Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/408

 338 NOTES AND QUERIES. Iss s. v1. oc-r. 27, lsno. that any intelligent person would know that “ 61” meant jilius. H. FISHWICK. EAaL1ns'r Usa or Rum on 'ms DAYS or 'run MoN'rH (9"' S. vi. 250).-Mn. GamsHAw’s instance (previously noticed by myself) is not the earliest. See articles headed ‘ Thirtg' Days hath September’ in ‘N. & Q.’ (8°" . iii. 245, 475; iv. 77; v. 337). The Italian version quoted from Giusti (‘ N. & Q.,’ 8” S. iii. 475) appears as early as 1598, with a slight literal variation, in Pescettfs ‘ Proverbi Italiani,’ p. 426. F. ADAMS. “ LovIo'r ” (9"‘ S. vi. 149, 233) is a “ghost- word,” being a migprint or misscript for “loriot,” a common rench name of the bird known in English as the golden oriole, but not a common English bird. I have not a Pliny at hand for reference, but I think the beliefs connected with this bird are men- tioned by him under one or another of the names “ch1orion,” “ galbula,” or “ icterus.” ANPIEL. ¥The mistake was pointed out at the second re erence.l Sumo? 1;aA§sa §8°“RS. x| 56, 223; 9'-" S. vi. 157 .- s 11. . oss smrrsos aware that Hogarth painted a portrait of Simon, Lord Lovat, a few hours before that noble- man’s execution for high; treason? An engraving of this may obtained of a prmtseller. I have one, but cannot for the moment put my hand upon it. J. HOLDEN MACMICHAEL. QUo'rA'r1oN mom CARLYL1: (9"' S. vi. 288).- Whatever may be said of Henry Curwen and his ‘ History of Booksellers] there is no doubt zE.boutéhel~.}uota’1ti1oen matdae by_the 1131 vgeiétgaeg rom ar e. sen nce is in on Boswell’s ‘Life of Johnson# and closes a paragraph beginning) “Mournful, in truth, is it tohbehold lwhhat tl; usgiess calledt;-1Iistory,’ in t ese en ig ten an i umina times, still continues to oe” (Carlyle’s ‘Miscellaneous Essays,’ iv. 84, ed. in 7 vols., 1872). THoMAs BAYNE. This is not mythical. See Carlyle’s ‘Critical Essays] vol. iv. of the shilling edi- tion, review of Boswell’s ‘ Johnson ’(reprinted from Fraser’s Magazine), p. 84, where the exact words will be found, with a few more capital letters. V. R. “B1ssoNA" (9°*' S. vi. 268).-In reply to Ma. PATRICK MAXWELL, bissona regale implies a gala gondola, a boat about twice the size of an ordinary gondola. The word is essen- tiallys Venetian. These bissone come out in shoa when there is a regatta or anything spectacular going on at Venice, They are gortgleous, gn taken lgreat carleaof. La bzssom reg ls, o course, t e roya RICHARD Egocouns. [Other replies received.] Jimllsnwus. NOTES ON BOOKS, &.c. S% ’s Greenwood. By George Morley. 1113 A RESIDENT, as we judgle, at Leamington, Mr. Morley has acquired muc familiarity with War- wicks ire scenes, sights, characters, and customs, and has written thereanent some pleasant and gos- siging volumes. His latest work on the subject, w ic is agreeably illustrated by Mrs. Caroline Watts has already, in an abbreviated form, seen the light in periodicals such as Kmzefgee, cams-y Life, and the Art Journal. It deals satis actorily, in the main _with Warwickshire language, supersti- tions, folk-lore, and natural history, with a few notabilities, and other matters. Mr. Merle will scarcelilmaintain that the expressions and beliefs with w 'ch he deals are confined to his own county. Some of them, indeed, extend over the ‘greater part of England. There is however, enoug of what is indivi ual to supply the work with a raison d’&re, and render it even characteristic. "Bravery," as applied to feminine finery, isa lpleasant Warwickshire survival. Shakespeare emp oys it more than once in this sense, though the happiest use' is in Milton’s ‘ Samson Agonistes,’ when he depicts Dalila “like s stately shiacwith all her braverg on and tackle trim.’ “ kling,” applied to t e youigfest and weakliest child, seemsa iminutive of the orkshire “ greek,” used for the weakest and last of a litter. To calla girl a “fafgot” is to conve the idea of untidiness, slattern iness. This word¥ common in the north of England, and often spelt ‘° fagot,” corresponds with the French fagoter, to ress fright ully or in slovenly fashion. To “fend” is said to equal “ to work for.” Would not “ provide for ” be a happier equivalent? “Go fend for your- self” means ‘ Go provide for yourself.” We own to being unaware that Charlecote Hall and other Tudor residences were built in the shage of an E, out of compliment to Cixeen Elizabet ; and we seem to scent an error w en we read of an “ideal ” Forest of Arden depicted in ‘ Measure for Measure’ Much interest attends the survival of “colly” as egixivalent to “dark black.” See the use in the ‘ idsummer N ight’s l)ream ’ of the “ eollied night” for “blackened, darkened night.” Among :gamer- stitions new to us is that the robin is “ belie to have scorched its breast with hell fire, near which it had ventured for a beakful of water to assuage the sufferings of our Saviour when on the Cross.” Under ‘Customs’ we have interesting descriptions of the auction by candlelight and the payment of “wroth-silver.” Shakespea.re’s greenwood is said to seem to-daiy to be “ the only place in England where this re ic uf early Saxon times is still prac- tised with almost the same curious formalities as those observed at the wroth-silver paiments of eight centuries ago." Mr. Morley’s boo may be read with amusement and advantage. Is it quite Est to accuse Shenstone, on the strength o his ` es “Written at an Inn at Henley, of being