Master Ward did not like these men, and therefore I omit his rather uncharitable conclusion.

Is there any record left of the notable quarrel, which appears to have engaged the attention and pens of some of the learned men of the age? Perhaps some of your correspondents at Grantham could throw some light upon this question.

L. L. L.

Kirton-in-Lindsey.

[This celebrated altar controversy occurred during the reign of Charles I., and its origin will be found in Clarendon's History of the Rebellion. The Puritans contended that the proper place for the table, when the eucharist was administered, was in the body of the church before the chancel door, and to be placed tablewise, and not altarwise; that is, that one of the ends of the table was to be placed towards the east, so that one of the larger sides might be to the north, the priest being directed to stand at the north side, and not at the north end of the table. The Church party, on the contrary, contended that as the Injunctions ordered that the table should stand where the altar used to stand, it should consequently be placed as the altar was. This matter was the source of much violent contention, and tracts were published neither remarkable for courtesy of language nor for accurate statements of facts. It appears to have originated in a dispute between Mr. Titly, the Vicar of Grantham, and his parishioners, respecting the proper place for the table. The vicar insisted that it ought to stand at the upper end of the chancel, against the east wall. Some of the parishioners contended that it should stand in the body of the church. The vicar removed it from that situation, and placed it in the chancel. The alderman of the borough and others replaced it in its former situation, when a formal complaint was made to the bishop (Williams). In 1627 the bishop published his judgment on the question, in A Letter to the Vicar of Grantham. The visitation of 1634 tempted Peter Heylyn to republish this Letter, together with an answer under the title of A Coal from the Altar, &c. Williams replied in 1637 by a treatise entitled The Holy Table, Name and Thing, more anciently and literally used under the New Testament than that of Altar. Heylyn rejoined by his Antidotum Lincolniense; or an Answer to a Book entitled "The Holy Altar, Name and Thing," &c. The bishop was preparing for his further vindication, when he was prevented by his troubles in the Star Chamber, in consequence of which his library was seized. "And how," says Hacket, "could he fight without his arms? or, how could the bell ring when they had stolen away the clapper?" During the controversy Dr. Pocklington, Chaplain in Ordinary to the King, published his Altare Christianum; or, the Dead Vicar's Plea, wherein the Vicar of Grantham being dead yet speaketh, and pleadeth out of Antiquity against him that hath broken down his Altar, 4to. 1637. The best historical notice of this controversy is given in Hacket's Life of Archbishop Williams, pt. ii. pp. 99-109., and was particularly referred to by the counsel on the Cambridge stone altar case, 1844-1845, as well as by Sir Herbert Jenner Fust in his judgment on it.]

MEANING OF GROOM.

In investigating the descent of two Devonshire families, I save met with four instances of persons designating themselves as groom. They were certainly well connected, and in fortune apparently much above the class of people who accept the care of horses in this present day.

If they were grooms of horses, society was in a very different state from that in which it is at the present day; if they were not such grooms, what then were they? I believe they were unmarried persons. First, there is Samuel Weeks, of South Tawton, groom; will proved in the Archdeacon of Exeter's Court, 1639. His father was Richard Weeks, styled gentleman in the parish register; and Samuel Weeks signs his name in a peculiarly fine Italian hand, that I do not remember to have seen in any instance of that time except in that of a thorough gentleman.

Francis Kingwell, of Crediton, groom. His will was proved in the Bishop's Court in 1639; his sister married a Richard Hole, of South Tawton, yeoman of substance; her second husband was John Weeks, of South Tawton, gentleman, and his sons were gentlemen. These Weekses were, I doubt not, nearly related to the Wykes or Weeks, of North Wyke, in the same parish, a family of great antiquity.

Thirdly, here is John Hole, of South Tawton, groom, 1640. His inventory is 180l., of which 4l. was for his clothes, whereas a gentleman in one case in this neighbourhood has his clothes valued at ten shillings; Kingwell's inventory was the same.

