2°«» S. VIIL, Skpt. 10. '53.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



215 



of countries and cities. These lists include all 

 those given by this correspondent, with a few 

 variations, and a great many others. Copious, 

 however, as they are, they will be very considera- 

 bly augmented in the new edition which will 

 shortly appear. This will also contain a very 

 large number of additional saints and emblems. 



F. C. H. 



ABIGAIL HILL. 



(2"'J S. viii. 9. 57. 155.) 



Your correspondent Ithuriel gives no new 

 light on " the connection between Abigail Hill 

 and the Harley family." It has been always 

 known that Lady Masham stood in exactly the 

 same degree of relationship to Lord Treasurer 

 Harley and to Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, 

 viz. that of first cousin once removed. The 

 cousinship to Sarah Jennings is traceable enough ; 

 but I find no trace whatever how a similar re- 

 lationship had arisen with Harley. Probably the 

 record is preserved in the Hoare family, who, as 

 far as I am aware, are the sole descendants of 

 Lord and Lady Masham. 



The Conduct of the Duchess of Marlborough, 

 written (professedly) by herself, must be pretty 

 notorious to most readers of " N. & Q." as a work 

 in which she vents her rancour oa persons and 

 things in general, and particularly on Lady 

 Masham and all belonging to her. As Ithuriel, 

 however, quotes from it as from ^ text-book, it 

 is only fair, and accordant with your invariable 

 impartiality, to admit, on the other hand, a few 

 testimonies illustrating the character of the work 

 and its noble authoress : — 



" For above twenty years she possessed without a rival 

 the favour of the most indulgent mistress in the world, 

 nor ever missed one single opportunity that fell in her 

 way, of improving it to her own advantage. She pre- 

 served a tolerable court reputation with respect to love 

 and gallantrj' ; but three furies reigned in her breast, the 

 most mortal enemies to all softer passions, which were 

 sordid avarice, disdainful pride, and ungovernable rage. 

 By the last of these, often breaking out in sallies of the 

 most unpardonable sort, she had long alienated her sove- 

 reign's mind, before it appeared to the world. This lady 

 is not without some degree of wit, and has in her time 

 affected the character of it, by the usual method of argu- 

 ing against religion, and proving the doctrines of Chris- 

 tianity to be impossible and absurd. Imagine what such 

 a spirit, irritated by the loss of power, favour, and em- 

 ployment, is capable of acting or attempting; and then 

 I have said enough." — Four Last Years of the Queen; 

 Scott's ed. of Swift, v. 27. 



Miss Strickland writes (^Queens of England, viii. 

 104.:) — 



" Lady Marlborough's arrogance had become absolutely 

 maniacal." 



"Thwarted ambition, great wealth, and increasing 

 years (said Lord Haile) rendered the Duchess of Marl- 

 borough more and more peevish. She hated courts over 

 which she had no influence, and she became at length 



the most ferocious animal that is suffered to go_ loose, — a 

 violent party-woman." 



Dr. Warton (Essay on Pope, vol. ii. 200.) re- 

 lates that, in the last illness of the Duke, the 

 Duchess, disliking the advice of his physician, fol- 

 lowed him down stairs, swore at him bitterly, and 

 was going to tear off his periwig. 



The above may appear sufficient, but, in truth, 

 no pen could fully paint the Duchess but her own. 

 Pope's "great Atossa" showed "the ruling passion 

 strong in death," and, by her own account, de- 

 parted this life in perfect hatred to all the world. 

 Almost the last lines which she penned are the 

 following (1737): — 



" It is impossible one of my age and infirmities can live 

 long; and one great happiness of death is, that one shall 

 never hear any more of anything they do in this world." 



Lector Westmonasteriensis, 



COCK AND BULL STORIES. 



(1" S. iv. 312. ; V. 414. ; vi. 14G.) 



One correspondent refers the origin of this 

 phrase to the tale of " the painter who drew a 

 misshapen cock upon a signboard, and wrote 

 under it, ' This is a Bull.' " (vi. 146.) Your 

 readers will probably consign such an etymo- 

 logy to the same limbo as that in which- is shut 

 up the explanation of the word Cochney, from the- 

 story of the Londoner and the neighing cock. In 

 vol. V. 414. we are reminded of Dr. G. S. Faber's 

 ipse dixit, that the correct form of the phrase is 

 " Cock-on-a-bell stories," as referring to " the fa- 

 bulous narratives of Popery." But Dr. Maitlancl 

 has shown in the same volume, p. 447., that this 

 learned controversialist has misquoted Reinerius, 

 whom he adduces as his authority for the asser- 

 tion that " Gallus- super- Campanam was the ec- 

 clesiastical hieroglyphic for a Bomish priest ; "" 

 inasmuch as what Reinerius really does say is, 

 " Gallus super campanile significat Doctorem," a 

 simple and intelligible statement of a fact well 

 known to the merest dabbler in ecclesiology, and 

 having nothing on earth to do with either bulls or 

 bells. 



I can see little or no difficulty in the phrase. 

 Is it not drawn from the old-fashioned fables, in 

 which cocks and bulls, et hoc genus omne, are 

 made to talk with human voices ? Monstrum hor- 

 7'endum! Two quotations immediately occur to 

 me, which seem to show that the phrase has at 

 least been commonly so understood. Mat. Prior 

 thus closes his " Riddle — On Beauty :" — 



" For this I willingly decline 

 The mirth offcasts, and joys of wine ; 

 And choose to sit and talk with thee, 

 (As thy great orders jnay decree,) 

 Of cocks and bulls, and flutes and fiddles. 

 Of idle tales, and foolish riddles." 



