poet to whom MR. SMITH refers must have made a slip, and have written Neapolitan for Venetian. F. T. ELWORTHY. ENGRAVING (8th S. v. 189).—The old engraving of Margaret of Scotland is thus referred to in Granger's Biographical Hist. of England,' vol. i. p. 33 (London, 1824): "There is a curious print inscribed, 'Sancta Margarita, Regina Scotia, engraved by Clowet from a drawing of Castilia, by command of James the Second; but it certainly is an imaginary head." Granger also mentions "Sancta Margarita, &c., Gantrel, sc., large sheet.” H. M. R. NURSERY RHYME (8th S. v. 126).-Another version of this rhyme runs : My father died when I was young, HENRY VII.'S PUBLIC ENTRY INTO LONDON (8th S. iv. 268, 414, 451).—I have always understood that the "Sigillum Militis Christi" used by the Templars, and representing two knights riding upon one horse, indicated the poverty of the order and their being bound by three great monastic vows of 66 poverty, chastity, and obedience." My opinion is borne out by Sir Walter Scott, who says of Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert, in the lists at Ashby-de-la-Zouch: "His first [i. e., shield] had only borne the general And a third variant tells us :— device of his rider, representing two riding upon one horse, an emblem expressive of the original poverty of the Templars, qualities which they had since exchanged for the arrogance and wealth that finally occasioned their suppression."—' Ivanhoe,' chap. ix. In the initial letter of chap. xxx. of 'Pendennis,' "The Knights of the Temple," Thackeray has depicted, in describing the legal life in the Temple of Arthur Pendennis and Warrington, two knights in armour upon one horse, bearing the eightpointed cross of the order. Have any of the admirers of Thackeray ever noted the cleverness of the initial letters drawn by himself, each being a key to the contents of the chapter? JOHN PICKFORD, M.A. Newbourne Rectory, Woodbridge. An engraving of the seal of the Knights Templars representing two knights on one horse may be seen in the very useful 'Dictionnaire de Numismatique et de Sigillographie Religieuses,' col. 1261. This work, which was issued in 1852, forms one of the volumes of the Abbé Migne's Nouvelle Encyc. Théologique.' ASTARTE. A "SNICK-A-SNEE (8th S. iv. 49, 133, 211, 256, 336, 451, 497, 535).-In 'Translation of First Book of Homer's Iliad,' by Henry Fitzcotton, 1749, p. 24: She loves you both, and dreads to see W. C. B. HOUSES CONSTRUCTED ON PILES (8th S. v. 128). -Any one acquainted with Naples must know that there never could have been more than one or two buildings near the shore which needed piles for a foundation; certainly never sufficient to have originated a "Neapolitan style." The Welsh My father died a month ago, And left me all his riches: And a pair of leather breeches. I have been told that the "volunteering-cap" form I enclose a variant of PAUL BIERLEY's nursery rhyme which used to be sung, and probably is so now, in Glamorganɛhire :— My father died a month ago, And left me all his riches, A feather bed, and a wooden leg. A tobacco-pipe without a lid, And half a farthing candle. C. GUNNING. This rhyme is current in Leicestershire in a My father died a month ago, A coffee-pot without a spout, And half a farthing candle. C. C. B. SCOTT BIBLIOGRAPHY (8th S. v. 148).-In the Appendix, 1888 (pp. 84 et seqq), to the Catalogue of the London Library, the contents of the volumes, three of the "Ancient," and five of the "Modern, British Drama" (1810 and 1811 respectively) are given, and the editorship by Sir Walter Scott is stated. I have the five volumes of the 'Modern Drama.' There are notices, no doubt by him, preceding the "Tragedies," the "Comedies," and the "Operas and Farces," respectively. His name does not appear. I have had the volumes for some years, and have found them exceedingly convenient for reference. R. R. DEES. Wallsend. PICNIC (8th S. v. 189).-This query has appeared on two previous occasions, and by the replies picnic is claimed to be of French, Italian, and Swedish origin. By one contributor, picnic parties first came into fashion in England in 1802; and another produced proof that they were known and practised in the reign of James I. I furnish references, to prevent, as far as possible, duplication of replies. See 1" S. iv. 152; vi. 518; vii. 23, 240, 387, 585; 5th S. ix. 406, 494; xii. 198. EVERARD HOME COLEMAN. 71, Brecknock Road. HOLY MR. GIFFORD (8th S. v. 148).