Notes and Queries, Number 42, August 17, 1850

Of the post-mortem punishments described by Ducange, the former was the customary sepulture of the Trogloditæ; the latter corresponds with the rite of some of the Scythians recorded by Statius:

"At gente in Scythica suffixa cadavera truncis,
Lenta dies sepelit putri liquentia tabo."

I shall be obliged if you or a correspondent disposed "not only to teach but to communicate," will kindly throw light on a passage, relating to the Troloditæ, in Strabo, book xvi., where he relates, "Capræ cornu mortuis saxorum cumulo coopertis fuisse superimpositum."

    T.J.

Guy's Porridge-pot (Vol. ii., p. 55.).—Your correspondent is quite correct, when he says "neither the armour nor pot belonged to the noble Guy." He would have been a guy if he had worn the armour, seeing that it was made for a horse, and not for a man.

What the stout old lady who showed us the "relics of old Guy" in 1847 called "Guy's breastplate," and sometimes his helmet! is the "croupe" of a suit of horse armour, and "another breastplate" a "poitrel." His porridge-pot is a garrison crock of the sixteenth century, used to prepare "sunkits" for the retainers; and the fork a military fork temp. Hen. VIII.

The so called "Roman swords" are "anelaces," and a couteau de chasse of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The "British weapon" is a hammer at arms temp. Hen. VIII., and "the halbert" a black bill temp. Hen. VII. The only weapons correctly described are the Spanish rapiers.

The shield with the "sight" is very curious; it weighs thirty pounds, and is of the temp. of Henry VIII.

It is impossible to describe the horror of the old lady at our doubting her version; she seemed to wonder the earth did not open and swallow us for our heresy.

    NASO.

"Welcome the coming, speed the parting Guest"

    (Vol. ii., p. 134.).—
"Welcome the coming, speed the parting guest,"

is from Pope (Imitations of Horace, book ii. sat. ii.).

Pope's distich, whence the line is taken, runs,—

"For I, who hold sage Homer's rule the best,
Welcome the coming, speed the going guest."

Query. Where is "sage Homer's rule" to be found?

    RUSTICUS.

[The following additional reply furnishes a solution of the Query of RUSTICUS:—

"True friendship's laws are by this rule express'd,
Welcome the coming, speed the parting guest."

    These lines are from Pope's Homer, the Odyssey, Book xv., lines 83 and 84.
    E.H.]
"A Chrysostom to smoothe his Band in" (Vol. ii., p. 126.).—This Query by Rev. ALFRED GATTY is answered by referring him to the Happy Life of a Country Parson, by Swift, beginning with—

"Parson, these things in thy possessing,
Are worthy of a bishop's blessing."

And enumerating amongst them

"A large Concordance bound long since,
Sermons to Charles the First when prince,
A chronicle of ancient standing,
A chrysostom to smoothe thy band in;
The polyglott—three parts—my text,
Howbeit—likewise—to my next."

    T.H.Q.

[C.I.R. (to whom we are indebted for a similar reference) adds the concluding line—

"And shake his head at Doctor Swift."

which would show that the verses were written not earlier than 1701, as Swift, the author, took his D.D. degree in that year.]

William of Wykeham (Vol. ii., p. 89.).—

"Historica descriptio compleetens vitam ac res gestas beatissimi viri Guilmi Wicanii quondam Vintoniensis episcopi et Angliæ Cancellarii et fundatoris duorum collegiorum Oxoniæ et Vintoniæ."

is the title of a biography of William of Wykeham attributed to Thomas Martin, published in 4to. Oxford, 1597.

There is also a little work which may come under the head of biographies, viz.:

"Uvedale (Robert) Examination of Lowth's objections to the account given by Leland of the parentage of William of Wykeham," 8vo. 1801.

Vide Oettinger's Bibliographie Biographique.

    S.W.

Dutch Language (Vol. ii., p. 77.).—H.B.C. recommends, among other works, Hendrik Conscience's novels. These are in Flemish, not Dutch. The difference may not be great between the two; but one would hardly recommend to a learner of English, Burns's Poems as a reading-book. In 1829 Dr. Bowring wrote an article, being a sketch of Dutch literature, in the Foreign Quarterly Review; which article was reprinted in Amsterdam in the form of an 18mo. volume, and which I believe is still to be got, and is a very useful guide to Dutch literature.

    S.W.

"A frog he would" &c. (Vol. ii., p. 45. and elsewhere).—I remember, when a boy, to have heard an old aunt repeatedly sing this song; but the chorus was very strange.

"A frog he would a-wooing ride,
With a rigdum bullydimy kymy;
With sword and buckler by his side,
With a rigdum bullydimy kymy.
Kymyary kelta cary kymyary kymy,
Strimstram paradiddle larrabona ringting,
Rigdum bullydimy kymy."

    A.
City Sanitary Laws (Vol. ii., p. 99.).—The act of Parliament prohibiting the slaughter of cattle within the city, referred to in the passage from Arnold's Chronicle, extracted by your correspondent T.S.D. is the 4 Hen. VII. c. 3., which enacts that—

"No butcher shall kill any flesh within his scalding-house, or within the walls of London, in pain to forfeit for every ox so killed 12d. and for every other beast 8d., to be divided between the king and the prosecutor."—Bohun's Privilegia Londini 1723, p. 480.