Sept. 21. 1850.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



267 



" Te colui Virtutem." — Who is the author of the 

 Ihie — 

 " Te colui virtutem ut rem ast tu iioraen inane es?" 



It is a translation of part of a Greek tragic frag- 

 ment, quoted, according to Dio Cassias, by Brutus 

 just before his death. As much as is here trans- 

 lated is also to be found in Plutarch De Super- 

 stitione. E. 



^'- Ilia suavissinia Vita." — Where does "Illasua- 

 vissima vita indies sentire se fieri melioi-eui " come 

 from? E. 



Chi-istiajiity, Early Influence of. — " The benc- 

 i ficial iulluence of the Christian clergy during the 

 first thousand years of the Christian era." 



AVhat works can be recommended on the above 

 subject? X.y.Z. 



Wraxen, Cleaning of. — What is the origin and 

 meaning of the word wraxen, which was used by a 

 Kentish woman on being applied to by a friend of 

 mine to send her children to the Sunday-school, 

 in the following sentence? — "Why, you see, they 

 go to the Xatiunal School all the week, and get so 

 wraxen, that I cannot send them to the Sunday 

 School too." G. W. Skyking. 



Saint, Legend of a. — Can any of your corre- 

 spondents inform me where I can find the ac- 

 count of some saint who, when baptizing a heathen, 

 inadvertently pierced the convert's foot with the 

 point of his crozier. The man bore the pain with- 

 out fiinching, and when the occurrence was dis- 

 covered, he remarked that he thought it was part 

 of the ceremony ? J. Y. C. 



Land Holland — Farewell. — In searching some 

 Court llolls a few days since, I found some land 

 described as " Land Holland " or " Hollandland." 

 I have been unable to discover the meaning of 

 this expression, and should be glad if any of your 

 correspondents can help me. 



In the same manor there is a custom for the 

 tenant to pay a sum as a farewell to the lord on 

 sale or alienation : this payment is in addition to 

 the ordinary fine, &c. Query the origin and 

 meaning of this ? J. B. C. 



Slepony Ale. — Chamberlayne, in his Present 

 Slate of England (i)ait. i. p. 51., ed. 1G77), speak- 

 ing of the "IJyet" of the people, thus enumerates 

 the prevailing beverages of the day : — 



" Besides all sorts of the best wines from Spain, 

 France, Italy, Germany, Grceia, there are sold in 

 London above twenty sorts of other drinks : as brandy, 

 coll'ee, chocolate, tea, aroniatick, mum, sider, perry, 

 beer, ale ; many sorts of ales very dill'eront, as cock, 

 tteiiony, stickhack, Hull, North-Down, Saml)idf;e, 

 lietony, scurvy-i;rass, sage-ale, Sec. A piece of wan- 

 tonness whereof none of our ancestors were ever guilty." 



It will be observed that the ales are named in 

 some instances from localities, and in others from 

 the herbs of which they were decoctions. Can 

 any of your readers tell me anything of Stepony 

 ale? "Was it ale brewed at Stepney? 



James T. Hammack. 



" Regis ad Exemplar." — Can you inform me 

 whence the following line is taken ? 



" Regis ad exemplar totus componltur orbis." 



Q. Q. Q. 



La Caconacqtierie. — Will one of your numerous 

 correspondents be kind enough to inform me what 

 is the true signification anil derivation of the 

 word " caconac ? " D'Alembert, writing to Vol- 

 taire concerning Turgot, says : 



" You will find him an excellent caconac, though he 

 has reasons for not avowing it : — la caconacqucrie ne 

 mene pas a la fortune." 



Ardeen. 



London Dissenting Ministers : Rev. Thomas 

 Tailer. — Not being entirely successful in my 

 Queries with regard to " London Dissenting Mi- 

 nisters" (Vol. i., pp. 383. 444. 454.), I will state 

 a circumstance which, possibly, may assist some 

 one of your correspondents in furnishing an answer 

 to the second of those inquiries. 



In the lines immediately referred to, where 

 certain Nonconformist ministers of the metropolis 

 are described under images taken from the vege- 

 table world, the late Rev. Thomas Tailer (of Carter 

 Lane), whose voice was feeble and trembling; is 

 thus spoken of: — 



" Tailer tremulous as aspen leaves." 



But in verses afterwards circulated, if not 

 printed, the censor was rebuked as follows : — 



" Nor tell of Tailer's trembling voice so weak, 

 While from his lips such charming accents break, 

 And every virtue, every Christian grace, 

 Within his bosom finds a ready place." 



No encomium could be more deserved, none 



more seasonably otFered or more appropriately 



I conveyed. I knew Mr. Tailer, and am pleased in 



I cherishing recollections of him. W. 



Mistletoe as a Christmas Evergreen. — Can any 

 of your readers inform me at what period of time 

 tiie mistletoe came to be recognised as a Christmas 

 evergreen? I am awiire it played a great part in 

 those ceremonies of the ancient l>ruids which 

 took i)lace towards the end of the year, but 1 can- 

 not find any allusion to it, in connexion with the 

 Christian festival, before the time of Ilerrick. 

 You are of coiusc aware, that there are still in 

 existence some five or si.x very curious old carols, 

 of as early, or even an earlier date than the fifteenth 

 century, in praise of the holly or tiio ivy, which 

 said carols used to be sung during the Christmas 



