Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 3.djvu/154

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9" s. m. FEB. iz, m

his portrait painted by David, who declined, on

Sounds that he painted only historical pictures, e had better luck with Grassini, who, at forty- two, became his diva and his mistress. But the cricket is a proverbially irresponsible creature."

The poet's estimation of the reputation of the conqueror of the great Napoleon and the best of u les Marechaux et les Generaux de la France " may be quoted in connexion with the subject in question : Oh, Wellington 1 (or Villainton for Fame

Sounds the heroic syllables both ways ; France could not even conquer your great name,

But punn'd it down to this facetious phrase Beating or beaten she will laugh the same),

You have obtain'd great pensions and much praise : Glory like yours should any dare gainsay, Humanity would rise, and thunder, " Nay ! "

It need hardly be remarked that Father Prout's beloved songster of France, Jean Pierre Beranger, also made use of the word Villainton :

Faut qu' lord Villainton ait tout pris, N'y a plus d'argent dans c' gueux de Paris.

HENRY GERALD HOPE. Clapham, S.W.

EWER : THURLOE. In his will proved at London, 25 February, 1651, Col. Ewer, of the Parliamentary army, styles John Thurloe, to whom he left the care of his two children, " my brother." How was he thus related to John Thurloe 1 F. H. E.

NAG'S HEAD. Of what noble or illustrious family, if any, was this not uncommon inn sign the badge or crest 1 A. R. BAYLEY.

TREVIS FAMILY. Can any reader oblige with information respecting the origin of this family ? The name is spelt in various ways. I think the name came in with the Normans, and was at one time Travers, Trevers, and Trivers. In the seventeenth century there was a family of Trevis in Cheshire, who ranked as.geritry ; and in a will proved in Ireland in the same century the testatrix is described as Trevers, Trevis, and Treves. At Christchurch, Hants, is a branch known as Trevis, one of whose earlier mem- bers claimed an estate at Ringwood, but died in poverty. Can any reader inform me whence and at what time this branch went to Christchurch, as I do not find any records of the name there prior to, say, 1748 1 The family is doubtless noble, and one of those who " went under " after 1688.

O. HARRY.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME OF LAVINIA. I have been for a long time trying to discover the origin of the rather uncommon name of Lavinia, which I find in a Somerset family of

ancestors. James Smith, M.P. for Taunton, who lived at St. Audries, in the Quantocks, Somerset, married, in 1729, Grace, daughter of Edward Dyke, of Dulverton, and Eliza- beth, daughter of Richard Blackford, of Dunster and Selworthy, Master in Chancery, who died in 1689. Two of James Smith's daughters were named Lavinia : the first died in infancy, the second married a Mr. Fel- lowes, ancestor of Lord Ramsay. I believe that this pretty name came from either the Dyke or the Blackford family. If I could discover who bore the name in Somersetshire in the seventeenth century it might lead me to some intermarriages of my ancestors. I may add that the name Lavinia is still kept up by some of my relations ; Bingham, Earl of Lucan ; Earl Spencer ; Porter of Fer- managh, and perhaps others. If any person acquainted with Somerset family history would communicate with me about the origin of this name I should feel obliged.

DOMINICK BROWNE. Christchurch, New Zealand.

"To KISS THE HARE'S FOOT." In Delpino's 'Spanish-English Dictionary,' under the word mesa, you may read, "Llamar a lino debaxo de la mesa, to call a man under the table, signifies to kiss the hare's foot, as we term it." In what English books can one find the expression which I have italicized 1

PALAMEDES.

[The phrase, as equivalent to being too late for anything, is given in Wright and Halliwell's 'Dictionary.']

MAGINUS. Can any of your readers inform me who this author was, and what descrip- tion he gave of the Orcadians ? The passage runs : " [They are] barbarissimi, &c., as Maginus characterizeth the Orcades."

JOHN WILLCOCK.

Lerwick.

[Probably Giovanni Antonio Magini, 1555-1617, an Italian mathematician and geographer, friend and correspondent of Kepler. See ' Nouvelle Bio- graphie G6nerale' (Firmin Didot).]

BEDFONT, MIDDLESEX. Parish registers for 1641-1668-1695 are no longer in. existence there. Can any one give me information as to their whereabouts 1

C. DAVIES SHERBORN.

540, King's Road, S.W.

TAKING THE PLEDGE ILLEGAL. In the Christian World I came recently across the following paragraph. Is there any truth in it, and, if so, what is the law ?

"There is an old law still existing which declared that a society of total abstainers which makes