Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/305

 9*s.vLtot.29,i9oa] NOTES AND QUERIES. 251 DEATHS PROM SMALLPOX RECORDED ON MONUMENTAL BRASSES.—In one of Mr. Rider Haggard's latest works of fiction, entitled ' Doctor Therne,' occurs the following pas- sage :— " Let him look at the brasses in our old churches and among the numbers of children represented on them as kneeling behind their parents ; let him note what a large proportion pray with their hands open. Of these, the most, I believe, were cut off by smallpox," &c.—P. 124. Mr. Haggard is too good an antiquary not to have sufficient reason for this state- ment. Perhaps some reader of ' N. & Q.' can quote other authorities as to this practice, and also with reference to the date when it prevailed. FREDERICK T. HIBGAME. BROKEN ON THE WHEEL.—When were the last criminals broken on the wheel 1 In 1818 I believe, as published many years ago in All the Tear Round, two sisters of Cologne suffered that penalty for enticing and murdering poor young travelling waifs for the sake of their hair and teeth ; but I believe executions of the same kind have taken place in Prussia before the forties of this century. J. W. WADE. SIR WALTER SCOTT: "ANOTHER FOR HECTOR ! "—Can any student of Scott help me to reconcile the following discrepancy, or apparent discrepancy? In his Journal,' under the date of 17 October, 1827, Scott says that the dramatic and pathetic incident of "Far eil air son Eachin!"—thatis, "Another for Hector !"—which he used the following year in 'The Fair Maid of Perth,' chap, xxxiv., occurred at the battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715 : but in his final preface to 'The Fair Maid or Perth,' dated 15 August (Scott's birthday), 1831, he says that it occurred at the battle of Inverkeithing between the Royalists and Oliver Cromwell's troops. As it is very im- probable that such an event took place at both Inverkeithing and Sheriffmuir, is it possible that when Sir Walter wrote the above-mentioned preface, a little more than a year before his death, his once splendid memory—"always his strong point, as he himself said—played him false, and he forgot what Capt. Mac Kenzie had told him about Sheriffmuir in October. 1827? Will MR. BAYNE (amongst others) kindly reply ? JONATHAN BOUCHIEK. BRAUGHING : ROMAN STATION AND ANTIQUI- TIES FOUND THEREAT.—I should be obliged for any references to printed accounts of the above. I have all the information that is to be found in the county histories. W. B. GERISH. "INUNDATE." (9th S. v. 395, 497 ; vi. 52, 112, 192, 218.) MR. HOLCOMBE INGLEBY'S interesting reply raises the question of the standard of pronun- ciation, and more especially of the standard adopted in the'H.E.D.' Certain communications addressed bjr DR. MURRAY, to Prof. J. Storm, of Christiania University, and printed in the latter's ' Eng- lische Philologie,' seem worthy of notice in this connexion, for they appear to indicate that the pronunciation of DR. MURRAY himself, and of those with whom he associates, is far from being the same as that of ordinary educated persons of London and the neigh- bourhood, which is, I believe, in the ' H.E.D.' taken as the standard. It would be out or place here to go into details of the matter, and, indeed, could not be done without employing phonetic symbols which would require too much explanation, but I may quote three opinions of DR. MURRAY'S which seem somewhat remarkable. On p. 434 of the above-mentioned book (second edition, 1892) we read, with regard to the pronuncia- tion of the word Sunday :— " Murray schreibt: sondet or -de, &c. Snnctt I know only as distinctly vulgar—I have heard it from street boys calling out Suiuiy Times, and it offended my ears. It makes me angry to be called marl, I say mwel." »=vowel sound in gun, i final sound of pity, ei final sound of hearsay, but perhaps some- what shorter. Now I cannot help thinking that the pro- nunciation which DR. MURRAY condemns as vulgar, namely svndl (as if written Stindy), is the usual one ; I do not remember ever hear- ing any other. Either of DR. MURRAY'S pro- nunciations from any but an aged and very dignified person would sound to me, I think, insufferably affected. Further on, p. 440, there is a quotation from DR. MURRAY concerning the pronun- ciation jest for just. He says :— " It would stamp a man as low-bred or provincial. Society would, I believe, call a man ' a cad' who uso&jest." Now I am very sorry to hear this, because I habitually use the pronunciation jest myself, always when unstressed, of ten when stressed. I am, of course, quite aware that jest is not by any means universal, but I would fain think that it is not quite so vulgar as DR MURRAY supposes. At any rate, I have often heard such expressions as " I only jest caught the train," with emphasis on jest, from people