Queries.

SAMUEL WILSON.

I should be glad of any information respecting Samuel Wilson, Esq., of Hatton Garden, in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, whose will was proved October 24, 1769, and which I have read. He was the donor of the bequest, known as "Wilson's Charity," to the Corporation of the City of London, for loans to poor tradesmen. I wish to ask,—

1. What is known of his origin, family, personal history, &c.?

2. What was his precise degree of relationship to the Halseys, whom he calls "cousins" in his will? Were they related to the family of that name at Great Gaddesden, Herts?

3. Did he publish any, and what, letters or books? for he leaves his MSS. of every kind to his friend Richard Glover, Esq. (the poet I presume), with full power to collect any letters or papers he may have already published, and also to arrange and publish any more which he may think intended or suitable for publication.

4. Is there any published sketch of his life? The only notice I have seen is the one of a few lines in the Gentleman's Magazine, just after his death.

In compliance with your excellent suggestion (Vol. vii., p. 2.), I send my address in a stamped envelope for any private communication which may not interest the general reader.

E. A. D.

Minor Queries.

The Rothwell Family.—When William Flower, Esq., Norroy, confirmed the ancient arms of this family to Stephen Rothwell, gent., of Ewerby, county of Lincoln, on the 1st April, 1585, and granted a crest (no such being found to his ancient arms), the said Stephen Rothwell was stated to be "ex sui cognominis familia antiqua in comitatu Lancastriæ oriundus." Can any of the readers of "N. & Q." give any information respecting the family from which he is stated to be descended?

Glaius.

Definition of a Proverb.—Where can I find the source whence I. D'Israeli took his definition of a proverb, viz. "The wisdom of many and the wit of one?"

C. Mansfield Ingleby.

Birmingham.

Latin Riddle.—Aulus Gellius (Noctes Atticæ, lib. XII. cap. vi.) proposes the following enigma, which he terms "Per hercle antiquum, perque lepidum:"

The answer he withholds for the usual reason, "Ut legentium conjecturas in requirendo acueremus."

Is there among the readers of "N. & Q." an Œdipus who will furnish a solution?

R. Price.

St. Ives.

D. Ferrand—French Patois.—Hallman, in the 7th chapter of his Poesie und Beredsamkeit der Franzosen, gives several specimens of the French provincial poets of the sixteenth century, and among these the following from a poem on the dispersing of a meeting of Huguenots by the soldiers:

Hallman gives no farther information. I shall be glad if any of your readers can tell me who D. Ferrand was, what he wrote, and of what province the above is the patois.

B. Snow.

Birmingham.

"Fac precor, Jesu benigne," &c.—In the Sacra Privata, new edition, Bishop Wilson quotes the following lines:

Can any of your readers inform me where they come from?

William Denton.

The Arms of De Sissonne.—Can any of your correspondents inform me where I could find a copy of Histoire Généalogique de la Maison Royale de France, or any other work in which are blazoned the arms of "De Sissonne" of Normandy, connected with that regal house?

J. L. S.

Sir George Brown.—Sir George Brown, of West Stafford, Berks, and of Wickham Breaux, Kent, married Eleanor, daughter of Sir R. Blount, of Maple Durham, Oxon; and by her had issue several children, and amongst them one son Richard, who was a child under five years of age in 1623. I shall feel obliged if any of your correspondents can tell me where I can find a pedigree of this Richard, and in particular whether he married, whom he married, and the names of his several children, if any.

Newburiensis.

Professional Poems.—Can you tell me who is the author of Professional Poems by a Professional Gentleman, 12mo., 1827, published at Wolverhampton; and by Longman, London?

Gw.

"A mockery," &c.—Whence is the quotation, "A mockery, a delusion, and a snare?"

W. P.

Passage in Whiston.—In Taylor on Original Sin, Lond. 1746, p. 94., it is said:

"Mr. Whiston maintains that regeneration is a literal and physical being born again, and is granted to the faithful at the beginning of the millennium."

The marginal reference is, Whiston on Original Sin, &c., p. 68.

I cannot find the book or the doctrine in any collection of Whiston's writings which I have met with; but as he was a copious writer and a versatile theologian, both may exist. Can any reader of "N. & Q." tell me where to find them?

J. T.

Shoulder Knots and Epaulettes.—What is the origin of the shoulder knot, and its ancient use? Has it and the epaulette a common origin?

Getsrn.

