Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 5.djvu/62

 46

NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. v. JAN. 20, im

my Darling ' is by Lady Nairne, and there is no song under the same title associated with Burns, 'Charlie, He's my Darling,' being 'that which has been doubtfully assigned to "him by some of his editors. Secondly, Burns never claimed this particular lyric as his, and 'there is nothing in it that is indicative of his 'manner. He sent it, as he sent other anony- mous things, to Johnson's Musical Museum, ,nd it has been gratuitously assumed that, " as it was never seen in print before," it may Tfairly be claimed as his own composition. This uncritical judgment is very unjust to the poet's memory, and it furnishes a special opportunity for such conclusions as Mr. Henderson's followers are ready to draw from the results of his investigations. The pro- bability, however, is that what has been discovered is the original Jacobite lyric of which that given in the Musical Museum is a version, and if so it will be interesting to see whether or not Burns edited his material. That is absolutely all that can come of this portentous revelation. So far, the poet's laurels remain untarnished.

THOMAS BAYNE.

Dictionary ' (revised edition, 1883) a book with a large sale I find (p. 68): "B.N.C.= Brazen Nose College (beriihmtes Bierlocal) ! "
 * 'B.N".C."-In Thieme-Preusser's 'German

I am not a B.N.C. man. H. C N.

WE must request correspondents desiring in- formation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries, in order that answers may be sent to them direct.

PIDGIN OR PIGEON ENGLISH Can any one tell when this appellation came into use 1 I seem to remember it in 1864, but no quotation has been sent to us before 1876, and an earlier one will be welcome. MR. JAMES PLATT, to whom we are so much indebted for his successful investigation of the history of words derived from far-off languages, or used in far-off English, in sending us a quotation from S. W. Williarns's 'Middle Kingdom,' ed. 1883, vol. ii. p. 402, "They do business in the jargon called Pigeon English," has called our attention to the fact that in the original edition of 1848 the words used were "the Canton English." This would seem to show that "pidgin English" was not in use in 1848, or at least not considered worthy of appearing in print. J. A. H. MURRAY.

KING EDGAR AND THE PEG-CUPS. As is no doubt known to most readers of 'N. & Q.,' it

is stated in Hone's 'Year-Book,' under date 18 April,

" King Edgar, in order to restrain the prevailing habit of drunkenness, which had been introduced among his subjects by the Danes, caused pins or pegs to be fixed in drinking-cups, and ordained a punishment to those who drank below their proper marks."

One finds a similar statement in many writers of the last three centuries, and even earlier, for in 1592 Nashe, in ' Pierce Penni- less ' (Shaks. Soc.), 54, tells us

"King Edgar caused certaine yron cups to be

chained to everie well, and at everie vintner's door, with yron pins in them, to stint euery man how much he should drinke ; and he that went beyond one of those pins forfeyted a pennie for everie draught."

According to which Nashe seems to have thought that water-drinking needed stinting as much as beer- drinking.

But I do not want now to raise the great question of peg-cups or peg tankards, which I dare say has been discussed to the bottom in 4 N. & Q.' years ago. All I want to know is, What is the original authority that attributes to King Edgar the measure alleged, or at least where does the story first appear? I know, of course, about the Council or Synod of London in 1102, which ordained " Ut presbyteri non eant ad potationes, nee ad pinnas bibant " ; but whatever this meant Fuller rendered it "drink at pins" it was a long time after the days of Edgar. Did the latter make any similar ordinance ?

J. A. H. MURRAY.

[DR. MURRAY is right in supposing that pegs in drinking vessels have been fully discussed in iv., ix.]
 * N. & Q.' Many articles will be found in 9 th S.

" METROPOLITAN TOE." What is the allu- sion in the following passage 1

"The aptest embleme of the Prelate himself e. Who being a pluralist, may under one Surplice which is also linnen, hide foure benefices besides the metropolitan toe." 1642, Milton, 'Apology for Smect.,' Works, 1851, vol. iii. 275. The phrase seems to have been current, as it occurs again :

" When Arch-bishop Abbot was suspended we might say his metropolitan toe was cut off." 1673, R. Leigh, ' Transp. Reh.,' 127.

HENRY BRADLEY.

Clarendon Press.

GENERAL LA POYPE General La Poype was made prisoner in St. Domingo in 1803 by our troops, and brought to England. Can any reader of ' N. & Q.' give me a hint as to the most likely place to look for records of this French officer and his nephew, who was captured with him and died in England ?