slang_ (Vol. vii., p. 331.).--

"SLANGS are the greaves with which the legs of convicts are fettered, having acquired that name from the manner in which they were worn, as they required a sling of string to keep them off the ground.... The irons were the _slangs_; and the slang-wearer's language was of course slangous, as partaking much if not wholly of the _slang_."--_Sportsman's Slang, a New Dictionary and Varieties of Life_, by John Bee: Preface, p. 5.

ZEUS.

_Scanderbeg's Sword_ (Vol. vii., pp. 35. 143.).--The proverb, "Scanderbeg's sword must have Scanderbeg's arm," is founded on the following story:

"George Castriot, Prince of Albania, one of the strongest and valiantest men that lived these two hundred yeares, had a cimeter, which Mahomet the Turkish Emperor, his mortall enemy, desired to see. Castriot (surnamed of the Turks, Ischenderbeg, that is, Great Alexander, because of his valiantnesse), having received a pledge for the restitution of his cimeter, sent it so far as Constantinople to Mahomet, in whose court there was not any man found that could with any ease wield that piece of steele: so that Mahomet sending it back againe, enioyned the messenger to tell the prince, that in this action he kind proceeded enemy-like, and with a fraudulent mind, sending a counterfeit cimeter {512} to make his enemie afraid. Ischenderbeg writ back to him, that he had simply without fraud or guile sent him his owne cimeter, with the which he used to helpe himselfe couragiously in the wars; but that he had not sent him the hand and the arme which with the cimeter cleft the Turkes in two, struck off their heads, shoulders, legs, and other parts, yea, sliced them of by the wast; and that verie shortly he would show him a fresh proofe thereof; which afterwards he performed."--_Historical Meditations from the Latin of P. Camerarius_, by John Molle, Esquire, 1621, book iv. Cap. xvi. p. 299.

The following, relating to the arm and sword of Scanderbeg, may perhaps not inappropriately be added, although not connected with the proverb:

"Marinus Barletius (lib. i.) reports of Scanderbeg, Prince of Epirus (that most terrible enemy of the Turks), that, from his mother's womb, he brought with him into the world a notable mark of warlike glory: for he had upon his right arm a sword, so well set on, as if it had been drawn with the pencil of the most curious and skilful painter in the world."--Wanley's _Wonders of the Little World_, 1678, book i. cap. vii.

ZEUS.

_Arago on the Weather_ (Vol. vii., p. 40.).--ELSNO will find extracts from Arago's papers in the _Pictorial Almanack_, 1847, p. 30., and in the _Civil Engineer and Architects' Journal_, which volume I cannot say, but I think that for 1847. Also in the _Monthly Chronicle_, vol. i. p. 60., and vol. ii. p. 209.; the annals of the _Bureau des Longitudes_ for 1834 and the _Annuaire_ for 1833.

SHIRLEY HIBBERD.

_Rathe_ (Vol. vii., p. 392.).--MR. CROSSLEY is, I believe, mistaken in his derivation of the word _rathe_ from the Celtic _raithe_, signifying inclination, although _rather_ seems indisputably to belong to it. _Rathe_ is, I believe, identical with the Saxon adjective _rætha_, signifying early. Chaucer's--

"What aileth you so _rathe_ for to arise,"

has been already quoted as bearing this meaning. Milton, in Lycidas, has--

"Bring the _rathe_ primrose that forsaken dies."

In a pastoral, called a "Palinode," by E. B., probably Edmond Bolton, in England's _Helicon_, edit. 1614, occurs:

"And make the _rathe_ and timely primrose grow."

And we have "_rathe_ and late," in a pastoral in Davidson's _Poems_, 4th edit., London, 1621.

_Rathe_ is a word still in use in the Weald of Sussex, where Saxon still lingers in the dialect of the common people; and a _rathe_, instead of an early spring, is spoken of; and a species of early apple is known as the _Rathe_-ripe.

ANON.

