“1698, April 10. Buried Tamar, wife of Richard Robinson, of Fell-foot.”—Cartmel.
As for Dinah, she became a great favourite from her first introduction; every register contains her name before Elizabeth’s death:
“1585, Aug. 15. Christening of Dina, d. of John Lister, barbor.
“1591, Aug. 21. Buried Mrs. Dina Walthall, a vertuous yong woman, 30 years.”—St. Peter, Cornhill.
Crossing the Atlantic with the Pilgrim Fathers, she settled down at length as the typical negress; yet Puritan writers admitted that when she “went out to see the daughters of the land,” she meant to be seen of the sons also!
Taylor, the Water-poet, seems to imply that Goliath was registered at baptism by the Puritan:
“Quoth he, ‘what might the child baptized be?
Was it a male She, or a female He?’—
‘I know not what, but ’tis a Son,’ she said.—
‘Nay then,’ quoth he, ‘a wager may be laid
It had some Scripture name.’—‘Yes, so it had,’
Said she: ‘but my weak memory’s so bad,
I have forgot it: ’twas a godly name,
Tho’ out of my remembrance be the same:
’Twas one of the small prophets verily:
’Twas not Esaias, nor yet Jeremy,
Ezekiel, Daniel, nor good Obadiah,
Ah, now I do remember, ’twas Goliah!’”
Pharaoh occurs, and went out to Virginia, where it has ever since remained. It is, as already shown, familiar enough in Yorkshire.
Of New Testament names, whose associations are of evil repute, we may mention Ananias, Sapphira, and Antipas. Ananias had become so closely connected with Puritanism, that not only did Dryden poke fun at the relationship in the “Alchemist,” but Ananias Dulman became the cant term for a long-winded zealot preacher. So says Neal.
“1603, Sep. 12. Buried Ananias, sonne of George Warren, 17 years.”—St. Peter, Cornhill.