Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 8.djvu/515

 US. VII, JUNE 28, 1913.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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Burns's ' Bonnie Lesley ' in Palgrave's ' Golden Treasury ' will find the reason for the damsel's exceptional charms stated thus :

For Nature made her what she is And ne'er made sic anither.

The second of these lines is Thomson's substitution for the original.

And never made anither,

which will be found in trustworthy editions of the poems.

Thomson, too, harassed the poet about the measure of " Scots wha hae " till he induced him to lengthen the closing line of each stanza to suit the tune ' Lewie Gordon.' The result was expressions at once pleonastic and feeble, like "Or to glorious Victorie," " Caledonian, on wi' me," and so forth. Yet this satisfied what one of Burns's best editors calls " the amateur fiddler's priggish taste " of the publisher. Quite recently also the lyric, in its tortured version, was reproduced in an educational book published in Glasgow !

THOMAS BAYNE.

ROMNEY MARRIAGE LICENCE. The fol- lowing from the Marriage Licences at Lan- caster may interest some of your readers :

" George Rumney, Face Painter of Kendal, and Thomas Barker of Kirkland, Innholder, are bound &c. October 14 th 1756. The above named George Rumney and Mary Abbot of Kirkland Spinster may marry at Kendal Parish Church. Signed by George Rumney and Tho" Barker. Ages 21 and 28 (the bride). Witnesses Thomas Symonds and Mark Burn."

The signature slants upward, and if the chirographers are right, denotes thereby ambition and success.

W. CLEMENT KENDALL.

AMICE, COUNTESS OF LEICESTER. The D.N.B.' states, on the authority of Orderic, that Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (1104-68), married " Amicia, daughter of Ralph (de Wader), earl of Nor- folk, by Emma, daughter of William (Fitz- Osbern), earl of Hereford." This statement is repeated in the life of Earl Ralph, with the additional information that William of Jumieges calls the lady " Itta." But the dates involve a serious difficulty. The Earl of Norfolk married Emma in 1075, whilst their supposed son-in-law was not born till 1104. This looks as if there were a genera- tion omitted. I find that Planche does say that the Countess of Leicester was not the daughter but the grand -daughter of Earl Ralph, and Doyle agrees in affiliating her to his son, Ralph de Guader, or Wader; but neither gives any authority, so it may be

only a guess. However, from the dates I think they must be right, though Doyle is certainly Wrong in describing Amice as Ralph's heiress (" d. & h. of Ralph de Guader II."), and no doubt Planche is wrong in changing her name to Avicia : " Ita or Avicia." G. H. WHITE.

St. Cross, Harleston, Norfolk.

THE CROWN OF THE KINGS OF GREECE. The Freeman's Journal of 21 May contained the following :

" The Kings of Greece will from this on wear the crown which for centuries circled the heads of the masters of the great Empire of the Orient. The monks of Mount Athos have decided to send to Athens the grand cappa and the Imperial Crown that the Byzantine hero Nicephore Phocas was the first to wear. Since the capture of Con- stantinople by Mahomet IT., these inestimable relics have been preserved in the great monastery of Lavra. The imperial cloak is made of beaten gold, and is ornamented with precious stones, while the crown is a masterpiece of the best period of Byzantine art. Vestment and crown will be used at the coronation of King Constantine, and will thenceforward belong to the Kings of Greece." WlLLIAM MACARTHUR,

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.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF JOHNSON'S WORKS. I have long been engaged on a Bibliography of Johnson's works and of the volumes \vhich they elicited from other writers. Several matters I am not able to settle to my satisfaction, and I should be glad if your readers could help me. Replies can be sent to me direct.

' The Rambler.' The dates of the third to the eighth editions are desired. They should be given in the form printed on the title-page.

The ' Dictionary.' (a) Boswell states that Wilkes satirized. Johnson's definition of the letter h in an essay in The Public Advertiser, the special sarcasm being " the author of this observation must be a man of quick appre-hension and of a most compre-hensive genius." I am unable to find this essay in the paper. Can any reader give a precise reference to it ?

(6) The following Greek quotation is given by Johnson under "Grub Street":

Xou/>' lOaKr), fJLtr' aeOXa, /ze J Ao-7racri'a>s reov ovSas IKCIVO/XGU. Whence was it taken ?

a vrt/cpa,