Queries.
Reading edition
THE BELLMAN, AND HIS HISTORY.
I have often read Vincent Bourne's poem, "Ad Davidem Cook, Westmonasterii Custodem Nocturnum et Vigilantissimum, Anno 1716:" Pickering's edition, p. 129. This nightly guardian, it appears, was accompanied by a dog:
"Cùm variis implent tenebræ terroribus orbem, Tu comite assuetum cum cane carpis iter,"
was armed with a stout staff, or knotty club:
"Nec te perterrent, nodoso stipite fretum, Subdola qui tacito pectore furta parant,"
and carried a bell:
"Tinnitu adventum signans, oriantur an astra, Narras, an purè lucida Luna micet."
To the last-mentioned part of his equipment, he owed the title of "Bellman."
The Bellman's duty, however, was not confined to crying the rising of the stars, or the shining of the moon, but he cheered his nightly round with many a chant:
Nocturnum multo carmine fallis iter."
The next lines are descriptive of the Bellman's poetry, and tell us the subjects of it. Of some of these I want explanation; and of all, examples. I am at a loss to explain the following four lines:
"Divorum hyberni menses quotcunque celebrant, Cuique locum et versum dat tua musa suum: Crispino ante omnes; neque enim sine carmine fas est Nobile sutorum præteriisse decus."
The next lines refer to the Bellman's loyalty in ever remembering the Royal Family; to his salutation of masters and mistresses; to the useful instruction he pours forth in song to young men and maidens; and to the happy marriages he wishes to such as give heed to his warnings. The Bellman then addresses himself to men-servants and maid-servants, enjoining honesty on the former, cleanliness on the latter. Repeatedly wishing prosperity to his masters, he concludes with one pre-eminent exhortation to keep in mind, that the friendly hand of death levels the highest and the lowest.
My ignorance asks several questions. When did the Bellman lay aside his bell, and assume the rattle; and, with this change (I presume), drop the name of Bellman for that of Watchman, to whom the silent policeman has succeeded? Was the dog the usual aide-de-camp of the Bellman? Are there any other instances in which the dog is mentioned as assisting the Bellman in his nocturnal guardianship?
As to the Bellman's poetry, Milton will occur to every one:
"Or the bellman's drowsy charm To bless the door from nightly harm."—Il Penseroso.
1. Herrick's Hesperides, p. 169., is a Bellman's song, a blessing, concluding:
"Past one o'clock, and almost two, My masters all, good-day to you."
2. Ibid. p. 251. is another song; a warning to remember the judgment-day, and ending—
"Ponder this when I am gone, By the clock 'tis almost one."
See The Tatler, No. 111., for the Bellman's salutation:
"Good morrow, Mr. Bickerstaff, good morrow, my masters all."
"It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman, Which gives the stern'st good night."—Shakspeare, Macbeth, Act II. Sc. 2.
Gay refers to the Bellman's song in the following lines:
"Behold that narrow street which steep descends, Whose building to the slimy shore extends; Here Arundel's fam'd structure rear'd its frame, The street alone retains the empty name; Where Titian's glowing paint the canvass warm'd, And Raphael's fair design, with judgment, charm'd, Now hangs the bellman's song, and pasted here The colour'd prints of Overton appear."—Trivia, book ii. 482.
In the Archaic and Provincial Dictionary, the duty of the Bellman in his poetic character seems to be limited to blessing the sleepers. It appears from the poem by Vincent Bourne, that his Muse took a much more extensive range.
Can you inform me where I can find more about the Bellman, his bell and his dog; and, especially, his songs? Where can I find "The Bellman's Songs?"
Is "Bellman" a name given to dogs in modern times? See Taming of the Shrew, Induction.
F. W. T.
[We cannot insert F. W. T.'s Query without referring to the admirable translation of Vinny Bourne's Ode, which is to be found in our First Volume, p. 152.]
WAS SALLUSTIUS A LECTURER?—CONNEXION BETWEEN SALLUSTIUS AND TACITUS.
