Various

“ To the same house we are also indebted for a work of still higher interest, namely, a new and complete edition of The Danish Fairy Legends and Tales, by Hans Christian Andersen, containing (besides a Memoir of the Author) no less than forty-five tales, translated direct from the original language, and not through any German version. This will be good news to all who know and admire the playful humour and deep imaginings of the great Danish Story Teller.
Child's Play, Seventeen Drawings by E. V. B., demands notice, not as a work of literature, but of Art, and Art of a very high order. ”

“ I have other evidence as strongly favourable, but I shall not adduce it, lest after all it be wasted on unwilling ears. But if it be the verdict of your readers that Thomas Bastard has been unjustly forgotten, he shall live again in your pages. ”

“ Friday at Sea.
—I have heard a story respecting the superstition in which sailors hold Friday as a day of departure. To disabuse them of this superstition, a ship—so runs the tale—was laid down on Friday; launched on a Friday; commanded by a captain named Friday; sailed on a Friday; and—so runs the story—was never heard of afterwards!
Is there—I believe not—any truth in this tradition; and where may the earliest allusion to it be found.
? ”

“ The Glossary of Architecture is right in its description, but not in its conclusion. There are many instances where the Sanctus Bell, or its remains, still exist in the tower or bell chamber. As e.g. at Addington, Bucks, the "Parson's Bell," as it is now called there, is to be seen in a small aperture in the wall of the bell-chamber, exposed to the outside, on the west. A similar aperture, size, and position, but minus the bell, can also be seen in the tower of Merriott, Somerset. ”

“ Defeated; a Practical Inquiry into what chiefly mars or makes the Comfort of Domestic Life, chiefly addressed to Young Housewives, is an attempt at the exposure and destruction of their most insidious and deadly enemy, and deserves to be well known for the good sense, right feeling, and quaint humour, with which its praiseworthy object is inculcated. ”

“ The best representation I have ever seen of the pelican feeding her young occurs in the works of a Roman printer, in the early part of the eighteenth century, Rocco Bernabo, who has taken for his device a pelican feeding her five young ones, a crown of thorns encircling them. [212]
The pelican has a long bag or pouch, reaching the entire length of the bill to the neck. In feeding its young, the bird squeezes the food deposited in the bag into their mouths, by strongly compressing it upon its breast with the bill. ”

“ Combe very little is known: his name never, I believe, appeared in a title-page, although he lived, or rather starved, by literature, for half a century. From a correspondent of The Athenæum I learn that a list of Combe's works, in his own handwriting, is in the possession of Mr. Robert Cole; and as Mr. Cole is said to be a very liberal man, I have no doubt he would allow you to print that list. What a waste of speculation, not on one subject, but many subjects, might thus be saved to another generation of editors and contributors! ”

“ Thirty-nine Children:—
"In the year 1698, when Thomas Greenhill, surgeon to Henry Duke of Norfolk (son of William Greenhill of Greenhill in Middx. by Elizabeth, daughter of John Jones of London) petitioned the Earl Marshal as follows: 'That in consideration of your petitioner being the 7th son & 39th child of one father & mother, your Grace would be pleased to signalise it by some particular remark or augmentation in his coat of Arms, to transmit to posterity so uncommon a thing.' The confirmation of the arms contains no reference to the fact." ”

“ Beltz has given a memoir of Sir William Fitz-Warine in his Memorials of the Garter, but he was not aware of the baron's connexion with "the Queen of Man." Dying of the plague on the 28th Oct. 1361, it was probably in haste that his body was interred in the church of the Grey Friars, and the queen may have fallen a victim to the same pestilence. There is an effigy in the church at Wantage which is ascribed to this Lord Fitz-Warine; and it is accompanied by one of a lady, probably Amicia Haddon, on whose death, some time before his own, that monument may have been erected. ”

“ Your correspondent BURIENSIS (Vol. v. p. 157.) has supplied a quotation from Mr. Hollingsworth to the effect, that these ancient trees were probably Druidical, under whose "leafy tabernacles" the first Christian missionaries preached. This view of their origin is borne out by the ordinary practice of Christian missionaries to the Heathen of the present day, who are frequently driven to the shelter of some umbrageous giant of the forest, to deliver the Word of Life. ”

