Читать книгу: «Notes and Queries, Number 21, March 23, 1850», страница 6
"Quisquis amat dictis absentem rodere famam,
Hanc mensam indignam noverit esse sibi.
He that doth love on absent friends to jeere,
May hence depart, no room is for him here."
With respect to the Barnacle fowl, it may be an addendum, not uninteresting to your correspondent "W.B. MacCabe," to add to his extract from Giraldus another from Hector Boece, History of Scotland, "imprentit be Thomas Davidson, prenter to the Kyngis nobyll grace [James VI.]." He observes, that the opinion of some, that the "Claik geis growis on treis be the nebbis, is vane," and says he "maid na lytyll lauboure and deligence to serche the treuthe and virite yairof," having "salit throw the seis quhare thir Clakis ar bred," and assures us, that although they were produced in "mony syndry wayis, thay ar bred ay allanerly be nature of the seis." These fowls, he continues, are formed from worms which are found in wood that has been long immersed in salt water, and he avers that their transformation was "notably provyn in the zier of God 1480 besyde the castell of Petslego, in the sycht of mony pepyll," by a tree which was cast ashore, in which the creatures were seen, partly formed, and some with head, feet, and wings; "bot thay had na faderis." Some years afterwards, a tree was thrown on the beach near Dundee, with the same appearances, and a ship broken up at Leith exhibited the same marvel; but he clinches the argument by a "notable example schawin afore our eyne. Maister Alexander Galloway Person, of Kynkèll, was with us in thir Illis (the Hebridæ), and be adventure liftet up ane see tangle, hyng and full of mussil schellis," one of which he opened, "bot than he was mair astonist than afore, for he saw na fische in it bot ane perfit schapin foule. This clerk, knawin us richt desirous of sic uncouth thingis, came haistely, and opinit it iwith all circumstance afore rehersit." So far the venerable "Chanon of Aberdene." The West Highlanders still believe in the barnacle origin of this species of fowl.
JAMES LOGAN
Tureen (No. 16. p. 246.; No. 19. p. 307.).—I have seen old-fashioned silver tureens which turned on a pivot attached to the handles, and always concluded that it was to this form that Goldsmith alluded in the line quoted by "G.W."
SELEUCUS.
Hudibrastic Couplet (No. 14. p. 211.).—These lines do not occur in the reprint of the Musarum Deliciæ (Lond. 1817, 8vo. 2 vols.). Lowndes (Bibliogr. Manual) states that they are to be found in the 2nd ed. of the work (London, 1656. 12mo.).
F.C.B.
Topography of Foreign Printing Presses (No. 18. p. 277.)—About twelve years ago, Valpy published a vol. of Supplements to Lemprière's Dictionary, by E.H. Barker. One of these contained a complete list of all the foreign towns in which books had been printed, with the Latin names given to them in alphabetical order.
W. and N.
Your correspondent "P.H.F." will find in Cotton's Typographical Gazetteer (8vo. Clarendon Press, 1831), every information he will ordinarily require.
J.M.S.
Islington, March 7. 1850
Dr. Hugh Todd's MSS. (No. 18. p. 282.).—The only MS. in the library of University College, Oxford, is that mentioned by "F.M."; and it is described in the Catalogue, compiled by the Rev. H.O. Coxe, of the MSS. belonging to the College, p. 47. No. clxx. There is a note stating it was "ex dono Hugonis Todd, Socii, A.D. 1690."
C.I.R.
MISCELLANIES
Burnet.—In addition to the opinions expressed in favour of or opposed to Burnet's "History," (No. 3. p. 40., and No. 8. p. 120.), I may also refer to Dr. King's Anecdotes; he says,
"I knew Burnet; he was a furious party-man, and easily imposed on by any lying spirit of his own faction; but he was a better pastor than any man who is now seated on the Bishop's bench."
