Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 5.djvu/254

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io- s. v. MARCH 17, im.


 * axiety so that the meaning is the maiden without

^sorrow or anxiety. The Belgian name Oncommer ihas the same meaning.

The name Wilgefort is certainly not Portuguese, &nd the whole legend about her Portuguese origin is spurious. The name is evidently of German or Belgian origin.

It is conjectured (with probability) that the name originally was Virgo-Fortis (for in her life written in French she is called vierge forte), and this was popularly corrupted into Vilge-fortis.

Her popularity in the sixteenth century accounts for a chapel having been erected in her honour in St. Mary-le-Port at Bristol. With kind regards, Yours sincerely,

WILLIAM CLIFFORD.

JAMES R. BRAMBLE, Lieufc.-Col., F.S.A. Weston-super-Mare.

RALPH GOUT, WATCHMAKER. (See 10 th S. iv, 275.) MR. HARLAND-OXLEY, in replying -to the query about Henry Sanderson, alludes to Ralph Gout. It may be worth noting that Gout took out two patents for pedo- meters, the first of which (No. 1710) is dated 7 November, 1789, the second (No. 2351) bearing date 4 November, 1799. In 1789 he is described as " of the parish of Sb. Luke, county of Middlesex"; whilst in 1799 his residence is given as " Bunhill Row, in the parish of St. Luke, Old Street, in the county of Middlesex." The specifications of Gout's .patents are rather vague, and do not throw much light upon the modus operandi of the instrument at South Kensington. I have -seen a pedometer by the above maker con- sisting of a counter which recorded the number of steps taken by the wearer. Any information about Gout in addition to that contained in Mr. Britten's book would be welcome. R. B. P.

"TRAVAILLER POUR LE ROI DE PRUSSE." (See 9 th S. xi. 289, 392, 437, 496 ; xii. 34, 111, 270, 370, 455 ; 10 th S. i. 195.)-Depuis quelque temps je me suis berce avec 1'espoir de trouver, sinon 1'origine, 1'exemple le plus ,ncien, ou a peu pres, de la phrase si repan- due, "Travailler pour le roi de Prusse." J'ai lu quelque part que ces mots se trou- vaient dans une chanson satirique a propos -de la bataille de Rosbach (1757). Eh bien, apres des recherches vaines, je me suis adresse a M. Ch. Malherbe, archiviste de 1'Opera a Paris, et, inutile de le dire, j'avais 1'intention de faire part aux lecteurs de du resultat, croyant leur faire plaisir. Malheureusement, a moins de quelque heureuse rencontre, cette fois-ci il n'y a plus den a esperer ; il faut me re'signer. Je n'ai du reste qu'a citer ce que me dit le savant M. Malherbe :
 * N. & Q.,' y compris le DOCTEUR KRUEGER,

"Le mot, tres probablement, ne s'est pas trouye" sous la plume d'un homme de lettres ; il a et6 dit par quelque homme d'esprit, s'est repandu a la cour, et a passe peu a peu dans le laugage populaire. Quant a la cause qui avait fait prononcer ce mot, deux hypotheses sont vraisemblables. On c'est une allusion aux difficultes que suscitait Frederic II. quand il s'agtssait de regler ses fournisseurs parisiens ; ou c'est une plaisanterie a i'egard de Voltaire, qui, apres avoir cru trouver la fortune et les honneurs aupres du roi de Prusse, n'avait recueilli qu'humiiiation et deboires.

" Voila, monsieur, tout ce que je puis vous dire au sujet de la question qui vous interesse ; c'est bien peu de chose ; mais je crois que vous n'en. trouverez da vantage nulle part. Cette locution est bien nee a Paris dans la seconde moitie du dix- huitieme sieole, et Ton ne saurait douter que Frederic II., avare et de mauvaise foi, u'en soit le triste heros."

M. Malherbe a pris la peine de consul ter, a mon intention, a la Bibliotheque Nationale a Paris, le manuscrit de la collection dite Maurepas et contenant la chanson qui n'est pas une chanson, mais uue epigramme indiquee, commencant,

Le prince [ou Soubise] dit, la lanterne a la main ; et il constate que la phrase recherchee ne s'y trouve point. Je ne puis qu'exprimer mes regrets de mon insucces, dont je ne suis du reste nullement responsable.

EDWARD LATHAM.

SHORTEST WILL. A daily paper of 23 Feb- ruary contained the following :

" Sir Gorell Barnes, in the Probate Court yester- day pronounced for what is probably the shortest- will on record. ' All for mother. C. T.' Just these words, written on the back of an old envelope by the late Mr. Frederick Charles William Thorn, of Streatham, commonly known as ' Charley Thorn,' have established his widow's claim to the whole of his estate, of the value of S,OOW. In her evidence the widow said on May 15 of last year her husband was taken ill suddenly. The next morning he was too ill to talk, but he made signs that he wanted a piece of paper. An envelope was brought, and he traced the words 'All for mother' upon it. He was too weak to write his name in full, but managed to put down his initials. He then motioned for his two sons to come to his side, and he was just able to murmur ' Write ' and to see them sign the envelope before he died. Sir Gorell Barnes was satisfied that the envelope will was duly executed. He made no order as to costs."

R. J. FYNMORE.

Sandgate.

SUNDIAL INSIDE A CHURCH. These are rare, and I believe the one within the parish church of Holy Trinity, Dartford (Kent), to be unique. Curiously enough, there is no mention of it, or of any other existing interior sundial, in the late Mrs. Alfred Gatty 's ' Book of Sundials 3 (1872) ; nor in the second and enlarged edition (1889), edited by the Misses H. K. F. Gatty and Eleanor