PORTRAIT OF T. GENT.-In whose possession is the picture of Thomas Gent, the York bookseller, painted by Nathan Drake, and frequently engraved? Is it the same portrait as that sold at Sir George Sitwell's sale at Renishaw in 1849 ? A. C. S.

CLAIMS AT CORONATIONS.-Where can I find an account of the claims made and allowed at the coronations of King Henry V., King Henry VI., and King Edward IV. ? VILTONIUS.

CASPER ROBLER.-In Balthasar Bekker's 'Bezauberte Welt,' book iv. p. 72, Amsterdam, 1693, there is an incidental reference to a monument and statue to the memory of Casper Robler, erected on a dike near Harlingen. Who was Casper Robler ? J. H. D.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

SWORDMAKERS MENTIONED BY SHAKSPEARE. Can any of your readers give me the names of swordmakers, other than Fox, mentioned by Shakspeare, and references? GEO. HENDERSON.

COMTE DE FRONSAC.-Can any one tell me where among the papers of the doings of the government of Charles X. of France there is any mention made of the conferring of the title of Comte de Fronsac upon Thomas Forsyth, of Portland, Maine, U.S., for services rendered the king (secret services) in America? A. B.

BASKERVILLE PRAYER BOOK.-I have a 12mo. Baskerville Prayer Book, printed 1762. On one fly-leaf it has inscribed, "May Myddelton, Gwaynynog"; and on the fly-leaf facing this, "Margt. Ogilvie, 1775." Dr. Johnson visited Gwaynynog with Mrs. Thrale in 1774, and was entertained by Dr. Myddelton, who subsequently in the grounds erected an urn with an inscription on it in memory of Johnson. Can any one tell me who May Myddelton was, and whether Margaret Ogilvie was any connexion of the Myddelton family?

Queenwood College.

CHARLES WILLMORE.

WRIGHT'S ALMA MATER.'-In 1827 a work was published, in two volumes, by Black, Young & Young, Tavistock Square, London, entitled "Alma Mater; or, Seven Years at the University of Cambridge.' By a Trinity Man." A copy of this

scarce book is offered in the September catalogue of H. Sotheran & Co., 36, Piccadilly, with this remark, "This work, written by J. M. Wright, of Trinity, is believed to have been suppressed at the instance of the authorities." Are the initials "J. M." correct? My copy of the work has the book-plate of "R. Cooper, Pet. Coll.," who has written "Thomas Wright" as the author's name; and the late Mr. J. C. Hotten gave the same name when he catalogued a copy of the work in November, 1857. In Olphar Hamst's 'Handbook of Fictitious Names' the author's name is given as "J. M. Wright, Mathematician" (p. 20).

CUTHBERT BEDE.

WILLEY-HOUSE, &c.-In 'Morley, Ancient and Modern,' by Wm. Smith (London, 1886), pp. 285, 286, the terms "Willey-house," "Shake-Willey," "Mixing Willey," are given as used in the manufacture of wool in Yorkshire. What is the origin of these terms; and have they any connexion with the personal name Willey, of which there are families in Yorkshire? HENRY WILLEY.

New Bedford, Massachusetts.

ETYMOLOGY OF WORSTED.-Bailey says that spun wool is called worsted from the town of that name in Norfolk, which was celebrated for fine spinning. This statement is adopted by Skeat. In one of the books of the Exchequer Augmentation Office is an inventory of "all the goodes, plate, juells, belles, and other ornaments" of all the churches, guyldes, &c., in the county of Warwick Under the head made in 6 Edward VI. "Pakyngton Magna" occurs "A cope, wulsted." This seems to indicate that worsted was then supposed to derive its name from wool, the material of which it is made, and not from its place of manufacture. Can any of your readers give other instances of this spelling? R. W. GILLESPIE.

THE DE BOLEYN OR BULLEN FAMILY.-Is it known whether this family derived its name from Bolein, Boleigne, in Normandy, or, as some believe, from the town of Boloigne, now Boulogne ?

T. W. CAREY.

So that, in addition to the three bishops, there was a presbyter and a deacon also present from this country.

As to what is meant by "Colonia Londinensium" writers are not agreed. Archbishop Usher thinks it to mean Colchester,* as that was called "Antoninus Coloniæ." Stillingfleet, on the contrary, maintains that "this Bishop Adelphius came 'ex Civit. Col. Leg. ii.' (the colony of the Second Legion), which the ignorant Transcribers might easily turn to 'ex Civit. Col. Londin.'" This, I take it, would be Caerleon-on-Usk. Robertson says (History of the Christian Church'), "Londinensium' is more commonly regarded as a mistake for Lindensium," which, I suppose, means Lincoln. I cannot verify the quotation from p. 297 of Wright's The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon,' nor from any part of the

book.

