味 return that night, yet stayed out two days; and then returned, diverse of them hurt, and two killed outright by an ambuscade of Spaniards and Spanish Indians. Within two days after the boats againe were manned, and they carryed with them provision for four days, the time limited for their return: but they stayed from the rest 20 or 21 dayes; allmost to the famishing of them all. And whereas the mine was described to be three miles shorte of the towne, they went not only three miles, but threescore leagues beyond it, till at last they were forced to return; and bad they found a mine they must have come backe for spades, pickaxes, and refiners, for none of these carryed they with them. The 13th of Febry we, at Trinidado, received newes from them in the river, of the takinge of the towne and the missinge of the mine. Sir Walter protested to the Captaines (as most of them told me) his owne innocency, which to approve he would call Kemis to a publick account in their presence before he spake with him privately, which he never performed. At their coming to us, which was the second of March, Sir Walter made a motion of goinge backe againe, and he would bringe them to the mine: the performance of which at that time was altogether improbable, yf not impossible. Our men weary, our boates splitt, our shippes foule, and our victualls well nighe spent. Then againe for the takinge of St. Joseph's, which the next morning was left of, and we disembogued. From thence we fell downe to the Charibee Ilands, till we came to Menis; there we put into the Bay the twelfth of March. In which time Sir Walter promised to propound unto the Captaines very often, as I heard, some new project; speakinge of a French Commission, which I never sawe, nor any man that I knowe of He nowe likewise freely gave leave to any of the Captaines to leave him yf they pleased, or thought they could better themselves in their own intendments; whereupon Captain Whitney and Captain Wolleston, with their shippes, left him the Sixt of March. Sir Warham St. Leger (as I have often heard him very confidently report) privately one day desired to know of Sir Walter, whether he intended to come for England or no? To which he answered (with reverence to God and your Lordships be it spoken) that by God he would never come there; for yf they gott him there, they would hang him, or to that purpose. Being desired then by Sir Warham to tell him what course he would take, he sayde he would goe to Newfoundland, victuall and trimme his shippes, and then ly off about the Iles of the Azores, to wayt for some of the homeward-bound Spaniards: that he might gett somethinge to bid him At selfe wellcome into France, or elsewhere. Monis, the 21st of March, the Captaines hearing of Kemis his untimely death, presumed that they had been much abused in this project by Kemis or Sir Walter, or both; and consideringe with themselves their men were ready to mutiny, and would not follow them any longer yf they followed Sir Walter, but would carry the shippes where they pleased; Sir Walter's uncertainty and many delayes, resolved all to leave him, and consort no longer with him, which they within fewe dayes actually did. And though at first they were not resolved to come directly into England; yet, within few days, upon better consideration, they thought it better to refer themselves to His Majesty's princely clemency; and to leave of that voyage with so greate losse, than by longer staying out to incur his high displeasure; and so made for England. As for Sir Walter's returne, whether it were willing or constrained, all that I knowe of it is by the reporte of some gentlemen then in his shippe, who relate it thus. Neere the bancke of Newfoundland there began a mutiny amonge the seamen; some of them, weary of the voyage, desiring to be at home for better imployment; others, which had formerly beene pirates, would stay at sea till they had gotten somethinge. Sir Walter, to appease this tumult, came up from his cabbin, read his Majesty's commission to them, and lastly, put it to their owne choyce by most voyces what they should doe; giving, as I heare, his owne voyce at that time very confidently for England. That ever he slighted the King's Majesty or his authority by any wordes of his, or suffered it to be done, or that ever it was done by any one in the fleete, I never yet heard. The gentlemen that were most inward with him, as I heare and thinke, were Captaine Charles Parker, Sir John Holmden, and Captaine George Raleigh, the chief seamen, and of them but fewe. Thus, Right Honble Lords, in the simplicity of truthe, free from all sinister affection, I have endeavored to performe what by your Lordships I was appointed; though