Notes and Queries, Number 35, June 29, 1850

"Edward White. Lycensed unto him, &c., theis iiij. ballads followinge, that is to saie, A moste strange weddinge of the frogge and the mowse," &c.

Upon this entry Mr. Collier makes this note:

"The ballad can hardly be any other than the still well-known comic song 'A Frog he would a-wooing go.'"

It may have been even older than 1581, when Edward White entered it; for it is possible that it was then only a reprint of an earlier production. I, like Mr. Collier, have heard it sung "in our theatres and streets," and, like T. S. D., always fancied that it was ancient.

The Hermit of Holyport.

Rowley Powley.—As generally inclined to the belief that everything is older than anybody knows of, I am rather startled by "Rowley Powley" not being as old as myself. I remember seeing mentioned somewhere, without any reference to this chorus, that rowley powley is a name for a plump fowl, of which both "gammon and spinach" are posthumous connexions. I cannot help thinking that this may be a clue to some prior occurrence of the chorus, with or without the song. If "derry down," which has been said to be druidical, were judged of by the last song it went with, how old would be the Druids?

M.

"A Frog he would a-wooing go."—It may perhaps be interesting to some of your correspondents on the subject of "A frog he would a-wooing go," to know that there exists an Irish version of that woeful tale, which differs in several respects from the ballad which has so long been familiar to English ears. The burthen of "Heigho! says Rowley," does not occur in the Hibernian composition, but a still less intelligible chorus supplies its place. The air is exceedingly quaint, and seems to me to bear the stamp of antiquity. The words are as follow:—

"Misther Frog lived in a well,Heigho! my lanti-iddity!And the merry mouse in the mill,Terry heigho! for lang for liddity!Says Mr. Frog, 'I will go coort,'Heigho, &c.'Saddle me nag and polish me boots!'Terry heigho, &c.Frog came to Lady Mouse's hall,Heigho, &c.Gave a rap and thundering call,Terry heigho, &c.'Where is the people of this house?'Heigho, &c.'Here am I,' says my Lady Mouse,Terry heigho, &c.'I've come to court Miss Kitty here,'Heigho, &c.'If that she can fancy me.'Terry heigho, &c.'Uncle Rat is not at home;'Heigho, &c.'He'll give you an answer—I have none,'Terry heigho, &c.Uncle Rat, when he came in,Heigho, &c.'Who's been here since I left home?'Terry heigho, &c.'Misther Frog, a worthy man;'Heigho, &c.'Give him a wife, Sir, if you can,'Terry heigho, &c.'Where shall we make the bride's bed?'Heigho, &c.'Down below, in the Horse's Head.'Terry heigho, &c.'What shall we have for the wedding supper?'Heigho, &c.'A roasted potato and a roll o' butter.'Terry heigho, &c.Supper was laid down to dine,Heigho, &c.Changed a farthing and brought up wine,Terry heigho, &c.First come in was a nimble bee,Heigho, &c.With his fiddle upon his knee,Terry heigho, &c.Next come in was a creeping snail,Heigho, &c.With his bagpipes under his tail,Terry heigho, &c.Next came in was a neighbour's pig,Heigho, &c.'Pray, good people, will ye play us a jig?'Terry heigho, &c.Next come in was a neighbour's hen,Heigho, &c.Took the fiddler by the wing,Terry heigho, &c.Next come in was a neighbour's duck,Heigho, &c.Swallow'd the piper, head and pluck,Terry heigho, &c.Next come in was a neighbour's cat,Heigho, &c.Took the young bride by the back,Terry heigho, &c.Misther Frog jumped down the well,Heigho, &c.'Zounds, I'll never go coort again!'Terry heigho, &c.Uncle Rat run up a wall,Heigho, &c.'Zounds, the divil's among you all!'Terry heigho, &c."W. A. G.

Replies to Minor Queries

Carucate of Land (Vol. ii., p. 9.).—The measure of the carucate was as indefinite in Edward III.'s time as at an earlier period. It then, as before, represented as much land as could be worked with one plough in a year. I am fortunately enabled to give your correspondent E.V. a precise answer to his Query. In a MS. survey of the Hospitallers' lands in England, taken under the direction of Prior Philip Thame, A.D. 1338, which I transcribed from the original, among the records of the order, I find in the "extent" of the "Camera de Hetherington in comitatu Northampton,"—

"Item. v Carucate terre continentes vc acre terre: pretium cujuslibet, viijd."

"Bæjulia de Eycle (i. e. Eagle in Lincolnshire) cum membris."

"Et ibidem iiij. carucate terre, que continent vc acras terre et apud le Wodehous iij carucate terre, que continent iijc: pretium acre, vjd."

