Aug. 31. 1850.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



217 



phrase harefinder, as it occurs in Much Ado about 

 Nothing, Act i. Sc. 1.? A reference to any similar 

 term in a contemporary writer would be very 

 valuable. B. 



Saffron-hag. — Having lately read Sir E. B. 

 Lytton' s novel of The Caxtons — to which I must 

 give a passing tribute of admiration — I have been 

 a good deal puzzled, first, to ascertain the mean- 

 ing, and, second, the origin of the saffron-hag of 

 which he speaks so much. I have asked many 

 persons, and have not been able to obtain a satis- 

 factory solution of my difficulty. Should you or 

 any of your contributors be able, I wish you would 

 enlighten not only me but many of my equally 

 unlearned friends. W. C. Luard. 



Bishop Berkley's success/id Experiments. — I have 

 somewhere read that Bishop Berkley succeeded in 

 increasing the stature of an individual placed in 

 his charge. Will any of your correspondents give 

 me the details of such process, with their opinions 

 as to the practicability of the scheme ? F. W. 



Portrait {Unknown). — Avery carefully painted 

 portrait, on an oak panel, has been in the posses- 

 sion of my family for many years, and I should be 

 much pleased if any of your correspondents could 

 enable me to identify the ])ersonage. 



The figure, wiiich is little more than a head, is 

 nearly the size of life, and represents an elderly 

 man with grey hair and a long venerable beard : 

 the dress, which is but little shown, is black. At 

 the upper part of the panel, on the dexter side, 

 is a shield, bearing these arms: — Argent on a 

 fess sable between three crosses patees. Or, as 

 many martlets of the last. Above the shield is 

 written " In cruce glorior." I have searched in 

 vain for those arms. On the pi-ints published by 

 the Society of Antiquaries, of the funeral of Abbot 

 Islip, is one nearly similar, — the field ermine on 

 a fess between three crosses patees, as many mart- 

 lets. The colours are not shown by the engraver. 

 A manuscript ordinary, by Glover, in my posses- 

 sion, contains another, which is somewhat like that 

 on the picture, being — Argent on a fess engrailed 

 sable, bearing three crosses patees. Gules, as many 

 martlets of the field. This is tiiere ascribed to 

 " Canon George." It is very probable that tiie 

 golil crosses on the while field was an error of the 

 portrait painter. 



The size of the oak panel, which is thick, is 

 seventeen inches wide, and twenty-two in height. 

 The motto is in a cursive hand, apparently of about 

 the time of Edward VI. T. W. 



Wives, Custom of Selling. — lias there ever been 

 any foundation in law for the |)racLice of .--eHing of 

 wives, which our ne ghbours tiie French persist in 

 believing to be perfectly legal and common at the 

 present day ? \Vliat was the origin of the custom? 



An amusing series of "Notes" might be made, 

 from instances in which the custom is introduced 

 as characteristic of English manners, by French 

 and other foreign writers. G. L. B. 



Hephurn C?-est and Motto. — Can some of your 

 numerous readers give me the origin of the crest 

 and motto of the family of Hepburn, namely, a 

 horse argent, furnished gules, passant, and tied to 

 a tree proper. Motto, " Keep Traist." 



I should also be glad to know the name of any 

 book containing tlie legends, or authentic stories, 

 relating to the heraldic bearings of various 



families? 



R. E. 



Concolinel. — ^I have recently met with a curious 

 manuscript which contains numerous tunes of the 

 time of Queen Elizabeth, one of which is stated in 

 a recent hand to be the " tune of Concolinel men- 

 tioned by Shakspeare;" but the old index, if there 

 was one that indicated this, is now missing. My 

 reason for writing to you is to ask whether Dr. 

 Rimbault, or any of your other correspondents, can 

 refer me to any information that will enable me 

 to ascertain whether my MS. really contains that 

 tune. It certainly does contam several others 

 noticed by Shakspeare. R. 



" One Hilly, Catholic, and Apostolic Church^'' — 

 Can any of your correspondents inform me how, 

 or why, the word " holy " is omitted in the above 

 article of the Xicene (Constantinopolitan) Creed, 

 in all our Prayer-books ? It is not omitted in the 

 original Greek and Latin. J. M. W. 



The Norfolk Dialect. — Mr. Dickens' attempt 

 to give interest to his new novel by introducing 

 this dialect would have been even more successful 

 had he been more familiar with the curious pecu- 

 liarities of that east-coast language. Many of the 

 words are, I believe, quite pecidiar to Norfolk and 

 Suffolk, such as, for instance, the following : — 



Maicther, a girl, a wench. 



Gotsch, a stone jug. 



Iloll, a di-y ditch. 



Anun? Anf an interrogation used when the 

 speaker does not understand a question put to him. 



To he muddled, to be distressed in mind. 



Together, an expletive used thus : where are 

 you going together? (meaning several persons) — 

 what are you doing together? 



Perhaps some reader can explain the origin of 

 these words. Icjskus. 



Sir John Perrot. — Sir John Perrot, governor of 

 Ireland in the reign of lleni-y VIII., was one of 

 the few rulers over that most unfortunate country 

 who have ruled it wisely. I believe tliat he was 

 beheaded in the reign of Elizabeth. Mill any of 

 your readers kindly inform me whether his life has 