Dryden's chastisement of Burnet—"the noble Buzzard"—in his Hind and Panther must be familiar to your readers. It was given as "adequate retaliation" for the Bishop's censure of the immorality of Dryden's plays. Applied to Burnet's Sketches of Characters, Dryden says:
"His praise of foes is venomously nice,
So touch'd, it turns a virtue to a vice."
Scott's note on this passage well merits perusal.
J.H.M.
Bath.
PERVENIRI AD SUMMUM NISI EX PRINCIPIIS NON POTEST
(From the Latin of Vincent Bourne.)
Newton, the light of each succeeding age,
First learned his letters from a female sage.
But thus far taught—the alphabet once learn'd—
To loftier use those elements he turn'd.
Forced th' unconscious signs, by process rare,
Known quantities with unknown to compare;
And, by their aid, profound deductions drew
From depths of truth his teacher never knew.
Yet the true authoress of all was she!—
Newton's Principia were his a, b, c.
Rufus.
Prince Madoc (No. 4. p. 56.; No. 18. p. 282.).—In the darkness superinduced by the absence of historical evidence on the Welsh settlement in America, I beg leave to offer a few remarks on some ethnological subjects involved in this question.
In reference to the specimen of a Welsh-Indian Vocabulary in Catlin's N.A. Indians, which "Gomer" opposes to Prof. Elton's proposition on this subject (No. 15. p. 236.), were the instances of similarity to exhibit the influence of opinion, of government, or of commerce, on the language of the tribe, the origin of such words would be as indisputable as that of those introduced by the English into the various countries of the East where they have factories; e.g. governor, council, company. But these and numerous other traces of the Celtic language which have been found in Florida and Darien are not indicative of such impressions; most of them, from their universality, bespeak themselves to be primitive; and who can assure us that some may not have reached them before the twelfth century, through "Walsh or strangers," "a race mightier than they and wiser," by whom they may have been instructed in the arts which have excited so much astonishment?
The glass beads, erroneously called Druid's beads, furnish Catlin with another proof of affiliation, which, however, is invalidated by the well-ascertained facts of glass-manufactories having, in remotest antiquity, existed in Egypt, and of glass beads having been dispersed by the Phoenicians among the nations which they visited. (See Tassie's Gems, introd.—Here, by the by, are mentioned celebrated emeralds, which have turned out to be only lumps of green glass!)
Lhuyd relates that the cross was honoured in N. America before the arrival of the Spaniards, and Sir R. Manley (Turk. Spy, vol. viii.) states that they found crucifixes also. Unfortunately for this hypothesis, it has been shown, by G. Becanus (Hierogl., see Index), Olaus Wormius (De Danicis Monumentis, see Index), M. Ficinus (De Vita coelitus Propaganda, l. iii. c. 18.), and Kircherus (Prodromus Coptus, p. 163.), that in various countries the cross was, before the Christian era, an object of veneration, and symbolled the genius of their religion. In the event of crucifixes having been found (for which, however, Sir R. Manley supplies no authority) we need not be surprised that the Christian topography was so far extended, since the Christianity of China, between the seventh and the thirteenth century, has been invincibly proved; and simultaneously, perhaps, the aborigines of America received the symbol, Ερωσ μου εσταυρωται, which is peculiar to the Christian religion.
In conclusion, permit me to cite Southey versus Catlin:—"That country," says the author of Madoc "has now been fully explored; and wherever Madoc may have settled, it is now certain that no Welsh Indians are to be found upon any branches of the Missouri" (Preface, note written in 1815).
Since I wrote the above, I have met with a work, by Mr. George Jones, entitled The History of Ancient America anterior to the Time of Columbus, vol. i.: "The Tyrian Æra." In the second, not yet published, he promises to give "The Introduction of Christianity into the Western Hemisphere by the Apostle St. Thomas."
T.I.
Mistake in Gibbon.—Those of your readers, who are, like myself, occasional verifiers of references, will perhaps thank me for pointing out a false reference, that I have just discovered in one of Gibbon's notes:
"Capitolinus gives us the particulars of these tumultuary votes, which were moved by one senator, and repeated, or rather chanted, by the whole body."—Hist. August. p. 52.
