High Sheriff of Bristol in 1626, and the Mayor of Bristol in 1641 who refused admittance to the royal forces. See Barrett and Seyer.
Replies to Minor Queries.
Defoe's Anticipations (Vol. iii., p. 287.).—Defoe had probably seen the English translation, or rather abridgment, of Father Dos Santos's Ethiopia Oriental, in Purchas's Pilgrimes (vol. ii. 1544, fol. ed.), in which some hints are given of the great lake (nyassi, i. e. sea) Maravi, which lies nearly parallel with the eastern coast, and was known to D'Anville, in whose map Massi is misengraved for Niassi. A very careful examination of the Portuguese expeditions across the continent of Africa has been given by Mr. Cooley, in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society (vol. xv. p. 185.; xvi. p. 138.), and he has ascertained, approximately, the extent and position of that great lake, which, from distrust of D'Anville, one of the most exact geographers, had been expunged from all modern maps. It is considerably to the N. and E. of the Nyami lately determined, and of much greater extent.
Anatol.
Epitaph in Hall's Discovery (Vol. iii., p. 242.).—The work entitled Discovery of a New World, or a Description of the South Indies, hitherto unknown, by an English Mercury, imprinted by E. Blount, no date, 12mo., is not, as our correspondent supposes, very rare, nor is it by Bishop Hall. It is a free translation, or rather paraphrase, and an excellent one in its way, by John Healey, of Bishop Hall's very entertaining Mundus Alter et Idem, first published in 12mo., Francof., without date, afterwards reprinted with Campanella's Civitas Solis and Bacon's Atlantis at Utrecht, 1643, 24mo., and subsequently included in the edition of Bishop Hall's works by Pratt, 10 vols., Lond., 1808, 8vo. The epitaph quoted is not a satire upon any statesman of the time. The writer is describing the Land of Changeableness, or, as it is called in the Latin original, "Variana vel Moronia Mobilis," and gives in the course of his description this epitaph on Andreas Vortunius (a vertendo), or, as he is styled in the English
translation, "Andrew Turncoate." The epitaph occurs in p. 132. of the Latin edition of 1643, and is evidently, as indicated by the marginal notes, an imitation or parody of the famous one on Æelia Lælia Crispis, which has exercised the ingenuity of so many writers, and of which our own countryman, Richard White, of Basingstoke, the historian, has given three different interpretations. See his Ælia Lælia Crispis, Epitaphium Antiquum quod in Agro Bononiensi adhuc videtur, a diversis interpretatum varie, novissime autem a Richardo Vito explicatum, Padua, 1568, 4to. An article on this epitaph and its various interpreters, of whom I have collected about forty, might be made a very interesting one.
James Crossley.
[We wish Mr. Crossley—than whom no one is more competent—would favour us with such an article. The following communication from Mr. Forbes is only one of several we have received, showing that the interest in this enigma is not abated.]
Epitaph in Hall's Discovery (Vol. iii., p. 242.).—When this epitaph is assigned to its right owner, it may perhaps throw some light on its twin-brother—the epitaph on "Ælia Lælia Crispis"—"about which many of the learned have puzzled their heads." (See Encyc. Brit., article "Ænigma.") I enclose a copy of this epitaph, which you can use or not, as you please. If you think that it might help to "unearth" Mister Andrew Turnecoate, you may perhaps like to lay it before your readers; if, on the other hand, that it would but increase the difficulty of the operation by distracting attention needlessly, you can hand it over to "the Editor's best friend"—the fire.