Minor Queries.

Portrait of William Combe.—Lonsdale the portrait painter, in a letter dated January, 1826, addressed to a friend of Combe whilst living, says:

"I shall be much obliged if you will have the goodness to cause my picture of the late Mr. Combe to be sent to me. Mr. C. borrowed the picture of me to show to some friend, and kept it till his death."

Can any of the readers of "N. & Q." inform me in whose possession the portrait now is, and whether any engraving of Combe's portrait from that or any other picture is now to be obtained?

E. T.

"Quod non fecerunt barbari," &c.—Who is the author of the epigram—

"Quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barbarini,"

which commemorates the destruction of the Coliseum at Rome, both by the barbarians who overran Italy about the middle of the fifth century, and, at a later period, by certain Popes of the family of the Barberini?

Henry H. Breen.

St. Lucia.

Lines on English History (Vol. iii., p. 168.; Vol. v., p. 405.).—I shall be extremely obliged to Mr. Edward Charlton to procure me, if he can, a copy of the above lines, and forward them, through Mr. Bell, to

An English Mother.

[We should also be most glad to receive from any correspondent who can supply it, the Metrical and Logical History, asked for by our lamented correspondent Mæris, which commences—

"William and William, and Henry and Stephen,

And Henry the Second to make the First even."

Ed.]

Windows.—It has been said that the dates of many houses may be ascertained by a comparison of the regulations of the window-tax with the windows. The tax occasioned a marked change of style by diminishing the number of windows. Then ingenuity was exerted to effect evasions by bays, bows, and double or treble windows. These again were successively met by alterations in the law. Could any one be induced to let in some light upon the subject by examining the acts of parliament, and illustrating the result by reference to examples in London houses?

C. T.

Angel-beast; Cleek; Longtriloo.—Can you, or any of your readers, inform me what was the nature of the game at cards called Angel-beast, which was in vogue in the seventeenth century? Also, the game of Cleek; can it be a misprint of "Check?" Also, Longtriloo; is this an abbreviation of "Long three card loo?"

R. B.

Royal Arms in Churches.—What is the origin of the common practice of putting up the royal arms in churches?

E. M.

Oxford.

"Cease, rude Boreas."—Can any of your correspondents tell me why the song, "Cease, rude Boreas," has been occasionally attributed to Falconer. I remember seeing this song appended to an old edition of the Shipwreck, with a prefatory remark stating that G. A. Stevens could not have written it, as the moral of the verses was of too high an order for him. Occasionally the last stanza is omitted, on account of the sentiment being somewhat questionable; though it cannot be denied that the feelings there expressed are exactly those of a sailor. In a few copies another stanza of a very different tendency is inserted in its place; and at times I have seen the commencement of the third stanza altered thus:

"Now all you at home in safety,

Shelter'd from the howling storm,

Tasting joys by heaven vouchsaf'd ye,

Of our state vain notions form."

I should wish to obtain some information regarding the authors of these alterations, and when they first took place.

Βορέας.

Pictorial Proverbs.—I have now lying open before me a small 12mo. book (binding modern) containing sixty-seven old prints (averaging in size 5¾ by 3¾ inch), but wanting a title-page. The subjects appear to be in the shape of pictorial proverbs; they are evidently very old, the distich before each plate is in Latin, which is again written in old German. The views in each background are places generally in Germany, and the names are written on the plate itself. In one only plate I discover the name "M. Merian, fe" (Qy. Matts. Merian, or his daughter, of Frankfort?); and in some few others the following mark, "

." All the plates seem done by the same person.

If you can enlighten me as to the authorship of them, I shall feel much obliged.

H. S. S.

Inscription on George Inn, Wansted.—Will you kindly give me information respecting the origin of the following inscription, which is affixed to the side of the George Inn at Wansted?—

"In memory of y^e cherry pey,

As cost half a guiney.

y^e 17 of July,

That day we had good cheer,

I hope to see it maney a year.

1752.David Jersey."

W. H. B.

Learned Man referred to by Rogers.—Rogers, in his work on the Thirty-nine Articles, published 1607, writes as follows:—

"A certain learned man (speaking of the religion here then professed, and writing unto the lords of our late queen's council) doth say 'He' (meaning the papist his adversary, who charged our church with discord, and disagreements about matters of religion), 'he ought' (saith he) 'if he had been able, to have brought out the public confession and articles of faith, agreed in K. Edward's time; and have showed any in England, that, professing the gospel, dissenteth from the same.'"

I shall be much obliged to any of the readers of "N. & Q." who can inform me who was this "certain learned man."

