Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/545

 9"'S- VI-D110-8.1900-1 NOTES AND QUERIES. 453 is one _of them, as written down by Ellis phonetically :- Buter, brea, en tsiiz, Der dat naet seeze kaen is geen cepriokht-e Friiz. J AMES PLATT, Jun. BERNERS FAMILY (9"‘ S. vi. 231, 278).- There is no such certainty about Mr. Tomlins’s views as is desirable, because (1) we have no date for the bishop’s grant ; (2) the grantee is doubtful as between three or four genera- ions. What we know is that a certain Bishop of London, unnamed, did enlist one of the Berners family for the defence of his castle, called Bishops Stortford, and therefore en- feoifed that knight with a half-fee; date unknown, locality undefined. One of the Berners family held such half-fee under the then bishop in 12 Hen. II., say 1165/6. This appears to have been the second Ral h. Later on, between 1213-35, another Ralph held a half-fee in Iseldon. This appears to have been the knight who married t e heiress named Maud Barrow, alias Fitz-Walter, and it fell to their descendant, the Custos who died in 1296/7. It does not appear to have been designated “ Iseldon-Berners ” in any of these entries. ‘ Mr. Tomlins’s interesting book is called a Perambulat1on,’ so not a methodical histor , nor convemently arranged for reference. Wye here deal with an heiress named Barrow, the name _being that of a family who held pro- perty in Islington at and before the Con uest, who gave a prebendary to St. Paul’s, rochably the earliest identified by name; anti) his was the_ prebend of Islington, now, it is said, extinguished as to property. A. HALL. Highbury, N. THE MARBLE ARCH (991 S. vi. 428).-The large sum handed over b France for us to compensate British war claims is often said to haye been partly spent by George IV. on Buckingham alace. But Douai did not specially pay for the arch. The whole ques- tion was raised by Baron de Bode of Moscow, whose claim was brought before the House of Lords biy Lyndhurst, and afterwards came to trial. t is a curious story. D. REV. TEOMAs COOKMAN (9°“ S. vi. 349).- Thomas Cockman was a translator and editor of C1cero._ His edition of the ‘ De Oratore’ was published at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, 1696, octavo, with an engraved view of University College as a frontispiece. It was dedicated to Jdhn Radcliffe, M.D., and was undertaken at the suggestion of Dr. Arthur Charlett (“Char1Otte,’ ante, p. 349, is an error). His translation of the ‘Offices ’ was péiblished in 1699, and was dedicated to illiam Bedingfield and John Wallis, two of his pupils. W. C. B. A similar question appeared in ‘N. & qs’ 5” S. xi. 9, and in a reply at p. 273 of t e same volume your correspondent was referred to the ‘ Theological Discourses of the Rev. Dr. Cockmanf by the Rev. J. Silvester, 1750, in the preface to which the desired information wou d probably be found. EVERARD HOME COLEMAN. 71, Brecknock Road. “TO TEE BITTER END ” (9"‘ S. vi. 346).-Is not the generally accepted explanation of this phrase perfectly satisfactory as it stands? It is main y used rather in reference to strife of any kind, such as a lawsuit, than to war in particular. MR. FORD has omitted to observe that the very words “ bitter end ” constitute a sea-phrase, meaning “ that part of the ship’s cable which is abaft the bitts, and therefore within board when the shi;i)r1des at anchor.” Sailors say, “Bend to the itter end,” when the would have that end bent to the anchor ; andy when a chain or rope is paid out to the bitter end, no more remains to be let go. So that the word “ bitter” in this conjunction, although generally understood to convey the sense of harshness to the taste, as the ‘gall of bitterness,” “ Her end is bitter as worm- wOod,” has strictly no such meaning, this sense being acquired from the association of the word with the sense in which it is used in Scripture. J. HOLDEN MACMICHAEL. MONTE CARLO AND ROULETTE (9"‘ S. vi. 348).-In addition to the information given in the Editor’s note, see ‘ Behind the Scenes at Monte Carlo’ in Pall Mall Magazine vii. ° HM-dwicks ‘Rambles Abroad/ 1890 ; Elnglis/i Illustrated Magazine, viii.; and ‘ Scientific Aspect of Monte Carlo Roulette’ in Charles Pearson’s ‘ Chances of Death,’ &c. 1897. EVERARD HOME COLEMAN. 71, Brecknock Road. MARGARET or BAVARIA (9°*' S. vi. 369).- BIEGAN’S date (1419) for the marriage of Jean sans Peur and Margaret is very wide of the mark. They were married at Cambrai, 9 April, 1385, and, presumabliy, the bride was not older than the boy-bri egroom who was born 28 May, 1371. cannot find any mention of her birth-year. She bore her husband eiggit children, and if her only son, Philip the ood (b. 1396), was her firstborn, she might uite well have been born as late as 1378-9. qShe died 23 January, 1423. Her father was Albert of Bavaria, Count of