Mar. 13. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



24? 



devastation along the banks of the Rhone. It is 

 spoken of by Seneca, and other writers of his 

 time; and the E;nperor Augustus is said to have 

 raised a temple to it during his residence in Gaul. 



Has any attempt been made, in this age of 

 scientific advancement, to explain the causes of 

 the Mistral ? Perhaps Sir William Reid, from 

 his present position and opportunities, as Governor 

 of Malta, may be induced to turn his attention to 

 the subject. An attempt to investigate the origin 

 of this phenomenon, coupled with an historical 

 sketch of its progress and effects, would form a 

 valuable chapter in any future Cilition of his work 

 on the Law of Storms. Henry H. Bkeen. 



St. Lucia. 



Deaths from Fasting. — In the church of St. 

 Mary, Bury St. Edmund's, is a fine table-toinb, 

 surmounted by a corpse in a winding-sheet, to 

 the memory of John Bant, whose very curious 

 will has been printed by the Camden Society. 

 Tradition says that the death of this pious church 

 decorator arose from the vain attempt to imitate 

 Our Lord in fasting forty successive days and 

 nights. This tradition has no foundation in fact, 

 but owes its origin to tiie figure on the tomb, 

 which would appear to have been made in the 

 lifetime of the deceased. There are similar tra- 

 ditions in other parts of the kingdom. Can any 

 of your correspondents state where, and whether 

 accompanied by similar wasted figures ? 



BUBIENSIS. 



Ad Viscum. — It has not been unusual among 

 antiquaries of a certain class to cite the following 

 Latin hexameter: — 

 " Ad viscum Druidae ! Druidae clamare quotannis." 



Two or three times I have seen it accompanied 

 by a general reference to one Ovidius. But having 

 met with a copy of that author, to which an index 

 of all his words is annexed, I collect therefrom that 

 the said Ovidius never expressed himself to that 

 effect, 



I should wish to learn whether any body else 

 ever did, and who ; or whether the knave who 

 first coined that false reference also coined the 

 line. A. X. 



Whipping Graves. — Excommunicated persons 

 were formerly restored to the Church, according 

 to the old Rituale Romanum, by the ceremony of 

 Avhipping their graves. When it was resolved 

 the dead party should be restored to tlie commu- 

 nion of saints, it was ordered that the body should 

 not be disentombed, but that the "graves shall be 

 whipped, and while the priest whips the grave, 

 he shall say — 'By the authority which I have 

 received I free thee from the bond of excommu- 

 nication, and restore thee to the communion of 

 the faithful.'" I do not find this in the copy of 

 the. Ritual I possess. Have any readers of the 



"N. & Q." a copy with the directions for this 

 singular service ? Cykus Redding. 



John Rogers, Protomartyr, Prebendary of St. 

 Paul's Cathedral, and Rector of St. Sepulchre's, 

 was burnt at the stake in Smithfield, rendering 

 his testimony to the true religion of the CathoHi? 

 Church of England : he left a wife and ten chil- 

 dren. It is remarkable that no memorial of this 

 celebrated man is to be found in the church of 

 which he was the rector. Can any of the readers 

 of " N. & Q." afford information as to his present 

 descendants ? John Rogers, Gentleman, of Charter 

 House Square, was buried in the nave of the 

 ciiurch, Nov. 19. 1775, aged fifty-four. The 

 degree of consanguinity to the former rector is 

 required for genealogical purposes. Kt. 



Autograph Music by Handel. — Before me lies a 

 ]\IS. duet in the autograph of Handel, and also 

 an unfinished "Sonata da Cembalo" by the same 

 composer. The former piece is thus authen- 

 ticated by a note written at the bottom of the last 

 page : 



" This duett was p;iven to G. Malcliair by Philip 

 Hayes, Mus. Dr., with a declaration that it is 31r. 

 Handel's ohne handwriting," 



On the wrapper which contains the two pieces.' 

 is written : 



'■ The two inclosed pieces of music toare given tome 

 by mv worthy friend Dr. Philip Hayes, with ait 

 ashumnce that they are the handwriting of the cele- 

 brated Mr. Handel. The duett, indeed, has all the 

 appearance of being the original conj;eption of that 

 greate man pen'd by himself." 



I am desirous of ascertaining from some of your 

 correspondents, better versed than myself in the 

 soul-stirring music of this noble composer, whether 

 the duet has been printed ; and if so, where it may 

 be found ? The only means of identification 

 which I can supply are these : it is written in two 

 flats, and the words are — 



" Va, va, speipe infida pur va non ti credo." 



W. Spareow Simpson, B..'^, 



The Layard Family. — The ancestor of A. H. 

 Layard, tlie youthful and everywhere celebrated 

 "Navorscher" of Nineveh, came to England with. 

 William of Orange. He fought under this prince 

 at the battle of the Boyne. I would ask, whetlier 

 anythinsj is known of his genealogy before 1688 ? 



^ ° ,. , ..°:... Q.Q.Q. 



Zeist. . „ ...,.,. 



C. L. A. A. P. D. P. — The famous Avis aux, 

 Refugiez, a work commonly attributed to Bayle» 

 pretends on its title-page to have been written 

 " Par Mons. C. L. A. A. P. D. P." Who can tell 

 me whether these initials have anv purport ? 



N. P. BiBLIOPHILUS, 



I Rotterdam, . ■ '. 



