Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 10.djvu/281

 9" s. x. OCT. *, 1902.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

273

I fail to trace. The only other biography I see with this date is that in 'Chambers's Ency clopsedia,' 1901, which appears to have been copied from the 'D.N.B.' without any ques tion as to its correctness. It is curious thai in the 1874 edition it is given 25 September The writer of the article in the ' D.N. B.' in a foot-note says: "Most of the biographica notices are full of errors." The greater then was the necessity for thorgugh investigation, which appears to be wanting if he accepts as adequate the few authorities he names in hi foot-note. I mark with an asterisk those only mentioned by him :

Gent. Mag., vol. xxxiv., 1764, p. 450. "Sept. 25th, 1764, died Robert Dodsley, late an eminent bookseller, author of several dramatic pieces."

Gent. Mag.* vol. 1., 1780, p. 237.-" Died at the house of a friend in 1764 " (the year only men- tioned).

Gent. Mag., vol. liii., 1783, p. 608. " Epitaph in the Abbey Church Yard at Durham, Sept. 23rd, 1764."

Gent. Mag.,* vol. Ixvii., 1797, p. 346. " Robert, who quitted business early in 1759, died Sept. 28th, 1764. *

London Mag., vol. xxxiii., 1764, p. 485. "Sept. 23rd, 1764, at Durham, Mr. Robert Dodsley, as a bookseller long eminent for the countenance he afforded to the muses ; a most agreeable poet him- self, and one of the most amiable of men."

Scots Mag., vol. xxvi.. 1764, p. 519. " Sep. 23rd, 1764, at Durham, Mr. Robert Dodsley, bookseller in London."

Musgrave's 'Obituary.' "Died Sep. 25th, 1764." Harleian Society's Register, Cathedral Church at Durham, and Sir Cuthbert Sharpe's 'Chronicon Mirabile,' 1819. Both Sept. 26th, 1764. "Mr. Robert Doddesley, stationer, London."

D. A. Baker,* 'Biographia Dramatica,' 1812, compiled to the year 1764. "Died Sep. 25th, 1764." A. Kippis, * ' Biographia Britannica,' 1793. Epitaph and date of death Sep. 25th, 1764. "During the latter years of his life he was much troubled with the gout, to which he at length fell a martyr, whilst he was upon a visit to his friend Mr. Spence at Durham. He was buried in the Abbey Church Yard of that City. The following inscrip- tion was engraved on his tombstone :

If you have any respect For uncommon industry and merit

Regard this place, In which are deposited the remains of

Mr. Robert Dodsley ;

Who, as an Author, raised himself

Much above what could have been expected

From one in his rank of life, And without a learned education ;

And who, as a man, was scarce

Exceeded by any in integrity of heart,

And puritv of manners and conversation.

He left this life for a better

Sept. 25th, 1764. In the 61st year of his age."

Anderson's* 'British Poets,' 1795, gives date of death 5 September and epitaph 25 September.

Timperley's* ' Encyclopaedia,' 1842. Exactly same aa above, date and epitaph.

A. Chalmers,* 'English Poets,' 1810. "Whilst upon a visit to his friend the Revd. Joseph Spence, at Durham, Sep. 25th, 1764." Epitaph the same date.

Charles Knight, 'Shadows of Old Booksellers,' 1865, says : " He was buried in the Abbey Church Yard, and his Epitaph was written by his warm and constant friend (Mr. Spence, who was pre- bendary of the Cathedral at Durham). He left this life for a better Sept, 25th, 1764."

' Chambers's Encyclopaedia.' 1874, 25 September, 1764 ; 1901, 25 December, 1764.

Rose's ' Biographical Dictionary,' 1857 ; ' Globe Encyclopaedia,' 1877 ; ' Encyclopaedia Britannica,' 1877 ; ' Century Cyclopaedia of Names,' 1895 ; John- son's ' Universal Cyclopaedia,' 1894. All give the date of death 25 September, l764.

With these obituary notices and unsatis- factory dates tHose interested must deduce their own conclusions. Perhaps some reader connected .with the city of Durham might be prevailed on to make further research.

CHAS. G. SMITHERS.

47, Darnley Road, Hackney.

BuNGAY(9 th S. x. 185).-The derivation of Bungay from the^nodern Parisian bon gu6 is a humiliating example of the sad recklessness of guesswork. It is, of course, wholly im- possible, because the name is far too old to be derived from modern French ; and, if of French origin at all (not very probable in an English place-name), it must have been derived from the Anglo-French form of L. uadum, i.e., from the form wet. Further, it is phonetically impossible, even if the F. gue be taken as the origin, for the French -6 does not give -ay, but -ee, as in the M.E. gree, A.F. grj, from Lat. ace. gradum ; cf. mod. E. degree.

The etymology of Bungay is duly discussed, incidentally, in my 'Place-Names of Carn- aridgeshice,' lately published for the Cam- bridge Antiquarian Society. Without furnish- ing the reasons, or the discussions of similar names, I give here only the result. ^This is that the name is probably of Scandinavian origin, as might be expected, and is fairly represented by the Icel. bung- a, a convexity, a rounded hill, and the Icel. ey, an island. It s, in fact, near a peninsula in the shape of a rounded hill. The old name of Durham, i.e., Dun-holm, has very nearly the same sense. WALTER W. SKEAT.

MR. W. T. LYNN cannot, I think, have seen Skeat in his 'Place -Names of Cambridge- hire,' 1901, p. 56, where he deals with the suffix -gay in place-names. Prof. Skeat be- ieves that this suffix is not possible in Old English, for no such word is to be found either in English or Norse, nor yet in Nor- man. He gives very good reasons for dis-
 * he explanation of this name given by Prof.