Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 12.djvu/271

 *H s. xii. OCT. a IMS.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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of Nachargan," which, at a later date, fell into the hands of the Arabs.*

I have briefly indicated sundry forms of the story of Aphikia. The variant in * Count Lucanor' differs widely, and yet leaves an impression of relationship. It will be seen that the apocryphal book associated, in de- fiance of history and chronology, with the name of the wife of Jesus, the son of Sirach, consists of one of those folk-tales which are found in many lands, and have passed from East to West by different channels. Many other variants probably exist of the Aphikia story, although there are not, as yet, sufficient materials for constructing an exact pedigree. WILLIAM E. A. AXON.

Manchester.

BEN JONSON AND GABRIEL HARVEY. (See 9 th S. xi. 201, 281, 343, 501 ; xii. 161.)

In statu quo. "No more could you instatu quo prius" (532a). The earliest instance of this in 'Stanford Dictionary' is W. Watson, 1602, and of in statu quo, Mabbe, 1623. Harvey introduced it.

"Remayning still, as we say, in statu quo " (Harvey, i. 68).

Intoxicate. " What, intoxicate ! is thy brain in a quintessence ?" (540b.) A favourite word with Harvey. * N.E.D.' has one earlier instance, viz-, from J. Bell (1581). The second in N.E.D.' is Holland's 4 Plinie ' (1601).

" Intoxicate sprite " (Harvey, ii. 216). See also ii. 95 ; iii. 23, &c.

Quintessence : idea : metamorphosis : apology. ''Is thy brain in a quintessence, an idea, a metamorphosis, an apology, ha, rogue 1 " (540b.) "Quintessence" in an applied or figurative sense was rare; it occurs twice (later) in Shakespeare. " Apology " and "idea" were barely divorced from classical use and made English. See 'Lucrece/ 31, for the vagueness of the former. The use of "idea" has always been a stumbling-block. Jonson ridiculed it already in * Every Man in his Humour' (lOa). See Wheatley's edi- tion. "Metamorphosis" was as yet hardly used apart from Ovid.

These are all Harvey words. " Quintes- sence " is a favourite in Harvey (i. 243 ; ii. 62 ; ii. 67, &c.). " The Idee high " (i. 245) ; " New

Idndischen] Gcsellschafy, Band xxxiii. S. 523. MR. A. C. LEE, whose contributions to 'N. & Q.' on the history of transmission of popular fictions are always read with interest, kindly sends me references to Camerini's edition of Doni (for a narrative taken down from an old Arab story - teller) and to Mr. W. A. Clouston's notes in Burton's ' Supplemental Nights ' (ii. 378).
 * Noldeke in Zeitschrift der dcufschen Morgen-

Idees of singularity " (i. 268) ; " Quaint Idees " ('Letter-Book,' Camden, 102), 1573, &c. ; usually in sense of our " ideal." " Metamor- phosis " (i. 273) ; used a little earlier in Lyly's 'Euphues.' Harvey made a "large Apology " at the Council table in Cambridge for some letters published without his authority, he tells us in his Third Letter, 1592.

Crotchet. " In thy crotchets already ! " (541a.) This term occurs three times in Shakespeare about this date or later.

'N.E.D.' quotes Harvey (' Letter - Book/ Camden, 46), 1573, "Osburn stud uppon this chrotchet," as the earliest example in the sense of " whim " (origin obscure). " A wilde head full of crotchets " (i. 189) ; " a thousand crotchets " (ibid.). A Harvey expression.

Surquedry." No more of this surquedry " (541a). An old but uncommon word found in Chaucer and Spenser.

" Surfeited with pleasure's surquedrie " (Harvey, i. 297) ; " toad-swoln in surquidry " (i. 291). He has " surquidrous " (ii. 101).

In diebus illis. " in diebus illis ! O pre- posterous !" (541a.) Harvey used this in 1589. Later Nashe has it in ' Lenten Stuffe ' (1599), and Greene in ' A Quip ' (1592).

" But old Aristotle was a deepe politician

in diebus illis ; and his reasons would nob

be altogether contemned " (Harvey, ii. 191).

Curvet : prognosticate. " His muse some- times cannot curvet, nor prognosticate, and come off as it should " (541a). Compare " his very Intellect Is naught but a curvetting sommerset "of Marston, which I have already shown undoubtedly refers to Harvey. The earliest transferred use in 'N.E.D. ' is Shake- speare, ' As You Like It,' 1600. The earliest in any sense is his ' Ven. and Ad.,' 1592.

"Corvettest and showest thy crankes among a company of valorous Captaines, whose stirrop thou art not worthy to hold ' (Harvey, iii. 35). " Prognosticate " was a favourite term with Gabriel Harvey, as well as with his brother Richard, the almanac- maker. In G. Harvey's ' Earthquake Letter/ which brought him so much ridicule, it occurs i. 54, 55, and later ii. 60, &c. (passim).

Paraphrase. "I'll hammer out a para- phrase for thee " (541a).

A favourite Harvey word (i. 20, &c.).

Circumference. "We spend time in a vain circumference " (541a).

Harvey has a similar figurative use much earlier than any in 'N.E.D.': "Make the conjuring wizard forsake the senter of his circle, and betake him to the circumference of his heels " (ii. 210).

Dilemma : hyperbole. " Your dilemmas and your hyperboles " (542a).