Aug. 6. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



137 



Considering what was meant by Lady in the 

 names of plants, we should refrain from supposing 

 that Neottia spiralis was called the Lady-traces 

 *' sensu obsc.," even if those who are more skilled 

 in such matters than I am can detect such a 

 sense. I cannot learn what a lady's traces are ; 

 but I suspect plaltings of her hair to be meant. 

 " Upon the spiral sort," says Gerard, " are placed 

 certaine small white flowers, trace fashion," while 

 other sorts grow, he says, " spike fashion," or " not 

 trace fiishion." Whence I infer, that in his day 

 trace conveyed the idea of spiral. A. N. 



Specimens of Foreign English (Vol. lii. passim.). 

 — I have copied the following from the label on a 

 bottle of liqueur, manufactured at Marseilles by 

 " L. Noilly tils et C'^" The English will be best 

 understood by being placed in juxtaposition with 

 the original French : 



" Le Vermouth 

 est un vin blanc legerement amer, parfume avec des 

 plantes aromatiques bienfaisantes. 



" Cette boisson est tonique, stimulante, febrifuge et 

 astringente ; prise avec de I'eau elle est aperitive et 

 raffraichissante : elle est aussi un puissant preservatif 

 contre les fievres et la dysseatcrie, maladies si frequentes 

 dans les pays cbauds, pour lesquels elle a ete particu- 

 lierement composee." 



" The Wermouth 

 is a brightly bitter and perfumed with aromatical and 

 good vegetables white wine. 



" This is tonic, stimulant, febrifuge and costive 

 drinking; mixed with water it is aperitive, refreshing, 

 and also a powerful preservative of fivers and bloody- 

 flux; those latters are very usual in warmth countries, 

 and of course that liquor has just been particularly 

 made up for that occasion." 



Henry H. Beeen. 



St. Lucia, 



Blanco White (Vol. xii., pp. 404. 486.). — Your 

 correspondent II. C. K. is right in his impression 

 that the sonnet commencing 



" Mysterious Nigh.t ! when our first parents knew," &c. 



was written by Blanco White. See his Life 

 (3 vols., Chapman, 1845), voL iii. p. 48. 



J. K. R. W. 



_P/.rfo?s (Vol. viii., p. 7.). — In Strype's Life of 

 Sir Thomas Smith, Works, O.xon. 1821, mention 

 is made of a statute or proclamation by the Queen 

 in the year 1575, which refers to that of 33 

 Hen. VIII. c. 6., alluded to by your correspondent 

 J. F. M., and in which the words pistol and pistolet 

 are introduced : 



" The Queen calling to mind how unseemly a thing 

 it was, in so quiet and peaceable a realm, to have men 

 so armed ; . . . did charge and command all her sub- 

 jects, of what estate or degree soever they were, that 

 in no wise, in their journeying, going, or riding, they 

 carried about them privily or openly any dag, or pistol, 



or any other barquebuse, gun, or such weapon for fire, 

 under the length expressed by the statute made by the 

 Queen's most noble father. , . . [Excepting however] 

 noblemen and such known gentlemen, which were 

 without spot or doubt of evil behaviour, if they carried 

 dags or pistolets about them in their journeys, openly, 

 at their saddle bows," &c. 



Here the dag or pistolet seems to answer to our 

 " revolvers," and the pistol to our larger horse- 

 pistol. 11. C. K. 

 Rectory, Hereford. 



Passage of Thucydides on the Greek Factions 

 (Vol. viii., p. 44.). — If L., or any of your readers, 

 will take the trouble to compare the passage 

 quoted, and the one referred to by him, in the 

 following translation of Smith, with Sir A. Alison's 

 supposititious quotation* (Vol. vii., p. 594.), they 

 will find that my inquiry is still unanswered. 

 The passage quoted by L. in Greek is, according 

 to Smith : 



" Prudent consideration, to be specious cowardice ; 

 modesty, the disguise of effeminacy ; and being wise in 

 everything, to be good for nothing." 



The passage not quoted, but referred to by L., is : 



" He who succeeded in a roguish scheme was wise ; 

 and he who suspected such practices in others was 

 still a more able genius," — Vol. i. book iii. p. 281. 

 4to. : London, 1753. 



In this " counterfeit presentment of two bro- 

 thers, L. may discern a family likeness ; but my 

 inquiry was for the identical passage, " sword and 

 poniard" included. 



If L. desires to find Greek authority for the 

 general sentiment only, I would refer him to pas- 

 sages, equally to Sir A. Alison's purpose, ia 

 Thucydides, iii. 83., viii. 89. ; Herodotus, iii. 81. ; 

 Plato's Republic, viii. 11. ; and Aristotle's Politics, 

 v. 6. 9. I beg to thank L. for his attempt, although 

 unsuccessfuL T. J. Bdckton. 



Birmingham. 



The earliest Mention of the Word " Party " 

 (Vol. vii., p. 247.). — In a choice volume, printed 

 by " Ihon Day, dwelling over Aldersgate, be- 

 neath St. Martines," 1568, I find the word occur- 

 ring thus : 



" The party must in any place see to bimselfe, and 

 seeke to wipe theyr noses by a shorte aunswere." — A 

 Discovery and playne Declaration of the Holy Inquisition 

 of Spayne, fol. 10. 



Permit me to attach a Query to this. Am I 

 right in considering the above-mentioned book as 

 rare ? I do so on the assumption that " Ihon 

 Day" is the Day of black-letter rarity. 



R. C. Wabde. 



Kidderminster. 



^ * Europe, vol. ix. p. 397., 1 2mo. 