In reply to MR. SLOPER'S question at the end of his paper, I think it would be far from well "to have the paragraph in question altered" in accordance with his suggestion, because such an alteration would be substituting error for what is undoubted fact. For if he will read over the Council of Ariminum as recorded in Labbé and Harduin, he will find that there is no list of any bishops who were present at it. In fact, it was nothing more than a provincial synod, as the heading of it plainly shows, "Eusebio et Hypathio Coss: xii Kal Augusti; cum apud locum Ariminensem Episcoporum Synodus fuisset collecta," &c. And the emperor's letter summoning it is only addressed "ad Episcopas Italos." See Harduin, EDMUND TEW, M.A.

sub anno 359.

"WOODEN SHOES": "PROTESTANT TUTOR FOR YOUTH' (7th S. ii. 169, 273).—Thanks to the Editor, and to MR. GIBBS, and especially to G. F. R. B. The last mentioned led me to look again at the pagination of my copy, and I find that p. 60 (the last of sheet H) is followed immediately by pp. 65-68 on sheet 1, which only consists of two leaves. Sheet K begins again with p. 65, and concludes with p. 72. The title-page is missing from my copy, and I should be glad to know the name of the publisher, if any. On fo. A 2 commences "A Timely Memorial to all True Protestants: remonstrating the Certainty of a horrid and damn

able Popish Plot now carrying on in Great Britain." This runs on (in much violence of language) to p. 8, and has apparently been followed by a second title. On fo. a (consisting of two leaves) the actual 'Tutor' begins, with a fresh pagination which reaches 120.

I think this must be a second edition, and published in, or soon after, 1713. At the foot of p. 112, and after the prayers and "Graces," with which the book was apparently intended to conclude, is the curious addition :

incerted in Abel's Post Boy, Thursday April the 23d "Reading the Paragraph from Dublin, April the 11th, 1713, wherein he basely reflected on the Protestants; and saith, That ill Weeds grows apace: Which can admit of no other Construction, but that notwithstanding they were weeded by that bloody Massacre in 1642, they were now very Numerous. This put me in mind of Bishop Usher's Prophecy, which take as followeth."

Sheet (pp. 113-120) is accordingly occupied Learned and Reverend James Usher, Lord Archwith "The Prophecies and Predictions of the late bishop of Armagh, and Lord Primate of Ireland, relating to England, Scotland, and Ireland." This sheet will not, I imagine, be found in the British

Museum

copy.

Q. V.

The phrase "wooden shoes" does not refer to French democracy, as suggested, but to the tyranny of James II., who was a vassal of France, and might be supposed to wish either to force English people to adopt French customs or to desire to coerce them by means of French troops.

The old Orange toast used to stand something like this: "The pious, glorious, and immortal memory of King William III., who saved us from brass money, wooden shoes, the Pope, the Devil, and the Pretender."

The title of the work inquired about-' Protestant Tutor for Youth,' shows that this is the correct explanation."

Mexborough.

WILLIAM SYKES, M.R.C.S.

ADRIA THE STONY SEA (7th S. i. 289, 435; ii. 78, 196).-MR. JOHN W. BONE gives the quotation from Ducange quite correctly; but how "adrias Græco" can, by any possibility, mean petra, I am quite at a loss to understand. All the lexicons I have consulted, such as Suidas, Scapula, Hederic, Liddell and Scott, agree in rendering it "thick," "full-grown," large," "fat," &c. Schleusner, under "dopórns" gives "abundantia, copia, multitudo (ab adpoos, copiosus, abundans, largus." I do not think that for a derivation such as this we should rely upon either barbarous Latin or Greek. EDMUND TEW, M.A.

SMOKING IN CHURCH (6th S. xii. 385, 415, 470; 7th S. i. 32. 113, 218, 297).-Wallis, Glimpses of Spain' (New York, 1849), tells a good story à propos of this subject. According to him in

dulgence in the various uses of tobacco was at one time carried to such an excess in Seville Cathedral that the chapter applied to the Pope for power to repress the abuse. Urban VIII., yielding to their wish, issued the bull Cum Ecclesiæ against the use of the obnoxious weed in church. It was promulgated on January 30, 1642, and though for the diocese of Seville only, a Roman wag took the opportunity of retorting with the pasquinade," Contra folium quod vento rapitur ostendis potentiam tuam, et stipulam siccam persequeris!" R. H. BUSK.