Here we have a decided instance of the variation in the number of acres represented by the carucate. I have generally found that the nearest approximation to correctness, where no other evidence is at hand, is to consider the carucate as designating about 100 acres.

L. B. L.

Carucate of Land.—A case in point is given in the 33rd vol. of the Archæologia, p. 271. The carucate frequently consisted of eight bovatæ of arable land; but the number of acres appears to have varied not only according to the quality of the soil, but according to the custom of husbandry of the shire: for where a two-years' course, or crop and fallow, was adopted, more land was adjudged to the carucate than where a three-years' course obtained, the land lying fallow not being reckoned or rateable. The object would appear to have been to obtain a carucate of equal value throughout the kingdom.

B. W.

Golden Frog and Sir John Poley (Vol. i., p. 214. and 372.).—Your correspondent Gastros suggests that "to the Low Countries, the land of frogs, we must turn for the solution of this enigma," (Vol. i., p. 372.); accordingly, it appears from the treatise of Bircherodius on the Knights of the Elephant, an order of knighthood in Denmark, conferred upon none but persons of the first quality and merit, that a frog is among the devices adopted by them; and we need not further seek for a reason why this Symbolum Heroicum was worn by Sir John Poley, who served much under Christian, king of Denmark (Vol. i., p. 214.), and distinguished himself much by his military achievements in the Low Countries (p. 372.).

T. J.

The Poley Frog.—More than half a century ago, I was present when this singular appendage was the subject of conversation in a large literary party, but being then a schoolboy I made "no note of it." My recollection now is, that after some jokes on the name of Poley as that of a frog, allusion was made to an old court story of King James II. throwing a frog into the neck of William, third Earl of Pembroke. The story, with its consequences, may be found in the Tixall Letters, vol. i. p. 5.; Wood's Athenæ Ox., vol. i. p. 546.; Park's Royal and Noble Authors, vol. ii. p. 249.

G.

I have never seen a head of any engraving of the portrait of Sir John Poley, of Boxsted Hall, not Bexstead. I believe there is none.

D.

Bands (Vol. ii., p. 23.) are the descendants of the ruff a portion of the ordinary civil costume of the sixteenth century. In the reign of James I., the ruff was occasionally exchanged for a wide stiff collar, standing out horizontally and squarely, made of similar stuff, starched and wired, and sometimes edged like the ruff with lace. These collars were called bands. A good example occurs in the portrait of Shakspeare by Cornelius Jansen, engravings of which are well known. At the end of the seventeenth century these broad-falling bands were succeeded by the small Geneva bands, which have ever since been retained by our clergymen and councillors, but in a contracted form, having been originally bonâ fide collars, the ends of which hung negligently over the shoulders. (See Planché's Brit. Costume, pp. 350. 390.) Bands are worn by the ecclesiastics in France and Italy, as well as in England.

In the second number of Popular Tracts Illustrating the Prayer-Book, p. 3., it is suggested that bands are perhaps the remains of the amice, one of the eucharistic vestments in use previous to the Reformation, which consisted of a square cloth, so put on that one side, which was embroidered, formed a collar round the neck, whilst the rest hung behind like a hood. By analogy with the scarf of our Protestant clergy, which is clearly the stole of the Roman Church retained under a different name, this suggestion is not without some degree of plausibility.

The fact that the present academical costume is derived from the ordinary civil dress of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, sufficiently accounts for the retention of the bands as a part.

Arun.

Surely bands are no part of the peculiar dress of the clergy, &c., but the ordinary dress of the people, retained by certain classes or professions, because they wished for something regular and distinctive. So the wigs of the judges were the fashionable dress 150 years ago. It is curious that the clergy have cut down their bands, while the lawyers still glory in comparatively large and flowing ones. Bands altered greatly in their form. Taylor, the Water Poet, I think, says—

"The eighth Henry, as I understand,Was the first prince that ever wore a band,"

or, indeed, person of any sort. The date of the same thing in France is mentioned in Vellay, but I forget it now.

C. B.

Bishops and their Precedence (Vol. ii., p. 9.).—It may interest your correspondent E. to refer to a passage in Baker's Chronicle, sub anno 1461, p. 204., which would tend to show that the precedency of the spiritual barons was at that period disputed. That writer says:—

"John Earl of Oxford, with his son Aubrey de Vere, &c., was convicted of treason and beheaded. John Earl of Oxford, in a former parliament, had disputed the question concerning the precedency of Temporal and Spiritual Barons, a bold attempt in those days, and by force of whose argument Judgment was given for the Lords Temporal."

