Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/200

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NOTES AND QUERIES. in s. x. SEPT. 5, 1914.

SIR GREGORY NORTON, THE REGICIDE (11 S. x. 12, 51, 91, 131, 171). By way of a small addendum to MR. A. A. BARKAS'S interesting and welcome articles upon this Long Parliament M.P., may I be permitted to point out that the heretofore somewhat uncertain parentage of the Regicide appears to be definitely settled by the ' Visitation of Berkshire, 1623 ' (vol. ii. p. 116, Harl. Soc.) ? In the pedigree of Norton of Charleton, in the parish of Wantage, Gregory is said to be son of Henry Norton (eldest son of John Norton of Wierton, in the parish of Boughton Monchelsea, co. Kent) by Eliza- beth, dau. of William Nelston of Chadleworth, <>o. Berks, and nephew to Sir Dudley Norton, Knt:, the King's Secretary in Ireland. Inasmuch as in the patent of his creation to the baronetcy in 1624 he is styled " Gre- gory Norton of Charlton, co. Berks," there can be no doubt of the identity.

W. t). PINK.

HENRY IV.'s SUPPER OF HENS (11 S. x. 150). This allusion of Gray's to Henry IV., quoted from a letter to West, may be traced to the following story of a king and his father confessor.

A certain king was reproved by his father confessor for his many love-affairs with many too willing ladies of high and low degree, while neglecting his beautiful and virtuous queen. The king said nothing, but next day the father confessor was invited to the royal table, and to his astonish- ment got only partridge to eat. The first course after the puree de perdrix consisted of perdrix a la broche ; the second of perdrix en casserole ; the third of a ragodt de perdrix; the fourth of a hdchis de perdrix ; the fifth of a fricassee de perdrix ; the sixth of perdrix en cocotte ; the seventh of perdrix d lamaitre d'hdtel; the eighth of perdrix d la bonne femme, and so on. The reverend father needed extra copious potations to wash all this partridge down, and when the repast was finished the king asked him how he had liked it. "A splendid dinner, "answered he ; "I am very grateful indeed, mais toujours perdrix / " " Well, sir," remarked his Majesty dryly, "in future you will perhaps agree with me that always the same stuff, however excellent and well cooked and served, palls on the palate reason why we should occa- sionally,vary our diet to sharpen our appetite."

This story has been told of several kings besides the son of Antoine de Bourbon and Jehanne d'Albret, who had Idme entiere aux cJioses viriles, and sang a lusty song while giving birth to him, that he might be ni

pleureur ni rechigne, nodding approval when his happy sire rubbed his lips with garlic and made him solemnize his advent with a sip of Jurancon wine before laying him to her breast. It appears to have come to France from Spain, see, e.g., the ' Curiosa Relacion Poetica ' (Barcelona, 1837), " Del verdadero aspecto del mundo y estado de las mujeres," where we find :

come dice el adagio Que causa de comer perdices.

The gastronomic demonstration attributed to Henry IV., in his relations to his father confessor (and his queen), of a truth ac- knowledged in the proverbial lore of most countries, evidently got mixed up in Gray's brain with one of the hackneyed sayings, thanks to which the monarch who thought " que Paris valait bien une messe," and acted upon that idea, became

Le seul roi dont le peuple ait gard la me"ruoire : I mean the wish he expressed to the Duke of Savoy (according to Hardouin de Perefixe), and preserved in the words : " Je veux que le dimanche chaque laboureur de mon royaume puisse mettre la poule au pot " ; or " Je veux que le dimanche chaque paysan ait sa poule au pot."

It must be admitted, by the way, that he did not conceal the personal motive behind his paternal care for his subjects : " Ventre- saint-gris ! " said he, " si Ton ruine men peuple, qui me nourrira ? qui soutiendra It charges de 1'Etat ? Vive Dieu ! S'en prendi a mon peuple, c'est s'en prendre a mo - meme." J. F. SCHELTEMA.

Edinburgh.

" QUEEN ELINOR IN THE BALLAD " (11 S. x. 150). That Horace AValpole was very much interested in our old ballad literature is evidenced by his letter to Dr. Percy, dated 5 Feb., 1765, to which he appended a version of ' Lord Lovel,' quoted entirely from memory, though it was " above five and twenty years since I learned it " (Wai- pole's ' Letters,' Toynbee's edition, vi. 181-5). This letter was first printed by Mrs. Toynbee from the original in the British Museum, and Walpole's version of the ballad seems to have been unknown to Prof. Child, who has, however, printed a version which Percy had received from the Rev. P. Parsons of Wye, under date 22 May, 1770, and 19 April, 1775, several years after Walpole had com- municated his version.* Except for a few verbal differences of very little importance, the two versions are identical, and evidence

ed. Child, ii. 207.
 * ' The English and Scottish Popular Ballads,'