Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/269

 s. vn. APRIL 6, 19W.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

261

LONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1901.

CONTENTS. No. 171.

NOTES : Spenser, ' Locrine,' and 'Selimus,' 261 Verbs formed out of Proper Names, 2<i3 Good Friday and Parsley Bibliography of Easter " Le Roy le veult" ' The Pilgrim's Progress ' : First Edition, 264 Welling- ton's Census Paper A Legend of Mugginton, Derbyshire Twentieth-Century Medal Mrs. Grant of Laggan United States Flag-Singing in Church, 265 -The Can- nibalism of Ethne the Dread Local Name for Centipedes Sympathetic Magic " Devil's broth," 266.

QUERIES : Weekes : Catlin : Brocas Apparition, 267 The Friend of Phidias " Sod- Widow " Baskinn Heads in Southam Church Powdering Gown Caesar and Pom- p e y Location of Theatre Catherine Street Theatre 'The Devil's Walk 'Joan of Arc John Roberts Royal Standard, 268 "There, but for the grace of God "First Edition of the 'Pilgrim's Progress 'Royal Surname - Sir Cornelius Cole " Half rat and half weasel " Lists of Graduates" The Cogelers "Runic Inscription found in St. Paul's Churchyard Sir C. Scudamore Collet, 269.

REPLIES : The late Mrs. Everett-Green " Sarson Stones," 270 Surnames St. Patrick's Day Vulgar Misuse of "Right"" Hutching about," 271 Tinkhame Family- Hume's Portrait John Parr, Mayor " Wabbling "Pinhoen," a Ghost-word, 272 Old Marriage Custom in Yorkshire Towns which have changed their Sites, 273 Jesse and Selwyn Stanbury of Devon and Cornwall Madame Bontemps -Rev. J. H. Stewart Lay Canon " Manurance" St. Clement Danes, 274 "Mary's Chap- pel "'Book- World,' 275 May- water "Kybosh," 276- " Become " D'Auvergne Family Authors of Books, 277 London Churches, 278.

NOTES ON BOOKS: St. Clair's 'Myths of Greece' Draper's ' Alfred the Great ' Reviews and Magazines.

Notices to Correspondents.

10**.

EDMUND SPENSER, ' LOCRINE,' AND 'SELIMUS.'

(Continued from p. 205.)

IN '1 Tamburlaine,' IV. iii., Dyce, p. 28, col. 2, the Soldan compares himself to a pilot in the haven, viewing a strange ship rent in the winds and shivered against the craggy rocks and he follows up his metaphor by the regis- tration of a vow, confirmed with holy Ibis's name. The figure and the vow were sug- gested by the following stanzas from 'The Faerie Queene,' which are boldly copied, yet admirably varied, in 'Selimus':

Britomart (viewing the raging sea). Huge sea o

sorrow and tempestuous griefe, Wherein my feeble oarke is tossed long Far from the hoped haven of reliefe, Why doe thy cruel billowes beat so strong, And thy moyst mountaines each on others throng Threatning to swallow up my fearefull lyfe? O, doe thy cruell wrath and spightfull wrong At length allay, and stint thy stormy strife, Which in these troubled bowels raignes and rageth ryfe!

For els my feeble vessell, crazd and crackt Through thy strong buffets and outrageous bio wes Cannot endure, but needes it must be wrackt On the rough rocks, or on the sandy shallowes,

The whiles that Love it steres, and Fortune rowes : Love, my lewd pilott, hath a restlesse minde ; And Fortune, boteswaine, no assuraunce knowes ; But saile withouten starres gainst tyde and winde : How can they other doe, sith both are bold and blinde !

Thou god of windes, that raignest in the seas, That raignest also in the continent, At last plow up some gentle gale of ease, The which may bring my ship, ere it be rent, Unto the gladsome port of her intent ! Then, when I shall myselfe in safety see, A table, for eternall moniment Of thy great grace and my great ieopardee, jrreat Neptune, I vow to hallow unto thee !

Book III. canto iv. stanzas viii.-x. Uompare :

Baj. You swelling seas of never-ceasing care, vVhose waves my weather-beaten ship do toss : Your boistrous pillows too unruly are, And threaten still my ruin and my loss ; Like hugy mountains do your waters rear Their lofty tops, and my weak vessel cross. Alas ! at length allay your stormy strife ; And cruel wrath within me raging rife. 3r else my feeble bark cannot endure, Your flashing buffets and outrageous blows : But while thy foamy flood doth it immure. Shall soon be wrecked upon the sandy shallows. Grief, my lewd boat-swain, stirreth nothing sure, But without stars 'gainst tide and wind he rows, And cares not though upon some rock we split : A restless pilot for the charge unfit. But out alas, the god that rules the seas, And can alone this raging tempest stent, Will never blow a gentle gale of ease, But suffer my poor vessel to be rent.

' Selimus,' 11. 1761-80.

Lest it should be imagined that the author of ' Tamburlaine ' would not avail himself of such lengthy passages from Spenser, I will prove that he did so. Dyce noticed the repetition by Marlowe of one of the stanzas that I shall adduce the first one ; but he overlooked the fact that the continuation of the speech in ' Tamburlaine ' is a free imita- tion of another part of ' The Faerie Queene ' : Upon the top of all his loftie crest, A bounch of heares discolourd diversly, With sprincled pearle and gold full richly drest, Did shake, and seemd to daunce for iollity ; Like to an almond tree ymounted hye On top of greene Selinis all alone, With blossoms brave bedecked daintily ; Whose tender locks do tremble every one At everie little breath, that under heaven is blowne. Book I. canto vii. stanza xxxii.

So forth she comes, and to her coche does clynie, Adorned all with gold and girlonds gay, That seemd as fresh as Flora in her prime ; And strove to match, in roiall rich array, Great lunoes golden chayre ; the which, they say, The gods stand gazing on, when she does ride To loves high hous through heavens bras-paved

way,

Drawne of fayre pecocks, that excell in pride, And full of Argus eyes their tayles dispredden wide. Book I. canto iv. stanza xvii.