Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 4.djvu/470

 502 NOTES AND QUERIES. [9'" s. iv. dec. ie, 99. Ein wahres Wort verkiind' ich alien : Mein lieber Sohn, an dir hab' ich Gefallen, an audacity only approached by the words of the fiend at the conclusion of the ' Prolog im Himmel.' From Goethe's drama it is only a step to Gounod's opera, with Mephistopheles's song of the calf of gold :— A ses pied8 le genre humain Se ruant, le fer en main, Dans le sang et dans la fange, Ou brille l'ardent metal, Et Satan conduit le bal. Francis P. Marchant. Brixton Hill. Flaxman's Wife (9th S. iv. 399).—The wife of the sculptor Flaxman was Ann Denman, a poor young girl, whose father was an obscure artist. When Flaxman married her in 1782 he was himself very poor. She is described as "accom- plished" in the brief memoir prefixed to Flaxman's lectures, and she shared in his artistic tastes, as may be seen from the fact that she accompanied him to Italy in 1787 and remained in that country with him while he was pursuing his studies there. She died in London on the 6th of February, 1820. D. F. Hannigan. Albert Gate (9th S. i. 164, 294; iv. 204, 296, 357).— The quotation at the second reference is from J. R.. Planche's graceful and scholarly burlesque of the ' Birds ' of Aristo- phanes, which was first produced at the Hay- market Theatre, 13 April, 1846. The architect whose_" quarrel is with the new Building Act" in Planche's amusing piece still sur- vives, and raises his voice whenever an attempt is made to amend the law relating to building. In the same burlesque is a striking col- loquy between the King of the Birds and Jackanoxides, which may be commended to the notice of philanthropists who seek to solve the problem of housing the working class by pulling down their dwellings :— King of Ike Birds. What is the matter? Jackanoxitles. The rooks are making a confounded clatter; They want a rookery. King. What? In my new town? Well, if they put one up. I'll pull it down. Jack. They can't afford to live in Peacock Square; Where can they go to? King. Go to! Anywhere! John Hebb. Chimneys in Ancient Houses (9th S. iv. 04, 196, 254).—One of the most interesting and picturesque old chimneys in England may be seen at Abingdon Abbey. These monastic remains are amongst the earliest of the religious foundations of the great king- dom of Wessex, and date from the seventh century, when the community was founded by Hean, a nephew of Cissa. The chimney in question is of thirteenth-century date, and belongs to the great fireplace in the prior's room. It is built of stone, the quoins and other masonry worked, rubble stone elsewhere. It is not open at the top like modern chimneys, but terminates with quaintly pretty gables, in each of which are three lancet-headed piercings through which the smoke comes out. The abbey was sacked and plundered by the townsmen of Abingdon, assisted by scholars of Oxford, in 1326, in consequence of some long-standing quarrel, and in 1538 was surrendered to Henry VIII. by its last abbot, Thomas de Pentecost. Pentecost, it may be added, as a surname, is to-day frequently met with in Devonshire, and I have met quite a number of the same name (of West - Country extraction) in Chicago, U.S.A. Harry Hems. Fair Park, Exeter. Danish Place-names in the Wirral of Cheshire (9th S. iv. 379, 442).—My list of "byes" in the Wirral was derived from an examination of the one-inch Ordnance map of the district. I inferred Stonby from " Stonby Green," now apparently a suburb of New Brighton. Stonby Green may reasonably be assumed to imply a place called Stonby, just as Irbyheath implies a place called Irby. But, after all, I should not be surprised to learn that Stonby is a quite modern name. I gave a list of all the "byes" I could find on the map, and really meant to ask to have that list corrected. Immediately my list appeared in 'N. & Q.'some one kindly sent me a prospectus of' The Place-names of the Liverpool District,' by Henry Harrison. I procured the book, and found it to be a careful and scholarly little volume, but disappointing from the fact that many interesting names in the two hundreds with which it deals, West Derby and Wirral, are not noticed. From this book I learn, on the authority of Orraerod, that Wallasey was formerly called Kirkby-iu-Walley. Both names appear to have continued in use till a comparatively recent period. Bowen's map of Cheshire (c. 1761gives the names "Walizey and " Kirkby in the Valley " in close juxta- position. J. K. Boyle. Hull. The Authorship of 'The Red, White, and Blue' (9th S. iv. 164, 231, 312, 338, 426).— A. F, R. nor J. C. J. appears to have taken full cognizance of my contribution on this