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Replies to Minor Queries

Solingen (Vol. ii., p. 135.).—Will you allow me to state, for the information of T.S. LAWRENCE, who inquires who Salingen, the sword cutler, was,—that Solingen is the name of a small town near Elberfeld, in Westphalia; a sort of Sheffield for the whole of that part of Germany. Immense quantities of cutlery of all sorts are made there, and many knives are, I was told, made there, stamped with English names, and imported into England as true British ware,—being equally good with ours, and, of course, cheaper. Solingen is still, and has been for centuries, renowned for its sword blades. You cannot ride through the town without meeting a troop or two of girls with a load of sword blades on their heads.

May I suggest to your inquirer JARLTZBERG that the derivation of blackguard is as likely to be blagarode, the Russian for nobleman, as many words are to be descended from their reputed parents.

C.B.M.

P.C.S.S. believes that a little research would have enabled MR. LAWRENCE (Vol. ii., p. 135.) to ascertain that Solingen (not Salingen) was not the name of a sword cutler, but of a place in Prussian Westphalia, long celebrated for the fabrication of that weapon, as well as of fencing-foils. Of the latter instrument P.C.S.S. has several pairs in his possession, all marked with the inscription "In Solingen." That the Solingen manufactory still flourishes there, is stated in Murray's Handbook for Northern Germany, p. 373.

P.C.S.S.

Blackguard (Vol. ii., p. 134.).—In the second vol. of B. Jonson's works by Gifford, page 169., there is the following note on this word:—

"In all great houses, but particularly in the royal residences, there were a number of mean, dirty dependants, whose office it was to attend the wool-yard, sculleries, &c.; of these the most forlorn wretches seem to have been selected to carry coals to the kitchens, halls, &c. To this smutty regiment, who attended the progresses, and rode in the carts with the pots and kettles, the people in derision gave the name of black-guards"

I find also the following in Butlerts Hudibras, part 3.:—

 
"Thou art some paltry, blackguard sprite,
Condemn'd to drudgery in the night;
Thou hast no work to do in the house,
Nor halfpenny to drop in shoes."
 

AREDJID KOOEZ.

The Three Dukes (Vol. ii., p. 9.).—Perhaps a note which I have just stumbled upon, in a MS. account of the Griffin family, may furnish some clue as to "the Dukes who killed the Beadell."

"Edward Griffin was probably the same person, to whom a pardon was granted, April 11. 1671, for the death of Peter Werriel; in the like manner as was granted to the Duke of Albemarle and the Duke of Monmouth."

At all events, both casualties occurred in the same spring, and a reference to the gazettes of the day would perhaps set the question at rest.

BRAYBROOKE.

Audley End.

Bonny Dundee (Vol. ii., p. 134.) is the name attached to one of the most beautiful of the Scotch melodies. The song is said to be very old. The words, which I recollect to have heard sung to it more than half a century ago, began:

 
"'O, whar gat ye that hauers-meal bannock,
My bonny young lassie, now tell it to me?'
'I got it frae a sodger laddie,
Between Saint Johnstone and bonnie Dundee."
 

It is clear that it is to the town, not the man (though from the portraits of him he was very handsome), that the epithet applies. My version of the song differs from that given in Cromek's Burns, and also from Allan Cuningham's; and I am disposed to think my memory at fault from the so near recurrence of the word "bonnie" in the stanza.

Neither the date of the birth of Viscount Dundee, nor his age at the time of his death, is mentioned by the Scottish Peerage writers, Crawford, Douglas, or Wood.

F.R.S.L. and E.

Was Quarles pensioned? (Vol. i., p. 201.).—I believe that no reply has been made to this Query. The following passage, transcribed from the "Epistle Dedicatory" to the surreptitious edition of Quarles's Judgment and Mercy, affords a slight negative proof to the contrary:

"And being so usefull, I dare not doubt your patronage of this child, which survives a father whose utmost abilities were (till death darkened that great light in his soule) sacrificed to your service."

Now if Charles had conferred a pension on Quarles, is it not exceedingly probable that the publisher and dedicator, Richard Royston, would have recalled so honourable a circumstance to the memory of his "most gratious sovereign King Charles" in this "Epistle Dedicatory," when he had so excellent an opportunity of doing so?

T.M.B.

