Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 4.djvu/261

 9th S. IV. OCT. 21, 329 NOTES AND QUERIES. hope that he shall the better govern himself and his works and to give council, to govern with profit." The author's name is not given. The transcriber was "R. C. S." This copy be- longed to John Varley, the painter and astrologer. FRED. HITCHIN-KEMP. 14, Beechtield Road, Uatford, S.E. "THE NICCOLINA."— A souhrette so called by Horace Walpole (Cunningham's edition, vol. ii. p. 364) performed at Covent Garden in 1753-4. According to Cunningham's note she is mentioned in Genest's 'Stage' (vol. iv. p. 395), and is called by Murphy "Signora Spiletta." I should be glad to know whether the latter was actually her name, and what are the dates of her birth and death. H. T. B. [Genest's words, under 17 December, 1753, are " An Italian Burletta — this was frequently performed in Jan. and Feb. — it drew splendid audiences; Signora Spiletta had such quick expression in her counten- ance, such a vi vanity of action, joined to such variety. that she was allowed in this fantastic part of acting to be an excellent jwrformer (Murphy)." In a letter to Victor, author of 'The History of the Theatres of London and Dublin,' 1761, dated 21 Nov., 1749, Colley Gibber says: "The Italian Burletta (which is not so well performed as last year) had but a poor house the first day, and, I believe, like a sickly plant will die before it takes auy great root among us." An Italian burletta — whether the same to which Oenest refers cannot be said— was thus given in 1748. For Signora Spiletta see Smith's 'Catalogue of British Mezzotint Por- traits,' p. 1345.] REV. RICHARD BUTLER.— Is there a pub- lished memoir of this Irish clergyman, who was for many years vicar of Trim, and, from 1847 till his death in 1862, Dean of Clon- raacnois ? Perhaps some reader of ' N. <fe Q.' may be able to refer me to an obituary notice in the newspapers. C. S. WARD. Wootton St. Lawrence, Basingstoke. JUSTA NABDUS."— What is the source of this quotation ? C. C. B. 'A STATELY DANCE.' — I shall be much obliged to any one of your musical readers who can refer me to 'A Stately Dance,' by the late W. Michael Watson, published some fifteen or twenty years ago. E. J. THOMAS. ACADEMIC HOODS.— When did the clergy first wear hoods denoting their university degrees while officiating in churches ? W. L. RUTTON. [See ' University Hoods,' 7th S. xi. patsim, &c.] ST. MARY'S, WESTMINSTER.— M. Jusserand, ' Literary History of the English People,' p. 342, says Chaucer "then hired, for two pounds thirteen shillings and fourpence a year, a house in the garden of St. Mary'a, Westminster." What was St. Mary's, West- minster ; or is this simply a mistake for St. Peter's 1 H. R. J. THE CINNAMON OF THE ANCIENTS.—There is the following note to chap. ex. book iii. of Rawlinson's ' Herodotus' (London, 1897):— " Cassia and cinnamon, according to Larcher, are from the same tree, the only difference being that cinnamon is properly the branch with the bark on ; cassia is the bark without the branch. Since the former ceased to be an article of commerce, the latter has usurped its name. Thus our cinnamon is not the cinnamon of the ancients, but their cassia." Our cinnamon is the bark of Cinnamoniuni zeylanicuni, our cassia the bark of Cinna- nionnim cassia. What authority has Larcher for his statement respecting the cinnamon of the ancients ? C. C. B. TREASURE OF HENRY VII.—Can any of your readers tell me whether it is known what the treasure left by Henry VII. at his death' consisted of—whether 01 gold or of silver, or of both ] Anderson (' Annals of Commerce') takes it for granted that it con- sisted of silver, as it was reckoned in pounds sterling. A noble, however, was 6s. &d., and these nobles were always spoken of as one pound sterling. Henry VII. it is certain received immense sums in gold during his lifetime—745,000 crowns, for instance, from Charles VIII. of France in 1492. W. W. C. THE NAME SWIGG.—What is the deriva- tion of the name Swigg? I find a child of Digony and Pheeby bwigg was baptized October, 1783, at Plymouth, Devon. I am anxious to learn if the family were English, or any other information about them. W. GEORGE. CLERKS OF THE BOARD OF GREEN CLOTH. —Where is to be found a list of these officials during the reigns of George II. and George III. (until their abolition by the action of Burke) ? D. " BRIVETING."—A friend of mine, a native of Oxford, in the course of conversation remarked, in reference to something for which he had been searching, that he had been " briveting'' about London. Never having heard of the term before, and not being able to discover it in any dictionary, I shall be glad of enlightenment as to its meaning and origin. A. R. B. [" Briveting," or " breveting," seems to be Oxford- shire dialect, signifying roaming. See also ' English Dialect Dictionaryr and 'H.E.LV under ' Brevit.']