Aug. 19. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



149 



that there were three editions of The Dunciad 

 published in 1727 ? C. says that he had not spe- 

 cified the number, refers to a prefatory note to 

 Gilliver's edition (1729) as his authority, and 

 assumes that I shall be still "more surprised to 

 find Pope there asserting that there were five." 

 Now I quoted C.'s words ; and I will quote them 

 again, that the reader may determine between us, 

 whether he did or did not specify the number of 

 editions : 



" Pope himself says distinctly and repeatedly that an 

 imperfect elitioii was published in Dublin in 1727 [1.], 

 and republished, in that year, both in 12mo. [2.] and 8vo. 

 [B."]."— Notes ^ Queries, Vol. x., p. 65. 



It was precisely because I did know of the 

 mention of the Jive ; because I did know of the 

 editions mentioned by Savage ; did know of the 

 famous battle of the asses and the owls ; that I 

 asked for C.'s authority for his assertion that Pope 

 distinctly and repeatedly mentioned three editions. 

 It now appears, as I always supposed it would, 

 that the distinct reference to three is the mention 

 oi five ; and that the repeated assertion simply 

 signifies that there were more than one edition of 

 The Dunciad published in Pope's lifetime ! Your 

 correspondent is anxious for exact information on 

 this subject ; I trust therefore that he will excuse 

 my comment on his own want of exactness. 



As we now know the grounds on which he 

 made his statement, and defends it — as he ;is 

 pleased thus literally to read the introductory 

 flourishings to the first three books of I'he Dun- 

 ciad — I will ask whether he believes that the 

 fourth book was found by accident in " the library 

 of a late eminent nobleman ?" If not, why not ? 

 for it was from the first distinctly, and has been 

 repeatedly, asserted. 



Why, it has been distinctly and repeatedly as- 

 serted that Lemuel Gulliver was of an Oxford- 

 shire family, and that there are several tombs and 

 monuments of the Gullivers at Banbury ; but I 

 submit that your correspondent, should he ever 

 visit that town, will be more pleasantly and even 

 profitably employed in eating its celebrated cakes, 

 rather than hunting through its parish registers. 

 Seriously, others perhaps may express surprise 

 that " any one who has looked ever so superfi- 

 cially " into the writings of Swift, Pope, and their 

 cotemporaries, should mistake a joke and a mys- 

 tification for a fact ; and deliberately assert that 

 if this story of the surreptitious editions be not 

 true, it is a " distinct and circumstantial lie ! " I, 

 however, am afraid this severe judgment is just; 

 indeed, that all our humorists are open to like 

 objections, which many of them have not been 

 ashamed to acknowledge. Thus Swift has, with 

 unblushing assurance, put on record that an Irish 

 bishop was disgusted with the want of truthful- 

 ness in Lemuel Gulliver, and did not believe one 



half of what was recorded by that immortal tra- 

 veller, 



I would have here added a few words for the 

 information of your correspondent, but that I 

 have been in some degree anticipated by Mr. 

 Markland {ante, p. 129.), to whose letter I will 

 hereafter add a few Notes and Queries. E. T. D. 



LONGEVITT. 



(Vol. viii. passim.') 



In Vh'ginia, its History and Antiquities, p. 147., 

 is the following 



" List of Persons who have lived 110 years and over : 



William McKim, of Richmond, died 1818, aged 130. 

 John de la Somet, of Richmond, died 1766, aged 130. 

 Wonder Booker (a negro), of Prince Edward Co., died 



1819, aged 126. 

 Eleanor Spicer, of Accumac Co., died 1773, aged 121. 

 Charles Lange, of Campbell Co., died 1821, aged 121. 

 Charles Roberts, of Bullskin, died 1796, aged 116. 

 Philip Cruee, of Fairfax Co., died 1813, aged 115. 

 William Taylor, of Pittsylvania Co., died 1794, aged 114. 

 Frank (a ne'gro), of Woodstock, died 1820, aged 114. 

 Alexander Berkeley, of Charlotte Co., died 1825, aged 114. 

 Priscilla Carmichael, of Surry Co., died 1818, aged 113. 

 Sarah Carter, of Petersburg, died 1825, aged 112. 

 Mrs. A. Berkeley, of Charlotte Co., died 1826, aged 111. 

 William Wootten, of Charlotte Co., died 1773, aged 111. 

 A negro, of Richmond, died 1818, aged 136. 

 Mrs. Harrison, of Brunswick Co., died 1805, aged 110. 

 John Cuffee (slave), of Norfolk, died 1836, aged 120. 

 Gilbert (negro), of Augusta Co., died 1844, aged 112." 



T. Balch. 



Philadelphia. 



In a book called Virginia, its History and Anti- 

 quities, p. 435., I find the following, under the head 

 of Prince Edward County : 



" There died in this county, in 1819, a slave named 

 Wonder Booker, belonging to George Booker, Esq., who 

 had reached his 126th year. He received his name from 

 the circumstance that his mother was in her fifty-sixth 

 year at the time of his birth. He was of great strength 

 of bodj'', and his natural powers, which were far superior 

 to those of people of colour in general, he retained in a 

 surprising degree. He was a constant labourer in his 

 master's garden, until within eight or ten years of his 

 death." 



M. E. 



Philadelphia. 



Hannah, a slave belonging to a lady in Peters- 

 burgh, Virginia, recently died in that city at the 

 age of 128 yea^s. She died of no particular dis- 

 ease, but sank under the exhaustion incident to 

 old age. She was born in Powhatan County, Vir- 

 ginia. M, E. 



Philadelphia. 



A Philadelphia newspaper, of the date of Jan. 10, 

 1798, is the authority for the following : 



" Died at New London, Mr. John Weeks, aged 114. He 

 married his tenth wife when 106 : she was only 16 ! His 



