Oct. 9. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



343 



^'■Epistles Philosophical and Moral.'' — Who is 

 ■tlie writer of Epistles Philosophical and Moral: 

 London, T.Wilcox, 1758, 8vo. They consist^ in 

 versified letters, with very humorous satirical 

 engravings. "Epistle tlie First" begins in the 

 following manner: 



" While zeal, beyond the grave, pursues 

 Whom priest and patriot abuse, 

 With some the foster-sire of lies, 

 Extoll'd by others to the skies, 

 St. John's, thus sav'd and damn'd by fame, 

 An honour'd and a blasted name ! 

 Lorenzo asks, ingenuous youth. 

 What is, and who believes, the truth." 



L. Y. (in the Navorscher). 

 "Wageningen. 



[The author was William Kenriek, LL.D., the pro- 

 jector and editor of The London Review. These Epistles, 

 which may be reckoned the best specimens of his 

 poetry, were rather severely handled in The Critical 

 lieview, to which Kenriek wrote a reply, entitled A 

 Scrutiny ; or, The Critics Criticised. See Watt's Biblio- 

 .iheca Britan., and Chalmers's Biog. Diet., art. " Ken- 

 lick."] 



SJepIic^. 



" PRETTY PEG OP DERBY, O ! " 



(Vol. vi., p. 10.) 



The following copy of this ballad was taken 

 'down from recitation, some years ago, by Mr. 

 Thomas Lvle, and published by that gentleman in 

 a small collection of Ballads and Songs, 1827, 

 p. 162. I believe that it was "never before in 

 print," and on that account may be worth insertion 

 in the " N. & Q." 



" PRETTV PEG OF DERBY, O ! 



•** A captain of Irish dragoons on parade. 

 While his regiment was stationed at Derby, O, 

 Fell in love, as it is said, 

 With a young blooming maid. 

 Though he sued in vain to win pretty Peggy, O. 



■** To-morrow I must leave thee, pretty Peggy, O, 

 Though my absence may not grieve thee, pretty 

 Peggy, O. 



Braid up thy yellow hair. 

 Ere thou tripp'st it down the stair. 

 And take farewell of me, thy soldier laddie, O. 



■" Ere the dawn's reveillie sounds to march, I'm ready, O, 

 To make my pretty Peg a captain's lady, O, 



Then, what would your mammy think, 



To hear the guineas clink, 

 And the hautboys playing before thee, O. 



*' Must I tell you, says she, as I've told you before, 

 With your proffers of love, not to tease me more, 



For I never do intend, 



E'er to go to foreign land. 

 Or follow to the wars a soldier laddie, O. 



" Out spake a brother officer, the gallant De Lorn, 

 As he eyed the haughty maiden, with pity and scorn. 



Never mind, we'll have gallore 



Of pretty girls more. 

 When we've come to the town of Kilkenny, O. 

 " But when they had come to Kilkenny, O, 

 Where the damsels were lovely and many, O ! 



Sighing deeply, he would say. 



Though we're many miles away, 

 Let us pledge a health to pretty Peg of Derby, O." 



The author of this effusion is not known. The 

 air to which it is sung has been very popular, and 

 is adapted to a variety of songs, the most elegant 

 of which is Moore's Eveeleen's Bower. 



Edward F. Kimbault. 



RCFUS OAK. 



(Vol. vi., p. 264.) 



The inscription on the original stone, which 

 differs in one or two important particulars from 

 that on the present memorial, will supply Mr. 

 JosiAH Cato with at least a portion of the desired 

 information. It was the following : 



" Here stood the oak-tree on which an arrow, shot 

 by Sir Walter Tyrrel, at a stag, glanced, and struck 

 King William II., surnamed llufus, on the breast: of 

 which stroke he^ instantly died, on the second of 

 August, 1100. 



" King William II., surnamed Rufus, being slain, 

 as before related, was laid in a cart belonging to one 

 Purkess, and drawn from hence to Winchester, and 

 buried in the cathedral church of that city. 



" That the spot where an event so memorable had 

 happened might not hereafter be unknown, this stone 

 was set up by John Lord Delaware, who had seen the 

 tree growisig in this place, anno 1745." — Old England, 

 vol. i. p. 95. col. 2. 



It is a matter of some surprise to me that this 

 inscription was not reproduced upon the modern 

 cover, — the date of the erection of the stone, and 

 the fact that Lord Delaware had seen the tree, 

 being certainly worth preservation. 



The account of the king's death given by Stow 

 is very quaint and graphic, and well worthy of a 

 place in your columns. He relates several pro- 

 digies as occurring before the event, and in the 

 same year, HOC. 



" This yeere many strange things came to passe, the 

 diuell did visiblie appeare unto men, and sometime 

 spake unto them. Moreouer, in the Towne of 

 Finchamsted in Barkshire, neere unto Abindune, a 

 spring did continuallie by the space of fifteene dales 

 flowe plentifulUe with blood (or the likenesse thereof), 

 so that it did colour and infect the next water brooke 

 unto it. . . . King William, on the morrowe after 

 Lammas daie, hunting in the Newe Forrest of Hamp- 

 shire, in a place called Chorengham, where since a 

 chappell was builded, Sir Walter Tirell shooting at a 

 deere, unawares hit the King in the breast, that he fell 



