NOTES AND QUERIES:

A

Medium of Entercommunication

FOR

LITERARY MEN, GENERAL READERS, ETC.

"When found, make a note of."-CAPTAIN CUTTLE.

SEVENTH SERIES.-VOLUME NINTH.

JANUARY-JUne, 1890.

UNIVERSITY

LONDON:

PUBLISHED AT THE

OFFICE, 22, TOOK'S COURT, CHANCERY LANE, E.C.

BY JOHN C. FRANCIS.

LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1890.

CONTENT 8.-N° 210.

confuted."* To contradict a writer who professes to relate history from personal observation, and to prove the contradiction to the hilt, requires more NOTES:-Capt. J. Smith, 1-R. Burton, 2-Topographical study and labour than copyists are wont to bestow upon their subject.

-J. M. Johnson - Cool
Wanted, 9.

Notes, 3-Education-Apostolicals-" Grand Old Man"A Thorough Abridgment-" Rank and file," 5-An Old Jest --Channel Tunnel-Verminous-Bailhatchet, 6-New Year's At the suggestion of a friend, I have lately Day, 7. examined into that portion of the captain's QUERIES:-The Cockpit-Cock-penny-Cockatiels-Cockney adventures which, according to Purchas, who first -Title of Book Wanted-Diversions of Purley'-Cathedral, printed them in his 'Pilgrims,' were taken from 7-Byron's Works-Heraldic-Mirabeau-Brockett MSS.- a book entitled "The Warres of Transiluania, Blacklegg-General C. Martin Castell-Zuingli-Equi- Wallachi, and Moldauia, written by Francisco noctial Storm-Macaulay's Style-Oseney Abbey-Funeral Shutters, 8-Mrs. Honey-Allusion by Macaulay-Rules Ferneza, a learned Italian, Secretarie to Sigis"The Marleypins"— Authors mundus Bathor, the Prince [of Transylvania]." In performing my task I have, I believe, conREPLIES:-The Couvade, 9-Teaching of the Twelve scientiously followed the example set by Prof. Apostles-Sir J. Hawkwood-Tennyson-J. G. Holman, 10 Arber, the able and painstaking editor of the last -Flemish Brass-J. Hill-Brennus-"If I had a donkey," edition of Capt. Smith's 'Works.'t Like him, I 11–“Præfervidum ingenium Scotorum"-Park-Runes, 12 have approached the text perfectly free from all -Pigs Seeing the Wind- -Human Leather-"Humanity bias, scanned every assertion of fact most keenly; Martin," 14-Folk-lore-"To stay at home is best"-Arms but, I regret to state, the result arrived at vastly -Black Cap-Column on Calais Pier, 15-Robert Burns- differs from his, and is anything but satisfactory. 'Spotted Laddie '-Signs Sculptured in Stone-Corrigendum Prof. Arber seems to attach great importance -Skeleton-Provincial Publishing, 16-Horatia Nelson to the statement that the narrative which we are Zoroaster-Arabiniana'-Old Scottish Ballad, 17-Foot-about to consider was extracted and translated by prints in Snow-Seething Lane-Wellington-Heraldic, 18. NOTES ON BOOKS:- Dictionary of National Biography,' Vol. XXI.-Moorsom's Historical Companion to Hymns

-Hurrah-Heraldic-Pigeon's Blood, 13-Compound Words

Ancient and Modern.' Notices to Correspondents.

Notes.

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH OF VIRGINIA. "Prima lex historiæ, ne quid falsi dicat." Modern research has stripped the protégé of Princess Pocahontas of many of his self-conferred laurels and dispelled much of the romance which formerly clung to his name. The truth of a great portion of his wonderful adventures and heroic deeds has lately been questioned, nay, some American writers have even gone so far as to denounce him as a blustering braggadocio and brand his autobiography as a collection of mere traveller's tales and "the gasconades of a beggar." Mr. Henry, the vice-president of the Virginia Historical Society, referring to this subject in his address in 1882, tells us that, so persistent have these assaults been [lately on our author] that it seems to be the fashion now with those writers who are content to act the part of copyists to neer at the veracity of Smith."* Our experience of the species of historians alluded to by Mr. Henry does not agree with his, as, to use the words of Fuller, "strange performances [such as related by Capt. Smith]......are cheaper credited than

* Proceedings of the Virginia Hist. Soc. at the Annual Meeting, February 24, 1882, with the Address of W. W. Henry......with particular reference to the late attacks upon Capt. John Smith. Richmond, 1882, P. 12.

Purchas from a manuscript, written in a foreign
tongue, and is therefore not Smith's own account
of his own doings, but chiefly the narrative of a
foreigner with no possible motive for his lauda-
tion. I must join issue with the professor.
First of all, we have only the captain's word for
the assertion that the Hungarian, &c., travels
were extracted and translated by
"Master
Purchas." The latter simply says that he gives
an account of them as they are "written" in the
Italian book referred to, and Prof. Arber's
argument could only hold good if Capt. Smith had
had no hand in the publication of them. But as
no one else but he was in a position to supply
Purchas with an account of his doings while in
captivity amongst the Tartars, the 'True Travels'
were evidently published by some arrangement
with Smith, and he may have in various ways
assisted at the preparation of the " copy " for the
printers. Perhaps Smith made the translation
himself, but his modesty the latest of virtues
discovered in him by recent authors-prevented
him from taking credit for the performance.
Whatever the shortcomings of Fuller may other-
wise be, in the present instance he seems to have
hit the nail on the head. Capt. Smith's
"perils, preservations, dangers, deliverances......seem to
most men beyond belief, to some beyond truth. Yet we
have two witnesses to attest them-the prose [the text]
much to the diminution of his deeds, that he alone is
and the pictures-both in his own book, and it soundeth
the herauld to publish and proclaim them."
The italics are mine. I shall now proceed to lay

* Worthies of England,' London, 1662.
† Vol. xvi. of the English Scholar's Library,' edited
by Prof. Edward Arber, Birmingham, 1884.