Dec. 27. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



503 



" QuEe nimia pia"— " Facta est Impia," whom he 

 conjectures, and with some probability, to have 

 been a Christi;in Lidy, declared impious because 

 she refused to confess the " Gods many and Lords 

 many" of the heathen. The conclusion of the 

 epitaph is perplexing: it states that her husband 

 dedicated it to her and her son's memory — under 

 " the axe" — " Sub ascia dedicavit." I have 

 looked in vain for any explanation of this expres- 

 sion, in any account within my reach of lloman 

 funerals : possibly some of your correspondents 

 may help me to an explanation. Burnet, while 

 he is acute in noting the contradictory expression 

 above, wholly overlooks this. It may mean that 

 her husband performed this act of piety in the 

 face of danger and persecution,— as we should say, 

 " with the axe hanging over his head ; " but then 

 the epitaph commences with the letters D. M., 

 signifying " Diis Manibus," leading to the con- 

 clusion that the husband was not himself a Chris- 

 tian, though respecting Christianity in the person 

 of his wile. 1 had not originally intended to 

 copy the epitaph ; but as it is not long, and may 

 help the speculations of your readers who have 

 not access to Burnet's Travels, p. 5., now a rare 

 book, I subjoin it : — 



" D. M. 



Et memoria; eternas 



Sutise Anthidis 



Quae visit Annis XXV. M. XT. DV. 



QucB dum nimia pia fuit 



Facta est Impia 



et 



Attic Probatiolo 



Cecalius Callistlo Conjux et Pater 



et sil)i vivo 



Ponendum Curavit 



et 

 Sub ascia dedicavit." 



A. B. R. 



[Our correspondent will find a more correct reading 

 of this inscription, witli some remarks on Bisliop 

 Burnet's account of it, in liefleximis on Dr. Gilbert 

 Burnet's Travels into Switzerland, Jtalu, and certain 

 Parts of Germany and France, §-c., divided into five 

 letters. Written originally in Latin, by Mons. ***, 

 and now done into Englisli. 1688, pp. 23—29.] 



Turnpikes. — What is the earliest instance 

 and origin of this word, and when did the system 

 of turnpikes commence ? In the will of Walter 

 Il.lryzerd, of Bury, dated 1468, mention is made 

 of two i)astures without the town " j vocat' Tirne- 



pyhcr BURIKNSIS. 



[Turnpikes or barriers were erected as early as A. p. 

 1267, as we find a grant of a penny for each waggon 

 passing through a manor. St-e Index or Oitahpue of 

 the Patent Rolls, Hen III. .51., m. 21., "Quod I. de 

 Ripariis capiat in feod. 1 denar. de qiialibet carecta 

 transeunte jier maneria sua de 'lliorinerton et Littleton, 

 CO. Glouc." A toll was also imposed in the reign of 



Edward III. for repairing the road between St. Giles 

 and Temple Bar.] 



GENERAX, JAMES WOLFE. 



(Vol. iv., p. 438.) 

 In answer to the Queries put to me by 5. 1 have 

 to state — 



1st. That I am totally unable to give any in- 

 formation relative to the fiunily of Mrs. Wolfe. _ 



2d. Edward Wolfe was not, I believe, a native 

 of Westerham, and only resided there when not on 

 active duty. His wife lived there some years, but 

 could only have been staying temporarily in the 

 house where her son was born, as it always was 

 the residence of the vicar; the room, named after 

 him, is still jiointed out where James Wolfe drew 

 his first breath. Quebec House was only rented 

 by Edward Wolfe : to this house James was very 

 early removed, and, as I have always been in- 

 formed, always resided in it till he entered on 

 his military studies; if so, he must have been 

 educated in the neighbourhood. 



3rd. Sir Jeffrey Amherst is the same person as 

 X. alludes to ; I was wrong, perhaps, in using the 

 term "patronise." Wolfe and he were, however, 

 staunch friends through life ; Amherst ever en- 

 couraged Wolfe, who was liable to fits of despon- 

 dencyT and always represented him at head quar- 

 ters as one worthy of a high command in those 

 trying times. Amherst was afterwards executor 

 to Mrs. Wolfe's will. 



I feel gi-atified that the letters mentioned cor- 

 roborate°ny assertion as to his birth ; not only is 

 the date 1 gave on the tablet in Westerham 

 church, but I was informed of the various accounts 

 by a former curate of Westerham, who assured 

 me the date on the tablet was the correct one. _ 



The circumstance of Barre s friendship with 

 Wolfe is interesting ; and I am now enabled to 

 mention another friend, on whom Wolfe equally 

 relied, viz. General Hugh Debbieg, who fought 

 with him at Louisbourgh, and afterwards followed 

 him to Quebec, where he directed part of the 

 engineering operations. 



The soldier who supported Wolfe after he re- 

 ceived his death-wound, was named James ; he 

 was in the artillery ; he likewise served at Louis- 

 bourgh and Quebec, and survived till 1812, when 

 he died at Carlisle Castle, where he had been 

 stationed for many years as a bombardier, aged 

 ninety-two. . 



In no notice of him I have read, is he mentioned 

 as having been at Carthagena. The Peiini/ Vy- 

 dopmlia'xw-nUons the chief engagements he was 

 in, but makes no allusion to Carthagena whatever. 

 South.-y and (ileig contemplated writing the 

 life of W'olfc ; but some unknown circumstance 

 prevented the completion of so laudable a design. 



