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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th a. XL FEB. 21, 1003.

nounced against their ever having germi- structure enshrining relics of holy men, such

nated, whilst freely admitting that American as an altar-crypt, tomb, or " tabernacle,

maize and other seeds fraudulently foisted on The location of the mendicants in the parvise

unwary Egyptian tourists sprout readily would thus make them suitably_ near the

enough. All this makes one suspect some confessionals.

error of observation on the part of the. .

reporter of the papaveraceous historiette, QUEEN SIVE (9 th S. xi. 67). Szve (riming

especially as equally strange items are occa- with the number^ve) is a well-known iemmine

sionally to be met with in any newspaper Christian name in Ireland. In Gaelic it is veracious enough in appearance, but provo- 1 written by some Sadhbh, by others jsaidhbhe.

cative of scepticism upon examination.

J. DORMER.

"Cup OF TREMBLING" (9 th S. xi. 65). It seems necessary to say something to prevent the "ordeal" gloss being mistaken for legitimate exegesis. Personally any view about anything is permissible, but the hos- pitality of ' N. & Q.' is severely taxed when it has to entertain crude guesswork. The word tarelah (in A.V. "trembling" and "astonishment") is in E..V. rendered "stag- gering " (Isaiah li. 17, 22 ; Psalm Ix. 3), and there is no dispute that intoxication, not literally, but in a figure, is meant. Of easily accessible commentaries, Prof. Skinner's ' Isaiah ' in the "Cambridge Bible Series " will probably suffice to clear the phrase, which presents no real difficulty. C. S. WARD.

Occasionally it is translated into English as Sabia. I do not know who was meant by the Queen Sive of the Whiteboys.

JAMES PLATT, Jun.

LORD WHITEHILL (9 th S. xi. 49). The fol- lowing information is taken from Brunton and Haig's ' Historical Account of the Sena- tors of the College of Justice' (Edinburgh, 1832) : James Scougal, of Whitehill, son of John Scougal, Lord Whytekirk, entered advocate 8 June, 1687, and was admitted without trial, having presented a petition to the Lords representing

that he had served seven years as commissar of Aberdeen, and in that time had applyed himself to the study of the municipal and civil laws, and that he did not suppose himself qualified to undergo the usual tryall, yet he might be qualified to serve as an ordinar advocat."

He was afterwards appointed one of the commissaries of Edinburgh, nominated an Ordinary Lord on the death of Lord Pres- mennan, and took his seat 9 June, 1696, by the title of Lord Whitehill. He died

CROSSING KNIVES AND FORKS (9 th S. viii. 325, 433 ; ix. 14, 357 ; x. 74, 254). I suspect that the distinction M. E. N. makes between crossing knives and crossing a knife and a fork goes to the root of the matter. Was not

the crossing of knives first thought unlucky I 23 December, 1702. It may be noted that because it was a crossing of blades, and so John Scougal, Lord Whytekirk, the father of suggested the clash of swords ] In the Mid- Lord Whitehill, was a son of Sir John Scougal, land counties, when I was a lad, we used to of Scougal, and brother of Patrick, Bishop of leave our knife and fork crossed on our plate Aberdeen. He was nominated an Ordinary when we desired a second "help," and side Lord on 17 February, 1661, and died in

by side when we did not.

C. C. B.

January, 1672. Edinburgh.

J. A.

DANTEIANA (9 th S. xi. 29). In Camerini's

edition of the ' Divina Commedia ' the follow- 1 FASHION IN LANGUAGE (9 th S. ix. 228, 352, ing note is given as from the 'Commento' of 435 ; x. 251, 337). It does not seem to me Francesco Buti : " A' perdoni, alle chiese, that " cure " is an abbreviation of " curiosity." dov' e il perdono, cio& 1' indulgenza, e pero Rather, it is what it appears, and implies molto concorso." that the drollness exhibited is either a cure

Dean Church alludes to the passage in his for the dumps or a bar against imitation, essay on Dante (p. 169), translating it " the Thus the late Mr. Stead's performance was

" a perfect [or ' regular '] cure." W. C. B.

With reference to SIR HERBERT MAXWELL'S remark anent the meaning of the word " cure," I beg to be permitted to mention that many years ago a music-hall artist, dressed in an

and Long-

blind men at the church doors

fellow's version is :

Thus do the blind, in want of livelihood, btand at the doors of churches asking alms.

Cary is alone in his " confessionals."

W. S.

. l( l eccentric costume, caused sensation by singing

As perdoni seems a Dantesque generic night after night for months, if not for years,

term tor shrines of any kind, Gary's rendering a comic song entitled l A Cure, a Cure, I am

is fairly acceptable. A " confessional " (other- a perfect Cure.'

wise confession" or " confessionary ") is a [ It may not be out of place to add that I