Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 4.djvu/394

 438 NOTES AND QUERIKS. p* s. iv. Nov. 25,m. —about }807 I think—a young Hritjsh officer, in his bright red uniform and white trousers, was pacing slowly along the streets of the town, when he saw a butcher coming towards hiin driving a pig. The pig—it does not appear why—made for the strange uniform, and ran between the officer's legs and soiled his trousers, who then not very unnaturally gave the pig a kick. What first took place after this I know not, but it is certain that the butcher mortally stabbed the officer with his knife, and then, pursued by the soldiery, took sanctuary in the nearest church. What came of this does not very well appear, but the British had promised, on taking Malta, to respect its laws, and sanctuary was one of these ! I simply allude to this striking event, which really occurred, to illustrate my sub- ject, and to bring me nearer to it." Can any of your correspondents say how this case ended, and what punishment the butcher received ? Did we violate the right of sanc- tuary ? William Andrews. Hull Press. Entwisle Family.—Three sons of Thomas Entwisle, of Manchester, entered Rugby School 1821, 1823, and 1826. The second was John, and the third Arthur. Can any reader tell me the name of the eldest and any details of the later career of the three ? Arthur Michell. Rugby. — .. Story about an Ancient University.— May I repeat a query which failed to elicit a satisfactory reply ? Archbishop Benson, in an address at the Church Missionary House, 17 February, 1896, told the following anec- dote : — "There is one of the ancients who tells us about his ancient university—I think it is the University of Athens—that the first year of their residence the name by which they knew themselves was aofiarai or aofol. They were ' wise men' because they de- voted themselves to the study of wisdom. In the second year they began to have doubts upon the sub- ject, and they called themselves piXocru^oi, lovers of wisdom. In the third year they were content to be known as /xaSiirai, disciples." Who was this ancient? A correspondent referred to Mr. Capes's ' University Life in Ancient Athens,' but this does not seem to mention the story. G. Sir Edward Wills Brecknock.—Informa- tion as to this knight and his family desired. He was living in 1782, and is then described as son of Timothy Brecknock, and grandson of Timothy Brecknock, of Northam and Eye, co. Northants. J. Parkes Buchanan. Union Club, S.W. " Nimmet."—In a vocabulary published in a Devon Association Report the word nimmet is given as = a light luncheon partaken of in haste. Mrs. Stanbury tells me that she is familiar with nanimet in that sense. Has it any affinity with the German mitnehmen, nehm.. mit, wihm...mit, being, perhaps, ori- ginally applied to a small portion of food carried or taken with one? In the place- names Nymet Tracy, Nymet Rowlana, &c., the word is, I believe, held to be equivalent to the present " New Take.' Ethel Lega-Weekes. " The Great Oath." — What was this ? Was there a "small" oath from which it was distinguished ? Sir William Fraser, in his ' Wemyss of Wemyss ' (1888, ii. 24), copies an indenture of 10 January, 1389, in which it is stated :— " Til there thyngysalandsyndry lelily and fermly to be fulfyllyt and yhemmyt bath the partys for- nemmyt, the haly wangelis twechyt, the gret ath bodylyk has sworn, wyd myd fayth gyfyn syckyrly ar oblyst." Robt. J. Whitwell. Oxford. Eyre and Blount Families.—What rela- tion was Mary Blount to a member of the Eyre family about 1720? Jo. Schwartz. The Ivy House, Woodford Green. Silver Ring.—I hear from a lady who has been living in the north of France that she was there told that her daughter " ought not to wear a silver ring." She failed to ascertain the grounds of the remark. I should like to know whether the wearing of a silver ring is regarded in France or elsewhere as suggest- ing any improper relations, or whether there is any folk-lore connected with it—e.g., that it is unlucky, and, if unlucky, in what way. Frank Rede Fowke. 24, Victoria Grove, Chelsea, S. W. " Memorize."—Is the word " memorize," in the sense of get by heart or commit to memory, of common use in the schools of Great Britain and Ireland ? Here in New Jersey, and in the sense named, the word is as often met with as the mosquito himself. John Baxter. Passaic, New Jersey. Rubens's Portrait of the Marchesa Grimaldi.—Can you give me any informa- tion where the portrait of the Marchesa Grimaldi is at the present moment? It was painted by Rubens in 1606, and lately the property of Mr. Bankes, of Clifton. B. Grimaldi. Wogan Browne.— Mrs. Toynbee's most interesting annotations on Walpole's corre- spondence—why is there not a good cheap edition of this valuable storehouse of literary and other gossip? — are very entertaining.