Robert Hole, of Zeal Monachorum, groom, is the fourth instance. His will was proved at Westminster in 1654; he was the son of a wealthy yeoman, and his brother, Thomas Hole, was a gentleman.

I trouble you that I may learn, through your kindness, whether groom, in these instances, was used with the meaning which we attach to it; or at that time, or in the English language, or the vernacular tongue of central Devonshire, meant anything else.

Minor Queries.

Gregentius and the Jews in Arabia Felix.—

I had also had my place at that "We have a remarkable instance to this purpose in ecclesiastical history, which is attested by many and great authors. It seems, about 400 years after our Saviour's ascension, one Gregentius, a bishop, endeavoured the conversion of those Jews which lived in Arabia Felix. After a tedious disputation of three days' continuance some of the Jews desired the bishop to show them Jesus alive, and it would convince them. Immediately upon this the earth began to tremble, and the sky to shine and echo with lightnings and thunder. After these ceased, the gates of the celestial palace opened, and a bright serene cloud appeared, darting forth beams of an extraordinary lustre. At last our blessed Saviour showed himself walking on this bright cloud, and a voice was heard from this excellent glory saying, 'I am He who was crucified by your fathers.' This glorious appearance cast all the Jews prostrate on the ground, and, beating their breasts, they cried with a loud voice, 'Lord have mercy on us!' and afterwards were baptised into the faith of Christ."—Sermons by John March, B.D., late Vicar of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 2nd ed. 1699, p. 235.

Who are the "many and great authors" who have attested this extraordinary apparition?

E. H. A.

King Street Theatre.

—Among a large collection of medallic tickets of admission to theatres, I am unable to fix the precise attribution of the following:

Ob.: A group of dramatic emblems, mask, sword, mirror, scourge, and a legend:

Rev.:

"Admit Mr. Cooper, or bearer, to any part of the house before the curtain."

The ticket is of silver, and is evidently of the time of Garrick; it cannot therefore apply to the theatre in King Street, St. James's, which is of recent erection; nor am I aware of any other King Street in London which contained a theatre. Its situation will most probably be found in some provincial town.

If any of your obliging correspondents could furnish information as to its locality, they would confer a favour on the writer.

B. N.

Lesteras and Emencin.

—In an old MS. I meet with the following words:—

"One (a pillar) was made of Lefteras (I do not know whether the third letter is an s or an f in the original) which would not burn."

"After they came to the land of Emencin, which is the country of Jerusalem."

Can any of your readers give me any information as to either of the words Lesteras or Emencin?

O. OGLE.

Oxford.

Epigram on Franklin and Wedderburn.

—Will any of your correspondents acquaint me with the name of the author of the following lines, written shortly after Dr. Franklin's attendance at the Privy Council in January, 1774, in allusion to Wedderburn's severe remarks upon him?—

The lines were repeated to me by the late Francis Maseres, Esq., Cursitor Baron of the Court of Exchequer.

W. S.

Richmond, Surrey.

Plenius and his Lyrichord.

—May I hope to ascertain, through the medium of your journal, where to look for information on the subject of the "lyrichord of Plenius," referred to in Rees' Encyclopædia, art. "Basse Fondamentale," as having been "tuned by weights instead of tension?" The point left in doubt by this, is whether a single weight was substituted for tension, or whether the different notes in the musical scale were produced by altering the weight according to the rules for that purpose.

Was Plenius an ancient, a Middle-Age man, or was he Herr Plen, who latinized his name, as was the fashion a century or two ago?

T.

Epigram on Burnet.

—A friend of mine across the Atlantic wishes to ask, whether any one knows where the following epigram, which he remembers in MS. in an old folio copy of Burnet's History, comes from:—

C. B.

Dutch Chronicle of the World.

—Will any of your readers oblige me with information respecting a Dutch work, professing to be an historical chronicle of the world from the creation to the time in which it was printed, which was in the days of Merian, the celebrated engraver, father to the naturalist Madame Merian, who was also an artist of some repute. The work I allude to was illustrated by numerous spirited engravings (supposed to have been executed on pewter), and of which I possess several hundred, which had been cut out of the letter-press which surrounded the prints, and bought at a stall in London many years back. I question whether there is a copy of the work to be found in England, except it be in the British Museum.

