Minor Queries Answered.
Merry Wakefield.
—Whence arose the Yorkshire proverb "Merry Wakefield?" Fuller mentions it in his Worthies; but does not give, or guess at, its derivation.
R. W. ELLIOT.
[What peculiar cause of mirth the town of Wakefield hath above others, Fuller certainly confesses he cannot tell, unless that it may be entitled to that epithet from its cheapness, and the plenty of good cheer. Grose, however, adds, "Might it not be mirrie, that is, faithful Wakefield? and allude to some event in the disputes between the houses of York and Lancaster. Mirrie-men is a term that frequently occurs in old ballads, signifying true or faithful men." While again it has been suggested that it derives this complimentary epithet from the reputation of that
"Merry man the Pindar of the town
Of Wakefield, George a Green, whose fames so far are blown;
for Braithwaite, in his Strappado for the Divell, applies it to both of them, when he speaks of
'Merry Wakefield and her Pindar too.'">[
The two Kings of Brentford.
—Occasionally when there is an expression of ultra-friendship on the part of two persons who were before supposed, their profession to the contrary notwithstanding, to hate each other right heartily, the following comparison is elicited from the bystanders: "They are like the two kings of Brentford smelling at one nosegay." I have sought for the meaning of this profound remark from many denizens of that ancient locality, but hitherto without success; it being, somewhat like the mud of Brentford, impenetrable.
Presuming that the remark, like most popular sayings, bears reference to some foregone fact or event, I shall feel obliged by some one of your contributors stating to what the adage refers, and what it is meant to imply. Does it bear any relation to the fact that the two members for Middlesex are nominated at Brentford? And is the comparison quoted from any and what work?
E. J. HYTCHE.
[The saying owes its rise to the celebrated farce of The Rehearsal, written by Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, with the assistance of Butler, Spratt, and others, in order to correct the public taste by holding up the rhyming tragedies to ridicule. It is said that no less than ten years were employed in collecting and polishing the materials. The original hero was Davenant, satirized under the name of Bilboa; but Dryden eventually became its Bayes. The allusion referred to by our correspondent is to Act II. Sc. 2., where the stage direction is, "Enter the two Kings, hand in hand,"—where they probably did so—"smelling at one nosegay," although no such direction occurs; or to Act V. Sc. 1., "The two right Kings of Brentford descend, in the clouds, singing, in white garments; and three Fidlers sitting before them in green.">[
Meaning of V. D. M.
—In the church of old St. Chads, Shrewsbury, there is a tablet to a celebrated Nonconformist minister, Rev. Job Orton, after whose name (which is twice mentioned) occurs the (to me) uncommon suffix or designation V.D.M written thus—Rev. Job Orton, V.D.M. "Vir dignus memoriæ," or "Veri Dei minister," &c., &c., may be suggested. All I want to know is, whether it represents any recognised formula.
G. R. M.
[This suffix is Verbi Dei Minister, Minister of the Word of God.]