Various

“ Lord Bath gives Skinner a letter to the Duke of Albemarle (Monk's son) , who receives him very kindly, and gives him a handsome present.
"I have since waited on his Grace again, and then he proposed to me (whether upon his own inclination or the suggestion of some about him) to use my poor talent in writing his father's life apart in the universal language; to which end, he would furnish me with all his papers that belonged to his late father and his secretaries. The like favour it pleased my Lord of Bath to offer me from his own papers, some whereof I had a sight of in his study." ”

“ The life is ascribed to Skinner only on circumstantial evidence, which is certainly strong, but to which this letter of Skinner's is a very important edition. This letter is indeed direct proof, and the first we have, of Skinner's having been employed on a life of Monk, in which he had access to his son's and his relative Lord Bath's papers; and there can be no serious doubt that the life edited by Mr. Webster was a result of his labours. ”

“ Portrait by Boonen.—Can any of your correspondents state the precise time when Boonen, said to be a pupil of Schalcken, flourished? And what eminent geographer, Dutch or English, lived during such period? This question is asked with reference to a picture by Boonen,—a portrait of a singular visaged man, with his hand on a globe, now at Mr. Peel's in Golden Square; the subject of which is desired to be ascertained. It may be the portrait of an astrologer, if the globe is celestial. ”

“ Malone, in his inquiry into the Ireland forgeries, alludes to this confession of faith, admits that he was mistaken about it, and intimates that he had been imposed on, which he evidently was; but he does not seem to know any thing of the second forgery of the three introductory paragraphs, or of their bold introduction into William Shakspeare's will in the Dublin edition of his own work.
It is therefore clear that Mr. Jebb is mistaken in thinking that it was "a blunder of Malone's." It seems, as far as we can see, to have been, not a blunder, but an audacious fabrication ”

“ Reading for a different purpose in the domestic papers of Charles II.'s reign in the State Paper Office, I came upon a letter from Thomas Skinner, dated Colchester, Jan. 30. 1677, of which I will give you what I have preserved in my notes; and that is all that is of any interest.
It is a letter to the Secretary of State, asking for employment, and recommending himself by what he had done for Monk's memory. He had previously written some account of Monk, and he describes an interview with Lord Bath (the Sir John Grenville of the Restoration) ”

“ Skinner says himself, in his preface, that "he had the honour to know Monk only in the last years of his life."
3. The previous account of Monk, which gained Lord Bath's approval, and led to Monk's son soliciting him to write a life, is probably Skinner's addition of a third part to Bate's Elenchus Motuum, {378} to which he also probably refers in the opening of his Preface to the Life of Monk:—
"I have heretofore published something of a like nature with the following sheets, though in another language, wherein several things, through want of better information, were imperfectly described." ”

“ If I mistake not, the three beautiful stanzas, given by Mason in his notes to Gray, viz. those beginning,—
"The thoughtless world to majesty may bow,"
"Hark! how the sacred calm that breathes around,"
"Him have we seen," &c.
(the last of which is so remarkable for its Doric simplicity, as well as being essential to mark the concluding period of the contemplative man's day) have not been admitted into any edition of the Elegy. ”

“ Dr. Whichcot and Lord Shaftesbury.—It is stated in Mr. Martyn's Life of the First Lord Shaftesbury, that Dr. Whichcot was one of Shaftesbury's most constant companions, and preached most of his sermons before him; and that the third Earl of Shaftesbury, the author of the Characteristics, is said to have published a volume of Whichcot's sermons from a manuscript copy of the first Lord Shaftesbury's wife. ”

“ Now it was a custom amongst our forefathers to endeavour to provide a remedy against the baneful influence of the shrew-mouse by plugging the wretched animal alive in a hole made in the body of an ash tree, any branch of which was thenceforth held to be possessed of a power to cure the disease caused by the mouse. It thereupon occurred to me that just as brock, a still existing name for the badger, is clearly from the Saxon broc, persecution, {382} in allusion to the custom of baiting the animal; so schreava might be from schræf, a hollow, in allusion to the hole in the ash tree ”

“ Now the three paragraphs foisted into William's will would be the kind of paragraphs that would complete John's confession; but they are not in confession. Who, then, forged them? and foisted them—which Malone had never seen—into so prominent a place in the Dublin reprint of Malone's work? ”

