Notes and Queries, Number 65, January 25, 1851 by Various

V >> Various >> Notes and Queries, Number 65, January 25, 1851

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

{49}

NOTES AND QUERIES:

A MEDIUM OF INTER-COMMUNICATION FOR LITERARY MEN, ARTISTS, ANTIQUARIES,
GENEALOGISTS, ETC.

* * * * *

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

* * * * *

No. 65.]
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 1851.
[Price Sixpence. Stamped Edition 7d.

* * * * *

CONTENTS.

NOTES:-- Page
Traditional English Ballads, by Dr. E.F. Rimbault 49
The Father of Philip Massinger 52
Touchstone's Dial, by George Stephens 52
Discrepancies in Dugdale's Account of Sir Ralph de
Cobham, by W. Hastings Kelke 53
Henry Chettle 54
Coverdale's Bible 54
Answer to Cowley 55
Folk Lore of Lancashire, No. 1., by T.T. Wilkinson 55
Minor Notes:--Proclamation of Langholme Fair--Seats
in Churches--Flemish Account--Use of
Monosyllables--Specimen of Foreign English--Epitaph 56

QUERIES:--
The Tale of the Wardstaff, by S.W. Singer 57
Ballad ascribed to Sir C. Hanbury Williams, by G.H.
Barker 59
Minor Queries:--Book called Tartuare--William Wallace
in London--Obeism--Aged Monks--Lady Alice
Carmichael--"A Verse may find him"--Daresbury,
the White Chapel of England--Ulm Manuscript--
Merrick and Tattersall--Dr. Trusler's memoirs--
Life of Bishop Frampton--Probabilism--Sir Henry
Chauncy's Observations on Wilfred Entwysel--Theological
Tracts--Lady Bingham--Gregory the Great--John
Hill's Penny Post in 1659--Andrea Ferrara--Imputed
Letter of Sallustius--Thomas Rogers of
Horninger--Tandem D.O.M.--The Episcopal Mitre 59

REPLIES:--
The Passage in Troilus and Cressida, by John Taylor 62
Black Images of the Virgin, by J.B. Litchfield 63
Outline in Painting 63
Ten Children at a Birth 64
Shakspeare's Use of "Captious" 65
Sword of William the Conqueror 66
Meaning of Eisell 66
Altar Lights, &c. 68
Replies to Minor Queries:--Handbell before a Corpse
--Sir George Downing--Hulls, the Inventor of
Steamboats--"Clarum et venerabile Nomen"--Occult
Transposition of Letters--Darby and Joan--Did
Bunyan know Hobbes?--Mythology of the Stars--Dodo
Queries--Holland Land--Swearing by Swans--The
Frozen Horn--Cockade and True Blue--The
Vavasours of Hazlewood--"Breeches" Bible--Histoire
des Sevarambes--Verses attributed to Charles
Yorke--Archbishop Bolton of Cashel--Erasmus and
Farel--Early Culture of the Imagination--William
Chilcot--By and bye--Mocker--Was Colonel Hewson
a Cobbler?--Mole--Pillgarlick--A recent Novel
--Tablet to Napoleon--North Sides of Churchyards
--Wisby--Singing of Swans--Dacre Monument at
Herstmoneux--Herstmoneux Castle--Suem;
Ferling; Grasson--Portrait of Archbishop Williams
--Swans hatched during Thunder--Etymology of Apricot
--"Plurima gemma latet circa tellure sepulta"--
Time when Herodotus wrote--Lucy and Colin--
Translations of Apuleius, &c.--Etymology of "Grasson"
--Lynch Law--"Talk not of Love"--The Butcher
Duke--Curfew--Robertson Struan 68

MISCELLANEOUS:--
Notes on Books, Sales, Catalogues, &c. 77
Books and Odd Volumes Wanted 78
Notices to Correspondents 78
Advertisements 78

* * * * *

NOTES.

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH BALLADS.

The task of gathering old traditionary song is surely a pleasant and a
lightsome one. Albeit the harvest has been plentiful and the gleaners many,
still a stray sheaf may occasionally be found worth the having. But we must
be careful not to "pick up a straw."

One of your corespondents recommends, as an addition to the value of your
pages, the careful getting together of those numerous traditional ballads
that are still sometimes to be met with, floating about various parts of
the country. This advice is by no means to be disregarded, but I wish to
point out the necessity of the contributors to the undertaking knowing
something about ballad literature. An acquaintance with the ordinary
_published_ collections, at least, cannot be dispensed with. Without this
knowledge we should be only multiplying copies of worthless trifles, or
reprinting ballads that had already appeared in print.

