Notes and Queries, Number 31, June 1, 1850

    CH.

Replies to Minor Queries

The Badger's Legs (Vol. i., p. 381.).—In answer to one of your correspondents, who inquires whether there is any allusion to the inequalities of the badger's legs previous to that made by Sir T. Browne:—

"And as that beast hath legs (which shepherds fear,
'Yclept a badger, which our lambs doth tear),
One long, the other short, that when he runs
Upon the plain, he halts, but when he runs
On craggy rocks, or steepy hills, we see
None runs more swift or easier than he."

Browne's Britannia's Pastorals, B.I.

Song 5. A.D. 1613.

    J.F. BOYES.

Twm Sion Catti (Vol. i., p. 456.).—Seleucus observes that Twm Catti flourished between the years 1590 and 1630.

I have seen the original pardon, under the great seal, countersigned Vaughan, and bearing date 15th Jan., 1st of Elizabeth (1559).

The pardon extends to—

"Thome Johns, alias Cattye, nuper de Tregaen in Com. Cardigan, Genº., alias dict. Thome Johns, alias Catty ae Tregaem, in Com. Cardigan, Generoso, alias dict. Thome Jones, alias Catty, Gent., sen quocunque alio nomine vel cognomine seu additione hominis cognitionis dignitatis, officii sen losi idem Thomas cognatur, vocetur seu nuncupetur," &c. &c.; and includes "omnia escapia et cautiones."

I have written the extract without all the contractions in the original.

    J.M.T.

May 21. 1850.

Christian Captives (Vol. i., p. 441.).—R.W.B. may probably obtain valuable information from the trustees of Lady Mico's Charity. See Attorney-General v. Gibson, 2 Beavan, 317. (n.)

A note on that case may not be uninteresting, as showing the vast increase of a fund originally small.

Lady Mico, in 1670, gave 1000l. to redeem poor slaves. In 1686 this fund was laid out in the purchase of land.

In 1827 an information was filed against Mr. Gibson and others and at that time the rental of the purchased land amounted to something like 3000l. a year, and the trustees had accumulated upwards of 115,000l. Consols.

Trustees were appointed in 1834, and their office is No. 20. Buckingham Street, Strand. The funds are applied towards the education of our emancipated slaves.

    Q.D.
    J.K.R.W.

Lee Trianons.—I have always understood that these gardens, &c., took their name from the village of Trianon, the site of which they occupy, and which village Louis XIV. purchased from the monks of St. Geneviève.

    AREDJID KOOEZ.

In an enumeration of "strange birds" to be found in Barbadoes, there is mention of "the Egge Bird, the Cahow, the Tropick Bird, the Pemlico which presageth storms." America painted to the life. (The True History of the Spaniards' Proceedings in America, by Ferdinando Gorges, Esq., Lond. 4to. 1659.)

    BR.

The Arms of Godin.—My attention has been drawn to a Query from Mr. KERSLEY, in page 439. of Vol. i., relative to the arms of Godin. I have seen these arms blazoned variously. Mr. Godin Shiffner bears them quarterly with his own coat of Shiffner, and blazons them thus:—Party per fess, azure and gules, a barr or; in chief, a dexter and sinister hand grasping a cup, all proper.

I am inclined to think this is an innovation upon the original arms, as I have them painted on an old piece of china azure, a cup or. They are here impaled with the arms of Du Fon, an ancient French family that intermarried with the Godins.

In the Théâtre de la Noblesse de Brabant, I find that "François Godin, Secrétaire ordinaire du Roy Philippe II., en grand conseil séant à Malines," was ennobled by letters patent, dated Madrid, 7th January, 1589, and "port les armoiries suivantes, qui sont, un escu de sinople à une coupe lasalade, ou couverture ouverte d'or; ledit escu sommé d'un heaume d'argent grillé et liséré d'or; aux bourlet et hachements d'or et de sinople: cimier une coupe de l'escu."

This blazoning is corrected in the index, where the arms are stated to be "un escu de sinople à la coupe couverte d'or."

In the Nobiliaire des Pays-Bas, I find that Daniel Godin, Seigneur de Beauvois, was enobled by Philip IV. in 1623, and "les armes sont, de sinople à une coupe couverte d'or."

In 1642, "Jean-François Godin, Seigneur de Baumez, Baillé et haut Justicier de Reumes" (son of François Godin, who was ennobled by Philip II.), obtained permission from Philip IV. to alter his paternal coat, and to carry "un écu de sinople à trois coupes couvertes d'or; cet écu timbré d'un casque d'argent, grillé, liséré, et couronné d'or, orné de ses lambrequins d'or et de sinople, et au-dessus en cimier, une tête et col de licorne au naturel."

