Notes and Queries, Number 17, February 23, 1850

Izaac Walton speaks of William Basse, "one that hath made the choice songs of the Hunter in His Career, and of Tom of Bedlam, and many others of note." The ballad mentioned by MR. COLLIER, "Maister Basse his Career, or the Hunting of the Hare," is undoubtably the one alluded to by Walton. I may add, that it is printed in Wit and Drollery, edit. 1682. p. 64.; and also in Old Ballads, 1725, vol. iii. p. 196. The tune is contained in the Shene MS., a curious collection of old tunes in the Advocate's Library, Edinburgh; and a ballad entitled Hubert's Ghost, to the tune of Basse's Carrier, is preserved among the Bagford Collection of Old Ballads in the British Museum. With regard to the second ballad mentioned by Walton, our knowledge is not so perfect. Sir John Hawkins in a note (Complete Angler, 5th edit. p. 73.) says:—

"This song, beginning—
'Forth from my dark and dismal cell,'

with the music to it, set by Hen. Lawes, is printed in a book, entitled Choice Ayres, Songs and Dialogues, to sing to the Theorbo Lute, and Bass Viol, folio. 1675, and in Playfield's Antidote against Melancholy, 8vo. 1669, and also in Dr. Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, vol. ii. p. 350; but in the latter with a mistake in the last line of the third stanza, of the word Pentarchy for Pentateuch."

A copy of the Choice Ayres, 1675, is now before me, but Henry Lawes's name does not appear to the song in question. Sir John has evidently made a mistake; the air of Mad Tom was composed by John Cooper, alias Giovanni Coperario, for one of the Masques perfomed by the Gentlemen of Gray's Inn. (See The English Dancing Master, 1651, in the British Museum, and Additional MS. 10,440, in the same repository.) With regard to the ballad itself, there is an early copy (of the latter part of the sixteenth century) preserved in the Harleian MSS., No. 7332, fol. 41. It purports to have been

"Written (i.e. transcribed) be Feargod Barebone, who being at many times idle and wanting employment, wrote out certain songs and epigrams, with the idea of mending his hand in writing."

There is another copy among Malone's MSS. in the Bodleian (No. 16. p. 55.), where it is entitled A new Tom of Bedlam. But I contend there is no evidence to show that this is the ballad alluded to by Walton; none of the copies having the name of the author. We have two other songs (probably more) bearing the same title of Tom of Bedlam; one beginning, "From the top of high Caucasus;" the other commencing, "From the hag and hungry goblin;" either of which are quite as likely to have been intended as that mentioned above.

It still remains a question, I think, which of the two Basses was the author of the ballads mentioned by Walton. But I have already trespassed so long upon your valuable space that I will leave the further consideration of the subject until a future period: in the meantime, perhaps some of your correspondents may be enabled to "illuminate our darkness" upon the various knotty points.

    EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.

BEAVER HATS—PISAN

Allow me to say a few words in reply to your correspondent "GASTROS." His quotation from Fairholt (Costume in England), who cites Stubbes's Anatomy of Abuses as the earliest authority for the use of beaver hats in England, is not a satisfactory reply to my query; inasmuch as I am aware that beaver hats were occasionally worn by great people in this country some centuries before Stubbes was born. For example, Henry III. possessed "unum capellum de Bevre cum apparatu auri et lapidibus preciosis;" as appears from the "Wardrobe Account," of the 55th year of his reign. I have, therefore, still to ask for the earliest instance of the use of hats or caps of this material in England; such hats, as well as gloves, are mentioned in several English inventories made between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. Is there any example earlier than the time of Henry III.?

"GASTROS" has also obligingly replied to my query as to "the meaning of the term Pisan, used in old records for some part of defensive armour," but he seems to have forgotten that I expressly stated that term had no relation to "the fabrics of Pisa;" at least such is my belief. With regard to the inventory of the arms and armour of Louis le Hutin, taken in 1316, printed in Meyrick's Ancient Armour, to which he kindly refers me, it may be observed that the said inventory is so perversely translated in the first edition of that work (just now I have no means of consulting the second), as to be all but useless; indeed it might be termed one of the most extraordinary literary performances of modern times, as the following instance may suffice to show. One of the items of the inventory is, "une cote gamboisée à arbroissiaus d'or broudées à chardonereus;" and it is thus rendered into English, "a gamboised coat with a rough surface (like a thicket;—note) of gold embroidered on the nap of the cloth!" The real signification is "a gamboised coat embroidered in gold, with little bushes (or trees), with gold-finches [on them]." But I am rather wandering from my point: I never could ascertain on what authority Sir Samuel Meyrick asserted that "jazeran armour," as he calls it, was formed of "overlapping plates." The French word jazeran was derived from the Italian ghiazarino, or ghiazzerino, which signified "a gorget of mail," or what some of our antiquaries have termed "a standard of mail;" in France this word always preserved its relation to mail, and in process of time came to be applied to so lowly an object as a flagon-chain: see Cotgrave's Fr. Dict. ed. 1673. Roquefort, indeed, says a "jaserans" was a cuirass, but to my apprehension the passage which he quotes from the Roman d'Alexandre—

"Es haubers, jazerans, et ès elmes gemez"—

seems to prove that, in that instance at least, a gorget is meant. At any rate, the translation of the passage in the inventory to which "GASTROS" refers should be, "three Pisan collerets of steel mail," not that given by Meyrick. Here we have clearly a fabric of Pisa: whereas the pisan, of which I desire to know the meaning, invariable occurs as an independent term, e.g. "item, unum pisanum," or "unum par pisanorum." Of course I have my own conjecture on the subject, but should be glad to hear other opinions; so I again put the question to your correspondents. In conclusion I would observe to "GASTROS" that they must be very late MSS. indeed in which such a contraction as pisan for partisan can be found. If you have room, and think it worth while, I will from time to time send you some corrections of the more flagrant errors of Meyrick.