The Yew Tree in Village Churchyards.—Why did our forefathers choose the yew as the inseparable attendant upon the outer state of the churches raised by them? Apart from its grave and sombre appearance, I cannot help recognising a mysterious embodiment of the spirit of evil as the intention of the planters. We know that in all mediæval edifices there is an apparent and discernible endeavour to place in juxta-position the spirits of good and evil, to materialise the idea of an adversative spirit, antagonistic to the church's teachings, and hurtful to her efforts of advancement. I look upon the grotesque cephalic corbels as one modification of this, and would interpret many equally mysterious emblems by referring them to the same actuating desire. Now the yew is certainly the most deadly of indigenous productions, and therefore would be chosen as the representative of a spirit of destruction, the opposite to one that giveth life by its teachings, of which the building itself is the sensible sign. I crave more information from some learned ecclesiologist on the subject, which is certainly a most interesting one.

R. C. Warde.

Kidderminster.

Passage in Tennyson.—

In Memoriam, xc. What bird is meant?

W. T. M.

Hong Kong.

"When the Maggot bites."—A note will oblige to explain the origin of the phrase, that a thing done on the spur of the moment is done "When the maggot bites."

Anon.

Eclipses of the Sun.—Where can I find a list of solar eclipses that have taken place since the time of the invasion of Julius Cæsar? I am greatly in want of this information, and shall be grateful to any correspondent who will give me the reference required.

C. Mansfield Ingleby.

Birmingham.

"An" before "u" long.—I should be much obliged to any of my fellow-students of "N. & Q." who would answer the following Query: What is the reason of the increasingly prevailing custom of writing an before words beginning with u long, or with diphthongs having the sound of u long? Surely a written language is perfect in proportion as it represents the spoken tongue; if so, this is one of the many instances in which modern fashions are making English orthography still more inconsistent than it was wont to be. It appears to me just as reasonable to say "an youthful (pronounced yoothful) person," as "an useful (pronounced yooseful) person."

If there is a satisfactory reason for the practice, I shall be delighted to be corrected but, if not, I would fain see the fashion "nipped in the bud."

Benjamin Dawson.

London.

Reversible Names.—Some female names spell backwards and forwards the same, as Hannah, Anna, Eve, Ada: so also does madam, which is feminine. Is this in the nature of things, or can any one produce a reversible proprium quod maribus? No arguments, but instances; no surnames, which are epicene; no obsolete names, such as Odo, of which it may be suspected that they have died precisely because an attempt was made to marify them: or say, rather, that Odo, to live masculine, was obliged to become Otho. Failing instances, I shall maintain that varium et mutabile semper femina only means that whatever reads backwards and forwards the same, is always feminine.

M.

Gilbert White of Selborne.—Can any of the correspondents of "N. & Q." inform me whether any portrait, painted, engraved, or sculptured, exists of this celebrated naturalist; and if so, a reference to it will greatly oblige

W. A. L.

St. John's Square.

Hoby, Family of; their Portraits, &c.—In the parish church of Bisham, in the county of Berks, are some fine and costly monuments to the memory of several members of this family, who were long resident in the old conventual building there. Are there any engravings of these monuments? And if so, in what work; or where are the inscriptions to be met with? I possess two fine engraved portraits of this family: the originals by Hans Holbein are said to be in "His Majesty's Collection;" where are the originals now? Do they still adorn the walls of Windsor Castle? The one is inscribed—

"Phillip Hobbie, Knight."

The other—

"The Lady Hobbie."

The orthography of the names is the same as engraved on the portraits. The former was Sir Philip Hoby, one of the Privy Council to King Henry VIII.; and the lady was, I believe, the wife of Sir Thomas Hoby, of Leominster, co. Hereford, who died in 1596, aged thirty-six. Was this the learned Lady Hoby, who wrote one of the epitaphs above referred to? Are there any other portraits of members of this ancient, but now extinct family, in existence? They bore for arms, "Arg. three spindles in fesse gules, threaded or." What was their crest and motto?

J. B. Whitborne.

Portrait of Sir Anthony Wingfield.—Can any person inform me where the picture of Sir Anthony Wingfield is, described in Horace Walpole's Letters, and which he saw in an old house in Suffolk belonging to the family of Naunton, descended from Secretary Naunton, temp. James I.; he says:

"Sir Anthony Wingfield, who, having his hand tucked into his girdle, the housekeeper told us had had his fingers cut off by Henry VIII."

Q.