_Carr Pedigree_ (Vol. vii., p. 408.).--The pedigree description of Lady Carr is "Gresil, daughter of Sir Robert Meredyth, Knt., Chancellor of the Exchequer in Ireland." Sir George Carr died Feb. 13, 1662-3, and was buried in Dublin. His sons were 1, Thomas, and 2, William; and a daughter Mary, who married 1st, Dr. Thomas Margetson (son to the Archbishop of Armagh); and 2ndly, Dr. Michael Ward. The pedigree is continued through Thomas the eldest son, who was the father of the Bishop of Killaloe. It does not appear that William left any issue. His wife's name was Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Sing, D.D., Lord Bishop of Cork.

W. ST.

_Banbury Cakes_ (Vol. vii., p. 106.).--In _A Treatise of Melancholy_, by T. Bright, doctor of physic, and published in 1586, I find the following:

"Sodden wheat is of a grosse and melancholicke nourishment, and bread especially of the fine flower unleavened: of this sort are bag-puddings or pan-puddings made with flour, frittars, pancakes, such as we call _Banberie cakes_, and those great ones confected with butter, eggs, &c., used at weddings; and howsoever it be prepared, rye and bread made thereof carrieth with it plentie of melancholie."

H. A. B.

_Detached Belfry Towers_ (Vol. vii., pp. 333. 416. 465.).--To your already extensive list of church towers separate from the church, Launceston Church, Cornwall, and St. John's Church, Chester, may not unfittingly be added.

T. HUGHES.

Chester.

Elstow, Bedfordshire, is an instance of a bell tower separated from the body of the church.

B. H. C.

_Dates on Tombstones_ (Vol. vii., p. 331.).--A correspondent asks for instances of dates on tombstones prior to 1601. I cannot give any, but I can refer to some slabs lying upon the ground in a churchyard near Oundle (Tausor if I remember aright), on which appear in relief recumbent figures with the hands upon the breast, crossed, or in the attitude of prayer. These are of a much earlier date, and I should be much pleased to know if many or any such instances elsewhere occur.

B. H. C.

_Subterranean Bells_ (Vol. vii., pp. 128. 328.).--Bells under ground and under water, so often referred to, remind me of the Oundle Drumming Well, which I remember seeing when a child. There is a legend connected with it which I heard, but cannot accurately recollect. The well itself is referred to in Brand, vol. ii. p. 369. (Bohn's ed.), but the legend is not given.

B. H. C.

_Mistletoe in Ireland_ (Vol. ii., p. 270.).--I have just received, in full blossom, a very fine spray from a luxuriant plant of this parasite growing on an apple tree in the gardens of Farmley, the seat of William Lloyd Flood, Esq., in the county of Kilkenny. This plant of mistletoe has existed at {513} Farmley beyond the memory of the present generation; but Mr. Flood's impression, communicated to me, is, that it was artificially produced from seed by some former gardener. If natural, which _may_ be the case, this instance of its occurrence in Ireland is, I believe, unique.

JAMES GRAVES.

Kilkenny.

_Stars and Flowers_ (Vol. iv., p. 22.; Vol. vii., p. 151. 341.).--Passages illustrative of this similitude have been quoted from Cowley, Longfellow, Hood, and Moir. The metaphor is also made use of by Darwin, in his _Loves of the Plants_:

"Roll on, ye stars! exult in youthful prime, Mark with bright curves the printless steps of time; _Flowers of the sky!_ ye, too, to age must yield, Frail as your silken sisters of the field."

CUTHBERT BEDE, B.A.

_The Painting by Fuseli_ (Vol. vii., p. 453.).--The picture by the late Henry Fuseli, R.A., inquired after by MR. SANSOM, is in the collection at Sir John Soane's Museum; it was purchased by him in 1802.

It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1780, and is thus entered in the Catalogue of that year:

"No. 77. Ezzelin Bracciaferro musing over Meduna, destroyed by him, for disloyalty, during his absence in the Holy Land. _Fuseli._"

There is an engraving of the picture in _Essays on Physiognomy_, by J. C. Lavater, translated from the French by Henry Hunter, D.D., 4to.: London, 1789. The _second_ volume, p. 294.

The inscription under that engraving, by Holloway, is as follows:

"Ezzelin, Count of Ravenna, surnamed Bracciaferro or Iron Arm, musing over the body of Meduna; slain by him, for infidelity, during his absence in the Holy Land."

GEORGE BAILEY.

