Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 3.djvu/102

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9*s.iiLFEB.4,'99.

nephew of Major John Andre may have fallen into that sort of position. His knowing Major Andre's name is in favour of the truth of his statement ; for it is hardly likely that any other billiard-marker in London had ever heard of that unfortunate man.

JULIAN MAESHALL.

" FOUNDET " (9 th S. ii. 507). In the north- east corner of Ulster this word is used, not alone in the expression quoted, but also in every case where a person wishes in an em- phatic manner to signify " nothing." I have heard the query, "Would that field grow anything 1 ?" and the reply thereto, "Not a founded"; but I am inclined to think the idiom is really a shortened form of "con- founded thing." Americans say "a blamed thing," an Englishman " a confounded thing "; and, as Ulstermen are very prone to clipping words, the use of " thing " was discarded ; then gradually the expression was curtailed to " not a founded " or " not a foundet."

"Kunnion" is a synonymous idiom, current hereabouts ; for instance, " The field won't grow a runnion of grass," meaning "not a single blade." It may interest your querist to know of the following idioms, common in this district : " Give him a sevendable beat- ing," i. e., a severe one. " He is a cruel kind man," indicating that the person referred to is very kind, or, as is said here, "overly kind." "I unbethought myself"; by this the speaker wishes it to be understood that an after- thought had occurred to him. " He is quite a young grail of a fellow," signifying a raw youth. These might be greatly multiplied ; but there are two I must mention " ortings," used to denote offal or remnants, and "con- stering," applied to describe the action of persons dallying along a road and engaged in a dispute or argument. Do these two words bear any relation to similar words referred to in the notes to the Clarendon Press edition of
 * Julius Csesar ' ? B. A. SCANDRETT.

Kilwarlin, Hillsboro', Down.

SIR "EDMONDBURY" GODFREY (9 th S. ii. 367, 414; iii. 16). The original querist, MR. T. CANN HUGHES, need not be severely censured for using this erroneous spelling. Unfortu- nately it has been too prevalent, and that among authors from whom accuracy is most expected. Thus the 1850 edition of Cunning- ham's ' Hand-book of London ' indexes the name as Sir Edmundsbury Godfrey, giving seven references with that spelling and one with " Edmondsbury." Again, in 'Old and New London' it is indexed as "Edmundbury," and so spelt at four places in vol. iii. ; but in vol v. (p. 287) the correct spelling is given,

and conclusively demonstrated, accompanied by the observation that " Macaulay, in com- mon with many others, calls him Edmunds- bury Godfrey." Is it, then, matter at which "' to be shocked beyond the power of expres- sion " if even now we occasionally meet with the erroneous spelling ? F. G. S. will doubt- less admit that old impressions are not easily obliterated. F. ADAMS.

106A, Albany Road, Camberwell.

Two medals commemorative of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey being mentioned at the last reference, it may be well to record another. It is of pewter, with Godfrey's bust on ob- verse. The act of strangling appears to be in process, but the placid face suggests that the worthy man is tying his cravat rather than that^the hands of others are engaged in com- passing his death. The inscription around is "Moriendo restituit rem E. Godfrey." On the reverse is a double head one of the Pope, the other of the devil : " Ecclesia perversa tenet faciern Diaboli." I. C. GOULD.

The dagger asked for certainly exists ; but though I was once informed that twenty had been made, I have never met other than that in my possession. The blade is 7 inches long, and lj wide at the upper end ; the handle, 4j inches long, of iron, bound round with corded silver wire, finished at each end with a braided plait of the same, and capped with an iron ball deeply cut with spirals. The upper inch and three-eighths of the blade is thickly gilt and deeply engraven : on one side with a skull, followed by MEMENTO | GODFREY j CLESUS | OCTO : 12, and on the other,

1678: PRO | RELIGIONE | PROTES | TANTIUM,

also surmounted by a skull, with ornaments on each side of it. One side of the blade is bevelled. The sheath is of stamped leather, of no interest. The dagger has been in the possession of our family for certainly seventy years ; but I do not know its previous history.

C. DAVIES SHERBORN. 540, King's Road, S.W.

The inscription on the first medal forms a verse :

Godfrey walks up hill,

After he is dead : Denys walks down hill,

Carrying his head. Ergo, pares sumus.

F. J. CANDY. Norwood.

CAPE TOWN IN 1844 (9 th S. ii. 489). In the excellent library of the Legislative Council, in their handsome Corinthian -fac. ad ed build- ings at Pietermaritzburg, in Natal, South Africa, is a large, very valuable, and rare old