-There are several Giffords, all of them, doubtless, with strong claims to the prefix. Mr. Gifford, of Malden, "a modest irreprovable man," suspended in 1484, according to Neale (1345), but more probably in 1584; Emanuel Gifford, and Andrew Gifford, both of "the baptist persuasion"; and their grandson and son, Andrew Gifford, who ministered to the Independents in Little St. Helen's, and died 1784. For these last, see the handy but neglected Chalmers. Hastings. EDWARD H. Marshall, M.A. seen, near the "Bull" public-house. The wreck of the Amsterdam is dated in the guide-books at 1754. The Crown (or the Lord Warden ?) seems to have claimed what was to be got out of it, for a volunteer attempt to recover some of the cargo, in 1827, was frustrated by "Government" demands of salvage. See Horsfield's 'Sussex,' ii. 431; and 'Suss. Arch. Colls.,' xiv. EDWARD H. MARSHALL, M.A. Hastings. NOTARIES PUBLIC (8th S. v. 188).—For a reply to this query I cannot better serve your correspondent than refer him to the under-mentioned articles, which have already appeared in 'N. & Q.' 'Notaries Public,' 1" S. ii. 393, 414; x. 87, 110, 315; 5th S. i. 489; 6th S. vi. 103. Attornies,' 1" S. vi. 530; 2nd S. xi. 368, 515; 4th S. iii. 126; v. 225, 522; ix. 158; 5th S. iii. 66, 196, 339; v. 8, 96; 6th S. xi. 489; 7th S. iv. 89, 176. EVERARD HOME COLEMAN. 71, Brecknock Road. MOLL FLAGGON (8th S. iv. 204, 311).—I extract the following from "Answers to Corespondents" in Sala's Journal of February 17 :— ing in Surrey, a few weeks ago, he picked up for a com"H. H. S. (Forest Hill) informs me that while paintparatively small sum, at a small country alehouse, a painting on panel, about 12 inches by 10 inches, representing an actor in the part of Moll Flaggon' in the 'Lord of the Manor.' The picture seems to be about forty or fifty years old. The figure is dressed in a mobcap, surmounted by a three-cornered hat, an old red tunic barred with gold lace, short skirts, a blue check apron, while the right extended hand holds a long clay pipe. from one pocket of which a black bottle protrudes; Singularly enough, this description almost nearly corresponds with a drawing of Moll Flaggon' by George Cruikshank, engraved in vol. ii. of Sherwood's London Stage.' How would it be if the painting were by George himself, and the Moll Flaggon' bis intimate friend John Pritt Harley, whom, in my boyhood, I have seen in the part? Munden and Liston used to play it; but I never saw either of them in Moll.'...... By the way, the Lord of the Manor,' which is never played nowadays, was written by a dramatist who must have had a wide experience of female sutlers and baggage-waggon women. The playwright in question was General Burgoyne, of Saratoga celebrity, the father of the valiant Field Marshal Sir John Burgoyne, who died Constable of the Tower." Of course it is Mr. Sala himself who is speaking in the above. S. J. A. F. TUDHOPE (8th S. iv. 527; v. 117).-My maternal grandfather was a Tudhope, and I have heard him say that the first known of that name in Scotland were two brothers, who resided for some time in the district of Ford, Lochawe, Argyllshire, and that they had come from Scandinavia in a vessel which was wrecked on the west coast. I am, however, investigating further into this mattor, and may be able to throw some more light on it byand-by. A. FROOD. O'BRIEN: STRANgways (8th S. iv. 448, 495; v. 72).-Lady Susan Strangways was an artist, and executed portraits of many of her friends. She was also an amateur actress, and was one of that gay theatrical circle (both professional and amateur) of which Sir Francis B. Delaval was the centre at his house in Downing Street, where she probably met Mr. William O'Brien, who, whether amateur or professional, was a well-educated man and a gentleman. There is reason to believe she married against the wishes, or without the consent of her family, for when she and her husband, shortly after their marriage, left England for America they were not on good terms with the Strangways and Foxes. Through the instrumentality, however, of a certain Lady Sarah (whom I take to be the daughter of the second Duke of Richmond and wife of Sir Thomas Bunbury) there must have been a reconciliation between the couple and the lady's family soon after their arrival there, for in the autumn of 1765 Lord Holland, "who still loves his niece," got, or promised to get, a patent grant to her husband of a large tract of land in the province of New York, for half of which he (O'Brien) had already been offered 30,000l. In the spring of 1765 they were in New York, and afterwards visited Sir William Johnson at Fort Johnson, two hundred miles inland, but returned to New York, where Mr. O'Brien appears to have held some appointment under Sir Henry Moore, the governor of the province, who died in 1769, when O'Brien went to Quebec. He was in May, 1768, gazetted Secretary and Provost-Master-General of the islands of Bermuda, vice George