Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 3.djvu/401

 HI. MAY 20, '99.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

395

i me "), which is equivalent to " rote jargon.' ] i a dream of the world's degeneracy, after t le manner of ' Piers Plowman,' the poet is cfered the perusal of a roll by one of the n ost singular visitants that had ever drifted v ithin his ken. His report of his experience b 3gins thus :

To reyd I begane

T ae riotest ane ragment wyth inony rat rane, Off all the mowis in this mold, sen God merkit man. That is, the matter was an exceedingly merry rhapsody, in fluent jingle, concerning all the jests of earth from the Creation downwards. Then follows a curious list of cosmplogical and other phenomena. To this day in Scot- land a " rane " is a weary harping on a trivial theme. THOMAS BAYNE.

Helensbnrgh, N.B.

The belief that rats could be rimed to death, particularly in Ireland, is frequently referred to in our old dramatists, and has been re- peatedly commented on. See 'Eats' in Nares's ' Glossary ' and Mr. Wright's note to ' As You Like It,' III. ii. 164. The oldest rat- rime is perhaps one of the fifteenth century, printed in l Political, Religious, and Love Poems,' ed. Furnivall (E.E.T.S., 1866).

WALTER W. SKEAT.

This expression has been discussed on two occasions in ' N. & Q.,' 1 st S. vi. 460, 591 ; 6 th S. iv. 128, 373 ; and references for its use to Sir William Temple's 'Essay on Poetry'; iScott's ' Discoverie of Witchcraft,' 1584; 'As You Like It,' III. ii. ; 'The Merchant of Venice,' IV. i. ; ' The Trial of the English Liturgie,' 1638 ; and Dr. Brewer's 'Dictionary pf Phrase and Fable,' with further illus- trations. EVBRAED HOME COLEMAN.

71, Brecknock Road.

COLOUR OF BULLS IN COATS OF ARMS (9 fch S. . 287). The little black breed of Brittany, eland, Wales, and Scotland is very distinct.

^hat is its origin, and what the extent of its stribution 1 ? The little deer-like breed of e Channel Islands is very distinct. So so are the shaggy, long-horned Highland

ittle. An ancient Welsh breed of white ttle with red ears is spoken of, 100 of which

quailed in value 150 of the dark or black. THOMAS J. JEAKES.

"SooT" (9 th S. ii. 427; iii. 14). If spelling e any proof of pronunciation, it may be )ted that Andrew Willet in his ' Hexapla Genesin,' 1605, p. 316, writes: "Of a sut lour, which is caused bv smoake."

W. C. B.

CAPTURE OF SEVILLE (9 th S. iii. 327). J. A. C. ill find a detailed report of the successful

assault on Seville by General La Cruz and Col. Skerrett on pp. 478-9 of the second part of the Gentleman's Magazine f or 1812, but this curiously omits any reference to the name of the French commander.

T. CANN HUGHES, M.A.

Lancaster.

MORALES (9 th S. iii. 327). It may help J. A. C. to the information he desires if I quote 'A British Kifle Man' (London, 1899). This contains the journals, &c., of Major Geo. Simmons. The entry in point is :

"The 10th Hussars made a brilliant charge at a body of cavalry near Morales and overturned a number of them, bringing in 200 prisoners yesterday [2 June, 1813]."

C. S. WARD.

In the action of Morales the Hussar Bri- gade, consisting of the 10th, 15th, and 18th, was commanded by Col. C. Grant, 15th Hussars, the 10th Hussars' commanding officer being Major Kobarts, Major Edwin Griffith commanding the 15th, and Major- Hughes the 18th Hussars. The French rear- guard commander's name I fail to discover. It may be interesting to note that Lord Wellington, whose headquarters were in this town of Morales, came out that afternoon to inspect our prisoners, amongst them being the wife of a French officer dressed as a man, whose husband was amongst the killed.

HAROLD MALET, Col.

" GAMBALEERY " (9 th S. iii. 237). Not " chamois " very shammy. Was it not leather for gambados, to encase lesjambes ?

G. E.

EDWARD FITZGERALD'S ' OMAR KHAYYAM ' (9 th S. iii. 326). The quotation from Fitz- Gerald's poem at the above reference is from the final edition. The second of the two quatrains is much finer in the first edition, where it is numbered xxxviii. : One Moment in Annihilation's Waste, One Moment, of the Well of Life to taste

The Stars are setting and the Caravan Starts for the Dawn of Nothing Oh, make haste !

Most, but not quite all, of FitzGerald's altera- tions of particular quatrains were, indeed, alterations for the worse, and yet it is question- able whether, as a whole, the final edition is not the best. It includes many quatrains vhich are not in the first, but are almost necessary or, at least, are very helpful to he complete setting forth of the argument of the poem ; and several of these are of sur- oassing beauty. Perhaps I may quote one jr two. Quatrain xlv. (which speaks of the luman body) prepares us for the one quoted above ;