190 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 173. 



navi, cura velis tumentibus vehitur, cum expansis pal- 

 mulis labitur," &c. 



Similar sentiments, in almost the same words, 

 are expressed by TertuUian, Apologet., sect. 16. ; 

 and Ad Nationes, sect. 12. See also Justin Martyr, 

 Apol. lib. i. sect. 72. The quotation from M. Felix 

 is from the Leipsic edit., 1847, pp. 41, 42. 



B.H.C. 



Sir Kenelm Dighy (Vol. vii., p. 85.). — I am not 

 at all convinced of the accuracy of the statement 

 made by your correspondent Vandyke, " that Sir 

 Kenelm Digby is (Vandyke believes always) re- 

 presented with a sunflower by his side." There 

 are various prints of Sir Kenelm Digby at the 

 British Museum, which I have very recently ex- 

 amined, and I can find but one which bears the 

 device alluded to : and which is placed, not " by 

 the side of Sir Kenelm Digby," but with other 

 allegorical symbols, at the bottom of the print. 

 Nor do the Private Memoirs (first published in 

 1827 by the late Sir Harris Nicolas) contain any- 

 thing to throw light on the supposed adoption of 

 this emblem by Sir Kenelm Digby. P. C. S. S. 



A correspondent signing himself Vandyke asks, 

 "Why is Sir Kenelm Digby represented, I believe 

 always, with a sunflower by his side ? " The very 

 first portrait of Digby I turned to, in Lodge's Col- 

 lection, engraved, too, after Vandyke, is without 

 any flower at all. Jaydee. 



Martin Drunk (Vol. v., p. 587.). — I cannot 

 find that this phrase has been satisfactorily eluci- 

 dated. Perhaps the following will throw some 

 additional light on the subject. 



In an Analysis of the Gospels for the Lord's 

 Days, by Conrad Dieteric, edit. 1631, p. 465., I 

 read : 



" Tritum est illud veterum veriverbium : 



' Festa Martini iterata, 

 Absumunt anseres et prata.' 



Id quod Germanicus hunc in modum effert : 



• Wer all tag will S. Martin prassen, 

 Der muss endlich S. Nicias fasten.' " 



It would seem from this, that not the English 

 alone were wont to enjoy themselves on St. Mar- 

 tin's Day. Baxter, in his Saints Rest (p. 116. 

 1st edit.), seems to use the word Martin as syno- 

 nymous with a noisy tippler : 



" The language of Martin is there a stranger, and 

 the sound of his echo is not heard." 



Internal evidence clearly refers all these sayings 

 to the unrestrained mirth and jollity with which 

 the feast of St. Martin was anciently celebrated. 



B. H. C. 



the Catechismus hrevis et Catholicus of Jacobus 

 Schoepper (published at Antwerp, 1555), con- 

 tains a remarkable series of passages closely similar 

 to the last twelve questions and answers of the 

 Church Catechism. If desired, I would send these 

 " parallel passages," as I expect the book is very 

 scarce. B. H. 0. 



Sham Epitaphs and Quotations (Vol. vi., p. 340.). 

 — Your correspondent A. A. D. asks, in reference 

 to a certain epitaph, " has it really a local habita- 

 tion, and where ?" This is a Query full of grave 

 suggestions. Are there not hundreds of epitaphs in 

 print which have no existence except as printer's 

 paragraphs, and which serve the same purpose 

 as the immortal calf with six legs, and the num- 

 berless gigantic gooseberries and plethoric tur- 

 nips. I have collected epitaphs for years past, and 

 it is surprising how many — and those some of 

 the best in a literary sense — defy every attempt 

 to trace them to sepulchral sources. Besides epi- 

 taphs, I believe many sham quotations are used by 

 writers, such as couplets and queer phrases of their 

 own coining ; but which are inclosed between in- 

 verted commas, either to rid their authors of the 

 responsibility of the sentiments they convey, or to 

 add weight to the argument they are introduced 

 to illustrate. A short time since, I contributed a 

 tale to a journal ; at the head of each chapter 

 stood a couplet of my own composing, which the 

 printer and editor both mistook for a series of quo- 

 tations, and kindly affixed inverted commas to 

 them ; and, as in that instance I did not receive 

 proof slips to correct, the tale was published, 

 adorned with these sham quotations — the reader 

 being bamboozled without intention, and I robbed 

 of the credit of my original couplets. This is an 

 important matter : for it is no pleasant affair to 

 spend a month or two in the endeavour to trace a 

 quotation, and then to become convinced that you 

 have been hunting for a mare's nest. 



Shirley Hibbekd. 



Door-head Inscription (Vol. vii., p. 23.). — In 

 accordance with the suggestion of A. B. R., I have 

 by means of a friend obtained an accurate tran- 

 script of the door-head inscription at Wymond- 

 ham. It runs thus : 



« Nee mihi glis servus, nee hospes hirudo." 



The doubts I felt, when I stated that I quoted 

 from memory, related to the first word or two ; 

 and it has proved that I was in error there. The 

 hirudo, however, must stand ; although it is a 

 question not easy to decide, " whether a greedy 

 or a gossiping guest would be the worst household 

 infliction." B. B. Woodwakd. 



St. John's Wood. 



The Chirch Catechism (Vol. vii., p. 64.). — It \ Potguns (Vol. vi., p. 612.).— Db. Rimbault, in 

 might interest your correspondent to know that j reply to J. R.R., explains jo«%-m?is by "small guns." 



