April 21. 1855.1 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



303 



Ministerial " Jobs." — The origin of political 

 " rats " has been discussed in " N. & Q." At 

 present politicians talk less of " rats " than of 

 "jobs;" a definition of the latter phrase seems 

 therefore desirable. R. B. Sheridan has thus ex- 

 plained its meaning : 



"Yesterday he (Mr. Sheridan) made use of the word 

 •job,' as applicable to some part of the minister's con- 

 duct with respect to appointments to certain offices under 

 government since the commencement of the war. The 

 minister, in his simplicity and innocence, seemed not to 

 comprehend what a job was. It was certainly not a very 

 elegant, but it was a very intelligible term ; but if the 

 right hon. gentleman wanted an explanation of it, he 

 should give one. Whenever any emolument, profit, 

 salary, honour, or favour of any kind whatever was con- 

 ferred on any person, be he who he may, or his character 

 what it mayj unless he has gone through a public service 

 or necessary public, duty, adequate to what he receives, 

 that is a job ; if from any private friendship, j5ersonal at- 

 tachment, or any other view than the interest of the 

 public, any person is appointed to any office in the public 

 service, when any other person is known to be fitter for 

 the emplovment, that is a job." — Sheridan's Speeches 

 (Bohn, 1842), ii. 278. 



Perhaps some reader of " N. & Q." may be able 

 to say when this phrase first came into use. The 

 abuse which it expresses has doubtless existed in 

 every age and country. F. 



Bee-hives. — What bee-hives do the French and 

 Germans prefer ? G. R. L. 



Plai/ Ticliet hy Hogarth. — I picked up a short 

 time since a theatre ticket by Hogarth for " The 

 Old Batchelor. Theatre Royal Drury Lane. For 

 the benefit of Joe Miller." Will you or any of 

 your correspondents inform me of the date of this 

 benefit ? Pelicancs Americanus. 



Train Bands. — Are there any, and what, re- 

 cords of the train bands ? When were they first 

 embodied ? for what purpose ? and when dis- 

 banded ? Were they confined to any particular 

 localities? Did the officers in them hold their 

 commission from the sovereign ? or, if not, from 

 whom ? N. K. C. 



[In the year 1585, the trained bands are first noticed 

 by Stowe, in connexion with the London Artillery Com- 

 pany, when the Spanish Armada was hanging like 

 a vast cloud over the political horizon. Stowe says: 

 "Certain gallant, active, and forward citizens, having 

 had experience both abroad and at home, voluntarily 

 exercised themselves and trained others, for the ready 

 use of war; so that in two years there were almost three 

 hundred merchants, very sufficient and skilful to train 

 common soldiers. These merchants met every Tuesday 

 to practise all points of war. Some of them in 1588 had 

 charge of men in the great camp, and were generally 

 called captains of the Artillery Garden." Their first place 

 of meeting was in Tasel Close, now Artillery Lane, Bi- 



shopsgate. On the breaking out of the Great Rebellion, 

 the trained bands of London were placed under the com- 

 mand of Serjeant-Major Skippon ; and in May, 1642, a 

 general muster took place in Finsbury Fields, where six 

 regiments appeared under arms, comprising eight thousand 

 men. At the Restoration the trained bands joined the 

 Artillery Company, as stated by Highmore in his History 

 of the Artillery Company, p. 94., who tells us, that " the 

 lieutenancy recommended that the Serjeants of the twelve 

 regiments of trained bands and auxiliaries of the citj' not 

 already entered into the company, should, with the con- 

 sent of the Court of Assistants^ have their admittance 

 without paying any fine, but were to pay quarterage 

 with the rest of the members." The records relating to 

 the trained bands are most probably in the custody of 

 the Artillerj' Company, whose " Court Books " are "fre- 

 quently quoted by Highmore.] 



Benjamin of Tudela. — Who are we to believe, 

 D'Israeli, or Dr. Robinson ? The first tells us 

 that the Travels of Benjamin are supposed to be 

 fictitious. He describes places which he has evi- 

 dently never seen, and people that have no exist- 

 ence. (^Curiosities of Literature, i. 223.) The 

 other says, the inaccuracies and fables of which 

 he is accused were faults common to all writers 

 of that age (1160-73), and that he has found his 

 account of Palestine, so far as it goes, " to be that 

 of an eye-witness, and quite as accurate and 

 trustworthy as any of the narratives of those 

 days," &c. (Biblical Researches, iii., 1st Apijen- 

 dix, 7.) A. C. M. 



Exeter. 



[Considerable diversity of opinion has existed respect- 

 ing the value and authenticity of this Itinerary, which 

 perhaps arises from the author not at all times sufficiently 

 distinguishing those regions which he personally visited, 

 from those which he notices apparently from hearsay. 

 The last English translation, with notes, by the Rev. B. 

 Gerrans, Lond., 1783, seems to have been undertaken 

 principally with the view of confuting and weakening 

 the authenticity of the author. Consult Wolfius's Bi- 

 blioth. Hehraica, tom. i. p. 247. ; Monthly Review, vol. Ixx. 

 p. -347. ; Chalmers's Biog. Diet., vol. iv. p. 449.] 



The City of Noviomagus. — Camden states 

 that this city was at Woodcote : 



" Nor need I insist," he says, " upon any other argu- 

 ment for it besides that of distance, for 'tis ten miles from 

 London, and eighteen (?) from Vagniacfe, or Maidstone." 



Woodcote is twenty-eight miles from Maidstone ; 

 thus Camden's argument as to distance will not 

 hold good. 



Query, Is it probable that the city was situated 

 at that place ? and might not the mistake as to 

 distance in Camden have originated in the print- 

 ing or in the manuscript ? S. 



Croydon. 



[This discrepancy is noticed by Dr. Gale, in his Com- 

 mentary on Antoninus. The Doctor does not agree with 

 Camden, that the distance of Noviomagus from Vag- 

 niacffi, which in the Itinerary is eighteen miles, does at 

 all correspond with that of Woodcote from Maidstone ; 

 but this, he thinks, is easily reconciled by supposing that, 

 as the MSS. evidently differ from one another in this 