with much weakness, which I referre to your Lordships' viewe and favorable censure. My pen hath not beene used to so high imployment, but my prayers shall never cease to mount the throne of Grace, that God will be pleased to make you all glorious in heaven whome he hath made so gracious and honorable on earth. Your honor'd Lordships ever to be commanded, SAMUEL JONES. At the same time I freely confess that I see little to blame in their not having done so; for Fletcher is almost the only one of the old dramatists who went to Spain for his dramatic materials. In the preliminary notice to this play in Dyce's edition, an extract is given from Weber, commencing thus: "The underplot of Rutilio, Duarte, and Guiomar was suggested by a novel in the Hecatommithi of Giovanbattista Giraldi Cinthio the substance of which is as follows." He then analyses the novel, in which the name of the lady is Livia, that of her son Scipio, and the scene Forli in Italy. The circumstances also are very different from those in Fletcher's play. On all this Mr. Dyce makes no comment, so I assume that he knew of no other source. Now were it not for another play of Fletcher's, The Laws of Candy, I should feel inclined to doubt his having been at all acquainted with the Hecatommithi. On this occasion, however, I am quite certain that it was not his authority, at least not his immediate authority, but that he got this story where he got the subjects of so many of his plays, in the works of Cervantes; as, however, it was neither in Don Quixote nor in the Novelas Exemplares, it has escaped the knowledge of his editors. In the sixth chapter of the third book of Cervantes' romance of Persiles y Sigismunda, we read that the hero, heroine, and their party, after leaving Talavera, encountered a Pole, who related to them his history, the early part of which exactly corresponds with Fletcher's play. Thus, the names in it of the lady and her son are Guiomar and Duarte; the scene is Lisbon, and the adventure occurs the very first night after the Pole's arrival in that city. He is attacked without any cause by the insolent Duarte, whom he kills; he finds Guiomar in her chamber, who asks him if he is a Castilian, and tells him that even if he were she would save him. She directs him to place himself in a cavity behind the tapestry over the bed. After the dead body of her son had been brought in, and a witness had declared that he had seen a man taking refuge in the house, all knowledge of whom she denied, and the officers of justice were gone, she felt through the arras the palpitating heart of her suppliant, bade him come forth, covering his face with his hands that she might not be able to recognise him, and directed her maid to lead him out, give him a hundred crowns, and dismiss him -all just, or nearly so, as in the play. The rest of the story is different. The Pole got next morning on board of a vessel bound for India, where he remained fifteen years; while Fletcher makes Duarte recover, and marries Guiomar to the man whom she had saved. I think there can be no doubt whatever of this having been Fletcher's original. THOS. KEIGHTLEY. Minor Notes. HUGH BOYD. Historical inquirers know full well how soon echo becomes a voice and an au thority. It is well, therefore, to enter an early protest. I thought, for example, that the true story of the Frenchman's misapprehension of Boyd's mystification about Junius was known to most persons; and certainly Bonnecarrere's letter was published in extenso in "N. & Q." 2nd S. i. 43., yet I have just read the following circumstantial blundering in a volume by the late Mr. Crofton Croker, now first published. The late Sir John Macpherson resided, it appears, at Grove House, Brompton. On this Mr. Croker observes: "Upon the after-dinner conversation at Grove House of Mr. Hugh Boyd rests chiefly that gentleman's claim to be considered as one of the many authors of 'Junius.' His host having temporarily retired from table, Boyd's words were that Sir John Macpherson little knew he was entertaining in his mansion a political writer, whose sentiments were once the occasion of a chivalrous appeal from Sir John to arms'-immediately adding, 'I am the author of Junius."" I do not know what is meant by Boyd's claim to be considered one of "the many authors of Junius." Boyd, as here reported, claimed to be "the author." However, not to waste time on trifles, I will only observe, as Mr. Croker will, I have little doubt, be adduced as corroborative evidence, that Boyd left England in 1785 or 1786 and never returned, and that Macpherson did not arrive in England until 1787, and, consequently, that Boyd never could have dined with him at Grove House. H. B. H. you translate