Minor Queries.
Gregentius and the Jews in Arabia Felix.—
I had also had my place at that "We have a remarkable instance to this purpose in ecclesiastical history, which is attested by many and great authors. It seems, about 400 years after our Saviour's ascension, one Gregentius, a bishop, endeavoured the conversion of those Jews which lived in Arabia Felix. After a tedious disputation of three days' continuance some of the Jews desired the bishop to show them Jesus alive, and it would convince them. Immediately upon this the earth began to tremble, and the sky to shine and echo with lightnings and thunder. After these ceased, the gates of the celestial palace opened, and a bright serene cloud appeared, darting forth beams of an extraordinary lustre. At last our blessed Saviour showed himself walking on this bright cloud, and a voice was heard from this excellent glory saying, 'I am He who was crucified by your fathers.' This glorious appearance cast all the Jews prostrate on the ground, and, beating their breasts, they cried with a loud voice, 'Lord have mercy on us!' and afterwards were baptised into the faith of Christ."—Sermons by John March, B.D., late Vicar of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 2nd ed. 1699, p. 235.
Who are the "many and great authors" who have attested this extraordinary apparition?
E. H. A.
King Street Theatre.
—Among a large collection of medallic tickets of admission to theatres, I am unable to fix the precise attribution of the following:
Ob.: A group of dramatic emblems, mask, sword, mirror, scourge, and a legend:
"Spectas et tu spectabere. King Street Theatre."
Rev.:
"Admit Mr. Cooper, or bearer, to any part of the house before the curtain."
The ticket is of silver, and is evidently of the time of Garrick; it cannot therefore apply to the theatre in King Street, St. James's, which is of recent erection; nor am I aware of any other King Street in London which contained a theatre. Its situation will most probably be found in some provincial town.
If any of your obliging correspondents could furnish information as to its locality, they would confer a favour on the writer.
B. N.
Lesteras and Emencin.
—In an old MS. I meet with the following words:—
"One (a pillar) was made of Lefteras (I do not know whether the third letter is an s or an f in the original) which would not burn."
"After they came to the land of Emencin, which is the country of Jerusalem."
Can any of your readers give me any information as to either of the words Lesteras or Emencin?
O. OGLE.
Oxford.
Epigram on Franklin and Wedderburn.
—Will any of your correspondents acquaint me with the name of the author of the following lines, written shortly after Dr. Franklin's attendance at the Privy Council in January, 1774, in allusion to Wedderburn's severe remarks upon him?—
"Sarcastic Sawney, full of spite and hate,
On modest Franklin poured his venal prate;
The calm philosopher without reply
Withdrew—and gave his country liberty."
The lines were repeated to me by the late Francis Maseres, Esq., Cursitor Baron of the Court of Exchequer.
W. S.
Richmond, Surrey.
Plenius and his Lyrichord.
—May I hope to ascertain, through the medium of your journal, where to look for information on the subject of the "lyrichord of Plenius," referred to in Rees' Encyclopædia, art. "Basse Fondamentale," as having been "tuned by weights instead of tension?" The point left in doubt by this, is whether a single weight was substituted for tension, or whether the different notes in the musical scale were produced by altering the weight according to the rules for that purpose.
Was Plenius an ancient, a Middle-Age man, or was he Herr Plen, who latinized his name, as was the fashion a century or two ago?
T.
Epigram on Burnet.
—A friend of mine across the Atlantic wishes to ask, whether any one knows where the following epigram, which he remembers in MS. in an old folio copy of Burnet's History, comes from:—
"If Heaven is pleas'd when sinners cease to sin,
If Hell is pleas'd when sinners enter in,
If men are pleas'd at parting with a knave,
Then all are pleas'd—for Burnet's in his grave."
C. B.
Dutch Chronicle of the World.
—Will any of your readers oblige me with information respecting a Dutch work, professing to be an historical chronicle of the world from the creation to the time in which it was printed, which was in the days of Merian, the celebrated engraver, father to the naturalist Madame Merian, who was also an artist of some repute. The work I allude to was illustrated by numerous spirited engravings (supposed to have been executed on pewter), and of which I possess several hundred, which had been cut out of the letter-press which surrounded the prints, and bought at a stall in London many years back. I question whether there is a copy of the work to be found in England, except it be in the British Museum.
JOHN FENTON.
"Arborei fœtus alibi, atque injussa virescunt Gramina" (Virgil G. I. 55.).
—Amongst my school reminiscences, I retain very distinctly the remembrance of the surprise we felt in the sixth form, when we were desired by our revered and excellent master to construe the above words as follows:
"'Arborei fœtus,' flourish unbidden in one situation, grass in another."
Or, more literally:
"'Arborei fœtus,' flourish unbidden in situations different from those in which grass (flourishes unbidden)."
I well remember too, that some of us, while we admired the ingenuity, ventured to doubt the correctness of the translation. Will some of your learned correspondents kindly favour me with their opinions?
W. S.
History of Brittany.
—I shall feel obliged to any one who can refer me to a good history or histories of Brittany; more especially to those which relate to the genealogies and heraldry of the Breton families, or which contain pedigrees.
T. H. KERSLEY, B.A.
Serjeants' Rings.
—T. P. would be obliged to any of your antiquarian readers who could inform him, through the medium of your paper, whether the custom of serjeants-at-law presenting rings with mottoes, on taking the coif, prevailed so long back as A.D. 1670-80, and, if so, whether there are any records, or other sources, from which he could ascertain the motto used by an individual who was admitted to that degree about that period?
The Duchess of Cleveland's Cow-pox.
—In Baron's Life of Jenner, Vol. i. p. 123., there occurs the following note, extracted from one of Dr. Jenner's note-books of 1799:
"I know of no direct allusion to the disease in any ancient author, yet the following seems not very distantly to bear upon it. When the Duchess of Cleveland was taunted by her companions, Moll Davis (Lady Mary Davis) and others, that she might soon have to deplore the loss of that beauty which was then her boast, the small-pox at that time raging in London, she made a reply to this effect,—that she had no fear about the matter, for she had had a disorder which would prevent her from ever catching the small-pox. This was lately communicated by a gentleman in this county, but unfortunately he could not recollect from what author he gained his intelligence."
Can any reader of "N. & Q." supply this missing authority for a fact which is very important in the history of medicine—if true?
ONETWOTHREE.
Arms of Manchester.
—What are the arms of Manchester? and are they of ancient usage? or only assigned to the town since its incorporation? and if the latter, whence did the bearings originate?
H. H. H. V.
Heraldical MSS. of Sir Henry St. George Garter.
—What has become of these valuable MSS.? and if the place of their deposit is known, can access be obtained to them for literary purposes? They were, as Noble relates, originally sold into the Egmont family, and descended to John James, the third Earl; but some time after his death, about the year 1831, all the personal property of the family was disposed of; the effects at Enmore Castle were sold by auction on the spot; and the writer of this well remembers seeing the old family pictures preparing for the same fate in a sales-room in Conduit Street, he thinks of Mr. Abbots. Mr. Braithwaite, of Great Russell Street, was the auctioneer employed at Enmore, and an inquiry was made of him at the time relative to these MSS., and the answer was, that they also were destined to the hammer. A catalogue also was promised whenever it should come out. The writer was subsequently informed that the MSS. were withdrawn, and he could never learn what became of them.
M——N.