Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 11.djvu/396

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. XL APRIL 24, im

been introduced altogether unknown to the author." He therefore gave " a genuine copy of them, as transcribed by a gentleman then at Eton School from the Author's own writing " ; and he added what remains he could find of a pastoral elegy written by Littleton on the death of R. Banks (sic), Scholar of the same College. This was Ralph Bankes, fourth son of John Bankes <d. 1714), who was M.P. for Corfe Castle in eight Parliaments. Ralph was admitted scholar of King's College on 3 July, 1717, .and died in the college of smallpox in December, 1718. Morell had also seen a poetical epistle sent by Littleton from school to Penyston Powney, but as it was " scarce intelligible to any but those who were then at Eton," he omitted it.

The poetical letter consists in MS. 28,101 of 97 lines, and was addressed to " dear M ." It seems to have expanded in the course of years from the original^ version. On its appearance in Edward Curll's second volume (1735) of 'Mr. Pope's Literary Correspondence,' pp. 158-60, as ' An Epistle from Dr. Littleton at Cambridge to his Friend at Eton,' there were but 61 lines. When printed in Gent. Mag., viii. (1738), 42, the poem had doubled in length, consisting of 122 lines, and was then called ' A Letter from Dr. Littleton when a Freshman of King's College in Cambridge to his School- fellow (H. A r, Esq.) at Eaton.' It was addressed to " dear Hal," and the youth's name was Henry Archer. The poem as printed in Dodsley was of the same length (122 lines) ; but two lines in Gent. Mag. are omitted in Dodsley, and two in the latter collection are not in the Magazine. There are also a few unimportant variations. Thirty lines of it are printed in Sir H. Maxwell-Lyte's ' Eton College,' 3rd ed., 1899, pp. 291-2. The whole poem, bemoan- ing his change of life from poetry to algebraic lectures and syllogisms, is written with vivacity.

Morell adds that he was " as little ambitious of appearing in print as the

great Mr. Hales formerly of the same college

and I am apt to think from what I have heard that, like him, too, he never penn'd anything until he needs must."

Allen also informs us that Littleton's brother was

" bred a bookseller in London, but, failing in that business, was for his merit chosen beadle to the Company of Stationers, 1 July, 1751, a comfortable subsistence."

I am much indebted in the construction of this memoir to Mr. Jenkinson, the Uni- versity Librarian at Cambridge, and to Mr.

F. L. Clarke, the Bursar's Clerk at King's College, Cambridge. W. P. COURTNEY. (To be continued.)

ST. GEORGE'S DAY, 1715. In ' Queen Mary of Modena,' by M. Haile, 1905, p. 458, is a long original account of a great demon- stration held on this day on Snow Hill, in favour of James III. and the Stuarts. The health of James was drunk, kneeling, with a " triple hussa " ; there were bonfires ; and figures of Oliver Cromwell, King William and King George were burnt. W. C. B.

ST. MARK'S DAY, 25 APRIL. (See 10 S. ix. 401.) An account of the procession on this day, with explanatory notes, is in ' Rites of Durham,' Surt. Soc. cvii. 104, 287.

W. C. B.

SHAKESPEARES IN 1796. While making some searches in the Record Office amongst old Army accounts, I found the name of Shakespeare several times, and thought the mere mention justified a place in ' N. & Q.'

On 3 June, 1796, Arthur Shakespear so the name is spelt was paid 311. Os. Id. for twine and thread ; on 30 June, 694Z. 14s. IQd. for rope. On 30 April, 1796, Shakespear Reed was paid 367Z. Os. 4jd. for rope delivered at the Tower of London for Jamaica. There are several more entries of a similar character. The reference is W.O. 52/89, ff. 204, 219, 228, &c. A. RHODES.

CANDLEMAS AND PASSOVER. In that very entertaining volume ' Some Threepenny Bits,' by Mr. G. W. E. Russell, the subjoined verses occur :

Kindle the Christmas brand, and then

lay it up agen

Till Christmas next return

And' where 'tis safely kept, the Fiend 1

Can do no mischief there. A similar belief exists among very old- fashioned Hebrews of extreme orthodoxy, who make a point of keeping from year to year part of the " middle cake " eaten on " Seder Night," suspended from the kitchen ceiling to ward off evil spirits and the " Angel of Death " from the home.

M. L. R. BRESLAR.

MTJSK MELONS. I am anxious to correct an error made in reference to this fruit when writing of the Neyte gardens (10 S. x. 462). In an unlucky moment I transcribed from my notes " musk melons " as " munk melons," and thus absurdly misquoted Massinger. As the fruit was cultivated in