Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 10.djvu/380

 372

NOTES AND QUERIES.

. x. NOV. s, 1902.

his messengers, " What does so great a prince desire of me, a poor virgin dedicated to God 1" To which they replied, " He desireth the most excellent beauty of thine eyes, which if he do not obtain he will surely die." The virgin replied, "What he seeketh that shall he have," and she plucked out her eyes, skewered them on a thorn, and gave them to his mes- sengers.

She afterwards devoted herself to prayer and retirement at Restalrig, where she died, and a very fine church was erected over her grave, which became a favourite resort of* pilgrims, especially for those suffering from defect of eyesight. Near it was also a cele- brated well of medicinal virtue, believed to be of use for eye weaknesses. The well is now covered by the works of the Great Northern Railway. The church was one of the earliest destroyed at the Reformation. 1560, but a fragment remains ; part of the chancel is still used as the parish church of Restalrig, now connected with Edinburgh, and lies between that city and Portobello. The railway from the south, on the east coast route, passes close to St. Triduana's Church just before entering the city. The church stands between the line and the sea.

St. Triduana is commemorated in the old Scottish calendars on 8 October. She was once a popular saint in Scotland, and had several Dedications in her honour. Those are in some instances corrupted into St. Enoch, as in Glasgow and Dundee.

She is commemorated in stained glass in my church (St. Columba's), in which she is repre- sented with closed eyelids and her eyes on a dish, with a thorn-branch at her feet. Restal- rig Church was once a favourite place of devotion with Scottish royalty. It is near Holyrood, and was very richly endowed. Walcott, in his 'Ancient Church of Scotland,' p. 366 ; says that it was founded by James III., 1487 ; but there must have been a much earlier church. I should rather think it was refounded and enlarged at that date. James IV. in 1512 placed here a dean or preceptor, rector of Laswade, six prebendaries of Bute, pre- bendaries of St. Triduana and Leith (one was organist and the other sacristan), and three chaplains ; two singing boys were added in 1515. The income was 93/. 6s. 8d. As was common in Scotland before the Reformation, Restalrig was a collegiate church, and held the livings of St. Mary's, Rothesay, and St. Lawrence, Lasswade.

Baring-Gould, in his ' Lives of the Saints,' October, p. 180, thinks the legend of St. Triduana has some substance on which to rest, as traces of the name are still to be

discovered in the localities mentioned. At Rescoby there is still St. Triduana's fair. She is also found at Tradlines. Sir David Lindsay's allusion to going to St. Tredwell " to mend their ene " refers to pilgrimage to her shrine at Restalrig.

St. Dutho of Tain must be St. Duthac, or Duthus, Bishop of Ross about A.D. 1250. There are several legends of him in the Aberdeen Breviary, where he is commemorated on 8 March. At Tain two buildings of consider- able interest are connected with his name : St. Duthac's or St. Duthus's Chapel, supposed to have been built near the end of the eleventh century, and St. Duthus'a Church about 1371. His name was particularly celebrated in Scotland, and his relics preserved and chapels built in his honour at Edinburgh, Dunferm- line, and Aberdeen. But his native town of Tain had specially three sacred spots con- nected with his memory : (1) The chapel erected on the site "quhair he was borne"; (2) the chapel " within the kirkyard," where he was buried ; (3) the large and handsome church dedicated to his memory. This church was collegiate, established 1487, served by a provost, five canons, two deacons, sacrist, one assistant clerk, and three singing boys. It was a popular place of pilgrimage in pre- Reformation days. James IV. annually for twenty years (1493-1513) performed this pious journey to St. Duthac's snrine at Tain.

HERBERT H. FLOWER. [Other interesting replies received.]

" THE POLICY OF PIN-PRICKS " (9 th S. iii. 46, 115, 238). A correspondent gives the phrase ' Coups d'epingle ' as the title of some essays (Paris, 1886). May I point out that it forms part of the title of the eleventh chapter of A. Daudet's 'Aventures Prodigieuses de Tar- tarin de Tarascon ' ? My copy is dated 1886, but it is the forty-ninth edition, so I presume Daudet's book first appeared at an earlier date than the essays referred to. Perhaps some of your readers can give the date. The chapter is headed "Des coups d'epe'e, Mes- sieurs, des coups d'epee Mais pas de coups

d'epingle ! " and the phrase occurs near the end of the chapter itself.

EDWARD LATHAM.

61, Friends Road, East Croydoii. [The date is 1872.]

" ICH DIEN " (9 th S. x. 309). This has already been discussed in these columns (4 th S. vi. 199, 239), where the popular derivation from Welsh " Eich dyn " is shown to be at least 250 years old, as it occurs in Thomas Blount's ' Glosso- graphia,' first published in 1656. It is, of