368 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2nd s. No 71., Mat 9. '67. 



phrase, " a good lenten answer," is used in much 

 the same way. 



Now, it is difficult to suppose that the " com- 

 putation of Easter" has anything to do with either 

 of these passages. May there not rather be an 

 allusion to the buffooneries of the Carnival ? and 

 may not a " Good Friday's argument," or " lenten 

 answer," be the argument or answer one would 

 expect from a masquerader, in Lent, during Car- 

 nival ? 



Shakspeare probably gives the more correct and 

 usual phrase. Jewel seems to have varied it more 

 for the sake of taking up his adversary's words, 

 — who has been talking of Good Friday just be- 

 fore, — than for any other reason. T. H. P n. 



Mumby, Afford. 



Person Fund. — Can any one inform me who, 

 besides Dr. Burney and Mr. J. Cleaver Bankes, 

 were the trustees of the fund raised for Porson's 

 benefit after he resigned his fellowship at Trinity; 

 and what became of that fund after his death ? 

 More than 1500^. were subscribed (I believe 

 nearly 2000Z.) ; and the sum appropriated to the 

 foundation of the "Person Prize" (in 1816) can 

 have been little more than half the amount of the 

 interest which is presumed to have accumulated 

 since his death in 1808. Q. (1.) 



" Wooden Walls" when first applied to English 

 Ships of War. — Whitelocke, who was sent by 

 Cromwell on a mission to Sweden in 1653-4, 

 having been asked by the queen whether the 

 ships which accompanied him belonged to the go- 

 vernment or private individuals, thus answered : 

 "The dominions of the Commonwealth consist- 

 ing of islands, our chiefest defence is our navy ; 

 our best bulwarks are those wooden walls." Did 

 this term, now applied to the English navy 

 throughout the world, originate with Whitelocke, 

 Cromwell's minister, or was it known before his 

 time ? W. W. 



Mafta. 



Fumadoes. — Among whets for the appetite. 

 Burton (^Anat. Mel.) mentions fumadoes. Am I 

 right in supposing that these were smoked fish ? 

 Sausages are there spoken of as salsages. 



Henrt T. Rilet. 



The Irish Harp. — It is known from history that 

 one of the Earls of Ross, called Donald of the 

 Isles, was killed in the castle of Inverness by a 

 piper or harper. In a MS. belonging to the 

 family of Ross of Balnagown, the death of Donald 

 is thus related : — 



" Tlie said Donald was slain in the Castle of Inverness 

 by a clalrshear that pfayed on a clairsha [^clairshach, the 

 harp], in the year 1461. The cfairshear said he would 

 play a sprin,'^ that Donald never heard before nor yet 

 after, and so cutted his throat, for the said Donald slew 

 his father." 



Was the clairshach common to the Scottish as 

 to the Irish Celts at this period ; and if so, when 

 was it superseded by the big pipe or bagpipe ? 



Cs. 

 Rhoswitha. — Who was the Saxon nun of this 

 name, mentioned by Southey in his Doctor, as 

 " her country's wonder in the tenth century ? " 



A. S. A. 

 Costume of the Liverymen of London. — la 

 the Index to a work called the British Chrono- 

 logist it is stated " London had its Common- 

 council first wear blue mazarine gowns Sept. 14, 

 1761." On reference to that date in the body 

 of the work, viz., vol. iii. p. 367., it is stated : 



" The Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common-council of 

 London waited on their Majesties and the Princess 

 Dowager with their addresses of congratulation. The 

 Common-councilmen were all dressed in new mazarine 

 blue silk gowns lined with fur." 



Was this, then, the first time of the members 

 of the Common Council assuming this costume ? 

 or did they only have new gowns ? If the latter, 

 were the gowns formerly worn by them of " maza- 

 rine blue silk lined with fur ? " C. L. L. 



Clan, or Clam Pits. — What is the origin of the 

 word " Clan " or " Clara Pits," as it is frequently 

 found in Devon and Dorset as the name of certain 

 localities in small towns ? J. B. S. 



" Tally-ho / " — Is the etymology of this word 

 to be found in the following verses, from — 



" The Norfolk Garland : or the Death of Eetnard 



the Fox. By Sir W m Y ge. To the Tune of 



A. Begging tve will go." 



" He quickly found the Cover 

 Too hot for him to stay. 

 And soon Ned Callet spy'd him 

 Stealing across the W&y. 



And a Hunting we will go, Sfc, 



" ToLLE Aux ! then Callet cry'd, 

 And gave a Gibbet Shrill : 

 He toss'd his Brush, as who sliould say, 

 Come kiss it if you will. 



And a Hunting we will go, S^c." 

 This song is published in A New Miscellany, 

 London, printed for A. Moore, 1730. In the 

 same song, — 



" HoAiNX ! crys my Lord." 



CuTHBEHT BeDE. 



Epigram Wanted. — Wanted the name of the 

 composer of the following : — 



" How wisely Nature, ordering all below, 

 Forbade a beard on woman's chin to grow ! 

 For how could she be shaved whate'er the skill, 

 Whose tongue would never let her chin be still?" 



J. K. D. 



De la Marche Family, — Any person giving in- 

 formation respecting the French family of " De la 

 Marcke, " or who can name any peerage in which 



