Notes and Queries, Number 06, December 8, 1849

JOSEPH BURTT.

ADVERSARIA

Printers' Couplets

It may not perhaps be generally known that the early printers were accustomed to place devices or verses along with their names at the end of the books which they gave to the public. Vigneul-Marville, in his Mélanges d'Histoire et de Littérature, relates that he found the two following lines at the end of the "Decrees of Basle and Bourges," published under the title of "Pragmatic Sanction," with a Commentary by Côme Guymier,—Andre Brocard's Paris edition, 1507:—

"Stet liber hic, donec fluctus formica marinosEbibat et totum testudo perambulet orbem."

The printers, it would appear, not only introduced their own names into these verses, but also the names of the correctors of the press, as may be seen in the work entitled, Commentariis Andreæ de Ysernia super constitutionibus Siciliæ, printed by Sixtus Riffingerus at Naples in 1472:—

"Sixtus hoc impressit: sed bis tamen ante revisitEgregius doctor Petrus Oliverius.At tu quisque emis, lector studiose, libellumLætus emas; mendis nam caret istud opus."G.J.K.Charles Martel

Mr. Editor,—Perhaps the subjoined note, extracted from M. Collin de Plancy's Bibliothèque des Légendes, may not be without its value, as tending to correct an error into which, according to his account, modern historians have fallen respecting the origin of the surname "Martel," borne by the celebrated Charles Martel, son of Peppin of Herstal, Duke of Austrasia, by his Duchess Alphéide2:—

"It is surprising," he says, "that almost all our modern historians, whose profound researches have been so highly vaunted, have repeated the little tale of the Chronicle of St. Denis, which affirms that the surname of Martel was conferred on Charles for having hammered (martelé) the Saracens. Certain writers of the present day style him, in this sense, Karle-le-Marteau. The word martel, in the ancient Frank language, never bore such a signification, but was, on the contrary, merely an abbreviation of Martellus, Martin."3

From a legend on this subject given by M. de Plancy, it would appear that Charles received the second name, Martel, in honour of his patron saint St. Martin.

Not having at present an opportunity of consulting the works of our own modern writers on early French history, I am ignorant if they also have adopted the version given in the Chronicle of St. Denis. Mr. Ince, in his little work, Outlines of French History, states, that "he received the surname of Martel, or the Hammerer, from the force with which he hammered down the Saracens—martel being the name of a weapon which the ancient Franks used, much resembling a hammer,—and from his strokes falling numberless and effectual on the heads of his enemies." Query.—Which of the two is the more probable version? Perhaps some one of your numerous correspondents may be enabled to throw addition light on this disputed point.

G.J.K.

BODENHAM AND LING

Referring to BOOKWORM's note at p. 29, I beg to observe that the dedication negativing Bodenham's authorship of Politeuphuia is not peculiar to the edition of 1597. I have the edition of 1650, "printed by Ja. Flesher, and are to be sold by Richard Royston, at the Angell in Ivye Lane," in which the dedication is addressed as follows:—"To his very good friend Mr. Bodenham, N.L. wisheth increase of happinesse." The first sentence of this dedication seems to admit that Bodenham was something more than patron of the work:—"What you seriously begun long since, and have always been very careful for the full perfection of, at length thus finished, although perhaps not so well to your expectation, I present you with; as one before all most worthy of the same: bothe in respect of your earnest travaile therein, and the great desire you have continually had for the generall profit."

In Brydges' Censura Literaria, Bodenham is spoken of as the compiler of The Garden of the Muses, and editor of the Wit's Commonwealth, the Wit's Theatre of the Little World, and England's Helicon. He seems to have less claim to be considered the author of the Wit's Theatre than of the Wit's Commonwealth, for in the original edition of the former, "printed by J.R. for N.L., and are to be sold at the West doore of Paules, 1599," the dedication is likewise addressed, "To my most esteemed and approved loving friend, Maister J.B. I wish all happines." After acknowledging his obligations to his patron, the author proceeds: "Besides this History or Theatre of the Little World, suo jure, first challengeth your friendly patronage, by whose motion I undertooke it, and for whose love I am willing to undergoe the heavy burden of censure. I must confesse that it might have been written with more maturitie, and deliberation, but in respect of my promise, I have made this hast, how happy I know not, yet good enough I hope, if you vouchsafe your kind approbation: which with your judgement I hold ominous, and as under which Politeuphuia was so gracious."