Where will this judgment or any account of the dispute be found?

G.

"Imprest" and "Debenture" (Vol. ii., p. 40.).—Imprest is derived from the Italian imprestare, to lend, which is im-præstare, (Fr. prêter). Debentur, or Debenture (Lat. debeo), was originally a Customhouse term, meaning a certificate or ticket presented by an exporter, when a drawback or bounty was allowed on certain exported goods. Hence it seems to mean a certificate acknowledging a debt, and promising payment at a specified time on the presentation of the certificate. Debentures are thus issued by railway companies when they borrow money, and the certificates for annual interest which accompany them are, so to speak, sub-debentures. Perhaps this may throw some light upon the matter.

E. S. Jackson.

Charade (Vol. i., p. 10.).—The charade cited by Quæstor is on my "Notes" as the "Bishop of Salisbury's," and the following answer is said to be by a clergyman:—

"Firm on the Rock of Christ, though lowly sprung,The Church invokes the Spirit's fiery Tongue;Those gracious breathings rouse but to controulThe Storm and Struggle in the Sinner's Soul.Happy! ere long his carnal conflicts cease,And the Storm sinks in faith and gentle peace—Kings own its potent sway, and humbly bowsThe gilded diadem upon their brows—Its saving voice with Mercy speeds to all,But ah! how few who quicken at the call—Gentiles the favour'd 'little Flock' detest,And Abraham's children spit upon their rest.Once only since Creation's work, has nightCurtain'd with dark'ning Clouds its saving light,What time the Ark majestically rode,Unscath'd upon the desolating flood—The Silver weigh'd for it, in all its strengthFor scarce three pounds were counted, while its lengthTraced in the Prophet's view with measur'd reed,Squared just a mile, as Rabbins are agreed—And now I feel entitled well to smile,Since Christ's Church bears the Palm in all our Isle."

I waited some time to see if any solution would be given of the charade; and I now send you the one in my possession, in default of a better.

Rebecca.

Dutch Language (Vol. i., p. 383.).—E. V. asks what are the best modern books for acquiring a knowledge of the Dutch language. If E. V. insist upon modern books, he cannot have better than Hendrik Conscience's novels, or Gerrits's Zoon des Volks. I would, however, advise him to get a volume of Jacob Cats' Poems, the language of which is not antiquated, and is idiomatic without being difficult to a beginner.

H. B. C.

"Construe" and "Translate" (Vol ii., p. 22.).—It is very common, I apprehend, in language, for two words, originally of the same meaning, or two spellings of the same word, to be gradually appropriated by usage to two subordinate uses, applications, and meanings of the word respectively, and that merely by accident, as to which of the two is taken for one of the subdivisions, and which for the other. We have made such an appropriation in our own time,—despatch and dispatch.

It may be curious, however, to inquire how far back the distinction mentioned by your correspondent is found.

"Construe," originally, must probably have meant, not to turn from one language into another, but to explain the construction, or what is called by the Greek name syntax, much like what in regard to a single word is called parsing.

C. B.

Dutton Family (Vol. ii., p. 21.).—B. will find the Dutton proviso in the statute 17 Geo. II. explained by reference to Ormerod's Cheshire, vol. i. pp. 36. 477. 484.; Lyson's Cheshire; Blount's Antient Tenures, 298., &c. An early grant by one of the Lacy family transferred to Hugh de Dutton and his heirs "magistratum omnium leccatorum et meritricum totius Cestriæ." In the fifteenth century the jurisdiction was claimed by the Dutton family, in respect of the lordship or manor of Dutton, and was then confined to a jurisdiction over the minstrels and musicians of the palatinate and city of Chester, who constituted, I presume, a department among the leccatores, or licorish fellows, mentioned above. In virtue of this jurisdiction the lord of Dutton had the advowry or "advocaria" of the minstrels of the district, and annually licensed them at a Court of Minstrelsy, where the homage consisted of a jury of sworn fiddlers; and certain dues, namely, flagons of wine and a lance or flagstaff, were yearly rendered to the lord. The last court was held in 1756.

As the early Vagrant Acts included "minstrels" in their definition of rogues and vagabonds, it is evident that the suitors of the Minstrelsy Court would have run the risk of commitment to the House of Correction and a whipping, if the acts had not specially excepted the franchise of the Dutton family from their operation. The earliest statutes are 14 Eliz. c. 5.; 39 Eliz. c. 4.; and 43 Eliz. c. 9. Section 27. of the last Act clearly shows that it was the power of licensing minstrels which the proviso of the acts was intended to save. The pedigree of the Dutton family will be found in the volume of Ormerod already cited.

E. S.

June 5. 1850.

