424 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2"^ s. VII. May 21. '59. 



him that people had somehow altered the time. 

 "But, Sir," he added, "you may alter the times 

 just as often as you like, but God Almighty He 

 don't take no count of that ; you can't make Him 

 go no faster nor no slower, do what you will." 



R. E. B. 



Note on Mr. Froudes '■''History of Evgland" 

 (2""^ S. vii. 383) — Your correspondent Laicus 

 has, I think, missed the intention of my remarks 

 at pp. 274-5. of this volume. My object was, not 

 to call in question the use, or misuse, of theologi- 

 cal terms by Mr. Froude, but rather to show that, 

 giving him the utmost freedom to place what 

 construction he pleases on the terminology he 

 adopts, he has committed himself to a dilemma 

 from which it is not easy to see how he can escape. 

 I have already observed that Mr. Froude is not alone 

 in using the term "real^presence" as equivalent to 

 " transubstantiation ;" and Laicus informs us that 

 in this case he is borne out by the original docu- 

 ments. On any supposition as to the employ- 

 ment of phrases, Mr. Froude's observations on 

 Lambert's trial amount to this : that Lambert was 

 condemned and executed for denying reasons 

 which had been held orthodox since a.d. 38, that 

 is to say, during, as well as subsequent to, the 

 times of the apostles. Thus, in a rhetorical flourish, 

 Mr. Froude insinuates a statement which strikes 

 at all eucharistic doctrine ; for, I presume, all 

 sects of Christians would be content with what 

 was received as orthodox in a.d. 38. I may ob- 

 serve that I first read the passage in the 1st edition, 

 and thought it must be a printer's error. But 

 when I referred to the 2nd edition of Mr. Froude's 

 work (which professes, I believe, to be revised 

 and corrected), and found the words precisely as 

 in the former impression, I then was obliged to 

 accept it as a deliberate assertion of the author of 

 the Nemesis of Faith. Archibald Weir. 



Enfield. 



The Imprisonment of Queen Isabella {the Fair) 

 (2°^ S. vii. 319.) — Historians relate that she was 

 incarcerated for a period of twenty-eight years, 

 and until the time of her decease ; but if she were 

 imprisoned, it would seem not to have been alto- 

 gether without some relaxation, as appears from 

 the subsequent authority. In the British Mu- 

 seum there is a'Cottonian MS. (Galba, E. 14.), 

 labelled Compotus Hospitii Regince Isahellce, 32 

 Edw. Ill, which is of indubitable authenticity. 

 This book begins with Monday, 1st January, 135|^, 

 the first of April following having been Easter- 

 day, and it is recorded that on Friday, the 20th of 

 that month, Isabella was at Shene, when Le Comte 

 de Tancarville*, the Countesses of Pembroke and 

 Warren, et alii Magnates, dined with her; and it 



* The Count de Tancarville was taken prisoner at the 

 battle of Poitiers, on Monday, 19 September, 1356, nine- 

 teen months anterior. 



is stated she left Shene the next day. On the fol- 

 lowing Thursday, 26th April, she was at Shene 

 again, where she received Joan her daughter, who 

 was married to David Bruce, King of Scotland. 

 Three days later, viz. Sunday, 29th April, Edw. 

 III., with Isabella, his eldest daughter, and the 

 Earl of March (restored), supped with her. Isa- 

 bella being the hostess, and entertaining such 

 noble guests on these occasions, would indicate 

 that she was then at least free from restrsKnt. *. 



Scottish Capital Punishments (2°^ S. vii. 357.) 

 — Had R. S. F. examined vol. ii. of Chambers's 

 Domestic Annals of Scotland, from vol. i. of which 

 book I suppose the extracts given in his Note 

 were taken, as they are to be found there — he 

 would have seen (p. 243.), under the date of June, 

 1657, that — 



" Offences of a horrible and unnatural kind continued 

 to abound to a degree which makes the daylight profli- 

 gacy of the subsequent reign shine white in comparison. 

 ' More,' says Nicoll, ' within these six or seven years nor 

 within these fifty years preceding and more.' Culprits of 

 all ages, from boys to old men, are heard of every few 

 months as burnt on the Castle Hill of Edinburgh, some- 

 times two together. Young women, who had murdered 

 their own infants — on one occasion it was ' ane pretty 

 3'oung gentill woman' — were frequently brought to the 

 same scene of punishment. John Nicoll states that in 

 one day, the 15th Oct. 1656, five persons, two men and 

 three women, were burnt on the Castle Hill for offences 

 of the several kinds here glanced at ; while two others 

 were scourged through the city for minor degrees of the 

 same ofl'ences." 



Mr. Chambers then continues : — " Burnings of 

 warlocks and witches were of not less appalling 

 frequency." 



All who wish to understand the history of Scot- 

 land during the sixteenth and seventeenth cen- 

 turies should read Mr. Chambers's work. 



J. G. Morten. 



Verguhretus, Mandubratns, Cassivelaunus (2""* 

 S. iii. 91.) — Brent, hrentat in modern Armorican 

 signify a " pleading," to " plead." Breth, hreith, 

 brauth, bres, in Irish and Kymric, are a " sen- 

 tence," a "judgment." Breith, brawdwr, brodit, in 

 Cornish, signify a judge. Isidore of Seville, in 

 his Glossary, explains Virgobrethus by the Latin 

 words nomen mngistratus ; and in a glose of a MS. 

 from the convent of Bobbio, Firbrithem is trans- 

 lated by verus judex. So the sense of the last 

 syllable of the two words Ferg-obret and Mandu- 

 brat, seems to be ascertained beyond any reason- 

 able doubt. Mand, mant, signifies high, " moun- 

 tainous" : hence, Mantua, Mantala, Mandubii, 

 Mantes, Cartismandm. A roof, in Kymric, is 

 Mando. The translation of Mandubrat would be 

 "High Judge." — As to Vergobret, the word is to 

 be decomposed into three parts : Vir-go-bretus, 

 or Fer-co-breith, perhaps Feer-guerg-breith. The 

 marvellous uncertainty and fluidity of Keltic or- 

 thography is well known. Fer, the initial sylla- 