I.F.M.

TRAVELLING IN ENGLAND

Sir,—I beg to acknowledge the notice which two of your correspondents have taken of my query on this subject. At the same time I must say that the explanations which they offer appear to me to be quite unsatisfactory. I shall be happy to give my reasons for this, if you think it worth while; but, perhaps, if we wait a little, some other solution may be suggested.

For the sake of the inhabitants, I hope that your work is read at Colchester. Is there nobody there who could inform us at what time the London coach started a century ago? It seems clear that it arrived in the afternoon—but I will not at present trespass further on your columns. I am, &c.,

G.G.

MINOR NOTES

Ancient Inscribed Alms Dish

L.S.B. informs us that in the church of St. Paul, Norwich, is a brass dish, which has been gilt, and has this legend round it four times over:—"HER: I: LIFRID: GRECHº: WART.4"

This seems to be another example of the inscription which was satisfactorily explained in No. 5. p. 73.

Blomefeld's Norfolk. Folio. 1739. Vol. ii. p. 803.

The Bishop that burneth

I do not think Major Moor is correct in his application of Tusser's words, "the bishop that burneth," to the lady-bird. Whether lady-birds are unwelcome guests in a dairy I know not, but certainly I never heard of their being accustomed to haunt such places. The true interpretation of Tusser's words must, I think, be obtained by comparison with the following lines from his Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, quoted in Ellis's Brand, iii. 207.:—

"Blesse Cisley (good mistress) that bishop doth banFor burning the milk of her cheese to the pan."

The reference here, as well as in the words quoted by Major Moor, is evidently to the proverb relating to burnt milk, broth, &c.—"the bishop has put his foot in it;" which is considered by Ellis to have had its origin in those times when bishops were much in the habit of burning heretics. He confirms this interpretation by the following curious passage from Tyndale's Obedyence of a Crysten Man:—

"If the podech be burned to, or the meate ouer rosted, we saye the Byshope hath put his fote in the potte, or the Byshope hath playd the coke, because the Bishopes burn who they lust, and whosoeuer displeaseth them."

I fear the origin of the appellation "Bishop Barnaby," applied to the lady-bird in Suffolk, has yet to be sought.

D.S.Iron Manufactures of Sussex

Sir,—I have made two extracts from a once popular, but now forgotten work, illustrative of the iron manufacture which, within the last hundred years, had its main seat in this county, which I think may be interesting to many of your readers who may have seen the review of Mr. Lower's Essay on the Ironworks of Sussex in the recent numbers of the Athenæum and Gentleman's Magazine. The anecdote at the close is curious, as confirming the statements of Macaulay; the roads in Sussex in the 18th century being much in the condition of the roads in England generally in the 17th. "Sowsexe," according to the old proverb, has always been "full of dirt and mier."

"From hence (Eastbourne) it was that, turning north, and traversing the deep, dirty, but rich part of these two counties (Kent and Sussex), I had the curiosity to see the great foundries, or ironworks, which are in this county (Sussex), and where they are carried on at such a prodigious expense of wood, that even in a county almost all overrun with timber, they begin to complain of their consuming it for those furnaces and leaving the next age to want timber for building their navies. I must own, however, that I found that complaint perfectly groundless, the three counties of Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire (all which lye contiguous to one another), being one inexhaustible storehouse of timber, never to be destroyed, but by a general conflagration, and able, at this time, to supply timber to rebuild all the royal navies in Europe, if they were all to be destroyed, and set about the building them together.

"I left Tunbridge … and came to Lewes, through the deepest, dirtiest, but many ways the richest and most profitable country in all that part of England.

"The timber I saw here was prodigious, as well in quantity as in bigness, and seem'd in some places to be suffered to grow only because it was so far off of any navigation, that it was not worth cutting down and carrying away; in dry summers, indeed a great deal is carried away to Maidstone and other parts on the Medway; and sometimes I have seen one tree on a carriage, which they call here a tug, drawn by two-and-twenty oxen, and even then this carried so little a way, and then thrown down and left for other tugs to take up and carry on, that sometimes it is two or three years before it gets to Chatham; for if once the rains come in it stirs no more that year, and sometimes a whole summer is not dry enough to make the roads passable. Here I had a sight which, indeed, I never saw in any other part of England, namely, that going to church at a country village, not far from Lewes, I saw an ancient lady, and a lady of very good quality, I assure you, drawn to church in her coach with six oxen; nor was it done in frolic or humour, but mere necessity, the way being so stiff and deep that no horses could go in it."—A Tour through Great Britain by a Gentleman. London, 1724. Vol. i. p. 54. Letter II.

