Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 9.djvu/311

 s. ix. A*RIL HUMS.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

303

common one in Bacon ; nevertheless, it is not of Bacon's invention ; for it was used by others quite as early as Bacon wrote, and, like the word "real," by men who had received a university education. Ben Jonson also uses it : 1. Tub. The rather may you judge it to be such

Because the bridegroom was described, &c.

' A Tale of a Tub,' III. i.

2. Cic. It shall be dearer rather, and because I 'd make it such, hear how much, &c.

4 Cataline,' III. ii.

_t occurs several times in Thomas Nashe and in Gabriel Harvey, as well as in Sir Philip Sidney and in ' The Epistle of Martin Mar- prelate,' 1588.

I turn now to the forms of salutation that are noted by Bacon. There are several of these, but I will notice only the following, viz., "good-morrow," "good-day," "good- night," and " good-even." The reason for this selection will appear presently. Because Bacon notes these forms of salutation the Baconians imagine that he coined them ; and Mrs. Pott draws us a harrowing picture to show how boorish our ancestors were in their manner of greeting each other. They could only exclaim, with more or less grace, " How now !" or make use of some such uncouth expression. But Bacon came into the world to put things right he saw that everything was out of joint ; and he not only invented the better part of the English language, but, to show the love and care he had .for his benighted countrymen, he taught them to say "good-day," "good- morrow." Mrs. Pott ought to know, for she has searched 328 known authors and up- wards of 5,300 of their works. There cannot, therefore, be any doubt about the matter. Here are her words :

" It is certain that the habit of using forms o morning and evening salutation was not introducec into England prior to the date of Bacon's notes 1594."

Such being the case, it may be taken for granted that the following passage in Chauce is a Baconian interpolation, and probably i contains embedded within itself the key to a cipher which runs throughout poor Geoffrey': work :

Ther n'as no good day, ne no saluing, But streit withouten wordes rehersing, Everich of hem halpe to armen other, As frendly, as he were his owen brother.

1 The Knightes Tale.'

As regards Beaumont and Fletcher, th following are Mrs. Pott's results in searching for forms of salutation used by the join authors : "Beaumont and Fletcher in upwards of fort

lays use good-morrow five times, good-day once, ood-night four times, good-even once."

On the contrary, I examined only twenty days by these authors, and ray results are so ery different from those of Mrs. Pott that I an only conclude I had on magnifying lasses, or that I saw things through a very azy medium. Tears will cause that kind of ouble or even treble sight :

Upon his hurt she looks so steadfastly, 'hat her sight dazzling makes the wound seem three ;

<\>r oft the eye mistakes, the brain being troubled. Baconspeare's ' Venus and Adonis,' st. 178.

'. must have been weeping at the dethrone- ment of Shagspur. Seeing, however, that I X)ok some trouble about th^ matter, I cannot )ring myself to withhold my figures from a gullible public. The people like to be de- ceived, and many will no doubt accept my statement in preference to that of Mrs. Pott. Nothing venture, nothing have.

In twenty plays Beaumont and Fletcher use good-morrow forty-seven times, good-day twelve times, good-night forty -five times, and good-even thirteen times. In the same plays they employ the variations God save you and good-morrow once, God speed you and good-day once, and sweet-night three times. The plays I examined are those contained in the first volume of " The Old Poets " edition.

C. CRAWFORD.

53, Hampden Road, Hornsey, N. (To be continued.)

ST. MARGARET'S CHURCH AND WEST- MINSTER BENEFACTORS.

(Continued from p. 24$ >)

THE next Westminster worthy to be alluded to as being commemorated in St. Margaret's Church is the Rev. James Palmer, whose name is perhaps oftener heard among our people than most of the others who, like him, have left charitable bequests behind, although in this respect it may be both thought and said that he is run very hard by Emery Hill. His monument is on the north wall of the church, and is of a very elaborate character ; most of the colour remains, and there are some traces of the gilding left. The inscription (which we may believe is truer than such things usually are) is as follows :

" Hereunder is interred y body of James Palmer St. Marg" in iuly 1585, a most piovs & charitable | man, exprest in severall places by many | remarkable actions & pticvlarly to this parish | in bvildmg fayer Almes Hovses for 12 poore olde | people w*
 * batchelor in divinity borne in this parish of