JOHN FENTON.

"Arborei fœtus alibi, atque injussa virescunt Gramina" (Virgil G. I. 55.).

"'Arborei fœtus,' flourish unbidden in one situation, grass in another."

Or, more literally:

"'Arborei fœtus,' flourish unbidden in situations different from those in which grass (flourishes unbidden)."

I well remember too, that some of us, while we admired the ingenuity, ventured to doubt the correctness of the translation. Will some of your learned correspondents kindly favour me with their opinions?

W. S.

History of Brittany.

—I shall feel obliged to any one who can refer me to a good history or histories of Brittany; more especially to those which relate to the genealogies and heraldry of the Breton families, or which contain pedigrees.

T. H. KERSLEY, B.A.

Serjeants' Rings.

—T. P. would be obliged to any of your antiquarian readers who could inform him, through the medium of your paper, whether the custom of serjeants-at-law presenting rings with mottoes, on taking the coif, prevailed so long back as A.D. 1670-80, and, if so, whether there are any records, or other sources, from which he could ascertain the motto used by an individual who was admitted to that degree about that period?

The Duchess of Cleveland's Cow-pox.

—In Baron's Life of Jenner, Vol. i. p. 123., there occurs the following note, extracted from one of Dr. Jenner's note-books of 1799:

"I know of no direct allusion to the disease in any ancient author, yet the following seems not very distantly to bear upon it. When the Duchess of Cleveland was taunted by her companions, Moll Davis (Lady Mary Davis) and others, that she might soon have to deplore the loss of that beauty which was then her boast, the small-pox at that time raging in London, she made a reply to this effect,—that she had no fear about the matter, for she had had a disorder which would prevent her from ever catching the small-pox. This was lately communicated by a gentleman in this county, but unfortunately he could not recollect from what author he gained his intelligence."

Can any reader of "N. & Q." supply this missing authority for a fact which is very important in the history of medicine—if true?

ONETWOTHREE.

Arms of Manchester.

—What are the arms of Manchester? and are they of ancient usage? or only assigned to the town since its incorporation? and if the latter, whence did the bearings originate?

H. H. H. V.

Heraldical MSS. of Sir Henry St. George Garter.

—What has become of these valuable MSS.? and if the place of their deposit is known, can access be obtained to them for literary purposes? They were, as Noble relates, originally sold into the Egmont family, and descended to John James, the third Earl; but some time after his death, about the year 1831, all the personal property of the family was disposed of; the effects at Enmore Castle were sold by auction on the spot; and the writer of this well remembers seeing the old family pictures preparing for the same fate in a sales-room in Conduit Street, he thinks of Mr. Abbots. Mr. Braithwaite, of Great Russell Street, was the auctioneer employed at Enmore, and an inquiry was made of him at the time relative to these MSS., and the answer was, that they also were destined to the hammer. A catalogue also was promised whenever it should come out. The writer was subsequently informed that the MSS. were withdrawn, and he could never learn what became of them.

M——N.

Minor Queries Answered.

The Pelican, as a Symbol of the Saviour.

—Is the pelican now, or was it formerly considered as a symbol of Our Saviour? I have seen it used in the ancient decorations of churches, but never looked on it as such; nor can I remember ever having seen it mentioned as an emblem of the Saviour, with the exception of one passage in Dante's Vision (Canto xxv.) of Paradise.

ROBERT NELSON.

[In the Calendar of the Anglican Church Illustrated, p. 328., will be found an engraving of "a pelican feeding her young with blood from her own breast, signifying the Saviour giving Himself up for the redemption of mankind;" and in the foot-note references to Aringhi's Roma Subterranea, and other works, in which other representations of the same symbol are to be found. Our correspondent may also be referred to Alt's Heiligenbilder, s. 56.]

Bishop Coverdale's Bible.