Collar of Esses (Vol. ii., p. 140.).—MR. J.G. NICHOLS, in his reply to the Query of φ., says, that "the judges" are among those who are now privileged to wear these collars. Allow me to suggest to him that the privilege among them is limited to the chiefs of the three courts. The other judges certainly now never wear them, and I am unaware that they ever did so. I have a large, though by no means a perfect collection of legal portraits, and there is not one puisne judge or baron so distinguished. The earliest legal worthy who is represented with this collar is in the reign of Henry VIII., and it adorns not a chief justice, but a chancellor, viz. Sir Thomas More; and he is the only chancellor upon whose shoulders it appears. This collar is formed by continuous Esses, without any ornament between them. It is united in the front by two portcullises, with a rose pendant. The print is from Holbein's picture, and presents him as chancellor, with the purse. The first chief justice wearing the collar is Sir James Dyer, Ch.C.P. in the reign of Elizabeth. The only difference between it and Sir Thomas More's is, that the rose is placed between the portcullises. I have another, in a later period of the same reign, of Sir Christopher Wray, Ch.K.B., in which the Esses are alternated with ornamental knots. I am not aware of any portrait of a chief baron before Sir Thomas Bury, in the first year of George I.; so that I am uncertain whether the collar was previously worn by that functionary.

It is curious that during the Commonwealth the Collar of Esses was worn by John Glynne, the Chief Justice of the Upper Bench, with a difference; that difference being a quatrefoil, instead of the knot, between each S; and a large jewel, surrounded by smaller ones, being substituted for the portcullises and rose.

These facts may, I hope, be of some use to MR. J.G. NICHOLS in the volume I am glad to see that he contemplates. I hope he will not forget to answer the other Query of φ., "Under what circumstances, and at what dates, was the privilege of wearing these collars reduced to its present limitation?"

EDWARD FOSS.

The Story of the three Men and their Bag of Money (Vol. ii., p. 132.).—In Tales, and quicke Answers, very mery, and pleasant to rede, is the following, with the title "Howe Demosthenes defended a Mayde:"—

"There were two men on a time, the whiche lefte a great somme of money in kepyng with a maiden, on this condition, that she shulde nat delyuer hit agayne, except they came bothe to gether for hit. Nat lang after one of them cam to hir mornyngly arrayde, and sayde that his felowe was deed, and so required the money, and she delyuered it to hem. Shortly came the tother man, and required to have the moneye that was lefte with her in kepyng. The maiden was than so sorrowfull, both for lacke of the money, and for one to defend her cause, that she thought to hange her selfe. But Demosthenes, that excellent oratour, spake for her and sayd: 'Sir, this mayden is redy to quite her fidelitie, and to deliuer agayne the money that was lefte with her in kepyng, so that thou wylt brynge thy felowe with thee to receyue it.' But that he coude not do."

This is the 69th tale in the collection. I cite from the reprint which appeared in 1831, under the title of The Hundred Merry Tales: or Shakspeare's Jest Book.

C.H. COOPER

Cambridge, July 29. 1850.

The story of the three men and their bag of money (Vol. ii., p. 132.) is here stated to be "in the Notes to Rogers's Italy": but it is in the body of the work, as a distinct story, headed, "The Bag of Gold."

ROBERT SNOW.

Will. Robertson of Murton (Vol. ii., p. 155.) is stated by Douglas in his Baronage, p. 413., to be descended in the fourth decree from Alexander Robertson, fifth baron of Strowan. The pedigree of Robertson of Strowan is given in the same vol.

F.R.S.L. and E.

Long Meg of Westminster.—I am not quite of DR. RIMBAULT'S opinion, that Long Meg of Westminster is a fictitious personage. I believe her to have been as much a real wonton as Moll Cutpurse was a century later.

If the large stone shown as Long Meg's grave had been anywhere else within the walls of Westminster Abbey than where it is, I should have had great dockets about the Westminster tradition. But Long Meg, there is reason to believe from the numerous allusions to her in the Elizabethan dramatists, was a heroine after the Reformation, and her burial, therefore, in the cloisters, where few people of wealth or good reputation were buried between 1538 and 1638, seems to me a common occurrence. Had Islip or Esteney buried her among the abbots in the cloister, I could then have joined in DR. RIMBAULT'S surprise. I have altered the passage, however, to "marking, the grave, it is said." This will meet, I trust, DR. RIMBAULT'S objection, though I have Gifford to support me in the passage as it at present stands:

"There is a penny story-book of this tremendous virago [Westminster Meg], who performed many wonderful exploits about the time that Jack the Giant Killer flourished. She was buried, as all the world knows, in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey, where a huge stone is still pointed out to the Whitsuntide visitors as her gravestone."

—Gifford's Ben Jonson, viii. 78.

Let me add, that I am much obliged to DR. RIMBAULT, as well as to other correspondents, for corrections and still more valuable additions to my book, printed in "NOTES AND QUERIES."

