Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 6.djvu/390

 322

NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. vi. ju 19, 1920.

little work (204 pp.) containing (1) forms of speech for ordinary occasions of life ; (2) dia- logues ; (3) readings; (4) an alphabetical list of aphorisms, &c. The dialogues are based on Corderius. A. W. GBEENUP.

St. John's Hall, Highbury, N.

THE LONDON UNIVERSITY (12 S. vi. 270). The opening sentence of Mr. ALECK ABRA- HAMS' interesting note on the opposition that the old London University had to encounter, is open to a misconception which I am sure the writer did not intend. Mr. Abrahams writes : " The intended return of the University to the neighbourhood of Gower Street," &c. It is true that Univer- sity College, Gower Street, was, in its early days, known as the London University (1827). But the name was a misnomer, for the institution could not grant degrees, and owing to the opposition of various chartered bodies, and the promoters of King's College, London, opened in 1831, to provide an education of a university character, the Privy Council in 1835, decided to incorporate the Gower Street institution under the name of London University College, and to establish a distinct examining body, to be called the University of London. On Nov. 29, 1 836, charters were granted to London University College and the Univer- sity of London, provision being made that the latter should be under the general control of the Government. It is perhaps just as well that the fact should be noted, that the old London University and the University of London have always been separate institutions. F. A. RUSSELL.

116 Arran Road, Catford, S.E.6.

LORE OF THE CANE (12 S. vi. 252, 302). I well remember in my schooldays the use of rosin as a palliative to the punishment by way of a " hander " from the cane. It was often resorted to by those whose attend- ance before the master was pretty frequent. The rosin was ground to a powder and well rubbed into the palms of the hand and fingers. Its frequent application tended to harden the skin, and thus lessen the pain of the infliction. Moreover, there was an idea prevalent that it had the effect of splitting the end of the cane. The punish- ing power of such a cane was less than that riot so conditioned. I am going back in memory forty and more years ago : but from what I gathered recently the belief in the efficacy of rosin's application still obtains. When this query appeared I

asked a nephew of mine at school within-, the last few years if its use was still pre- valent. He told me it was. Asked why it was used, he replied, that among the young ideas it was thought to have the effect of causing the cane to glance off when the hand was held out obliquely to the master. It used to be the custom, tor the experienced to hold out the hand with a sort of downward movement and a- turning motion of the knuckles, so that the full force of the blow did not fall on the hand in the horizontal position : this lessened the " sting " ; the rosin assisted by making the cane " glance " off. Such was the- explana- tion. I remember that if we tried this game on our old Dominie he had away of bringing- his arm round and under the hand with a sharp rap on the knuckles. It was best to play the game with him. He had a way with him that was not pleasant if you' tried to- evade your due punishment.

I have some recollection of lemon peel, as mentioned by MR. MARCHANT, being used ; but I think rosin was the generally favoured! specific in my time. C. P. HALE.

South Hackney, N.E.

VOLTAIRE'S 'CANDIDE,' PART II. (12 S. vi. 296). A copy of the '"Editfo Princeps ' preserved in the Taylorian Library, at Oxford, which I have before me, bears the following pseudonymous title : ' Candide ou I'Optimisme, traduit de 1'Allemand de Mr. le Docteur Ralph \i.e^ Voltaire].' Brunet's ' Manuel ' (v. 1363) quotes- it under the same title, adding in brackets ["sans lieu d'impression "], and giving its date,. 1759, in 12mo.

The work is printed, including the ' Table des 30 chapitres.' upon 240 pp., and appears ; to be complete, for the last sentence of p. 237 finishes thus : " Cela eat bien dit, repondit Candide, mais il faut cultiver notre- jardin. Fin." H. KREBS.

NURSERY TALES AND THE BIBLE (12 S. vi. 271, 300). As early as 1 S. v. 610 the- extraordinary guess at the origin of ' Punch and Judy,' referred to by MR. A. R. BAYLEY in your latest number was introduced to our notice. RUSTICUS (Edgmond, Salop) en- quired : " Are any of your readers of ' N. & Q.' not aware that ' Punch and Judy ' is a corruption both in word and deed of ' Pontius cum Judseis ' ? " One corre- spondent, N. B. (1 S. vi. 43) confessed that he was not aware of it and said that he had supposed that Judy was derived from *