Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 12.djvu/104

 '96

NOTES AND QUERIES. en s. xn. AUG. 7. 1915.

Bombay deed, he having acquired it from ^another copy now in the strong-box of Major H. P." Williams of Boston, grandson of that same Capt. Williams. Here is my copy :

" Bombay, 9 December, 1792. Robert Wil- liams, late owner of the American ship Commerce of Boston in New England, cast away in August last on the coast of Arabia, being in extreme dis- tress, humbly implores the assistance of the worthy and benevolent gentlemen of the Settle- ment to contribute raising such a sum as will pay for his passage in one of the returning ships to Europe, for which kind favour he shall ever return ^a most grateful remembrance.

AMOUNTS CONTRIBUTED IN RUPEES.

Alexander Jameson J. Forbes .... Jorabee Munchajie. . N. Mornock, ju. . . 'S. Crawford Burn. . Dadye Nessorwaijie Cursitjie Monachjee Bheronjee Nannett Pursdoo Sevameh J. L. Ponthaw. . Jas. J. Cardon. . V. Hennig .... Venmjee Nanahbag Jmr Lasker. .

J. Morley .... Carsjee Pelstorjie. . JPortonju Bomanju Oeo. Simon. .

.James Tate. .

Haijee Tewnjee. . J. Bot Henshaw .. .J. C. Sawnett .. P. Hall .... Phsan Shairtoo. . Menordap Russjee. . Lanjee Bevajee. .

100

100

50

50

100

100

50

50

50

50

50

50

50

100

100

50

50

50

100

50

100

50

50

50

50

50

1700

Of this Mr. Williams for passage. . 800

Had 300

Paid Mr. D. Sonther .. ..150

ditto 340

'(Qy. amount not collected) .. 110

1700

J. G. CUPPUES. Brookline, Mass.

THEOLOGICAL DISPUTATIONS

BY MEANS OF SIGNS.

IN chap. c. of the ' Moyen de Parvenir ' of Beroalde de Verville (1558 ?-1612 ?), Alciat is made to speak as following : P," La dispute en est aussi bonne, que celle d'un savant qui vint a Geneve, lorsque Jysquel y 'faisoit ses Etudes. Cettui-ci dit qu'il vouloit disputer ; mais qu'il ne parloit qu'en signes. II n'y eut personne qui voulut y entendre, d'autant qu'en ce pays-l& (c'est a Geneve)ils n'ont guere de

signes ; ils veulent tout a droit. A la fin, il y eut un menuisier qui etoit de Montargis .... Ce menuisier dit qu'il disputeroit avec ce savant, selon les accords. On les met sur un e"chaufaud, devant le monde. Ce savant se presentant re"solument devant ce menuisier, auquel on avoit bailie une robe ministrale et un bonnet consistorial, et levant le bras, haussa la main, fermant le poing, en lui montrant un doigt : le menuisier lui en montra deux. Le savant en presenta trois, a sayoir le pouce et les deux doigts : le menuisier lui montra le poing clos. En apres, le savant lui montra une pomme : le menuisier, cherchaiit en sa pochette, trouvaun petit morceau de pain, et le lui montra. Adonc le savant, tout ravi en admira- tion, se retira ; puis dit qu'il avait la trouve le plus docte homme du monde ; et, tant que ce bruit a dure, 1'ecole de Geneve a ete en reputation. Depuis, on prit a part le menuisier, et on lui demanda qu'il avoit agi reciproquement avec cet autre. II nous dit : ' Voire, c'est un homme fin ! II m'a menace" de me pocher un ceil : et je lui ai fait signe que je lui en pocherois deux. Puis, il m'a menace" de m'arracher les deux yeux, et m'enlever le nez, et je lui ai montre le poing, avec quoi je rassommerois. Et comme il m'a vu en col&re, il m'a pre"sente une pomme, pour m'apaiser comme un enfant ; je lui ai fait voir que je n'avois que faire de lui, et que j'avois du pain qui valoit mieux.' "

Paul L. Jacob remarks upon the above story thus :

" Cette dispute est imitee de celle du grand clerc d'Angleterre avec Panurge, ch. 19 et 20 de Gargantua. C'est e"galemeiit une critique des arguties et des obscurite"s de la philosophic scolastique."

Whether produced after these models or derived from an earlier Indian source yet unknown to us, we have in Japan an old merry tale of the same type, which runs thus :

" In a certain town there was a Buddhist church of the Zen sect. The priests of this sect would often shun speeches and express their recondite thoughts only through signs in their theological contro- versies. Then it was according to their rule that, near the end of a certain number of years, every church had to be visited by the most learned bishop, who would depose its principal priest, had the latter been found unable to solve the abstruse questions put by the former only through signs. Now, when the bishop's visit to this church was drawing quite nigh, its principal could neither eat nor rest, for he was well aware of his losing his position because of his incompetency to go through with such a difficult examination. But by good fortune he was called on, amidst this extreme plight, by a petty rice-cake-seller, whose good customer he had used to be. Finding his face uncommonly lean and pallid, he inquired after its cause, and was answered that he felt very sorry he must part with his favourite rice-cake for ever, as he was sure of his complete failure in the forthcoming disputation and thence his dismissal from the church. On learning that the disputa- tion had to be executed with nothing but simple signs, the light-hearted rice-cake-seller willingly volunteered his services in saying the principal from the disgrace by acting his part before the