C. C. C. C.

Corp. Chr. Coll., Camb.

Mormonism and Spalding's Romance.—The extraordinary spread of Mormonism seems to stamp it as likely to prove a kind of second Mahometanism in the world's history. Under these circumstances the origin of the Book of Mormon is of course a literary curiosity. In a clever pamphlet entitled Mormonism Exposed, by John Bowes (E. Ward, 54. Paternoster Row, London), at pp. 30, 31. an account of the history of the book of Mormon is given. Mr. Bowes quotes from Mormonism Unveiled, by E. D. Hoare, to the effect that a Mr. "John Spalding" affirms that his (now deceased) brother "Solomon Spalding" had written "an historical romance of the first settlers in America, endeavoring to show that the American Indians are the descendants of Jews, or the lost tribes. It gave a detailed account of their journey from Jerusalem, by land and sea, till they arrived in America, under the command of Nephi and Lehi; he also mentions the Lamanites." Mr. J. Spalding, it is said, on reading the Book of Mormon, "to his great surprise," found "nearly the same historical matter, names, &c., as they were in his brother's writings;" and further says "according to the best of my recollection and belief, it is the same as my brother Solomon wrote, with the exception of the religious matter." The latter is obviously taken from the Bible, with alterations and additions ad libitum.

Can any of your readers tell whether this romance of Solomon Spalding's was ever published; or whether it is still in existence, and accessible for reference, &c.?

C. H. D.

Carrs or Calves.—In 1 Esdras v. 55. there occurs the word carrs. This is found in all copies of the Bible to which I have access, except one edited in the last century by a Mr. Butley, of Ch. Ch. Oxon, where calves is read, and a note given from Josephus apparently in support of it. I should be glad to know whether there is any authority in the original for this alteration.

Eryx.

Stoup.—There is a holy-water stoup, in good preservation, on the exterior of the north wall (by the nave door) of the church of Houghton-le-Spring, Durham. What other examples are there of exterior stoups? Their usual situation was within either the porch or the church.

Cuthbert Bede.

Casper Ziegler and the Diaconate.—There is a book in Latin with the following title:—Casparis Ziegleri de Diaconis et Diaconissis Veteris Ecclesiæ Liber Commentarius. Wittebergæ: Sumptibus Hæredum Jobi Wilhelmi Fingelii. Anno 1678.

What copies of this book are known to be extant? Would a translation of the whole, or selected parts, be useful at the present time, when attention is being called to the subject?

What particulars are known about the life, religion, &c. of the author? At the foot of the frontispiece are the following lines:—

"Omnis in hoc vultu vasti compendia juris,

Cæsarii, sacri, Saxonicique vides.

Non Divæ unius tam multum crede laborem,

Cujus vix umbram pingere possit homo."

Can any one give me the meaning of the last two lines? or information as to what other authors have treated on the subject of the Diaconate?

W. H.

Inscription at Persepolis.—The following curious inscription I some years ago made a note of by copying it, but neglected to mark whence I obtained it. My extract stands thus—

Arabic Inscription.

dicas	scis	dicit	scit	audit	expedit
facias	potes	facit	potest	facit	credit
credas	audis	credit	audit	credit	fieri potest
expendas	habes	expendit	habet	petit	habet
judices	vides	judicat	videt	judicat	est
non	quodamque	nam qui	quodcunque	sæpe	quod non

It is said this was found by Captain Barth, engraven on marble, among the ruins of Persepolis, and by him translated from the Arabic into Latin and English.

Query, What does it all mean?

Thomas Lawrence.

Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

"I do not know what the truth may be."—Will some one tell me whence the lines—

"I do not know how the truth may be;

I tell the tale as told to me"?

W. T. M.

Hong Kong.

Twittens.—Are not the narrow passages in Brighton so called? and what is the meaning?

A. C.

Clapper Gate.—Steps, with a gate above, into Bushy Park are so called; what is the meaning?

A. C.

Jemmy.—When and why was sheep's head baptized with the name "Jemmy?" Does it apply to the entire sheep, or to the head only? I have heard of a "James's head" as a refinement of "Jemmy's head," which would make it seem as though the sheep was the "Jemmy."

Shirley Hibberd.

Muffs worn by Gentlemen.—Whilst looking over Hogarth's works, I observed in two plates a

male figure wearing a muff; in the "Rake's Progress," pl. 4., and in the "Woman Swearing a Child." How long, and within what limits, did this fashion flourish?

W. Sparrow Simpson, B.A.