Brown, Esq., deceased. Mr. and Lady Susan O'Brien, who do not appear to have had any children at the time, left Quebec for England in the summer of 1770. Lady Susan, according to Burke, died in 1827. W. B. THOMAS. Miscellaneous. NOTES ON BOOKS, &o. The Complete Works of Chaucer. Edited by the Rev. Walter W. Skeat, LL.D., M.A. Vol. I. (Oxford, Clarendon Press.) A CONSIDERABLE portion of the life of one of the most assiduous of workers and competent of scholars has been spent in preparation for the important task which now, in ripe maturity of knowledge and of powers, he under takes. Those interested in literary studies know how much Prof. Skeat has done for the elucidation of Chaucer, for the winnowing of the works attributed to him, and the purification of his text. Less ardent students, even, of early literature can scarcely be wholly ignorant of the extent and value of his Chaucerian labours. It is but fitting, accordingly, that we should receive at his hands the first authoritative text of Chaucer, a work that for some generations to come will maintain its repute and supremacy. Of no early poet do we possess manuscripts so numerous and so valuable as those of Chaucer. In no case, however, of a poet of eminence has a text been more inadequately treated than had that of Chaucer before the constitution of the edition is a mere makeshift. Modern research has Chaucer Society. In sheer despair, most students have had to turn to the early black-letter editions, of which those from 1561 downwards have been accessible at no very extravagant outlay. The first attempt to furnish a clue to the value of Chaucer's lines was supplied in the edition of the Canterbury Tales' which Thomas Wright supplied to the Percy Society. Wright's scheme was carried out, to some slight extent under his supervision, by Robert Bell in the edition of Chaucer supplied to a collection of English poets. Knowledge of Chaucer was then slight, even in the best informed. Bell included in his edition many poems in which Chaucer had no share-a fault which, though misleading to the student, is not without precedent, and deserves no very exemplary castigation. What is more to the point is that his revolutionized matters, and though evidence "internal" and "external" is not invariably conclusive, since sophistication in the case of MSS., though not easily conceivable, is not absolutely impossible, it can no longer be rejected. The first volume of Prof. Skeat's edition, which is to be in six volumes, is now before us. It contains the Romaunt of the Rose' and the Minor Poems,' of which later portion an edition smaller in size, by the same editor, has been recently noticed in 'N. & Q. It including a general introduction and life of Chaucer, a gives also a considerable amount of preliminary matter, list of Chaucer's works, and introductions and notes to the two portions of which the volume is composed. What adds greatly to the value and interest of the whole is the addition of the French text in the case of translaRose' a small section only is, it is decided, the work of tions indubitably by Chaucer. Of the Romaunt of the Chaucer, and of this only the text is supplied from Méon. The remainder is printed in a smaller type, a plan of which we so heartily approve that we should be thankful for a works long attributed to Chaucer, and read by us as such supplemental volume giving under similar conditions in early days, which have now to disappear from the best edition. Concerning the so-called doubtful plays of Shakspeare there is practically no doubt whatever. We are glad, however, to possess an edition which includes them. Prof. Skent's life of the poet is admirable in all respects, and deals in unsurpassable fashion with existing materials. What is said concerning Thomas Chaucer is much to the point. Prof. Skeat is also not unfavourable to the view that Philippa Pan', supposed to be a contraction of Panetaria, i. e., mistress of the pantry, an attendant on Elizabeth, Countess of Ulster, wife of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of Edward III., may have been the wife of Chaucer. It is needless to say that in the biography facts are well marshalled, and conjecture is always plausible and sane. Into the question of evidences of authorship it is impossible, at present, at least, to enter. This is but the first volume of an allimportant undertaking, and none can say what points may arise before the whole series is in the hands of an eager public. Calendar of State Papers Colonial Series.-East Indies and Persia. 