Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 1.djvu/470

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. i. MAY u, 190*.

compare such names with the French Teiueraire, or with our Dauntless and the like. H. K.

"PERIDOTE." A peridote is said to be a kind of chrysolite, a precious stone more or less like topaz. There is a notice of it in the Daily Telegraph of 26 April, p. 12, col. 1. "This concludes with the remark that the name "has long been the cause of struggling among philologists. Some pin their faith to the derivation TrepiSoros, a wager ; others swear by Tre/nSc-ros, banded. The Goldsmiths' and Silversmiths' philologist dogmatically states that the word is derived from ' Feri- det,' a precious stone." The remark is hardly fair, for no philologist would accept these suggestions of a Greek origin. The word is obviously Eastern. What is meant by " Feri- det " we are not informed.

However, when we compare the modern Pers. ferseng with the Old Pers. Trapacrdyyr), as pre- served in a Greek dress, the supposition that the p in peridote corresponds to a modern Oriental / is not unreasonable. I find in Richardson's ' Arab. Diet.' these entries :

"Arab, faridat, a precious stone, a pearl; Arab, farld, a precious gem, a pearl, especially one of a larger size, or a bead of gold placed alter- nately between smaller ones in a necklace or bracelet ; one, unique, incomparable. Also Pers. farld, the middle bead of a necklace."

The M.E. peri/dote, in Ernare, 1. 155, is from the O.F. peridot, fully explained by Godefroy. WALTER W. SKEAT.

[See also 8 th S. i. 180, 296, 361, 423, 518 ; 9 th S. vi. 348,414; vii. 215-1

ALEXANDER PENNECUIK, GENT. -In 1717 Richard Steele was one of a commission of twelve appointed to visit Edinburgh with the object of confiscating the lands of those nobles and gentlemen who had been con- cerned in the rebellion of 1715. Steele was splendidly entertained in the northern capital, and received a special welcome from two men of letters Allan Ramsay and Alexander Pennecuik. In the monograph on Steele which he contributed to the "English Worthies " series, Mr. Dobson calls Pennecuik " an unknown ' Alexander Pennicuik, gentle- man,' author of a volume of ' Streams from Helicon.' " This worthy seems to have been rather notorious than unknown in his own day, and he has his appropriate place in Scottish literary history. He figures in the biographical dictionaries of Chambers and Joseph Irving, and he is estimated with characteristic fairness and lucidity in Dr. David Irving's posthumous ' History of Scptish Poetry.' The critic justifiably con- siders the ' Streams from Helicon ' not

"always very pure streams," and he thinks that the poet's broadly humorous 'Merry Tales for the Lang Nights of Winter ' show him " capable of employing his native tongue with considerable effect." "Streams from Helicon ; or, Poems on various Subjects, by Alexander Pennecuik, Gent.," appeared in 1720, and this was followed in 1726 by ' Flowers from Parnassus.' The author's prose work, ' The Blue Blanket ; or, Craftsman's Banner,' has value as a curious contribution to local history. THOMAS BAYNE.

JOWETT AND WHEWSLL. In 4 th S. vi. 226

is recorded the election of Prof. Jowett as Master of Balliol, but I do not see in any later number a reference to the "famous" verse about him :

My name is Benjamin Jowett,

I 'm the Master of Balliol College ;

Whatever is known, I know it,

And what I don't know isn't knowledge.

The other verse on Dr. Whewell, Master of Trinity, is also worth recording :

Should a man through all space to far galaxies

travel,

And all nebulous films the remotest unravel, He will find, if he venture to fathom infinity, The great work of God is the Master of Trinity.

I quote from memory in each case.

Lucis.

THIEVES' SLANG: "Jos GURR." The following cutting from the Sun of 25 April seems almost worth a corner in the pages of 'N. &Q.':

"A labourer of over sixty years of age was charged on Saturday at Stratford with begging. The prisoner was going to a number of houses in Vaughan Road asking for money to get a 'night's doss,' and when arrested by Detective - sergeant Marshallhe said, '1 haveoften heard of " JoeGurr," and if I get seven days I shall have the satisfaction of knowing what it 's like.' He now made no defence, and the detective explained that 'Joe Gurr ' was a slang word for prison.' 1

HERBERT B. CLAYTON.

"THE PRESENT CENTURY." In the early years of a century we are apt to forget that it has changed, and still speak or write as if the previous century was still present. Perhaps I may mention two instances of this, and be pardoned that the first should be an error of my own. The other relates to a work which is of special interest at this season of the year.

In the tenth edition of my ' Remarkable Comets,' published in 1902, I inadvertently used the expression, at pp. 13, 14, "The finest comets of the present century were those of 1811, 1858, and 1861." I have corrected this in the last edition, which appeared at the