2"»'» S. V. 126., Mat 29. '58.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



441 



there, who dierl in 1662, an^ed eighty, and was in- 

 terred in the north wing of that cathedral. 



The Chancellor's daughter, Alice, married, first, 

 Hugh Brady, the first Protestant Bishop of Meath 

 (ancestor of the Rt. Hon. Maziere Brady, late 

 Lord Chancellor of Ireland) ; and secondly, the 

 Rt. Hon. Sir GeofFry Fenton, Knt., principal Se- 

 cretary of State, by whom she had (with a son 

 William) a daughter Catherine, who was the se- 

 cond wife of Richard Boyle, the "great" Earl of 

 Cork, above mentioned. John Ribtok Garstin. 



Dublin. 



OLIVER : ARTHUR. 



(2"'i S. V. 315.) 



From the familiar way in which the story of 

 Oliver and Arthur is referred to, I suppose that 

 it circulated in Ireland in 1772. I know it only 

 in a Spanish version, without date or printer's 

 name, the title of which is, — 



" Historla de los muy Nobles y Valientes Cavalleros 

 Oliveros de Castilla y Artus de Algarv.e, y de sus mara- 

 villosas y grahdes hazanas. Compuesta por el Bachiller 

 Pedro de la Floresta. En Madrid, pp. 219."* 



In the time of Charlemagne, the King of Castile 

 being left a widower with one son, Oliveros, mar- 

 ried the Queen of Algarve, a widow with one son, 

 Artijs. The boys were alike in person and dispo- 

 sition, and grew up friends. The Queen formed an 

 unlawful desire for Oliveros, who to avoid her 

 importunities fled secretly, leaving a bottle for Ar- 

 tus, the liquid in which would be troubled should 

 Oliveros be in danger. Oliveros was shipwrecked 

 on the coast of England, and after various adven- 

 tures won the prize of a tournament, and the 

 hand of Elena, the King's only child, who, the 

 author carefully observes, was not Elena the wife 

 of Menelaus, though not her inferior in beauty. 

 The tournament was unusually bloody, and among 

 those slain was one of the Kings of Ireland. The 

 marriage was to take place at the end of a year, 

 and Oliveros, to be near Elena, obtained the office 

 of her grand carver, which he executed so as to 

 excite universal admiration. One day, being more 

 attentive tq her charms than his duties, he cut oflf 

 one of his fingers, but concealed the hurt, and 

 kept up the conversation. The five kings of Ire- 

 land, to avenge the death of their fellow, invaded 

 England. Oliveros defeated and followed them 

 to Ireland, which he conquered, and made the 

 kings vassals to England. One of these coming 

 to do homage found Oliveros alone, having lost 

 his way in pursuit of a boar. He treacherously 

 seized Oliveros, bound him hand and foot, and 

 ^hut him up in a tower. Artus finding the liquid 



[* A copy of Oliveros y Artus, Barcelona, 1841, is in 

 the British Museum. It is a mere reprint, without note 

 or preface.] 



in his bottle disturbed, knew that Oliveros was in 

 difficulties, and set out to seek him. While pass- 

 ing through a valley in Ireland, he was attacked 

 by the monster : — 



" Y quiriendo ya salirse de aquel regno, entrd en un 

 valle muy grande, y de muy altos robles, y hallo en ^1 

 muchos aniroales, y en especial uno mayor que todos, que 

 su vista era muy espantable, y tenia las narices, los di- 

 entes, y la boca, como un Leon,; Sus ojos parecian dos 

 antorchas eucendidas, y el cuello tenia tres varas de 

 largo ; y a voces, le encogia tanto que juntaba la cabeza 

 con sus hombros, y sacaba dos palmos de lengua, mas 

 negra que el carbon, y por la boca hechaba tanto humo, 

 que le cubria todo, y despues tendia el cuello quanto 

 podia, y salia otro vez tanto humo, y daba grandes chilli- 

 dos, y tenia los brazos gruesos y disformes ; los pies tenia 

 como de aguilla, tenia las alas muy grandes, d. manera de 

 alas de morcielago, y el otro medio cuerpo tenia como de 

 sierpe; y la cola era tan grande como una lanza de 

 armas ; su cuerpo era como de corteza de roble, y dure 

 como punta de diamante." — P. 144. 



Artus killed the monster, and rescued Oliveros. 

 Oliveros and Elena had a son and daughter. 

 Artus being seized by a horrible disease, dreamed 

 that Oliveros could cure him, and Oliveros dreamed 

 that the medicine was the life-blood of his chil- 

 dren ; so he cut ofi" their heads, and restored Ar- 

 tus's health; and on going full of horror to Elena 

 to confess what he had done, found them alive 

 and well. This miracle was proclaimed through 

 London. The son Henry grew up a valiant prince, 

 but fell into the hands of the Turks and died in 

 prison. Artus married Clarissa, the daughter, and 

 on the death of Oliveros and Elena succeeded to 

 the thrones of Castile, England, and Ireland. 



By the usual rules of interpreting prophecies- 

 keeping all that is like, leaving out all that is un- 

 like, and twisting all that is doubtful — the mon- 

 ster ia Sk very fair prefigure of a locomotive. 



H. B. g. 



U. U. Club. 



SIMNEL CAKES. 



(2°<i S. V. 234.) 



Dr. Cowel, in his Law Dictionary, or Interpre- 

 ter (folio, 1727), derives simnell (Lat. siminellus) 

 from the Lat. simila, the finest part of the flour : 

 " panis similageneus," simnel bread, — " still in use, 

 especially in Lent." The English simnel was the 

 purest white bread, as in the Book of Battle Ab- 

 bey : " Panem regise mensse aptum, qui simenel 

 vulgo vocatur." Dr. Cowel farther says that it 

 was sometimes called simnellus, as in the Annals of 

 the Church of Winchester under the year 1042 : — 



" Rex Edwardus instituit et carta confirmavit, ut quo- 

 ties ipse vel aliquis Successorum suorum Regum Anglise 

 diadema portaret Wintoniae vel Wigornise ve} Westmo- 

 nasterii, Precentor loci recipiet de fisco ipsa die dimidiam 

 marcam, et Conventus centuq^ Simnellos et unum medium 

 vini." 



Dr. Cowel also quotes the statute 6\ Henry III. 



