Volume 4 — Notes.

PERKIN WARBECK.

In the Minutes of Evidence taken by the Select Committee on the British Museum, in May, 1836, p. 308., mention is made of "a paper giving an account of the landing of Perkin Warbeck, signed by Sir Henry Wentworth, and dated 16th [17th] Sept. 1497," as of historical value. This "paper" was at that time in the possession of the late Mr. Upcott; and when I drew up for the society of Antiquaries the article on "Perkin Warbeck's History," printed in the Archæologia, vol. xxvii. pp. 153-210., I had no opportunity of seeing it, and therefore merely made a brief reference to it in a foot-note. The document subsequently passed, together with a large and valuable portion of Upcott's collection, into the hands of M. Donnadieu, and at the recent sale of that gentleman's collection of autographs was purchased for the British Museum. It is a letter from Sir Harry Wentworth of Nettlested, co. Suffolk (ancestor of the Barons Wentworth), addressed to Sir William Calverley, of Calverley in Yorkshire, from whom descended the extinct baronets of that name. The letter is not of great historical importance, yet, as furnishing some notices of the measures taken by the king, on learning that Perkin had landed in Cornwall, on the 7th of September (only ten days previous), it will not be read without interest. The letter is written on a strip of paper measuring eleven inches by four inches, and is signed only by Sir Harry Wentworth.

"Right wourshipfulle cosin, I recommend me vnto you. And where[1] it fortuned me in my retourne home frome Westchestre, to meit my lord Darby, my lord Strange, and other at Whalley abbey, by whome I had the sight of suche lettres as were directed vnto theme frome the kinges grace; apperceyuing by the same that Perkin Warbeke is londid in the west parties, in Cornevelle, wherfore I wolle pray you, and allso in the kinges name aduertise you, to be in aredynes[2] in your owin persone, with suche company as you make, to serue his highnes, vpon an our[3] warnyng, whan his grace shalle calle vpone you. For the which I doubte not but his highnes shalle geve you thankes accordinge. As our lord knoith, who preserue you! Wretin in the kinges castelle of Knaresburght, the xvij dey of Septembre.

The Lord Strange mentioned in the above letter was the third son of the Earl of Derby, and died at Derby House, London, on the 5th Dec. 1497, less than three months after the letter was written.

F. MADDEN.

A HEBREW SERMON IN ENGLISH STONE (Alias, A Puzzle of long standing solved).

Some of the readers of the "NOTES AND QUERIES" may have chanced, as was the case with the writer, to have enjoyed a ramble through the park and village of Wentworth, in Yorkshire, one of Earl Fitzwilliam's estates. Should such be the case, the ramblers could not have failed to halt half an hour, probably an hour, before a neat house, now inhabited by one of his lordship's agents, and wonder and ponder over the intent and purport of a curious inscription, on a stone sun-dial, which is placed over the door of the house. Such I have learned to be the case with every new passer-by. Having spent some time in musing over the hitherto inexplicable puzzle, I think that I am enabled at last to offer a sort of solution of the same. I shall therefore at first give a simple description of the contents of the stone, and then my version of it.

In the centre of the slab, a dial plate is inserted; on its left are carved three lines, running thus:

On its right, eight lines are carved, and run thus:

There is scarcely any difficulty as regards the inscription on the left; the purport being a brief and clumsy account of the sculptor himself. The reason of the reference at the end of the second line may be a sort of justification for suffixing "Israelite" to his name; the following being the passage referred to: "One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel." The principal perplexity is presented by the inscription on the right, and especially in the second line; containing, as it does, a group of five Hebrew letters, so arranged as to defy the ingenuity of the most erudite lexicographer; there being no word of such construction in the whole range of Hebrew literature.

I must premise, before I proceed any further, by stating that I apprehend the sculptor to have been a zealous, though very eccentric, Jewish convert to Christianity; to whom it seemed good to put up that enigmatical sun-dial, with a view to attract the attention, and conduce the inquiry of his Hebrew brethren; which would afford him an opportunity of propounding his Christian views from his own design.

