May 21. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



511 



Wandering Jew (Vol. vii., p. 261.). — Your 

 correspondent will find an account of the Wan- 

 dering Jew prefixed to " Le Juif errant," the 

 Sieme livraison of Chants et Chansons Populaires 

 de la France. Thos, Lawbence, 



Ashby-de-la-Zouch. 



The earliest account of this legend is in Roger 

 ofWendover, under the year 1228: Ue Joseph, 

 qui ultimum Christi adventum adhuc vivus exspectat, 

 vol. iv. p. 176. of the Historical Society's edition, 

 vol. ii. p. 512. of Bohn's Translation : see also 

 Brand's Popular Antiquities, vol. iii. p. 360., Bohn's 

 edition. Zeus. 



Hallett and Dr. Saxby (Vol. vii., p. 41.). — I 

 know nothing of the parties, but have the book 

 about which S. R. inquires. The title is not accu- 

 rately given in the Literary Journal. Instead of 

 " An Ode to Virtue," by Dr. Morris Saxby, it is 

 An Ode on Virtue by a Young Auihor, dedicated 

 to Dr. William Saxby ; with a Preface and Notes, 

 Critical and Explanatory, by a Friend — " Mens 

 sibi conscia recti" — A good intention. Printed 

 anno Domini mdccxci, pp. 16. 



A more stupid production could not easily be 

 found ; but, as it must be scarce, if the story about 

 the destruction of all but eight copies is true, I 

 transcribe a part of the dedication : 



" Most August Doctor, 

 " The reputation you have acquired by professional 

 merit, with the respect which is universally shown to 

 you on account of your practical observance of moral 

 philosophy, has induced me to select you as a protector 

 of the following work ; which being evidently intended 

 to promote a cause for which you was always a zealous 

 advocate, I have nourished the most flattering hopes 

 that you will be rather pleased than offended by this 

 unwarrantable presumption. 



" It is necessary I should deviate from the general 

 rule of celebrating a patron's virtues in a high strain 

 of panegyric, being sensible how generally yours are 

 known, and how justly admired." — P. 3. 

 The ode contains only ten lines : 

 •' Virtue, a mere chimera amongst the fair. 



Is now quite vanquished into air; 



Formerly it was thought a thing of worth. 



But now who thinks of such poor stuff. 



It's only put on to deceive. 



That us poor mortals on them may crave ; 



Fall down and swear their beauty far 



Surpasses what we ever saw ! 



Then they who think all's true that's said," &e. 



I omit the final line as unseemly. 



Dr. Saxby is mentioned only on the title-page, 

 and that part of the dedication which I have 

 copied. He must have been a sensitive man to 

 have felt such an attack, and a prompt one to 

 settle his account with the author so quickly. As 

 it is obvious that the ode was published solely to 

 annoy him, we may be allowed to hope that in the 



" severe personal chastisement" he was not spar- 

 ing of whipcord. The absence of place of publi- 

 cation and printer's name render inquiry difficult ; 

 and there is no indication as to whether Dr. Saxby 

 was of Divinity, Law, or Physic. H. B. C. 



U. U. Club. 



"ili?/ mind to me a kingdom is" (Vol. i., pp. 302» 

 489. ; Vol. vi., pp.555. 615.). — The idea is Shak- 

 speare's (Third Part of Hen. VI.) : 



" Keeper. Ay, but thou talk'st as if thou wert a king.. 

 K. Henri/. Why, so I am in mind ; and that's- 

 enough." 



C. Maksfield Inglebt.. 

 Birmingham. 



Claret (Vol. vii., p. 237.). — The word claret 

 seems to me to be the same as the French word 

 clairet, both adjective and substantive : as a sub- 

 stantive it means a low and cheap sort of claret^ 

 sold in France, and drawn from the barrel like 

 beer in England; as an adjective it is a diminutive 

 of clair, and implies that the wine is transparent. 



John Lammens. 



Manchester. 



Suicide at Marseilles (Vol. vii., pp. 180. 316.). — 

 The original authority for the custom at Marseilles^ 

 of keeping poison at the public expense for the 

 accommodation of all who could give the senate 

 satisfactory reasons for committing suicide, is 

 Valerius Maximus, lib. ii. cap. vi. § 7. Zeus, < 



Etymology of Slang (Vol. vii., p. 331.). — 



" Slangs are the greaves with which the legs of 

 convicts are fettered, having acquired that name from 

 the manner in which they were worn, as they required 

 a sling of string to keep them off the ground . . The 

 irons were the slangs ; and the slang-wearer's language- 

 was of course slangous, as partaking much if not 

 wholly of the slang." — Sportsman's Slang, a New Dic~ 

 tionary and Varieties of Life, by John Bee : Preface^ 

 p. 5. 



Zeus» 



Scanderieg's Sword (Vol. vii., pp. 35. 143.). — 

 The proverb, " Scanderbeg's sword must have 

 Scanderbeg's arm," is founded on the foUowing^ 

 story : 



" George Castriot, Prince of Albania, one of the 

 strongest and valiantest men that lived these tw» 

 hundred yeares, had a cimeter, which Mahomet the 

 Turkish Emperor, his mortal 1 enemy, desired to see. 

 Castriot (surnamed of the Turks, Ischenderbeg, that is. 

 Great Alexander, because of his valiantnesse), having 

 received a pledge for the restitution of his cimeter, sent 

 it so far as Constantinople to Mahomet, in whose court 

 there was not any man found that could with any ease 

 wield that piece of Steele : so that Mahomet sending it 

 back againe, enioyned the messenger to tell the prince, 

 that in this action he had proceeded enemy-like, and 

 with a fraudulent mind, sending a counterfeit cimeter 