The traditional copies of old _black-letter_ ballads are, in almost all
cases (as may easily be seen by comparison), much the worse for wear. As a
proof of this I refer the curious in these matters to a volume of
_Traditional Versions of Old Ballads_, collected by Mr. Peter Buchan, and
edited by Mr. Dixon for the Percy Society. The Rev. Mr. Dyce pronounces
this "a volume of _forgeries_;" but, acquitting poor Buchan (of whom more
anon) of any intention to deceive, it is, to say the least of it, a volume
of _rubbish_; inasmuch as the ballads are all worthless modern versions of
what had appeared "centuries ago" in their _genuine_ shape. Had these
ballads _not existed in print_, we should have been glad of them in any
form; but, in the present case, the publication of such a book (more
especially by a learned society) is a positive nuisance.

Another work which I cannot refrain from noticing, called by one of the
reviewers "A valuable contribution to our stock of ballad literature"? is
Mr. Frederick Sheldon's _Minstrelsy of the English Border_. The preface to
this volume {50} promises much, as may be seen by the following passage:--

"It is now upwards of forty years since Sir Walter Scott published his
_Border Minstrelsy_, and during his 'raids,' as he facetiously termed
his excursions of discovery in Liddesdale, Teviotdale, Tyndale, and the
Merse, very few ballads of any note or originality could possibly
escape his enthusiastic inquiry; for, to his love of ballad literature,
he added the patience and research of a genuine antiquary. Yet, no
doubt many ballads _did_ escape, and still remain scattered up and down
the country side, existing probably in the recollection of many a
sun-browned shepherd, or the weather-beaten brains of ancient hinds, or
'eldern' women: or in the well-thumbed and nearly illegible leaves of
some old book or pamphlet of songs, snugly resting on the 'pot-head,'
or sharing their rest with the 'Great Ha' Bible,' _Scott's Worthies_,
or Blind Harry's lines. The parish dominie or pastor of some obscure
village, amid the many nooks and corners of the Borders, possesses, no
doubt, treasures in the ballad-ware that would have gladdened the heart
of a Ritson, a Percy, or a Surtees; in the libraries, too, of many an
ancient descendant of a Border family, some black-lettered volume of
ballads, doubtlessly slumbers in hallowed and unbroken dust."

This reads invitingly; the writer then proceeds:--

"From such sources I have obtained may of the ballads in the present
collection. Those to which I have stood godfather, and so baptized and
remodelled, I have mostly met with in the 'broad-side' ballads, as they
are called."

Although the writer here speaks of Ritson and Percy as if he were
acquainted with their works, it is very evident that he had not looked into
their contents. The name of Evans' _Collection_ had probably never reached
him. Alas! we look in vain for the tantalising "pamphlet of songs,"--still,
perhaps, snugly resting on the "pot-head," where our author in his
"poetical dream" first saw it. The "black-lettered volume of ballads" too,
in the library of the "ancient descendant of a Border family," still
remains in its dusty repository, untouched by the hand of Frederick
Sheldon.

In support of the object of this paper I shall now point out "a few" of the
errors of _The Minstrelsy of the English Border_.

P. 201. _The Fair Flower of Northumberland_:--

"It was a knight in Scotland born,
Follow my love, come over the Strand;
Was taken prisoner, and left forlorn
Even by the good Erle Northumberland."

This is a corrupt version of Thomas Deloney's celebrated ballad of "The
Ungrateful Knight," printed in the _History of Jack of Newbery_, 1596, and
in Ritson's _Ancient Songs_, 1790. A Scottish version may be found in
Kinloch's _Ballads_, under the title of the "The Provost's Daughter." Mr.
Sheldon knows nothing of this, but says,--

"This ballad has been known about the English Border for many years,
and I can remember a version of it being sung by my grandmother!"

He also informs us that he has added the last verse but one, in order to
make the "ends of justice" more complete!

P. 232. _The Laird of Roslin's Daughter_:--

"The Laird of Roslin's daughter
Walk'd through the wood her lane;
And by her came Captain Wedderburn,
A servant to the Queen."

This is a wretched version (about half the original length) of a well-known
ballad, entitled "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship." It first appeared _in
print_ in _The New British Songster_, a collection published at Falkirk, in
1785. It was afterwards inserted in Jamieson's _Popular Ballads and Songs_,
1806; Kinloch's _Ancient Ballads_, 1826; Chambers' _Scottish Ballads_,
1829, &c. But hear what Mr. Sheldon has to say, in 1847:--

"This is a fragment of an apparently ancient ballad, related to me by a
lady of Berwick-on-Tweed, who used to sing it in her childhood. I have
given all that she was able to furnish me with. The same lady assures
me that she never remembers having seen it in print [!!], and that she
had learnt if from her nurse, together with the ballad of 'Sir Patrick
Spens,' and several Irish legends, since forgotten."