PETER CUNNINGHAM

The Churchwardens' Accounts of St. Antholin's (Vol. i., pp. 180, 260.).—In my additions to Mr. Cunningham's Handbook for London, I noticed two folio volumes of churchwardens' accounts, belonging to the parish of St. Antholin's, that had accidentally got away from the custody of their proper guardians. This notice roused from his slunbers one of the said guardians, the present overseer of the parish, W.C., Junior, who stated in your journal of February 23. that

"The churchwardens' accounts are in good preservation, and present (in an unbroken series) the parish expenditure for nearly three centuries."

The worthy overseer also wishes to impress your readers with a belief that I had been misled by Thorpe's Catalogue, and that the books to which I referred were merely extracts. In justice to myself, I therefore give the entries in Thorpe's Catalogue verbatim as they occur. Your readers will then be better able to judge which is the "true" Dromio:—

"The Churchwardens' Accounts from 1615 to 1752 of the Parish of St. Antholin's, London. Folio, 3l. 3s.

"This curious and interesting volume appears to have been kept purposely for the various clergymen to write their receipts for preaching the morning lectures at the above church for nearly a century and a half. It contains the autographs of many eminent divines; among others, John Goodwin, R. Pearson, J. Berriman, J. Withers, J. Cooksey, R. Vann, T. Shepperd. W. Scott, R. Chambre, J. Todd, Lilly Butler, J. Botham, C. Evans, T. Clarke, J. Williams, J. Povey, J. Hotchkis, W. Stringfellow, W. Pott, C. Bancroft, R. Clarke, W. Gearing, and many others."

"The Chuchwarden and Overseers of the Parish of St. Antholin's in London, Accounts from 1638 to 1700 inclusive. Folio, 3l. 3s.

"An interesting record of the expenses of this parish for sixty-four years. It commences with the gifts of various sacks of coals, faggots, &c., to the poor, receipts for flesh licences, collections, interest money, the Lady Martaine's gifts, Sir W. Craven's gifts, the Merchant Tailors' Company's gifts, Mercers' ditto, the Company of Ironmongers forty fagots, the Company of Mercers a load of charcoal, the gift of the late King James seven loads of Newcastle coals,—this royal bequest appears to have been annual gift for ever. Query, if now in payment? ANNUAL gifts of Lady Coventry for putting out two poor children born in this parish. Lady Martin's, and many others, are annual gifts, which ought to be forthcoming to the parish at this time."

This last note contains some Queries which I should be glad to see answered.

EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.

The Plant "Haemony" (Vol. ii. p. 88. and p. 141.).—The mystical meaning of "Haemony" is evolved by Coleridge in a passage which occurs in his Statesman's Manual, appendix B., and which cannot fail to interest the readers of Comus.

"It is found in the study of the Old and New Testament, if only it be combined with a spiritual partaking of the Redeemer's blood, of which, mysterious as the symbol may be, the sacramental wine is no mere or arbitrary memento. This is the only certain, and this is the universal, preventive of all debasing superstitions; this is the true haemony ([Greek: haima], blood, [Greek: oinos], wine), which our Milton has beautifully allegorised in a passage strangely overlooked by all his commentators. Bear in mind, reader! the character of a militant Christian, and the results (in this life and in the next) of the redemption by the blood of Christ, and so peruse the passage."

T.M.B.

Mildew in Books (Vol. ii., p. 103.).—Your correspondent B. suggests that "any hints as to the cause or remedy of mildew in books will be most acceptable." I venture therefore an opinion that the cause is to be found in the defective bleaching and manufacture of the rags from which the paper is made and the careless or intentional admixture of linen with cotton rags. The comparatively modern method of bleaching with oxymuriate of lime, or chlorine in substance, with the ad-libitum and unacknowledged admixture of gypsum (to give weight and firmness to the paper) are, I believe, the true causes of the defects in question, which are to be found more in modern books and prints than in those of an earlier date, and do not arise from damp, as the term "mildew" might seem to imply, although the same appearance no doubt arises from that cause alone in the older paper. But paper made and bleached by the processes I have mentioned will become covered with brown spots, however dry it may be kept.

I have a folio edition of La Armeria Real de Madrid, printed at Paris, without date, but subsequently to 1838 by the preface. The paper is very stout and fine, and was free from blemish when I purchased it three years ago, but at present it is covered with brown patches, and the beauty of the work destroyed, although it has been kept in a very dry room.

For such defects I should be equally delighted with B. to discover a remedy; but I fear that so long as our paper manufacturers study expedition and economy in preference to quality, the case is hopeless. The ashes left after the combustion of a sheet of paper clearly indicate the amount of modern sophistication, and greatly exceed those of more ancient paper. In fact, some paper may now be classed, with more propriety, among mineral than vegetable productions. Mildew, arising from damp in old books, may be arrested, if not removed, by exposure to light, air, and a dry atmosphere.