—When did Bishop Coverdale commence his translation of the Bible? Where was the first edition printed? Is any copy in existence which possesses the original title-page, i.e. not the one added in England, stating that it is translated from the "Douche and Latyn?"

H. H. H. V.

[We have submitted H. H. H. V.'s Query to our obliging correspondent, GEORGE OFFOR, ESQ., whose library is particularly rich in early English versions of the Bible, and who has kindly favoured us with the following communication]:—

The introduction of the words "from the Douche (meaning Luther's German) and Latyn" has never been accounted for; they probably were inserted by the German printer to make the volume more popular, so as to interest reformers by the German of Luther, and Romanists by the Vulgate Latin. The translation is certainly from the Hebrew and Greek, compared with Luther's and the Vulgate.

GEORGE OFFOR.

Grove Street, Victoria Park.

Age of the Oak.

—The late Queries respecting the age of trees, remind me of some lines of which I have been long in search—

I think it probable that they are from a play of Dryden or Otway; but some of your readers may probably be able to answer this Query.

T. C.

Durham.

[In Richardson's Dictionary, as well as in the Encyclopædia Metropolitana, these lines are quoted under the word Patriarch, as from The Cock and the Fox, by Dryden; whereas Bysshe, in his Art of English Poetry, under the word Oak, refers us to Dryden's Ovid. In neither of these pieces do they occur; our correspondent, however, will find them in Dryden's Palamon and Arcite, or the Knight's Tale, line 2334.]

Olivarius.

—Can any of your readers inform me what is the title of a book written by Olivarius, a French astrologer, 1542, in which there is a prophecy relative to France, and somewhat similar to that of St. Cæsarius (p. 471.)? What was his christian name, and in what library is the work to be found?

CLERICUS D.

Dublin.

[Maittaire, in his Annales Typograph., tom. v. pt. ii. p. 102., notices the following work: "Olivarius (Petrus Joannes) Valentinus de Prophetiâ. Basileæ ex officinâ Joannis Oporini, 1543, mense Augusto." From the catalogues of the British Museum and the Bodleian, it does not appear to be in either of these libraries.]

Vincent Bourne's Epilogus in Eunuchum Terentii.

—Will any of your readers inform me whether an Epilogue to the Eunuch of Terence, written by V. Bourne, and spoken in 1746, has ever been printed in any, and what, edition of Bourne's Poems? Gnatho appears on the stage, dressed as a recruiting sergeant, with several recruits, and thus begins:

And the concluding lines are:

This epilogue is in my possession in MS., the handwriting of my father, who was, in 1746, a scholar of Westminster College. It should seem, from a letter written to the Gentleman's Magazine by the late Archdeacon Nares, in April, 1826, and reprinted in Nichols's Illustrations, vol. vii. p. 656., that he was in possession of a copy, as he there tenders it to the editor of the sixth edition of Bourne, which had then (1826) recently issued from the Oxford press.

W. S.

Richmond, Surrey.

[The Epilogue referred to will be found in the beautiful edition of Vinny Bourne's Poems, published by Pickering in 1840, and in the Gentleman's Magazine, May, 1826, p. 450, where, however, the first line reads—

Burton, Bp., Founder of Schools, &c., at Loughborough, co. Leicester.

—Can any of your genealogical readers give a clue to his family, and their armorial bearings?

J. K.

Hoo.

—What is the meaning of this word? In Bedfordshire there are two houses and estates called by this name, Luton Hoo and Pertenhall Hoo; and in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Kent are villages so called.

ARUN.

[Luton Hoo, in Bedfordshire, was the manor of the family of Hoo, or De Hoo, who are said by Sir Henry Chauncy to have been settled there before the Norman Conquest. Hasted, in his Kent, says, "Hoo comes from the Saxon hou, a hill." Ihre derives the word from hoeg, high. Spelman, vo. Hoga, observes that ho, how, signifies mons, collis. Jamieson says "How is certainly no other than Isl. haug, Suio-Gothic hoeg, the name given to sepulchral mounds." See also Lemon's English Etymology, s. v. Hough, how.]

