Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/400

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NOTES AND QUERIES. in s. vi. OCT. 26, 1912.

relationship to that of Halley. The astro- nomer Halley's paternal aunt, Elizabeth, married John Cawthorne. She was buried at Alconbury, 28 Sept., 1673 (see 10 S. ix. 218).

In the parish records of St. Clement's, Eastcheap, where Humphrey Halley, vintner, the astronomer's grandfather, is known to have resided circa 1639-40 (cf. Mag. of Hist., N.Y., 1910), there are several Caw- thorne entries between 1573 and 1655.

Recently an English correspondent wrote to me :

" I was reading .... the introduction by J. G- Frazer to the letters of William Cowper. It is mentioned that the poet's friend Mrs. Unwin was Mary Cawthorne, daughter of a draper at Ely. Mrs. Unwin was born 1723 or 1724. . . .Her hus- band the Rev. Morley Unwin lived at Hunting- don."

It would be interesting to know what relationship, if any, existed between Mrs. Unwin and the Cawthornes connected with Halley. I should like also to ascertain whether or not there are living now any descendants of John Cawthorne and Eliza- beth Halley his wife.

EUGENE F. McPiKE.

135, Park Row, Chicago.

THE COPPERAS HOUSE.

" ' The 21st February, 1699 : being Wednesday. The bells of this parrish were taken down in order to be new cast. They lay in the church porch till March the eleventh following. They were carried to the Copperis house by William Smith his teame, and put on board Thomas Smith his hoy ' (Parish Register, Gillingham, Kent)." ' Kent Records,' p. 78.

In a map of the Folkestone Estate, 1698, some houses are marked " The Copperas Houses." R. J. FYNMORE.

Sandgate.

" SELLING OF A HORSE " BY MR. PEPYS. In the 'Diary' (p. 42, vol. i., Wheatley's large edition) occurs the following curious passage :

" After all this we went to a sport called, selling of a horse for a dish of eggs and herrings, and sat talking there till almost twelve o'clock."

In discussing this question with my friend Dr. Guillemard he told me that in South Africa many years ago it was the custom at an inn at the time of payment " to sell a pony " in order to decide who should pay for the whole party. The way was this. Suppose a company of four. One of the guests " sold the pony " by holding coins of any number up to four concealed in his fist, and each person guessed how many coins were held ; the right guesser then paid for

all. If no one guessed rightly, the " pony- seller " of course paid.

Does this explain the sport of Samuel Pepys at Harper's, where he often took his " morning draft " ? GEORGE WHERRY.

Cambridge.

TAVERN SIGNS. In a back street in Darlaston there is a tavern with the sug- gestive sign of the " Why not ? " while in South - East London, between " The Elephant and Castle" and the spot where the Obelisk once stood, there is "The Royal Mortar," which might possibly have been corrupted from "The Royal Martyr."

C. R.

(g turns.

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.

MILTON'S ' LYCIDAS ' : EXPLANATION WANTED. I shall be glad if some of your readers will let me know what is exactly the meaning of the line in Milton's ' Lycidas ' which runs as follows :

And hears the unexpressive nuptial song. TRIN. COLL. CAMB.

M. ROUQUET'S ' THE PRESENT STATE OF THE ARTS IN ENGLAND.' As I cannot find a copy of the English edition of this work in the B.M. or any other library I have con- sulted, I should feel greatly obliged if any one could inform me where I can see a copy. It was published in London and Paris in 1755, and it is recorded by Lowndes. In Walpole's ' Anecdotes ' it is referred to as by M. Jean Rouquet, but in the Catalogue of the Salon, where he exhibited some of his enamels, his name is given as Andre Rouquet. I should be glad also to hear of the where- abouts of any of Rouquet's work, especially his enamels these are frequently signed " R." He lived in England nearly thirty years, but he died in Paris in 1758.

JOHN LANE. The Bodley Head, Vigo Street, W.

EYRE FAMILY. Christopher Eyre was liv- ing at Manuden, Essex, at the time of the Civil War. Whom did he marry ? In the pedigree of Eyre of Wiltshire recorded in the College of Arms there is a note that " the registers are defective owing to the Civil War." He was the fourth son of