“ For example, is not the finished cadence, as well as the nervous force, of the following lines to Sir Ph. Sidney, greatly to be admired?
"When Nature wrought upon her mould so well,
That Nature wondred her own work to see,
When Arte so labourde Nature to excel,
And both had spent their excellence in thee;
Willing they gave thee into Fortune's hand,
Fearing they could not end what they beganne!"
In my poor judgment, those are truly noble lines. And what say you to the following, Mr. Editor, which form a sonnet rather than an epigram? ”

“ GUIDE TO ARCHÆOLOGY. An Archæological Index to Remains of Antiquity of the Celtic, Romano-British, and Anglo-Saxon periods. By JOHN YONGE AKERMAN, fellow and secretary to the Society of Antiquaries. 1 vol. 8vo. illustrated with numerous engravings, comprising upwards of 500 objects, cloth, 15s.
"One of the first wants of an incipient antiquary is the facility of comparison, and here it is furnished him at one glance. The plates, indeed, form the most valuable part of the book, both by their number and the judicious selection of types and examples which they contain. ”

“ In many villages in the fen districts of Lincolnshire are found places called the Hirne, the Hurne, or the Horn's-end all being portions of the respective villages situated in an angle or corner at the extreme end of the parish.
"Horncastle in Lincolnshire, the Banovallum of the Roman geographer Ravennas, derives its name from its situation in an angle formed by the junction of two small rivers, the Bane and the Waring. Horncastle is a corruption of Hyrncastre, a fortification in an angle or corner."—See Weir's Horncastle. ”

“ We are gratified by the fact, and cannot resist therefore laying before our readers the following extract from the private note which accompanied several communications from an old contributor who has removed to that remote quarter of the world:—"I perceive that you have reached India in an Eastern direction; and trust that you will allow one who was a slight contributor at home, to avail himself of your publication in a still more distant oriental land. ”

“ I used generally to suck the oranges, but it never entered my head to inquire what was the origin of the custom. You have probably a correspondent or reader amongst the "ancients" of the venerable society I have mentioned, who may be able to trace the origin of the custom which gave me the privilege of sucking the oranges in question.
Q. D.
Was Queen Elizabeth dark or fair?
—In Vol. iii., p. 432. of "N. & Q." there is a quotation from the Gentleman's Magazine, 1791, in which Queen Elizabeth is mentioned as of a "swarthy complexion." I had always thought of her as fair. ”

“ BEN JONSON'S VERSES ON THE MARRIAGE OF THE EARL OF SOMERSET.
The British Museum purchased for 14l. the copy of the 1640 edition of Ben Jonson's Works, which was sold by Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson, in the library of the Honorable Archibald Fraser of Lovat. The volume, which had on its exterior covers the arms of Carr, Earl of Somerset, contains on one of them the following inscription:—"These verses were made by the author of this booke, and were delivered to the Earl of Somerset upon his Lordship's wedding-day." Then follow the verses in the poet's own handwriting. ”

“ Beltz has traced the anecdote related by Froissart of the especial admiration which King Edward III. conceived for a Countess of Salisbury; connected with which are some of the legendary stories of the origin of the Order of the Garter (see Memorials of the Garter, pp. 63. et seq.) . It would be a remarkable fact to ascertain that the object of the king's gallantry became afterwards even a nominal queen. ”

“ FACTS AND SPECULATIONS ON THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF PLAYING CARDS. By W. A. CHATTO, Author of "Jackson's History of Wood Engraving," in one handsome vol. 8vo. illustrated with many Engravings, both plain and coloured, cloth, 1l. 1s.
"It is exceedingly amusing."—Atlas.
"Curious, entertaining, and really learned book."—Rambler.
"Indeed the entire production deserves our warmest approbation."—Literary Gazette. ”

“ Stoke Newington.
"Asters with Trains of Fire," &c. (Vol. v., p. 154.) .
—MR. HICKSON's objections to this reading are twofold—matter of opinion, and matter of fact: of course, it is only with the latter that I may presume to interfere.
I beg to refer him to the precepts of Polonius to his son, no further than the third scene of the same play, amongst which he will find this line:
"Costly thy habit, as thy purse can buy." ”

“ When we remember the ill-drawn and gaudily coloured prints with which, until these few years, it was the fashion to illustrate all books intended for the use and amusement of young people, we cannot but be forcibly struck with the improvement which has taken place in this respect. These remarks have been suggested to us by a couple of children's books just issued by Messrs. ”

