2M S. N« 32., Alja. 9. '56.] 



NOtE^ AND QUERIES. 



103 



is one. I desltfe that tlie dbtilor fellowes of the CoUedge 

 shall have moitrnfeing rings. Mr. Clarke of ClarindoQ 

 House, my Lord of Ormond's servant, to have twenty 

 pounds as a legacy, and what I owe him to be paid. 

 Fifty pound I leave Mr. Roberts. I recommend my ser- 

 vant Arthur to the Deane of Corke's designes. I desire 

 my Lord Chancellor for the recovery of those arreares, 

 I desire that twenty of my choicest bookes may be given 

 to the library. The rest I desire my executors to dis- 

 pose, but that my cozen John Piilsent shall chuse a 

 third part. My watch and thirty pounds to be given 

 to Mr. Story. To my servant Arthur twenty pounds 

 and mourning ; and to Patrick tenn pounds and mourn- 

 ing. I desire that Mr. Ward msty be joined with Mr. 

 Styles in the disposeing of my bookes. I desire that 

 Mr. Crookes be paid, and to hd,ve a mourneing ring. I 

 forgive Patricke Sheridan and William Sheridan, the 

 Deanes of Dome (Derry or Dromore ?) and Corke, if ever 

 I did them any injury. 



" The Goods. — A rent due to mee in Cumberland 

 (vizt.) a tenem'ent in the Island sold to George William- 

 son, the whole sum me of one hundred and seaventy five ; 

 of which I received forty five. I beleive some money is 

 due to mee in Cornett Deanes hand. I desire my notes to 

 be perused by Dr. Styles, and not above six of my 

 sermons to be used, the rest to be burned. I bequeath to 

 the Provest twenty pounds as a symbole of my love. 

 Twenty pounds to his Lady. I trust my man Arthur in 

 the setting downe of these particiilers, and I allow this to 

 be my hasty will. 



"Ri. LiNGARD, November the 10th, 1670." 



The extraordinary character of this docutaent 

 may. be, perhaps, accounted for by the fblldwing 

 memoranduin which is appended to the will : 



" Memorandum, that Mr. Joice Scale and Arthur Brinan, 

 wittnesses produced, sworne, and examined, in a cause 

 depending in his Majesties Court of Prerogative concern- 

 ing the profe of the last will and testament of Dr. Richard 

 Lingard, In speciall forme of law did depose that Dr. 

 Henry Stiles w£ls nominated by the said Dr. Richard Lin- 

 gard one of his executors, but his name was not inserted 

 in the said will by reason of the hast and negligence of 

 the said Arthur Brinan whoe did write the said will." 



SOCIUS DUNELM. 



The Great Comet of 1556.— The great comet 

 of 1556, the probable return of which in the 

 course of the present summer, had been predicted 

 by Paul Frtbricius, and more recently by Hel- 

 ler, the Niirnberg Elstronomer, as shown by Dr. 

 LoTSKT in the last volume of " N. & Q." (2"'> S. 

 i. 272. 391.) would seem by The Times of Aug. 5, 

 to have made its re-appearance. In the paper of 

 that day is a long extract from the Limerick Ob- 

 server of the preceding Saturday, from which the 

 following ektract sefems to me to deserve trans- 

 ferring to your columns : 



" A gentleinan of the highest tespectability has just 

 informed us that he saw last night, for the third time, 

 what appears from his description to be the long-ex- 

 pected comet of 1556, the te-appearance of which this 

 year has been so long foretold ; astronomers, however, 

 guarding their calculations by the proviso that a-difi'er- 

 ence of three j^ears might possibly occur, although there 



was every reason to expect that the great comet, which 

 takes three centuries tO comjilete its orbit, would be 

 visible about the month of Augdst 1856. Our informant 

 thus describes the object which attracted his attention for 

 the first time last Wednesday iilght : — He Was standing 

 near the salmon-weir, on the platform before the mills of 

 Corbally, about half past 10 o'clock, when his attention 

 was attracted by what appeared to be a fire rising on the 

 top of Keeper mountain, due east of his position. He 

 remarked the object to a gentleman who was with him, 

 but, as the fire rose and cleared«the top of the mountain, 

 his friend suggested that it must be a lanterfa Suspended 

 to a kite. It had then the appearance of a globe of fire 

 as large as a good-sized orange, with a broad tail of light 

 extending about l8 inches from the body. The two 

 gentlemen watched it for an hour, and the watchman on 

 the weir observed it also. On Thursday night they all 

 saw it again. It rose a few moments later, presenting 

 the same appearances, and was high in the heavens at 

 half-past 11 t)'clock, when they went home. At that 

 hour one of the gentlemen pointed it out to his sister. 

 Last night, from the same place, the same persons again 

 saw it rise about 20 minutes before 11 o'clock, and then it 

 first occurred to one of them (our informant) that it 

 might be a comet. He ceased to watch it about midnight, 

 but the watchman observed it up to half-past 1 o'clock 

 this morning. It did not seem so large as on the previous 

 nights, but still far exceeded the most brilliant form in 

 which the planet Jupiter has ever been beheld. As the 

 greatest comet on record is really due about this time, 

 and as the extreme sultriness of the weather would seeiix 

 to warrant the belief that such a celestial visitor is near 

 at hand, we shall be glad to hear if any other persons 

 have observed the appearance which has thrice risen 

 upon our astonished friends." 



R. R. S. 



" Deep-mouthed." — I have heard many profane 

 readers of Don Juan descant with rapture on the 

 beauty of the lines (Catito 1, v. 123.) : 



" 'Tis sweet to hear the watch-dog's honest bark. 

 Bay deep-mouthed welcome as we draw near home." 



The epithet deep-mouthed, as applied to the 

 watch-dog's bark of welcome, being especially 

 designated as " fine." And fine it is ; but Byron 

 found it in Shakspeare and in Goldsmith, and 1 

 dare say in many places else : 



<* And couple Clowder with the deep-lhouthed bracb.'* 

 Taming of the ^hrew, Introduction, Sc. 1. 



•' The laborers of the day were all retired to rest : the 

 lights were out in every cottage ; no sounds were heard 

 but of the shrilling cock, and the deep-mouthed watch- 

 dog at hollow distance." — Vicar of Wakefield, ch. xxii; 



A Dbsdltoet Rbadbb. 

 Jersfey. 



Last Words of the Great. — A collection of thd 

 last words of great and famous men would, I ven- 

 ture to suggest, be interesting, and not unfit for 

 the pages of " N. & Q." I beg to annex a few 

 such dying speeches, each eminently characteristic, 

 it will be seen, of the several men : 



" Head of the army." (Napoleon.) 



" I must sleep now." (Byron.) 



" Let the light enter." (Goethe.) 



« 1 thank God I havfe done my duty." (Nelson.) 



