Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 12.djvu/240

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. XH. SEPT. 4, 1909.

in a packet on 15 July, 1795. He served at Martinique and Jamaica, then on the American coast, and many other stations ; then was a prisoner of war in France for twelve months. After his release he served in the West Indies again.

To relate all his career is unnecessary. He was Master Attendant at Madras till he was placed on the retired list of the Navy in July, 1821 ; two years afterwards he was appointed to Jamaica, and in 1827 to Malta, where, as already mentioned, he died. These particulars are taken from his journals, published in London in 1840 under the title of ' The Cabin Boy : being the Memoirs of an Officer in the Civil Depart- ment of H.M. Navy, well known by the Name of Billy Pitt.' He more than once mentions a favourite song of his, " Times are changed, said the dog's-meat man."

A. RHODES.

"One night came on a hurricane," &c., appears in ' The Universal Songster,' ii. 161. Its title there is ' Billy, let 's thank Provi- dence that you and I are Sailors.' These words, having " So " prefixed, are the last line of the song. The first stanza is as follows, differing from the version in the query :

One night came on a hurricane, the sea was

mountains rolling, When Barney Buntline turned his quid, and said to

Billy Bowling, A strong Sow- wester 's blowing, Billy, can't you hear

it roar now ? Lord help 'em, how I pities all unhappy folks on

shore now !

The air .is " Bow, wow, wow." No author's name is given. In the indexes of the three volumes of ' The Universal Songster ' those eongs attributed to Dibdin appear under his name. This appears under 'Naval.'

In ' The Songs of Charles Dibdin Chrono- logically Arranged,' to which is prefixed a memoir by George Hogarth, 1844, in the index to the first lines " One night came on," fec., does not appear. In the index to th< titles is ' The Sailor's Consolation ; or Spanking Jack.' This song begins : Spanking Jack was so comely, so pleasant, so jolly Though winds blew great guns, still he 'd whistle and sing.

This edition contains, according to the preface, more than a thousand of Dibdin songs.

In ' The Universal Songster ' (vol. i p. 207) the title of the latter song is ' Spank ing Jack ' only ; while in ' The New Musica and Vocal Cabinet,' 1820 (vol. ii. p. 92) its title is ' The Sailor's Consolation ' only " by Mr. Dibdin."

From the above one may gather that

The Sailor's Consolation ' is not the proper

lame of " One night came on a hurricane,"

&c., of which, apparently, Dibdin was not the

author. ROBERT PIERPOINT.

MESWINDE THE FAIR (10 S. ix. 8, 64, 77).

According to Mannying's version of the

ale in the ' Handlynge Synne,' Merswynde

and Bevo were the names of two of the

Curst Dancers themselves :

Twey maydens were yn here coueyne, Mayden Merswynde and Wybessyne.

They came to Colbigk and persuaded the

>riest's daughter to join them :

wyth hem to karolle the ohirche aboute,

Beune ordeyned here karollyng :

Gerlew endyted what they shuld syng :

thys ys the karolle that they sunge,

As telleth the latyn tunge,

Equitabat Beuo, &c. (E.E.T.S. edition.)

A. short review in Romania, vol. xxv., of Schroder's paper on the subject says that ' il en requite notamment que la version ou se que chantaient les danseurs de Colbigk en 1'an 1013 remonte & un certain Dietrich (Theodoricus), uui )re"tendait avoir ^te" un de ces danseurs, et qui mt (ue"ri de sa maladie convulsive & Wilton, en Angle- chanson allemande (de la Basse Saxe) qu'il faut chercher sous la transcription latine,
 * rouve interca!6 le premier couplet de la chanson
 * erre, au tombeau de sainte Edith. C'est done une

Equitabat dux Bovo per silvam frondosam Ducebat secum Mersuindem formosam. Quid stamus ? Cur non imus ? "

FRANK W. HACQUOIL.

Penarth.

JOHN BOSSOM, COOK OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, OXFORD (10 S. xii. 150). The term " personse privilegiatse," in the widest sense, includes all persons who enjoyed the immunities conferred by charter on the corporation of the University. These privileged persons might include the servants, who were divided into (1) the " common " servants, such as the college porter (janitor) and the college cook (coquus) ; and (2) the " personal " servants.

Bossom was, and is, I think, a well-known name in Oxford. R. Bossom was one of the two city chamberlains in 1724.

A. R. BAYLEY.

A " privilegiate " is one who is exempt from the rigour of the Common Law. See

Cowel. J. HOLDEN MACMlCHAEL.

TWELVE SURNAME (10 S. xii. 149). This surname appears to be fairly common. Twelve or Twelves, according to Bardsley ( ' Dictionary of English and Welsh Sur- names ' ), is a corruption of Twell or Twells,