Notes and Queries, Number 53, November 2, 1850

Cheshire Cat.—Will some of your correspondents explain the origin of the phrase, "grinning like a Cheshire cat?" The ingenious theory of somebody, I forget who, that Cheshire is a county palatine, and that the cats, when they think of it, are so tickled that they can't help grinning, is not quite satisfactory to

    K.I.P.B.T.

Mrs. Partington.—Where may I find the original Mrs. Partington, whose maltreatment of the Queen's English maketh the newspapers so witty and merry in these dull days?

    IGNORANS.

Cognation of the Jews and Lacedemonians.—In the 12th chapter of the 1st Book of Maccabees the letter of Jonathan, the High Priest, to the Lacedemonians is given, in which he claims their amity. This is followed by a letter of Arcus, the Spartan king, in answer, and which contains this assertion:

"It is found in writing that the Lacedemonians and Jews are brethren, and that they are of the stock of Abraham."

Have critics or ethnographers commented on this passage, which, to say the least, is remarkable?

As I am quoting from the Apocrypha, I may point out the anomaly of these books being omitted in the great majority of our Bibles, whilst their instructive lessons are appointed to be read by the Church. Hundreds of persons who maintain the good custom of reading the proper lessons for the day, are by this omission deprived, during the present season, of two chapters out of the four appointed.

    MANLEIUS.

REPLIES

FAIRFAX'S TRANSLATION OF TASSO

On referring to my memoranda, I find that the copy of Fairfax's translation of the Gerusalemme Liberata of Tasso, containing the third variation of the first stanza, noticed in my last, has the two earliest pages reprinted, in order that the alteration might be more complete, and that the substitution, by pasting one stanza over another (as the book is usually met with) might not be detected. A copy with the reprinted leaf is, I apprehend, still in the library of the late William Wordsworth; and during the last twenty years I have never been able to procure, or even to see, another with the same peculiarity.

The course with the translator was, no doubt, this: he first printed his book as the stanza appears under the pasted slip; this version he saw reason to dislike, and then he had the slip printed with the variation, and pasted over some copies not yet issued. Again he was dissatisfied, and thinking he could improve, not only upon the first stanza, but upon "The Argument" by which it was preceded, he procured the two pages to be reprinted. It is, however, by no means clear to me that, after all, Fairfax liked his third experiment better than his two others: had he liked it better, we should, most probably, have found it in more copies than the single one I have pointed out.

As your readers and contributors may wish to see "The Argument" and first stanza as they are given in Mr. Wordsworth's exemplar, I transcribe them from my note-book, because, before I gave the book away, I took care to copy them exactly:—

THE ARGUMENT

"God sends his angell to Tortosa downe:
Godfrey to counsell cals the Christian Peeres,
Where all the Lords and Princes of renowne
Chuse him their general: he straight appeeres
Mustring his royall hoast, and in that stowne
Sends them to Sion, and their hearts upcheeres.
The aged tyrant, Judaies land that guides,
In feare and trouble to resist provides.

"I sing the sacred armies and the knight
That Christ's great tombe enfranchis'd and set free.
Much wrought he by his witte, much by his might,
Much in that glorious conquest suffred hee:
Hell hindered him in vaine: in vaine to fight
Asia's and Affrick's people armed bee;
Heav'n favour'd him: his lords and knights misgone
Under his ensigne he reduc'd in one."

I own that, to my ear and judgment, this is no improvement upon what we may consider the author's second attempt, although I think that the slip pasted over some (if not most) copies is better than the first experiment.

    THE HERMIT OF HOLYPORT.

SMALL WORDS

I stand convicted by the critical acumen of your correspondent [Greek: Ph]. of having misquoted the line from Pope which heads my "note" at p. 305. I entirely agree with [Greek: Ph]. that the utmost exactness is desirable in such matters; and as, under such circumstances, I fear I should be ready enough to accuse others of "just enough of learning to misquote," I have not a word to say in extenuation of my own carelessness.

But I entirely dispute [Greek: Ph].'s inference, and am unable to see that the difference detracts in any substantial degree from the applicability of my remarks, such as they were.

What does Pope's epithet "low" mean? Is it used for "vulgar" (as I presume [Greek: ph]. intends us to infer), or simply for "small, petty, of little size or value"?

To me it appears impossible to read the line without seeing that Pope had in his mind the latter idea, that of poor, little, shabby, statureless monosyllables, as opposed to big, bouncing, brave, sonorous polysyllables, such as Aristophanes called [Greek: hræmata hippokræmna]. After all, however, it would do me very little damage to concede that he intended the meaning which [Greek: ph]. appears to attribute to the epithet "low", for if he did mean "vulgar" words, it is evident that he considered vulgarity in such matters inseparable from littleness, as the "low" words must, if his line is not to lose its point altogether, have been ten in number, that is, every one a monosyllable, a "small" word.

