Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 5.djvu/470

 386

NOTES AND QUERIES. [10* s. v. MAY 19,

the other day, I came across one of those described by the REV. JOHN PICKFORD at the last reference. The memoir which it contains does not appear to be "fictitious," but MR. PICKFORD is correct in stating that the back cover contains a representation of " the Queen and Prince Albert admiring Tom Thumb," as well as the Iron Duke, who stands discreetly in the background. This picture also forms the frontispiece of the pamphlet, the title of which runs as follows :

"An Account ] of | the Life, | Personal Appear- ance, Character, | and Manners, | of | Charles S. >tratton, | the American Man in Miniature. | known as | General Tom Thumb, | twelve years old, twenty -five inches high, | and | Weighing only Fifteen Pounds. | With some account of | remark- able dwarfs, giants, and other human | phenomena, of ancient and modern times. | Also, | General Tom Thumb's songs. | London : 1 Printed by T. Brettell, Rupert Street, Haymarket. 1 1845."

The pamphlet unfortunately does not give the exact date of Tom Thumb's first appear- ance at the Egyptian Hall, but it quotes an extract from an article in The New York Sun of 19 January, 1844, about the little General:

"Departure of General Tom Thumb. Not less than ten thousand persons joined in procession yesterday to escort this wonderful little man on board the ship Yorkshire, by which splendid packet he has sailed, in company with his parents and Mr. Barnum, proprietor of the American Museum, and a preceptor for the purpose of visiting her Majesty "Queen Victoria and the Nobility of England. The procession passed down Fulton Street, preceded by the city brass band. The General was in an open barouche, and bowed very gracefull-y to the thousands of ladies who filled the windows on each side of the street, and who testified their delight at seeing him by the waving of thousands of white handkerchiefs. The shipping adjacent to the York- shire was black with the multitude gathered to witness the departure of the smallest man and the finest ship that the world ever produced. Our little countryman will astonish the citizens of the Old World."

The General probably arrived in England some time in February, 1844. He paid his first visit to Buckingham Palace, where he was received by Her Majesty, Prince Albert, the Duchess of Kent, and the royal house- .hpld, on Saturday, 23 March. He pleased his royal hosts so much that a second visit was paid on Monday, 1 April, and a third on Friday, 19 April. He received beautiful souvenirs of these visits from the Queen. On 26 April, 1844, he was visited at the Egyptian Hall by the boys of the Duke of York's School at Chelsea ; and on 22 June the boys of the Royal Hospital School at Greenwich also honoured him with a visit. His carriage was manufactured by Mr. S. Beaton, of No. 16, Denmark Street, Soho, and the harness by Messrs. Fillingham, of

Whitechapel Road. The ponies, which were only 34 inches in height, were purchased from the valuable stud of Mr. Batty, of Astley's Royal Amphitheatre. The total cost of this equipage exceeded three hundred guineas. W. F. PRIDEAUX.

MAJOR'S c HISTORIA MAJORIS BRITANNIA.' In Major's 'History,' published in 1521, we are told (lib. iv. cap. 15) that Wallace con- stantly had in his mouth a riming Latin distich, which as a boy he had been taught by his preceptor :

Dico tibi verum libertas optima rerum, Nunquam servili sub nexu vivito, tili.

It would be interesting to learn whether any earlier source is known of this verse, which would have been appropriate to Brutus. Or did Wallace's tutor ( who appears to have been his uncle) compose it?

Mr. Constable's translation of the * His- toria' (which appeared at Edinburgh in 1892) has probably led to a greatly increased knowledge of it. In speaking of King Arthur he tells us that the Britons reckoned nine just men : three heathens Hector, Alex- ander the Great, and Julius Caesar ; three Jews David, Joshua, and Judas Maccabreus; and three Christians, Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Boulogne. Of these estimates he contests two, not considering Alexander just, as through lust of rule he aimed at getting for himself kingdoms which did not belong to him ; nor Julius, because he over- threw the famous Roman republic to obtain power for himself. Shakespeare could not have consulted Major when he wrote 'Mac- beth,' for the historian represents Duncan not to have been killed by Macbeth on the spot, but to have been mortally wounded and then carried to Elgin, where he died. The history terminates with the battle of Bosworth, but the children of Henry VII. and their marriages are just mentioned at the end. Major sees no objection to Prince Henry marrying his brother's widow. It is strange that he says Richard III. murdered three, not two, nephews. W. T. LYNN.

SIR S. RoMiLLY.-On 16 Feb., 1867 (3 rd S. xi. 138), I asked where 1 could see a tract which Romilly sent anonymously to the Constitutional Society. Although it was anonymous, there was not much secret at the time of publication, for its being known to be by Romilly procured him the friend- ship of Lord Lansdowne.

A friend has lately come across this tract and has drawn my attention to the above query. It was in the Library of the British Museum at the time my query appeared.