Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 1.djvu/383

 s. L APRIL 16, loot.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

315

may be worth quoting. The following is from his account of Milton in the ' Essai sur la Poesie Epique' :

"II a pu prendre dans le Tasse la description de I'enfer, le earactere de Satan, le conseil des demons : imiter ainsi, ce n'est point etre plagiaire, c'est lutter, comme dit Boileau, contre son original ; c'est enrichir sa langue des beanie's des langues ^trangeres; c'est nourrir son genie et Paccroitre du genie des autres ; c'est ressembler k Virgile, qui imita Homere. Sana doute Milton a joute" contre le Tasse avec des armes in^gales; la langue anglaise ne pouvait rendre I'harmonie des vers italiens : Chiama gli abitatori dell' ombre eterne II rauco suon della tartarea tromba ; Treman le spaziose atre caverne, E P aer cieco a quel rumor rimbomba, &c. Cependant Milton a trouve Part d'imiter heureuse- ment tous ces beaux morceaux. II est vrai que ce qui n'est qu'un episode dans le Tasse est le sujet meme dans Milton ; il est encore vrai que, sans la peinture des amours d'Adam et d'Eve, comme sans F'amour de Renaud et d'Armide, les diables de Milton et du Tasse n'auraient pas eu un grand eucces."

W. R. B. PRIDEAUX.

THE GERMAN REPRINT OF LEKJARRAGA'S BOOKS (10 th S. i. 284). In line 18 of my article read p. 339, not p. 399 ; and insert before that item "p. 120, v. 9, loannesez."

E. S. DODGSON.

MINIATURE OF ISAAC NEWTON (10 th S. i. 248). MR. BIRKBECK may count himself fortunate in possessing this miniature, and it would be interesting to all readers of in whose possession it has been since the death of Sir Isaac in 1726/7. Of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris Sir Isaac was elected a Foreign Associate in 1699. He had been a Fellow of the Royal Society since 1672, and was elected its Presidentin 1703, continuing to act as such until his death. He presided for the last time on 28 February, 1726/7, and the miniature would doubtless be given him when he was first elected President. Is MR. BIRKBECK, however, quite certain of the date on the miniature ] Sir Isaac was not knighted by Queen Anne until 1705, two years later than the date MR. BIRKBECK gives. The painter would doubtless be a Parisian.
 * N. & Q.' to learn how he came by it, and

CHAS. F. FORSHAW, LL.D.

Bradford.

Sir Isaac Newton was the first President of the Royal Society, and held that position from 1703 till his death, which took place on 20 March, 1727. The honour of knighthood was conferred upon him by Queen Anne on 15 April, 1705. The Museum of the Royal Society was commenced in 1665, and the account of its rarities in Hatton's ' London,' 1708, occupies twenty pages, which probably

was known as the "Royal Academy of Sciences." EVERARD HOME COLEMAN.

71, Brecknock Road.

WILLIAM WILLIE (10 th S. i. 67, 257). MR. F. A. HOPKINS gives a very interesting paper as to "double names." The practice of duplicating names in a family was very common in my younger days. If a John Smith died, his parents would almost as a matter of course christen another child John, and this was found to be the explanation of many apparently wonderful records of longevity. John Smith, born in 1780, dies, and another John appears, maybe ten or fifteen years afterwards ; but the birthday of his elder brother is claimed for him, and the register of the baptism seems to prove that he is ten or fifteen years older than he really is. But what seems curious to me is how few double names of any kind were in use seventy or eighty years ago. I had as a child fully thirty near relatives, brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts, and none had two names. I had at school some thirty-five companions, and not one had two names except myself. What a curious contrast to the present order of things ! G. C. W.

John Sylvester John Gardiner, D.D., was rector of Trinity Church, Boston, United States, and died in 1830. His first and third Christian names were the same, and he seems to have been named after his father, grand- father, and great-grandfather, who were all distinguished men in New England. Dr. Gardiner was learned, eloquent, and witty. He was the founder of that valuable library and museum, the Boston Athenseum.

M. N. G.

[The question of the rarity of the early use of double Christian names has been discussed. See 6 th S vii. 119, 172 : viii. 153, 273, 371 ; ix. 36, 438 ; x. 214, 333 ; 9 th S. vi. 107, 217.]

SLEEP AND DEATH (9 th S. xii. 389, 512). Most poets and many prose writers have touched upon this obvious simile. ^Passages have been heaped together in ' N. & Q.,' 2 nd S v. 229 ; 3 rd S. ix. 413 ; 4 th S. viii. 161, 336 ; but especially at 1 st S. ix. 346. I can add these further references :

Boyle's ' Reflections,' 1665, i. 211.

Browne, Sir Tho. (another passage quoted m Truths Illustrated').

Butler's ' Analogy.'

Byron, ' Sardanapalus,' iv. 1 ; Lara, i. 29.

Codd, E. T., ' Sermons,' p. 1.

How ell's ' Instructions,' Arber, p. 24.

Johnson, ' Adventurer,' No. 39.

Longfellow, ' Sleeping Child.

Ovid, ' Eleg.,' ii. 9 (tr. by Marlowe, 18,0, p. 2to).

Owen, 'Epigrams' (second collection, JNo. IV6).