Minor Queries.
John Bunyan.—The following advertisement is copied from the Mercurius Reformatus of June 11, 1690, vol. ii. No. 27.:
"Mr. John Bunyan, Author of the Pilgrim's Progress, and many other excellent Books, that have found great Acceptance, hath left behind him Ten Manuscripts prepared by himself for the Press before his Death: His Widow is desired to print them (with some other of his Works, which have been already printed, but are at present not to be had), which will make together a Book of 10s. in sheets, in Fol. All persons who desire so great and good a Work should be performed with speed, are desired to send in 5s. for their first Payment to Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms in the Poultrey, London: Who is empower'd to give Receipts for the same."
Can any of your readers say whether such a publication as that which is here proposed ever took place: that is, a publication of "ten manuscripts," of which none had been previously printed?
S. R. Maitland.
Gloucester.
Tragedy by Mary Leapor.—In the second volume of Poems by Mary Leapor, 8vo., 1751, there is an unfinished tragedy, begun by the authoress a short time before her death. Can you give me the name of this drama (if it has any), and names of the dramatis personæ?
A. Z.
Repairing old Prints.—N. J. A. will feel thankful to any one who will give him directions for the cleaning and repairing of old prints, or refer him to any book where he can obtain such information. He wishes especially to learn how to detach them from old and worn-out mountings.
N. J. A.
Arch-priest in the Diocese of Exeter.—I am informed that there is, in the diocese of Exeter, a dignitary who is called the Arch-priest, and that he has the privilege of wearing lawn sleeves (that is of course, properly, of wearing a lawn alb), and also precedence in all cases next after the Bishop.
Can any of your Devonian readers give additional particulars of his office or his duties? They would be useful and interesting.
W. Fraser.
Tor-Mohun.
Medal in honour of the Chevalier de St. George.—It appears that Prince James (styled the Chevalier de St. George) served in several campaigns in the Low Countries under the Marquis de Torcy. On one occasion, when the hostile armies were encamped on the banks of the Scarpe, medals were struck, and distributed among the English, bearing, besides a bust of the prince, an inscription relating to his bravery on a former occasion. Are any of these now in existence? They would probably be met with in those families whose ancestors served under Marlborough.
A. S.
Robert Bloet.—Can you certify me whether it is received as an undoubted historical fact that "Robertus, comes Moritoniensis," William the Conqueror's uterine brother, was identical with Robert Bloet, afterwards Chancellor and Bishop of Lincoln?
J. Sansom.
Sir J. Wallace and Mr. Browne.—I inclose an extract from The English Chronicle or Universal Evening Post, February 6th to February 8th, 1783. Can any of your learned correspondents state the result of the fracas between Mr. Browne and Sir J. Wallace?
"Yesterday about one o'clock, Sir J——s W——e and Lieutenant B——e, accidentally meeting in Parliament Street, near the Admiralty Gate, Mr. B——e, the moment he saw Sir J——s, took a stick which a gentleman he was in company with held in his hand, and, after a few words passing, struck Sir J——s, and gave him a dreadful wound in the forehead; they closed, and Sir J——s, who had no weapon, made the best defence possible, but being a weaker man than his antagonist, was overpowered. Mr. B——e, at parting, told Sir J——s, if he had anything to say to him, he would be found at the Salopian Coffee House. An account of this transaction being communicated to Sir Sampson Wright, he sent Mr. Bond after Mr. B——e, who found him at the Admiralty, and delivered the magistrate's compliments, at the same time requesting to see him in Bow Street. Mr. B——e promised to wait upon Sir Sampson, but afterwards finding that no warrant had issued, did not think it incumbent on him to comply, and so went about his avocations.
"Sir J——s's situation after the fracas very much excited the compassion of the populace; they beheld that veteran bleeding on the streets, who had so often gloriously fought the battles of his country! The above account is as accurate as we could learn; but should there be any trivial misstatement, we shall be happy in correcting it, through the means of any of our readers who were present on the spot.
