534 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 270. 



Goldsmith's pronunciation (in the oft-quoted 

 line from The Traceller) was perhaps "more 

 musical" than the Iroquois; but a "Yankee," be- 

 fore recognising its authority, would suggest a 

 reference to such of the correspondents of " N. 

 & Q." as have in hand the subject of " Irish 

 Rhymes." Vektauk. 



Hartford, Conn. 



Old Jokes (Vol. viii., p. 146.). — In ^ Letter to 

 the Committee of Management of Drury Lane 

 Theatre., London, 1819, pp.64., the author, who 

 complains of the injudicious rejection of several 

 plays, and especially of his own comedy, says : 



" And you thought the jokes were stolen because Mr. 

 Peter Moore had seen ' something like ' some of them 

 before. ' Nullum simile est idem.' Some of you can 

 translate that to Mr. Peter Moore, and tell him that if he 

 could read Hierocles he would find the long-lived raven 

 and the sample brick in him, and something exactly like 

 John Chinaman's pig in Aristophanes." — P. 25. 



Where in Aristophanes ? W. W. 



Were Cannon used at Crecy ? (Vol. x., pp. 306. 

 412.). — Villani, an Italian author who died in 

 1348, states that the English used cannon at 

 Crecy. A passage in the Chronicles of St. Denis 

 refers to the use of cannon at Crecy. Nor is 

 Froissart silent on this subject, for in a manuscript 

 of Froissart (" a cotemporary and a Frenchman ") 

 preserved in the library of Amiens, it is distinctly 

 stated that cannon were used by the English at 

 Crecy. The passage I refer to is quoted by Na- 

 poleon (the present emperor) in his work on 

 Artillery, and runs thus : 



" Et li Angles descliquferent aucun cannons qu'ils 

 avaient en la bataille pour esbahir les Genevois." 



which may be translated, — 



"And the English caused to fire suddenly certain guns 

 which they had in the battle, to astonish (or confound) 

 the Genoese." 



R.A. 



The Pope sitting on the Altar (Vol. x., pp. 161. 

 349.). — It may perhaps assist to put this matter in 

 its proper light to state, that the Roman Catholics 

 on the Continent do not regard the altar with 

 especial reverence, unless when the Host is upon 

 it. At all other times, it is regarded simply as 

 any other piece of church furniture. I remember 

 on one occasion, while sketching in one of the 

 churches in Florence, I was somewhat encum- 

 bered by my hat, when one of the priests very 

 politely relieved me of it, and to my surprise 

 (for I was new to Italy) placed it on an altar close 

 by. But when another stranger attempted to 

 touch another altar, he earnestly checked him ; 

 pointing to the lamp which was burning before it, 

 and which is the sign that a consecrated Host is 

 in the tabernacle. I have seen, even in St. Peter's 

 at Rome, the diflferent persons about the cathedral 



place anything that might be in the way upon 

 any of the altars which had not the lighted lamp 

 before them. So again, if a church is under re- 

 pair, or divine service is from any cause sus- 

 pended, the crucifix is removed from the high 

 altar ; and people walk about with their hats on, 

 as they would in any other building. In fact, 

 whatever superstitious usages may be charged 

 against the Church of Rome, there is no inordi- 

 nate respect to the stone or marble, either of the 

 altar or the church, apart from the presence of 

 the antitype. 



Perhaps it may not be out of place to state, 

 that three out of four altars throughout Italy 

 have no credence. Where such exist, they gene- 

 rally are in pairs, one on each side, and of archi- 

 tectural design. Sometimes, as at St. Peter's, a 

 movable table is used ; but the sacred elements 

 are never placed on the credence. The priest 

 brings in his hands the chalice, which is covered 

 with (if I remember right) what is called " il cor- 

 porale:" in this lies "la ostia," or wafer. The 

 whole is placed at once on the altar, and not 

 touched till the moment of consecration. If the 

 priest does not communicate, the host is placed in 

 the Monstrance or " Ostensorio," and shut up in 

 the tabernacle. I never saw either in Rome or 

 Milan (where the Ambrosian rite is preserved) 

 the elements placed on the credence table ; which 

 in fact is generally used to deposit the mitres, 

 incense, &c., upon. A. A. 



Old Palace Yard, Westminster. 



Thames Water (Vol. x., p. 402.). — Mb. Gattt'» 

 information is correct. The East Indiamen con- 

 stantly took in their water below London : it very 

 speedily became exceedingly offensive, but after- 

 wards bright and pure, and was considered the 

 very best for -ship purposes. Edw. Hawkins. 



Divination by Coffee-grounds (Vol. x., p. 420.) 

 — The divination by " coffee-grounds" appears to 

 be the same as that still practised by young 

 females in Scotland out of frolic, called " reading 

 the cups." In any of the residuumot the tea leaves 

 which may have subsided at the bottom of the 

 cup of tea, there is fancied to be seen represent- 

 ations of utensils in trade, horses, cows, coaches, 

 houses, castles, &c., from which are prognosticated 

 the station, occupation, &c. of the future husband. 

 A piece of the woody fibre of the tea, which may 

 be accidentally swimming in the liquid, is named 

 a " stranger," and is taken out and bitten between 

 the teeth : if found to be hard, it is a male ; if soft, 

 a. female; and if large or small, indicates the tall- 

 ness or shortness of some person expected to visit 

 that day at the house. Without wishing to be 

 thought superstitious, I have frequently noticed 

 the latter partof the omen to turn out remarkably 

 true, in having agreeably had a call from some one 