Replies.

MODERN NAMES OF PLACES.
(Vol. iv., p. 470.)

Your correspondent L. H. J. T. has noticed the corruption of Greek topographical names, arising from the use of the definite article, which the ear of a traveller not skilled in the language supposes to be a part of the name, and so makes Statines or Satines from Athens, Stives from Thebes, &c.

It may be interesting to some readers of "NOTES AND QUERIES" to know that exactly the same thing has happened in Ireland, and that the recognised Anglicised forms of several proper names, now stereotyped, are a combination of the definite article an, of the Gaelic or Irish language, with the name of the place.

For instance, Nenagh in the co. Tipperary is properly Aonach [pron. eenagh], but generally spoken of by the people with the definite article an Aonach, the Aonach, i.e. fair, place of a fair or assembly; and hence by the English made Nenagh.

So also the river Ainge [pron. nearly as Anny] is usually called an Ainge, the Ainge; and therefore is now Nanny, the Nanny, or Nanny water, in the co. Meath.

In like manner, the island Aondruim in Loch Cuan, on which stood once a celebrated monastery, is in Irish always called an Aondruim, the Aondruim, and is now Nandrum or Nantrim Island.

The town of Newry is another instance. It has its name from an ancient yew tree [in Irish Iubhair, pron. nearly as the word your] which stood near it, and was said to have been planted by St. Patrick. Hence the town is always called an Iubhair, the yew tree; which, by incorporating the article, has been Anglicised Newry.

The river Nore in Ossory, is properly an Eoir, the Eoir [pron. Ore].

So also the Navan fort near Armagh, is an Eamhain, the Eamhain [pron. nearly as Avan].

I might fill a page with other instances, but I shall only mention another similar corruption in proper names, where after dropping the Mac the c is retained, in cases where the patronymic begins with a vowel. Thus the descendants of the Danish family of Ottar became Mac Ottar, and are now Cotter. So Mac Etigan became Gettigan; Mac Eeoghegan, Geoghegan; the c being further transmuted into g. And hundreds of similar instances could be given.

It may also be observed that the English very generally caught the genitive, or oblique case, of the Irish proper names, and from it formed the name which is now in use amongst the English speaking population. Thus they heard the Irish speak of the isles Araun, i.e. the isles of Ara, for Araun is the genitive; and hence they are now the Aran Isles. So also the ford Trim or Druim, in Irish Ath-Druim (the ford of the long low hill, vadum Dorsi), where Druim [pron. nearly Trim] is the genitive of Drom or Drum, a long low hill, a back.

The names given to Ireland by medieval writers, after the ancient name of Scotia had been transferred to Alban (which, by the way, is itself a genitive, from Alba), afford instances of the same thing.

One of the native names of Ireland is Eri, or Eire, genitive Erinn. From this the Greeks and Romans formed the name Ierne, from the old word I, an island—I-Erinn, the island of Eri. And so we now have also the genitive Erin, as a poetical name of the island. The Danes, however, retained the absolute form, and called it Eri-landt, Ireland.

So also from the old word Ibh, or Hibh, a tribe, or country, we have Hibh-Erinn, the tribe, or people of Eri, and hence evidently Hibernia and Ivernia.

T. D.

PROVERBIAL PHILOSOPHY.—PAROCHIAL LIBRARY AT MAIDSTONE.
(Vol. iv., p. 92.)

As some of your readers may be aware, there is an old and somewhat valuable library in the vestry of All Saints Church, Maidstone, which was partly purchased by the parishioners of the executors of Dr. Bray (who bequeathed his books to any parish which would advance fifty pounds as a consideration for the value of them), and was afterwards increased by the munificence of several benefactors.

The number of volumes missing and decayed amounted to about 100, whilst the number remaining in the library appears to have been 710, and their gross value about 165l.

Since 1810 far greater care seems to have been bestowed on them, for but few, very few, volumes mentioned in the catalogue then made are missing, and a daily fire during the winter months tends greatly to prevent their further injury by damp.