WITTY RENDERINGS. sation with a member of the Dixie family upon Being once in converthe subject of punning mottoes, his own was instanced- "Quod dixi dixi." C Can it?" he asked. I gave him the literal version. "No," said he, "that won't do: we render it 'Tell a lie and stick to it!"" Of course it will not be terised by any want of veracity. understood that this ancient family is characE. V. NOTE OF AN ENTRY ON THE REGISTER BOOK oF CLYST ST. GEORGE, Devon. "go Georgii 2di 1735-6. The Law now forbids ye keeping any Records in Latin, H. T. E. &c." JOHN MILTON. I transmit you a few notes from original MS. source, giving a compendium of Milton's career, none the less acceptable because they are by the hand of Vertue, and seem to fix the date of his blindness: "Johannes Milton, born A.D. 1608; Paul's School, 15, 1623; at Cambridge seven years, 1630; came to London, Oxford, &c.; at. 30, set out for Italy, 1688; travels one year and three months; returned to London latter end 1689, æt. 32; published Reformation, 1641; married, æt. period to reproduce it in a more perfect form. And I now beg to invite the attention of your readers to the subject. I shall feel much indebted to any gentleman who may have read my paper, and who will supply any omissions, or furnish information as to HARVEST. IN DECEMBER. I enclose a paragraph cut from the Suffolk Chronicle of Dec. 22, the present place of deposit of any of the pictures which may interest your readers: "Your agricultural readers in Suffolk may be interested to hear that the last field of wheat in the neighbourhood of our county town, containing about five acres, was commenced being cut last Tuesday, the 18th inst., belonging to Mr. Gray Marriage, at Springfield, about two miles from Chelmsford, on the Colchester road, near the White Hart Inn. "I understand it is expected to be cleared so that a party may be able to glean about Christmas Day! I have a specimen of the corn, and I never expect again to see such a sight at such a time of the year, and perhaps no person living ever witnessed such a circumstance be or drawings I have referred to, or any others which may be assigned to Milton on reasonable evidence: but I would deprecate the introduction of any more originals by Faithorne." Various points on which information is wanting will present themselves in reading the paper, and I may hereafter suggest in your pages specific subjects for inquiry. In the mean time I will, as a commencement, submit the following Queries: Simon's Folio Mezzotint.-1. Are any copies known of the folio mezzotint head of Milton, inscribed "R. White ad vivum delineavit; J. Simon sculpsit"; with any earlier or other imPerhaps some of them may be able to furnish a print than that of "Sold by T. Bowles in Paul's parallel. fore." X. BIVOUAC.-This word is commonly, but incorrectly, regarded as of French origin. Its form is French, but it comes from the German bewachen, to watch, or be on guard. The true meaning of it is also often lost sight of, for whereas it correctly applies only to those who pass the night under arms, or in an attitude of defence, it is frequently used of any encamping and passing the night in the open air. I have just read a volume in which the word is thus misemployed continually, and I send a note of it. B. H. C. Queries. MILTON PORTRAITS. Churchyard, and J. Bowles in Cornhill"? 2. What were the earliest and latest date at which those two firms existed contemporaneously? And 3. Can any evidence be furnished, fixing the date of the first publication of this print before or after 1734? Richardson's Etchings. 4. In the Memoirs of Thomas Hollis (p. 514.), mention is made of an etching from a bust, published in Say's Poems and Essays, and which is stated to be one of Richardson's "sets of prints of Milton." Were his various etchings ever published in sets? and where can I see a copy so published, or ascertain precisely of what it consists? 5. In the etching prefixed to such of the copies as I have seen of Richardson's Explanatory Notes and Remarks on Paradise Lost, The recently issued 12th volume of the Trans- 1734, the laurel branch on the right temple conactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and sists of eleven leaves: and there is an etching, Cheshire contains a paper of mine, "On the very liable to be confounded with it, but distinEngraved Portraits and Pretended Portraits of guishable by the right branch consisting of nine Milton." Though well aware of the valuable leaves. Where and how was this latter published ? assistance I might have derived during its pre-dence or otherwise) for Richardson's statement, 6. Is there any known authority (in corresponparation, by putting myself in communication