Feb. 4. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



109 



giveth His beloved sleep," as an extraordinary 

 anticlimax. 



2. Mu. Jebb challenges the showing strictly 

 analogous instances of ellipses. lie acknowledges 

 that there are very numerous ellipses even in the 

 Songs of Degrees themselves, but they are of a 

 very different nature. I might fill the whole of 

 this Number with examples, which the most scru- 

 pulous critic would be obliged to acknowledge as 

 being strictly analogous to the passage under re- 

 view ; but such a thing you would not allow. Two 

 instances, however, you will not object to ; they 

 will prove a host for Mr. Jebb's purpose, inas- 

 much as one has the very word niB' elliptical!}', 

 and the other the transitive verb jn\ minus an 

 accusative noun. Would Messks. Buckton, Jebb, 

 Walter, and S. D. kindly translate, for the bene- 

 fit of those who are interested in the question, the 

 following two passages ? 



: f^rp two "ipnn j»fP n& DJttnt 



Psalm xc. 5. 



: in^p t^TJ &p2 mn nsyD jn> 



Isaiah xli. 2. 



The Rev. Henry "Walter will see that some of 

 his observations have been anticipitated and al- 

 ready replied to. It remains, however, for me to 

 assure him that I never dreamt that any one would 

 suppose that I considered fcWJP anything else but 

 a noun, minus the 3 preposition. The reason why 

 I translated the word "whilst he [the beloved] 

 is asleep," was because I thought the expression 

 more idiomatic. 



S. D. attempts to prove nothing; I am exempt 

 therefore from disproving anything as far as he is 

 concerned. 



Before I take leave of this lengthy and some- 

 what elaborate disquisition, let me give my ex- 

 planation of the scope of the Psalm in dispute, 

 which, I venture to imagine, will commend itself, 

 even to those who differ from me, as the most 

 natural. 



This Psalm, as well as the other thirteen en- 

 titled "A Song of Degrees," was composed for 

 the singing on the road by those Israelites who 

 went up to Jerusalem to keep the three grand 

 festivals, to beguile their tedious journey, and 

 also to soothe the dejected spirits of those who 

 felt disheartened at having left their homes, their 

 farms, and families without guardians. Ps. cxxvii. 

 is of a soothing character, composed probably by 

 Solomon. 



In the first two verses God's watchfulness and 

 care over His beloved are held up to the view of 

 the pilgrims, who are impressed with the truth 

 that no one, " by taking thought, can add one 

 cubit to his stature." The best exposition which 

 I can give of those two verses I have learned from 

 our Saviour's " Sermon on the Mount" (Matt. vi. 



25-33.). The third and following verses, as well 

 as the next Psalm, are exegetieal or illustrative. 

 To whom do you attribute the gift of children? 

 Is it not admitted on all hands to be " an heritage 

 of the Lord ?" No one can procure that blessing 

 by personal anxiety and care: God alone can con- 

 fer the gift. Well, then, the same God who gives 

 you the heritage of children will also grant you all 

 other blessings which are good for you, provided 

 you act the part of " His beloved," and depend 

 upon Him without wavering. 



The above is a hasty, but I trust an intelligible, 

 view of the scope of the Psalm. 



Moses Margoeiouth. 



Wybunbury, Nantwich. 



INSCRIPTIONS ON BEI.LS. 



(Vol.viii., p. 448.) 



The inscription on one of the bells of Great 

 Milton Church, Oxon. (as given by Mr. Simpson 

 in " N. & Q-"), has a better and rhyming form 

 occasionally. 



In Meivod Church, Montgomeryshire, a bell 

 (the " great " bell, I think) has the inscription — 



" I to the church the living call, 

 And to the grave do summon all." 



The same also is found on the great bell of the 

 interesting church (formerly cathedral) of Llan- 

 badarn Fawr, Cardiganshire. E. Dyer Green. 



Nantcribha Hall. 



I beg to forward the following inscription on 

 one of°the bells in the tower of St. Nicholas 

 Church, Sidmouth. I have not met with it else- 

 where ; and you may, perhaps, consider it worthy 

 of being added to those given by CutiibertBede 

 and J. L. Sisson : 



" * Est michi collatum 



I he istud nomen amatum." 



There is no date, but the characters may indicate 

 the commencement of the fifteenth century as the 

 period when the bell was cast. G. J. R. Gordon. 



At Lapley in Staffordshire : 



«« I will sound and resound to thee, O Lord, 

 To call thy people to thy word." 



G. E. T. S. R. N. 



Pray add the following savoury inscriptions to 



your next list of bell-mottoes. The first disgraces 



the belfry of St. Paul's, Bedford ; the second, that 



of St. Mary's, Islington : 



" At proper times my voice I'll raise, 



And sound to my subscribers' praise !" 

 " At proper times our voices we will raise, 

 In sounding to our benefactors' praise 1" 

 The similarity between these two inscriptions 

 favours the supposition that the ancient bell- 



