Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 12.djvu/369

 s. xii. NOV. 7, 1903.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

361

LONDON, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1908.

CONTENTS. No. 306.

NOTES : Robert Greene and Roger Bacon, 361 Burton's 'Anatomy of Melancholy,' 362 'Canadian Boat Song' "Turnover" Robert Bloomfield, 3*4 Prince of Wales's Theatre, Tottenham Street " Universary " ' Rule Bri- tannia,' 365 Madame du Deffand's Letters " Loadberrv " 366.

QUERIES :" Ground ivy "Paleface Raleigh : its Pro- nunciation, 363 St. Germain John Dowland Doubles Sir H. Wotton: Mallorie : Candishe : Dr. Johnston Pentameter Riming Tables" Peace at any price " Privy Council under James I. Celtic Titles Clerke Timothy Swift-Rev. Mackenzie Walcott, 37 W. Gale Sir J. Bowring Privy Council in a Private House Fall of Saguntum Cantaloup Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, 368 Wagner's ' Art and the Revolution. ' Walter Fitz- Otho : De Douai, 369.

REPLIES : Imaginary Saints, 369 -"Merrily danced the Quaker's wife" "Chaperoned bv her father " "Tra- vailler pour le Roi de Prusse," 370 Mercer Family Grubb John Gilpin's Route "Ycleping " the Church Foresteal : Forestall, 371 "English take their pleasures sadly" The National Flag, 372 Genius Ash : Place- name Count de Bruhl Adam the Carthusian, 373 Latin Quotation "Palo de cobra," 374 Sworn Clerks in Chan- cery Booksellers' Catalogues "Bisk" Banns of Mar- riage The "Ship" at Greenwich, 375 Immurement Alive Seats reserved in the House of Commons " Tatar " or "Tartar," 376 Maxim " Parting of the ways" Carson " Gentle shepherd, tell me where " Bliza Grim- wood, 377 Thomas Lloyd Gin-Palaces "O. C. 1651" Publication by Subscription James Heath, Engraver, 378.

NOTES ON BOOKS : Conway's ' Great Masters 'Free- man's 'Historical Geography of Europe' "The Stage Shakespeare " Fletcher's 'Battlefield Church ' " The Fireside Dickens "Reviews and Magazines.

Notices to Correspondents.

ROBERT GREENE AND ROGER BACON. IN popular tradition the poet Vergil and the philosopher Roger Bacon (1214 ?-94) seem to have been chiefly remembered as necro- mancers and enchanters. Dante, indeed, did the Roman poet the honour of choosing him as guide to the land of spirits ; but the re- putation of him who in life, unfortunately for -his own peace of mind, adorned the Franciscan Order almost entirely centred, in sixteenth-century legend, upon the manufac- ture of the celebrated Brazen Head. Thomas de Bungay, Lector of the Oxford Franciscans, of whom very little is known, has also been regarded as a wizard by later generations.

Robert Greene in his pla^ ' The Honorable Historie of Frier Bacon and Frier Bongay,' published in 1594, but first acted at least three years earlier, made use of a popular story-book, 'The Famous Historie of Frier Bacon.' Educated at Cambridge, Greene was M.A. of both universities ; and much of the play is supposed to take place in Oxford, with which ancient seat of learning the poet was evidently less well acquainted than with his original alma mater, her younger rival. He following a foolish legend makes Friar

Bacon Master of Brasenose College, solely, I suppose, because he had framed, or was fabled to have framed, a head of brass which should "yeelde forth strange and uncoth aphorismes." The action of the play purports to take place in the historical Bacon's day King Henry III. and Edward, his redoubtable son, are brought upon the stage but, like most of the play- wrights his contemporaries, Robin Greene is no pedant ; and although the characters may now and then feign a thirteenth-century atmo- sphere, yet, for all that, they themselves remain robustly of the sixteenth. Brasenose College (wherein the famous friar entertains at dinner King Henry, the Emperor, the King of Castile and his daughter Elinor) was not founded until 1509, the head being always known by the title of Principal. The poet, perhaps, was thinking of Cambridge, whereat all the heads of colleges are styled Masters, save only the Provost of King's and the President of Queens'. But it is certain that in Bacon's time there actually existed a Brasenose Hall which, occupying a portion of the same site, eventually gave its name to the present college. Other anachronisms are to be found in the play : Edward the Crown Prince is frequently described as Prince of Wales ; Elinor of Castile glories in the bravery of her betrothed " fore Damas walles"; and King Henry refers to his fallow deer at Fremingham and Hampton Court. Prof. C. M. Gayley, of California (in his ad- mirable edition of the play contained in 'Representative English Comedies,' vol. i., 1903), observes that Edward never fought be- fore Damascus, and that the two places men- tioned by his father were not Crown property in that king's reign. One may add that Elinor, who was Alfonso X.'s sister, did not land in England until after her marriage, which took place in Spain.

This piece also contains a play within a play ; for Bacon, by means of his "glasse

S^ospective," exhibits to the curious in his xford cell events which are happening in Suffolk. Thus the prince sees Friar Bungay about to wed Margret, the keeper's fair daughter of Fresingfield, to "Ned Lacie, Earle of Lincoln " ; and the two young scholars of Broadgates Hall witness the simultaneous death in a duel for the sake of the same lovely damsel of both their fathers, Masters Lambert and Serlsbie, whom they unwisely imitate by stabbing one another forthwith. The mention of Broadgates, now Pembroke College, is interesting. This ancient hall the inhabitants of which were not with- out some reputation for dabbling in the black art itself was in Greene's day a flourishing