Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/599

 n s. v. JUNE 22, 1912.] NOTES AND QU ERIES.

495

COACHING SONGS (11 S. v. 369). The song, a verse of which is given at this reference, resembles, but is not identical with, a song called ' Epsom Races,' sung by the elder Mathews in the character of Dick Cypher, a sporting attorney, in Pocock's farce ' Hit or Miss,' produced at the Lyceum Theatre in 1810, the first verse of which ran thus :

With spirits gay I mount the box, the tits up to

their traces, My elbows squared, my wrist turned down, dash

off to Epsom races ; With buxom bit, bridoon so trim, three chesnuts

and a grey, Well coupled up my leaders then, ye hip ! we

bowl away ; Some push along with four in hand, while others

drive at random, In whisky, buggy, gig, or dog-cart, curricle or

tandem.

In another piece Mathews sang a song called ' The Mail Coach.'

WM. DOUGLAS. 125, Helix Koad, Rrixton Hill.

FRITH'S ' ROAD TO RUIN ' AND ' RACE FOB WEALTH' (11 S. v. 127, 193, 316). The query I raised as to the whereabouts of the originals of these paintings by Frith is solved by the report of the sale of the last - named at Christie's for 294Z. on j 17 May. They only fetched 17 21. at M. Sedelmeyer's sale at Paris in 1907.

I am still in quest of reliable information as to where ' The Road to Ruin ' set now is. I communicated with the Corporation Art Gallery at Leeds, where ST. SWITHIN sug- gested they were, but have failed to elicit any reply. WILLOUGHBY MAYCOCK.

HONORARY DEGREES AT CAMBRIDGE (US. iii. 167). I have not been favoured with any reply to my query on this subject at the above reference. Probably it was not sufficiently explicit. But I think that I have discovered the grounds on which my informant may have based his statement.

I have recently learnt that Cambridge, alone among the universities of Europe, is liable to be called upon by Mandamus to confer honorary degrees on any person or persons therein nominated by the Crown, without examination and whether members of the University or not ; and I think that the degrees referred to in the query must be these " degrees by Royal Mandate.''

I have found it difficult to get any infor- mation on the subject of this remarkable and unique custom ; but it is referred to in Dr. Rashdall's interesting ' History of the Universities in the Middle Ages ' (vol. i. p. 472) ; and my friend Mr W. Paley Baildon

has kindly drawn my attention to an entry in the ' Lincoln's Inn Black Books ' (vol. iv. pp. 59, 61), which also seems to refer to this subject.

Under date 6 July, 1794, it is stated that a letter had been received at Gray's Inn from Cambridge, inquiring whether the Inns of Court were liable to be compelled by Manda- mus to confer the degree of Barrister-at- Law on nominees of the Crown ; and the Benchers of the other Inns were asked for their opinion. On 12 December of the same year it was unanimously agreed by all four Inns to return a most emphatic negative.

The matter seems to be one on which very little is generally known, and it would be esteemed a favour if some Cambridge authority would give some further informa- tion as to this custom, with some details as to whether the power has been often exercised in modern times, and in whose favour, and on what grounds.

ALAN STEWART.

THE SUFFIX "SHIRE" (11 S. v. 368). Notwithstanding attempts to place the use of " shire " on a definite footing, it yet remains indefinite, and I doubt if any satisfactory rule can be formulated. A curious instance of variation is in Letts's folio ' Popular County Atlas,' 1884, where the " Contents " gives " shire " to aU English counties with the exception of Cornwall, Cumberland, Durham, Essex, Kent, Middle- sex, Norfolk, Northumberland, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, and Westmorland ; but upon the maps themselves " shire " is given to Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and Shropshire only. W. B. H.

Camden uses the words "shire" and "county" indifferently. He says ('Bri- tannia,' Gibson's tr.) :

' These Counties (which if you would express in proper Latin, may be term'd either Conventus or Pagi) we call by the peculiar name of Shyres ; from the Saxon word Scyre, signifying to branch, and divide."

He is speaking of all the fifty-two counties of England and Wales ; and in the " General Heads " of the counties the suffix " shire " is actually given to them all, except Corn- wall, Surrey, Suffolk, Sussex, Kent, Middle- sex, Essex, Norfolk, Anglesey, Durham, Westmorland, Cumberland, and Northumber- land, as well as to Richmondshire.

' The Concise Oxford Dictionary ' derives " shire " from O.E. scir, business. The term is said to be " loosely " applied to the Midland counties. C, C, B.