Kitabı oku: «Notes and Queries, Number 185, May 14, 1853», sayfa 2
"AKE" AND ACHE
John Kemble, it is well known, maintained that the latter was the mode of pronouncing this word in Shakspeare's days. He was right, and he was wrong; for, as I shall show, both modes prevailed, at least in poetry, till the end of the seventeenth century. So it was with some other words, show and shew, for instance. It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to observe that the sounds k, ch, sh, kh (guttural) are commutable. Thus the letter h is named in Italian, acca; in French, ache, in English, aitch, perhaps originally atch: our church is the Scottish kirk, &c. Accordingly, we meet in Shakspeare reckless and rechless, reeky and reechy; "As I could pike (pitch) my lance." (Coriol., Act I. Sc. 1.) Hall has (Sat. vi. 1.) "Lucan streaked (stretched) on his marble bed." So also there were like and liche, and the vulgar cham for I am (Ic eom, A.-S.)
Having now to show that both ake and ache were in use, I commence with the former:
"Like a milch-doe, whose swelling dugs do ake,
Hasting to find her fawn hid in some brake."
Shakspeare's Venus and Adonis
"By turns now half asleep, now half awake,
My wounds began to smart, my hurt to ake."
Fairfax, Godf. of Bull., viii, 26.
"Yet, ere she went, her vex'd heart, which did ake,
Somewhat to ease, thus to the king she spake."
Drayton, Barons' Wars, iii. 75.
"And cramm'd them till their guts did ake
With caudle, custard, and plumcake."
Hudibras, ii. 2.
The following is rather dubious:
"If chance once in the spring his head should ach,
It was foretold: thus says my almanack."
Hall, Sat. ii. 7., ed. Singer.
The aitch, or rather, as I think, the atch sound, occurs in the following places:
"B. Heigh ho!
M. For a hawk, a horse, or a husband?
B. For the letter that begins them all, H."
Much Ado about Nothing, Act III. Sc. 4.
"Their fears of hostile strokes, their aches, losses."
Timon of Athens, Act V. Sc. 2.
"Yea, fright all aches from your bones."
Jonson, Fox, ii. 2.
"Wherefore with mine thou dow thy musick match,
Or hath the crampe thy ionts benom'd with ache."
Spenser, Shep. Cal., viii. 4.
"Or Gellia wore a velvet mastic-patch
Upon her temples, when no tooth did ach."
Hall, Sat. vi. 1.
"As no man of his own self catches
The itch, or amorous French aches."
Hudibras, ii, 2.
"The natural effect of love,
As other flames and aches prove."
Ib., iii. 1.
"Can by their pangs and aches find
All turns and changes of the wind."
Ib., iii. 2.
These, in Butler, are, I believe, the latest instances of this form of the word.
Thomas Keightley.
LOCALITIES MENTIONED IN ANGLO-SAXON CHARTERS
When Mr. Kemble published the index to his truly national code of Anglo-Saxon Charters, he expressly stated that there were many places of which he was in doubt, and which are indicated by Italics.
It is only by minute local knowledge that many places can be verified, and with the view of eliciting from others the result of their investigations, I send you my humble contribution of corrections of places known to myself.
Bemtún, 940. Bampton, Oxon.
Bleódon, 587, 1182. Bleadon, Somerset.
Bóclond, 1050. Buckland, Berks.
Brixges stán, 813. Brixton, Surrey.
Ceomina lacu, 714. Chimney, Oxon.
Ceommenige, 940. Idem.
Cingestún, 1268, 1276, 1277. Kingston Bagpuxe, Berks.
Cingtuninga gemǽre, 1221. Idem.
Colmenora, 1283. Cumnor, Berks.
Crócgelád, 1305. Cricklade, Wilts.
Dúnnestreátún, 136. Dunster, Somerset.
Esstune, 940. Aston-in-Bampton, Oxon.
Fifhidan, 546, 1206. Fyfield, Berks.
