Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/455

 S. NO 23., JUNE 7. '56.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

447

tleman called Nicharchus to the audience observes, ' He is small, I confess ; but there is nothing lost in him : all is knave that is not fool.' " The Caxtons, e. ii. p. 24.

One of the stalest jokes is that of the poet, who left the first two lines of a stanza on his desk,

" The sun's perpendicular height Illumined the depth of the sea,.

and on his return found that a friend, who called in his absence, had added,

" The fishes, beginning to sweat,

Cried, ' D it, how hot we shall be ! ' "

Yet Sturzenbecher tells it of our contemporaries Fahlkranz and Atterborn :

" Fahlkranz wollte eines Tages Letzerem einen Besuch machen, fand ihn aber nicht zu Hause. Als er das Zimmer verlassen wollte, bemerkte er auf dem Pulte des Dichters ein Papier mil einem angefangenen Gedichte: es waren nur zwei Zeilen, welche in dem wohlbekannten phospho- ristischen Stj'le beschrieben, wie die Sonne einen Fluss in ein ' Feuermeer ' verwandelte. Sie hiessen :

" Die Sonnenstrahlen brannten und schufen Aus dem Fluss einen Feuerpf iihl "

" Fahlkranz nahm die Feder und schrieb weiter :

" Und die Fische schwitzen und rufen,

Potztausend, wie wird's hier so schwiil ! " Die Neuere Schwedische Litcratur, p. 111.

Horace Twiss is said to have replied to some- body who told him a very " old Joe " as the last good thing, and asked if he had heard it before : "Never, with those names."

The compilers of the " Varieties " columns for provincial newspapers are bold violators of chro- nology in their MUlerisms, of which I have a col- lection. Some day I will put together a few specimens for your amusement. H. B. C.

Garrick Club.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF MACATJLAY.

" The Journal of the Parliament in Ireland" ffc., March 25, 1689.

(Concluded from p. 428.)

"A LETTER FROM DUBLIN,

June the 12<A, 1689.

"I, for some particular reasons, resolved not to write to you any more, especially being uncertain whether you received my former, or if you did, whether they were of any use ; but the particular reason of my not writing, being partly ceased, I consider it is no great matter if I lose my pains. I hope to send you an Abstract of what has been done in the House of Lords and Commons, having a promise of such an Account from those that know them. We have had three Expresses from Eng- land ; John Browne the Lawyer came over about a Fort- night ago from Millford, and landed at Waterlbrd ; Sir

J C 's Son came in a Wherry, and landed about

Wiekloe, but that which was most material, was from the Lord M. by some Quakers that came last Week hither in a Wherry ; some the like went yesterday back to you, we have several Expresses sent over to you that way; and a strict Imbargo, least any should follow and discover them.

You must not expect the secret of their Messages from me, only 'tis reported, that John Browne brought no Letters with him, but come over with a design to save his Iron- works from the new Proprietors: I hear that upon his Petition to the Parliament, the Possession is secured to him by a Proviso, he paying Rent : He reports that England is unanimous, and that we must expect an invasion by the next Easterly Wind : The Quakers and Crossby talk likewise of an Invasion, but represent the People of England as dissatisfied. I find there is still an expectation and dependance on Scotland, tho' not so strong as at first : we talk very confidently of a Fleet and fifteen Thousand Fusileers from France; the French Fleet to consist of eight}' Men of War : I verily believe there is something in it ; without some such aid, Ireland does appear but an easie Conquest, which is not the French Interest. The misery of this Town is very great, some being little better than Dragoon'd by the Quarter- ing of Souldiers ; some have ten, some twelve, some twenty or thirty quarter'd on them ; and yet I cannot find, that besides what came in to day, there were above three thousand and odd Men in Town ; but the reason is plain, each man has many Quarters, and some Captains make thirty or forty Shillings a Week by them ; they come in by twelve, one, or two of the Clock by night, to demand Quarters, and turn people out of their Beds, beat, wound, and sometimes rob them. There are two or three hundred Priests in Town, and they are quarter'd likewise as the Souldiers; and so are generally Noblemen and Gentlemen, with their Retinue, tho' not actually in the Army. I have sent you the new Establishment of the Forces, only I think four Regiments of Horse, and some of Dragoons, are not yet raised. I hear all those People call'd Rapperees, or Half-Pike-men, are to be muster'd and arm'd ; Commissions are signing for all that can bear arms in the Kingdom. Duke of Tyrconnet disbanded 2000 a few Weeks ago, which are all entertained again, or at least as many as will come in ; but we are most strangly uncertain in all our Counsels, which is visible not only in this, but in every thing else : One day the Camp near Dublin is to go on, and they work close at it, then it is intermitted and laid aside : one day we are to go into England, and send a Declaration before us, and to be restored ; another day we are frightned with a rumour of an Army landing out of England, to drive us out or all ; yet the King seems very well contented, and plea- sant ; he sleeps, eats, and is in better health than usual. Tuesday the 4th instant, we had an Alarum that Derry was burnt with Bombs, that the King's Army had taken it, and put all in it to the Sword ; Nugent of Carlands- town brought this News into the House of Commons, just when they were putting to the Vote, whether they should prosecute the Impeachment against Judge Dally; some think Nugent, being his Friend, did it designedly ; the News was received with loud Huzza's, and irr that good and jolly humour they acquitted the Judge: But our Friday's Express brought us another account, which was, That the King's Forces had endeavoured to regain the Wind-Mill-hill, out of which they had been beaten by the Sail}' when Ramsey the King's General was kill'd, but that they were beaten off with great loss; this was on Tuesday, and by computation about the same time the Huzza was made in the House of Commons. Col. Dor- rington and Col. Nugent, two of the briskest Officers of the King's Army, are desperately wounded, if not dead. 'Tis reported, that seven Field- Officers were killed or taken, and about thirty other Officers. We have no cer- tain account of the Souldiers, the best account says, three hundred fell : 'Tis said they run away, and left their Officers in the lurch. I am promised a List of the Officers that were killed : It is said that there are not above five thousand in the King's Camp at Derry, notwithstanding