Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 3.djvu/228

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NOTES AND QUERIES, no* s. m. MARCH n, iocs.

to study " and :( not to fast " would scarcely foe considered hardships the "barren tasks" Avhich he was seeking to escape.

E. MERTON DEY.
 * St. Louis.

"ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE," 'As You iLiKE IT,' II. vii. With this well-known .passage may be compared the following, <which is referred to at C th S. iv. 311, but not
 * given in full : 'O Koofios cnojvi), o /ftos TrdpoSos'

"

Mundus scena, vita transitus : venisti, vidisti, abiisti." This is the last but one of "Democratis Sententise," p. 18 of " Demophili, Democratis, et Secundi ...... Editio secunda ...... Cantabrigise ...... 1670,"
 * Sententijfi Morales a Luca Holstenio Editse

8 art of " Opuscula Mythologica, Ethica," &c., antabrigite, 1671 (edited by Tho. Gale). There is the following foot-note :

'"O KOO-/JIOS o-Kfjvij] Egregie Plotinus Enn. 3, 'lib. 2, c. 15, Cfeterum LTapoSos, vox e theatro -et media scena petita : estque primus chori ingressus in scenam, primusque ostentus, teste Polluce et Hephsestione."

ROBERT PIERPOINT.

'HAMLET/ III. : ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDEN-

monly known that the prototype of 'Hamlet' is to be found (under the name Hamblet) in the ' Histoires Tragiques ' of Belleforest, the
 * STERN. Although it is, I presume, now com-

^ first edition of which appeared in 1567, it may be worth while to point out that two of the characters in that wonderful play

(Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) have their names taken from those of real personages, contemporaries of Shakespeare. Axel Gyl- denstjern was made Governor of Norway, and Jorgen Rosenkrands of Jutland, in the reign of Frederick II., who died in 1588. Rosenkrands died in 159G, but his son Holger

. (latinized into Oligerus) was a great friend of Tycho Brahe, the astronomer, and, after the death of the latter in 1601, edited a second edition of his ' Astronomic Instaurata? Mechanica '; the first had become very rare, the greatest part of the copies printed having been sent as presents.* _ The principal object of that work was to interest the emperor Rudolph II. in the astronomical instruments and labours of the author. The names and arms of Gyldenstjern and Rosenkrands, and other noblemen, appear on the frontispiece. The former was Tycho's cousin. Holger Rosenkrands inserted some Latin verses, "ad generosum Virum Tychonem Braheum de Knudstrup, cognotum et affinem suum

British Museum, and has Tycho's autograph of ,- presentation on the fly-leaf.
 * One of these is now in the Library of the

desideratissimum, in Zoilos malevolos et inscios." For many of the above particulars I am indebted to Dr. J. L. E Dreyer'a ex- haustive ' Life of Tycho.' W. T. LYNN.

[Letters on the subject of Shakespeare's use of the names Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appeared in The AtkencEian of 21 May, 1904, from Mrs C. C. Stopes, and of 4 June from Mr. Percy SiniD- son.]

' CORIOLANUS,' I. x. Aufidius exclaims,

. Nor Phane, nor Capitoll, 1 he Prayers of Priests, nor times of Sacrifice Kmbarquements all of Fury, shall lift up Their rotten Priviledge, and Custonie 'gainst My hate to Marciue.

Charles Knight suggests " embargoes all of fury." The context points to something which restrains fury. "Embankments " seems to me to enlighten the passage.

T. B. WILMSHURST.

" MlOHING MALLICHO " (9 th S. xi. 504 10 th

S. i. 162; ii. 344, 524). These words in Hamlet's mouth seem not to have any refer- ence to stinginess or unjust hoarding, but simply to mean " tricky or mischievous evil." May not the word "miching," then, come from the Italian " rnichelaccio," "a tricky vagabond," which itself comes from the Spanish " miquelito," a pejorative form of Michael, the proper meaning of which is " a pilgrim to the shrine of Michael," who was, I presume, the patron saint of tricksters? The word is found in French under the form "miquelet," which was applied to a Spanish bandit. As "raallico" is confessedly the Spanish word "malhecho" = Ital. "mal-fatto, : ' it seems likely that the two words will have been an echo of some Spanish phrase current at the time. The French word " miche," from Latin "mica," seems to throw little light upon this passage: the word "to mike" is given in Barn-re and Leland as a tailor's word for " to skulk"; but " trickiness" seems rather the idea intended to be conveyed by Hamlet.

The word " galopin," a messenger boy, has been derived from ffaloper, the derivation of which word has been much discussed, and is supposed by Korting, s.v. " quadrupedo " (7619), to be probably from "*valuppare," from " vapulo."

"Micania" is glossed in Ducange as "la ingeniosita." The Michael referred to may be one of the numerous Byzantine emperors of that name. H. A. STRONG.

University, Liverpool.

' THE Two GENTLEMEN OF VERONA ' FRIAR PATRICK (10 th S. ii. 344, 523). The interesting comment from Dr. Morgan and DR. PL ATT is