Hearge, 220. Harrow-on-the-Hill.
Hengestesige, 556. Hinksey, Berks.
Leoie, 1255. Bessil's-leigh, Berks.
Monninghæma díc, 645. Monnington, Herefordshire.
Osulfe's Lea, 404, is in Suffolk, or near it.
Pipmynster, 774, &c., probably Pippingminster, Somerset.
Scypford, 714. Shifford, Oxon.
Scuccanhláu, 161, is in Berks.
Tubbanford, 1141, 1255. Tubney, Berks.
Whétindún, 363. Whatindon, Surrey.
Wenbeorg, 1053. Wenbury, Devon.
Wænríc 775, and Wenrise, 556, is the River Windrush.
Wícham (Wítham), 116, 214, 775. Witham, Berks.
Wyttanig, 556. Witney, Oxon.
Wurðe, Wyrðe, Weorthe, Weorthig, 208, 1171, 1212, 1221. Longworth, Berks.
Worth, Wurthige, 743, 1121. Worth, Hants.
The following are omitted:
Hanlee, 310.
Helig, 465.
Pendyfig, 427.
Stanford, 1301. Stanford, Kent.
Stánlége, 1255. Standlake, Oxon.
Ðestinctun, 805.
Welingaford, 1154. Wallingford, Berks.
Wanhæminga, 1135.
B. Williams.
INEDITED LETTER
August 24th, 1690,
Qu. Coll. Oxon.
Dear Sr,
I heartily thank you for the favour of your letter, and to shew itt will not fail to write as often as anything does occurr worth sending, if you think the accountt I give not troublesome. Dr. Adams, Dr. Rudston, and Delaune have promis'd to write this post: we remembred you both before and after your letters came wth Sr John Matthews, who staid here 3 nights this weeke. Our militia is gone home cloath'd in Blew coates but many coxcombs of this city have refused to pay their quota towards the buying of them, railing against my Ld Abington, who has smooth'd the mob by giving a brace of Bucks last Friday in Port Meed. J. M. has bin expected here this fortnight: the Lady that calls herselfe by his nane has bin a good while at Astrop, and has discover'd her displeasure there, that her husband as shee calls him keeps the coach so long from her at Oxford: upon hearing of wch Sr W. H. in a blunt way gave her the old name, wch caus'd some dissatisfaction and left her smal acquaintance: I heare that the understanding between our Friend and his uncle is not so good as formerly, but I do not think it will end in Abdication. Mr. Painter is admitted Rector of Exeter. The Naked Gospel3 was burnt on ye 19th in the Scholes Quadrangle. The Regents first drew up a Petition to have it censured; then some others more busy than wise tooke upon them to gett it subscribed, and went to coffee houses and taverns as well as colleges for that purpose: these proceedings being agst statute, and reflecting upon the vice ch., gave great offence; at last he call'd a meeting of ye heads of houses, who deputed 6 to examine it: they pick'd several Proposit. wch were read. The sentence was in this form: Propositions &c tanquā falsas et impias in Chris. Relig. et in Ecc. præcipue Anglicanā contumeliosas damnamus, plerasq; insuper hæreticas esse decernimus et declaramus, &c. This was first subscribed by all ye heads of Coll. and then condemn'd unanimously in a full convocation. The Decree is printed, but is too large to send. The Author of ye Booke has sent about a soft vindication of himselfe, that he is unwilling to be accounted a Socinian, &c. If I can gett a sight of it I will send you the contents. I do not know how far you are in the right about guessing at a Bursar: Tim. seems resolv'd to act according to ye song; but I to shew good nature even wthout a tree have promis'd to make him a Dial: and when that's done I will doe ye like at Astrop. I am
Your very humble servt,
W. R
If you see Coll. Byerly, give my service to him.
Directed thus: These to George Clark, Esq., Secretary of War in Ireland.
By ye way of London.
Indorsed: W. Rooke, Recd at Tipperary, Sept. 7th.
