Various

“ In addition to those friends who promised us their assistance, we receive communications from quarters altogether unexpected. Our present number furnishes a striking instance of this, in the answer to Mr. Bruce's inquiry respecting the "Monmouth Ash," kindly communicated by the Earl of Shaftesbury, its distinguished owner.
We trust that each successive paper shows improvement in our arrangements, and proves also that our means of procuring answers to the Queries addressed to us are likewise increasing. ”

“ 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. ”

“ To testify my good will to the work, and to follow up Mr. Burtt's remarks on ancient libraries published in your second number, I venture to send you the following account of a MS. Catalogue of the Library of the Monastery of the Friars Eremites of the Order of St. Augustine in the City of York.
This MS. is now preserved in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, amongst the MSS. formerly belonging to the celebrated Archbishop Ussher. It is on vellum, written in the 14th century, and begins thus:—
"Inventarium omnium librorum pertinentium ad commune armariole domus Ebor. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 {87} 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." ”

“ It is also further worthy of mention that some years since, when the late Earl Spencer was in Copenhagen, he searched in vain for the original manuscript, which no one there could tell him had ever existed, and very many doubt if it ever existed at all. ”

“ We are happy to be able to answer our correspondent's query at once. The first Burnet prize, on the last occasion, was gained by the Reverend William Lawrence Brown, D.D., and Principal, if we recollect rightly, of Mareschal College, Aberdeen. His prize work, entitled Essay on the Existence of a Supreme Being possessed of Infinite Power, Wisdom, and Goodness, was published at Aberdeen in 2 vols. 8vo. 1816. The second prize man was the present amiable and distinguished Archbishop of Canterbury. His work, entitled A Treatise on the Records of Creation, was published in London, in 2 vols. 8vo. ”

“ Mr. Hallam (Literat. of Europe, vol. i. p. 292., {90} 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The work promises to be eminently useful, and if furnished with a good index at the end of each yearly volume, will become a book indispensable to all literary men, and especially to those who, like myself, are in charge of large public libraries. ”

“ 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. ”

“ HISTORY OF MONMOUTH CLOSE.
"The small inclosure which has been known by the name of MONMOUTH CLOSE ever since the capture of the Duke of Monmouth there, in July, 1685, is one of a cluster of small inclosures, five in number, which stood in the middle of Shag's Heath, and were called 'The Island.' They are in the parish of Woodlands.
"The tradition of the neighbourhood is this: viz. That after the defeat of the Duke of Monmouth at Sedgemoor, near Bridgewater, he rode, accompanied by Lord Grey, to Woodyates, where they quitted their horses ”

“ The last page falling in the centre of the sheet prevents the stamp being affixed to it in that certainly more desireable place.
We have received many complaints of a difficulty in procuring our paper. Every Bookseller and Newsvender will supply it if ordered, and gentlemen residing in the country may be supplied regularly with the Stamped Edition by giving their orders direct to the publisher, Mr. GEORGE BELL, 186. Fleet Street, accompanied by a Post Office order for a quarter (4s 4d) . All communications should be addressed To the Editor of "NOTES AND QUERIES," 186. ”

“ 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." ”

“ The germ of the idea is also to be found in Lloyd's State Worthies, where speaking of Roger Ascham, he is characterised as "an honest man,—none being more able for, yet none more averse to, that circumlocution and contrivance wherewith some men shadow their main drift and purpose. ”

“ The "umbles" of the deer are constantly the perquisites of the gamekeeper.
A.G.
Ecclesfield, Nov. 24, 1849.
MINOR QUERIES. Eva, Daughter of Dermot Mac Murrough.
Mr. Editor,—I should be glad if any of your readers, Irish or English, could inform me whether we have any other mention of Eva, daughter of Dermot Mac Murrough, last independent king of Leinster, than that she became, in the spring of the year 1170, the wife of Richard Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, at Waterford. ”

“ A. Incipit in 2o. folio. secunda die.
B. inci't. in 2o. fo. emperio sane formatis. ligatus.
C. inci't. in 2o. fo. et celumque celi.
The words printed in Italics are added by a more recent hand. Under the head of "Hystorie Scolastice" are doubtless intended the copies which the Library possessed of the celebrated Historia Scholastica, or abridgement of Scripture history by Peter Comestor.
From the foregoing specimen, I think your readers will agree with me that a Catalogue of such antiquity and interest is well worthy of publication. ”

