see 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 262. 



The Composers of the Old Version of the 

 Psalms. — In The Whole Book of Psalms, ^c, by 

 Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins, and others, 

 which is now commonly known as the Old Ver- 

 Mon, the initials of the several composers are pre- 

 fixed to each of the psalms. Of course J.[ohn] 

 H.[opkins] and T.[homas] S.[ternhold] have the 

 lion's share. N., the initial of Thomas Norton, 

 comes next ; and William "Whyttingham, Bishop 

 of Winchester, prefixes his two W's to about a 

 score. The proprietors of the remaining initials 

 are unknown, and my object is, if possible, to dis- 

 cover who they were. W. K. claims five, T. C. 

 and M. are each composers of two, the latter of 

 ■whom is also author of " The humble suit of a 

 "Sinner." Psalm cxii. isby W. R. ; and two, the 

 cxxxviii — ix., have no initials prefixed. T. B. 

 wrote the " Song to be sung before Morning 

 Prayer," amongst the miscellaneous hymns at the 

 end. J.R.G. 



Dublin. 



[Mr. Haslewood, who took great pains to examine the 

 aistinct claims of the several contributors to this collec- 

 ' tive version of the Psalms, has appointed 28 to Norton, 

 25 to Kethe, 16 to Whyttingham, 43 to Sternhold, and 56 

 to Hopkins. John Pullain contributed 2, Robert Wis- 

 dom 1, and T. C. (Thomas Churchyard?) a different ver- 

 sion of the 136th. D. Cox supplied a version of the 

 Lord's Prayer, and likewise a grace before and after meat, 

 in sixteen lines each of alternate rhyme, in a Manual of 

 Christian Prayers, by Abr. Flemming, 1694. Initials 

 occur before other specimens, which, with their conjec- 

 tural appropriations, may be seen in Brydges' Censura 

 Literaria, vol. x. p. 10., viz. W. K., William Kethe, an 

 exile at Frankfort ; M., John Mardley ; T. B., Thomas 

 Bastard. Psalm cxii. is here attributed to William Kethe. 

 Consult also Warton's History of English Poetry, vol. iii. 

 p. 149., edit. 1840.] 



German Distich. — What is the correct trans- 

 lation, and who is the author, of the following 

 distich ? 



" Ehret die Damen, sie flechten und weben, 

 Himmlisch Rosen in's irdische Leben." 



Also, what is the meaning of " Kiselak," which I 

 have seen prefixed to these lines ? 



Whence is the following quotation, and to what 

 language does it belong ? 



«' Dursli und Babeli." 



JUVEKNA. 



[" Honour to women, they twist and they teem. 

 Heavenly roses in life's earthly dream." 



Schiller. 

 A parody on these words and the poem is popular in 

 Germany: 



" Ehret die Frauen, sie flechten und weben, 

 Wollene Striimpfe fiir irdische Leben." 

 Changing heavenly roses into woollen stockings. 



" Dursli " and " Babeli " may possibly be intended by 

 the author for Eisele and Beisele, the two famous cha- 

 racters of the FlUgende Blatter, at their first appearance 

 at Munchen, of which the drawings were reported to have 

 proceeded from the pen of William Kaulbach.] 



Topham the Antiquary. — Can any of your nu- 

 merous readers state in what year Topham died, 

 and what became of his collections ? Amon. 



[John Topham, Esq., died at Cheltenham, August 19, 

 1803 : see a notice of him in the Gentleman's Magazine for 

 August, 1803, p. 794. His library was sold in 1804, at 

 which a miscellaneous volume of papers was purchased 

 for the British Museum : see Addit. MS. 6491. Among 

 other documents is a fac-simile tracing of Oliver Crom- 

 well's letter to the commander-in-chief in the town of 

 Wexford, dated Oct. 11, 1649. No. 6282., also, was for- 

 merly in Mr. Topham's library, containing a copy of the 

 claims made at the coronation of George I., a. d. 1714. 

 Another volume, purchased by Mrs. Banks, but now in 

 the British Museum (Add. MS. 6286.), consisting of— 

 1. A Ceremonial of the proclaiming James II. 2. The 

 Orders for the private Interment of Charles II. 3. The 

 Orders for the Coronation of James II. and Queen Mary,] 



" The Repertory of Records" — I have a book 

 with this title : 



" The Repertorie of Records : remaining in the 4 Trea- 

 suries on the Receipt side at Westminster, the Two 

 Remembrancers of the Exchequer. With a Briefe Intro- 

 ductive Index of the Records of the Chancery and Tower : 

 whereby to give the better Direction to the Records 

 abouesaid. As also, a most Exact Calendar of all those 

 Records of the Tower. In which are contayned and com- 

 prised whatsoever may give Satisfaction to the Searcher 

 for Tenure or Tythe of Anything. London : printed by 

 B. Alsop and T. Favvcet, for B. Fisher, dwelling at the 

 Signe of the Talbot, in Aldersgate Street, 1631." 



The interesting character of this book must be 

 my apology for quoting so long a title-page. The 

 dedication is as follows : 



"TO THE VKKNOWNE PATRON. 



" This worke I did intend to Mercury, 

 Before his wings were sicke, and he could fly : 

 But now, the gods incensed, all together 

 Haue layd diseases vpon euery feather : 

 (Alas) he cannot raise himselfe, nor carry 

 His plumes, as does the rest of all the ayrie : 

 But is retired to some shady grove. 

 To hide him from the great incensed Jove. 

 And where to find my patron to deliver 

 This little worke of mine ; I knowe not, neither 

 If he were found (and no discretion lost). 

 This title might offend him, or me most. 

 Now all ye gods beare witnesse, I intend 

 Onely to show a bounden thankefull mind, 

 Unto this Mercurie, by whose quicke fire 

 My Muse being lately wounded did respire. 

 And whether sinne of these two be the lesse ? 

 (A feare in conscience, or vnthankfulnesse) 

 Judge, Heavens ! and vouchsafe me onely this, 

 What's well intended be not tooke amisse. 

 And now goe on, my booke, and seeke about, 

 Till thou hast found this vnknown patron out :_ 

 And tell him thou cam'st from an vnknowne friend. 

 Whose loue's a circle, round, without an end. 



Ante leves ergo, Sfc, 



" To the same patron, the great master of this mysterie. 

 (^".^J) Our author payeth this, in part of a mora 

 summe due." 



There are several matters in the book itself to 

 which I desire to call attention, but at present I 



