Aug. 7. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



127 



by the row of villas tliat fronted the bay, and, I 

 heard afterwards, had come about a mile along the 

 road that runs round the southern angle of the bay. 

 On reaching the usual bathing-place, a circle was 

 formed, and the principal performers were en- 

 closed in it. After a time the young man was led 

 out by another, who had undressed himself, and 

 bathed in the sea ; after which they were again 

 received into the circle, and in a few moments a 

 loud shout proclaimed that the "mystery" was 

 proceeding successfully; and as soon as the man 

 who had bathed the boy was dressed, the crowd 

 set forward into the village with loud shouts, the 

 two men leading the naked youth as before, and 

 the man with the saw and hatchet following. I 

 endeavoured to find out what was the meaning of 

 such an extraordinary exhibition, but in vain : all 

 that I could discover was, that it was in some way 

 connected with the worship of Priapus, while I was 

 strictly cautioned not to ask questions about it, 

 A sort of horror seemed to hang over everything 

 xmtil the bathing ceremony was completed ; and 

 every one, particularly the women, appeared 

 anxious to keep out of the line of procession, till 

 the shouts announced that all was well, when all 

 the " rabble rout," b6th male and female, of the 

 village seemed flocking about them, and for some 

 time the shouts of the mob could be heard as they 

 passed up the village street. About two years 

 afterwards I witnessed a precisely similar per- 

 formance ; and when I anxiously inquired into 

 the meaning of it, was refused all information, and 

 cautioned most earnestly not to inquire. When 

 the boy was received into the circle, after his bath, 

 some ceremony was gone through, in which the 

 hatchet and saw were used ; but this was strictly 



fuarded from the observation of the "profane." 

 lave any of your readers witnessed a similar oc- 

 currence, and can any one give more information 

 about it? Geraint mab Erbin. 



" Nobilis antiquo veniens" 8fC. — Who is the 

 author of — 



" Nobilis antiquo veniens de germine patrum, 

 Sed magis in Christo nobilior merito?" 



I think it is part of an epitaph. K. P. D. E. 



Volutne of French Poetry. — ^Many years since I 

 saw, in the possession of a distinguished miniature 

 painter, a duodecimo volume of French poetry, in 

 which were vignettes. One of them represented 

 the "Infant Academy," attributed to Sir Joshua 

 Reynolds. As the date of the book was long an- 

 terior to the exhibition of that picture, I should be 

 obliged to any of your correspondents to inform me 

 of the title and date of the book ; and if there are 

 any variations in the composition. JEgeotus. 



St. Mary Overy's painted Windows. — Can any 

 of your readers inform me what has become of 

 the three painted windows which were at the east 

 end of St. Mary Overy's church, or St. Saviour's, 

 before the restoration of it ? A Subscriber. 



The Host. — Having no access to an anonymous 

 work entitled Histoire des Hosties Miraculeuses, I 

 should feel favoured by information as to the 

 earliest instance alleged of a consecrated wafer 

 shedding blood. My question includes the earliest 

 date at which it is stated to have so happened, and 

 also the earliest date of an author so stating it. 



A. N. 



Epigram on the Monastic Orders. — Who is the 

 author of the following distich : 



" O garachi, vestri stomachi sunt amphora Bacchi ; 

 Vos estis, Deus est testis, teterrima pestis " ? 

 It is of the species called " Leonine," of which 

 some samples have already appeared in " N. & Q." 



Henry H. Brben. , 

 St. Lucia. 



Greville's Ode to Indifference. — The readers of 

 " N. & Q." are familiar with the lines in Mrs. 

 Greville's Ode to Indifference : 



" Nor peace nor ease that heart can know 

 Which, like the needle true, 

 Turns at the touch of joy or woe. 

 But turning trembles too." 



Archbishop Leighton, in his Twelfth Sermon, 

 The Believer a Hero, when speaking of our " re- 

 joicing with trembling," adds : 



" The heart, touched by the Spirit of God, as the 

 needle touched with the loadstone, looks straight and 

 speedily to God, yet still with trembling, being filled 

 with holy fear." 



The poetess is, probably, not to be accused of 

 plagiarism, as in this case the remark in the Critic 

 may be applicable, that "two people have hap- 

 pened to hit on the same thought :" Leighton may 

 have made use of it first. Some of your corre- 

 spondents can tell me whether any earlier writer 

 than the archbishop may not also have employed 

 this beautiful simile ? J- H. M. 



Clock Motto. — In the market- town of Tetbury, 

 about forty years ago, there was a very ancient 

 market-house, in front of which there was a clock 

 with a very curious and elaborately carved oaken 

 dial plate, with this motto : 



" PR^STANT STERNA CADUCIS." 



I shall be very much obliged to any reader of the 

 " N. & Q." who can inform me in what author I 

 can find the sentence. I expected to have found 

 it in Prudentius, but have not succeeded. *. 



Does the Furze Bush grow in Scandinavia f — 

 This Query is submitted from the fact that '' whins" 

 and " furze bushes " are repeatedly mentioned in 



