NINE QUERIES.
1. Book-plate.—Whose was the book-plate with the following device:—An eagle or vulture feeding with a snake another bird nearly as large as herself; a landscape, with the sea, &c. in the distance: very meanly engraved, in an oval, compassed with the motto, "Pietas homini tutissima virtus"?
2. Addison's Books.—I have two or three volumes, bound apparently at the beginning of the last century, with a stamp on the cover, consisting of J.A., in a cursive character, within a small circle. Was this the book-stamp of Joseph Addison?
3. Viridis Vallis.—Where was the monastery of "Viridis Vallis," and what is its vernacular name?
4. Cosmopoli.—Has Cosmopoli been ever appropriated to any known locality? Archdeacon Cotton mentions it among the pseudonymes in his Typographical Gazetteer. The work whose real locality I wish to ascertain is, Sandii Paradox. iv. Evang. 1670. 1 vol. 8vo.
5. Seriopoli.—The same information is wanting respecting "Seriopoli; apud Entrapelios Impensis Catonis Uticensis:" which occurs in the title-page of "Seria de Jocis," one of the tracts connected with the Bollandist controversy.
6. Early Edition of the Vulgate.—Where is there any critical notice of a very beautiful edition of the Vultage, small 4to., entitled "Sacra Biblia, cum studiis ac diligentia emendata;" in the colophon, "Venetiis, apud Jolitos, 1588"? The preface is by "Johannes Jolitus de Ferrarüs." The book is full of curious wood-cuts. This is not the book mentioned in Masch's Le Long (part ii, p. 229), though that was also printed by the Gioliti in 1588; as the title of the latter book is "Biblia ad vetustissima Exemplaria castigata," and the preface is by Hentenius.
7. Identity of Anonymous Annotators.—Can any of the correspondents of "NOTES AND QUERIES" point out to a literary Backwoodsman, like myself, any royal road towards assigning to the proper authors the handwriting of anonymous annotations in fly-leaves and margins? I have many of these, which I should be glad to ascertain.
8. Complutensian Polyglot.—In what review or periodical did there appear, some time ago, a notice of the supposed discovery (or of conjectures as to the existence) of the MSS. from which the "Complutensian Polyglot" was compiled, involving, of course, the repudiation of the common story of the rocket maker of Alcala? Has any further light been thrown on this subject?
9. Blunder in Malone's Shakspeare.—Has any notice been taken of the following odd blunder in Malone's Shakspeare, Dublin ed. 1794?
In vol. ii. p. 138, the editor, speaking of John Shakspeare's will (the father of William), says "This extraordinary will consisted of fourteen articles, but the first leaf being unluckily wanting, I am unable to ascertain either its date, or the particular occasion on which it was written." He then gives a copy of the will, beginning at the third article, in the middle of a sentence, thus: "... at least spiritually." Now, in the first vol. p. 154. is a document, professing to be William Shakspeare's will. But of this the first three paragraphs belong to John Shakspeare's will, his name being mentioned in each: and the third concludes with the words "at least spiritually." The fourth paragraph, to the end, belongs to William Shakspeare's will, as given in Johnson and Stevens's editions. This is a palpable instance of editorial carelessness: Mr. Malone had mixed the two documents, mislaid the first portion of the transcript of William Shakspeare's will, and then neglected to examine the postscript, or he must have found out his mistake.
Was this error acknowledged or corrected in any subsequent edition?
JOHN JEBB.