See Gibbon's Decline and Fall, chap. 4, note under marginal lemma, "The memory of Commodus declared infamous."
These "tumultuary votes" are recorded, not by Capitolinus, but by Ælius Lampridius, in his Life of Commodus. Vide Historiæ Augustæ Scriptores. Ælii Lampridii Commodus Antoninus, capita 18, 19.
Capitolinus wrote the life of his immediate successor, Pertinax; hence perhaps the mistake, "Egregio in corpore nævus!" Let those who wish to know what passion really is, read the tiger-like yells of the Roman senate in Lampridius!
C. Forbes.
Temple, Feb. 27.
Jew's Harp.—The late Mr. Douce always maintained that the proper name of this instrument was the Jaw's Harp, and that the Jews had no special concern with either its invention or its use.
J.H.M.
Havior.—The word "havior" is probably of a hybrid character; partly of Anglo-Saxo, and partly of British origin. If so, the first syllable is obvious enough, "half" being generally pronounced as if the liquid were considered an evanescent quantity, "ha'f, heif, hav'," &c., and "iwrch" is the British word for a roe-buck. Dropping the guttural termination, therefore, and writing "ior" instead of "iwrch," we have the significant designation of the animal described by Lord Braybrooke, whose flesh, like that of the capon, may afford a convenient variety among the delicacies of the season, if well cooked according to the recondite mysteries of the gastronomic art.
Hypomagirus.
Trinity College, Oxford, Feb 14.
N.B. "Heifer" has already been explained as "heif-ker, half-cre," A.-S., "anner," Br.
Haviour, Haver, Hyfr (No. 15. p. 230, and No. 17. p. 269.).—If I may throw out a question where I cannot give an explanation, I would ask, are we not approaching very near to the word "heifer" (from the Saxon) in these, but especially in the last of the above terms? They seem to me to be identical. The introduction of the sound of y between the sounds of v and ur, is not uncommon in the vernacular or corrupted pronunciation of many words; nay, it is sanctioned by general usage, in "behaviour" from "behave," "Saviour" from "save," &c. If the words are identical, still the history of the appropriation of the one to male animals of the class described, and of the other to females, must be curious and worth investigating. May not the aver and averium, like irreplegibilia and other barbarous law terms, be framed (rather than derived) from one of our English terms, as well as from the French avoir?
G.W.
America known to the Ancients.—I have a note of the following references, as illustrating the passage quoted by "C." (No. 7. p. 107.), and countenancing the idea that the existence of America was at least suspected by the ancients. As I have not had an opportunity of consulting the authorities myself, I cannot tell how far they may affect the point in question; and I fear the references are not as accurate as might be wished, but I shall be truly glad if they prove at all useful:—Diodorus Siculus, Bibl. lib. iv. pp. 299, 300 edit. Rhodoman; Apuleius, De Mund. Oper. vol. ii. p. 122.; Avitus in Senec. Suasor.; Horn, De Origin. Americ. lib. i. c. 10. p. 57.
G. William Skyring.
Error in Meyrick's Ancient Armour (No. 17. p. 266.).—In the second edition of Meyrick's Armour, the error pointed out by Mr. Hudson Turner has not been corrected. The passage is, "Item a gamboised coat with a rough surface of gold embroidered on the nap of the cloth;" and with the note, "Like a thicket."
F.C.B.
Nomade.—The last Indian mails brought me the following derivation of the word Nomade, in a letter from a friend, who was, when he wrote, leading a nomade life among the Ryots of Guzerat:—
"Camp, Kulpore, Jan. 30. 1850.
"The natives use [for their tents] a sort of woollen stuff, about half an inch thick, called 'numbda.' * * * * * * By the bye, this word 'numbda' is said to be the origin of the word nomade, because the nomade tribes used the same material for their tents. When I was at school, I used to learn nomde, from νεμω."
Melanion.