    T. HUDSON TURNER.

REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES

Norman Pedigrees. In reference to your correspondent "B.'s" inquiries, he will find much information in the Publications de la Société des Antiquaires de Normandie. Under their auspices, M. Estancelin published in 1828 a full history of the Earls of Eu. I am not aware of any full collection of pedigrees of the companions of William the Conqueror: the names of several of the lands from which they took their designations yet remain.

    W. DURRANT COOPER.

Norman Pedigrees.—In answer to "B.'s" query (No. 14. p. 214.), an excellent Gazetteer was published in Paris, 1831, entitled Dictionnaire Complet Géographique, Statistique, et Commercial de la France et de ses Colonies; par M. Briand-de-Verzé, pp. 856. Many of the names of the Conqueror's Norman companions will be found in that work; as, for instance, Geoffrey de "Mandeville, village. Calvados arrondissement, 31½ O.N.O. de Bayeaux," &c.

Norman de Beauchamp: three Beauchamps are mentioned; that 51. from Avranches will be the one in question.

    C.I.R.

Oxford, Feb. 19. 1850.

Norman Pedigrees.—Your correspondent "B." (No. 14. p. 214.) would probably find part of the information he seeks in Domesday Book, seu Censualis Willelmi Primi Regis Angliæ. But query? Is "B." right in supposing the prefix "De" to be French? Does it not rather originate in the Latin?

"Domesday" is written in Latin throughout; and the "de," denoting the place, is there occasionally followed by what seems to be the Latin ablative case. I copy an example:—

"Canonici de Hansone ten. l. hida de Sansone," (i.e. loc. in co. Stafford.)

Then of the person it is said—

"Sanson ten. de rege, &c.... iii. hid. træ in Hargedone," &c.

    J.S.

Translation of Ælian.—In answer to the query of "G.M." in No. 15. p. 232., I beg to state that in Lowndes's Manual, vol. i. p. 13., is the following notice under the head of "Ælianus Claudius:"—

"Various Histories translated by T. Stanley, London, 1665, 8vo. 5s. This translation is by the son of the learned editor of Æschylus, and was reprinted 1670. 1677."

    C.I.R.

Ave Trici and Gheeze Ysenoudi.—I regret that I cannot give "H.L.B." any further information about these ladies than the colophon I transcribed affords. To me, however, it is quite clear that they were sisters of some convent in Flanders or Holland; the name of their spiritual father, Nicolas Wyt, and the names of the ladies, clearly indicate this.

    S.W.S.

Daysman (No. 12. p. 188.)– It seems to me that a preferable etymology may be found to that given by Nares and Jacob. The arbiter or judge might formerly have occupied a dais or lit de justice, or he might have been selected from those entitled to sit on the raised parts of the courts of law, i.e. jurisconsulti, or barristers as we call them. I have heard another etymology, which however I do not favour, that the arbiter, chosen from men of the same rank as the disputants, should be paid for loss of his day's work.

    GEORGE OLIVER.

Perhaps the following may be of some use in clearing up this point. In the Graphic Illustrator, a literary and antiquarian miscellany edited by E.W. Brayley, London, 1834, at p. 14, towards the end of an article on the Tudor Style of Architecture, signed T.M. is the following:—

"This room (talking of the great halls in old manor-houses) was in every manor-house a necessary appendage for holding 'the court,' the services belonging to which are equally denominated 'the homage,' with those of the king's palace. The dais, or raised part of the upper end of the hall, was so called, from the administration of justice. A dais-man is still a popular term for an arbitrator in the North, and Domesday-Book (with the name of which I suppose every one to be familiar) is known to be a list of manor-houses."

    C.D. LAMONT.

Greenock.

[Our correspondents will probably find some confirmation of their ingenious suggestion in the following passage from The Vision of Piers Ploughman:—

"And at the day of dome
At the heighe deys sitte."

    Ll. 4898-9. ed. Wright.]
Saveguard.—"BURIENSIS" (No. 13. p. 202.) is informed that a saveguard was an article of dress worn by women, some fifty or sixty years ago, over the skirts of their gowns when riding on horseback, chiefly when they sat on pillions, on a double horse, as it was called.

It was a sort of outside petticoat, usually made of serge, linsey-wolsey, or some other strong material: and its use was to guard the gown from injury by the dirt of the (then very dirty) roads. It was succeeded by the well-known riding-habit; though I have seen it used on a side-siddle by a rider who did not possess the more modern dress.

    P.H.F.

Amongst the bequests to the Clothworkers' Company of London is one by Barbara Burnell, by will dated 27th June, 1630, wherein she directs the company to bestow 4l. 6s. yearly in woollen cloth to make six waistcoats and six safeguards for six poor women.[17 - Reports from the Commissioners of Charities b. 235. 32nd part 4.—696.]

Also we find that John Skepworth, by will dated 17th Oct. 1678, gave two closes of land to the parish of Louth, to the intent that the churchwardens and overseers of the poor there should apply the rents and profits of the same in providing so much coarse woollen cloth as would make ten suits yearly to be given to ten poor people of Louth, the men to have coats and breeches, and the women to have waistcoats and safeguards.[18 - Ibid.]

If "BURIENSIS" has a friend belonging to the Clothworkers' Company, it is probable that he will acquire much information on this subject from their old records.

    H. EDWARDS.

Derivation of "Calamity" (No. 14. p. 215.)—"Calamity" is from the Latin calamitas, from calamus a straw or stalk of corn, signifying, 1st, the agricultural misfortune of the corn being beaten down or laid by a storm; and thence, any other trouble or disaster:—