I take the Hebrew letters מ מ ש י ר to be the initials of the following words:[4]

"The King Messiah, the Shiloh, the Lord my Shepherd." Hence those characters follow the A.D. date of the first line, and are followed by the appropriate words in the third line, viz. "A stone of stumbling." The fourth line then comes as a sort of explanation of the preceding one: "And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence, to both the houses of Israel; for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken." "See Isaiah viii. 14, 15." The fifth line, "Ps. cxix. 165. Ezek. iii. 20." consists of scriptural references as to the cause and effect of loving the law, and vice versâ; the first reference being, "Great peace have they which love thy law, and no stumbling-block for them" [according to the original]. The second reference being, "Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die; because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand." The words in the sixth line, "A stumbling-block," evidently refer to 1 Cor. i. 23.: "But we preach Christ crucified; unto the Jews a stumbling-block." The "sculptor Israelite" may have feared that a reference to the New Testament would betray his motive, and therefore judged it prudent and expedient to omit it. The supposition that Bezaleel had 1 Cor. i. 23. in view is supported by the seventh line, "Beware of Him." The last line appears to be an appropriate conclusion; as the passage referred to describes the extent of the Lord's kingdom, as well as his reception by "all nations, tongues, and kindreds." "For from the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a peace offering; for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts." Mal. i. 11.

One may well imagine an Israelite or two observing from the road the Hebrew characters ר ש מ מ—for they are very large, and are seen afar off—and after puzzling over their intent and purport for some time, proceed to ask for an explanation from the major-domo. The master, delighted that the bait caught, vouchsafes, in his peculiarly eccentric style, to lecture on his own device, and thus reads to his brethren A SERMON IN STONE.[5]

MOSES MARGOLIOUTH.

VALUE OF SHAKSPEARE'S LEAGUE.—MEANING OF SHIP.—LOG-SHIP.

So universal was Shakspeare's knowledge even of the arcana of other men's pursuits, that his commentators, in their anxiety to reduce his attainments to an ordinary standard, have attributed to him a sort of ubiquitous apprenticeship to all manner of trades and callings,—now a butcher,—now an attorney's clerk,—now a schoolmaster,—and anon a holder of horses at the theatre door, where doubtless he acquired that farrier-knowledge so profusely lavished upon Petruchio's charger in The Taming of the Shrew. Dr. Farmer, amongst other atrocities which have earned for him an unenviable immortality in connexion with Shakspeare's name, had the incredible folly to recognise, in the splendid image—

an allusion to skewer making! in which the rough-hewing was Shakspeare's, while his more skilful sire shaped the ends! Even Dr. Johnson cried "shop" at that passage of The Winter's Tale where Perdita, fearing lest Florizel's father might discover him "obscured with a swain's wearing," exclaims—

Whereupon the great critic utters this sapient apothegm, "It is impossible for any man to rid his mind of his profession"—meaning of course Shakspeare's profession of book making!

It is therefore surprising that none of them should have discovered a trace of Shakspeare in the occupation of ship-boy; since in no calling has he shown a more accurate knowledge of technicalities; and his seamanship has satisfied the strictest professional criticism. It is to this circumstance my attention is more especially directed at present by a singular blunder which I have observed in one of the illustrations to Knight's Illustrated Shakspeare.

The artist, W. Dicks, professes to illustrate Ægeon's description of his shipwreck, taking for his text these lines in the first scene of the Comedy of Errors:

But if he had studied the context he would have perceived that the "helpful ship" was not a goodly argosy, as he has depicted it, but "a small spare mast, such as seafaring men provide for storms."

Now, it must not be said that the inadvertence is Shakspeare's, because the term helpful, indicative of sudden resource, and these lines immediately following—

prove that Shakspeare never for a moment lost sight of the circumstances he was describing.