"Sir James Wallace has not only given signal proofs of his bravery as a naval officer, but particularly in a duel with another marine officer, Mr. Perkins, whom he fought at Cape François; each taking hold of the end of a handkerchief, fired, and although the balls went through both their bodies, neither of the wounds proved mortal! The friars at Cape François, with great humanity, took charge of them till they were cured of their wounds."
J. Locke.
Dublin.
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.—I should be glad if any of your correspondents would refer me to any authentic account of the death of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth's favourite. He is said by some to have been accidentally poisoned by his wife; by others purposely, by some of his adherents. This affair, though clouded in mystery, appears not to have been particularly inquired into. Likewise let me ask, on what authority is Stanfield Hall, Norfolk (the scene of a recent tragedy), described as the birthplace of Amy Robsart, the unfortunate first wife of this same nobleman?
A. S.
Abbott Families.—Samuel Abbott, of Sudbury, in the county of Suffolk, gentleman, lived about 1670. Can any of your genealogical contributors inform me if he was in any way connected with the family of Archbishop Abbott, or otherwise elucidate his parentage? It may probably be interesting to persons of the same name to be acquainted that the pears worn by many of the Abbot family are merely a corruption of the ancient inkhorns of the Abbots of Northamptonshire, and impaled in Netherheyford churchyard, same county, on the tomb of Sir Walt. Mauntele, knight, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Abbot, Esq., 1487, viz. a chev. between three inkhorns. The resemblance between pears and inkhorns doubtless occasioned the error. I believe the ancient bottles of Harebottle were similarly corrupted into icicles.
J. T. Abbott.
Darlington.
Authorship of a Ballad.—In the Manchester Guardian of Jan. 7, the author of a stanza, written on the execution of Thos. Syddale, is desired; as also the remainder of the ballad. From what quarter is either of these more likely to be obtained than from "N. & Q.?"
P. J. F. Gantillon.
Elias Petley.—What is known of the life or works of Elias Petley, priest, who dedicated to Archbishop Laud his translation of the English Liturgy into Greek. The book was published at the press of Thomas Cotes, for Richard Whitaker, at the King's Arms, St. Paul's churchyard, in 1638. Is it remarkable for rarity or merit?
J. O. B.
Wicken.
Canaletto's Views round London.—Antonio Canaletto, the painter of Venice, the destruction of one of whose most powerful works has been of late the subject of so much agitation, was here amongst us in this city one hundred years since; as seen by his proposal in one of the journals of 1752:
"Signior Canaletto gives notice that he has painted Chelsea College, Ranelagh House, and the River Thames; which, if any gentleman, or others, are pleased to favour him with seeing the same, he will attend at his lodgings at Mr. Viggans, in Silver Street, Golden Square, from fifteen days from this day, July 31, from 8 to 1, and from 3 to 6 at night, each day."
Here is that able artist's offer in his own terms, if, not his own words.
I have to inquire, are these pictures left here to the knowledge of your readers? did he, in short, find buyers as well as admirers? or, if not, did he return to Venice with those (no doubt) vividly pictured recollections of our localities under his arm?
Gondola.
A Monster found at Maidstone.—In Kilburne's Survey of Kent, 4to. 1659, under "Maidstone," is the following passage:
"Wat Tiler, that idol of clownes, and famous rebell in the time of King Richard the Second, was of this town; and in the year 1206 about this town was a monster found stricken with lightning, with a head like an asse, a belly like a man, and all other parts far different from any known creature, but not approachable nigh unto, by reason of the stench thereof."
No mention of this is made by Lambarde in his Perambulation of Kent. Has this been traditional, or whence is Kilburne's authority? And what explanation can be offered of the account?
H. W. D.
Page.—What is the derivation of this word? In the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, edited by Dr. W. Smith, 1st edit., p. 679., it is said to be from the Greek παιδαγωγὸς, pædagogus. But in an edition of Tacitus, with notes by Boxhorn (Amsterdam, 1662), it is curiously identified with the word boy, and traced to an eastern source thus:—Persian, bagoa; Polish, pokoigo; Old German, Pagie, Bagh, Bai; then the Welsh, bachgen; French, page; English, boy; and Greek, παῖς.
Some of your correspondents may be able to inform me which is correct.
B. H. C.