“ Such a monograph as this will be of incalculable value to the architects of our Colonies or the United States, who have no means of access to ancient churches. The Plates are on stone, done with remarkable skill and distinctness. Of Heckington we can only say that the perspective view from the south-east presents a very vision of beauty; we can hardly conceive anything more perfect. ”

“ As my copy of the Visions is an anonymous translation, and evidently far from being a first-rate one, I shall not be surprised if I receive as an answer,—"Mistaken as to your fact, read a better translation:" but as in spite of its manifold, glaring defects, I have no reason to suspect that the text is garbled, I think I may venture to send the query. ”

“ Le Petit Albert.—Can any of your correspondents give me any information respecting a book entitled Secrets Merveilleux de la Magie Naturelle et Cabalistique du Petit Albert, et enrichi du fig. mystérieuses, et de la Manière de les faire. Nouvelle Edition, cor. et aug. A Lion, 1743. 32mo.? The avertissement says,—
"Voici une nouvelle édition du Livres des merveilleux Secrets du Petit Albert, connu en Latin sous le titre d'Alberte Parvi Lucii, Libellus de Mirabilibus Naturæ Arcanis. L'auteur à qui on l'attribue, a été un de ces grands-hommmes qui par le peuple ignorant ont été accusez de magie. ”

“ Derivation of Sterling.—What is the derivation of Sterling? Some authors say from "Easterling," a race of German or Dutch traders; but is it not more likely from "steer," a bull, or ox, viz. a coin originally stamped with a figure of that animal? Of this, and parallel cases, we have many instances among the ancients. ”

“ After some years (writes Walton, in his Life of Hooker) , the Doctor [Whitgift] being preferred to the see, first of Worcester and then of Canterbury, Mr. Cartwright, after his share of trouble and imprisonment (for setting up new presbyteries in divers places against the established order) , having received from the Archbishop many personal favours, retired himself to a more private living, which was at Warwick, where he became master of an hospital, and lived quietly and grew rich;... the Archbishop surviving him but one year, each ending his days in perfect charity with the other. ”

“ Why is an Earwig called a "Coach-bell?"—Your correspondents, although both kind and learned, do not appear to have given any satisfactory answer to my former query—why a lady-bird is called Bishop Barnaby? Probably there will be less difficulty in answering another entomological question—Why do the country-people in the south of Scotland call an earwig a "coach-bell?" ”

“ Perhaps some of your correspondents are competent to discover the truth.
INDAGATOR.
Gray's Alcaic Ode.—Can any of your readers say whether Gray's celebrated Latin ode is actually to be found entered at the Grande Chartreuse? A friend of mine informs me that he could not find it there on searching.
C.B.
Abbey of St. Wandrille.—Will "GASTROS" kindly allow me to ask him a question? Does the Chronicle of the Abbey of St. Wandrille, which he mentions (No. 21. p. 338.) , include notices of any of the branches of that establishment which settled in England about the time of the Conquest ”

“ Now if any of your readers who are interested in Monk's biography, will refer to the author's and editor's prefaces of Skinner's Life of Monk, edited in 1723, by the Rev. William Webster; and to Lord Wharncliffe's introduction to his Translation of M. Guizot's Essay on Monk, they will see the use of this letter of Skinner's.
1. ”

“ Supposed Etymology of Havior (No. 15. p. 230., and No. 17. p. 269.) .—The following etymology of "heaviers" will probably be considered as not satisfactory, but this extract will show that the term itself is in use amongst the Scotch deerstalkers in the neighbourhood of Loch Lomond.
"Ox-deer, or 'heaviers,' as the foresters call them (most likely a corruption from the French 'hiver') , are wilder than either hart or hind. They often take post upon a height, that gives a look-out all round, which makes them very difficult to stalk. ”

“ This letter would show that Skinner was not on intimate terms with Monk, nor so closely connected with him as would be implied in Mr. Webster's and Morant's, the historian of Colchester, description of him, that he was a physician to Monk. Else he would not have required Lord Bath's letter of introduction to the son. Lord Wharncliffe has, I have no doubt, hit the mark, when he says that Skinner was probably Monk's Colchester apothecary. ”

