2»<i S. N« 74., May 80. '67.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



433 



be called the 'Person Scholarship,' " which would 

 be adjudged, as soon as the interest of the money 

 invested, and of its successive accumulations, 

 should produce the annual sum of 65^. 



The capital endowment, in 1854, amounted to 

 2250/. 3 per cent, consols ; and on March 24, 

 1855, Mr. Herbert Snow, of St. John's College, 

 was elected as the first Person Scholar. 



A ''Song h David" by C. Smart (2"'^ S. iii. 

 367.) — The Quarterly, when reviewing 2^he Bri- 

 tish Poets many years ago, then emitted a like ob- 

 servation about the extraordinary origin of this 

 poem, upon the authority of Anderson and Chal- 

 mers, who indulge in some extravagant encomiums 

 upon the merits of the piece, and some unwar- 

 rantable remarks touching the difficulty of pro- 

 curing it. These exciting public curiosity, a 

 reprint of The Song to David was put forth in a 

 small octavo, pp. 55., by Rod well, in 1829 ; and 

 not doubting that I should find therein sufficient 

 vouchers for the story of its having been written 

 in a madhouse, partly with charcoal on the ivaUs, 

 or, indented with a hey on the panels of his cell, 

 I looked Mp the book, but was disappointed, 

 finding nothing more than the assertion of the 

 reviewers, with the unvouched paragraphs of the 

 aforesaid editors. 



The story seems to me an exaggeration, resting 

 upon no better foundation than many more such 

 to be found in the confabulations between John- 

 son and Boswell. 



With respect to the rarity of the poem, there is 

 sufficient evidence that the author printed it in 

 1763 ; it is also found in a Metrical Version of the 

 Psalms, by Smart, 4to., 1765, now before me ; and 

 there being neai-ly nine hundred copies of this 

 subscribed for, The Song to David ought not to 

 have been inaccessible to the editors of The Bri' 

 tish Poets. J. O. 



Outinian Lectures (2"^ S. iii. 291.) — For par- 

 ticulars concerning these and their origin, vide 

 Records of the Oi'igin and Pi'oceedings of the Outi- 

 nian Society, 4to. (pp. 61.), London, Printed by 

 Bulwer & Co., 1818. From which it seems that 

 the society and lectures " owed their existence " to 

 a poem called " Marriage," which first appeared in 

 the Neiu Monthly Magazine, June, July, 1815, and 

 was republished by Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, in 

 1816 and 1817. The society was first called the 

 " Matrimonial Society," under which title a pros- 

 pectus was issued in 1818. The society met at 1 90. 

 Piccadilly, and the first lecture was announced to 

 be delivered in Saville House, Leicester Square, 

 by Rev, Dr. Rivers, on Feb. 18, but was post- 

 poned to March 9. In May the title of the so- 

 ciety and lectures was changed to Utinian, or 

 Outinian, taking for their motto, " Ovns ffioiy ovof/. 

 ead," &c. — ■ Odyssey. 



The lectures were afterwards delivered at Mr. 



Penn's, 10. New Street, Spring Gardens, and ap- 

 pear from reports given in the papers of the day, 

 as quoted in the Records, to have been well and 

 fashionably attended. The 16th and 17th lectures 

 were delivered at Mr. Penn's mansion at Stoke 

 Park. The 4th and subsequent lectures were de- 

 livered by Mr. Richardson. The 19th and 20th 

 at Leamington ; some afterwards at Cheltenham, 

 and the 26th, with a valedictory address, at Stoke 

 Park, on December 31, 1818. From this address 

 it appears that John Penn, Esq. (probably author 

 of the poem) was the founder of the society. The 

 address was repeated in London on Jan. 9, 1819 ; 

 but I have no record of further proceedings, ex- 

 cepting a card of notice of " the 4th lecture on 

 the Marriage State, to be delivered for the 4th 

 time at Mr. Penn's, New Street, July 3, 1819," 

 by Mr. Richardson. W. C, Teeyelyan. 



Wallington. 



" To hnoch under,'" " Knocking under the Table," 

 (2"'^ S. iii. 369.) — I think it more than probable 

 that the origin of " knocking under the table," as 

 signifying submission, or that the person who was 

 "knocked under the table," was conquered, was 

 this : — It is pretty well known by all, too well by 

 those who have unfortunately inherited that pain- 

 ful heir-loom the gout, that our ancestors used 

 frequently to indulge in long "drinking bouts" 

 after dinner ; and it was considered, to their shame 

 be it said, a triumph by him who maintained his 

 head the longest ; and rather a disgrace attached 

 to him who was first " knocked under the table." 



Henbi. 



Cicero makes use of the phrase " manum de ta- 

 bula" (Fam. 7. 25. 1.), i.e. "I remove my hand 

 from off the table," meaning, " I withdraw from 

 the discussion," " I submit." 



Now what a Roman did by taking his hand off 

 the table, and uttering three words — an English- 

 man does by taking his hand in like manner off 

 the table, and (acrl (pwfrjs KaplSdyq. x^pO giving a 

 knock underneath. T. H. Plowman. 



Mumby, Alford. 



Seeing an inquiry regarding the term " knock- 

 ing under," I am anxious to give you what I 

 think must be the origin of the expression : in 

 Devon, it is a term used in saiving, and applicable 

 to the under one of the two ; inasmuch as it is his 

 duty to knock off the handle, in order to withdraw 

 the saw when the work is completed ; the epithet 

 "top-sawyer" is also used as opposed to the 

 "knocker under," — the one meaning a person of 

 first-rate abilities or means, and the other one 

 who yields and submits to his better, — this mean- 

 ing arising from the fact that the "top-sawyer" 

 has more work of importance, and judgment too, 

 than the one who " knocks under." J. B. S. 



CoUumpton. 