Factotum

"He was so farre the dominus fac totum in this juncto that his words were laws, all things being acted according to his desire."—p. 76. of Foulis' Hist. of Plots of our Pretended Saints, 2nd edit. 1674

F.M.Birthplace of Andrew Borde

Hearne says, in Wood's Athenæ, "that the Doctor was not born at Pevensey or Pensey, but at Boonds-hill in Holmsdayle, in Sussex."

Should we not read "Borde-hill?" That place belonged to the family of Borde for many generations. It is in Cuckfield parish. The house may be seen from the Ouse-Valley Viaduct.

J.F.M.Order of Minerva

"We are informed that his Majesty is about to institute a new order of knighthood, called The Order of Minerva, for the encouragement of literature, the fine arts, and learned professions. The new order is to consist of twenty-four knights and the Sovereign; and is to be next in dignity to the military Order of the Bath. The knights are to wear a silver star with nine points, and a straw-coloured riband from the right shoulder to the left. A figure of Minerva is to be embroidered in the centre of the star, with this motto, 'Omnia posthabita Scientiæ.' Many men eminent in literature, in the fine arts, and in physic, and law, are already thought of to fill the Order, which, it is said, will be instituted before the meeting of parliament."—Perth Magazine, July, 1772.

SCOTUS.Flaws of Wind

The parish church of Dun-Nechtan, now Dunnichen, was dedicated to St. Causlan, whose festival was held in March. Snow showers in March are locally called "St. Causlan's flaws."

SCOTUS.

QUERIES ANSWERED

DORNE THE BOOKSELLER AND HENNO RUSTICUS

Sir,—Circumstances imperatively oblige me to do that from which I should willingly be excused—reply to the observations of J.I., inserted in page 75. of the last Saturday's Number of the "NOTES AND QUERIES."

The subject of these are three questions proposed by me in your first number to the following effect:—1. Whether any thing was known, especially from the writings of Erasmus, of a bookseller and publisher of the Low Countries named Dorne, who lived at the beginning of the sixteenth century? Or, 2ndly, of a little work of early date callled Henno Rusticus? Or, 3dly, of another, called Of the Sige (Signe) of the End?

To these no answer has yet been given, although the promised researches of a gentleman of this University, to whom literary inquirers in Oxford have ever reason to be grateful, would seem to promise one soon, if it can be made. But, in the mean time, the knot is cut in a simpler way: neither Dorne, nor Henno Rusticus, his book, it is said, ever existed. Permit me one word of expostulation upon this.

It is perfectly true that the writing of the MS. which has given rise to these queries and remarks is small, full of contradictions, and sometimes difficult to be read; but the contractions are tolerably uniform and consistent, which, to those who have to do with such matters, is proved to be no inconsiderable encouragement and assistance. A more serious difficulty arises from the circumstance, that the bookselller used more than one language, and none always correctly. Still it may be presumed he was not so ignorant as to make a blunder in spelling his own name. And the first words of the manuscript are these: "+In nomine domini amen ego Johannes dorne, &c. &c." (In noie domi ame ego Johanes dorne, &c.) From the inspection of a close copy now lying before me, in which all the abbreviations are retained, and from my own clear recollection, I am enabled to state that, to my full belief, the name of "dorne" is written by the man himself in letters at length, without any contraction whatever; and that the altered form of it, "Domr," as applied to that particular person, exists nowhere whatever, except in page 75. of No. 5 of the "NOTES AND QUERIES."

The words "henno rusticus" (heno rusticus) are found twice, and are tolerably clearly written in both cases. Of the "rusticus" nothing need be said; but the first n in "henno" is expressed by a contraction, which in the MS. very commonly denotes that letter, and sometimes the final m. How frequently it represents n may be judged from the fact that in the few words already quoted, the final n in "amen," and the first in "Johannes," are supplied by it. So that we have to choose between "henno" and "hemno" rusticus (rather a clown than a gentleman, whatever was his name; and perhaps the treatise, if ever found, will prove to treat merely on rural affairs). And although it may turn out to be perfectly true that "homo rusticus" was the thing meant, as your correspondent suggests, still that is not the question at issue; but rather, amidst the confusion of tongues and ideas which seems to have possessed poor Dorne's brain, what he actually wrote, rather than what he should have written.

