June 29. 1850.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



77 



to mean a certificate acknowledging a debt, and pro- 

 mising payment at a specified time on the present- 

 ation of the certificate. Debentures are thus 

 issued by railway companies when they borrow 

 money, and the certificates for annual interest 

 which accompany them are, so to speak, sub-de- 

 bentures. Perhaps this may throw some liglit 

 upon the matter. E. S. Jackson. 



Charade (Vol. i., p. 10.). — The charade cited 

 by QujEsToB is on my " Notes" as the " Bishop 

 of Salisbury's," and the following answer is said to 

 be by a clergyman : — 



" Firm on the Rock of Christ, tliough lowly sprung, 

 The Church invokes the Spirit's fiery Tongue ; 

 Those gracious breathings rouse but to controul 

 The Storm and Struggle in the Sinner's Soul. 

 Happy ! ere long his carnal conflicts cease, 

 And the Storm sinks in faith and gentle peace — . 

 Kings own its potent sway, and humbly bows 

 The gilded diadem upon their brows — 

 Its savi?ig voice with Mercy speeds to all, 

 But ah ! how few who quicken at the call — 

 Gentiles the favour'd ' little Flock ' detest, 

 And Aliraham's children spit upon their rest. 

 Once only since Creation's work, has night 

 Curtain'd with dark'ning Clouds its saving light. 

 What time the Ark majestically rode, 

 Uiiscatli'd upon the desolating flood — 

 The Silver weigh'd for it, in all its strength 

 For scarce three pounds were counted, while its length 

 Traced in the Prophet's view with measur'd reed, 

 Squared just a mile, as Rabbins are agreed — 

 And now I feel entitled well to smile. 

 Since Christ's Church bears the Palm in all our Tsle." 



I waited some time to see if any solution would 

 be given of the charade ; and I now send you the 

 one in my possession, in default of a better. 



Kebecca. 



Diifch Language (Vol. i., p. 383). —E. V. 

 asks^ what are the best modern books for ac- 

 quiring a knowledge of the Dutch language. If 

 E. V. insist upon modern liooks, he cannot have 

 better than Hendrik Conscience's novels, or Ger- 

 nts's Zoon des Volks. I would, however, advise 

 him to get a volume of Jacob Cats' Poems, the 

 language of whicli is not antiquated, aiul is idio- 

 matic without being difficult to a bcnnner. 



II. B. C. 



"Construe" and " Translate" (Vol ii., p. 22.).— It 

 is very common, I apprehend, in language, for two 

 words, originally of tlie same mcanin^ir, or two 

 spellings of the same word, to be gradually nj)- 

 propriated by usage to two subordinate uses, ap- 

 plications', and meanings of the word res[)ectiviiv, 

 aufl that merely by accident, as fo which of the 

 two is taken for one of the subdivisions, and whicli 

 for the other. We have made such an appropri- 

 ation in our own time, — despatch and dispatcli. 



It may be curious, however, to inquire how far 

 back the distinction mentioned by your corre- 

 spondent is found. 



" Construe," originally, must probably have 

 meant, not to turn from one language into another, 

 but to explain the construction, or what is called 

 by the Greek name syntax, much like what in 

 regard to a single word is called parsing. C. B. 



Diitton Family (Vol. ii., p. 21 .).— B. will find the 

 Button proviso in the statute 17 Geo. II. explained 

 by reference to Ormerod's Cheshire, vol. i. pp. 36. 

 477. 484.; Lyson's Cheshire; Blount's Antient 

 Tenures, 298., &c. An early grant by one of the 

 Lacy family transferred to Hugh de Dutton and his 

 heirs " magistratum omnium leccatorum et meri- 

 tricum totius Cestriae." In the fifteenth century 

 the jurisdiction was claimed by the Dutton family, 

 in respect of the lordship or manor of Dutton, 

 and was then confined to a jurisdiction over the 

 minstrels ami musicians of the palatinate and city 

 of Chester, who constituted, I presume, a depart- 

 ment among the leccatores, or licorlsh fellows, 

 mentioned above. In virtue of this jurisdiction 

 the lord of Dutton had the advowry or "advo- 

 caria" of the minstrels of the district, and annually 

 licensed them at a Court of Minstrelsy, where the 

 homage consisted of a jury of sworn fiddlers; and 

 certain dues, namely, flagons of wine and a lance 

 or flagstaiF, were yearly rendered to the lord. The 

 last court was held in 1756. 



As the early Vagrant Acts included "minstrels" 

 in their definition of rogues and vagabonds, it is evi- 

 dent that the suitors of the Minstrelsy Court would 

 have run the risk of commitment to the House of 

 Correction and a whipping, if the acts had not 

 specially excepted the franchise of the Dutton 

 family from their operation. The earliest statutes 

 are 14 Eliz. c. 5.; 39 Eliz. c. 4.; and 43 Eliz. c. 9. 

 Section 27. of the last Act clearly shows that it was 

 the power of licensing minstrels which the proviso 

 of the acts was intended to save. The pedigree of 

 the Dutton family will be found in the volume of 

 Ormerod already cited. E. S. 



June 5. 1850. 



" Laus tna, non tua fraus," &c. (Vol. i., p. 416.). 

 — The lines were written by Philclpiius on Pope 

 Pius II , as is stated in the book called Les 

 Bigarrures du Seigneur des Accords, p. 173. of the 

 edit. 1U62. C. B. 



In a small work, entitled Specimens of Macaronic 

 Poetrii, 8vo., 1831, the verses quoted by " O." 

 are stated to have been written by some poet (not 

 named) in praise of Pope Clement VI. or Pius II., 

 but of which learned autiioritics do not agree. It 

 seems the poet was afraid lie might not receive 

 such a reward as, according to his own estimate, 

 he deserved , and thorcl'orc retained the power of 

 converting his liattery into abuse, by simply giving 



