2nd s. NO 64., Jan. 10. '67.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



21 



LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1857. 



lATiN POEMS OP JOHA.KNBS OPICICS : MANUSCRIPT3 

 AT WHITEHAI'I', TEMP. CAR. I. 



In the Cottonian MS. Vespasian, B, lY., is pre^ 

 served a small collection of Latin poems, addressed 

 by the author, Johannes Opicius, to King Henry 

 VII., and dated in 1497. This was doubtless the 

 presentation copy to the king, and is finely written 

 on vellum, with the royal arms emblazoned on 

 the first leaf. The contents are of some historical 

 interest, and are as follows : 



« 1. De Henrici Angliaa et Franciae Regis in Galliam 

 progressu. 



" 2. De Ejusdem Regis laudibus, sub prajtextu inclitffi 

 rosa) purpureffi, per Dialogum. 



"3. Ejusdem Job. Opicii Exhortatio, ut Christi nata- 

 liciujn concelebrant ; ad eundeni invictissimum Regem. 

 1497, 



" 4. Laus Deo pro successu felici Henrici Regis. 



" 5. Ad eundem serenissimum Regem libelli oblatio." 



This last poem is in fourteen lines, and may be 

 quoted, to show the youthful genius of the writer. 

 It is also remarkable for the allusions to the 

 various presents accustomed to be made to the 

 king, probably, on New Year's Day. 



" Rex, precor, accipias nostra? servata Camoense 

 Dona tibi, posito (qusso) supercilio. 

 Jam tibi permultis mittunt, Kex, munera rebus 

 Miigna viri : sortis munera quisque suae. 

 Hie gemmas ; alter conchas ; et serica donant 

 Balsama ; Phidiaca signa dolata manu. 

 Sunt qui quas Zeuxis, tabulas quas pinxit Apelles, 

 Ast ego fortuijas porrigo dona meaj. 

 Qu£e sale sint, fateor, quamvis aliena Latino, 

 Non tamen hsec setas noscere cuncta potest. 

 Imberbi necnon hsec sum modulatus avena, 

 Nee tetigere mei bis duo lustra dies. 

 Arboribus primo fructus edentur acerbi. 

 Tempore mox fiunt mitia poma suo." 



In sending the above notice of these poems, I 

 have, however, chiefly in view the communication 

 of a curious note written on the fly-leaf at the 

 end of the volume, in hands of the first half of the 

 seventeenth century. 



" In the privy closet at Whitthall ar the manuscripts, 



"New testament in English, old, given by doctor 

 Briggis, — in 8. [now MS. Reg. 1. A. 12.] 



"The pshater [Psalter?] in latin, well limmed, — 8. 

 [perhaps MS. Reg. 2. A. 16.] 



" The Apocalips, in lattin, limmed in pictures, given by 

 Johan, Quene of Scotts, to Dabingdon Abbay in Scotland, 

 in Ed. 3. time, — fol. 



" Part of the old testament in latin, from Job to Daniell, 

 every page 4 colloms, wherof two ar pictures limned, and 

 two ar the text, with an interpretation, — fol. 



" Discription of the holy places in scripture, dedicated 

 to H. 8., in french, — 4*". [now MS. Reg. 20. A. 4.] 



" Divers Book of the Knights of the garter, — 4'°. [per- 

 haps MS. Reg. 12. A. 42.] 



" A treatis in french to King H. 8. wrighten with the 

 Lady Eliz. his daughter hand, — 16. 



"A treatis in french to Charlemayn, of K. Pippins 

 cherry ortchard. 



" An Italian dialogg of Sebastian and Mullimet hamet, 

 of the worth of Civill oranges. 



" A volume of 15 decades of the force and virtue of the 

 juce of Limmons. 



" Ten tomes of Rabloys [Rabelais], in praise of Tobacco 

 dust. 



" A hott discourse of the North east windes in Lap- 

 land. 



"A coolingcard for the Sicilian Monguball [Mount 

 Etna]. - 



" A comparison betwixt S'' Jhon Canberryes wealthe 

 and his witt. 



" A famous discourse of sawdust and siccamore seedes." 



I am unable at present to identify all of the 

 MSS. above specified, as now existing in the Old 

 Royal Collection, and some may have been lost in 

 the interval between the removal of the library 

 from Whitehall to St. James's, in 1648, and the 

 Restoration. 



It will be doubtless perceived, that the eight 

 last items of the list of MSS. (which are in a later 

 hand) are ironical, and it is diflicult to imagine 

 how or wherefore such a travesty of the former 

 portion should have been made. Who was the 

 Sir John Canberry, whose wealth is here alluded 

 to ? . r. Madden. 



POPE AND PROFESSOE MOOR, ETC. 



In one instance Pope was as severely lashed as 

 he lashed others in his Dunciad. The following 

 verses, in which he receives his share of casti- 

 gation, are transcribed from the MS. of the emi- 

 nent Professor of Greek in the University of 

 Glasgow, James Moor, LL.D., who filled that 

 chair from 1746 till he resigned in 1774. The 

 verses are taken from a copy of the Greek Gram- 

 mar which was used by the Professor (himself the 

 author) in instructing his college class. It is 

 interleaved with writing-paper, on which he has 

 occasionally recorded, without any order, such 

 random observations in prose and poetry as his 

 well-known humour had dictated ; and among 

 these membra disjecta some are of a very original 

 character. 



" Epigram 1. 

 " St. John and Pope, this mark is on your grave, 

 That one a villain was, and one a knave." 



" Epigram 2. 

 " St. John did brother Pope, himself beknave. 

 And stamp'd it everywhere, but on his grave ; 

 And villain St. John shall a villain gleam, 

 While one drop flows fiom Helicon's fair stream. 

 Yet not to quench for thee Hell's flaming fire, 

 But make it hotter burn and blaze the higher, 

 The red hot iron and blazing sulphur strive, 

 The flame of thy Hell-crown to keep alive. 

 While endless ages in rotation drive, 

 And through each period find it still alive." 



' Dryden the Hind, and Pope the Fox, 

 Both court the Muse in the wrong box ; 