Sallustius, in his celebrated abstract of the Punic records of Thempsal, makes the following remark:
"Nam de Carthagine silere melius puto, quam parum dicere, quoniam alio properare tempus monet."—De Bello Jugurthino, c. xix. ed. Allen.
The interpolated state in which this classic has come down to us is indeed sad: there is scarcely a chapter throughout the Catiline and Jugurtha where some transcriber has not been at work, sticking in words and sometimes whole sentences, which, I am astonished to see, have escaped the notice of Cortius, Allen, and the older editors.
I said above that Sallustius made his lectures or orations on the history of his country a subject of closet study. He did so, and in an eminent degree. His conciseness, clearness (when relieved from the burden of interpolation), and usual impartiality, point to a careful and spiritual study of Thucydides; but he could not attain to an equal degree of sweetness as the Greek historian, on account of the general character of their several languages differing. As far, however, as Roman could approach to Greek, I conceive Sallustius has approached to Thucydides. Tacitus (whose mind was impregnated with, and steeped in Sallustius) rarely enounces a sentiment in his numerous works the origin of which is not referable to the latter author. It requires some careful thought sometimes, before the passages can be traced; but they are traceable; and if we had the whole works of Sallustius, I doubt not but that we should be able to trace them all much more easily. Perhaps—I say it without stress, mind; it is a mere suggestion—it would be possible to restore, or rather connect some of the historical fragments of Sallustius by means of the works of Tacitus. When we find a sentiment of Sallustius half expressed in the fragment, and trending towards the conclusion arrived at by Tacitus, may we not, as we know how completely the latter had imbibed the thoughts of the former, reasonably suppose the remainder of the passage to be parallel; and, following out the idea, restore it, taking into consideration the difference of the mode of expression in the two eras? And this may hold good, not only between Tacitus and Sallustius, but between Sallustius and Thucydides.
Such is the aspect under which I endeavour to behold the classics, viz. as one great whole, having here and there pieces gone or faded (lost or hopelessly corrupted), and which fit into each other, showing the building which intellect erects, the only building calculated to withstand the hand of time. Thanks be to printing, to cheap literature, and to English energy and investigation, antiquity may again rear her head, and fell that it is comprehended in all its varied bearings, and lights and shadows.
To men like Niebuhr, Grote, Layard, Prescott, St. John, Wilkinson, Rawlinson, and Norris, do we owe a debt of gratitude, for such patience and investigation; and no one cheers them on with a more sincere feeling, and thanks them for their past exertions, than
Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie.
THE OUTER TEMPLE.
Mr. Peter Cunningham, in his delightful Handbook of London, says that when the New Temple "passed to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, the Inner and Middle Temple were leased to the Students of the Common Law; and the Outer Temple to Walter Stapleton, Bishop of Exeter:" and in describing Essex House, by which name it was afterwards known, he repeats the same statement; as if the Outer Temple was part of the original property of the Knights Templars.
I should be very glad to know what authority he has for this; because I have very great doubt whether the "Outer Temple" ever belonged to the Knights Templars or to the Knights of St. John, or was in any manner comprehended within the property. The New Temple, as the whole property was called, belonged to Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, at the time of his death, in June, 1323. The Council of Vienna, in 1324, bestowed all the lands of the Knights Templars on the Knights of St. John. Since my letter to you on the general subject of the Temple, and L. B. L.'s obliging answer (Vol. ii., pp. 103. 123.), I have been kindly furnished by Mr. Joseph Burtt, of the Chapter House, with a deed, dated June 28, 1324, by which the Knights of St. John granted the whole of the New Temple, "totum messuagium nostrum vocatum Novum Templum," to Hugh le Despencer the younger; describing it to be lying between the house (hospicium) of the Bishop of Exeter towards the west, and the house of Hugo de Courteneye towards the east. This shows manifestly that if the Bishop of Exeter's house ever belonged to the Temple, it did not at that time; and I am not aware of any earlier evidence proving that the Templars ever possessed it.