The subject of your correspondent J. SANSOM'S inquiry is in the Soane Museum, Lincoln's Inn Fields. Search among the Italian story-tellers will not discover the origin of the picture of Count Ezzelin's remorse: it sprung from that fertile source of fearful images--Henry Fuseli's brain. The work might well have been left without a name, but for the requirements of the Royal Academy Catalogue, and, it must be added, Fuseli's desire to mystify the Italian as well as the other scholars of his day.

For confirmation of the correctness of these statements, I refer your correspondent to the _Life of Fuseli_ by Knowles, and to that by Cunningham in the _Lives of the British Painters_.

R. F., Jun.

_"Navita Erythræum"_ (Vol. vii., p. 382.).--Since I requested a reference to these lines, I have possessed myself of a very elaborate Latin work on _Bells_, in two vols. 8vo., published at Rome, 1822, by Alexander Lazzarinus, _De Vario Tintinnabulorum usu apud veteres Hebræos et Ethnicos_: wherein, in a section on the effect of the sound of bells on different animals, he quotes those very lines from "Cornelius Kilianus Dufflæus in suis poematibus."

I shall now be thankful to be told something about the said Dufflæus,--who and what he was,--when and where he lived?

H. T. ELLACOMBE.

Rectory, Clyst St. George.

* * * * *

Miscellaneous.

NOTES ON BOOKS, ETC.

The success which has attended _The Chronological New Testament_ has encouraged the publisher of that most useful work to undertake an edition of the entire Scriptures on a similar plan; and we have now before us the First Part of _The English Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments according to the authorised Version: newly divided into Paragraphs, with concise Introductions to the several Books; and with Maps and Notes illustrative of the Chronology, History, and Geography of the Holy Scriptures; containing also the most remarkable Variations of the ancient Versions, and the chief Results of modern Criticism_. Even this ample title-page does not, however, point out the many helps towards a better understanding of the Word of God, which, by improvements in its division and typographical arrangement, are here furnished for the use of the devout student: and which has this great recommendation in our eyes, as we have no doubt it will be its greatest in that of many of our readers, that it is no endeavour to furnish a new translation, but only an attempt to turn our noble authorised version to the best account. The present Part completes the Book of Genesis, and we have little doubt that its success will be such as to secure for the publisher that patronage which will enable him to complete so desirable a work as his "_New Edition of the authorised Version of the Bible_." While on this subject, we may fitly call attention to the eighth number of _The Museum of Classical Antiquities: a Quarterly Journal of Ancient Art_, and its accompanying _Supplement_, both of which are entirely occupied with a question which, from its connexion with our holiest and most religious feelings, must always command our deepest attention,--namely, the true site of Calvary, and of the Holy Sepulchre. The question is discussed at considerable length, and with great learning and acuteness; and, we trust, from its generally interesting character, may have the effect of drawing attention to a journal which deserves the patronage of scholars to a greater extent than, from the prefatory notice, it would appear to have received up to the present time.

The Second Part of _The Ulster Journal of Archæology_ has just appeared. We cannot better recommend it to our antiquarian friends than by pointing out that it contains the following papers:--1. Metropolitan Visitation of the Diocese of Derry, A.D. 1397. 2. Iona. 3. Anglo-Norman Families of Lecale, County Down. {514} 4. Ogham Inscriptions. 5. Irish Surnames, their past and present Forms. 6. The Island of Tory in the Pagan Period. 7. Origin and Characteristics of the People in the Counties of Down and Antrim. 8. King William's Progress to the Boyne. 9. Antiquarian Notes and Queries. 10. Annals of Ulster.

We ought, in the same way, to specify the various papers to be found in the recently-published _Reports and Papers read at the Meetings of the Architectural Society of the Archdeaconry of Northampton and the Counties of York and Lincoln; and of the Architectural and Archæological Society of the County of Bedford during the Year 1852_,--but such a course is obviously impossible. There is one paper in the volume which, as especially worthy the attention of those interested in our Ecclesiastical History, deserves to be particularly noticed, namely, the Rev. G. A. Poole's _Synchronological Table of the Bishops of the English Sees from the Year 1050 to 1550_. How much good service might be done to Historical Literature by the compilation and printing of many documents of a similar character!

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