Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/365

 ** S. NO 18., MAY 3. '56.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

357

Paulus Manutius, and the translation of Figliucci, the words of St. Ambrose ( Com. in Luc., c. 9.), which should immediately precede the above passage, are omitted, " an error in its origin purely typographical," says Dr. Dono- van.]

Early Edition of Chaucer's Works. A few days ago I met with an old black-letter edition of Chaucer's Works, published, I think, during the latter part of the sixteenth century. The title- page is lost, but otherwise it is in good preserva- tion. In the Life of Chaucer the writer states :

"M. William Thynn, that learned Gentelman and painfull Collector of Chaucers workes in his Epistle dedi- catorie to the Kings Majestic hath duly set forth the commendable qualities of this Poet; whose Judgement we are the rather to approtie, for that he had further insight into him than many others. Of whom lohn Bale in his booke De scriptoribus Britan. Centur. 12. hath some Ix. yeeres past, deliuered thus : Guilhelmus Thynne, prcedari generis homo, et ab ineunte cetate in literis educatus, multo labors, sedulltate et euro, vsus, in perquirendis vetustis exern- plaribus, Chauceri opera restituit, atque in vnum collegit Kolumen : quod Henrico octauo Anglorum regi dedicauit. Since whose time, two of the purest and best writers of our daies, the one for Prose, the other for Verse, M. Ascham and M. Spenser, haue deliuered most worthy tes* timonies of their approuing of Chaucer."

John Bale above quoted was Bishop of Ossory in the middle of the sixteenth century, and is celebrated as a controversial and dramatic writer of that time.

In the first part is the dedication of, I suppose, " M. William Thynn, the painfull Collector," pre- faced by the following words :

" To the Kings Highnesse, my most gracious soueraigne Lord, Henry the eight, by the grace of God, King of Eng- land and of France, defensor of the faith, and Lord of Ireland, &c."

The above extracts may, perhaps, assist in my obtaining information as to the editor, and date of the book. THOMAS HODGINS.

Toronto, Canada.

[Our correspondent's copy is a reprint of Speght's edition of 1589, with additional matter. It is entitled The Workes of ovr Ancient and learned English poet, Geffrey C/iavcer, newly printed. London: Printed bv Adam Islip, An. Dom. 1602, fol. See a notice of it in Lowndes's Bib. Manual, vol. i. p. 395.]

XUyltaf.

ETYMOLOGY OF CATERPILLAR AND EARWIG.

(2 nd S. i. 303.)

I cannot help thinking that chattepeleuae is not only " a likely source of our English word " cater- pillar, but that it is the certain source. In the first place chattepeleuse is a real word in use, wherta? cates piller are two words, from which no single French word has ever been compounded.

But there is a better reason. We shall in vain seek for chattepeleuse in any modern French dic- tionary ; nor is it correct to say that " the French-

men call caterpillars chattepeleuse." It was never a general French name for that insect ; nor, as far as I can discover, was it ever a name (as is stated in Todd's Johnson) for a weasel. Had it been so, it would scarcely have been also used for caterpillar. The word is provincial, and it belongs just to that province from which a French word would soonest have been naturalised among us. In the excel- lent Etymological Dictionary of Menage we read : " Chattepeleuse. Les Normands appellent ainsi une chenille. Les Anglais disent caterpillar."

There is, besides, something in the adjunct -peleuse which is peculiarly applicable to the soft hairy exterior of most caterpillars ; nor need the word chatte disturb us, for it is not unusual with the French to give in their familiar names of in- sects the appellations of beasts : for example, the lady-bird is called La Vache de Notre Dame. Both were words introduced by the monks in order to secure for that insect a superstitious pro- tection in the hop districts.

There is something very plausible in the de- rivation of earwig from eruca ; it is analogous to that of periwig from peruque. But then it must be recollected that eruca is a generic name for all worms which feed on the leaves of trees and flowers, and has no particular connection with the earwig, which I believe is rare in the dry southern regions of Europe.

Now the notion of this insect infesting the ear is almost universal in the languages of northern and central Europe, e. g. :

Anglo-Saxon - - earwigga

High German - - ohrwurm

Low German - - oorworm } ear~worrn.

Swedish - ormask

Danish ... urhwigg

French, orcillere, perce-oreille. Of these six names the Anglo-Saxon and Danish only can be com- pared with eruca.

In Italian I find for earwig, formicala prinza- jnola : the etymology I know not. The Linnsean name is Forcicula auricularia, which is explained in Spanish and Portuguese thus; " Sabandija que entra en las orejas," and " Casta de insecto, que dizem que entra nos ouvidos." I take it for granted that there is no specific name for this insect in the southern tongues, because it be- longs to colder regions. Possibly, however, the vulgar names are not, as both MR. KEIGBTLEY and MR. WARWICK seem to think, founded merely on popular prejudice. In Rees's Cyclopcedia I find that this insect habitually creeps into the ears of those who sleep in the open air during the sea- sons in which they are numerous. And in the Universal Lexicon of Zedler (an invaluable re- pertory of information on almost every subject) I find these words : " Der OUrwurm gehet nach deu Ohren, wischt in sel-