44 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2na s. No 29., July 19. '56. 



were carried only by a single vote ; for 69 members voted 

 for Saints' days, 58 for omitting them." — Literary Re- 

 mains of H. Fj/nes Clinton, 



3. Many years ago, I was informed by a well- 

 read man, my tutor, that the question of the suc- 

 cession of the house of Brunswick in these realms, 

 was only decided by one vote. 



I shall gladly receive any circumstances relative 

 to the latter case, if it be confirmed ; also any 

 other remarkable instances of similar character. 



F. S. 



Churchdown. 



NOVEL EXPLANATION OF THE USE OF THE IRISH 

 ROUND TOWERS. 



The origin of the Irish round tower is involved 

 in as profound obscurity as that of the Egyptian 

 pyramids ; and if the latter extraordinary monu- 

 ments excite our curiosity in a country where the 

 same gigantic taste pervaded every work of sculp- 

 ture as well as architecture, how much more im- 

 pressive is this solitary remain, that stands — 



" Sublime and sad 

 Bearing the weight of years ! " — 



Beside these buildings, of which more than fifty 

 are at preserit standing, the date of whose form- 

 ation is not known, none others in Ireland de- 

 serve notice as works of art. On the round tower, 

 therefore, rests the only proof of the skill and 

 knowledge of the early inhabitants of Ireland ; 

 ponderous masses of uncouth stones, tumuli and 

 mounds, being works equally common to the rude 

 state of other nations. 



The conjectures offered as to the use of the 

 round tower are numerous as well as satisfactory. 

 By some they are supposed to have been the 

 abodes of solitary anchorites ; by others, to have 

 contained the sacred fire worshipped before the 

 Christian era ; some, again, maintain that they 

 were places of temporary penance, and others state 

 them to have been belfries ; nor does any pecu- 

 liarity of situation, except in the vicinity of a 

 church, assist the antiquary in his inquiry. 



I find the following novel purpose of their erec- 

 tion in one of Mr. Crofton Croker's amusing works 

 on the reliques of Ireland, as replete with anti- 

 quarian lore as with those quaint repartees so 

 characteristic of the lower class of the Irish pea- 

 santry : 



" Mr. W -, of the Ordnance, whilst on an official 



tour of inspection in Ireland, seeing a labourer near one 

 of the martello towers on the coast, carelessly asked him 

 if he knew for what purpose it was built ? — 'To be sure 

 I do your honour,' replied he archly; 'for the same pur- 

 pose as our ould round lowers.' 'And pray what may 



that have been ?' inquired Mr. W , in the belief of 



receiving some traditional information. ' Why, your 

 worship,' returned Pat, ' the only use in them that I can 

 see is juat to bother posterity.' " 



Some extracts from the opinions of Vallancey, 

 Tanner, Betham, Dr. Petrie, and other Irish his- 

 torians would be acceptable to many of the readers 

 of "N. & Q.," as well as a subject worthy of dis- 

 cussion in its pages. J. M. G. 



Worcester. 



SHAKSPBARIANA. 



" All the vjorld's a stage ;" Shdhspeare and 

 Erasmus. — The following passage is from a book 

 Shakspeare must have read. Challoner's Transla- 

 tion of Erasmus's ^^ Praise of Folie" has, I think, 

 been overlooked by over-read commentators : 



" So likewise all this life of mortall men, what is it els 

 but a certaine kynde of stage plaie ? Whereas men come 

 foorthe disguised one in one arraie, an other in an other, 

 eche plaiying his parte, till at last the maker of the 

 plaie or bokebearer, causeth them to avoj'de the skaf- 

 folde, and yet sometyme maketh one man come in, two 

 or three tymes, with sundrie partes and apparaile, as 

 who before represented a kynge, beying clothed all in 

 purple, havyng no more but shyfted hym self a little, 

 shoulde shew hym selfe againe lyke an woobegon- 

 myser." — The Praise of Folie. Morise Encomium: a 

 booUe made in latine by that great Gierke Erasmus Ro- 

 terodame. Englished by Sir Thomas Chaloner, knight, 

 Anno MDXLix. (1549). P. 43. 



As a proof of Shakspeare's knowing the book, 

 I select the following additional extract : 



" Seying all Doctours take it commenly for theyr pri- 

 velege to ned -xxt leaven (that is to saie) holy writ like 

 a cheverell skin." 



Who does not remember the Fool's saying : 

 " A sentence is but a ckeveril glove to a good wit." 



The following passage from Erasmus seems to 

 well illustrate the behaviour of Hamlet when 

 lying at Ophelia's feet : — 



" Post hasc prandium, a prandio stationes, nugis face- 

 tiseque, sparsim procumbent puellsa, in harum gremium se 

 conjicient viri. Quae neminem repellit maxime laudatur 

 a civilitate." — Erasmus, Christiani Matrimonii Insti- 

 tutio. Fol. Lugd. Pp. 716, 717. 



G. W. T. 



" RacJie" or " Wreck,'^ Shakspeare, " Tempest,"^ 

 Act IV. Sc. 1. (2"^ S. i. 425.) — Sometimes we 

 may justly exclaim, " plague on critics !" who will 

 puzzle us with their logomachies, and who will 

 not be satisfied to obey the old admonition, " let 

 well alone." While 1 read the article of your 

 correspondent, I accidentally take a peep from 

 my window ; and over the top of the lofty Ben- 

 lomond, I see dense masses of dark clouds which 

 have gathered, and are pouring out their watery 

 treasures — shortly a speck of blue cloud becomes 

 visible — this gradually more and more expands — 

 the horizon is again clear — and not a rack or 

 vestige remains of the former aspects. 



Now, I cannot help thinking that Shakspeare 



