Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 4.djvu/109

 12 S. IV. APRIL, 1918.]

NOTES ANL) QUERIES.

103

BEN JONSON AND THE COLBY FAMILY.

In Ben Jonson's ' Underwoods ' there appears ' An Epistle to a Friend, to Per- swade him to the Warres,' which contains the following lines :

O times, Friend flie from hence ; and let these kindled

rimes Light thee from hell on earth : where flatterers,

spies,

Informers, Masters both of Arts and lies Boasters, and perjur'd, with the infinite more Prsevaricators swarme. Of which the store, (Because th'are every where amongst Man-kind Spread through the World) is easier farre to find, Then once to number, or bring forth to hand, Though thou wert Muster-master of the Land. Goe quit hem all. And take along with thee, Thy tme friends wishes, Colby which shall be, That thine be just, and honest ....

I have often been asked if I could help elucidate this passage by identifying the man Colby to whom this epistle is written. It does not seem to me that he was " muster master of the land," and so a recruiting officer, as one of my friends has ingeniously suggested. That was merely a figure of speech, and the rest of the poem would seem to indicate that he had been wasting his time and substance in high living with somewhat low companions. I therefore throw myself upon the mercy of the readers of ' N. & Q.' in the endeavour to learn who this Colby was.

I have notes concerning many members of the Norfolk and Suffolk branches of the Colby family, and a few members of the Lincolnshire and Hampshire branches ; but I cannot connect any of them with the subject of Ben Jonson's pen. I should be very much obliged for any clues which might enable myself and my friends to identify the rascal at whom Jonson levelled his argumentative rime.

ELBBIDQE COLBY, 2nd Lieut. 40th Infantry, U.S.A.

Port Riley, Kansas.

' CONJUNCTIO SATUBNI ET MABTIS,' 1473. The first part of the Fairfax -Murray collection contained an exceptionally in- teresting little book, No. 200 in the sale catalogue, ' Conjunctio Saturni et Martis, anno 1473,' Gothic letter, small 4to, 12 leaves, the first blank, 24 lines to a full page. The author was Johann Grumpach, Lichten- berger, known as Johann Lichtenberger only, his surname not occxirring in any other of his works. The cataloguer believes this copy to be unique, and probably it is, because such small books were very liable to be lost. He also thinks that it was

printed at Cologne by an unidentified printer ; the types, however, are evidently Basel types, the printer either Fromolt or Bernhard Reichel.

I went to Quaritch's to see the book, the firm having bought it for ten guineas for a client in the United States ; but unfor- tunately it had already been dispatched, or I might have been able to settle the question.

Can any of your readers tell me if there is any other account of this conjunction, or if there is a list of all the known con- junctions of the planets ?

S. J. ALDRICH.

New Southgate.

ROTJPELL FAMILY. Richard Palmer Roupell the father of William Roupell, elected M.P. for Lambeth in March, 1857 was a lead smelter in Gravel Lane, South- wark. Whence did this family come T Did the name originate in the Channel Islands ? J. LANDFEAR LUCAS.

Glendora, Hindhead, Surrey.

MABIO SFOBZA was the general in command of the troops of Francesco Maria de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, about 1577. He had a brother named Paolo. I should be grateful for any particulars about these brothers, and especially about their paren- tage.

Were they sons of Sforza Sforza, Duke of Bari ? One of the sons of this Duke of Bari, Francesco, was at one time engaged to Donna Virginia de' Medici (sister of Francesco Maria above mentioned), who became the wife of Don Cesare d'Este. When this engagement fell through, Francesco Sforza was created a Cardinal, Dec. 12, 1583, and he died Cardinal Bishop of Frascati, Sept. H> 1624. JOHN B. WAINEWBIGHT.

" BENEDICT." In continuing as treasurer the reminiscences of an old society, I have a difficulty in defining the term " Benedict." In the older ' Reminiscences ' it is stated that

" the spirit of the Kules of the Society as to Benedicts and Bachelors was applicable to members on their marriage " ;

and again :

" Mr. * * married his first wife in 1797 or 8, and that wife was living for some years after 1811, in which year he gave his dinner as a Benedict ; and a second dinner on his second marriage in 1822."

I should like to be clear as to the correct acceptation of the term. " Undequo ? " ^ Hie ET UBIQUE.

Reepham, Norfolk.