Various

“ Life of Bishop Frampton.—I have in my possession a manuscript life of Bishop Frampton, who was ejected for not taking the oaths to William and Mary. It is of sufficient detail and interest to deserve publication. But before I give it to the world, that I may do what justice I can to the memory of so excellent a man, I should be happy to receive the contributions of any of your readers who may happen to possess any thing of interest relating to him. ”

“ Of course every outline is rendered less defined by any motion of the eye of the observer, however slight. Hence, perhaps, the comparative indistinctness of outline commonly seen in pictures, compared with those in nature; as the artist {64} would be apt to take advantage of this circumstance, and give to his painting the same kind of effect the reality would have to an eye wandering over it; thereby taking away the attention from individual parts, and, as it were, forcing it to judge of the general effect, which general effect is, perhaps, the main object in painting. ”

“ The writing of explanatory notes is like no other species of literature. History throws {52} little light upon their origin [the ballads, I suppose?] , or the cause which gave rise to their composition. He has to grope his way in the dark: like Bunyan's pilgrim, on crossing the Valley of the Shadow of Death, he hears sounds and noises, but cannot, to a certainty, tell from whence they come, nor to what place they proceed. The one time, he has to treat of fabulous ballads in the most romantic shape ”

“ To believe that Shakspeare borrowed his captious in this sense, from the Latin captiosus, we must suppose that he was well acquainted with the exact sense of the Latin word; a supposition which, in regard to a man who had small Latin, we can scarcely be justified in entertaining. This interpretation is, therefore, too recondite: and to imagine Helena as applying the word to Bertram as being "incapable of receiving her love," and "truly captious" (or deceitful and ensnaring) "in that respect," is surely to indulge in too much refinement of exposition. ”

“ Tandem D.O.M.—In an ancient mansion, which stands secluded in the distant recesses of Cornwall, there reposes a library nearly as ancient as the edifice itself, in the long gallery of which it has been almost the sole furniture for a space of full two centuries. What is still remarkable, the collection remains sole and entire in all its pristine originality, as well as simple but substantial bindings, uncontaminated by any additions of more modern literature, dressed up in gayer suits of calfskin or morocco. ”

“ Although the writer here speaks of Ritson and Percy as if he were acquainted with their works, it is very evident that he had not looked into their contents. The name of Evans' Collection had probably never reached him. Alas! we look in vain for the tantalising "pamphlet of songs,"—still, perhaps, snugly resting on the "pot-head," where our author in his "poetical dream" first saw it. The "black-lettered volume of ballads" too, in the library of the "ancient descendant of a Border family," still remains in its dusty repository, untouched by the hand of Frederick Sheldon. ”

“ Lorsqu'elle signifie la terre, comme Cérès, elle est représentée avec la gerbe de blé; elle est Perséphone, la graine de semence; comme cette déesse, elle a sa faucille: c'est la demi-lune qui repose sous ses pieds. ”

“ The Latin analogous to it in this sense would be, not capax, or MR. SINGER'S captiosus, but captax, or captabundus; neither of which words, however, occurs.
The sense of the word, like that of many others in the same author, must be determined by the scope and object of the passage in which it is used. The object of Helena, in declaring her love to the Countess, is to show the all-absorbing nature of it; to prove that she is tota in illo; and that, however she may strive to stop the cravings of it, her endeavours are of no more use than the attempt to fill up a bottomless abyss. ”

“ Our meaning is the same when, at the bringing in of a candle, we use to put ourselves in mind of the Light of Heaven: which those who list to call superstition do but 'darken counsel by words without knowledge.' Job xxxviii. ”

“ Which is the correct practice—distinctness, or indistinctness of outline—will be differently judged by those who hold different opinions on painting in general. While one person will maintain that a picture, to be perfect, must be an exact copy of nature, in short an artistic daguerreotype ”

“ Phallicus is a Greek word, and has a meaning—φαλλικος, of or belonging to the φαλλος. Fallicus, to the best of my knowledge, is neither Greek nor Latin, and has no meaning. Erasmus, in his epistles, constantly spells the word Phallicus. ”

“ The complaints of all are alike; they lament that they make attempts to resist their passion, but find it not to be resisted; that they are obliged at last to yield themselves entirely to it, and to feel their whole thoughts, as it were, swallowed up by it.
Such being the way in which Shakspeare represents Helena, and such the sentiments which he puts into her mouth, it seems evident that the interpretation of captious in the sense of absorbent is better adapted to the passage than the explanation of it in the sense of fallacious. ”

