Various

“ Have you ever amused yourself by tracing historical parallels? did you ever note how often one age reflects the character of another, so that the stage of real life seems to us at intervals as a theatre on which we see represented the passions of the past, its political tendencies, and monied speculations ”

“ Four years later James had contrived another plot. At the head of this were Sir George Barclay and Sir William Perkins, and under their guidance twenty men were engaged to assist in the assassination of King William. The plan was as follows. It was the custom of the king to hunt near the house of Mr. Latten, in the neighbourhood of Brentford, and they designed to surprise the king on his return at a hollow part of the road between Brentford and Turnham Green, one division of them being placed behind some bushes and brushwood at the western end of the Green. ”

“ The word certainly might mean anything: but I know of no satisfactory explanation having been given for it as yet. The only words for town in Welsh are, I believe, tre "city," or caer "castle,"—as parts of compound words, I mean.
SC.
Carmarthen.
I cannot think that M. C. E.'s etymology of London is a correct one; nor did I know that the British Llan means a "level place generally." I take it that originally Llan meant no more than "an inclosure," as we see in winllan, "a vineyard," "an inclosure for vines;" perllan, "an orchard" (literally a pear-yard) . ”

“ Now let me remind you of the Barclay and Perkins and the other Turnham Green men's plot, who conspired to assault and assassinate King William III. Mind, the coincidence is only in name. The historic parallel is rather of kind than event, but it is not the less remarkable when we consider the excitement twice connected with these names. The character of James II. may be described as the villainy of weakness. ”

“ In the evening, grown persons go round singing and collecting contributions from house to house. It is universally believed in this neighbourhood to be a remnant of the old custom of begging money, to be applied to the purpose of procuring masses for the souls of the dead. ”

“ E. H. D. D.
Cabal (Vol. iv., p. 443.) .
—The word "cabal" occurs in two different senses in Hudibras; but I have only before me the Edinburgh edition of 1779, and so cannot tell whether Butler used it at a date previous to that assigned to its coinage by Burnet. Hudibras was written before the Restoration, at all events; but I have no opportunity of consulting the first edition, which was well known for ten years before the Cabal of 1672.
"For mystic learning, wondrous able,
In magic talisman and cabal." ”

“ The name of London is certainly older than the Romans, and is probably, therefore, as your correspondent says, British. Its significance, if any, therefore, is to be sought in Welsh. Now, your correspondent is certainly quite wrong as to the meaning of Llan in Welsh. It always means, here at any rate, church, not plain. Possibly your correspondent was thinking of Llano. The word is written in Welsh Llyndon, or Llyndain, which also speaks against its being compounded with Llan. ”

“ Mr. Kidd's peculiarly pleasing and graphic style of writing, and his keen observation of passing events, have long since proved him to be an 'able general' in catering for the public appetite, which 'grows by what it feeds on.' He has our best wishes for his success."—Sun, Dec. 23.
London: GEORGE BERGER, Holywell Street, Strand ”

“ Grey:—
"A sneer probably upon Clifford, Ashley, Burlington, Arlington, Lauderdale, who were called the CABAL in King Charles II.'s time, from the initial letters of their names.—See Echard, vol. iii. p. 251."
Your correspondent E. H. D. D. may be glad of these two quotations, and I quite agree with him in ascribing an earlier date than that mentioned by Burnet to the word "cabal" in the sense of "a secret council." The transition from its original sense was easy and natural, and the application to King Charles's confidential advisers ingenious. ”

“ The matter contained in it does not (at least in my judgment) necessarily indicate so early a date, inasmuch as parallel, and even identical, rights and customs, connected with the status of persons and tenure of land, were in active existence at a much later period of our history. It would certainly be more satisfactory to know the precise grounds, whether extrinsic or intrinsic, on which the date has been fixed.
With regard to the old Latin version, I will not undertake to vindicate it except against one of the criticisms of H. C. C. He objects that læden is translated minare. ”

“ In George's Westerham Journal is a curious account of Mrs. Wolfe adopting a young man named Jacob Wolfe, and of Lord Amherst obtaining, by her representations, a place of 700l. a-year for him. It is extracted from Trusler's Memoirs; but being too lengthy for insertion in "NOTES AND QUERIES," I will copy it out, if Ȝ. wishes to have it.
In Thackery's Life of the Earl of Chatham is mentioned the following anecdote, which I have often seen otherwise applied: George II. was once expressing his admiration of Wolfe, when some one observed that the General was mad. "Oh! mad is he?" said the King ”

“ Montaigne, in his Essays, book i. chap. lvii., quotes this proverb, and gives a clue to its meaning. He says: "For my part I believe our souls are adult at twenty, as much as they are ever like to be, and as capable then as ever. A soul that has not by that time given evident earnest of its force and virtue will never after come to proof. ”

“ The work is not a scarce one in good libraries: I shall therefore be concise in the extracts from it. The article entitled "Ægina (Greece) " states that the remains of the Temple of Jupiter Panhellenius (which are engraved in the Ionian Antiquities) prove it to have been of the Doric order; that it had six columns in front, but only twelve on the side, in opposition to the usual custom among Greek architects of adding one column more than double the number of those in front. The architecture is said closely to approach that of the hexastyle hypæthral Temple of Pæstum. ”

“ Bye, a dwelling, is the Orkney Bu or Boo, a pure Icelandic word.
Other instances could be given; and there is nothing remarkable in this when it is considered that the invaders of Orkney and Normandy were the same people at the same period, and the better preservation of the Norse tongue in Orkney is readily to be accounted for. ”