Take it which way you will, the leading idea is that of "littleness;" moreover, there is no propriety in the word "creep" as applied to merely vulgar words, while words petty in size may, with great justice, be said to "creep" in a "petty pace," requiring no less than ten steps to walk the length of a line.

Pope was criticising compositions intended to pass as poetry of the best kind. Will [Greek: ph]. point out in any existing poem of such profession and character, a single heroic line, consisting of ten words, all which ten words shall be "low" in the sense of "vulgar"? Can even the Muses of burlesque and slang furnish such an instance?

Has not [Greek: ph]. suffered himself to be carried too far by his exultation in being "down" (the last-named Muse has kindly supplied me with the expression) upon a piece of verbal carelessness on the part of

    K.I.P.B.T.?

REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES

Concolinel (Vol. ii., pp. 217. 317.).—As Calen O Custore me, after sorely puzzling the critics, was at length discovered to be an Irish air, or the burthen of an Irish song, is it not possible that the equally outlandish-looking "Concolinel" may be only a corruption of "Coolin", that "far-famed melody," as Mr. Bunting terms it in his last collection of The Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin, 1840), where it may be found in a style "more Irish than that of the sets hitherto published?" And truly it is a "sweet air," well fitted to "make passionate the sense of hearing," and melt the soul of even Don Adriano de Armado. The transmogrification of "Coolin" into "Concolinel", is hardly more strange than that of "Cailin og astore mo" [chree] (=my dear young girl, my [heart's] darling) into Callino castore me.

    J.M.B.

DR. RIMBAULT'S communication is very interesting, but not quite satisfactory, not affording me any means of identifying the air. It would under most circumstances, have given me much pleasure to have lent DR. R. the MS., for I know no one so likely to make good use of it; but the fact is, that without pretending to compete with DR. RIMBAULT in the knowledge of old music, I have also meditated a similar work on the ballads and music of Shakspeare, and my chief source is the volume which is said to contain the air of Concolinel. It will be some time before I can execute the work alluded to, and I would prefer to see the Doctor's work published first. Whichever first appears will most likely anticipate much that is in the other, for, although Dr. R. says he has spent "many years" on the subject, the accidental possession of several MS. volumes has given me such singular advantages, I am unwilling to surrender my project. I have the music to nearly twenty jigs, and two have some of the words, which are curious.

    R.

Wife of the Poet Bilderdijk—Schweickhardt the Artist (Vol. ii., pp. 309. 349.).—JANUS DOUSA will find a very sufficient account of Southey's visit to the Dutch poet Bilderdijk, in vol. v. of the Life and Correspondence of Southey, now publishing by his son. To the special inquiry of JANUS DOUSA I can say nothing, but I would fain ask who was Katherine Wilhelmina Schweickhardt? I have in my possession a series of eight etchings of studies of cattle, by H.W. Schweickhardt, published in 1786, and dedicated to Benjamin West. My father was very intimate with Schweickhardt, and I think acted in some sort as his executor. I do not know when be died but it must be thirty years since I heard my father speak of his friend, who was then deceased, but whether recently or not I cannot say. I am rather disposed to think the event was comparatively a remote one: he left a widow. Was Mrs. Bilderdijk his daughter? The etchings are exceedingly clever and artistical; my copy has the artist's name in his own handwriting. If I am not mistaken, Schweickhardt lived, when my father knew him, at Lambeth, then a picturesque suburb very unlike the "base, common, and popular" region which it has since become. B.T. Pouncy, another clever artist of that day, and a friend of my father's, resided there also. Pouncy published some etchings which, although not professedly views of Lambeth, were in reality studies in that locality. When I was a boy I remember my father pointing out to me the Windmill, which was the subject of one of them.

The Mrs. Bilderdijk who translated Roderick, was, according to Southey, the second wife of her husband. How did JANUS DOUSA learn that her maiden name was Schweickhardt?

    G.J. DE WILDE.

Noli me tangere (Vol. ii., p. 153.).—In addition to the list of artists given by J.Z.P. (p. 253.), BR. will find that the subject has also been treated by—

Duccio, in the Duomo at Siena.

Taddeo Gaddi, Rinnucini Chapel.

Titian, Mr. Roger's Collection.

Rembrandt, Queen's Gallery.

Barroccio. An altar piece which came to England with the Duke of Lucca's paintings, but I cannot say where it is now; it is well known by the engraving from it of Raphael Morgen.

    B.N.C.