Lofcopp, Lufcopp, or Luvcopp.—In some of the charters granted by our earlier monarchs (Henry I. for instance), there is contained a grant of a toll called lofcopp, lufcopp, or luvcopp. Could any of your correspondents give me any farther information respecting the meaning of the word, than is contained in the first Volume of "N. & Q.," pp. 319. 371.?

J. Ctus.

Humming Ale.—Having lately met with the above epithet applied to ale in one of James's novels (Forest Days), I should be glad to know its meaning.

W. H. P.

Minor Queries with Answers.

Dr. Richard Sherlock.—Dr. Richard Sherlock, afterwards Vicar of Winwick, had his first cure in Ireland. I should be glad to know where he officiated, and to receive any information respecting him beyond what is met with in his nephew, Bishop Wilson's, life of him.

William Denton.

[A few additional notes have been added to Bishop Wilson's Life of Dr. Richard Sherlock, in the seventh edition, 2 vols. 1841-44. The editor, the Rev. H. H. Sherlock, M. A., has the following note on his first cure in Ireland: "Wood (Athen. Oxon., vol. iv. p. 259. Bliss) leads us to suppose that Dr. Sherlock was ordained immediately after taking his Master's degree, and adds, that 'soon after he became minister of several small parishes in Ireland, united together, and yielding no more than 80l. a year.' The editor has not been able to obtain any particulars of his ordination, nor the names of the united parishes in Ireland where he ministered. Canonically, he could not have been ordained earlier than A. D. 1636."]

Cardinal Fleury and Bishop Wilson.—There exists a tradition to the effect that during a war between this country and France, Cardinal Fleury gave directions to the French cruisers not to molest the Island of Man, and this out of regard to the character of its apostolic bishop, Wilson. I should be glad to know whether any and what authority can be assigned for this story.

William Denton.

[The story rests upon the authority of the Rev. C. Cruttwell, the bishop's biographer and editor. The following passage occurs in the Life of Bishop Wilson, vol. i. p. 226 of his Works, third edition, 8vo., 1784, and in the folio edition, p. 57.:—"Cardinal Fleury wanted much to see him [the bishop], and sent over on purpose to inquire after his health, his age, and the date of his consecration; as they were the two oldest bishops, and he believed the poorest, in Europe; at the same time inviting him to France. The Bishop sent the Cardinal an answer, which gave him so high an opinion of him, that he obtained an order that no French privateer should ravage the Isle of Man." Feltham, in his Tour through the Isle of Man, 1798, after quoting this story, adds, "And that the French still respect a Manksman, some recent instances confirm."]

Dr. Dodd a Dramatist.—I have seen it somewhere stated, that after Dr. Dodd's trial, he sent for Mr. Woodfall to consult him respecting the publication of a comedy he had written in his youth, entitled Sir Roger de Coverley, and which he had actually revised and completed while in Newgate. Was it ever published; and if not, where is the MS.?

V. T. Sternberg.

[Woodfall's interview with Dr. Dodd at the Old Bailey, is given in Cooke's Memoirs of Samuel Foote, vol. i. p. 195., and is quoted in Baker's Biographia Dramatica, vol. iii. p. 278., edit. 1812. It appears that Dodd's comedy was commenced in his earlier days, and finished during his confinement in Newgate; but was neither acted nor printed. In a pamphlet, entitled Historical Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the late Rev. William Dodd, published anonymously in 1777, but attributed to Mr. Reed, it is stated at p. 4., that "Sir Roger de Coverley is now in the hands of Mr. Harris of Covent Garden Theatre."]

Trosachs.—Can I learn through "N. & Q." the derivation and meaning of the name Trosachs, as applied to the mountain pass bordering on Loch Katrine?

J. G. T.

Trosachs Hotel.

[The name Trosachs signifies in Gaelic the rough or bristled territory; a signification perfectly applicable to the confused mass of abrupt crags which, in some convulsion of nature, has been separated from the neighbouring mountains of Ben Vennu and Ben An. This glen was first rendered an object of popular attention by Sir Walter Scott, in his poem of The Lady of the Lake.]

Quarter.—Whence comes the use of the word Quarter, as applied to sparing of life in battle?

J. G. T.

Trosachs Hotel.

[A correspondent of the Gent. Mag., vol. lxvi. p. 920., suggests, that it may be traced to the reverence for the sacred symbol of our faith, which the early Christian warriors wore depicted on their military habiliments. Orlando, who bore this emblem on his shield, was called 'Il Cavaliere del Quartiero;' though it is something singular that he won the device from Almonte, a Saracen chief.]