170 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
[No. 11. 
Ptolemy of Alexandria. — Your correspondent, 
“ Query,” wishes to be informed what works of 
Ptolemy have been translated. The following, as 
far as I can learn, is a list of them, viz. : — 
“The Compost of Ptholomeus, Prynce of Astro- 
nomye, translated out of Frenche into Englysshe.” 
London, printed by Robert Wyer, no date, 12mo. 
There is also another edition of the same work, London, 
printed by T. Colwell, without date, 12mo. 
“ The Bounding of Greece-Land, according to 
Ptolomeus; Englished out of the Greek, by Thos. 
Wilson.” London, 1570, 4to. 
N.B. This is included in Wilson’s Translation of 
Demosthenes’ Olynthiacs. 
“The Geography of Ptolemy, so far as it relates to 
Britain; in Greek and English, with observations by 
J. Horsley.” London, 1732, folio. 
N.B. This forms a part of the Britannia Romana. 
“ Quadripartite; or Four Books concerning the 
Influence of the Stars, faithfully rendered into English, 
from Leo Allatius; with Notes, explaining the most 
difficult and obscure Passages, by John Whalley.” 
London, 1701 and 1786, 12mo. 
“ Tetrabiblos, or Quadripartite; being Four Books, 
of the Influence of the Stars, newly translated from the 
Greek Paraphrase of Proclus; with a Preface, ex- 
planatory Notes, and an Appendix containing Extracts 
from the Almagest of Ptolemy, and the whole of his 
Colloquy, &e. by J. M. Ashmand,” London, 1822, 8vo. 
I am indebted to Watts’ Bibliotheca Britannica 
for the titles of the first three of these works. The 
others I have in my possession. W. J. Brown. 
Old Street. 
There are several real or pretended translations 
of the astrological work —some certainly pre- 
tended —and Ptolemy’s name is on many astrolo- 
gical titlepages which do not even pretend to 
translate. The Geography, as far as Britain is 
concerned, is said to be in Dr. Henry's History of 
Great Britain, 1788. Some works in harmonics 
appear in lists as translations or close imitations 
of Ptolemy, as John Keeble’s, 1785, Francis 
Styles, Phil. Trans. vol.li. Various dissertations 
on minor pieces exist: but there is no English 
translation of the Almagest, &c., though it exists 
in French (see Smith’s Biograph. Dict. art. 
Protemy). Ifan English reader want to know 
Ptolemy’s astronomical methods and hypotheses, 
| nothing will suit him better than Narrien’s History 
of Astronomy. M. 
Accuracy of References. — In connection with 
the article on “ Misquotations,” in No. 3. p. 38., 
will you impress upon your correspondents the 
necessity of exact references? It is rather hard 
when, after a long search, a sought reference has 
been obtained, to find that the reference itselfis, on 
examination, incorrect. To illustrate my position: 
at p. 23., in an article relating to Judge Skipwyth, 
and at p. 42., in an article relating to the Lions in 
the Tower, are references to certain “pp.” of the 
Issue Rolls of the Exchequer. Now if any person 
with these references were to search the Issue 
Rolls, he would be much surprised to find that 
the Rolls are rolls, and not books, and that “ pp.” 
is not a correct reference. The fact is that neither 
of your correspondents are quoting from the Rolls 
themselves, but from a volume, published in 1835, 
under the direction of the Comptroller General of 
the Exchequer, by Mr. F. Devon, called Issue 
Roll of Thomas de Brantingham, Bishop of 
Exeter, Lord High Treasurer of England, &c. 
44 Edward III. 
And while on the subject, permit me to remark, 
with reference to the article on the Domestic Ex- 
penses of Queen Elizabeth (page 41.), that there 
are plenty of such documents in existence, and 
that the only test of their value and authenticity 
is a reference to where they may be found, which - 
is wanting in the article in question. 
J. EK. 
A Peal of Bells. —In No. 8. of your interesting 
and valuable journal, I find a query, from the 
Rev. A. Garry, relative to a peal of bells. Now 
the science of bell-ringing being purely English, we 
can expect to find the explanation sought for, only 
in English authors. Dr. Johnson says peal means 
a “succession of sounds ;” and in this way it is 
used by many old writers, thus : — 
« A peal shall rouse their sleep.” — Miron. 
And again Addison : — 
“« Oh for a peal of thunder that would make 
Earth, sea, and air, and heaven, and Cato tremble.” 
Bacon also hath it: — - 
“ Woods of oranges will smell into the sea perhaps 
twenty miles; but what is that, since a peal of ord- 
nance will do as much, which moveth in a small com- 
pass?” 
It is once used by Shakspeare, in Macbeth : — 
“ Ere to black Hecate’s summons 
The shard-borne beetle, with his drowsy hums, 
Hath rung night’s yawning peal, there shall be done 
A deed of dreadful note,” 
Will not ringing a peal, then, mean a succession 
of sweet sounds caused by the ringing of bells in 
certain keys? Some ringers begin with D flat; 
others, again, contend they should begin in C~ 
sharp. 
TeyOus last number is a query about Scar- 
borough Warning. Grose, in his Provincial Glos- — 
sary, gives the meaning as “a word and a blow, 
and the blow first ;” it is a common proverb in 
Yorkshire. He gives the same account of its 
origin as does Ray, extracted from Fuller, and 
gives no notion that any other can be attached © 
to it. R.J.S. | 