"Laus tua, non tua fraus," &c. (Vol. i., p. 416.).—The lines were written by Philelphus on Pope Pius II., as is stated in the book called Les Bigarrures du Seigneur des Accords, p. 173. of the edit. 1662.

C. B.

In a small work, entitled Specimens of Macaronic Poetry, 8vo., 1831, the verses quoted by "O." are stated to have been written by some poet (not named) in praise of Pope Clement VI. or Pius II., but of which learned authorities do not agree. It seems the poet was afraid he might not receive such a reward as, according to his own estimate, he deserved, and therefore retained the power of converting his flattery into abuse, by simply giving his friends the cue to commence from the last word, and begin backwards. The following are other verses of the same sort:—

AD JULIUM III. PONTIFICEM MAXIMUM."Pontifici sua sint Divino Numine tutoCulmina, nec montes hos petat omnipotens."AD CAROLUM V. CAESAREM."Cæsareum tibi sit felici sidere nomen,Carole, nec fatum sit tibi Cæsareum."W. G. S.

"O." is referred to a low and scurrilous translation, or rather imitation of the epigrams of Martial and others, purporting to be "by the Rev. Mr. Scott, M.A.," and published in London in 1773.

Therein the lines quoted by "O." are given, accompanied by a sorry attempt at translation; and the epigram is attributed to

"One Cianconius, a Dominican Friar, in honour of Pope Clement the Fourth."

A. E. B.

Leeds.

Mother of Thomas à Becket (Vol. i., pp. 415. 490.).—Thierry, in the 8th vol. of his Histoire de la Conquête de l'Angleterre par les Normands, quotes as an authority for the account of the Eastern origin of the mother of Thomas à Becket, Vita et Processus S. Thomæ Cantuariensis, seu Quadripartita Historia, cap. ii. fol. 3.

W. G. S.

Medal of Stukeley.—In answer to Mr. Britton's Queries (Vol. i., p. 122., and Vol. ii., p. 40.), I beg to inform him that the medal of Stukeley was executed soon after that eminent antiquary's death by an artist of the name of Gaal, who was not a die-sinker, but a modeller and chaser. The medal is rare, but not unique: I have one in my own collection, and I have, I think, seen one or two others. They are all cast in a mould and chased.

Edw. Hawkins

June 13. 1850.

Dulcarnon (Vol. i., p. 254.).—Has Dulcarnon any reference to the Hindostanee Dhoulcarnein, two-horned,—the epithet constantly applied in India to Alexander the Great, or Iskander, as they call him? It seems not a bad word for a dilemma or puzzle.

H. W.

Nottingham.

Practice of Scalping.—Your correspondent T. J. will find in Mr. Layard's Nineveh and its Remains (vol. ii. p. 374.) the following note:—

"The Scythians scalped and flayed their enemies, and used their skins as horse trappings."—Herod. iv. 64.

G. R.

Greenock.

Scalping.—Perhaps your correspondent T. J. (Vol. ii., p. 12.) may recollect the allusion to "scalping," in Psalm lxviii. 21.; upon which verse an argument has been based in favour of the supposition, that the aborigines of America are derived from the ten tribes of Israel.

J. Sansom.

Derivation of Penny (Vol. i., pp. 384. 411.).—Akerman's Numismatic Manual (p. 228.) has, under the head of "Penny," the following remarks:—

"The penny is next in antiquity. It is first mentioned in the laws of Ina. The term has been derived by various writers from almost every European language; but the conjecture of Wachter, as noticed by Lye, seems the most reasonable. This writer derives it from the Celtic word pen, head; the heads of the Saxon princes being stamped on the earliest pennies. The fact of the testoon of later times having been so named, certainly adds weight to the opinion of Wachter."

W. G. S.

Miscellanies

"By Hook or by Crook" (Vol. i., p. 405.).—The following extract may, perhaps, by multiplying instances, tend to corroborate the supposed origin of the above saying:—

"Not far from them [Peverell's Crosses], in the parish of Egloshayle, is another moonstone [granite] cross near Mount Charles, called the Prior's Cross, on which is cut the figure of a hook and a crook, in memory of the privilege granted by him to the poor of Bodmin, for gathering for fire-boot and house-boot such boughs and branches of such trees in his contiguous wood of Dunmere, as they could reach with a hook and a crook without further damage to the trees. From whence arose the Cornish proverb, they will have it by hook or by crook."—Hitchins and Drewe, Hist. Cornwall, p. 214. vol. ii. edit. 1824.

Seleucus.