I believe, though I have not seen the record, that, in the grant to Sir William Paget, temp. Henry VI., it is described as the "Outer Temple;" but I am inclined to think, from various circumstantial testimonies, that it was merely so called because it was situate on the outside of the Temple.
If any of your correspondents could illustrate this question, or that more curious one,—when the new Temple was first divided between Inner and Middle,—I should feel infinitely obliged.
Edward Foss.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL QUERIES.
1. Can any of your readers give me any information regarding a work which I find recorded in a catalogue thus:—A Catalogue of above 300 Coins of Canute, King of Denmark and England, found near Kirkwall, with Specimens. 4to. London, 1777? I should like, if possible, to have a copy of the title-page, the size, and the number of pages; and, if possible, the name of the compiler.
2. I should like to find out the name of the translator into English, of Pontoppidan's Natural History of Norway, published in folio in London in 1755.
3. Can any of your readers oblige me with the name of the author of a controversial sermon, entitled Whigs no Christians, preached at London, on the anniversary of the martyrdom of King Charles, in 1712-13, and published in the same year?
Βορεας.
DUTCH BOOKS PUBLISHED OUT OF THE NETHERLANDS.
Although the Dutch language is now regarded in foreign countries with a neglect bordering on contempt, and its study, when attended to at all, generally undertaken as a work of necessity rather than a labour of love, I have thought it would not be without interest to examine to what extent it was formerly cultivated (were it even chiefly by Dutchmen) in foreign lands; to institute a search after the productions of the Dutch mind in the Dutch language brought forth on foreign soils; in a word, to pass in review the Dutch books which have been published in other countries during the period included between the invention of printing and our own days.
It appears to me that such a review would lead to much interesting research, and would tend not only to illustrate our literature, but also to clear up many points still obscure in our national, and more especially in our ecclesiastical, history.
The review which I propose would be limited, in the first instance, to the formation of an exact and complete list of such exotic works, with the addition of such notes as I might be able to add. A more experienced hand may then make use of these materials to form a more perfect treatise on this portion of our literature.
In execution of this plan I have already compiled a list of names of books and authors; these have been gathered partly from an examination of the works themselves, partly from catalogues and other sources where such works are mentioned. Now, however, as my resources are nearly exhausted, and my labours by no means complete, I take the liberty to lay my plan before those who may be disposed to concur with me, those who may be able to procure me information, those who have the possession or the care of libraries in which such books are to be found, and of which catalogues have not been printed; and, for the end I have in view, I invite them all to help me in the completion of my work. The editors of the Navorscher have consented to open their columns to contributors. To spare needless trouble, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not include any works published in Belgium, or in the colonies now or formerly in our possession.
Martinus.
Amsterdam, March 11. 1851.
WHAT WAS THE COUNTRY OF THE ANGLES?
What country was inhabited by the Angles before they occupied Britain? Adam of Bremen (Hist. Eccl. c. 3.) says:
"Igitur Saxones primo circa Rhenum sedes habitant et vocati sunt Angli quorum pars inde veniens in Britanniam, etc."
"Hengist, qui circum annum 450 Britanniam insulam cum suis Frisonibus et Saxonibus occupat." And further: "Weede nomen adhunc retinere videtur a Woden, qui fuit avus avi Hengesti, sicut Hengestschoten, nune prædium dominorum Oestbroek, ab Hengisto nominatur."
Henschoten was ceded to the abbey of Oestbroek in 1130, and sold at the breaking up of the monasteries; and is now the property of Mr. Van Asch van Wyck. Since, therefore, the above extract must have been written before the Reformation, the belief that our forefathers proceeded from this country is by no means new; and the evidence in its support is, I think, stronger than that adduced by Turner and Lappenberg in favour of an immigration from Sleswig; indeed it seems not improbable that the first settlers, with Hengist at their head, sailed from the mouth of the Eem. I have more to add in a future Number, if "Notes and Queries" can afford me space.
J. S.
Woudenberg, April, 1851.