Replies to Minor Queries.

Turkish Language (Vol. ix., p. 352.).—Your correspondent Hassan, who would much gratify our friends the Turks if he would spell his signature with one s only, will find the object of his inquiry in a little book just published by Clowes, Military Publisher, Charing Cross, Turkish and English Words and Phrases, for the Use of the British Army and Navy in the East, price 1s. The pronunciation is given in the Roman character, and according to the plainest English rules.

Osmanli.

Dr. Edward Daniel Clarke's Charts of the Black Sea (Vol. ix., p. 132.).—A reply respecting these important Charts, and their value, was given by the First Lord of the Admiralty in the House of Commons on March 6, in consequence of an inquiry made by Mr. French. Sir James Graham

is stated by The Times of the following day to have said on that occasion:

"The Charts alluded to by the hon. gentleman were most valuable, and had been made use of; but subsequent observations, and farther surveys, had in a great measure superseded them at the present time."

Ellum.

Aristotle on living Law (Vol. ix., p. 373).—Your correspondent H. P. asks where Aristotle says that a judge is a living law, as the law itself is a dumb judge. The first part of this antithesis is in Eth. Nic., v. 4. § 7.:

"Ὁ γὰρ δικαστὴς βούλεται εἶναι οἷον δίκαιον ἔμψυχον."

"The judge wishes to be justice incarnate."

Your correspondent, however, probably had in his mind the passage of Cicero, de Leg., iii. 1.:

"Videtis igitur, magistratûs hanc esse vim, ut præsit, præscribatque recte et utilia et conjuncta cum legibus;—vereque dici, magistratum legem esse loquentem, legem autem mutum magistratum."

The commentators compare an antithetical sentence attributed to Simonides,—that a picture is a silent poem, and that a poem is a speaking picture.

Christ's or Cris Cross Row (Vol. viii., p. 18.).—The Alphabet. See The Romish Beehive, 319.:

"In Bacon's Reliques of Rome, p. 257., describing the hallowing of churches, among other ceremonies is the following: 'There must be made in the pavement of the church a crosse of ashes and sand wherein the whole Alphabet, or Christ's Crosse, shall be written in Greek and Latin letters.'

"Sir Thos. More, in his Works, p. 606. H, says, 'Crosse Rowe was printed on cards for learners.' I first went to school at a dame's, and had a Horn-Book (as it was called), in which was the Alphabet in a form something like that here given, and the dame called me and other beginners to learn our 'Cris Cross Row;' at that time the term was used, that is, about seventy years since."

Goddard Johnson.

Titles to the Psalms in the Syriac Version.—Mr. T. J. Buckton (Vol. ix., p. 242.) observes, in reference to the superscription

למנצח בנגינת

‎, "For the chief performer on the neginoth," that "the Syriac and Arabic versions omit this superscription altogether, from ignorance of the musical sense of the words." And lower down he speaks as if

נחילות

‎ were expressed in the Syriac by the word "church." I do not question the accuracy of Mr. B.'s renderings of the Hebrew words, for they have been admitted for centuries; but I wish to observe that the translator of the Syriac should not be lightly charged with ignorance of Hebrew, as I can testify from an extensive acquaintance with that venerable version. I therefore cannot allow that the words were omitted by the translator for that reason. Besides, whenever he found a word untranslateable, he transferred it as it was. Nor do I admit that nehiloth, in Psalm v., is translated by the term "church." And this leads me to remark, what seems to have been overlooked by most writers, viz. that the Syriac version omits uniformly the titles of the Psalms as they are found in Hebrew[^[9]]. The inscriptions contained in the common editions of these Psalms form no part of the translation. One of them refers to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus! They are not always the same. I am acquainted with at least three different sets of these headings contained in the Syriac MSS. in the British Museum. Erpenius omitted them altogether in his edition of the Psalter, and Dathe's follows his; for which very substantial reasons are given by him in the "Præf. ad Lect." of his Psalterium Syriacum, pp. 36, 37., Halæ, 1768.

B. H. C.

Footnote 9:[(return)]

Except the words "of David:" I am not sure about these.

"Old Rowley" (Vol. ix., p. 235.).—The nickname of "Old Rowley," as applied to Charles II., seems to be derived from Roland, and has reference to the proverbial saying, "A Roland for an Oliver;" the former name being given to Charles, in contradistinction to the Protector's name of Oliver. Roland and Oliver were two celebrated horses, or, as some say, two pages of Charlemagne possessing equal qualities and hence, "I'll give you a Roland for your Oliver" was tantamount to "I'll give you as good as you send."[^[10]]

N. L. J.

Footnote 10:[(return)]

[See "N. & Q.," Vol. ii., p. 132.]

Wooden Effigies (Vol.ix., p. 17.).—I beg to refer your readers to two figures which are in excellent preservation, and I am not aware that they have ever obtained public notice. In the church at Boxted, near Sudbury, Suffolk, which is the burial-place of the ancient family of Poley of Boxted Hall, are, with several other interesting monuments, the effigies of William Poley and Alice Shaa, his wife.

He is in armour, with a beard, and the lady in the dress of her day, with a long pendant from her girdle, having suspended a small thick book and the arms of Poley impaling Shaa on the cover. At her feet a greyhound to fill up the space, in consequence of the lady being short, and their heads on the same line. There is an inscription in relief on the cushion on which the lady rests her head, which states that he died 17th December, 1587, and the lady March 7,

1579. The figures rest on a tomb of masonry, and fill the recess of a window, with iron railing to protect them. Their are painted black, so that the nature of the wood is not apparent.

Alice Shaa was the only daughter and heiress of her father, and the eldest son of this William and Alice was Sir John Poley, Knt. (See Morant's Essex, vol. i. pp. 151. 217. &c.)

R. A.

Melford.

Abbott Families (Vol. ix., pp. 105. &c.).—Mr. Adams having very satisfactorily afforded the required information concerning Samuel Abbott, I shall still feel very greatly obliged if any other gentleman can throw any light upon the Archbishop's descendants, especially Sir Maurice's sons and their issue. I have in my possession an old will of an ancestress, sealed with the crest of Bartholomew Barnes, of London, merchant, whose daughter was second wife and mother to Sir Maurice's children, viz., Bartholomew, George, Edward, and Maurice. Did any of them leave a son called James, born about 1690 or 1700?

I. T. Abbott.

Darlington.