Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 3.djvu/98

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NOTES AND QUERIES. p* s. in. FEB. 4, m

pseudo-converts in his poem 'Holy -Cross Day' in 'Dramatic Romances. ' It is pleasant to be informed by him in a note at the end of the poem that "Pope Gregory XVI. abolished this bad business of the sermon."

K. M. SPENCE, D.D.

In 1736-7 "the Jews at Avignon and all over the Pope's dominions were obliged to wear yellow hats" (Athenceum, 16 April, 1898, p. 493).

Yellow as mourning is mentioned in Haz- litt's edition of Brand's ' Antiquities,' ii. 205. It was, and I think still is, the mourning colour in Sweden (Marryat's ' Year in Sweden,' i. 361). In 1606 certain debtors in Scotland were required to wear hats or bonnets of a yellow colour, and this, it seems, continued to be the custom until after the middle of the last century (Burton, 'Scot Abroad,' i. 241).

The late Prof. Rogers, under the year 1698, quotes from the Harting accounts " a leap of Yellow Jack" ('History of Agriculture and Prices,' vi. 609). What does this mean 1 "Leap" is, perhaps, a basket, and "yellow jack" some sort of fish.

Sou they, referring to Echard's ' History of England,' points out that the colours of the Earl of Essex in the Caroline civil war were deep yellow ('Commonplace Book,' iii. 60). This seems to show that at that time yellow was not regarded in this country as indicative of shame or misfortune.

EDWARD PEACOCK.

DESCRIPTIVE SURNAMES IN THE WAVERLEY NOVELS (9 th S. ii. 379, 464). Although I sent a list (imperfect) of these names to ' N. & Q.' more than twenty-three years ago (5 th S. iv. 305), nevertheless, as my friend C. C. B. has made a special appeal to me, I have no ob- jection to return to the subject. I fear, how- ever, that I must necessarily repeat some of my former remarks in 1875. My list contained upwards of thirty of these droll names, but, as will be seen from C. C. B.'s note, there are many more than this number. For my part, I should be very sorry to " want " these de- lightful nomenclatures. I do not mean that they are all equally delightful; but who, with a sense of humour, could come upon some, at all events, of them without " chort- ling in his joy " ? The following, if not the very best, are, I think, amongst the best. Mr. Twigtythe, the Ullswater clergyman, in ' Waverley '; Mr. Graneangowl (i. e., groan and howl), a Covenanting preacher, in ' The Legend of Montrose'; Boanerges Storm- heaven, David Deaiis's favourite preacher

(I think Stormheaven without Boanerges would have been better); Clippurse and Hookem, lawyers, in ' Waverley '; Mungo Mangleman, a surgeon, in ' The Heart of Mid- lothian '; Dr. Quackleben, " the Man of Medi- cine," in ' St. Ronan's Well '; Raredrench, an apothecary, in ' The Fortunes of Nigel '; Mr. Mortcloke, an undertaker, in 'Guy Man- nering '; Sir Peter Pepperbrand, a fire-eating knight or baronet, in ' The Antiquary '; Master Maulstatute, a Justice of the Peace, in ' Peveril of the Peak.' Without making a close examination, I fancy that 'The For- tunes of Nigel ' contains nearly as many of these descriptive names as any of the series. In my list above mentioned there are ten from this romance alone, the best of which are perhaps Raredrench (above), and Pin- divide, a bankrupt. C. C. B. includes Yellowley amongst Scott's characteristic names. I do not quite see why, unless he means that Yellowley is descriptive of the jaundiced eye with which Triptolemus re- garded Shetland and all things connected therewith. C. C. B., writing no doubt from memory, has included Driver and Miss Martha Buskbody in 'The Heart of Mid- lotnian.' Driver is in ' Guy Mannering,' and, although Miss Buskbody may possibly be alluded to in 'The Heart of Midlothian,' she belongs to ' Old Mortality.' See the con- cluding dialogue between her and Peter Pattieson. By Dick Ostler I do not imagine that the author intends us to understand that his name was actually Ostler. Does it not mean Dick the Ostler ?

Compare Jack Hostler, in ' Kenil worth .'; Tom Tailor, in ' The Monastery '; Robin Ostler, in ' 1 Henry IV.'; Dick surgeon, in 'Twelfth Night'; and Jack priest, in 'The Merry Wives of Windsor.'

The reviewer (9 th S. ii. 380) speaks of Scott "burdening himself" with these descriptive names. I feel pretty sure that Scott, so far from regarding them as a burden, wrote them with a twinkle in his eye, and enjoyed them nearly as much as his readers do. As I said in my former note, I do not think that Scott in any of his characteristic names has quite equalled Mrs. Leo Hunter. This was an exceedingly " happy thought " on the part of Dickens, as it is exactly descriptive of the good lady's " lion-hunting " propensities, and yet it looks like an actual name.

I ought to add that Malvoisin in ' Ivanhoe,' although not so droll as Leo Hunter indeed, it is not intended to be droll at all is nearly as good in its own way, as it, of course, means bad neighbour, and yet it looks very like a real Norman name.