Notes and Queries, Number 30, May 25, 1850

Augeat immensus vos in utrisque Deus!"

A copy of this rare book was sold in the Rev. John Brand's collection. I have never seen it, and know it only from a MS. note in one of Brand's Common Place Books now in my possession.

    EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.

Vincent Gookin (No. 24. p. 385.).—Your querist "J." is referred to Berry's Kentish Pedigrees, where, at pp. 60. 195. 202. 207. and 113., he will find notices and a pedigree of the family Gookin; and therein it is shown that Vincent Gookin was the fourth son of John Gookin of Replecourt, co. Kent, by Katherine, dau. of William Dene of Kingston.

In the early part of the 7th century, Sir Vincent Gookin, Knt. (why was he knighted?) was living at Highfield House, in the parish of Bitton, Gloucestershire. It appears by the register, that in 1635, Mary Gookin, Gentleman, and Samuel, son of Sir Vincent Gookin, Knt., were buried at Bitton.

In 1637, John Gookin of Highfield, age 11 years, was buried in the Mayor's Chapel, Bristol.

1637, Frances, dau. of Sir Vincent Gookin, Knt., and the Lady Judith, was baptized at Bitton.

1637, Feb. 13. "Sir Vincent Gookin, Knt., was buryed" at Bitton.

1642, May 2. "Judith, the Lady Gookin, was buryed" at Bitton.

There are no monuments remaining.

Highfield, with the manor of Upton Cheyney, was a considerable estate in 1627, where it was passed by fine from John and Mary Barker to Vincent Gookin, Esq.

In 1646, Vincent Gookin, Esq. (no doubt the knight's son), and Mary his wife, and Robert Gookin their son, Gent., passed the same estates by fine to Dr. Samuel Bave, after which it is supposed the Gookins left the parish. In Sims' Index are references to pedigrees under Gokin, Kent. Any further notices of Sir Vincent or his son would be acceptable to

    H.T. ELLACOMBE.

Bitton, May 20, 1850.

Sneck up (No. 29, p. 467.)—All Shakspearean students will be deeply indebted to you for giving insertion to articles on obsolete words and phrases, so many of which are to found in the pages of the great poet. The article by R.R. is very interesting, but I apprehend that the passage from Taylor, first quoted by Weber, is sufficient to show that the phrase sneck up was equivalent to be hanged! See Halliwell, p. 766, on the phrase, that writer not connecting it with sneck, to latch. Compare, also, Wily Beguiled,—"An if mistress would be ruled by him, Sophos might go snick up." And the Two Angry Women of Abingdon, 1599,—"If they be not, let them go snick up," i.e. let them go and be hanged! These passages will not be consistently explained on R.R.'s principle.

    R.

Hanap (No. 29. p. 477.).—I have a few notes by me relative to the drinking vessel, which may, perchance, be acceptable to some of your readers. It was similar to the standing cup and grace cup, as these vessels were subsequently called, being raised from the table by a foot and stem, for the convenience of passing it round the table for the company to pledge each other out of; it was thus distinguished from the cup, which was smaller, and only used by one person. The hanap frequently occurs in wills and inventories of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries.

In the will of Lady Calre, 1355,—

"Je devise a ma joefne fille Isabel Bardolf en cide de lui marier un hanap plat door."

And in that of the Earl of March, 1389,—

"Item. nous devisons a notre treschier friere Mons'r. Henri, un hanaper de tortelez ove un ostelle en le founce."

A very elegant specimen is described in the will of the Duchess of Gloucester, 1390,—

"Un hanappe de Beril gravez de long taille, et assis en un peé d'or, ove un large bordur paramont, et un covercle tout d'or, ove un saphir sur le pomel du dit covercle."

In an inventory 19th Henry VI. we find—

"Une haute coupe d'argent enorrez appellez l'anap de les pinacles pois de troie vii lb pris la lb xl. Summa xiii li."

And temp. Edward II 1324,—

"Un hanap a pee de la veille fazon quillere et cymelle el founz du pois xxix, du pris xl."

In the same document several others are described having feet. I could give many other quotations, but will conclude with only one more, as in the last occurs the word kyrymyry, of which I should like to know the derivation, if any of your readers can assist me:—

"Item, un hanap d ore covere del ovrage d un kyrymyry et iij scochons des armes d Engleterre et de Franuce en le sumet."

I have met with notices of cups "covered of kerimery work," and "chacez et pounsonez en lez founcez faitz de kermery;" and the following, from the Vision of Piers Ploughman, would seem to indicate a sort of veil or net-work:—

"He was as pale as a pelet,
In the palsy he semed
And clothed in a kaurymaury,
I kouthe it nought diseryve."

    W.C.

Jun.

MISCELLANIES

Bishop Burnet as an Historian.—Dr. Joseph Warton told my father that "Old Lord Barthurst," Pope's friend, had cautioned him against relying implicitly on all Burnet's statements; observing that the good bishop was so given to gossiping and anecdote hunting, that the wags about court used often to tell him idle tales, for the mischievous pleasure of seeing him make note on them. Lord Bathurst did not, I believe, charge Burnet with deliberate misrepresentation, but considered some of his presumed facts questionable, for the reason stated.

    ELIJAH WARING.

Dance Thumbkin.—In the Book of Nursery Rhymes, published by the Percy Society, there is a small error of importance, involving no less that the learned would call "a non sequitur," and which, if my correct-and-almost-unequalled nurse, Betty Richins, was alive, she would have noticed much sooner that the nurseling who now addresses you. (She died about the year 1796.) In the valuable and still popular nursery classical song, "Dance Thumbkin, dance," it is not only an error to say "Thumbkin he can dance alone" (let any one reader of the "NOTES AND QUERIES," male or female, only try), but it is not the correct text. Betty Richins has "borne me on her knee a hundred times" and sung it thus:—

Thumbkin cannot dance alone.
So[1 - Or then, meaning "for that reason."] dance ye merry men, every one."

I scarcely need add, that if this be true of Thumbkin, it is truer of Foreman, Longman, Middleman, and Littleman.

    R.S.S.

King's Coffee-house, Covent Garden.—As an addition to "Mr. RIMBAULT's" Notes on Cunningham's Handbook, the following extract from Harwood's Alumni Etonenses, p. 293., in the recount of the boys elected for Eton to King's College may be interesting:—

"A.D. 1713, 12."

"Thomas King born at West Ashton in Wiltshire; went away scholar, in apprehension that his fellowship would be denied him, and afterwards kept that coffee-house in Covent Garden which was called by his own name."

    J.H.L.

Spur Money (No. 23. p. 374, and No 28. p. 462.).—In a curious tract, published in 1598, under the title of The Children of the Chapel stript and whipt, we have the following passage:—

"Wee think it very necessarye that every quorister sholde bringe with him to churche a Testament in Englishe, and turne to everie chapter as it is daily read, or som other good and godly prayer-booke, rather than spend their tyme in talk and hunting after spur-money, whereon they set their whole mindes, and do often abuse dyvers if they doe not bestowe somewhat on them."

In 1622, the dean of the Chapel Royal issued an order by which it was decreed—

"That if anie Knight, or other persone entituled to weare spurs, enter the chappell in that guise, he shall pay to y'e quiristers the accustomed fine; but if he command y'e youngest quirister to repeate his Gamut, and he faile in y'e so doing, the said Knight, or other, shall not pay y'e fine."