“ Knight, in his note to As You Like It, and to which your correspondent J.M.B. has so instructively drawn our attention, is undoubtedly correct. The "sun-ring" or ring-dial, was probably the watch of our forefathers some thousand years previous to the invention of the modern chronometer, and its history is deserving of more attention than has hitherto been paid to it. Its immense antiquity in Europe is proved by its still existing in the remotest and least civilised districts of North England, Scotland, and the Western Isles, Ireland, and in Scandinavia. ”

“ Rimbault, in the introduction to his edition of Kind-Hearts' Dream, for the Percy Society, says, "Of the author, Henry Chettle, very little is known: ... we are ignorant of the time and place of his birth or death, and of the manner in which he obtained his living." ”

“ However, the lover of general effect has this rational ground of argument on his side, viz., there is no such thing as a strictly defined outline in nature, even to an eye at rest; while to one in motion, which is perhaps the normal state, that outline is rendered still more indistinct. ”

“ A very intelligent friend of mine, who has devoted much research into the supposed origin of the Pilgrim's Progress, the result of which I hope ere long will appear, tells me that he is decidedly of opinion that the Visions in question are not the production of the "prince of dreamers."
He believes the Visions first appeared as Bunyan's in a stereotyped collection or selection of his works, about 1820-8. Some time after seeing this, my friend was surprised at meeting with the following little volume, which is now before me: The World to Come. ”

“ Hence it follows that wherever, in any design, separate portions are intended to arrest attention, the outline should be more defined and, accordingly, we may remark that Albert Durer, and others like him, who were very careful of minutiæ, are also distinct and hard in their outlines, which is also the case, for the most part, in the Dutch school, and in architectural paintings, fruit-pieces, &c.; and we find that in proportion as the artist discards the comparatively unworthy minute accompaniments of his subject, and aims at unity of effect, so does he neglect sharpness of outline. ”

“ In a word, I think the selfish tendencies will be soon enough acquired in this arithmetical age; and that, to make the higher class of character, our wild fictions—like our own simple music—will have more effect in awakening the fancy and elevating the disposition, than the colder and more elaborate compositions of modern authors and composers. ”

“ Toute religion avait eu son soleil-dieu, et dès le quatrième siècle l'église occidentale célèbre la naissance du Christ au jour où le soleil remonte, au 25 Décembre, c'est-à-dire, au jour où l'on célébrait la naissance du soleil invincible. ”

“ MR. KENNETH MACKENZIE, MR. M.A. LOWER. MR. GEORGE STEPHENS (of Stockholm) , and several anonymous Correspondents, who have written to us suggesting certain alterations either in our size, price, mode of publication, or other arrangements, are assured that fully appreciating the kind motives which have prompted their communications, their respective suggestions will receive our best attention; and that if we do not adopt them, it will be for reasons the force of which our Correspondents would, we have no doubt, if they could be made fully acquainted with them, be the very first to admit. ”

“ Of all writers, none exceed Shakspeare in logical correctness and nicety of expression. With a vigour of though and command of language attained by no man besides, it is fair to conclude, that he would not be guilty of faults of construction such as would disgrace a schoolboy's composition. ”

“ The Doctor considers it to be "the oldest perfect sword in England." The arms are a cross, with a crown in the first and last quarters, and a sword in the second and third. There are also the letters T.L., the initials of the Abbot, Thomas de Lodelow, who held that office from 1417 to 1437. This fixes its date in the reign of Henry V., though the fact of the first William having been the founder of Battle Abbey has given colour to the tradition of its having been his property. ”

“ No man can come to me except my father which hath sent me, drawe hym. And y will rayse hym vp at the last daye. Hit is written in the prophetes: And they shall all be taught of God. Every man which hath herde, and lerned of the father, commeth unto me, not that eny man hath sene the father, save he which is off God. The same hath sene the father.
Authorized Version. ”

“ With reference to these particulars, I should be glad if you would allow me to propose a reading which has not yet been suggested:—
{63}
"O be persuaded; do not count it holy:
To hurt, by being just, count it unlawful:
For we would give, as much, to violent thefts,
And rob, in the behalf of charity."
The meaning being, it is as unlawful to do hurt by being just, as it would be to give to a robbery, or to rob for a charity; to assist a bad cause by a good deed, or a good cause by a bad deed.
The word "count," in its second occurrence, was inserted by the printer in the wrong line ”

