168 



NOTES AND QUEEIES. 



L2»< S. VII. l^BB. 26. '69. 



retaining the Memory of its former Grandeur, seeing its 

 vast Monarch}' cnt out into so many Parcels, to enlarge 

 the Dominions of several Princes, and its Territories rent 

 asunder to patch up many scattered States, was now at 

 length convinced how easie it was for others to take from 

 her all that she alone had with wonderful felicity taken 

 from them all. Now therefore finding herself poor, and 

 extreamly light, as being eased of the Burden of many 

 Provinces, she resolved to turn Rope-Dancer; and for 

 want of Ground to walk upon, exercised herself upon the 

 Streight Rope, to the astonishment of the whole World. 

 She fixt the ends of her Rope, the one at Rome, and the 

 other at Savoy. France and Spain were the Spectators. 

 The two Kings kept a watchful Eye upon her, observing 

 to which side she inclined as she Danced, each striving 

 to be readj' to catch her if she fell. Itali/, percieving 

 what they aimed at, laid hold of the Republick of Venice, 

 and grasping it with both Hands as a Pole to poise her, 

 leap'd and skipp'd at a wonderful rate; sometimes mak- 

 ing as if she would fall to one side, and sometimes to the 

 other, diverting herself with the eagerness of both Parties 

 stretching out their Ai*ms to catch her, and surprizing 

 others with her Skill in recovering herself, and decieving 

 them both. As they stood thus upon the catch, the Hour 

 began, and the King of France seeing no probability of 

 laying hold on her, began to loosen the end of the Rope 

 ■which was fix't in Savoy, that she might come tumbling 

 towards him. The Spanish Monarch percieving it, clapt 

 in the State of Milan and Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily 

 as Supporters. Italy, skipping in the Air, discovered 

 that Venice, which she u.'-ed as a Pole to poise, at the 

 same time crucified her, and therefore casting it from 

 her, and laying hold of the Rope, she said : So much for 

 Rope- Dancing, for it is not for me to rise high, when the 

 Lookers on wish I may fall, and the Pole that should poise 

 crucifies me. Then suspecting the support of Savoy, she 

 betook herself to Rome, saying. Since all are for seizing 

 me, I'le take sanctuary in the Church, where, if I chance to 

 fall, I shall not want some body to absolve me." 



DETDEN AND KING WILLIAM. 



According to Moore, Mem. vol. v. p. 285., 

 Lord Holland, in a conversation with him at 

 Holland House, mentioned as curious the con- 

 stant opportunities which Dryden takes, in his 

 Virgil, of abusing the Dutch and of alluding to 

 King William. As an instance of an allusion to 

 King William he cited the translation of yEn. vi. 

 608. : — 



*' Hie quibus invisi fratres, dum vita manebat, 

 Pulsatusve parens," 



Which passage Dryden renders thus : — 



" There they who brothers' better claim disown, 

 Expel their parents, and usurp the throne." 

 Also^K. vi. 621. : — 



" Vendidit hie auro patriam, dominumque potentem 

 Imposuit." 



Thus translated by Dryden : — 



" To tyrants others have their country sold. 

 Imposing foreign lords for foreign gold." 



The allusion to King William in the latter pas- 

 sage is, as Moore remarks, not very apparent. 

 In the former, however, it is obvious; and, it 

 may be added, is obtained by a perversion of 



the sense of the original, Pulsatus does not, as 



Dryden supposed, signify expelled ^ but struck, 



heaten, assaulted. This sense of the word is 



shown clearly in several passages of Juvenal : — 



" Miserse cognosce prooemia rixae ; 



Si rixa est, ubi tu pulsus, ego vapulo tantum." — iiL 288. 



" Libertas pauperis haec est : 



Pidsatus rogat, etpugtns concisus adorat." — iii. 299. 



See also the passage in xvi. 7 — 12. on the fear of 



the civilian to complain when beaten and bruised 



in the face by a soldier, where the word used is 



pulso. Pulsatio is in fact the proper term for the 



blows given in a boxing match : thus Virgil, in 



describing the encounter of Entellus and Dares, 



says : — 



" Quam multa grandine nimbi 

 Culminibus crepitant ; sic densis ictibus heros 

 Creber utraque manu pulsat versatque Dareta." 



^n. v. 458. 

 The legal acceptations of the word likewise throw 

 light upon its meaning : " Pulsatio pudoris est 

 stuprum vi illatum " (Paull. Sent. v. 4.) " Inter 

 pulsationem et verberationem hoc fere interest, ut 

 Ofilius scribit : verberare est cum dolore csedere, 

 pulsare sine dolore." (Ulpian, ap. Dig. 47. 10. 

 5.) Forcellini remarks that this is a merely 

 technical definition, confined to the Cornelian law, 

 which he is interpreting, and not recognised in 

 the ordinary language. 



The word pidsus was applied to the beating of 

 the arteries ; whence the word pulse in modern 

 languages. L. 



Minor iiatt&. 

 Hymn by the Father of Robertson the Histo- 

 rian. — The reader of the Life of Robertson (Men 

 of Letters of the Time of George HI. p. 231. 

 cd. 1855) will remember that Lord Brougham 

 speaks of his having recovered a sermon, two or 

 three hymns, paraphrases, &c., the production of 

 the historian's father, "showing that good taste, 

 as well as strong but sober reason, came to the 

 great historian by descent as well as by study." 



I have the pleasure of placing a copy of one of 

 these hymns before the readers of " N. & Q.," and 

 I think it will be found to deserve a place in its 

 columns, not merely as a great literary curiosity, 

 but for its own inti-insic merits. E. C. B. 



" John, xiv. 1 — 7. 

 " Let not your hearts with anxious thoughts ' 



Be troubled or dismayed ; 

 But trust in Providence divine, 



And trust my gracious aid. 

 I to my Father's house return ; 



There numerous mansions stand, 

 And glory manifold abounds 

 Through all the happy land. 



" I go A-our entrance to secure, 

 And your abode prepare ; 

 Regions unknown are safe to you, 

 When I, your friend, am there. 