His son, Jaques-François Godin, appears afterwards to have obtained the title of Baron.

The earliest mention I can find of the Godin arms is in 1588, when Christopher Godin carried "de sinople à une coupe couverte d'or." He was a son of Jacques Seigneur d'Aubrecicourt and of Françoise Lettin, and brother to the first-named François Godin. There appears to have been another brother, Jaques; and they were all three ennobled by Philip II., probably for their public services, as Christopher was Conseiller et Receveur-général des Domaines et Finances des Pays-Bas; Jacques, Conseiller et Maître de la Chambre des Comptes en Hollande; and François, Secrétaire du Grand Conseil à Malines.

I am not aware what connection existed between these Godins and the family of that name in Normandy (now extinct); but the cup in the arms, though borne differently, proves that they were of the same race.

    J.R.C.

May 23, 1850.

The Title of D.D.—The remarks of your correspondent "BROWN RAPPEE" (Vol. I. p. 438.) induced me to turn to the List of the Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries, and I find it in my power to exonerate the compiler of the list on one point from the carelessness he imputes. "BROWN RAPPEE" says, "We see one or two D.D.'s deprived of their titles of 'Rev.'" I find but one D.D. in that condition, and in that instance the list is correct, and the usual prefix would have been an error; the gentleman in question not being in orders, although his services in Biblical literature have been acknowledged with the degree of D.D. Your correspondent does not seem to be aware that this doctorate is, like all others, an academical, and not a clerical, distinction and that, although it is seldom dissociated from the clerical office in this country, any lay scholar of adequate attainments in theology is competent to receive this distinction, and any university to bestow it upon him.

    EYE-SNUFF.

Emancipation of the Jews (Vol. i. p. 479.).—The following extract from Tovey's Anglia Judaica, p. 259., may be acceptable in connection with this subject:—

"As soon as King Charles was murther'd, the Jews petitioned the Council of War to endeavour a repeal of that act of parliament which had been made against them; promising, in return, to make them a present of five hundred thousand pounds: Provided that they could likewise procure the cathedral of St. Paul to be procured them for a synagogue, and the Bodleian Library at Oxford to begin their traffic with, which piece of service it seems was undertaken by those honest men, at the solicitation of Hugh Peters and Henry Masters, whom the Jews employed as their brokers but without any success."

Afterwards, however, the Jews of Holland sent a deputation, consisting of the famous Rabbi Manasseh ben Israel, and several wealthy Jewish merchants. When Cromwell came into full power their hopes were raised, for he was known to be favourable to their re-admission; but after much discussion, the popular feeling, and the voices of many influential preachers, were found to be so much against the measure that nothing was eventually done; and Charles II. must be regarded as the restorer of the Jews to this country. Tovey says that the Rabbi Netto, "the governor of the synagogue" in his time, had searched the Jewish registers at his request, and had found that, so late as 1663, there were but twelve Jews in England. It seems that while these negotiations were in hand, all sorts of absurd and idle rumours were afloat. Among these I incline to reckon the alleged proposal to purchase St. Paul's for a synagogue. It seems to be sufficiently refuted by the intrinsic absurdity of the thing. But beyond this we have the express denial, made on the spot and at the time, by Rabbi Manasseh ben Israel himself. On turning to his Vindiciæ Judæorum, written in this country, I find that after recapitulating various calumnies on his people—such as their sacrificing Christian children, etc.—he thus goes on:—

"'Love and hatred,' says Plutarch, 'corrupt the truth of every thing;' as experience sufficiently declares it, when we see that which comes to pass, that one and the same thing, in one and the same city, at one and the same time, is related in different manners. I myself, in my own negociation here, have found it so. For it hath been rumoured abroad, that our nation had purchased St. Paul's church, for to make it their synagogue, notwithstanding it was a temple formerly consecrated to Diana. And many other things have been reported of us that never entered the thought of our nation."

    J.K.

Sneck-up or Snick-up.—Surely this means nothing more or less than what we should write Hiccup! or Hiccough! so, at least, I have always supposed; misled, perhaps, by Sir Toby's surname, and his parenthetical imprecation on "pickle herring". I do not pretend to be a critic of Shakspeare, and must confess that I do not possess a copy of the "Twelfth Night" but after seeing your correspondent R.R.'s letter (Vol. i., p. 467.), I resolved to write you a note. First, however, I called on a neighbour to get a look at the text, and he brought me down Theobald's edition of 1773, where it stands,—

"Sir To. We did keep time, Sir, in our catches.

Sneck up!" [Hiccoughs.

The effort necessary to pronounce the word "catches" might help to produce a catch of another sort in the stomach of a gentleman oppressed with drink and pickle herring; and it seems likely that some such idea was in the author's mind.

    DAVUS.