A SHAKSPERIAN BOOK
"There exists," says Mr. John Wilson, "as it were a talismanic influence in regard to the most trivial circumstances connected with Shakspeare," and yet this enthusiast has not, in his Shaksperiana, alluded to the dramatic works of Mary Hornby, written under, and dated from, the dear old roof at Stratford-upon-Avon!
It was my late good fortune, after filling my pockets from the twopenny boxes of the suburban bookstalls, to find, on turning out the heterogeneous contents, that I had accidentally become possessed of The Broken Vow, a comedy by the aforesaid lady, who waits to be enrolled in that much wanted book, a new edition of the Biographia Dramatica. This Broken Bow which looks like a re-cooking of the Merry Miller of Thomas Sadler, 1766, bears to be "printed at Stratford-upon-Avon, for the Author, by W. Barnacle, 1820." Mary Hornby, following the example of the preoccupier of the butcher's shop, tries her hand at both tragedy and comedy; in the first line she stands charged with the perpetration of The Battle of Waterloo, which, I doubt not, rivalled its original enactment in its sanguinary character. I have not been lucky enough to fall in with this, which was a hit; our fair authoress, in her preface to the comedy under notice, modestly attributing its great success more to the kindness of her friends than to its literary merit.
Mrs. Hornby sustains the dignity of the drama by adhering to her five acts, with prologue and epilogue according to prescription. Looking to the prologue for the who, the why, and the wherefore, I am sorry to say I find no materials for the concoction of a biographical note; upon the second point, the why, she tells us:
"When women teem, be it with bad or good,
They must bring forth—forsooth 'tis right they should,
But to produce a bantling of the brain,
Hard is the task, and oft the labour vain."
That her literary accouchement should not be a failure, she further says:
"Lord, how I've bother'd all the gods and graces,
Who patronize some mortals, in such cases."
I take the expressive use of the word "some" here to indicate her predecessor, the ancient occupier of the tenement, who certainly was a protégé of the said parties.
Mrs. Hornby then goes on to relate how that during her gestation she invoked Apollo, Thalia, and Erato:
"Soon they arrived, with Hermes at their side,
By Jove commission'd, as their friend and guide.
But when the mirth-inspiring dames stepp'd o'er
The sacred threshold of great Shakspeare's door,
The heav'nly guests, who came to laugh with me,
Oppress'd with grief, wept with Melpomene;
Bow'd pensive o'er the Bard of Nature's tomb,
Dropt a sad tear, then left me to my doom!"
I leave the reader to judge for himself whether the Muses really "came to laugh" with Mary Hornby, or whether, under the belief of the immortality of our Bard, they did not rather expect a pleasant soirée with Gentle Will, and naturally enough went off in a huff when they found themselves inveigled into a tea-party at Mrs. Hornby's.
Mr. Wilson, in the work above quoted, does condescend to notice Mrs. Hornby,—
"Who rented the butcher's shop under the chamber in which the poet was born, and kept the Shaksperian Album, an interesting record of the visitors to that shrine. Some of the subscribers having given vent to original stanzas suggested by the scene, those effusions," continues the lofty bookseller, "the female in question caused to be inscribed and printed in a small pamphlet, which she sells to strangers."
Not a word, you will see, about the poet's mantle having descended upon the shoulders of our Mary,—which was unpolite of him, seeing that both the tragedy and comedy had the precedence of his book by some years. Not having before me the later history of Shakspeare's house, I am unable to say whether our subject deserved more consideration and gallant treatment at the hands of Mr. Collier, when he and his colleagues came into possession.
J. O.
Minor Notes
Shakspeare's Monument.—When I was a young man, some thirty or forty years ago, I visited the monument of Shakspeare, in the beautiful church of Stratford-upon-Avon, and there copied, from the Album which is kept for the names of visitors, the following lines:
"Stranger! to whom this monument is shown,
Invoke the poet's curse upon Malone!
