Notes and Queries, Number 02, November 10, 1849

Notes and Queries, Number 02, November 10, 1849
Various

Various

Notes and Queries, Number 02, November 10, 1849

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

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

A FEW WORDS TO OUR FRIENDS

In our opening Address we carefully avoided any thing at all approaching to a boast of what we would, or even what we hoped to perform. We stated that "we would rather give a specimen than a description." We are now in like manner unwilling to point as exultingly, as we think we might, to the position which we have already taken. But there is a vast difference between vain boasting and the expression of an honest satisfaction; and it would be worse than an affectation of humility—it would be a mean hypocrisy—if we did not express heartily and unreservedly the gratitude we owe and feel to those who have encouraged us by their friendly advice and able pens. We have opened a Literary Exchange, and we have had the gratification to see that men whose learning and talents the public recognise—leaders in their several branches of inquiry—have at once taken advantage of it. They have proved the necessity for some such medium of communication, as well as their good-will to the one now offered to them, by a gathering in its behalf which the public will respect, and of which we may well feel proud.

Some whose good opinion we most value, and who have spoken most warmly in favour of our plan, have proved the sincerity of their praise by suggestions of improvement in its detail, and hints for its further extension. They may feel assured that such hints and such suggestions shall not be lost sight of. For instance, one respected correspondent hints that as we have very properly adopted Dr. Maitland's suggestion with regard to Herbert's edition of Ame's Typographical Antiquities, namely, that of "offering a receptacle for illustrations, additions, and corrections," and invited "our readers to take advantage of our columns to carry out Dr. Maitland's suggestions," we should open our columns with equal readiness to the correction and illustration of more modern and more popular works. We entirely concur with him; but in reference to this subject there is a distinction which must be borne in mind. Our own literature, like that of every other country, consists of two classes of books. We have the books of pretenders to knowledge, the hasty, crude, imperfect, but often for the time attractive and popular volumes of the Ned Purdons of the day. These books have a use—such as it is—and thus answer their purpose; but it would be for the credit of our literature, and save a world of trouble, if they were forgotten as soon as they had done so. To illustrate such books, to add to their information or correct their blunders, would be useless and almost ridiculous. They should be left to die of mere powerlessness and exhaustion, or to wither under the wholesome influence of a just and manly criticism.

But there are books of another kind—books which our worthy bibliopoles designate as "standard works." These are the books of competent workmen—books which are the result of honest labour and research, and which from the moment of their publication assume a permanent station in our national literature. Even in such books there are many things incomplete, many things erroneous. But it is the interest of every man that such books should be rendered as complete as possible; and whatever tends to illustrate or correct works of that class will be sure of insertion in our columns.

We would point to Macaulay's England, and Hallam's Introduction to the Literary History of the 15th, 16th, and 17th Centuries, his Middle Ages, and his Constitutional History, and we may add, as illustrations of a different kind, The Annals of the Stage of our excellent friend Mr. Collier, and The Handbook of London of our valued contributor Mr. Peter Cunningham, as examples of the sort of publications to which we allude. Such were the books we had in our mind, when we spoke in our Prospectus of the "NOTES AND QUERIES" becoming, through the inter-communication of our literary friends, "a most useful supplement to works already in existence—a treasury towards enriching future editions of them."

Another correspondent—a bibliographical friend—suggests that, for various reasons, which bibliographers will appreciate, our Prospectus should have a place in the body of our work. We believe that many of our readers concur in a wish for its preservation, and it will therefore be found in the Number now before them.

One suggestion again urges us to look carefully to Foreign Literature, and another points out the propriety of our making our paper as British as possible, so that our topographical facts should, as far as practicable, be restricted to the illustration of British counties, and our biographical ones to such as should contribute towards a Biographia Brittanica.

All these, and many other expressions of sympathy and promises of support, poured in upon us within a few hours after our birth. No one of them shall be forgotten; and if for a time our pages seem to indicate that we have made a QUERY as to the adoption of any suggestion, let our kind contributors be assured that there is no hint which reaches us, whether at present practicable or not, that we do not seriously and thankfully "make a NOTE of."

BISHOP AYLMER'S LETTER, AND THE POEM ON THE ARMADA

As I am in a condition to answer the inquiry of your "Hearty Well-wisher," on p. 12 of your last Number of "NOTES AND QUERIES," I proceed to give him the information he asks. I shall be happy if what follows is of any use to your correspondent, taking it for granted that he is as zealous for your success as his signature indicates.