with the readers of "N. & Q.," I abstained from doing so; partly because, in the absence of a starting point for the inquiry, those who were desirous of helping me would have had no means of distinguishing between facts already ascertained and those requiring elucidation; and partly because I shrank from encountering the host of unquestionable originals by Faithorne," which I feared would spring up in answer to any general inquiry I might venture to make. The first difficulty is removed, and the second mitigated, by the publication of my paper; which has been printed in the hope that it might serve as a text for the reception of additional information and corrections, which might enable me at some future as to the original of these etchings, that he had reason to believe Milton sat for it not long before his death? And 7., Is any sale-catalogue to be met with of the drawings, &c., forming the collection of the elder Richardson, sold in 1746-7, marked with the names of purchasers? Tanner's Medal.-8. This medal, struck at the expense of Mr. Auditor Benson, is stated by Dr. Joseph Warton, in a note to his brother's edition of the Minor Poems (p. 362., edit. 1791,) to have been given as prizes for the best verses that were produced on Milton at all our great schools, Is there at any of our great schools, at the present day, any trace of the competition here referred to, or the foundation of the prize? ANESTHETICS. - Can any of your readers in form me what anesthetic, having the effect of chloroform in producing insensibility to pain during surgical operations, is alluded to in the following lines from Du Bartas, translated by Joshua Sylvester ? Du Bartas died about the year 1590: "Even as a Surgeon minding off-to-cut Som cureless limb; before in use he put So GOD empal'd our Grandsire's (Adam) lively look, Birmingham. BASSET: ANCIENT PLATE. Lists of the plate belonging at various periods to the MerchantTaylors' Company will be found in Herbert's History of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of London, at p. 467. of vol. ii. Among the "Plate in the Treasury before 1609" were "3 bassets or low bowls, one with a cover, wholly gilt, used for the Sixteen Men Table, at the general feast; 2 old masers, with narrow slips of silver gilt; 2 livery pots of silver, parcel gilt," &c. &c. The beer or wine was brought to table in the livery pots, and drunk, we may presume, from the masers or bassets. Masers were low bowls" or basins, as is well known. In what respect the basset differed from the maser I should be glad to know, not recollecting to have met with the term before. I have not detected any other extraordinary names for silver plate in Mr. Herbert's work. JOHN GOUGH NICHOLS. CHINESE BOOKS, ETC. - Is there any catalogue of the Chinese books (very valuable) at University College? Are there any astronomical books? Is the notation used the same as the common commercial numerical notation, which is quite as facile as Byrom's short-hand, and more easily acquired? The Chinese eclipses rival in import ance the Babylonian eclipses, calculated at such length by Delambre; and the former have never yet been calculated with sufficient care and accuracy. WM. DAVIS. Grove Place, St. John's Wood. EGIDIA, GEILS, GILES.-What is the origin and derivation of Egidia, used as a Christian name? In certain deeds of date cir. 1620-30, a lady resident in Edinburgh is styled Egidia, and elsewhere Geils and Giles. Are these synonymes? St. Giles, Gele, or Geils, it is well known, was the patron saint of Edinburgh, although he was originally a foreigner; now Egidia is found invariably employed as a female name. In the southern part of the island I think Giles is masculine. At the period referred to, Egidia seems to have been rather a favourite and frequent name; and I read recently of a vessel sailing from Glasgow termed the "Lady Egidia." "Santa Egidio" occurs as the name of an Italian saint. W. In 1780, there ap THOMAS GREEN, POET. peared in a 12mo. vol. of 365 pages, Poems on various Subjects, chiefly Sacred, by the late Mr. Thomas Green, of Ware, Hertfordshire. As Mr. Green was fortunate enough to write one of the best devotional hymns in the language, and was not fortunate enough to be elected to a vacant niche in some biographical dictionary, allow me to record his name in your pages. Mr. Green belonged to Ware, and was dead when his poems were published. Can some one furnish any details of his life, calling, and end? The hymn I alluded to is in many selections, but usually with one or more verses left out. It commences: — "It is the Lord, enthroned in light, Every verse except the last two (9 and 10) commences with the words "It is the Lord." Mr. Green