“ J.E.
[We have received a similar replay, with the addition of a reference to Plutarch (Julius Cæsar, cap. 10.) , from several other kind correspondents.]
Nomade (No. 21. p. 342.) .—There can be no doubt at all that the word "nomades" is Greek, and means pastoral nations. It is so used in Herodotus more than once, derived from νομος, pasture: νεμω, to graze, is generally supposed to be the derivation of the name of Numidians.
C.B.
Gray's Elegy.—In reply to the Query of your correspondent "J.F.M." (No. 7. p. 101.) ”

“ The opium-eater gives a long extract, as "S.P.S." probably remembers.
A.G.
Ecclesfield, March 31. 1850.
Quem Jupiter vult perdere priùs dementat.—Malone, in a note in Boswell's Johnson (p. 718., Croker's last edition) , says, that a gentleman of Cambridge found this apophthegm in an edition of Euripides (not named) as a translation of an iambic.
"Ον Θεος Δελει 'απολεσαι, πρωτ' 'αποφρενοι." ”

“ The origin of the proverb is still a desideratum.
Nathan.
Vox et præterea nihil (No. 16. p 247.) .—In a work entitled Proverbiorum et Sententiarum Persicarum Centuria, a Levino Warnero, published at Amsterdam, 1644, the XCVII. proverb, which is given in the Persian character, is thus rendered in Latin,—
"Tympanum magnum edit clangorem, sed intus vacuum est." ”

“ NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.
W.R.F. and T.P. are assured that the omissions of which they complain have arisen neither from want of courtesy nor want of attention, as they would be quite satisfied if they knew all the circumstances of their respective cases. ”

“ THE FOLK-LORE of ENGLAND. By WILLIAM J. THOMAS, F.S.A., Secretary of the Camden Society, Editor of "Early Prose Romances," "Lays and Legends of all Nations," &c. One object of the present work is to furnish new contributions to the History of our National Folk-Lore ”

“ It appears from Skinner's letter, that his original intention was to write a Life in Latin. Webster edited the Life which we have, from a copy in English found in the study of Mr. Owen, late curate at Bocking in Essex, and supposed to be in Skinner's handwriting; and he had seen another copy, agreeing literally with the former, which had been transcribed by Shelton, formerly rector of St. James's in Colchester ”

“ To study man instead of book!"
A.G.
Tandem.—You are aware that we have a practical pun now naturalised in our language, in the word "tandem." Are any of your correspondents acquainted with another instance? ”

“ C'étoit autrefois le sort de tous les grands esprits qui possédoient quelque chose d'extraordinaire dans les sciences, de les traiter de magiciens. C'est peut-être par cette raison, que le petit trésor est devenu très rare, parceque les superstitieux ont fait scrupule de s'en servir ”

“ A copy of the fourth edition, Argent, 1490, does not afford any information about this matter; and I think that Panzer (v. 195.) will be consulted in vain. Agreeing in opinion with your correspondent "GASTROS" (No. 21. p. 338.) that a querist should invariably give an idea of the extent of his acquaintance with the subject proposed, I think it right to say, that I have examined the list of authors of Exempla, which is to be found in the appendix to Possevin's Apparatus Sacer, tom. i. sig. ”

“ Pamphlets respecting Ireland.—"J." wishes to be informed where copies may be found of the {385} following pamphlets, described in Ware's Irish Writers, under the head "Colonel Richard Laurence," and "Vincent Gookin, Esq.," son of Sir Vincent Gookin, who, in the year 1634, published "a bitter invective, by way of letter, against the nation." Vincent Gookin's pamphlet is dated London, 1655, 4to. Any particulars relative to his family and descendants will oblige.
The title of Col. R. Laurence's book is,—
"The interest of Ireland in the first Transplantation stated ”

“ This review elicited from a correspondent (Athenæum, No. 1092.) another version of the same ballad as prevalent in Northumberland. I made a note of these at the time; and was lately much interested at receiving from an esteemed correspondent (the Rev. P. Moore, Rochenon, co. Kilkenny) , a fragment of another version of the same ballad, which he (being at the time ignorant of the existence of any other version of the song) had taken down from the lips of a very old man of the neighbourhood, viz.:—
"My name is Ormond ”