Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/525

 -x ss s.v1.D~»=c.1.1900.1 NOTES AND QUERIES. 437 several lacunae) the period 1619 to June, 1622. The imprint runs :- ~ “t’ Hantwerpen. By Abraham Verhoeuen, op de Lombarde veste, in de gulde Sonne.” This is clearly the same journal. I shall be glad to know whether an earlier or later numbers were issued, and whether the claim to be the earliest European newspaper is allowed. Q. V. Jos CHARNOCK, Founnsr. or CA LCUTTA (9°“ S. vi. 389).-In some ‘Documentary Memoirs of J ob Charnock,’ which form part of vol. lxxv. (1888) of the Hakluyt Society, J ob is said to have “ arrived in India in 1655 or 1656.” RICHARD LAWSON. Urmston. A SHEPHERDS’ RING (9'**' S. vi. 389).-If ST. SWITHIN will kindly turn back to 9"’ S. v. 445 he will find that I there gave certain particulars which may be of service to him concerning the maze at Boughton Green. onN T. PAGE. West Haddon, Northamptonshire. “CHRISTMAS CHEERS" (9"‘ S. vi. 370).- Raffles for articles which come under the style of “Christmas cheer” are plentiful during ten days or so before Christmas Day. “Christmas Cheer Raffles” some call them, and the articles of “cheer” usually include geese, ducks, turke s, fowls, hares, bottles of gin whisky, rum, lvarrels of beer, pork-pies, and the “s ake” is generally a shilling. For the most part the raffles are held at public- houses, and the names with numbers are entered on sheets of foolscap, which, to avoid the possible conse uences of an ille al act, are either left urilxeaded or headedg “Sub- scriptions in aid_ of So-and-So.” A “shake” is a cast of the dice, and generally each person entered has three shakes; the result of each shake is cast up, the highest a gregate win- ning t-he article, for each is cast fir separately. Another way is to draw slips of paper from a revolving box, two lads being ap Jointed, one to call out the numbers against the names on the sheets, the other to turn the box, open the door, and draw the slips, upon which are written the articles of ‘ Christmas cheer” raflled for. There are other ways of doing it. Tuos. RATCLIFFE. Vorksop. “Prncocx AND PoL1'ro” (9°“ S. vi. 387).- These were two showmen of the last century. Pidcock’s menagerie was as famous in its time as Wombwell’s fifty. years later. It first ap- peared at St. Bart olomew’s Fair in London ln 1769, the animals being hired from Cross’s collection at Exeter Change in the Strand. It was exhibited there for several successive years, and in 1799 was succeeded by Polito’s, which also gained great renown in its day. THOMAS Faosr. Littleover, Derby. CLIFFORD: BRAOSE (9°“ S. v. 355, 499° vi. 75, 236).-I have before me a copy of ‘ The liamil y of De Braose, 1066-1326,’ by Dudley George Cary Elwes, F.S.A., published in 1883, and I have also a large quantity of manuscri t notes relating to this family, which I shall he pleased to show either of your correspondents. Amnnosn HEAL. 196, Tottenham Court Road. Coarse ON SHIPBOABD (9°” S. vi. 246, 313, 374).-Virgil says the fleet was polluted by the funus, not b the want of it, and all the commentators Iyhave at hand--Nettleship and Conington, Sidgwick, Bryce-agree that in this passage “funere” means “death,” “ the presence of death,” “ the deadWbo2l)y.;3 A WELSH ALLITERATION (9'»1‘ S. vi. 388).- The Welsh line contained in the extract given by your correspondent H. P. L. means “ A Bib e to (or for) all (lit., pawb=everybody) of the people of the world.’ An englyn is a stanza of peculiar metre, confined, I believe, to Welsh poetry. Y D711/80'l:f‘(L is the title of ade- nominational magazine. How the reading of the Welsh Bible can be held to give any one an introduction to the line in <}uestion, as is implied in the first sentence o the extract, is incomprehensible to me. WM. ROBERTS. I am not quite clear as to what H. P. L. wants. Is it a translation of the line which he gives? If so, it means “A Bible to all the people of the world.” It has become the motto of the Bible Society. If he re%}1ires an explanation of the r es, &c., of elsh alliteration, that, I fear, would reiuixe some- thing beyond a brief reply. “Al iteration’s artful aid” is, of course not unknown in English poetry, and in old lilnglish and Anglo- Saxon poetry is largely used, but in Welsh oetry it has been ela orated to a fine art. There are many forms of alliteration, the most intricate being that shown in the line quoted. Briefly put, the principle is this : every consonant in the first part of the line is repeated in the second part, with the exception of the last, while the vowels are all c anged, as follows :- I 23 4 I 28 4 Bibl i bawb o bobl y hyd. An 671-gl?/7% is a stanza of four lines, one of the twenty-four metres peculiar to the Welsh