Burning dead Bodies.—In his remarks on "ashes to ashes," Cinis says (Vol. i., p.22.) that "the burning of the dead does not appear to be in itself an anti-christian ceremony," &c.: he is mistaken, for the early Christians, like the Jews, never burned their dead, but buried them. The catacombs of Rome and Naples, besides those in other places, were especially used for sepulture; and if Cinis wish for proofs, he will find an abundance in Rock's Hierurgia, t. ii. p. 802., &c.

Cephas.

Etymology of "Barbarian," &c.—Passow, in his Lexicon (ed. Liddell and Scott), s.v. βάρβαρος, observes that the word was originally applied to "all that were not Greeks, or that did not speak Greek. It was used of all defects which the Greeks thought foreign to themselves and natural to other nations: but as the Hellenes and Barbarians were most of all separated by language, the word had always especial reference to this γλῶσσα βάρβαρα, Soph. Aj. 1263, &c." He considers the word as probably an onomatopœion, to express the sound of a foreign tongue. (Cf. Gibbon, c. li.; Roth, Ueber Sinn u. Gebrauch des Wortes Barbar. Nürnberg, 1814.) I am disposed to look for the root in the Hebr. בָּרַר "bârār," separavit, in its Pilpel form, בַרְבָר "barbâr;" hence, "one who is separated," "a foreigner." And even though Clel. Voc. 126., n., admits that purus, "clean," "separated from dross," originally signifies cleansing by fire, πῦρ, yet both it and far-farris, "bread-corn," i. e. separated from the husk, and fur-fur, "bran," which is separated from the flour, may find their origin possibly from the same source.

E. S. T.

Royal and distinguished Disinterments.—It is suggested that a volume of deep and general interest might be very easily formed by collecting and arranging the various notices that have from time to time appeared, of the disinterment of royal and distinguished personages. This hint seems deserving of the attention of Messrs. Nichols.

J. H. M.

Miscellaneous

NOTES ON BOOKS, CATALOGUES, SALES, ETC

The great interest excited by the further discovery in August last, of tesselated pavements at Cirencester induced Professor Buckman and Mr. Newmarch at once to issue proposals for a work, descriptive not only of those beautiful specimens of Roman art, but also of all such other of the numerous remains found in the same locality as they could satisfactorily identify. The result was, such a well-filled Subscription List, and such ready co-operation on the part of those who had collectetd and preserved such objects, as have enabled these Gentlemen to produce, under the title of Illustrations of the Remains of Roman Art in Cirencester, the Site of Ancient Corinium, a work which will not only gratify the antiquary by its details, and the beauty and fidelity of its engravings, but enable the general reader, without any great exercise of imagination, to picture to himself the social condition of Corinium when garrisoned by Roman cohorts,

"'Ere the wide arch of the ranged Empire fell."

To the grandeur of form, dignity of character, and great breadth of treatment exhibited in these Pavements,—Mr. Westmacott, the Royal Academician, bears his testimony; and the fidelity with which they have been copied in the valuable work before us reflects the highest credit upon all parties engaged in its production.

Messrs. Puttick and Simpson (191. Piccadilly) will sell on Wednesday next an extraordinary Collection of MSS., comprising a cotemporary MS. of Occleve's Poems, Autograph Poetry of Mary Queen of Scots; Legend of St. Molaisse, an Irish MS. of the 11th century, &c., and, among other things, many thousand early Charters, from the time of the Conqueror to the 17th century.

We have received the following Catalogues:—Charles Dolman's (61. New Bond Street) Catalogue of Books in various Languages; Supplement E., comprising many of the works of the Fathers, Ecclesiastical History, &c.; John Petheram's (94. High Holborn) Catalogue, Part CXIII., No. 7. for 1850, of Old and New Books.

BOOKS AND ODD VOLUMES WANTED TO PURCHASE

(In continuation of Lists in former Nos.)

Aristotle, Buhle's edition, vol. v.

Arnold's Thucydides, vol. i.

Kant's Saemmtliche Werke, edition of Schuberand Rosenkrantz (von Leipsic), Part XI.—Query, Has this eleventh part been published?

*** Letters, stating particulars and lowest price, carriage free, to be sent to Mr. Bell, Publisher of "NOTES AND QUERIES," 186. Fleet Street.

Notices to Correspondents

Volume the First, Complete with Index, may now be had, price 9s. 6d., bound in cloth. The Index, which we publish this day, is, we trust, sufficiently full to satisfy to the utmost the wishes of our Subscribers. We feel that, if called upon at any time to establish the utility of Notes and Queries, we may confidently point to the Index as a proof that the Literary Inquirer, be his particular branch of Study what it may, will not search in vain in our pages for valable Notes and Illustrations of it.