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MINOR QUERIES
MSS. of the Wycliffite Translations of the Scriptures.—The Add. MS. 15,521., in the British Museum, contains a copy of Lewis's edition of the Wycliffite New Testament, printed in 1731, with manuscript notes by Ames and Lewis, and the former has transcribed into it some additional prologues, prefixed to each book of the New Testament, which had not been printed by Lewis, and were taken by Ames from a MS. of the New Testament, written in 1424, and in 1731 in the possession of Thomas Granger. It would be very desirable to learn what became of this MS. subsequently. Granger died in the following year, but the MS. does not appear in the sale catalogue of his library, nor is it found in the catalogue of Ames's own library, dispersed in 1760. Any information relative to this remarkable copy of the New Testament, would be very acceptable to the Editors of the Wycliffite Versions of the Scriptures, who are now, after a literary labour of more than twenty years, about to bring the work to a conclusion. They would also feel much obliged by the communication of any notices of MSS. of the Wycliffite versions, existing in private hands, exclusive of those copies of which they already possess descriptions, existing in the libraries of the following individuals:—Mrs. Allanson of Farn, Flintshire, the Earl of Ashburnham, Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bart., Sir Peregrine Ackland, Bart., Sir David Dundas, H.M. Judge Advocate, Dr. Cardwell, Principal of St. Alban's Hall, Oxford, and Thomas Bannister, Esq.
F. Madden.
British Museum, March 28.
Why are Gloves not worn before Royalty?—Can any of your readers inform me what is the origin of the custom observed at Court, of persons in the royal presence not wearing gloves? Is it a matter of pure etiquette, or does the observance of it derive its origins from barbarous times, when chivalry was little else than barbarism in armour?
F.E.
Law Courts at St. Albans.—Can any of your correspondents give me the reference to a communication in the Gentleman's Magazine (between, I think, the years 1815 and 1836), in which a passage in Massinger, which alludes to lawyers going to St. Albans, is illustrated by an inscription in the nave of St. Alban's Abbey Church, which records that the courts were held there on account of the sweating-sickness in the reign of Elizabeth?
Σ.
Richard Haley, or Hales.—Milton Pedigree.—I should feel obliged by any particulars respecting Richard Haley, or Hales, of Idlestreete, otherwise Ilstreyd, in com. Hertford, yeoman; my object being to ascertain the nature of some transaction he had with Milton, in July 1674, referred to in a bond which the former executed, dated the 27th of that month, for performance of the covenants contained in an indenture of even date.
Is any thing known of Richard Milton, who signs his name as the attesting witness to the releases given by two of the poet's daughters for their share of his estate? Is there any pedigree of the family of Sir Christopher Milton, the poet's brother, drawn up with sufficient apparent accuracy to exclude the probability of Richard Milton being his son? I have referred to the pedigree in the British Museum (Harl. MS. 5802. fo. 19b.), which makes no mention of the letter; but it is evidently so imperfect a notice, as to be of little authority one way or other.
J.F.M.
Sapcote Motto.—Over the old gatehouse of Elton, co. Hunts., built by the family of Sapcote, is their coat of arms, namely, "three dove-cotes;" and upon a scroll, surrounding the lower part of the shield, is carved a motto, evidently French, and as evidently cut by a person ignorant of that language. So far as I can decypher it, the letters appear to be
sco toot X vinic [or umic]
X poncs.
Possibly the first and last letters s are only flourishes. I shall be glad of any suggestion as to its meaning.
I have not been able to find the Sapcote motto on record; and I believe the Carysfoot family, the possessors of Elton, and the Duke of Bedford, the heir in blood, to be ignorant of what this scroll is intended to represent.
Erminois.
Athenæum Club.
Scala Coeli.—In a will, dated 12 Hen. VIII., the testator directs that there shall be four trentals of Saint Gregory said for his soul at London at "Scala Coeli." Can any of your readers explain what place is meant by "Scala Coeli?"
A Subscriber.