1630-1634. Edited by W. Noel Saisbury. (Stationery Office.) THIS is the fifth volume of the series relating to our great Eastern_empire. It includes not only the documents in the Public Record Office, but those also to be found in the India Office. Our Dutch friends are in the habit of telling us that they know far more of the history of the Bri ish Eastern empire than we do ourselves. We fear the taunt is borne out by facts. Some few striking incidents cling to the memory, but most of the events that occurred before that terrible Mutiny which sent a thrill of horror throughout the civilized world are reckoned to belong to the dark ages. This is in some degree due to the exceeding dulness of most English books relating to the history of India. James Mill's History of British India' was an excellent book for the time when it was written, but, in part from the nature of the man, and still more, as we conceive, from the exceedingly narrow utilitarian lines in which he compelled his mind to work, his book, though full of facts, is about as uninteresting reading as a table of logarithms. We trust some one will be moved to give us a new history of India, written so as to meet the wants of our own time. This cannot be done except by the aid of Mr. Saintsbury's calendars. The editor has, as we think we have before observed, made his abstracts somewhat fuller than several of his brother calendarers. We are very glad of this. It will in many cases save infinite trouble to the inquirer. We are not in the secrets of the Record Office. We trust we are not guilty of an impertinence when we inquire if the archives at the Hague are being examined for documents relating to our colonial history. Venice and Spain have already furnished valuable material for our national history, and we hope for much new knowledge when the contributions from the Papal Registers are made public. It cannot but be that the Dutch archives contain much that would interest Englishmen. Among other things which we know to be there are long lists of prisoners, some of whom, if our memory does not fail us, were members of families still of account among us. Epochs of Indian History.-The Muhammadans. By subjects, which take a prominent place in booksellers' THE March number of the Ex-Libris Journal is mainly occupied with the proceedings at the annual meeting, duly chronicled by the indefatigable editor and honorary secretary. This report shows that the society is flourishing, and has already outgrown the modest limits anticipated by its founders. It is obviously destined to take a high place. Our contributor Mr. Walter Hamilton was appointed chairman of council; Mr. F. J. Thairwall and Mr. A. W. Tuer were added to the com mittee. WE have received the Catalogue of the Lending and Reference Departments of the Peterborough Public Library (Peterborough, The Library, Park Road). This is the key to a very useful collection of books. Light literature is, of course, well represented, but we are glad to find that, unlike what we have noticed in some other places, the historical and physical sciences have not been neglected. The volume has a good index. We feel that the inhabitants of Peterborough are to be congratulated in having so useful a collection of standard works in their midst. Notices to Correspondents. We must call special attention to the following notices: ON all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Book-Prices Current. Vol. VII. (Stock.) THE seventh volume of this publication, equally dear and indispensable to the bibliophile, is in no way inferior to its predecessors. There has been during the past year no book sale of the highest character, and the amount of the year's sales, 66,470l. 15s. 6d., included in the volume, represents a fair average. The conclusions as to the tastes of the modern book-buyer formed by the compiler have abundant interest. Fine editions of Dickens and Thackeray, and books illustrated by Hablot Browne, Alken, Rowlandson, and Leech rise steadily in value.Tennyson's "Break, break, break." though inferior copies are in no great demand. Original editions of Scott to inspire interest must be in the original boards. In the editions of modern poets and essayists published in very limited numbers the editor has no great faith. He anticipates, indeed, a great fall in these. For the rest, except in the case of works by Sir Walter Scott, no change is perceptible from last year. Works relating to America occupy a separate class in the catalogue. A like honour is not assigned works on Alpine WE cannot undertake to answer queries privately. To secure insertion of communications correspondents must observe the following rule. Let each note, query, or reply be written on a separate slip of paper, with the, signature of the writer and such address as he wishes to appear. 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