I will not, however, trouble you with any further remarks about the library itself, but proceed at once to the subject of my note, which is to offer for your acceptance three proverbs (which I have met with in reading one of the books) as an addition to the valuable collection lately sent by your correspondent COWGILL.

The book from which I have derived them is a small quarto, containing the following tracts or treatises; but whether any or all of them are now but rarely to be met with, I know not.

1st. "The Heresiography, or a description of the Hereticks and Sectaries of these latter times, by E. Pagitt. 5th edit. London, 1654."

2nd. "An apologie for our publick ministerie and infant baptism, by William Lyford, B.D. and Minister of the Gospel at Sherborn in Dorcetshire. London, 1653."

3rd. "The Font guarded with XX arguments, containing a compendium of that great controversie of Infant Baptism, proving the lawfulness thereof; as being grounded on the word of God, agreeable to the Practice of all Reformed churches: together with the concurrent consent of a whole jury of judicious and pious divines. With a word to one Collier and another to Mr. Tombs, in the end of the Book. Birmingham, 1651."

4th. "Vindiciæ, Pædo-Baptismi, or A Vindication of Infant Baptism in a Full Answer to Mr. Tombs his twelve arguments alleaged against it in his exercitation, and whatsoever is rational or material in his answer to Mr. Marshall's sermon. By John Geree, M.A. and Preacher of the Word sometime at Tewksbury, but now at St. Albanes. London, 1646."

5th. [Title-page wanting, but it appears to have been this:] "The Gangrene of Heresie, or A catalogue of many of the Errours, Blasphemies, and Practices of the Sectaries of the time, with some observations upon them. By Thomas Edwards, 1650."

6th. "The Patrimony of Christian Children, or A defence of Infants Baptisme prooved to be consonant to the Scriptures and will of God against the erroneous positions of the Anabaptists. By Robert Cleaver, with the joynt consent of Mr. John Dod. London, 1624."

These six treatises contain from 80 to 220 pages each, and in reading them I have noted the three following "sententious truths," which I hope may be thought worthy to be added to the much larger number contributed by COWGILL. The first is from the lines of Beriah Philophylax to his friend Mr. Thomas Hall, which is prefixed to his "Font Guarded;" and the other two from Edwards' "Gangrene of Heresie,"—

JOHN BRANFILL HARRISON.

Maidstone.

"A BREATH CAN MAKE THEM AS A BREATH HAS MADE."
(Vol. iv., p. 482.)

With reference to the observations of HENRY H. BREEN upon a well-known passage in Goldsmith's Deserted Village, a little consideration will convince him that the view taken by D'Israeli and himself is not only extremely superficial, but that the proposed emendation would entirely destroy the poet's meaning.

The antithesis is not between flourishing and fading, but between the difficult restoration of a bold peasantry and the easy reproduction of princes and lords.

The first branch of the antithesis is between wealth and men:

It then proceeds to set forth that it matters little whether nobles flourish or fade, because a breath can make them as easily as it has originally made them: but not so with a bold peasantry. When once they are destroyed, they can never be replaced.

In fact, so far from the sense requiring the alteration of "makes" into "unmakes," the substitution, if we would preserve the author's meaning, should be "remakes:"

I only put this in illustration: Heaven forbid I should recommend it as an improvement!

As for the cited "parallel passages," the best answer that can be given to them is, that they cease to be parallel passages!

I shall therefore take the liberty to repeat a sentence from MR. BREEN, with a slight alteration:

"That Goldsmith wrote the line in question with the word 'unmakes,' there seems (every) reason to doubt."

A. E. B.

Leeds.

[We have received many other excellent defences of the original reading of this passage in Goldsmith. We have selected the present as one of the shortest among those which first reached us. We will add to it a postscript from the communication of another correspondent, J. S. W., showing a curious typographical error which has crept into the recent editions of Goldsmith.]

Passage in the Traveller.—There is a line in the Traveller, I may observe, into which an error of the press, or of some unlucky critic, has intruded. Goldsmith, speaking of the Swiss, says that he