Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/89

 ii s. vi. JULY 27, i9i2.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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AUTHORS OF POEMS WANTED. These are two poems which seem to be translations (? from Old English) in the metre of the originals. Who was responsible for the English versions ?

(1) Harold and Tostiff.

Forth from England's ranks a score of horsemen Bide, their chargers mailed, and mailed their riders

Xear the Northmen's steel array up-reining,

" Where is Tostig ? " shouts their kingly leader.

" Hut if I, forgiving, take thy proffer,

What giv'sfc thou to Harold, King of Norway ? "

Hollow from the blue helm leaps the answer, " Gift, too, will we give unto Hardrada.

Seven feet of English earth shall his be ; More, if more be needed by his stature."

(2) Death of Harold Hardrada. Like the tall mast snapped before the storm-wind Falls he, like the pine cleft by the woodman.

Never more the strong shall fall before him, While behind him pours the flood of battle.

Long his Queen shall watching look to westward, Look across the long waves for his coming. ..

B. H. B.

Can any reader of ' N. & Q.' tell me who wrote the poem to the North-East Wind, of which I give the first part ?

O stout North-Easter, Sea wind, land waster, For all thy haste 'JOT Thy stormy skill, Yet hadst thou never, For all endeavour, Strength to dissever, Or strength to spill, Save of His giving Who gave or living, Whose hands are weaving What ours fulfil, Whose feet tread under The storm and thunder, Who makes our wonder To work His will.

CEO. A. KlTTBEDGE.

AUTHOR OF HYMN WANTED. In the ' Early American Hymnal,' Hymn Xo. 117 :

Lord of Life, all praise excelling,

Thou, in glory unconfined, Deign' st to make Thy humble dwelling

With the poor of humble mind,

is included as a charity hymn. Dr. Julian attributes the authorship to Clement Clarke Moore, although it has never been given in any of his collected works. In a letter dated 22 June, 1808, which is before me, it is stated that the hymn was written by Mr. Birch, and set to music by Mr. Stevens. I presume that the Mr. Birch alluded to was

Samuel Birch, the celebrated caterer of 15, Cornhill, London, who was a man of great literary ability, and wrote a good deal of poetry. I shall be glad if your readers can give me any corroborative information.

ARTHUR LOWNDES. 143, East 37th Street, New York.

AUTHORS OF QUOTATIONS WANTED. A friend of mine who remembers reading the following quotation about twenty-five years ago, and cannot now discover its source, has asked me to inquire it of your readers :

" Whoever turned upon his heel to hear my counsel that the tyranny of all was prelude to the tyranny of one my warning that the tyranny of one led backward to the tyranny of all" ?

E. D. PAIN.

Will some correspondent kindly inform me where the following is to be found " Taste not the cup of the sorceress " (or, it may be, " Touch not "). H. A. B.

REFERENCES W T ANTED. I should be much obliged for (1) the source of the common quotation " Red ruin and the breaking-up of laws," which I cannot find in any of the ordinary reference books ; and (2) for a reference to the date and occasion of a speech by the late Lord Salisbury, in which he dwelt at some length on the improbability of war between England and Germany owing to the enormous commercial interests that are involved, and the strong pressure that would be brought to bear by business men to avert such a catastrophe.

H. H. O'FARRELL.

The Avenue, Kew Gardens.

[" Red ruin," &c., is the fifth line of Arthur's speech to Guinevere, in Tennyson's ' Idylls of the King ' 'Guinevere.']

DETACHED PORTIONS OF COUNTIES. Can some reader kindly give the reason why many detached portions of counties are found, often many miles away, in other counties ? In Cary's map of Berkshire, dated 1808, a large area belonging to Wilt- shire six miles long by three broad is found near Wokingham, about thirty miles away from Wiltshire, and portions of Berk- shire are found in Oxfordshire. A. C. [See references given at 10 S. x. 428.]

CHAINED BOOKS. I shall be glad to hear of any references to chained books (except the references already in ' N. & Q.'), and also of examples (in situ).

ALFRED E. STEEL.