^52 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2nd S. VIII. Sept. 24. '59-. 



suppose that these old giants were destroyed when Guild- 

 hall was " much daranify'd " by the fire of London in 

 1666. The present giants were carved by Richard Saun- 

 ders, and set up in the Hall in 1708. We are inclined to 

 think that these renowned figures are more connected 

 with Corinseus andGotmagot, or Gogmagog of the ^nno- 

 rican Chronicle, quoted by Geoffrey of Monmouth, than 

 the Gog and Magog of the Bible. Mr. Douce informs us, 

 that " in a very modern edition of the Rovfiance of the 

 History and Destruction of Troy, it is stated that Brute, 

 the son of Antenor, made a voyage to Britain, where, 

 aided by the remaining natives, who had been conquered 

 by Albion and his brother giants, he made war against 

 this usurper, whom he slew in a bloody conflict, taking 

 prisoners his brothers Gog and Magog, who were led in 

 triumph to London, and chained, as porters, to the gate 

 of a palace built by Brute on the present site of Guild- 

 hall . ' in memory of which,' says the Editor of the 

 Romance, ' their effigies, after their death, were set up as 

 they now appear in Guildhall.' As this account is not in 

 the older copies of the Troy book, the Editor has either 

 invented it, or retailed some popular tradition." (Smith's 

 Ancient Topography of London, 4to,, 1816.) The name of 

 Corinaeus has gradually sunk into oblivion, and Gogma- 

 gog been split, by popular corruption, and made to do 

 duty for both.] 



''Horn Childe; Child flbm." — Where are 

 there any manuscripts of the old English romance 

 of Child Horn (translated into German by RUc- 

 kert), and has this romance been published ? If 

 any of your readers can give me any Information 

 on this point I shall feel much obliged. G. D. 



[ The Geste of King Home, and the Scottish version 

 entitled Homchilde and Maiden Rimnild, are printed in 

 Ritson's Metrical Romances. Of the English romance 

 three copies are now known to be in existence, — 1. The 

 Harleian MS. No. 2253, from which Ritson printed the 

 poem. 2. One found by the late Mr. Kemble in the 

 Public Library, Cambridge, MS. Gg. 4. 27. 3. A MS. 

 written about 1300, found by Sir Frederic Madden in 

 the Bodleian Library at Oxford, MS. Laud. 108. Our 

 correspondent will find much additional information on 

 this subject in the notes by Mr. Wright in Warton's 

 History of English Poetry, i. 41. (ed. 1840), to which we 

 are indebted for the above particulars. Mr. Wright 

 there announces his intention to publish an edition of 

 the English romance, but we are not aware that that 

 intention has yet been carried into effect] 



Lobster, a Nickname for Soldier. — When were 

 soldiers first called lobsters ? There is a paper in 

 the Harleian Miscellany (Oldys, vol. v. p. 69.), 

 intituled " The Qualifications of Persons declared 

 capable by the Rump-Parliament to elect, or be 

 elected, Members to supply their House." It is 

 stated to have been printed in the year 1660, and 

 appears to be a sort of mock act of parliament. 

 At p. 73. we have as follows : — 



" Qualification XX. No man shall be admitted to sit 

 in this house, as a member thereof, howsoever duly quali- 

 fied and elected, except before excepted, until he hath 

 taken the following oath upon the holy Evangelists : — 



_" The oath — 'I, A. B. do swear, in the presence of Al- 

 mighty God, and by the contents of this book, to be true 

 and faithful to this present government as it is now un- 

 established, and to the keepers of the liberties, unsight 

 unseen ; whether they are of an invisible and internal 

 natore, as fiends, pugs, elves, furies, imps, or goblins ; or 



whether they are incarnate, as redcoats, lobsters, corporals, 

 troopers, dragoons,' " &c. 



The term appears to be applied to a particular 

 class of soldier. Possibly marines, if there was a 

 regularly constituted marine force at that period, 

 which, however, seems doubtful. Perhaps some of 

 your correspondents can say what a lobster was in 

 1660. Erica. 



[The following is recorded in Clarendon's History of 

 the Rebellion, iii. 91., edit. 1849, as having occurred in the 

 year 1643 : " Sir William Waller received from London a 

 fresh regiment of five hundred horse, under the command 

 of Sir Arthur Haslerig, which were so prodigiously armed 

 that they were called by the King's party 'the regiment 

 of lobsters,' because of their bright iron shells with which 

 they were covered, being perfect cuirassiers, and were the 

 first seen so armed on either side."] 



Heraldic : Arms of Greig. — Can any corre- 

 spondent of " N. & Q." favour me with the arms 

 of the family bearing the name of Greig ? 



J. A. Pn. 



[Burke's General Armory contains the following: — 



" Greig (Edinburgh). Gu. three dexter hands ar. 

 within a bordure or. Crest : A dexter arm in armour, 

 embowed, brandishing a scimetar ppr. Motto : Strike 

 sure." 



" Greig. Gu. on a chief ar. three hands of the first. 

 Crest : A falcon rising, belled and ducally gorged, all 

 ppr." 



" Greig. Gu. three sinister hands apaumee ar. a bor- 

 dure or."] 



Leslie's Answer to Abp. King. — I have a par- 

 ticularly fine copy of Charles Leslie's very scarce 

 Answer to a Booh intituled " The State of the 

 Protestants in Ireland under the late King James's 

 Government ;" but a friend informs me that a per- 

 fect copy should have a frontispiece, which mine 

 has not ; and which I have not seen in any copy 

 within my reach. Is he correct in his assertion ? 



Abhba. 



[There is no frontispiece to the copy of this work in 

 the British Museum.] 



MAJOR DUNCANSON AND THE MASSACRE OF 

 GLENCOB. 



(2"'^ S. viii. 109. 193.) 



G. L. S. is mistaken in supposing that Colonel 

 Hill, who led the 11th Reg. at the battle of Al- 

 manza, in 1707, and was wounded at the capture 

 of Mons in 1709, and, finally, retired from the 

 colonelcy of the above regiment, July 30, 1715, 

 " probably died at that period." He lived twenty 

 years afterwards, residing with the Mashams at 

 Otes, in the parish of High Laver, Essex, where 

 the family monument bears the names : — 



" Abigail, Lady Masham - - - 1734 

 Major-General Hill - - - - 1735 

 Samuel Lord Masham ... 1758 

 Alice Hill (sister of Lady M.) - - 1762" 