also wrote the hymn commencing "Some boldly venture near the throne," and a number of others, which resemble in style and spirit the Olney Hymns more than any others I know. If Thomas Green had had some judicious friend, or more of the critical faculty, his poems might have been remembered with honour. The defects of his manner from time to time, and other circumstances, are against him; but after all, his volume contains many charming little pieces. The purest morality, the warmest devotion, and the strictest orthodoxy distinguish these pages. The wit and satire are quiet and harmless, but often genuine, and the quaint and homely illustrations are such as Cowper's readers (and we are constantly reminded of him) would admire. The simplicity of the language, both as to words and construction, betokens a stranger to the schools, and one who wrote thus because it was natural for him to do so, and because he wished to do good. I give six lines from his New Year's Eve Soliloquy, p. 100.: "With Thee let every day be past, And when that comes which proves my last, Then banish from me every doubt, HERYNGHAM.. B. H. C. Wanted information respecting the family of Mr. John Heryngham, whose daughter Elizabeth married Lord (William?) Russell about the fourteenth or fifteenth century. The name and the arms (three herrings barwise) ap. pear amongst others on the library walls of Endsleigh Cottage. W. W. H. JOHN HUSS, THE BOHEMIAN REFORMER.-At a public meeting of the British and Foreign Bible Society recently held at -, one of the speakers produced a piece of stone brought from Constance, which he said was part of the very stone. broken off from that to which John Huss was chained when burnt at the stake. Have any of the readers of "N. & Q." visited the remains of the old Dominican monastery at Constance (now used as a large cotton factory and block-printing establishment), and seen there the stone which is shown as the identical one to which the martyr was fastened? and, if so, their opinion of it is anxiously asked by VERITAS. FAMILY OF HUSSEY.-Joseph Husee of Stourpaine, Dorset, born 1600 to 1610 (about), is believed to have been succeeded by a son, Joseph Husee of Tomson," Dorset, who was surviving in 1686. Can any correspondent prove this latter Joseph to have been the son of the former? The former is believed to have married Katherine Hodder. Whom did the latter marry? Hutchins' Dorset is at fault in this branch of the great Husey family. Does Collinson's Hist. of Somerset help, under letter C., for Charlton Horethorn or Compton Pauncefoot? P. P. P. ROYAL HOSPITAL, KILMAINHAM, NEAR DUBLIN. -A small 12mo. volume, entitled An Account of the Foundation of the Royal Hospital of King Charles II, was published in Dublin in 1713, and gives many particulars of this noble institution, which, "for the relief and maintenance of ancient and infirm officers and soldiers serving in the Army of Ireland, [was] begun by His Grace James Duke of Ormonde, Anno 1680 (at that time Lord Lieutenant of Ireland), and compleated by His Excellency Henry Earl of Clarendon, Lord Lieutenant of the same, in the year 1686." The book was dedicated by Thomas Wilson to James Duke of Ormonde, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and several other personages. I wish, for a particular purpose, to learn something about this Thomas Wilson. Who was he? what means of information did he possess? and is he known as the author of any other publication? Not long since I met with a very beautifully-executed MS., which is now before me, bearing Wilson's name, and agreeing almost word for word and page for page with the printed volume. The handwriting is apparently of about the commencement of the last century. Dr. Burton's History of the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham (8vo. Dublin, 1843) is likewise before me, but it does not supply the required information. Авива. - Can any of your readers oblige with a list of the best authorities to consult (historical, biographical, or critical) upon the life of Prince Maurice of Nassau, the contemporary of Barneveldt, or give any sources of information about the pensioner himself, or mention any anecdotes of these two historical characters ? R. R. To this etymology I demur. The Anglo-Saxons did not want a Latin word for honey; in fact it is probable that but little Latin was known, especially by beekeepers, in those days, who called themselves "beoceorls," and not "apiarians," and their nector "hunig," and not "mel." Most places beginning with Mel, I believe, owe their name to the fact of a mill existing there in Anglo-Saxon times. Chaucer tells us "At Trompyngtoun nat fer fro Cantebrigge As any pecok he was proud and gay. |