Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/122

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NOTES AND QUERIES.

L'2"-J S. NO 6., FKB. 9. '56.

Monument between Penrith and Appleby. Can any of your correspondents inform me whether the monument referred to in the annexed Note still exists, and if so, in what condition ? Also, whether the annuity mentioned is still distributed ? On the roadside between Penrith and Appleby stands a small pillar, with this inscription :

"This pillar was erected in the year 1C56, by Ann, Countess Dowager of Pembroke, for a monument of her last parting, in this place, with her good and pious mother, Margaret, Countess Dowager of Cumberland, on the 2nd of April, 1G1G ; in memory whereof she hath left an annuity of 4l. to be distributed to the poor of the parish of Brougham every second day of April for ever, upon the stone table placed hard by. Laus Deo."

R. W. HACKWOOD.

The Use of Sinning. Where shall I find the lines ?

" Weak the excuse that is on custom built, The use of sinning lessens not the guilt."

NEIRBO.

"Aneroid." Can any of your correspondents furnish a rational etymology to this word ? I have heard the obsolete word, vepov, which is pre- served in the Romaic vcpo, water, assigned as its derivation. If it be so, it seems rather absurd to resort to an obsolete word, when the common Greek for water is found in so many compounds, as to surest the idea even to the illiterate.

E. C. H.

Clock Towers. Is there an instance in English Gothic architecture of a clock-tower being placed at the cast end of the nave, in one of the angles formed by the chancel ? H. T. R.

Birmingham.

Anonymous Works. 1. Who is the author of The Covenanters' Plea against Absolvers, by Theo- philus Timorous, 1661 ?

2. Who is D. C., author of Superstitio Super- slcs, 1641 ?

3. Who is E. F., author of The Scriptures' Har- mony, fro., 1643, 4 to. ?

4. Who is the author of a tract, entitled The Case of Ordination consider d, Sfc., by a Layman of the Church of England, 8vo., 1713?

5. What is the complete title of a tract, about 1743 (pp. 114., 8vo.), having on p. 9., ".Spanish Insolence corrected, &c. ;" an unpaged (ironical) dedication "To the Authors of the Gazetteer ;" and an Introduction, eight pages in length, begin- ning, "As the power of Spain in comparison," &c. ?

W. H. C. Edinburgh.

Malel In the records of my Welsh family, I meet, in the year 1400, with the name of Mabel ; variously spelt Mabel, Mabil, Mabili, Mable, and Mably. Can you inform me if the name of Mabel is a Welsh name ? M. DONNE.

Horses and Men.

' ; A society, called the hippnphaglc, or horse-eating society, has been established in Paris, in consequence of a lecture of M. Geoffrey St. Hilaire, whose advice to use the horse for food was received lately with great applause. The well-known writer, Alphonse Karr, says : ' The horse has carried the man long enough ; it is now time for the man to carry the horse.' "

The above is " going the rounds." I have seen the same thought expressed in Latin, but cannot remember where. Can any of your correspon- dents refresh my memory ? S. H. J.

Acoustics. Many, if not most of the readers of " N. & Q.," are probably familiar with the architectural plan of the ancient Grecian theatres, and the peculiarity of their structure. But not the least curious and interesting fact connected with the arrangement of these scenic edifices was the acoustic effect obtained by the introduction of echoing vases, which contributed so materially to the free transmission and circulation of sound from the stage. Underneath the seats of the KOIXOV (our modern "boxes") were placed at certain intervals, modulated according to the required tonic distance, vases of earth and metal (H^eia). These sounding vases conducted the voice of the actor from the stage, or that part of it called the \ojeiov, on which the performers recited to the " boxes," enabling it thus to traverse the whole circuit of the KoiKov. Would such vibrating media be available for, or would the same acoustic prin- ciple be applicable to, buildings of a different con- struction, the House of Lords, for instance, or to any public room of similar architectural arrange- ment, found not to be favourable to the transmis- sion of sound? a result, which even in their roof- less theatres, the Greek architects seem to have produced with complete success. F. PHILLOTT.

Marriages. In looking over some lists of births, deaths, and mnrriages for the years be- tween 1730 50, I find most of the last-mentioned recorded in the following style :

" Mr. Baskett to Miss Pell, with 5000Z.

" Mr. Davis to Mrs. Wylds, with 400Z. per annum.

" The Lord Bishop of St. Asaph to Miss Orel), with 30,OOOZ. [' It never rains but it pours.']

" J. Whitcombe, Esq., to Miss Allen, with 40,000/.

" Mr. Will. Hurfer to Miss Sally Mitchiner, with 30007."

and so on. When did this method of announcing the "happy event" fall into disuse ?

R. W. HACKWOOD.

" A sunbeam pusses through pollution unpol- luted:' 1

" ' A sunbeam passes through pollution unpolluted.' ' What a beautiful thought ! ' said Sydney Smith (reading from a book in his hand)." Vide Memoirs, by Lady Holland, vol. i. p. 357.

What was the book ? GEO. E. FRERE.