516 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2>'d S. No 104., Dec. 26. '67. 



not appear wbat island or country Procopius here 

 designates by Brittia; but he probably again makes 

 Thule equivalent to Scandinavia. 



The identification of Thule with Scandinavia, 

 and its use as a geographical and ethnographical 

 term, is peculiar to Procopius. Orosius, who 

 wrote in the preceding century, still uses it in 

 the ancient indeterminate acceptation. He de- 

 scribes the island of Thule as separated by an 

 infinite distance from the Orcades, lying towards 

 the north-west, in the middle of the ocean, and as 

 hardly known even to a few persons (i. 2.). 



It may be added, in reference to the connexion 

 supposed to exist between Scythia and the Ger- 

 man Ocean, that Isidorus computed the distance 

 from the mouths of the Tanais to Thule at 1250 

 miles, which Pliny perceives to be a mere guess. 

 (ii. 112.) Isidorus of Charax, a geographical 

 writer, who lived under the early emperors, is here 

 meant. 



In a former article on the island of Thule (2"^ 

 S. iv. 391.), I remarked that Isidorus of Seville, 

 the author of the Origines, states that the island of 

 Thule derived its name from the sun. The ety- 

 mologies of the ancients are often very fanciful, 

 and it is not easy to guess the connexion here in- 

 tended ; perhaps it is meant to derive QovAij from 

 6eov e'lKt). L. 



SIR HUMPHRBT GILBERT : OLD SONG. 



(2"'i S. iv. 387.) 



The following is the old naval song, entitled 

 " The Chapter of Admirals," which F. B. R. has 

 made the subject of a Query : — 



" Lord Effingham kick'd the Armada down, 



And Drake was a fighting the world all round ; 



Gallant Raleigh liv'd upon fire and smoke, 



But Sir John Hawkinses heart was broke. 



Yet barring all pother, 



The one and the other 



Were all of them Lords of the Main. 



" Sir Humphrey Gilbert was lost at sea, 

 And frozen to death was poor Willoughhy ; 

 Both Grenville and Frobisher bravely fell, — 

 But 'twas Monson who tickled the Dutch so well. 



" The heart of a lion had whisker'd Blake, 

 And York was a seaman for fighting's sake ; 

 But Montague perish'd among the brave, 

 And Spragge was doom'd to a briny grave. 



" To Russel the pride of the Frenchmen struck, 

 And their ships at Vigo were burnt by Rooke ; 

 But Sir Cloudesly Shovel to the bottom went. 

 And Benbow fought till his life's shot was spent. 



" Porto Bello the Spaniards to Vernon lost, 

 And sorely disturbed was Hosier's ghost ; 

 Lord Anson with riches return'd from sea. 

 And Balchin was drown'd in the Victory. 



" Of conquering Hawke let the Frenchman tell, 

 And of bold Boscawen, who fought so well ; 

 Whilst Pocock and Saunders as brightly shine 

 In the Annus Mirabilis, Fifty-nine. 



" Warden right well for his country fought, 

 And Hughes too did as Britons ought ; 

 Then Parker so stoutly the Dutchmen shook, 

 And the flower of the French bully Rodney took. 



" Howe, Jervis, and Hood did bravely fight. 

 And the French and Spaniards put to flight ; 

 And when they shall venture to meet us again, 

 Britain's sons will give proof they are Lords of the 

 Main. 



" 'Twere endless to mention each Hero's name, 

 Whose deeds on the ocean our strength proclaim ; 

 From Howard to Howe we have beat the foe, 

 But brave Duncan has given the finishing blow." 



Wm. Matthews. 



Cowgill. 



RUSTIGAN ON MILL-WHEELS AND MAGNETISM. 



(2"" S. ii. 269.) 



From Dr. Eyre's notice in 1769 of the work 

 shown to him by Dr. Wittembach, one would 

 suppose it to have been recently published. It 

 was then 102 years old. He is so far right that 

 there can be no doubt of his having seen it, and 

 as wrong as men usually are who describe the 

 contents of books, the title-pages of which they 

 cannot read. Such writers in the last century 

 called what they did not understand " High 

 Dutch Quackery;" their successors say "German 

 Metaphysics." In confirmation of this view, I 

 copy the title-page : 



" Die alleredelste Erfindung der ganzen Welt, vermit- 

 telst eines anmutigen und erbaulichen Gesprachs, welches 

 ist dieser Art der fiinfi'te, und zwar eine Majens-Unterre- 

 dungen, beschrieben und furgestellet von Dem Rustiqen. 

 Franckfurt, 1667, 12°." Pp. 240. 



I read it through, expecting to find the project 

 of the ship, but did not. I never read a book 

 more free from quackery. Experiments and dis- 

 coveries are set Ibrth ; those mentioned as accom- 

 plished ai'e reasonable ; the hoped-for are often 

 wild. Among the latter is a " spiritus panis, oder 

 Brodgeist" to be prepared from the best flour, 

 and having all the properties of fresh bread, one 

 spoonful of which taken in the morning shall 

 serve a man for his daily food (p. 67.). Com- 

 pared with some visions of the best chemists of 

 that time, this does not look absurd. 



" Der Rustige " was the favourite academic 

 name of Johann Rist, a celebrated man in his 

 time, though now without readers, and known 

 only by scornful notices in literary histories. He 

 was born at Pinenberg, in Holstein, in 1607; he 

 studied at Utrecht and Leyden, and brought home 

 a reputation for great learning ; he became the 

 minister of Wedel on the Elbe, and was much ad- 

 mired for his preaching. He bore the titles of 

 Church Counsellor of Mecklenburg, Count Pala- 

 tine, and Imperial Poet Laureate. He was a 

 Fellow of the Fructiferous {fruchtbringend) So- 

 ciety, with the title of Der Rustige " the Active ;" 



