276 



NOTES AND QUEEIES. 



[2n4S.VII.Ai'RiL2.'59. 



Brother James, now Secretary of State, a.d. 

 1700." The poem gives a description of Oxford 

 and its environs — of " Christ Ch., the Dean, the 

 Chapitre" — of the " Physick Gardens, the Vines, 

 Apricocks, Jessime, Sensitive PI." — of "Port- 

 mead, where horses feed in common" — of " The 

 Caussey which leads to New Parkes ; Exercises ; 

 People walking ; Cattle feeding ; Schollars that 

 dispute as they walk" — of " Bullington Green; 

 the Play of Stow-ball" — of " Leaping, Wrestling, 

 Playing at Quoits ; Making Trimtrams with 

 Rushes and Flowers," &c., &c. And of old Mother 

 Louse and Louse-hall it discourseth thus : — 



" Near Nor- Quam propb, famisonum fas sit mihi quse- 



thampton rere tectum, 



Road stands, Non oculis hinc conspicuum, aed mente 

 &c. petendum. 



(Vos quibus est altas sedes spectare Yo- 



luptas, 

 Atque unus labor est urbes lustrare Vi- 



dendo, 

 H&c mecum torquete pedes, et vertite 



mentes.) 

 Stat Domus Antiques multum celebrata 



per annos, 

 Obsita virgultis, et sylvse junctafrequenti. 

 Nomen habet, Titulosque animale recepit 



ab illo, 

 Quod citb sex pedibus miserorum terga 



pererrans, 

 Crudeles morsus, et perfida vulnera figit. 

 Atque solo totidem pedibus distare vi- 



detur. 



Hanc Aulam faciles appellavere Nepotes 

 Dissimilem Regum templis, caret ilia 



columnis 

 Marmoreis, non hie auro laquearia squal- 



lent, 

 Pulvere sed crasso obducta, et fuligine 



nigra 

 Horrescunt; totaque domo, patulisque 



fenestris, 

 Non interruptas pertexit Aranea telas. 



The old Wo- Hanc tenet immortalis Anus, quse lecta 

 man of Louse coquendo 



Hall. Hordea, turn puros libando h paupere cella 



Cervesse succos, labentes sustinet annos. 

 Paulatim in faraam crevit Domus, ilia 



Juventa3 

 Pastorum, et pingui nimium benfe nota 



colono. 

 Quin etiam hie pluviis, et tempestatibus 



actus 

 Abscondit caput, et tuta latet arce Viator. 

 Hie nivibus gravis, et Boreali percitus 



imbre 

 Excutit iBrumnas, et praedas explicat au- 



ceps. 

 Saepe die festo, musarum cultor ab urbe 

 Currit, et attonitus Cervesse munera laudat. 

 Quos omnes gremio bene sedula Mater 



anili 

 Excipit, et magno plausu dimittit euntes. 

 Vix tu Gallinas tectis sperare sub illis 

 Auderes,aot fumosam tibi poscere Pernam, 

 Nota tamen refero, saepe invenere petentes. 

 Denique Nobilium non invida fercula 



Pompis 



Louse-Hall. 



Domus sex 

 pedes alta. 



Exornant tenues, et Candida lintea mensas. 

 His magnis est Major anus, quae plurima 



condit 

 Ipsa dapes, hilari vultu, multoque lepore. 

 Viuat Anus, quae cana caput, nee dentibus 



ullis 

 Aspera, Cervesam meliorem nectare pro- 



mit, 

 Atque Hecubam formS. quam vincit, vin- 



cat et annis. 



Ast ego fabellas solitus ridere jocosas, 

 Mirarique graves fusco de pec'tore voces, 

 Et quam longa dedit rerum experientia 



Barbara, 

 Pro tantis meritis, et pura crimine vita, 

 Et pro Cervesa semper sine fraude recocta, 

 Hoc tibi promitto. Veniet quum Jupiter 



Hospes, 

 Mutabit pellem, et fies de Baucide Numen, 

 Vicinisque simul pagis, et ab urbe coleris. 

 Tu quoque stramineo quondam Domus 



Horrida culmo, 

 Cuj us inaequales sustentant pondera postes, 

 Quanquam non Pario lucent tibi msenia 



saxo, 

 Nee te Praxiteles, nee te deeoravit Apelles. 

 Sed tituli obscuras dedit ipse Pediculus 



umbras, 

 Dum tamen innoeuis latitas domus hospita 



Musis, 

 Et tua Castalios exundant pocula rivos. 

 Semper honore meo, semper celebrabere 



versu, 

 Oxoniique altas inter cantaberis arces. 

 Sed Lusi satis, et me nunc ad seria volvo." 

 As the Oxonium Poema is rare, and appears to 

 have escaped the notice of Dr. Bliss and others 

 who have made mention of Mother Louse, this 

 minute and contemporary description of the fa- 

 mous ale-wife may not be altogether uninterest- 

 ing to the readers of " N. & Q." An account of 

 these old ale-wives and cooks forms a yet un- 

 written page in the history of our university life 

 and customs. I therefore hope to add to the pre- 

 sent contribution (at some future opportunity) by 

 a brief memoir of a modern eccentric descendant 

 of the Mother Louse tribe ; and I trust that the 

 present Note may suggest farther communications 

 on college ale-wives, and "the founders of our 

 antient academical hostels." Cothbert Bede. 



Mttmv ^atts. 



Grant from the Prior, ^c. of St. John the Bap- 

 tist Without, Dublin^ of Two Messuages in Kinsale 

 to Richard Ronan. — The following will be read 

 with interest by the Dublin correspondents of 

 " N. & Q." The original deed is among the Ro- 

 nan papers preserved with the Sars6eld MSS. : — 



" S. p t' f. quod nos Walterus Ludlow prior et conventus 

 domus Sancti Johannis Baptisti extra novam portam 

 Civitatis Dublinie de unanimi consensu et assensu dedi- 

 mus Ricardo. Ronan mercatori ville de Kynsalle terciam 

 partem duorum messuagiorum cum suia pertinentiis in 



