Minor Queries Answered.
Prestwich's Respublica.
—I have a copy of a work called Prestwich's Respublica, or a Display of the Honours, Ceremonies, and Ensign of the Commonwealth, 1787; in which is an Alphabetical Roll of the Names and Armorial Bearings of many of the Present Nobility of these Kingdoms. The volume concludes with John Aspinhall, and a note states that the remainder of the roll should be given in the second volume. Has the second volume ever been published, as I cannot ascertain that it has? If so, how many years after the first?
G. P. P.
[It was the intention of Sir John Prestwich to continue this work, but not having received the encouragement he expected, and suffering also from ill health, the second volume was not published. See Nichols' Literary Anecdotes, vol. ix. p. 23.]
Instance of Longevity.—
"In the obituary register for the ancient parish of St. Leonard, Shoreditch, is to be found the following very singular entry, viz.: 'Thomas Cam, died on the 28th of January, 1588, at the astonishing age of 207 years. He was born in the year 1381, in the reign of King Richard II., and lived in the reigns of twelve kings and queens.'"—Times, Dec.—1848?
Can this be authenticated; is there any truth in the story? Surely so venerable a patriarch must have attracted the notice of some of his cotemporaries. Your correspondent O. C. D. will, I fear, place this "instance" in the category of "ante-register longevities."
W. R. DEERE SALMON.
[At the time the above paragraph was going the round of the papers, a friend consulted the parish clerk of St. Leonard, Shoreditch, respecting its authenticity, and was informed that some mischievous individual had altered the figure 1 into 2. It is correctly given by Sir Henry Ellis in his History of Shoreditch, p. 77., as follows:—"Thomas Cam, aged 107, 28 January, 1588.">[
Solidus Gallicus, &c.
—Will any of your correspondents kindly construe for me the following sentences?
"Valebat siclus sanctuarii tetradrachma Atticum: quod Budaeus estimat 14 solidis Gallicis, aut circiter: nam didrachma septim facit solidos, sicuti drachma simplex duos, et sesquialterum, minus denario turonico."
What was the value of "solidus Gallicus," or French sol, or sous; for this I presume to be its meaning in 1573, the date of the passage? And what was the value of the "denier Tournois," if that be the meaning of "denarium Turonicum?"
References are useless, for I have no access to libraries.
C. W. B.
[A numismatic friend, to whom we referred this Query, writes, "If it were not for the context, 'nam didrachma septim facit solidos,' I should suppose the 14 to be a misprint for 4. Where could this passage be taken from? The shekel was worth a tetradrachm. The French 'sol' was the twentieth part of a pound. The 'denier Tournois' was a penny. The whole passage, after the first line (which is plain enough), is to me unintelligible.">[
Sept.
—What is the etymology, and what the correct use, of this Anglo-Irish word?
A. N.
[Dr. Ogilvie, in his Imperial Dictionary, has suggested the following derivation: "Qy. sapia, in the L. prosapia; or Heb. shabet, a clan, race, or family, proceeding from a common progenitor.">[
Essay towards Catholic Communion (Vol. v., p. 198.).
—An Essay to procure Catholic Communion on Catholic Principles, alluded to by J. Y., has just been republished by Darling, Gt. Queen Street. It is taken from Deacon's Complete Collection of Devotions, 1734, and the editors attribute its authorship to Dr. Brett, on the authority of Peter Hall's Fragmenta Liturgica, vol. i. p. 42.
If J. Y. has not seen the reprint, perhaps this note may assist him in his inquiry.
R. J. S.
[The above is not the same work as the one referred to in J. Y.'s Query, which makes a 12mo. volume of 292 pages (edit. 1781); whereas the reprint published by Darling is a tract of 16 pages. There is also a slight difference in the title-pages of each.]
Bigot.
—What is the derivation of bigot?
C. M. I.
[Richardson suggests the following:—"The French at this day apply the word bigot to one superstitiously religious; not certainly from the oath be-got, as Menage thinks, but rather from the A.-S. bigan, colere; and hence also begine, a religious woman. (Wachter in v. Bein-Gott.)"
Cotgrave says, "Bigot, an old Norman word (signifying as much as 'de par Dieu,' or our 'for God's sake') made good French, and signifying an hypocrite, or one that seemeth much more holy than he is: also, a scrupulous, or superstitious fellow."
Speight says, "Begin, bigot, superstitious, hypocrite." Upon which Thynne remarks, "whiche sence I knowe yt maye somewhat beare, because yt sauorethe of the dispositione of those Begins or Beguines, for that ys the true wrytinge.">[