2'«i S. X. July 7. '60.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



15 



of the "Three Bhick Crows." In saying this I 

 do not mean to disparage Mr. Fellowes' book, which 

 many years ago I read with interest, and which 

 ''"must ihave been very popular in its day, as the 

 first edition was published in 1818, and the fourth 

 (now before me) in 1823.. H. P. 



Penzance. 



CENTENARIANISM. 

 (2°'^ S. ix. 438.) 



The possible duration of life in any living crea- 

 ture is not merely a curious, but an important 

 problem, and in relation to man especially, has 

 engaged the attention of countless philosophers, 

 down to Walker of the Original, who was satisfied 

 that men might prolong their existence indefi- 

 nitely ; while Goethe, by another process, came to 

 the conclusion that nobody died till he himself 

 willed it. Upon either of these principles we may 

 imagine the long lists of old-old people which have 

 appeared in your pages, probable. But some way 

 or other, a stern inquirer into evidence, one who 

 wants proofs, is always doomed to disappointment, 

 and without being quite positive, I have very 

 serious doubts whether there is an instance of 

 any human being having completed his hundredth 

 year in modern times. 



It is singular enough that most of the cente- 

 narians recorded hitherto have been Irish, Scotch, 

 or Negroes ; always in the lower classes of society, 

 and where a register of birth is hardly to be looked 

 for ; and yet, without this, the evidence breaks 

 down at once. The nobility and gentry, where 

 these matters are more carefully watched, don't 

 afford a single instance ; not a case occurs in the 

 insurance office registers, though these include a 

 more miscellaneous list, and, a. priore, we might 

 suppose more likely to embrace some long-lived 

 individuals. According to M. S. R. (2""^ S. ix. 

 438.) no less than four persons who were at the 

 battle of Shirreff" Muir reached the age of 100, 

 111, 111, and 124 respectively; but we want the 

 birth-registers and the identification of the par- 

 ties. 



May I hint to your correspondents that in these 

 matters neither assertions, nor even convictions, 

 are of any avail ; and that all such lists show only 

 time wasted, and I may say, Mr. Editor, your 

 valuable paper and ink thrown away, and your 

 still more valuable space occupied with matter of 

 no possible use to any one ? Take the first name 

 in M. S. R.'s roll, John Effingham ; he must have 

 been born in 1613; was made corporal at the 

 battle of the Boyne when 77 — rather slow pro- 

 motion — was wounded at Blenheim when 91, 

 and got his discharge in the reign of George I, 

 year not stated ; but if on the day of his accession, 

 at the age of 101. Now I am not going to deny 

 the possibility of all or any of these statements ; 



but surely I should want some better evidence 

 than the Public Advertiser of Feb, 18, 1757, in 

 which month he is said to have died. 



We now and then find in the obituaries of our 

 periodicals notices of deaths at or over 100; and 

 I am sure that your correspondents who might 

 have a chance of really sifting these statements 

 would be conferring a benefit upon your readers 

 by giving them the result of a detailed and trust- 

 worthy examination. I think such an one is 

 noticed in the Gentleman's Mag. for this month, 

 as occurring in Cornwall ; and a person living in 

 the neighbourhood would find the investigation 

 both curious and instructive. It must, however, 

 be borne in mind that the child has been mistaken 

 for the parent, and that two children have been 

 named alike — the elder dying and the younger 

 taking the additional years, and getting the credit 

 of the prior register. J. R. M. D. 



Derivation of Shakspere (2"* S. ix. 459.) — 

 Mb. Charnock's derivation of Shakspere from 

 Sigisbert might be a little amended. The ending 

 be?; per, in personal names is not a corruption of 

 bert or pert, illustrious, but, according to the 

 unanimous opinion of the German philologists, is 

 from bero, pero, bear ; and there is in fixct an O. 

 G. name Sigipero (see Forstemann's Altdeutsches 

 Namenbuch). We do not find the name Sigi«pero, 

 but as sigis (which is a Gothic form) appears in 

 many of the same compounds as sig, e. g. Sigiberfc 

 and Sigisbert, Sigifred and Sigisfred, Sigimar 

 and Sigismar, Sigimund and Sigismund, we should 

 be warranted in assuming a name Sigisper ; and 

 as the High Germ, form sic for sig runs through 

 the whole group, we should have the name Sicis- 

 per. 



Now though the change of Sicisper into Shak- 

 spere would scarcely be justified on etymological 

 principles, it might be accounted for by the con- 

 tinual inclination to twist names into something 

 like a meaning. 



But a formidable opponent to Mb. Charnock's 

 theory advances from the ranks of the London 

 Directory, in the form of a Mr. Shaheshaft. He 

 brandishes his weapon, and prepares to do battle 

 for the ancient theory. I think that Mb. Chab- 

 NOCK must slay this champion before he can esta- 

 blish his new regime. Robebt Febguson. 



Pencil Writing (2"'1 S. ix.'403.) — S. B. in- 

 quires when black-lead or other such like material 

 was first used for writing? Martial, in the Four- 

 teenth Book of his Epigrams, which contains in- 

 scriptions to accompany the apophoreta, which it 

 was customary to present to guests at banquets, 

 suggests as one suitable for the gift of an ivory 

 tablet, — 



" Languida ne tristes obscurent lumina cerse, 

 Nigra tibi niveum Utera pingat ebur," — Ep. 5. 