P. 274. _The Merchant's Garland_:--

"Syr Carnegie's gane owre the sea,
And's plowing thro' the main,
And now must make a lang voyage,
The red gold for to gain."

This is evidently one of those ballads which calls Mr. Sheldon "godfather."
The original ballad, which has been "baptized and remodelled," is called
"The Factor's Garland." It begins in the following homely manner:--

"Behold here's a ditty, 'tis true and no jest
Concerning a young gentleman in the East,
Who by his great gaming came to poverty,
And afterwards went many voyages to sea."

P. 329. _The rare Ballad of Johnnie Faa_:--

"There were seven gipsies in a gang,
They were both brisk and bonny O;
They rode till they came to the Earl of Castle's house,
And here they sang so sweetly O."

This is a very _hobbling_ version (from the recitation of a "gipsy
vagabond") of a ballad frequently reprinted. It first appeared in Ramsay's
_Tea-Table Miscellany_; afterwards in Finlay's and Chambers' Collections.
None of these versions were known to Mr. Sheldon.

I have now extracted enough from the _Minstrelsy of the English Border_ to
show the mode of "ballad editing" as pursued by Mr. Sheldon. The instances
are sufficient to strengthen my position.

One of the most popular traditional ballads still {51} floating about the
country, is "King Henrie the Fifth's Conquest:"--

"As our King lay musing on his bed,
He bethought himself upon a time,
Of a tribute that was due from France,
Had not been paid for so long a time."

It was first printed from "oral communication," by Sir Harris Nicolas, who
inserted two versions in the Appendix to his _History of the Battle of
Agincourt_, 2d edition, 8vo. 1832. It again appeared (not from either of
Sir Harris Nicolas's copies) in the Rev. J.C. Tyler's _Henry of Monmouth_,
8vo. vol. ii. p. 197. And, lastly, in Mr. Dixon's _Ancient Poems, Ballads,
and Songs of the Peasantry of England_, printed by the Percy Society in
1846. These copies vary considerably from each other, which cannot be
wondered at, when we find that they were obtained from independent sources.
Mr. Tyler does not allude to Sir Harris Nicolas's copies, nor does Mr.
Dixon seem aware that any _printed_ version of the traditional ballad had
preceded his. The ballad, however, existed in a printed "broad-side" long
before the publications alluded to, and a copy, "Printed and sold in
Aldermary Church Yard," is now before me. It is called "King Henry V., his
Conquest of France in Revenge for the Affront offered by the French King in
sending him (instead of the Tribute) a ton of Tennis Balls."

An instance of the various changes and mutations to which, in the course of
ages, a popular ballad is subject, exists in the "Frog's Wedding." The
pages of the "NOTES AND QUERIES" testify to this in a remarkable degree.
But no one has yet hit upon the _original_ ballad; unless, indeed, the
following be it, and I think it has every appearance of being the identical
ballad licensed to Edward White in 1580-1. It is taken from a rare musical
volume in my library, entitled _Melismata; Musicall Phansies, fitting the
Court, Citie, and Countrey Humours. Printed by William Stansby for Thomas
Adams_, 1611. 4to.

"THE MARRIAGE OF THE FROGGE AND THE MOUSE.

"It was the Frogge in the well,
Humble-dum, humble dum;
And the merrie Mouse in the mill,
Tweedle, tweedle twino.

"The Frogge would a-wooing ride,
Humble-dum, &c.
Sword and buckler by his side,
Tweedle, &c.

"When he was upon his high horse set,
Humble-dum, &c.
His boots they shone as blacke as jet.
Tweedle, &c.

"When he came to the merry mill pin,
Humble-dum, &c.
Lady Mouse, beene you within?
Tweedle, &c.

"Then came out the dusty Mouse,
Humble-dum, &c.
I am Lady of this house,
Tweedle, &c.

"Hast thou any minde of me?
Humble-dum, &c.
I have e'ne great minde of thee,
Tweedle, &c.

"Who shall this marriage make?
Humble-dum, &c.
Our Lord, which is the Rat,
Tweedle, &c.

"What shall we have to our supper?
Humble-dum, &c.
Three beanes in a pound of butter,
Tweedle, &c.

"When supper they were at,
Humble-dum, &c.
The frogge, the Mouse, and even the Rat,
Tweedle, &c.

