Chapter M

_MS. Diary of the Convention Parliament of 1660_.--The editors of the _Parliamentary History_ give some passages from a MS. Diary of the Convention Parliament of the Restoration, and state that the Diary was communicated to them by the Rev. Charles Lyttleton, Dean of Exeter (vol. iv. p. 73.). I am anxious to know where this Diary now is, and if it may be seen by--

CH.

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_Etymology of Totnes_.--Can any of your readers suggest a probable etymology for Totnes, the "prime town of Great Britain," as it is called by Westcote[1], who supposes it to have been built by Brutus, 1108 years before the Christian era. Mr. Polwhele, who supposed the numerous _Hams_ in Devon to have owed their names to the worship of Jupiter _Hammon_, would, I imagine, have derived Totnes from the Egyptian god Thoth or Taut; or, perhaps, directly from King Thothmes. Westcote observes that some would have the name from,--

"The French word _tout-a-l'aise_, which is in English, all at
ease; as if Brutus at his arrival in such a pleasant soil ...
should here assure himself and his fellow-travellers of
ease, rest, and content; and the _l_, in this long time, is
changed into _n_, and so from _tout-a-lesse_ we now call it
_tout-a-nesse_, and briefly Totnessse. This would _I willingly
applaud, could I think or believe that Brutus spake so good
French_, or that the French tongue was then spoken at all.
Therefore, I shall with the more ease join in opinion with
those who would have it named _Dodonesse_, which signifieth
[in what language?] the rocky-town, or town on stones, which
is also agreeable with the opinion of Leland."

Totnes is denominated Totenais and Totheneis in _Domesday Book_; and in other old records variously spelt, Toteneis, Totteneys, Toteneys, Totton', Totten, Totenesse, Tottenesse, Tottonasse, Totonie, &c. Never, Donodesse.

J.M.B.

Totnes, April 23. 1850.

[1] _A View of Devonshire in MDCXXX._, by Thomas Westcote,
Esq., Exeter, 1845.

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_Dr. Maginn's Miscellanies_.--Towards the end of 1840, Dr. Maginn issued the prospectus of a work to be published weekly in numbers, and to be entitled "_Magazine Miscellanies_, by Dr. Maginn," which was intended to comprise a selection from his contributions to Blackwood, Fraser, &c. Will any one of your multitudinous readers kindly inform me whether this work was ever published, or any portion of it?

J.M.B.

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_Dr. Maginn's "Shakspeare Papers."_--The Doctor published several very able critical dissertations under this, or some similar title, about the year 1837, in one of the monthly magazines, for references to which I shall feel obliged.

J.M.B.

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_Dr. Maginn's Homeric Ballads._--Between 1839 and 1842, the "Homeric Ballads," from thirteen to sixteen, appeared in _Fraser's Magazine_. Will any correspondent favour me with specific references to the numbers or months in which they were published? I may add, that I shall esteem it as a very great favour to receive authentic reference to any articles contributed to Blackwood, Fraser, &c., &c., by Dr. Maginn. The difficulty of determining authorship from internal evidence alone is well-known, and is aptly illustrated by the fact, that an article on Miss Austen's novels, by Archbishop Whately, was included in the collection of Sir Walter Scott's prose works.

J.M.B.

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_Poor Robin's Almanack_.--Who was the author or originator of _Poor Robin's Almanack_? Are any particulars known of its successive editors? In what year did it cease to be published? The only one I possess is for the year 1743,--"Written by Poor Robin, _Knight of the Burnt Island_, a well-wisher to Mathematicks," who informs his readers that this was his eighty-first year of writing. What is meant by _Knight of the Burnt Island_?

I must not omit to add, that at Dean Prior, the former vicar, Robert Herrick, has the reputation of being the author of _Poor Robin_.

J.M.B.

Totnes, April 18. 1850.

