Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 8.djvu/105

 9s. viii. ADO. 3, mi.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

97

LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUSTS, 1901. CONTENTS. No. 188.

NOTES Authorship of ' The British Apollo,' 97 'Anson's Voyage round the World '-'The Tribal Hidage,' 99-Site of Brunanhurh, 100-Gei>eral Cope' Hymns Ancient and Modern' Chicha John Thorpe, Architect, 101 Helicon "Queen's Head and Artichoke "Definition of Duel- Scottish Song, 102 Bible Hating St. Edmund, 103.

QUERIES : " Rex Britarmiarum " Merlin Peers and Felony, 103 "Penny in the forehead " Hacket Old Songs Lamb and the Royal Academy Crest and Motto -Broseley Pipes - Plessy College, Essex- "Racing "- Quotations in ' Policratirus,' 104-Folk-lore of Sailors and Fishermen Source of Maxim Needle Pedlars Pees for K.C.B. and G.C.B. Old Scotch Psalm Book "Davies, Esquire " Burial of Alaric " Lanspisadoes," 105 "Chancery," 106.

REPLIES: Campbells of Ardkinglass, 106-Royal Borough of Kensington Whitgift's Hospital, 107 "Parlour " Neptune and crossing th* Line Dr. Barry, 108 Susanna Hopton Dowsing, 109 Trials of Animals Hand- ruling in Old Title-pages -"Fall below par," 110-St. Bar- nabas' Day Letters of Junius Gladstone Volume American Slang, 111 National Flag "Hill me up" Gun Reports, 112 Alum Surname Kemp Parson's Nose Quotations, 113 Lotus Flowers and Lotahs Lord Donore _ Rawlins-Whit* " Godling " " Gentlier " "Grand Tour," 114 -Rural Deaneries -'The Synagogue,'

NOTES ON BOOKS : Tozer's ' English Commentary on Dante ' Bell's "Cathedral Series "and " Great Churches" Sendall's 'Works of C. S. Calverley ' Dauze's 'Index Bibliographique 'Temple Scott's ' Works of Swift.'

Notices to Correspondents.

THE AUTHORSHIP OF 'THE BRITISH

APOLLO.'

THE authorship of this early forerunner of

' N. & Q.' does not appear to be known, noi

to have yet received critical examination.

It was conducted on the lines of the Athenian

Mercury (afterwards reprinted in volume

form as ' The Athenian Oracle '), and was

commenced on 15 February, 1708, and issuec

on Wednesdays and Fridays, with occasiona

supplements, till 22 March, 1711. It was

published for the authors by J. Mayo, anc

was entitled " The British Apollo ; or, Curious

Amusement for the Ingenious : to which is

added the Most Material Occurrences, Foreign

and Domestick. Performed by a Society o:

Gentlemen." The second edition appearec

in 1711, the third edition in 1726, and th

fourth edition in three volumes in 1740. The

last is entitled

"The British Apollo: In Three Volumes, Contain

ing Two Thousand Answers to Curious Question

In Most Arts and Sciences, Serious, Comical, an<

Humorous: Approved of by many of the mos

Learned and Ingenious of both Universities, an<

of the Royal Society. Performed by a Society o

Gentlemen. London, Printed by James Bettenhan

for Charles Hitch, at the Red Lion in Pater- Noster

Row, 1740."

It is difficult to find many contemporar^ references to this interesting periodica

ohn Gay, writing 3 May, 1711, on 'The resent State of Wit, in a Letter to a Friend n the Country,' in which he refers to the eriodicals of, the day, almost omitted to nention the British Apollo. He adds :

P.S. Upon a review of my letter I find that I ave quite forgotten the British Apollo, which light possibly have happened from its having of ate retreated out of this end of the town into the ountry ; where I am informed, however, that it till recommends itself by deciding wagers at cards, nd giving good advice to shopkeepers and their pprentices."

his information does not appear to be alto- gether correct. It is true that some corre- pondents in propounding their queries stated hat the reply would decide a wager, but the British Apollo in replying as to matters of act or opinion cannot be said to decide

wagers at cards " in the sense implied by Gay.

The statement that the British Apollo was conducted or " Performed by a Society of Gentlemen" may require to be taken cum yrano salis. The Athenian Mercury was per- sistently advertised by John Dunton as the 3roduct of the Athenian Society. In one >f his publications, 'The Young Student's Library, 'published in 1692, there is a frontis- Diece representing a dozen bewigged and Downed gentlemen seated at a long table, with writing materials before them, gravely cogitating upon the queries submitted for elucidation, while the astronomer of the society in the foreground is seen making an observation by means of a cross-staff This engraving, we are expected to believe,

ontains the portraits of the members of the Athenian Society, but the facts are very different. Although associated at first witn Samuel Wesley, Dr. Sault, and Dr. Norris, Dunton was soon forced to rely on ordinary booksellers' hacks such as Bradshaw and Gildon.

There is, however, more appearance that the statement of the British Apollo can be substantiated than in the case of its proto- type. It made some pretence to a knowledge of medicine, and many extracts might be given in proof of the assertion, although some allowance must be made for the state of scientific and medical knowledge at the period.

The motto chosen, which appears on the title-page of the first volume, is from Ovid :

Per me quod eritque, fuitque, Estque, patet : per me concordant carmina nervis. Inventum medicina meum est ; opiferque per

orbem Dicor ; et herbarum subjecta potentia nobis.

Ovid, 'Metam.,'lib. i. 517.