"Then came in Gib our Cat,
Humble-dum, &c.
And catcht the Mouse even by the backe,
Tweedle, &c.

"Then did they separate,
Humble-dum, &c.
And the Frogge leapt on the floore so flat,
Tweedle, &c.

"Then came in Dicke our Drake,
Humble-dum, &c.
And drew the Frogge even to the lake,
Tweedle, &c.

"The Rat ran up the wall,
Humble-dum, &c
A goodly company, the Divell goe with all,
Tweedle, &c."

From what I have shown, the reader will agree with me, that a collector of
ballads from oral tradition should possess some acquaintance with the
labours of his predecessors. This knowledge is surely the smallest part of
the duties of an editor.

I remember reading, some years ago, in the writings of old Zarlino (an
Italian author of the sixteenth century), an amusing chapter on the
necessary qualifications for a "complete musician." The recollection of
this forcibly returns to me after perusing the following extract from the
preface to a _Collection of Ballads_ (2 vols. 8vo. Edinburgh, 1828), by our
"simple" but well-meaning friend, "Mr. Peter Buchan of Peterhead."

"No one has yet conceived, nor has it entered the mind of man, what
patience, perseverance, and general knowledge are necessary for an
editor of a Collection of Ancient Ballads; nor what mountains of
difficulties he has to overcome; what hosts of enemies he has to
encounter; and what myriads of little-minded quibblers he has to
silence. The writing of explanatory notes is like no other species of
literature. History throws {52} little light upon their origin [the
ballads, I suppose?], or the cause which gave rise to their
composition. He has to grope his way in the dark: like Bunyan's
pilgrim, on crossing the Valley of the Shadow of Death, he hears sounds
and noises, but cannot, to a certainty, tell from whence they come, nor
to what place they proceed. The one time, he has to treat of fabulous
ballads in the most romantic shape; the next, legendary, with all its
exploded, obsolete, and forgotten superstitions; also history, tragedy,
comedy, love, war, and so on; all, perhaps, within the narrow compass
of a few hours,--so varied must his genius and talents be."

After this we ought surely to rejoice, that any one hardy enough to become
an Editor of Old Ballads is left amongst us.

EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.

* * * * *

THE FATHER OF PHILIP MASSINGER.

Gifford was quite right in stating that the name of the father of
Massinger, the dramatist, was Arthur, according to Oldys, and not Philip,
according to Wood and Davies. Arthur Massinger (as he himself spelt the
name, although others have spelt it Messenger, from its supposed etymology)
was in the service of the Earl of Pembroke, who married the sister of Sir
Philip Sidney, in whose family the poet Daniel was at one time tutor. I
have before me several letters from him to persons of note and consequence,
all signed "Arthur Massinger;" and to show his importance in the family to
which he was attached, I need only mention, that in 1597, when a match was
proposed between the son of Lord Pembroke and the daughter of Lord
Burghley, Massinger, the poet's father, was the confidential agent employed
between the parties. My purpose at present is to advert to a matter which
occurred ten years earlier, and to which the note I am about to transcribe
relates. It appears that in March, 1587, Arthur Massinger was a suitor for
the reversion of the office of Examiner in the Court of the Marches toward
South Wales, for which also a person of the name of Fox was a candidate;
and, in order to forward the wishes of his dependent, the Earl of Pembroke
wrote to Lord Burghley as follows:--

"My servant Massinger hathe besought me to ayde him in obteyning a
reversion from her Majestie of the Examiner's office in this courte;
whereunto, as I willingly have yielded, soe I resolved to leave the
craving of your Lordship's furtheraunce to his owne humble sute; but
because I heare a sonn of Mr. Fox (her Majestie's Secretary here) doth
make sute for the same, and for the Mr. Sherar, who now enjoyethe it,
is sicklie, I am boulde to desier your Lordship's honorable favour to
my servaunte, which I shall most kindlie accepte, and he for the same
ever rest bounde to praye for your Lordship. And thus, leaving further
to trouble you, &c. 28. March, 1587. H. PEMBROKE."

The whole body of this communication, it is worth remark, is in the
handwriting of Arthur Massinger (whose penmanship was not unlike that of
his son), and the signature only that of the Earl, in whose family he was
entertained. I have not been able to ascertain whether the application was
successful; and it is possible that some of the records of the court may
exist, showing either the death of Sherar, and by whom he was succeeded
about that date, or that Sherar recovered from his illness. As I have
before said, it is quite clear that Arthur Massinger was high in the
confidence and service of Lord Pembroke ten years after the date of the
preceding note.