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_The Camp in Bulstrode Park_.--Is there any published account of this camp having been opened? It is well worth the examination of a competent antiquary.... It is not even alluded to in Mr. Jesse's _Favourite Haunts_, nor does that gentleman appear to have visited the interesting village of "Hedgerley" (anciently _Hugely_), or Jordans, the Quakers' Meeting-house, and burial-place of Penn, between Beaconsfield and Chalfont. Chalfont was anciently written Chalfhunt, and is by the natives still called Charffunt; and Hunt is a very common surname in this parish: there was, however, Tobias Chalfont, Rector of Giston, who died 1631. "Chal" appears to be a common prefix. In Chalfont (St. Peter's) is an inscription to _Sir_ Robert Hamson, Vycar, alluded to in Boutell's _Brasses_. In a cupboard under the gallery staircase is a copper helmet, which, prior to the church having been beautified in 1822, was suspended on an iron bracket with a _bit of rag_, as it then looked, to the best of my memory. I have heard that it belonged to the family of Gould of Oak End, extinct.

A.C.

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_Hobit_, a measure of corn in Wales; what is the derivation?

A.C.

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REPLIES.

DR. PERCY AND THE POEMS OF THE EARL OF SURREY.

I have the means of showing what Dr. Percy did with the poems of the Earl of Surrey, because I have a copy of the work now before me.

It can hardly be said that he "prepared an edition" of those poems, as supposed by your correspondent "G." on the authority of Watts's _Bibliotheca Britannica_, but he made an exact reprint of the _Songes and Sonnettes written by the Right Honorable Lorde Henry Haward, late Earle of Surrey, and other_, which was printed _Apud Richardum Tottell. Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum_. 1557. The Bishop of Dromere made no attempt at editing the work much beyond what was necessary to secure an exact reimpression. He prefixed no Life of Surrey (a point "G." wishes to ascertain); and, in fact, the book was never completed. It contains considerably more than the reprint of the poems of Lord Surrey, and was intended to consist of two volumes with separate pagination; the first volume extending to p. 272., and the second to p. 342.

As the work is a rarity, owing to an unfortunate accident, some of your readers may like to see a brief notice of it. Watts (as quoted by "G." for I have not his portly volumes at hand,) states that the "whole impression" was "consumed in the fire which took place in Mr. Nicholls's premises in 1808." This was a mistake, as my extant copy establishes; and _Restituta_ (iii. 451.) informs us that _four_ were saved. Of the history of my own impression I know nothing beyond the fact, that I paid a very high price for it some twenty years since, at an auction; but the late Mr. Grenville had another copy, which I had an opportunity of seeing, and which had belonged to T. Park, and had been sent to him by Dr. Percy for the advantage of his notes and remarks. This, I presume, is now in the British Museum; whither it came with the rest of Mr. Grenville's books, four or five years ago.

The "Songs and Sonnets" of Surrey occupy only the first forty pages of vol. i.; then follow "Songs and sonnets" by Sir Thomas Wyat to p. 111. inclusive; and they are succeeded by poems "of uncertain authors," which occupy the rest of the the first volume. The second volume begins with "The Seconde Boke of Virgiles AEnaeis," filling thirty pages; while "the Fourth Boke" ends at p. 57., with the imprint of R. Tottell, and the date of 1557. "Ecclesiastes and Certain Psalms by by Henry Earl of Surrey," which are "from ancient MSS. never before imprinted," close at p. 81. "Certayne Psalmes chosen out of the Psalter of David," consisting of the seven penitential psalms, with the imprint of Thomas Raynald and John Harrington," fill thirty pages; and to them is added "Sir Thomas Wyat's Defence," from the Strawberry Hill edition; which, with a few appended notes, carries the work on to p. 141.

A new title-page, at which we now arrive, shows us the intention of Dr. Percy, and the object at which he had all along aimed: it runs thus:--"Poems in Bland Verse (not Dramatique) prior to Milton's _Paradise Lost._ Subsequent to Lord Surrey's in this Volume, and to N.G.'s in the preceding." In truth, Dr. Percy was making a collection in the two volumes of all the English undramatic blank verse he could discover, prior to the publication of Milton's great poem. He was guilty of some important omissions, because bibliographical knowledge was not then as far advanced as at present, but he performed good service to letters as far as he was able to go; and the blank verse productions he subjoins are by George Tubervile, George Gascoigne, Barnabie Riche, George Peele, James Aske, William Vallans, Nicholas Breton, George Chapman, and Christopher Marlow. These occupy from p. 342. of vol. ii.

