Oct. 21. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



331 



Hence wben the Venerable Bede, within a few 

 hours of his death, was reminded by Cuthbert the 

 monk, to whom he had been dictating the trans- 

 lation, I think of St. John's Gospel, into Anglo- 

 Saxon, that " there remained but one chapter " to 

 complete the task, — although the asthma of which 

 he was expiring rendered it difficult for him to 

 speak, Bede rejoined in the memorable words 

 under discussion, " Accipe calamum, tempera (s. a. 

 atramentum), et scribe velociter," — "Take your 

 pen, moisten (your ink) and write quickly." 



The action thus directed is so natural, that a 

 knowledge of the accessories renders the import of 

 " tempera" obvious as applied to the dry ink — 

 even were it not corroborated by the parallel 

 passage in which Cicero, describing precisely the 

 same operation, says, " Calamo, et atramento tem- 

 perato charta etiara dentata res agetur." G. M. B. 

 is of opinion that the sense of this passage has 

 been abused by erroneous punctuation, and that 

 the comma should be erased before " atramento." 

 But this would imply that the ink was to be 

 " mended " as well as the pen. Besides, were the 

 passage to be so altered, the adjective would be no 

 longer temperate but temperaft's, and the simple 

 conjunction et would have served instead of etiam. 

 J. Emerson Tennent. 



PHOTOGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



Photographic Excursions. — I have just read in " N. 

 & Q»" Vol. X., p. 293., a paragraph signed Novus, in 

 which he remarks (referring to my letter in the Photo- 

 (/raphic Journal) that it does not appear to him to he 

 worth the trouble of making all the preparations neces- 

 sary for a photographic trip, to secure only two pictures. 

 Prom this remark, one would think that I had taken only 

 two pictures during my whole trip, instead of two every 

 day for a fortnight. If Novus wishes to get more than 

 two, he may still do so ; but, as I said, he will make a 

 trouble of a pleasure, and have to sit up half the night to 

 finish them. And let me tell Novus, that when he can 

 obtain with certainty, as I can, two such views every day 

 that he is out, he may think himself most particularly 

 lucky. I met, a short time since, an experienced photo- 

 grapher, who, however, was not content with doing little 

 and good, and who moreover used that abomination, a 

 Buckler's brush, and he appeared content to go out with 

 eight pieces of prepared paper, and on his return home 

 make a couple of good negatives out of the lot. So much 

 for attempting too much. X. 



Tunbridge Wells. 



Photography In Germany. — What is doing in Germany 

 in this beautiful art ? I ask the question because, while 

 we see abundance of French books upon the subject, and 

 numerous quotations from the French journal LaLumiere, 

 I do not remember to have seen in "N. & Q.," or any of 

 our photographic journals, the slightest allusions to the 

 labours of our German friends in this beautiful and 

 popular art. Qu.estoe. 



[Judging from the only German paper which we know 

 of that is devoted to the subject, namely, the Photogra- 

 phisches Journal (published bv Spamer of Leipsic, and 



edited by Horn), we should not think photography was 

 progressing in Germany. In the first place, the Daguerre- 

 otj'pe process seems to be the favourite ; and in the 

 next, all the best articles are translations from writings 

 of French or English photographers. — Ed. " N. & Q."] 



Albumenized Process. — Will you permit a beginner in 

 photography, who confesses himself a great admirer of 

 the minuteness of detail attainable by the process on 

 albumenized glass, to beg that some photographic corre- 

 spondent of "N. & Q.," who may have practised this 

 branch of the art, will point out what is the simplest 

 formula to be followed ? The albumenized process does 

 not seem to have received in this country the attention it 

 deserves, possessing as it does the same advantage over 

 collodion which is claimed for the waxed-paper process 

 over the Talbotype, namely, that the plates may be pre- 

 pared beforehand, and afterwards developed at leisure. 



A Beginner. 



^t^litS to ^tnnr €i\itvitS, 



A Biographical Dictionary of Living Authors 

 (Vol. X., p. 313.). — If Mr. Bates will be pleased 

 to give his authority for ascribing the Biographical 

 Dictionary of the Living Authors of Great Britain 

 and Lreland to that " careful and industrious an- 

 tiquary the late William Upcott," I will give mine 

 for ascribing it to John Watkins and Frederic 

 Shoberl. Bolton. Cornet. 



Louis de Beaufort (Vol. x., p. 101.). — Please to 

 state, for the information of your correspondent 

 L., that a copy of the second edition of the Dis- 

 sertation sur V Incertitude des cinq premiers Siecles de 

 VHistoire Romaine, La Haye, 1750, is in the library 

 of Trinity College, Dublin. 'AAievs. 



Dublin. 



Bibliographical Queries (Vol. x., p. 164.). — I 

 beg leave to inform Enivri, that the Speculum 

 Carmelitanum, by Daniel a Virgine Maria, An- 

 tverpia, 1680, two volumes folio, is in the library 

 of Trinity College, Dublin. 'AKievs. 



Dublin. 



Sir Richard Ratcliffe, K. G. (Vol. x., pp. 1 64. 

 216.). — A Constant Reader begs to thank 

 T. P. L. for his communication, but which he feels 

 leaves his Query wholly unresolved, unless he 

 assumes that T. P. L. considers Sir Richard to 

 have derived from the branch seated at Ordshall. 

 A Constant Reader sought information, feeling 

 surprise that the parentage and descent of a per- 

 sonage so eminent in his day was not inserted in 

 the full pedigrees of the RadclifTes, given by Dr. 

 Whitaker in his Whalley, or his name referred to 

 in the text. The arms given by T. P. L. are 

 those borne from the earliest times by the parent 

 house, and with slight variation by all the col- 

 lateral branches; and the Sir John Ratcliffe, 

 temp. Hen. VI., alluded to, was a K. G., and father 

 of another Sir John (Lord Fitz Walter, jure 

 uxoris), slain at Ferrybridge. 