Admitting, however, for supposition's sake, that your correspondent is right, that the man was named Dormer, and the book Homo rusticus—is there any one who will obligingly favour me with information respecting these, or either of them?

One word more, and I have done; though perhaps you will think that too much has been said already upon a subject not of general interest; and indeed I cannot but feel this, as well as how painful it is to differ, even in opinion, with one towards whom nothing can be due from me but respect and affection. But the direct inference from your correspondent's remarks (although it is fully my persuasion he neither designed nor observed it) is, that my difficulties are no difficulties at all, but mistakes. To these we are all liable, and none more so than the individual who is now addressing you, though, it is to be hoped, not quite in the awful proportion which has been imputed to him. And let it stand as my apology for what has been said, that I owe it no less to my own credit, than perhaps to that of others, my kind encouragers and abettors in these inquiries, to vindicate myself from the charge of one general and overwhelming error, that of having any thing to do with the editing of a MS. of which my actual knowledge should be so small, that out of three difficulties propounded from it contents, two should be capable of being shown to have arisen from nothing else but my inability to read it. I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,

W.

Trin. Coll. Oxon. Dec. 5, 1849.

[We have inserted the foregoing letter in compliance with the writer's wishes, but under a protest; because no one can entertain a doubt as to his ability to edit in a most satisfactory manner the work he has undertaken; and because also we can bear testimony to the labour and conscientious painstaking which he is employing to clear up the various obscure points in that very curious document. The following communication from a valued correspondent, in answering W.'s Query as to Henno Rusticus, confirms the accuracy of his reading.]

HENNO RUSTICUS

The query of your correspondent W. at p. 12, No. 1. regards, I presume, Henno Comediola Rustico Ludicra, nunc iterum publicata; Magdeburg, 1614, 8vo.? If so, he will find it to be identical with the Scænica Progymnasmata h. e. Ludicra Præexercitamenta of Reuchlin, first printed at Strasburg in 1497, and frequently reprinted during the first part of the sixteenth century, often with a commentary by Jacob Spiegel.

A copy, which was successively the property of Mr. Bindley and Mr. Heber, is now before me. It was printed at Tubingen by Thomas Anselm in 1511. I have another copy by the same printer, in 1519; both in small 4to.

Reuchlin, while at Heidelberg, had amused himself by writing a satirical drama, entitled Sergius seu Capitis Caput, in ridicule of his absurd and ignorant monkish opponent. This he purposed to have had represented by some students, for the amusement of his friends; but Dalberg, for prudent reasons, dissuaded its performance. It being known, however, that a dramatic exhibition was intended, not to disappoint those who were anxiously expecting it, Reuchlin hastily availed himself of the very amusing old farce of Maistre Pierre Patelin, and produced his Scænica Progymnasmata, in which the Rustic Henno is the principal character. It varies much, however, from its prototype, is very laughable, and severely satirical upon the defects of the law and the dishonesty of advocates.

Its popularity is evinced by the numerous editions; and, as the commentary was intended for the instruction of youth in the niceties of the Latin language, it was used as a school-book; the copies shared the fate of such books, and hence its rarity. It is perhaps the earliest comic drama of the German stage, having been performed before Dalberg, Bishop of Worms (at Heidelberg in 1497), to whom it is also inscribed by Reuchlin. It seems to have given the good bishop great pleasure, and he requited each of the performers with a gold ring and some gold coin. Their names are recorded at the end of the drama.

Melchior Adam gives the following account:—

"Ibi Comoediam scripsit, Capitis Caput plenam nigri salis & acerbitatis adversus Monachum, qui ejus vitæ insidiatus erat. Ibi & alteram Comoediam edidit fabulam Gallicam, plenam candidi salis; in qua forensia sophismata præcipue taxat. Hanc narrabat hac occasione scriptam & actam esse. Cum alteram de Monacho scipsisset, fama sparsa est de agenda Comoedia, quod illo tempore inusitatum erat. Dalburgius lecta, illius Monachi insectatione, dissuasit editionem & actionem, quod eodem tempore & apud Philipum Palatinum Franciscanus erat Capellus, propter potentiam & malas artes invisus nobilibus & sapientibus viris in aula. Intellexit periculum Capnio & hanc Comoediam occultavit. Interea tamen, quia flagitabatur actio, alteram dulcem fabellam edit, & repræsentari ab ingeniosis adolescentibus, quorum ibi extant nomina, curat."