This list might now be considerably increased; but my present business is only to answer the Query of "G.," as to the nature and contents of the work. It has been said, I know not on what authority, that Steevens assisted Percy in preparing and printing it. I apprehend that the aid given by Steevens consisted solely in recommending the Bishop to procure certain rare productions which would contribute to the purpose.

J. PAYNE COLLIER.

May 7, 1850.

[To this we may add, that about 1767, when Bishop Percy
printed these twenty-five sheets of poems of Lord Surrey and
the Duke of Buckingham, it appears by a letter of the Bishop
to Horace Walpole, that he presented a copy of them to
Walpole, with a request for information about Lord Surrey. The
Bishop never wrote the Life of Surrey; and in 1808 the whole
impression was burnt, with the exception of a copy or two that
the Bishop had given to his friends. In the letter to Walpole
the Bishop says, "A few more leaves will complete that book,
which with the second and Dr. Surrey's Songs and Sonnets, &c.
will be sufficient for the book."]

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SYMBOLS OF THE FOUR EVANGELISTS.

Horne, in his _Introduction_, vol. iv. p. 254., says that Irenaeus was the first to discover the analogy between the four animals mentioned by Ezekiel (i. 5. 10.) and the four Evangelists, which gave rise to the well-known paintings of these latter. He quotes from _Iren. adv. Hoer._ lib. iii. cap. 11.:--

"The first living creature, which is like a lion, signifies
Christ's efficacy, principality, and regality, viz. John; the
second, like a calf, denotes His sacerdotal order, viz. Luke;
the third, having as it were, a man's face, describes His
coming in the flesh as man, viz. Matthew; and the fourth, like
a flying eagle, manifests the grace of the Spirit flying into
the Church, viz. Mark."
There is also an interesting passage in _Dionys Carthus. in Apocal.
Enarr._ iv. 7., from which the following is an extract:--

"Although the above exposition of Gregorius, in which by the
man in meant Matthew, by the calf Luke, &c., be the common
one, yet other holy men have held a different opinion, for as
Bede relates on this point, Augustine understood by the lion
Matthew, because in the beginning of his Gospel he describes
the _royal_ descent of Christ; by the calf he also understood
Luke, because he wrote of the _priestly_ descent of Our Lord;
by the man Mark, because he omits the question of Christ's
birth, and confines himself more especially to describing
His acts as a _man_; by the eagle, _all_ understand John, on
account of the sublimity to which his Gospel soars. Others
again understand by the lion Matthew; by the calf Mark,
on account of the simplicity of his style; and by the man
Luke, because he has more fully treated of Christ's _human_
generation."

Would "JARLZBERG" kindly favour me with a reference to his interesting anecdote of the lion's whelps?

J. EASTWOOD.

Ecclesfield, May 9. 1850.

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Your correspondent "JARLZBERG" (No. 24. p. 385.) inquires for the origin of the Evangelistic symbols. The four living creatures, in Ezekiel, i. 10., and Revelations, iv. 7., were interpreted from the earliest times to represent the four Gospels. Why the angel is attributed to St. Matthew, the lion to St. Mark, and so on, is another question: but their order in Ezekiel corresponds with the order of the Gospels as we have them. Durandus would probably furnish some information. The fabulous legend of the lion savours of a later origin. Some valuable remarks on the subject, and a list of references to early writers, will be found in Dr. Wordsworth's _Lectures on the Canon of Scripture_ (Lect. VI. p. 151.), and his _Lectures on the Apocalypse_ (Lect. IV. pp. 116, 117.)

C.R.M.

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_Symbols of the Evangelists_ (No. 24. p. 385.).--The symbols of the four Evangelists are treated of by J. Williams, _Thoughts on the Study of the Gospels_, p. 5--22. Lond. 1842.