THE BAYONA OR CIES ISLANDS (7th S. ii. 205), -Madoz (Dicc. Geog. Estad. Hist. de España, &c.), under "Bayonas ó Cies, hoy Islas de Vigo,"

says:

"El nombre Cies, que hoy distingue aun estas islas, es indudablemente residuo de aquel por el cual los conocieron los ant. Cica. Pudieron haber tomado este nombre del

griego Kixos [sic], lugaa [sic] fuerte é inespugnable, como son las islas; ó del siriaco Kicar que significa metal, por la abundancia de metal, estaño ó plomo que de estas islas se sacara, siendo tambien llamadas por esta razon Cassiterides."

Lamartiniere, under "Cica," says:-" Pline (i. 4, c. 20) appelle ainsi les Isles de Bayonne sur la côte occidentale d'Espagne, dans l'Océan. D'autres les ont nommées Deorum Insulæ." Ptolemy (1. 2) mentions the latter. R. S. CHARNOCK.

LIVERY OF SEISIN (7th S. ii. 167, 258).-Two notices of the use of rushes in connexion with

legal instruments in the fifteenth century have come under my observation.

The first is preserved in the archives of the Corporation of Rye, among the documents which escaped destruction by the French during their temporary occupation of the town in 1448. It is a deed executed by Thomas, Lord Stanley, dated April 27, 2 Richard III., and is of the nature of a release of all claim and right of action against the Rye authorities. In the seal attached to the deed platted rushes are inserted (Hist. MSS. Com., Fifth Report, pt. i. p. 498).

The second instance is found in the case of an indenture dated 4 Henry VII, referring to land formerly held by William Gaynsford and others, at Lingfield, Surrey, and granted to one Alice Croker on condition that she find yearly for ever a wax taper of two pounds weight before the Trinity in the church of Lingfield. The seal is annexed, tied with a piece of rush, perhaps in livery of the land (Bray's 'Surrey,' account of Lingfield parish). WM. UNDERHill.

Is not MR. ADDY inaccurate in saying that the steward uses a rod "to pass the seisin into the body of the surrenderee." The seisin of copyholds is, of course, in the lord of the manor, and the "rod" used by the steward (be it ruler, umbrella, or walking-stick, all of which I have known to be

66

used) is merely a customary method of passing the possession of the tenement in question to the new tenant. It is, in fact, "tenancy by the verge," which is practically the same as copyhold tenure; but by custom the tenants are invested into their property by means of a verge," or rod. In some cases a knife, straw, or lock of the grantor's hair is the customary means of investiture. Full particulars of this tenure will be found in 'Coke upon Littleton,' Scriven 'On Copyholds,' and kindred works.

I am not aware if "livery of seisin " has ever been traced to its original source. fore, venture to note that the formalities accomI may, therepanying Abraham's purchase of the field at Ephron (Gen. xxiii.) have a marked resemblance to those accompanying a medieval feoffment with livery of seisin. A. H. D.

"SENT THEM AWAY WITH FLEAS IN THEIR EARS" (7th S. ii. 265).—Chap. vii. of the third book of Pantagruel begins by showing how Panurge had a flea in his ear :

"Au lendemain, Panurge se feit perser l'aureille dextre a la judaicque, et y attacha ung petit anneau d'or a ouvraige de tauchie, ou caston duquel estoyt une pulce doubtez." enchassee. Et estoyt la pulce noire affin que de rien ne And at the end of chap. xxxi., at the close of the discourse of Roudibilis, Panurge says:— "Durant vostre docte discours ceste pulce que j'ay en l'aureille m'ha plus chatouillé que ne feist oncques." Pantagruel' was published in 1533.

JAMES HOOPER.

Oak Cottage, Streatham Place, S.W.

AS MR. BROWN found this expression (if I understand him aright) in a translation from the French, he should consult the French original (if he is able) and see what the corresponding French expression is. There is no doubt that the French have long had similar expressions; for the "Avoir la puce & l'oreille" and "Mettre la puce à l'oreille" (à quelqu'un), which are current in the French of to-day, are to be met with as early as the fourteenth century (Littré, s. v. Puce"). But I have never seen nor heard "La puce à l'oreille" used with would be the equivalents of the "dismissing" and such verbs as renvoyer, chasser, or congédier, which 'sending away "+ in MR. BROWN's quotation; and

66

* A l'oreille seems from the earliest times to have

been used with avoir; but from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries en l'oreille was used with mettre. Le Roux de Lincy (second edition, i. 198) has the proverb (sixteenth century)

Puce en l'oreille L'homme réveille.

It would be generally in the night, I should say, if at all, that a flea would go into the ear.

† Neither do I find any such verbs in any other lan. guages. We borrowed them, apparently, from the French, and seem to be the only nation that has retained them.