“ In the Bodleian Catalogue its authorship is attributed to Joshua Bassett, Master of Sidney College, Cambridge, of whom our biographical dictionaries are perfectly silent. Fortunately, Cole has preserved some notices of him in his MSS., vol. xx. p. 117. It appears that he was a Roman Catholic, and had mass publicly said in his college; but upon King James revoking the mandamuses in 1688, he left Cambridge and settled in London, where, says Cole, "he lived to be a very old man, and died in no very affluent circumstances, as we may well imagine." ”

“ If a thousand towns are examined, the same marks will be found at every passage entrance. The passage mark is a cypher with a twisted tail: in some cases the tail projects into the passage, in others outwardly; thus seeming to indicate whether the houses down the passage [211] are worth calling at or not. Almost every door has its marks: these are varied. In some cases there is a cross on the brick-work, others, a cypher: the figures 1, 2, 3 are also used. Every person may for himself test the accuracy of these statements by the examination of the brickwork near his own doorway ... ”

“ If the liver were the usual shape, and a blood-red colour, the omen was favourable; if pale or livid, it was an augury of defeat. The transition from the victim to the inquirer was easy, and a dastard leader, likely to sustain disgrace, was called "a man of a white liver."
RICHARD F. LITTLEDALE.
Dublin.
"Experto crede Roberto" (Vol. v., p. 104.) .
—Your correspondent W. L. may perhaps find the origin of the above phrase in the following epitaph copied from the floor of Exeter College Chapel, Oxford ”

“ Dr. G. mentions an account given formerly in the Journal des Sçavans, by M. Seignette, physician at Rochelle, of a woman of Saintonge who was at one birth delivered of nine well-formed children so far advanced that their sexes could be discovered.
In the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. lii. p. 376., is a curious legend of a woman giving birth to 365 children at once: all the males were baptised and named John, and all the females Elizabeth. The mother and 365 children died the same day. ”

“ Thus it is possible that Fitz-Warine was summoned, because he had married the countess and "queen;" and his son Ivo was not summoned, because he was the son of Amicia Haddon.
With regard to the titles of King or Queen of Man, they do not appear to be recognised by records, but merely by the chroniclers. Dugdale has quoted from the history of Thomas de la Marc, that William, Earl Of Salisbury, having in 16 Edw. III. (1342) conquered the Isle of Man (from the Scots) , the king gave him the inheritance, and crowned him king thereof ”

“ The line just quoted is found amongst a number of imperative precepts—the verb to be supplied is therefore the imperative of "to be"—
"Costly (let) thy habit (be) ," &c.
Similarly, the line to which MR. HICKSON takes exception is found amongst a number of described appearances—the verb, therefore, must be in accordance:
"Asters with trains of fire (appeared) ," &c.
Many better examples of this most common license might doubtless be adduced; but I always like to take the nearest at hand. ”

“ Simmons in the belief that this unhappy man was under the influence of this mental derangement; and, as a proof of the correctness of this opinion, he directed the attention of the court to a passage of the letter, in which Dr. Elliot states, 'that the light of the sun proceeds from a dense and universal aurora, which may afford ample light to the inhabitants of the surface (of the sun) beneath, and yet be at such a distance aloft as not to annoy them.' No objection, says he, ariseth to that great luminary being inhabited; vegetation may obtain there, as well as with us. ”

“ The quotation from Bosworth is doubtless correct. Blomfield, in his History of Norfolk, when describing Stoke-ferry, says:
"This town stands on the river Wissey, and in the Book of Domesday it is wrote 'Stoches;' not taking its name from stoch, (i.e.) some wood, but from stow, a dwelling or habitation, and ches, or kes, by the water."
There are two villages of the name of Stoke in Norfolk, and both are situate on small streams.
J. F. F.
West Newton.
A Baron's Hearse (Vol. v., p. 128.) . ”

“ Queries. THOMAS BASTARD, AND SONG AGAINST SHEEP-FARMING.
The twentieth epigram in the fourth book of Chrestoleros, by T. B. (poor Thomas Bastard) , printed 1598, is to the following effect:
"Sheepe have eate up our medows and our downes,
Our corne, our wood, whole villages and townes.
Yea, they have eate up many wealthy men,
Besides widowes, and orphane childeren:
Besides our statutes and our iron lawes,
Which they have swallowed down into their maws. ”