Certainly a very free translation. See the original, Sat. 3. Trunck is from the Latin truncus, cut short, maimed, imperfect. In the preface to Johnson's Dictionary we have the following:—
"The examples are too often injudicious truncated."
Vide also Shaw, Museum Liverianum, or rather examples given in Richardson's Dictionary. Shaw, in speaking of the feathers of certain birds, says,
"They appear as if cut off transversely towards their ends with scissors. This is a mode of termination which in the language of natural history is called truncated."
The word trunck-hose is often met with.
WREDJID KOOEZ.
Queen's Messengers.—"J.U.G.G.," who inquires about Queen's messengers (No. 12. p. 186.), will, I think, find some such information as he wants in a parliamentary paper about King's messengers, printed by the House of Commons in 1845 or 1846, on the motion of Mr. Warburton. Something, I think, also occurs on the subject in the Report of the Commons' Committee of 1844 on the Opening of Letters in the Post-office. I am unable to refer to either of these documents at present.
C.
Dissenting Ministers (No. 24. p. 383.).—The verses representing the distinctive characteristics of many ministers, by allegorical resemblance to flowers, were written by the lady whose paternal name is given by your correspondent. She married the Rev. Joseph Brooksbank. I think it quite improbable that those verses were ever published. It seems that two of the three names mentioned in your description of this "nosegay" are erroneous. The first is indisputable, RICHARD WINTER, a man of distinguished excellence, who died in 1799. "Hugh Washington" is certainly a mistake for HUGH WORTHINGTON; but for "James Jouyce" I can offer no conjecture.
J.P.S.