234 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2nd S. Ko lie, Mar. 20. '5^. 



referred to a passage in Sterne's Sentimental 

 Juuniey, which seems to give negative evidence 

 as to passports being only required in France 

 during war in his time; but I do not think the 

 passage in Sterne clears up the question, even if 

 it proves as much as this. At all events we are still 

 quite at a loss about the date at which the stricter 

 system began, and the causes which led to it. At 

 the present time this is a very interesting ques- 

 tion, and deserves inquiry. E. C. H. 

 Athenaeum. 



Simnel CaJies. — In days of yore there was a 

 little alleviation of the severities of Lent per- 

 mitted to the faithful, in the shape of a cake, 

 called " Simnel." Now two English towns claim 

 the honour of its origin and almost entire mono- 

 poly, Shrewsbury and Devizes : the first named 

 makes its simnel In the form of a warden pie, the 

 crust being of saffron, and veri/ thick ; the last has 

 no crust, is star-shaped, and the saffron is mixed 

 with amass of currants, spice, and candied lemon. 

 Can you tell us from which place this ancient cake 

 (mentioned by Aubrey) really comes ? We find 

 that Johnson derives the name from " Low Latin, 

 sweet bread or cake." Barclay, on the contrary, 

 from the " Saxon, Simhel." One derivation is said 

 to come from the name of the pretended Duke of 

 York, who was compelled by Henry VIL to take 

 the place of baker to the royal kitchen. 



A Lover of Ancient Customs. 



Colour of University Hoods. — No full and 

 satisfactory account has yet appeared with refer- 

 ence to the colour of hoods in our respective Uni- 

 versities. Can some one arrange systematically 

 a clear account, filling up the blanks wliich I have 

 left through i2;norance ? 



D.D. - 



D. C. L. 



B. C. L. 

 B.D. - 

 M. A. - 



B.A. - 



Cambaidgg. 



Red cloth, 



with black 



silk. 

 Red cloth, 



vnth pitik 



silk. 



AU black 



silk. 

 Black Bilk, 



witliwhite 



silk. 

 Black, with. 



iur. 



Durham. 



Red cloth, 

 pink sil k. j 



Black and Black and 



Black, with 

 fur. 



This is correct, I believe, as far as it goes. A 

 full table, similarly arranged, would oblige several 

 readers. Oxford Undergraduate. 



Richard BlecJiynden. — Information is wanted 

 respecting the family of Richard Blechynden, who 

 died in the latter part of the year 1736. He was 

 " LL.D., First Provost of Worcester College, 



Rector of Newham-Courtney, Oxfordshire, and 

 Kingston-Baptist, Berks, and Prebendary of 

 Gloucester." The names of his parents and of 

 his issue, if he left any, are desired. D. W. 



Philadelphia. 



Sir John Franklin's Arms. — What were the 

 arms of Sir John Franklin ? The crest upon one 

 of the spoons found by a party in search of him 

 is identical with the crest of Benjamin Franklin. 



M. E. 



Lilliputian Aztecs. — Has any person qualified 

 to do so decidedly refuted the statements put forth 

 by the exhibitors of these strange little beings ? 

 I am told that the question of their extraction, &c. 

 was set at rest in the negative soon after their first 

 appearance in London. I shall be very much 

 obliged for any references on this subject, or for 

 any which might assist me as to the historical part 

 of the question. F. C. B. 



Wm. Smith's Compendium of the Hebrew Bible. 

 — I have at present in my possession a Hebrew 

 MS., beautifully written, the roots of words in 

 red ink, apparently prepared for the press. The 

 following is the title : 



"A Compendium of the Hebrew Bible, consisting of 

 select verses in which are contained all the words which 

 are to be found in the whole Bible, with the root of each 

 word distinguished bj' a dilFerent type, as in the Bible of E. 

 Hutter. By William Smith, A.M." (uo date.) 



Information required as to this William Smith. 

 Has the work been published ? and, if so, when ? 



Tetlycnas. 

 Holyrood, Belfast. 



Dedication of Flowers to Saints. — Your readers 

 are aware that Hone, in his Every Day Booh, has 

 given day by day the name of each flower and of 

 its patron saint. He alludes (p. 131.) to a "Floral 

 Directory," compiled "by the monks, or the ob- 

 servers of monkish rules." Are any readers of 

 " N. & Q." acquainted with this book : it must be 

 a late compilation, as many plants of recent in- 

 troduction are mentioned in it. F. S. A. 



Pointer Dogs. — At what period were these 

 dogs introduced ? There is no mention of them 

 in the article on shooting, fowling, &c., in The 

 Oentlemans Recreation, folio, 1710; nor in the 

 School of Recreation, 1736, though the setter or 

 setting-dog is fully described. In the early prints 

 of Stubbs Morland, &c., they are drawn with 

 shorter legs, rounder heads, smaller ears, and 

 wider chests than the present breed. The tradition 

 is they come from Spain. A. A. 



Poets' Corner. 



Echo Song. — In The Pi'ogresses of Queen 

 Elizabeth, there is detailed a masque which was 

 enacted for her Majesty's pleasure, in which a 

 dialogue was held with Echo, " devised, penned, 