“ 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. ”

“ When and where was it that a man was apprehended for selling brooms without a hawker's licence, and defended himself by showing that they were the agricultural produce of Lord Erskine's property, and that he was Lord E.'s servant? ”

“ It is impossible to expect that any one individual could thoroughly accomplish such an undertaking; and, by means of your excellent periodical, it will be easy for literary men, who possess scarce or unique books, mentioned in the Registers and in my quotations from them, to furnish such brief descriptions as will be highly curious and very useful. ”

“ You no doubt know the subject: it is the best Treatise on "the Evidence that there is a Being all powerful, wise, and good, by whom every thing exists; and particularly to obviate difficulties regarding the wisdom and goodness of the Deity ”

“ They will see, on a very little reflection, that it is plainly his interest to take all he can get, and make the most, and the best of everything; and therefore he begs them to take for granted that their communications are received, and appreciated, even if our succeeding Numbers bear no proof of it. ”

“ Pancras, Soper-lane, in 1593) , regarding which I am anxious to obtain information, and seek it through the medium of "NOTES AND QUERIES."
A marginal note in Fleming's Translation of Virgil's Georgics, 1589, 4to., is the following:—"The poet alludeth to the historie of Leander and Hero, written by Museus, and Englished by me a dozen yeares ago, and in print." My question is, whether such a production is in existence?
Fleming's tract, printed in 1580 in 8vo. (miscalled 16mo.) , "A Memorial, &c. of Mr. William Lambe, Esquier," is well known ”

“ There are two histories of King Edward II., one in small folio, of which the title is accurately given by your correspondent, and another in 8vo., the title of which is given at the head of the reprint in the Harleian Miscellany, vol. i. p. 69. Both these editions bear the date of 1680. I had always supposed that the edition in 8vo. was a mere reprint of the folio; but on now comparing the text of the folio with that of the 8vo. as given in the Harl. Miscellany, I find the most essential differences; so much so, as hardly to be recognised as the same. Mr. Park, the last editor of the Harl. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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.] ”

“ So far Dr. Farmer, whose books are often valuable for the notes on the fly-leaves. Should any one act upon the suggestion of your correspondent, and think of a selection from Drayton, it would be necessary to collate the various editions of his poems, which, as they are numerous, evince his popularity with his contemporaries.
Malone asserted that the Baron's Wars was not {83} published until 1610. I have before me a copy, probably the first edition, with the following title: "The Barrons Wars in the raigne of Edward the Second, with England's Heroical Epistles, by Michaell Drayton. ”

“ Furst every mornyng at brekefast oon chyne of beyf at our kechyn, oon chete loff and oon maunchet at our panatry barre, and a Galon of Ale at our Buttrye barre; Item at dyner a pese of beyfe, a stroke of roste, and a rewarde at our said kechyn, a cast of chete bred at our Panatrye barre, and a Galon of Ale at our Buttry barre; Item at afternone a manchet at our Panatry bar and half a Galon of Ale at our Buttrye barre; Item at supper a messe of Porage, a pese of mutton and a Rewarde at our said kechyn, a cast of chete brede at our Panatrye, and a Galon of Ale at our Buttrye ”

“ Cyren. A prettie pamphlet to pervse, and relenished with recreation.—Englished {85} by Abraham Fleming.—Herevnto is annexed the pleasant tale of Hemetes the Heremite, pronounced before the Queenes Maiestie. Newly recognised both in Latin and Englishe, by the said A.F.— [Greek: hae taes sophias phalakra saemeion.] —The badge of wisdome is baldnesse.—Printed by H. Denham, 1579." 8vo. B.L.
If I am not greatly mistaken, your readers will look in vain for a notice of the book in any collected list of the many productions of Abraham Fleming ”

“ A tract of this description has just fallen in my way, and it relates to the subsequent entry on p. 97. of vol. ii. of my Extracts: the date is 22nd September, 1579.
"H. Denham. Lycensed unto him, &c. A Paradox, provinge by reason and example that baldnes is much better than bushie heare. vj'd"
When I wrote the comment on this registration I was only acquainted with the clever MS. ballad in Defence of a Bald Head, which I quoted; but I hardly supposed it to be the production intended. It turns out that it was not, for I have that production now before me. ”