Notes and Queries, Number 208, October 22, 1853

    Anti-Barbarus.

Webb and Walker Families.—Perhaps you or some of your numerous readers could inform me if the Christian names of Daniel and Roger were used 160 or 180 years ago by any of the numerous families of Webb or Webbe, resident in Wilts or elsewhere; and if so, in what family of that name? And is there any pedigree of them extant? and where is it to be found?

Was the Rev. Geo. Walker, the defender of Derry, connected with the Webbs? and if so, how, and with what family?

Is there any Webb mentioned in history at the siege of Derry? and if so, to what family of that name did he belong?

    Gulielmus.

Cawdrey's "Treasure of Similes."—I stumbled lately at a book-stall on a very curious old book entitled A Treasurie or Store-house of Similes both pleasant, delightfull, and profitable. The title-page is gone; but in an old hand on the cover it is stated to have been written by a certain "Cawdrey," and to have been printed in 1609, where I cannot discover. Can any of your correspondents oblige me with some information concerning him? The book is marked "scarce."

    J. H. S.

Point of Etiquette.—Will some of your numerous correspondents kindly inform me as to the rule in such a case as the following: when an elder brother has lost both his daughters in his old age, does the eldest daughter of the younger brother take the style of Miss Smith, Jones, Brown, or Robinson, as the case may be?

    F. D., M.R.C.S.

Napoleon's Spelling.—Macaulay, in his History of England, chap. vii., quotes, in a foot-note, a passage from a letter of William III., written in French to his ambassador at Paris, and then makes this remark, "The spelling is bad, but not worse than Napoleon's."

Can you refer me to some authentic proof of the fact that Napoleon was unable to spell correctly? It is well known that he affected to put his thoughts upon paper with great rapidity; and the consequence of this practice was, that in almost every word some letters were dropped, or their places indicated by dashes. But this was only one of those numerous contrivances, to which he was in the habit of resorting, in order to impress those around him with an idea of his greatness.

    Henry H. Breen.

St. Lucia.

Trench on Proverbs.—Mr. Trench, in this excellent little work, states that the usual translation of Psalm cxxvii. 2. is incorrect:

"Let me remind you of such [proverbs] also as the following, often quoted or alluded to by Greek and Latin authors: The net of the sleeping (fisherman) takes[3 - "Εὕδοντι κύρτος αἱρεῖ. Dormienti rete trahit."]; a proverb the more interesting, that we have in the words of the Psalmist (Ps. cxxvii. 2.), were they accurately translated, a beautiful and perfect parallel; 'He giveth his beloved' (not 'sleep,' but) 'in their sleep;' his gifts gliding into their bosoms, they knowing not how, and as little expecting as leaving laboured for them."

The Hebrew is יִתֵּן לִידִידוֹ שֵׁנָא, the literal translation of which, "He giveth (or, He will give) to his beloved sleep," seems to me to be correct.

As Mr. Trench is a reader of "N. & Q.," perhaps he would have the kindness to mention in its pages the ground he has for his proposed translation.

    E. M. B.

Rings formerly worn by Ecclesiastics.—In describing the finger-ring found in the grave of the Venerable Bede, the writer of A brief Account of Durham Cathedral adds,—

"No priest, during the reign of Catholicity, was buried or enshrined without his ring."—P. 81.

I have seen a similar statement elsewhere, and wish to ask, 1st, Were priests formerly buried with the ring? 2ndly, If so, was it a mere custom, or was it ordered or authorised by any rubric or canon of our old English Church?

I am very strongly of opinion that such never was the custom, and that the statement above quoted has its origin in the confounding priests with bishops. Martene says, when speaking of the manner of burying bishops,—

"Episcopus debet habere annulum, quia sponsus est. Cæteri sacerdotes non, quia sponsi non sunt, sed amici sponsi vel vicarii."—De Antiquis Ecclesiæ Ritibus, lib. III. cap. xii. n. 11.

    Ceyrep.

Butler's "Lives of the Saints."—Can any of your correspondents supply a correct list of the various editions of this popular work? The notices in Watt and Lowndes are very unsatisfactory.

    J. Yeowell.

Marriage of Cousins.—It was asserted to me the other day that marriage with a second cousin is, by the laws of England, illegal, and that succession to property has been lately barred to the issue of such marriage, though the union of first cousins entails no such consequences. Is there any foundation for this statement?

    J. P.

Castle Thorpe[4 - Pronounced Thrup.], Bucks.—A traditional rhyme is current at this place which says that—

"If it hadn't been for Cobb-bush Hill,
Thorpe Castle would have stood there still."

or the last line, according to another version,—

"There would have been a castle at Thorpe still."

Now it appears from Lipscomb's History of the county, that the castle was demolished by Fulke de Brent about 1215; how then can this tradition be explained?

Cobb-bush Hill, I am told, is more than half a mile from the village.

    H. Thos. Wake.

Where was Edward II. killed?—Hume and Lingard state that this monarch was murdered at Berkeley Castle. Echard and Rapin are silent, both as to the event and as to the locality. But an earlier authority, viz. Martyn, in his Historie and Lives of Twentie Kings, 1615, says:

"He was committed to the Castle of Killingworth, and Prince Edward was crowned king. And not long after, the king being removed to the Castle of Corff, was wickedly assayled by his keepers, who, through a horne which they put in his," &c.

What authority had Martyn for these statements?

    C. Mansfield Ingleby.

Birmingham.

Encore.—Perhaps some correspondent of "N. & Q." can assign a reason why we use this French word in our theatres and concert rooms, to express our desire for the repetition of favourite songs, &c. I should also like to know at what period it was introduced.

    A. A.

Amcotts' Pedigree.—Can any of your correspondents supply me with a full pedigree of Amcotts of Astrop, co. Lincolnshire? I do not refer to the Visitations, but to the later descents of the family. The last heir male was, I believe, Vincent Amcotts, Esq., great-grandfather to the present Sir William Amcotts Ingilby, Bart. Elizabeth Amcotts, who married, 19th July, 1684, John Toller, Esq., of Billingborough Hall in Lincolnshire, was one of this family, and I suppose aunt to Vincent Amcotts. I may mention, the calendars of the Will Office at Lincoln have no entries of the name of Amcotts between 1670 and 1753.

    Tewars.

Blue Bell—Blue Anchor.—A bell painted blue is a common tavern sign in this country (United States); and the blue anchor is also to be met with in many places. As these signs evidently had their origin in England, and one of them is alluded to in the old Scotch ballad "The Blue Bell of Scotland," it seems to me that the best method to apply for information upon the subject is to ask "N. & Q." Are these signs of inns heraldic survivors of old time; are they corruptions of some other emblem, such as that which in London transformed La Belle Sauvage into the Bell Savage, pictorialised by an Indian ringing a hand-bell; or is the choice of such improper colour as blue for a bell and an anchor a species of symbolism the meaning of which is not generally known?

    

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Philadelphia.

"We've parted for the longest time."—Would you insert these lines in your paper, the author of which I seek to know, as well as the remaining verses?

"We've parted for the longest time, we ever yet did part,