Whose meddling zeal his barbarous taste displays,
And smears his tombstone, as he marr'd his plays.
R. F.
Oct. 2, 1810."
This has just now been brought to my mind by reading, in page 155. of the second volume of Moore's Journal, the following account of a conversation at Bowood:
"Talked of Malone—a dull man—his whitewashing the statue of Shakspeare, at Leamington or Stratford (?), and General Fitzpatrick's (Lord L.'s uncle) epigram on the subject—very good—
'And smears his statue as he mars his lays.'"
I cannot but observe that the doubt expressed in the Diary of Moore—whether Shakspeare's monument is "at Leamington or Stratford (?)"—is curious, and I conceive my version of the last line, besides being more correct, is also more pithy. It is incorrect, moreover, to call it a statue, as it is a three-quarters bust in a niche in the wall.
The extract from Moore's Diary, however, satisfactorily explains the initials "R. F.," which have hitherto puzzled me.
Senex.
Archbishop Leighton and Pope: Curious Coincidence of Thought and Expression.—
"Were the true visage of sin seen at a full light, undressed and unpainted, it were impossible, while it so appeared, that any one soul could be in love with it, but would rather flee from it as hideous and abominable."—Leighton's Works, vol. i. p. 121.
Vice is a monster of such hideous mien,
As to be hated, needs but to be seen."—Pope.
James Cornish.
Grant of Slaves.—I send you a copy of a grant of a slave with his children, by William, the Lion King of Scotland, to the monks of Dunfermline, taken from the Cart. de Dunfermline, fol. 13., printed by the Bannatyne Club from a MS. in the Advocates' Library here, which you may, perhaps, think curious enough to insert in "N. & Q."
"De Servis.
"Willielmus Dei gracia Rex Scottorum. Omnibus probis hominibus tocius terre me, clericis et laicis, salutem: Sciant presentis et futuri me dedisse et concessisse et hac carta mea confirmasse, Deo et ecclesie Sancte Trinitatis de Dunfermlene et Abbati et Monachis ibidem, Deo servientibus in liberam et perpetuam elemosinam, Gillandream Macsuthen et ejus liberos et illos eis quietos clamasse, de me, et heredibus meis, in perpetuum. Testibus Waltero de Bid, Cancellario; Willielmo filio Alani, Dapifero; Roberto Aveneli Gillexio Rennerio, Willielmo Thoraldo, apud Strivelin."
G. H. S.
Edinburgh.
Sealing-wax.—The most careful persons will occasionally drop melting sealing-wax on their fingers. The first impulse of every one is to pull it off, which is followed by a blister. The proper course is to let the wax cool on the finger; the pain is much less, and there is no blister.
Uneda.
Philadelphia.
Queries
WALMER CASTLE
In Hasted's History of Kent, vol. iv. p. 172., folio edition, we have as follows:
"Walmer, probably so called quasi vallum maris, i. e. the wall or fortification made against the sea, was expressed to have been a member of the port of Sandwich time out of mind," &c.
Again, p. 165., note m, we find:
"Before these three castles were built, there were, between Deal and Walmer Castle, two eminences of earth, called 'The Great and Little Bulwark;' and another, between the north end of Deal and Sandwich Castle (all of which are now remaining): and there was probably one about the middle of the town, and others on the spots where the castles were erected. They had embrasures for guns, and together formed a defensive line of batteries along that part of the coast," &c.
To the new building of these castles Leland alludes, in his Cygnea Cantio:
"Jactat Dela novas celebris arces
Notus Cæsareis locus trophæis."—Ver. 565.
There are clear remains of a Roman entrenchment close to Walmer Castle. (See Hasted, vol. iv. p. 162., notes.)
Any of your correspondents who could give me any information tending to show that an old fortification had existed on the site of Walmer Castle, previous to the erection of the present edifice—or even almost upon the same site—would do me a very great kindness if he would communicate it, through the columns of "N. & Q.," or by a private letter sent to the Editor.
C. Waymor.
