Notes and Queries, Number 191, June 25, 1853

Popular Sayings.—The Sparrows at Lindholme (Vol. vii., p. 234.).—The sparrows at Lindholme have made themselves scarce here, under the following circumstances:—William of Lindholme seems to have united in himself the characters of hermit and wizard. When a boy, his parents, on going to Wroot Feast, hard by, left him to keep the sparrows from the corn; at which he was so enraged that he took up an enormous stone, and threw it at the house to which they were gone, but from throwing it too high it fell on the other side. After he had done this he went to the feast, and when scolded for it, said he had fastened up all the sparrows in the barn; where they were found, on the return home, all dead, except a few which were turned white. (Vide Stonehouse's History of the Isle of Axholme.)

As for the "Doncaster Daggers" and "Hatfield Rats," also inquired after, I have no information, although those places are in the same neighbourhood.

    W. H. L.

Effects of the Vox Regalis of the Queen Bee (Vol. vii., p. 499.).—Dr. Bevan, than whom there is probably no better authority on apiarian matters, discredits this statement of Huber. No other naturalist appears to have witnessed these wonderful effects. Dr. Bevan however states, that when the queen is

"Piping, prior to the issue of an after-swarm, the bees that are near her remain still, with a slight inclination of their heads, but whether impressed by fear or not seems doubtful."—Bevan On the Honey Bee, p. 18.

    Cheverells.

Seneca and St. Paul (Vol. vii., p. 500.).—

"The fourteen letters of Seneca to Paul, which are printed in the old editions of Seneca, are apocryphal."—Dr. W. Smith's Dict. of Mythology, &c.

"Seneca, Opera, 1475, fol. The second part contains only his letters, and begins with the correspondence of St. Paul and Seneca."—Ebert's Bibl. Dict.

    B. H. C.

Hurrah (Vol. vi., p. 54.; Vol. vii., p. 595.).—Wace's Chronicle of the Norman Conquest, as it appears in Mr. Edgar Taylor's translation, pp. 21, 22, mentions the war-cries of the various knights at the battle of Val des Dunes. Duke William cries "Dex aie," and Raol Tesson "Tur aie;" on which there is a note that M. Pluquet reads "Thor aide," which he considers may have been derived from the ancient Northmen. Surely this is the origin of our modern hurrah; and if so, perhaps the earliest mention of our English war-cry.

    J. F. M.

Purlieu (Vol. vii., p. 477.).—The etymology of this word which Dr. Johnson adopted is that which many others have approved of. The only other derivation which appears to have been suggested is from perambulatio. Blount, Law Dict., s. voc., thus explains:

"Purlue or Purlieu (from the Fr. pur, i. e. purus, and lieu, locus) is all that ground near any forest, which being made forest by Henry II., Richard I., or King John, were, by perambulation, granted by Henry III., severed again from the same, and became purlue, i. e. pure and free from the laws and ordinances of the forest. Manwood, par. 2., For. Laws, cap. 20.; see the statute 33 Edw. I. stat. 5. And the perambulation, whereby the purlieu is deafforested, is called pourallee, i. e. perambulatio. 4 Inst. fol. 303."

(See also Lye, Cowel, Skinner, and especially Minshæus.)

    B. H. C.

Bell Inscriptions (Vol. vi., p. 554.).—In Weever's Ancient Funeral Monuments (London, 1631) are the following inscriptions:

"En ego campana nunquam denuncio vana;
Laudo Deum verum, plebem voco, congrego clerum.
Defunctos plango, vivos voco, fulmina frango.
Vox mea, vox vitæ, voco vos ad sacra, venite,
Sanctos collaudo, tonitrus fugo, funera claudo."
·       ·       ·       ·       ·       ·
"Funera plango, fulgura frango, Sabbatha pango,
Excito lentos, dissipo ventos, paco cruentos."

There is also an old inscription for a "holy water" vessel:

"Hujus aquæ tactus depellit Demonis actus.
Asperget vos Deus cum omnibus sanctis suis ad vitam æternam.
Sex operantur aqua benedicta.
Cor mundat, Accidiam fugat, venalia tollit,
Auget opem, removetque hostem, phantasmata pellit."

At page 848. there is a beautiful specimen of an old font in the church of East Winch, in the diocese of Norwich.

    Clericus (D).

Dublin.

Quotation from Juvenal (Vol. vii., pp. 166. 321.).—My copy of this poet being unfortunately without notes, I was not aware that there was authority for "abest" in this passage; but my argument still remains much the same, as regards quoters having retained for their own convenience a reading which most editors have rejected. I observe that Gifford, in his translation, takes habes as the basis of his version in both the passages mentioned.

May I ask if it is from misquotation, or variation in the copies, that an even more hackneyed quotation is never given as I find it printed, Sat. 2. v. 83.: "Nemo repente venit turpissimus?"

    J. S. Warden.

Lord Clarendon and the Tubwoman (Vol. vii., pp. 133. 211.).—Your correspondent L. has not proved this story to be fabulous: it has usually been told of the wife of Sir Thomas Aylesbury, great-grandmother of the two queens, and, for anything we know yet of her family, it may be quite true.

    J. S. Warden.

Rathe (Vol. vii., p. 512).—I can corroborate the assertion of Anon., that this word is still in use in Sussex, though by no means frequently. Not long since I heard an old woman say, "My gaeffer (meaning her husband) got up quite rathe this morning."

In the case of the early apple it is generally pronounced ratheripe.

See also Cooper's excellent Sussex Glossary, 2nd edit. 1853.

    M.

Old Booty's Case (Vol. iii., p. 40.).—The most authentic report of this case is, I think, in one of the London Gazettes for 1687 or 1688. I read the report in one of these at the British Museum several years ago. It purported to be given only a few days after the trial had taken place.

    H. T. Riley.

Miscellaneous

BOOKS AND ODD VOLUMES WANTED TO PURCHASE

Circle of the Seasons. 12mo. London, 1828. (Two Copies.)

Jones' Account of Aberystwith. Trevecka, 8vo. 1779.

M. C. H. Broemel's Fest-Tanzen der Ersten Christen. Jena, 1705.

Cooper's Account of Public Records. 8vo. 1832. Vol. I.

Passionael efte dat Levent der Heiligen. Basil, 1522.

King on Roman Coins.

Lord Lansdowne's Works. Vol. I. Tonson. 1736.

James Baker's Picturesque Guide to the Local Beauties of Wales. Vol. I. 4to. 1794.

Webster's Dictionary. Vol. II. 4to. 1832.