“ This is a corrupt version of Thomas Deloney's celebrated ballad of "The Ungrateful Knight," printed in the History of Jack of Newbery, 1596, and in Ritson's Ancient Songs, 1790. A Scottish version may be found in Kinloch's Ballads, under the title of the "The Provost's Daughter." Mr. Sheldon knows nothing of this, but says,—
"This ballad has been known about the English Border for many years, and I can remember a version of it being sung by my grandmother!" ”

“ A small narrow band of brass (about one-fifth of the width) runs along the centre of the ring, and of course covers the slit. This narrow band is movable, and has a hole in one part through which the rays of the sun can fall. On each side of the band (to the right of the handle) letters, which stand for the names of the months, are inscribed on the ring as follows:—
Inside the ring, opposite to these letters, are the following figures for the hours:—
The small brass band was made movable that the ring-click might be properly set by the sun at stated periods, perhaps once a month. ”

“ It has also, no doubt, many local observances, current opinions, old proverbs, and vulgar ditties, which are held and known in common with the inhabitants of a greater extent of county, and differ merely in minor particulars;—the necessary result of imperfect oral transmission. In former numbers of this work a few isolated specimens of the folk-lore of this district have been noticed, and the present attempt is to give permanency to a few others.
1. If a person's hair, when thrown into the fire, burns brightly, it is a sure sign that the individual will live long. ”

“ It is not necessary to discuss whether vinegar, verjuice, or wormwood be the preferable translation of the Shakspearian word; for before either of them can be received, the advocate is bound to {67} accommodate his exposition to Shakspeare's sentence, and to "get over the drink up," which still stands in his way as it did in that of Malone.
MR. SINGER get over the difficulty by simply saying "to drink up was commonly used for simply to drink." The example he quotes, however,—
"I will drink
Potions of eysell,"—
is not to his purpose ”

“ There is a full-length in the hall of this college, which I shall have great pleasure in showing to him should he ever find it convenient to pay Cambridge a visit.
P.J.F. GANTILLON.
St. John's College.
Swans hatched during Thunder (Vol. ii., p. 510.) .—Some years ago I purchased a pair of swans, and, during the first breeding season after I procured them, they made a nest in which they deposited seven eggs. After they had been sitting about six weeks, I observed to my servant, who had charge of them and the other water-fowl, that it was about the time for the swans to hatch. ”

“ Cutting or paring the nails of the hands or feet on a Friday or Sunday, is very unlucky.
5. If a person's left ear burn, or feel hot, somebody is praising the party; if the right ear burn, then it is a sure sign that some one is speaking evil of the person. ”

“ Soon after this, however, a party of farmers went through a process known by the name of "burning the witch out," or "killing the witch," as some express it; the person suspected soon died, and the neighbourhood became free from his evil doings.
8. A horse-shoe is still nailed behind many doors to counteract the effects of witchcraft: a hagstone with a hole through, tied to the key of the stable-door, protects the horses, and, if hung up at the bed's head, the farmer also. ”

“ What is most singular is, that the excellent editor of Bishop Warburton's Literary Remains has overlooked the fact that they are driven in that prelate's correspondence with Bishop Hurd as Pope's. (See Letters, p. 362., edit. 1809, 8vo.) Warburton observes, "The little poem is certainly his." He remarks in a letter to Yorke—
"You have obliged me much (as is your wont) by a fine little poem of my excellent and endeared friend, Mr. Pope, and I propose to put in into use."—Letters from Warburton to C. Yorke. 1812, 4to. p. 64. ”

“ Warts are cured by being rubbed over with a black snail, but the snail must afterwards be impaled upon a hawthorn. If a bag containing as many small pebbles as a person has warts, be tossed over the left shoulder, it will transfer the warts to whoever is unfortunate enough to pick up the bag. ”

“ Had these ballads not existed in print, we should have been glad of them in any form; but, in the present case, the publication of such a book (more especially by a learned society) is a positive nuisance.
Another work which I cannot refrain from noticing, called by one of the reviewers "A valuable contribution to our stock of ballad literature"? is Mr. Frederick Sheldon's Minstrelsy of the English Border. ”

“ I find that in various languages the word strolls thus in the Latin of the middle age, avercoccius—in the modern Greek, βερυκοκκιον—in the Italian, albercocco, albicocca—in the Spanish, albaricoque—and all these various words, undeducible from the Latin præcox, are readily derivable from the Arabic word, the prefix al, which is merely the article, being in some cases dropped, and in others retained. ”