Illustrations of Gresset's "Vert Vert," painted on Enamel, &c.—In a Paris edition of Gresset's Works (Janet et Cotelle, 1823), in the preface is the following passage.—
"Vert-vert fut bientôt dans toutes les mains. Le suffrage de la multitude se joignit à celui des connoisseurs; la mode, qui est aussi en possession de donner son suffrage, s'empressa de parer les ajustemens d'invention récente, du nom de l'illustre perroquet; les vases d'ornement, les vases usuels qui sortoient des fabriques françoises, retraçoient presque tous quelques épisodes du petit poëme. Un artist dont le nom est venu jusqu'à nous, Raux, en peignit sur émail les sujets les plus marquants; et tandis qu'on faisoit passer dans une version latine les vers élégants du poëte jésuite, M. Bertin, ministre d'état, le gratifioit d'un magnifique cabaret de Sèvres, dont toutes les pièces reproduisoient les aventures de son héros, ce qui fit dire à Gresset, qu'on le traduisoit aussi en porcelaine de Sèvres."
The Query I wish to make is, Have any of these illustrations or designs from Gresset's poem of Vert-vert, painted on enamel china, or earthenware of any sort, of French or any other manufacture, come to light of late years? or more lately still, among the articles that have been dispersed among various buyers of almost all nations, in the sales within these few weeks effected at Paris?
Robert Snow.
Urbanus Regius.—A friend of mine, a delightful old lady, fresh, genial, and inquisitive, has in her possession an old volume, a family heir-loom, which is not the less dear to her for being somewhat dingy and dilapidated, and touching which she would gladly receive such information as your correspondents can supply.
It is made up of three apparently distinct treatises; the first (of which several leaves are wanting) on the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed. The second is "The ryght foundation, and pryncypall common places of the hole godly Scripture," &c., by Doctor Urbanus Regius. Prefixed is an epistle to Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury (evidently Cranmer), to whom "Hys dayly oratoure, Gwalter Lynne (the writer of the epistle), wyssheth lyfe euerlastynge." Between this second treatise and the third, and apparently belonging to the latter, is a title-page with the following inscription:
"Imprinted for Gwalter Lynne, dwelling upon Somers Kaye, by Byllinges gate. In the yeare of oure Lorde. MDXLVIII. And they by [sic] to be solde at Poules church yarde at the north doore, In the signe of the By-bell, By Richard Jugge."
This last treatise is in smaller type than the others, and has no general designation: it contains chapters on various subjects, e.g. "The Signification of Baptism," &c.
Query 1. Is this volume well known? 2. Who were Urbanus Regius and Walter Lynne?
G.P.
March 16. 1850.
REPLIES
THE ARABIC NUMERALS AND CIPHER
I might, with a little more consideration, have referred "E.V." to several other authorities which he will do well to consult.
9. Wallis's Algebra, p. 9. and p. 153. of the additions.
10. Phil. Trans., Nos. 439. and 475.
11. Montucla, Histoire des Mathématiques, tom. i. chap. 2.
12. Baillie, Histoire de l'Astronomie.
13. Delambre1, Hist. de l'Astr. du moyen age.
14. Hutton's Tracts (8vo. ed. 1812.), vol. ii. (subject "History of Algebra")
15. Huet, Demonstratio Evangelica.
16. Dr. John Taylor's Translation of the Lilawati. (Bombay, 1816.)
17. Strachey's Translation of the Bija Ganita2.
18. Colebrooke's Algebra of the Hindus.
Would it not be worth while to give a facsimile of the "Tabel for all manere of merchauntes," in the "Notes and Queries"? It is not only a curiosity, but an important element (and unique as far as is known) in the philosophic history of our arithmetic. It was, no doubt, an actual instrument in constant use in the merchant's office, as much so as an almanac, interest-tables, a "cambist" and a copying-press, are now.
As regards the cipher, the difficulty only commenced with writing numbers in the new symbology. With persons accustomed to the use of this instrument, there is no doubt that the mode of obviating the difficulty of "keeping the place," would suggest itself at once. In this instrument an empty hole (without its peg) signified "none of this denomination." What then more simple than to make the outline of the empty hole which occupied the "local position" of any denomination, when none of that precise denomination occurred in the number itself? Under this view the process at least becomes simple and natural; and as the early merchants contributed so largely to the improvement of our arithmetical processes, such a conclusion is wholly divested of improbability on any other ground. The circle would then naturally become, as it certainly has practically become, the most appropriate symbol of nothingness.
