Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 8.djvu/468

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. VIIL DEC. 7, 1001.

plete fright and flight. Now the poor devil shiver- ing over the fire, seeing all his comrades on the move, rose also to see where they were, and pursued them, running after and redoubling his efforts to overtake them. The actors, seeing the devil coming quickly after them, felt their fears increase threefold, and strove the harder to escape. They leapt over hills and rivers, they threw themselves into canals and ditches; at last, bruised and bleeding, they sank exhausted on the earth. But now the daylight, and they recognized the devil." When this was given in my 'Black Knight of Ashton ' I had not in mind the story of John Adroyns. WILLIAM E. A. AXON. Manchester.

SEEKERS AFTER TRUTH. The Editorial postscript ante, p. 366, will find many an approving reader. That "seekers after truth" frequently escape notice in their own country there can be no doubt. Unless a man gets his name in the papers about once a month he has little chance of being known. I have an instance. The late Mr. H. S. Ashbee escaped recognition by any of the English dictionaries, but has an appreciative notice in a French dictionary of far greater reputa- tion than any English work. He is in the supplement to Larousse. But here comes a funny thing. A new edition of Larousse is in course of publication. The (new?) editor says to himself, u Ashbee ! who is he 1 ? I never heard of him. Off with his head !" So, just as Ashbee has acquired worldwide celebrity for his gifts to the nation, and all the dic- tionaries of his own country will have him in, he is left out of the. new French one ! There is a good notice of him already in the 'D.N.B.' RALPH THOMAS.

MANX GAELIC. In a query ante, p. 344, are two statements of interest. One is that a movement is on foot to revive the fine old tongue of Yn Elian Sheeant, the Enchanted Isle, and the other that the language is still spoken by five thousand people. When on a visit recently to the island I was informed that none but the old people knew any Manx, and that there is no one left now who cannot speak English. It would be interesting to know to what extent the Manx Scriptures are read at the present day.

I wish to make a few suggestions as to the needs of Mannin in this matter. First and foremost there is the need for a good grammar. Kelly's grammar, published by the Manx Society, is difficult to obtain, and besides is absolutely unscientific. We must remember that Kelly was a lad in his teens when he compiled this work. From his account it is impossible to arrive at a knowledge of the pronunciation. Who, for instance, after

reading Kelly could say how the diphthong ie should be pronounced, as in thie, a house 1 Uniformity of orthography is especially needed. The writings in Manx that are now to be obtained are mostly the composition of the clergy, each of whom seems to have spelt according to his own fancy.

If Manx is to be restored at all, there must be an effort made by the many Manxmen who speak English only, and for them an exercise book should be compiled on the model of Fr. O'Growny's ' Lessons in Irish'; classes for Manx should be held in the even- ings at several centres throughout the island, and original composition should be en- couraged ; a few keen collectors could very probably soon collect enough material for a supplement to the Manx dictionary, which is far from complete ; literary meetings should be held in Douglas, Ramsey, Peel, and Castle- town bi-monthly, or more frequently ; and the English summer visitors should be in- vited to assist, many of them, as I know, taking a deep interest in all connected with the island. Lastly, the singing of ' Carvals ' and songs in Manx should be encouraged by an annual Eisteddfod, at first on a small scale. This might be combined with the July Tynwald meeting.

There is plenty of enthusiasm among Eng- lish people who know " Mannin veg veen "- I know two here in Russia. Let the educated Manxmen show enthusiasm also, and they will find eager assistants in their under- taking. FREB. G. ACKERLEY.

Seemansheim, Libau, Russia.

WARBURTON=WERBURH'S TOWN. Users of the lamented Canon Taylor's ' Names and their Histories' may like to note that the unique name of this Cheshire village has no connexion with A.-S. weard, watchman (p. 365), but is derived from St. Werburh, the Mercian King Wulfhere's virgin daughter, to whom the parish church is dedicated, and who was buried at Chester. The number of people who have derived their surname from this one Mersey village is astonishing.

HY. HARRISON.

BOLINGBROKE AND THE CLASSICS. Mr.

Sichel, in ' Bolingbroke and his Times' (just published), quotes a letter (pp. 185-6) from St. John, of July, 1705, "addressed to some nameless clergyman, who appears to have been one of the twitterers over Blenheim." The errors in the four lines of Greek verse quoted are fatal to St. John's reputation as a classical scholar, even making all allowance for Mr. Sichel's note at p. 186 that " the mistakes in the * etas/ &c., may be