“ When a man squanders his fortune, he is said in vulgar parlance to "make ducks and drakes of his money." Does this odd expression allude to the thoughtless school-boy practice of throwing stones as nearly as possible on a parallel with the surface of the water, whose elastic quality causes them frequently to rebound before they sink? ”

“ Quebec House was only rented by Edward Wolfe: to this house James was very early removed, and, as I have always been informed, always resided in it till he entered on his military studies; if so, he must have been educated in the neighbourhood.
3rd. Sir Jeffrey Amherst is the same person as Ȝ. alludes to; I was wrong, perhaps, in using the term "patronise." Wolfe and he were, however, staunch friends through life; Amherst ever encouraged Wolfe, who was liable to fits of despondency, and always represented him at head quarters as one worthy of a high command in those trying times. ”

“ And it is obvious from the moderate price at which it has been issued, that the proprietor of the handsome one-volume edition which has just appeared under the title of The Lansdowne Shakspeare looks for purchasers within the same wide range. The book is indeed well calculated to win favour from all classes. The text, which is based on that of Collier, compared with that of the first folio and the editions of Steevens, Malone, Knight, &c., is clearly and distinctly printed ”

“ All that was ever writ in brasse"—
is by many regarded as the most authentic portrait of the great poet. Altogether, therefore, The Lansdowne Shakspeare is a beautiful book, and well deserves to be both the library and travelling companion of every lover of poetry—of every student of Shakspeare.
Our correspondent, Dr. Henry, has published a miscellaneous volume under the title of Unripe Windfalls, which consists of some amusing vers de société—a Letter addressed to ourselves, containing some very trenchant criticism on the obscurities of Lord Byron ”

“ The others look still more like burlesque. I cannot find them in any Moravian hymn-book which I have seen; and have searched the British Museum in vain for that which is referred to in the Oxford Magazine. Are they genuine, or a fabrication of Anti-moravians?
P. H.
365. Rural and Urban Deans.
—The name and office of rural dean is familiar to every one; but may I ask your clerical readers in London, or in any other of the large towns of England, whether the office of dean is still existing among them; or have the urban deans altogether ceased to be chosen and to act? ”

“ Gould, as a text book for the use of the higher schools and colleges, for which, as the editor remarks, it is well adapted from its simplicity of style, clearness of arrangement, and its important and comprehensive range of subjects. In the present edition the woodcut illustrations have been increased from 170 to 390, thereby adding greatly to the value of a work which is well calculated to furnish the general reader with trustworthy information upon the matter to which it relates. ”

“ They also fold a sewing needle in a leaf taken from a particular part of a psalm book, and sew it in the hair of the cow; which is considered not only as an infallible cure, but which also serves as a charm against future attacks. ”

“ In this Society the whole profits are divisible among the policy-holders, who are at the same time exempt from personal liability. It claims superiority, however, over other mutual offices in the following particulars.
1. Premiums at early and middle ages about a fourth lower. See specimens below. (*)
2. A more accurate adjustment of the rates of premium to the several ages. ”

“ Could any correspondent inform me where it is situated? I think it is in Argyle or Inverness-shires; but should like to know the precise locality, as it is not mentioned in any work to which I have access at present.
X.Y.Z.
363. Chalk-back Day.
—At Diss, Norfolk, it is customary for the juvenile populace, on the Thursday before the third Friday in September (on which latter day a fair and "session" for hiring servants are held) , to mark and disfigure each other's dress with white chalk, pleading a [502] prescriptive right to be mischievous on "chalk-back day." ”

“ To the south the Thames extended far beyond its present boundary, forming an extensive lake. Fenchurch Street, Turnmill Street, Fleet Street, show that there were streams and fens to the east and west.
Bearing in mind that British names were generally descriptive of the locality, may not the situation of old London furnish a clue to its etymology? Was not London then truly and descriptively Llyn-dun, or Llin-dun, the fortified place or fortress in or on the lyn or lake?
CUDYN GWYN.
Replies to Minor Queries. Legend of the Robin Redbreast (Vol. ii., p. 164.) . ”

“ I cannot explain Wyle, but think it probable that it was the name of some former proprietor of the ground. It however no more needs explanation than if it were joined to Street or Lane, instead of to Cop.
E. H. D. D.
Macfarlane Manuscripts (Vol. iv., p. 406.) .
—In reply to your correspondent ANTIQUARIENSIS, I have to inform you that the "Macfarlane Collections" preserved in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, are chiefly of an "ecclesiastic nature." In Turnbull's Fragmenta Scoto-Monastica, published by Stevenson of Edinburgh, 1842, I find it stated that—
"Mr. ”

“ A magnificent Portrait has been engraved for this Edition, by H. ROBINSON, in Line, after Droeshout's Engraving to the first folio, and of which a few impressions have been taken on large paper separately. These may be had Proofs, 5s.; Prints, 3s. each. ”

“ Printed by THOMAS CLARK SHAW, of No. 8. New Street Square, at No. 5. New Street Square, in the Parish of St. Bride, in the City of London, and published by GEORGE BELL, of No. 186. Fleet Street, in the Parish of St. Dunstan in the West, in the City of London, Publisher, at No. 186. Fleet Street aforesaid.—Saturday, December 27, 1851.
Transcriber's Note: Original spelling variations have not been standardized.
Pages in "Notes and Queries", Vol. I-IV
Vol. ”