I have a good deal more to say about Arthur Massinger, but I must take
another time for the purpose.

THE HERMIT OF HOLYPORT.

* * * * *

TOUCHSTONE'S DIAL.

(Vol. ii., p. 405.)

The conjecture of Mr. Knight, in his note to _As You Like It_, and to which
your correspondent J.M.B. has so instructively drawn our attention, is
undoubtedly correct. The "sun-ring" or ring-dial, was probably the watch of
our forefathers some thousand years previous to the invention of the modern
chronometer, and its history is deserving of more attention than has
hitherto been paid to it. Its immense antiquity in Europe is proved by its
still existing in the _remotest_ and _least civilised_ districts of North
England, Scotland, and the Western Isles, Ireland, and in Scandinavia. I
have in my possession _two_ such rings, both of brass. The one, nearly half
an inch broad, and two inches in diameter, is from the Swedish island of
Gothland, and is of more modern make. It is held by the finger and thumb
clasping a small brass ear or handle, to the right of which a slit in the
ring extends nearly one-third of the whole length. A small narrow band of
brass (about one-fifth of the width) runs along the centre of the ring, and
of course covers the slit. This narrow band is movable, and has a hole in
one part through which the rays of the sun can fall. On each side of the
band (to the right of the handle) letters, which stand for the names of the
months, are inscribed on the ring as follows:--

J A S O N D
J M A M F J

[the letters in the lower row inverted]

_Inside_ the ring, opposite to these letters, are the following figures for
the hours:--

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
12
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

[the figures in the upper row inverted, the 12 sideways]

The small brass band was made movable that the ring-click might be properly
_set by the sun_ at stated periods, perhaps once a month.

The second sun-ring, which I bought in Stockholm in 1847, also "out of a
deal of old iron," is {53} smaller and much broader than the first, and is
perhaps a hundred years older; it is also more ornamented. Otherwise its
fashion is the same, the only difference being in the arrangement of the
inside figures, which are as follows:--

6 7 8 9 10 11
12
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

[the figures in the lower row inverted]

The ring recovered by Mr. Knight evidently agrees with the above. I hope
Mr. K. will, sooner or later, present the curiosity to our national
museum,--which will be driven at last, if not by higher motives, by the
mere force of public opinion and public indignation, to form a regularly
arranged and grand collection of our own British antiquities in every
branch, secular and religious, from the earliest times, down through the
middle ages, to nearly our own days. Such an archaeological department could
count not only upon the assistance of the state, but upon rich and generous
contributions from British sources, individuals and private societies, at
home and abroad, as well as foreign help, at least in the way of exchange.
But any such plan must be _speedily_ and _well_ organised and _well
announced_!

I give the above details, not only because they relate to a passage in our
immortal bard, who has ennobled and perpetuated every word and fact in his
writings, but because they illustrate the astronomical antiquities of our
own country and our kindred tribes during many centuries. These sun-dials
are now very scarce, even in the high Scandinavian North, driven out as
they have been by the watch, in the same manner as the ancient clog[1] or
Rune-staff (the carved wooden perpetual almanac) has been extirpated by the
printed calendar, and now only exists in the cabinets of the curious. In
fifty years more sun-rings will probably be quite extinct throughout
Europe. I hope this will cause you to excuse my prolixity. Will no
_astronomer_ among your readers direct his attention to this subject? Does
anything of the kind still linger in the East?

GEORGE STEPHENS.

Stockholm.

[Footnote 1: The Scandinavian Rune-staff is well known. An engraving of an
ancient English clog (but with Roman characters, instead of Runic) is in
Hone's _Every-Day Book_, vol. ii.]

* * * * *

DISCREPANCIES IN DUGDALE'S ACCOUNT OF SIR RALPH DE COBHAM.

There are some difficulties in Dugdale's account of the Cobham family which
it may be well to bring before your readers; especially as several other
historians and genealogists have repeated Dugdale's account without
remarking on its inconsistencies. In speaking of a junior branch of the
family, he says, in vol. ii. p. 69., "There was also Ralphe de Cobham,
brother of the first-mentioned Stephen." He only mentions one Stephen but
names him twice, first at page 66., and again at 69. Perhaps he meant the
_above_-mentioned Stephen. He continues:--

"This Ralphe took to wife Mary Countess of Norfolk, widdow of Thomas of
Brotherton. Which Mary was Daughter to William Lord Ros, and first
married to William Lord Braose of Brembre; and by her had Issue John,
who 20 E. III., making proof of his age, and doing his Fealty, had
Livery of his lands."

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7