I was endeavouring to discover what particular nautical technicality might justify this application of ship in the sense of raft or float, when I recollected that sailors call the little float by which the log-line is held stationary in the water, by the term log-ship; and, by a rather singular coincidence, the origin of this very word log-ship is made the subject of comment in a recent number of "NOTES AND QUERIES" (p. 254.), by a West Indian correspondent, A. L., who thinks the term log-chip.

His story, however, if it be not altogether the offspring of his own ingenuity, appears quite unsupported by evidence; nor, even if authenticated, would it be conclusive of the inference he draws from it. For, surely, the same origin might be attributed to log itself, with equal, or even with greater probability. The very nature of log is, not only to float, but to remain sluggish or stationary in the water: and as it might not be convenient to provide a fresh log (or chip) for every occasion, there would be a clear advantage in tying a string to it, for the purpose of hauling it inboard again, to serve another turn. Moreover, I must remind A. L. that sailors do not say, "Heave the chip," but "Heave the log."

This same passage in the Comedy of Errors suggests another consideration; which is, that Shakspeare appears to have used league and mile synonymously. When Ægeon's "helpful ship" was "splitted in the midst," it was "ere the ships" (approaching to his rescue) "could meet by thrice five leagues;" so that each ship must have been at least five leagues distant when discovered. Now Shakspeare was too good a sailor to suppose that a ship could be visible to a man on the surface of the water a distance of fifteen miles; but at one-third of that distance it might be so. Therefore it would be necessary to take league as synonymous with mile in this instance, even if it were not corroborated by the necessity for a similar understanding in other places.

But wherever Shakspeare uses the word league, its equivalence with mile is not only consistent with the sense, but, in some cases, absolutely necessary to it.

Thus, in the opening scene of the Midsummer Night's Dream, Lysander appoints to meet Hermia "in the wood, a league without the town," but, in the next scene, Quince appoints the same place for the rehearsal, calling it "the palace wood, a mile without the town."

Again, in the Two Gentlemen of Verona, when Silvia escapes with Eglamour, the latter reassures her by reminding her that they will be safe if they can "gain the forest, not three leagues off," which would be but poor comfort if by three leagues the lady was to understand nine miles.

By the way, this forest is described in all the "stage directions," upon what authority I cannot guess, as "a forest near Mantua;" whereas all the circumstances concur to place it in the immediate vicinity of Milan. There is nothing to warrant the supposition that any of the characters had journeyed far from Milan when they were seized upon by the outlaws; and it is to the Duke of Milan that the outlaws apply for pardon for misdeeds done in his territories.

A. E. B.

Leeds.

DONIZETTI.

The following very curious account of the ancestry of this very talented individual is copied from the Berwick Advertiser—a paper confined to the provinces, and not likely to reach the metropolis. It appeared somewhere about four years ago; but in cutting the scrap from the paper I incautiously omitted inserting the date.

"NEW FACTS CONCERNING DONIZETTI THE COMPOSER.—We have learned from authority not to be questioned, that the late Donizetti, whose great talents as a composer are now beginning to be appreciated, was of Scotch origin. His grandfather was a native of Perthshire, of the name of Izett (or rather, I should think, Izatt). He was a farmer under the Earl of Breadalbane, and his son Donald was born at the farm. When very young the sprightly Donald left his paternal home, having been enticed by the fascinating address of a recruiting serjeant to enlist in the united services of Mars and his Majesty, to the great grief of his mother, who did not survive his departure many months. Young Donald soon got discontented with his military duties; and having been taken prisoner by General La Hoche during his invasion of Ireland, was quite delighted with the easy mode which presented itself of liberation from the unpleasant thraldom which he had been suffering, and quickly embraced an offer made to him to enter the General's service. With him he remained as private secretary till his untimely death. Subsequently he married an Italian lady of some fortune, and his name of Donald Izett was easily metamorphosed into Donizetti. The composer was the offspring of this marriage; and it is remarkable that evidence of his Scottish origin may be traced in many of his beautiful melodies. Thus, for instance, in 'Don Pasquale,' the exquisite air of 'O Summer Night' reminds us of some Highland strains sung to the bagpipe; and the entire score of 'Lucia di Lammermoor' is replete with snatches and fragments of the minstrelsy of Scotland."

