Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 2.djvu/57

. ii. JULY 16, 1904.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

41

LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 16, 1901..

CONTENTS.-No. 29.

NOTES : Recovery of an Anglo-Norman Chronicle, 41 Letters of Cowper, 42 Gaelic Inscriptions in Man, 44 Winchester College Visitation, 1559 Scott's Music Master "Paraphernalia" Bailiff of Eagle Miuquash ' God save the King,' 46 Kockall Final " -ed " Poetical Curiosity lona Cathedral, 47.

QUERIES : Hertford County Biography Thomas Button, 47 Sir Gilbert Blliot's Death "A shoulder of mutton brought home from France" "Tropenwut" : "Tropen- koller " Hewett Family Adam Zad Skeletons at Funerals, 48 Morland's Grave Dickensian London Bronke Family S. Howitt, Painter Authors of Quota- tions Wanted Trooping the Colours Sir Hugo Meignell, 49 Publishers' Catalogues Gordon Epitaph Obb Wig- Silver Bouquet- Holder Byron : Biron, 50.

REPLIES : Pamela : Pamela, 50 Premier Grenadier of France, 52 Mark Hildesley, 53 Late Intellectual Harvest Flesh and Shamble Meats Mr. Janes, of Aberdeen- shire, 54 The Vaghnatch Byroniana "Sal et saliva " Daughters of James I. of Scotland, 55 Walney Island Names Copernicus and the Planet Mercury Alake Prescriptions " Among others," 56 Antwerp Cathedral King John's Charters' Wilhelm Meister' " Humanum est errare" Hugo's 'Les Abeilles Imperiales' Biblio- graphy of Epitaphs May Monument, 57 Thomas Neale : "Herberley" Topography of Ancient London Gabo- riau's 'Marquis d'AngivaV Lancashire Toast, 58 Fair Maid of Kent, 59.

NOTES ON BOOKS:-' A Later Pepys '- Farmer and Henley's ' Slang and its Analogues ' Morris's ' Defence of Guenevere,' edited by Steele Britten's 'Old Clocks and Watches ' Lindley's ' Tourist-Guide to the Con- tinent ' Cresswell's 'Quantock Hills.'

Death of Mr. B. Harris Cowper. Notices to Correspondents.

gates.

RECOVERY OF AN ANGLO-NORMAN CHRONICLE.

STUDENTS of English mediaeval history are acquainted with the name of William Packington as that of the author of some works of contemporary history, the loss of which has often been a matter of complaint by historians, in consequence of there being a dearth of original chronicles for a con- siderable part of the period comprehending the reigns of the three Edwards. Modern writers have been content to adopt the facts collected by compilers of the sixteenth cen- tury which are not authorized by the exist- ence of their sources.

Some knowledge of one of these original chronicles has come down to us by the zeal of England's first great antiquary, John Leland. Amongst the treasures of history saved by him in the pages of his ' Collectanea,' we find the following entry:

" Wylliam de Packington, Clerk and Tresurer of Prince Kdwardes, Sunne to Edwarde the III., Household yn (iascoyne, did wryte a Croniaue yn t'rcnche, from the IX yere of King John or Eng- londe on to his tyme, and dedicated it to his Lord Prince Edwarde. Owte of an Epitome in French

of this afore sayde Cronique I translated carptim thes thinges that folow yn to Englische."

The extracts from this Epitome cover fifteen pages, and have been always regarded as of mportant historical value. We do not know whether Leland ever saw the whole original

hronicle himself, but other writers of the sixteenth century were acquainted with it. I have been fortunate enough to recover a copy of the above-named Epitome whilst occupied with studies about the Anglo-Norman prose chronicle of 4 Brute.' MS. Cotton Tiberius A vi. has generally been believed to repre- sent a version of the latter, but only with partial accuracy. Indeed, from its beginning in 1042 down to the death of Henry III., the text agrees as a whole with the usual text of the * Brute,' but after that date the course of the narrative suddenly goes back to the coronation of King John, whence it proceeds on to the reign of Edward III., where it breaks off in 1346. This second part of the MS., joined to the first without any outward sign of a new beginning, represents from the ninth year of John until the end an entirely new chronicle, the lost Epitome from Packing- ton, for all the pieces preserved by Leland can be verbally traced in it.

That we have here the Epitome, and not the original chronicle, can be guessed by its irregular character, the notes being in some parts very extensive and in others very meagre. There is yet another circumstance which renders it certain. Sir E. M. Thomp- son, in his edition of the ' Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke,' was the first to suppose that some parts of a later version of the 'Brute' show a connexion with the lost Chronicle of Packington. Indubitably the part comprehending the years 1307-33 is in- debted to him. We can see now that it is taken from the original Chronicle, because it is much fuller than the corresponding part in the Epitome, though agreeing in substance. I hope shortly to be able to say something definite about the historical value of the Epitome ; for the present I shall only remark that it is rather condensed during the reign of John, but gradually becomes fuller during the reigns of Henry III. and Edward I., very full during the reign of Edward II., and then very short again during the first part of Edward III.'s reign down to 1339. The rest, including the years between 1339 and 1346, becomes comprehensive again, through the insertion of a number of documents letters from and to Edward III. which letters, however, are to be found in Avesbury,

the continuation of Higden (Harl. 566), or in

Rymer's ' Fcedera.' F. W. D. BRIE.