The "foolish rhyme," to which the attention of the Bishop of London had been directed by Lord Burghley, has the subsequent doggrel title:—

"A Skeltonicall Salvtation,
Or condigne gratvlation,
And iust vexation
Of the Spanishe nation,
That in a bravado
Spent many a crvsado,
In setting forth an armado
England to invado."

This is as the title stands in the Oxford impression (of which I never saw more than one copy, because, we may presume, it was suppressed by the authorities of the University), and the following is the imprint at the bottom of it:—"Printed at Oxford by Ioseph Barnes, and are to bee sold in Paules Churchyard, at the signe of the Tygres head, 1589."

There exists several exemplars of the London edition—"Imprinted at London for Toby Cooke, 1589,"—the title-page of which, as well as the rest of the poem, differs only literally from that of Oxford, excepting that to the latter is appended a Latin version, also in rhyme, and in close imitation of the English. I subjoin a brief specimen of it:—

"Qui regis Hispanos,
Superbos et vanos,
Crudeles et insanos,
Multùm aberrasti,
Cùm tuos animasti,
Et bellum inchoasti
Contra Anglos animosos,
Fortes et bellicosos,
Nobiles et generosos.
Qui te excitavit
Proculdubio deliravit
Et te fascinavit," &c.

The whole production consists only of ten leaves, 4to., and the Latin portion, which has the subsequent separate title-page, occupies four of them:—

"AD REGEM
HISPANVM.
Cum tua non fuerint heroica facta, Philippe,
Risu digna cano carmine ridiculo."

I shall not here introduce any part of the English version, because one or two long quotations will be found in the introductory portion of the Rev. A. Dyce's excellent edition of Skelton's Works (2 vols. 8vo. 1843). Respecting the Latin portion I have been more particular, because the learned editor was not aware that the production had come from the press of Barnes of Oxford, nor that a Latin version was appended to it.

I may take the liberty of adding here a mention of Skelton which escaped notice, and which is from one of the tracts against Thomas Nash, produced by Gabriel Harvey, the friend of Spenser. He couples Skelton and Scoggin together, in no very respectful manner, and completes the triumvirate by Nash, whom he here calls Signor Capriccio:—"And what riott so pestiferous as that which in sugred baites presenteth most poisonous hookes? Sir Skelton and Master Scoggin were but innocents to Signior Capricio."

This quotation is the more noticeable, because it recognises the sacred character of Skelton (however unworthy of the gown) in the prefix "Sir," which, as most people are aware, was then generally given to clergymen: Scoggin, on the other hand, is only styled "Master Scoggin."

    J. PAYNE COLLIER.

[The preceding communication was already in type when we received the following from Mr. Bolton Corney, which we gladly print, inasmuch as it illustrates some points not touched upon by Mr. Collier.]

QUERIES ANSWERED, NO. 1

It is not without some slight reluctance that I notice anonymous communications, but shall endeavour to repress such feelings with regard to the modest students who may choose to announce their desiderata through the convenient channel of the "NOTES AND QUERIES." A hearty well wisher to so commendable an enterprise, shall have my first responsive scrap.

The inquiry affords no scope for ingenuity of conjecture! The foolish rime to which bishop Aylmer refers, is undoubtedly the pamphlet thus entitled:—

"A Skeltonicall salutation,
Or condigne gratulation,
And iust vexation
Of the Spanish nation,
That in a bravado
Spent many a crusado,
In setting forth an armado
England to invado."
Oxford, Joseph Barnes, 1589. 4to.
"A Skeltonicall salutation," &c.
Imprinted at London for Toby Cook, 1589. 4to.

The Oxford edition is recorded by Ames, and there is a copy of the London edition in the British Museum. Strype, in his account of bishop Aylmer, gives the substance of the letter as his own narrative, almost verbatim—but fails to identify the pamphlet in question. Park briefly describes it in Censura Literaria, 1815, ii. 18.; and there is a specimen of it in The Poetical Works of John Skelton, as edited by the Reverend Alexander Dyce, 1843.

While queries evince a sharp mental appetite, answers help to satisfy it; and so, by their united influence, a brisk circulation of ideas may be produced—which, as master Burton assures us, wards off melancholy.

    BOLTON CORNEY.