There is then added a few lines relative to Rossini, whose family is also alleged to be Scotch.

How far this legend is true I know not; but perhaps some of your correspondents might throw light on the subject. But assuredly there did exist a Scotch family called Izett; and a lady of that name is at present living in, or near, the romantic town of Stirling. What is remarkable is this: that in the list of subscribers to the Edinburgh Circus, afterwards better known as Corri's Rooms, and now the Adelphi Theatre, occurs the name of Izatt or Izett, who followed the calling of a hatter. This was in 1790. On making inquiry, it has been ascertained that he came from Perthshire; that his father was a farmer there; and what is still more striking, that, having realised an ample fortune, he retired from business and purchased an estate in that county. It was also said, that he corresponded with some relative on the Continent. All this is very inconclusive, but still it is worth noticing.

J. G. S.

FOLK LORE.

Ash Sap—The Ash (Vol. iv., p. 273.).

—The reason for giving ash sap to new-born children in the Highlands of Scotland is, first, because it acts as a powerful astringent, and, secondly, because the ash, in common with the rowan, is supposed to possess the property of resisting the attacks of witches, fairies, and other imps of darkness. Without some precaution of this kind, they would change the child, or possibly steal it away altogether. The herd boys in the district of Buchan, in Aberdeenshire, always prefer a herding stick of ash to any other wood, as in throwing it at their cattle, it is sure not to strike on a vital part, and so kill or injure the animal, which they say a stick of any other wood might do.

It is common practice with the housewives in the same district, to tie a piece of red worsted thread round their cows' tails, previous to turning them out to grass for the first time in the spring. It secures their cattle, they say, from an evil eye, from being elf-shot by fairies, &c. &c.

ABERDONIENSIS.

Souling.

—On the 2nd of November, All Souls' Day, it is in Shropshire the custom for the village children to go round to all their neighbours souling, as they call it, collecting small contributions, and singing the following verses, which I took down from two of the children themselves:—

The soul-cake referred to in the verses is a sort of bun, which until lately it was an almost general custom for persons to make, and to give to one another on the 2nd of November. Perhaps some of your readers can state whether this custom prevails in other counties in England. It seems to be a remnant of the practice of collecting alms, to be applied to the benefit of the souls of the departed, for which especial masses and services were formerly sung on All Souls' Day.

W. FRASER.

Minor Notes.

Pasquinade.

—To the "Pasquinades" adduced in Vol. iv., p. 292., I may add one of a different character, though of older date, on a former Cardinal. On the decease of Pope Clement IX. in 1669, Cardinal Bona was named amongst those worthy of the tiara, when a French Jesuit (Père Dangières), in reply to a line inscribed, as usual upon those occasions, on the statue of Pasquin, "Papa Bona sarebbe un solecisma," made the following epigram:

The successful candidate, however, was Cardinal Emilio Altieri, who assumed the name of Clement X., in April, 1670: Bona (Giov.) died in October, 1674.

J. R. (Cork.)

Monk and Cromwell Families.

—It is a singular fact, that an estate granted to George Monk, Duke of Albemarle, for restoring the monarchy, was by intermarriage eventually vested in Oliver Cromwell, Esq., of Cheshunt, who died in 1821; being then the last male descendant of the Protector.

A SUBSCRIBER.

D'Israeli and Byron.

—Lord Byron not only "deeply underscored," in admiration, M. D'Israeli's sentence, as quoted Vol. iv., p. 99., but he also reproduced the same idea in his Monody on Sheridan:

ALFRED GATTY.