Worm of Lambton (Vol. i., p. 453.).—See its history and legend in Surtees' History of Durham, vol. ii. p. 173., and a quarto tract printed by Sir Cuthbert Sharp.
G.
"A.C." is informed that there is an account of this "Worme" in The Bishoprick Garland, published by the late Sir Cuthbert Sharpe in 1834; it is illustrated with a view of the Worm Hill, and a woodcut of the knight thrusting his sword with great nonchalance down the throat of the Worme. Only 150 copies of the Garland were printed.
W.N.
Shakspeare's Will (Vol. i., pp. 213, 386, 403, 461, and 469.).—I fear if I were to adopt Mr. Bolton Corney's tone, we should degenerate into polemics. I will therefore only reply to his question, "Have I wholly mistaken the whole affair?" by one word, "Undoubtedly." The question raised was on an Irish edition of Malone's Shakspeare. Mr. Bolton Corney reproved the querists for not consulting original sources. It appears that Mr. Bolton Corney had not himself consulted the edition in question; and by his last letter I am satisfied that he has not even yet seen it: and it is not surprising if, in these circumstances, he should have "mistaken the whole affair." But as my last communication (Vol. i., p. 461.) explains (as I am now satisfied) the blunder and its cause, I may take my leave of the matter, only requesting Mr. Bolton Corney, if he still doubts, to follow his own good precept, and look at the original edition.
C.
Josias Ibach Stada (Vol. i., p. 452.).—In reply to G.E.N., I would ask, is Mr. Hewitt correct in calling him Stada, an Italian artist? I have no hesitation in saying that Stada here is no personal appellation at all, but the name of a town. The inscription "Fudit Josias Ibach Stada Bremensis" is to be read, Cast by Josias Ibach, of the town of Stada, in the duchy of Bremen. All your readers, particularly mercantile, will know the place well enough from the discussions raised by Mr. Hutt, member for Gateshead, in the House of Commons, on the oppressive duties levied there on all vessels and their cargoes sailing past it up the Elbe; and to the year 1150 it was the capital of an independent graffschaft, when it lapsed to Henry the Lion.
William Bell.
The Temple, or A Temple.—I have had an opportunity of seeing the edition of Chaucer referred to by your correspondent P.H.F. (Vol. i., p. 420.), and likewise several other black-letter editions (1523, 1561, 1587, 1598, 1602), and find that they all agree in reading "the temple," which Caxton's edition also adopts. The general reading of "temple" in the modern editions, naturally induced me to suspect that Tyrwhitt had made the alteration on the authority of the manuscripts of the poem. Of these there are no less than ten in the British Museum, all of which have been kindly examined for me. One of these wants the prologue, and another that part of it in which the line occurs; but in seven of the remaining eight, the reading is—