As regards the term cipher or zero (which are so obviously the same as to need no remark), it is admitted on all hands to be derived from one or other of the Semitic languages, the Hebrew or the Arabic. It is customery with the mathematical historians to refer it to the Arabic, they being in general more conversant with it than with the Hebrew. The Arabic being a smaller hand than the Hebrew, a dot was used instead of the circle for marking the "place" at which the hiatus of any "denomination" occurred. If we obtained our cipher from this, it would be made hollow (a mere ceinture, girdle, or ring) to save the trouble of making a dot sufficiently large to correspond in magnitude with our other numerals as we write them. Either is alike possible—probability must be sought, for either over the other, from a slightly different source.
The root-words in Hebrew and in Arabic are precisely the same (ts-ph-r), though in the two languages, and at different ages of the same language, they might have been vowelised differently. In some shape or other, this name is used in all countries that have derived their arithmetic from mediæval Italy, or from the Saracens. It is with some cipher, with others chiffre, and with all zero. The word is certainly no more Italian than it is French or English. Be it remembered, too, that ezor (quoted at p. 268.), as a girdle, is radically the same word, somewhat mutilated. The cardinal meaning of the word (denuded of the conventional accretions of signification, which peculiar applications of it adds to the cardinal meaning) appears to be emptiness, hollowness, nothingness. It may be further remarked, that in the fine Chartres MS. of Boetius, described by Chasles, the 0 is called sipos:—the same name, he remarks, that Graves found in use in the East. The modern Turks call the 0, tsifra.
It is curious enough that in all languages, the term ciphering is popularly used to denote all arithmetical operations whatever. Our schoolboys do their "ciphering," and write carefully in their "ciphering-books." This all seems to point to the art of dispensing with the use of the abacus or counting table.
T.S.D.
Shooter's Hill, March 5.
Arabic Numerals.—I had replied to "E.V." (No. 15. p. 230.), when I saw by your "Notice to Correspondents," that the question was answered. I therefore waited the publication of the replies, which I find do not embrace any one of the points to which I would call the attention of "E.V."—Diophantus of Alexandria, who flourished about 150 years after Christ, and who wrote thirteen books of algebra or arithmetic in the Greek language, is generally supposed to be the oldest writer on the subject that has come down to our time; but it was not from him that we received the knowledge of algebra in Europe. It appears certain that the first knowledge of this science in England was from Italy or Spain, after the Moors settled in the latter country; and the Arabians and Persians appear to have derived their arithmetical method of computing by ten characters from the Indians: who, in their turn, have most probably borrowed from the Chinese, and improved on their method by the adoption of a zero, which was one of the most important improvements effected by the Hindoos. In China, the words ancient and modern are almost synonymous; their usages and customs being so unchangeable, as appears by their instrument of computation, the swanpan, which is still used in all their calculations. The Oriental scholar will find much curious and interesting information connected with this subject in the Sanscrit Vija Ganita and Lilivati of Bhaskara Acharya: the former was translated into Persian at Agra, or Delhi, in 1634, and the latter by Fyzee in 1587; but there are also English translations, all of which are in the library of the Royal Asiatic Society. The Khalasah-ul-Hisah is another work of repute in India. Mr. Strachey wrote and printed in India, for the Asiatic Researches, a valuable paper, which contains most conclusive evidence of the Indian (if not Chinese) origin of our numerals. See also Astronomie Indienne, of M. Bailly; 2d vol. Asiatic Researches, "On the Astronomical Computations of the Hindoos," by Saml. Davis; "Two Dissertations on Indian Astronomy and Trigonometry," by Professor Playfair, in the 2d and 4th vols. of the Edinburgh Philosophical Transactions. And many others might be referred to; but all tending to prove that our numbers came originally from China and India, through Persia, Arabia, Africa, Spain, and Italy, by gradual and successive changes in form, several of them still retaining a close resemblance to the ancient and modern Sanscrit, Chinese, Arabic, Persian, and Hindoo numerals.
Henry Wilkinson.