Mr. Hallam (Literat. of Europe, vol. i. p. 292., 1st ed.), misled by Warton and others, gives a very defective and erroneous account of the Progymnasmata Scænica, which he supposed to contain several dramas; but he concludes by saying, "the book is very scarce, and I have never seen it." Gottsched, in his History of the German Drama, merely says he had seen some notice of a Latin drama by Reuchlin. Hans Sachs translated it into German, after his manner, and printed it in 1531 under the title of Henno.

S.W.S.

Mickleham, Dec. 1. 1849.

MYLES BLOMEFYLDE—ORTUS VOCABULORUM

Sir,—In reference to the Query of BURIENSIS in No. 4. of your periodical, as to the parentage of Myles Blomefylde, of Bury St. Edmund's, I beg to contribute the following information. In the library of St. John's College, Cambridge, is a volume containing an unique copy of "the boke called the Informacyon for pylgrymes vnto the holy lande," printed by Wynkyn de Worde, in 1524, at the end of which occurs the following manuscript note:—

"I, Myles Blomefylde, of Burye Saynct Edmunde in Suffolke, was borne ye yeare following after ye pryntyng of this boke (that is to saye) in the yeare of our Lorde 1525, the 5 day of Apryll, betwene 10 & 11, in ye nyght, nyghest xi, my father's name John, and my mother's name Anne."

This tract is bound up with two others, on both of which Blomefylde has written his initials, and from one entry seems to have been at Venice in 1568. He was undoubtedly an ardent book-collector, and I possess copies of the Ortus Vocabulorum, printed by W. de Worde, in 1518, and the Promptuarium Parvulorum, printed by the same, in 1516, bound together, on both of which the name of Myles Blomefylde in inscribed.

I may add, as a slight contribution to a future edition of the Typographical Antiquities, that among Bagford's curious collection of title-pages in the Harleian Collection of MSS. (which I doubt if Dr. Dibdin ever consulted with care), there is the last leaf of an edition of the Ortus Vocabulorum, unnoticed by bibliographers, with the following colophon:—

"Impr. London. per Wynandum de Worde, commorantem in vico nuncupato Fletestrete, sub intersignio solis aurei, Anno incarnatiôis Dominice M.CCCCC.IX. die vero prima mêsis Decêbris."—Harl. MSS. 5919. art. 36.

ANSWERS TO MINOR QUERIES

The Curse of Scotland—Why the Nine of Diamonds is so called

When I was a child (now about half a century ago) my father used to explain the origin of the nine of diamonds being called "The curse of Scotland" thus: That it was the "cross of Scotland," which, in the Scotch pronunciation, had become "curse."

St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland: he suffered on a cross, not of the usual form, but like the letter X, which has since been commonly called a St. Andrew's cross. It was supposed that the similarity of the nine of diamonds to this form occasioned its being so called. The arms of the Earl of Stair, alluded to in your publication, are exactly in the form of this cross. If this explanation should be useful, you are most welcome to it.

A.F.Thistle of Scotland

Sir,—Your correspondent R.L. (No. 2. p. 24.), will find the fullest information on this head in Sir Harris Nicolas's work on the Orders of Knighthood of the British Empire. He does not assign to its origin an earlier date than the reign of James III, in an inventory of whose jewels, Thistles are mentioned as part of the ornaments. The motto "Nemo me impune lacessit," does not appear until James VI. adopted it on his coinage.

G.H.B.

For Scottish Thistle, see Nisbet's Heraldry, vol. ii. Order of St. Andrew. Selden, Titles of Honour, p. 704. ed. 1672, refers to "Menenius, Miræus, Favin, and such more."

SCOTUS.Record Publications

Will any of your readers kindly favour me with a reference to any easily-accessible list of the publications of the Record Commission, as well as to some account of the more valuable Rolls still remaining unpublished, specifying where they exist, and how access is to be obtained to them?