2Qna §, No 10., Man. 8. °56.] 
Key and Treble: Etymology. — What is the 
derivation and definition of the word key as ap- 
plied to music? Also of éreble, used to designate 
the highest clef and voice ? Norsa. 
[ Treble, i.e. triple. The lowest sound in the scale was 
gam-ut bass; the next octave was gam-ut mean; the 
third was gam-ut triple or treble. Thus Fairefax ( God- 
Srey of Boulogne) writes: “The humane voices sung a 
triple hie.” Some have suggested thurible as its deriva- 
tion, because the thuribilar, or child who carried the in- 
cense, bore also a small bell of a sharp or high tone. 
Cleff, or cleave, is clavis, key; Sax. cag. The object of 
the cleff is to divide off and enchain the sounds within a 
certain confined compass. ‘That which locks, unlocks; 
that which closes, discloses; hence the key makes clear 
the proposed confinement or compass of the sounds. The 
part to be sung “ with a child’s voice ” was at fif8t called 
discantus, and afterwards cantus. See Ornithoparcus, his 
Micrologus, by Dr. Dowland. ] 
Tillemans the Painter. — Can any of your 
readers refer me to any book in which I can find 
an account of this artist ? Bunriensis. 
[ There were two painters of this name, Simon Peter 
‘Tillemans and Peter Tillemans. Some account of the 
latter artist, which is probably the individual noticed by 
our correspondent, will be found in Vertue’s Anecdotes of 
Painting, by Walpole and Dallaway, vol. iv. 51—53., and 
yol. y. p. 248.; Bryan’s Dictionary of Painters, vol. il. 
p. 476.; Nichols’s Literary Anecdotes, vol. viii. p. 682.; 
vol. ix. p. 364.; and Gentleman’s Magazine, vol. 1. p. 530. ] 
Sperling Street, London. — What has become of 
Sperling Street, London,.and where did it for- 
merly stand? It was in existence, I believe, as 
late as 1760, and I imagine that it was in the 
es of St. Sepulchre. It is this latter fact that 
chiefly desire to know. 
In default of more direct information I should 
be glad to be referred to any work throwing light 
especially upon the old names of streets. I find 
that one of the Sperling family was a director of 
the Bank of England about this time. J.P. 
[{ There is a useful work of this kind entitled New Re- 
marks of London: or, a Survey of the Cities of London 
and Westminster, of Southwark, and part of Middlesex 
and Surrey; Collected by the Company of Parish Clerks. 
12mo. 1752. At the end is an alphabetical table of all 
the streets, lanes, courts, &c. A similar list is given in 
A New View of London, 2 vols. 8vo., 1708; but in 
neither of these works can we find Sperling Street. Con- 
sult also the maps in Strype’s edition of Stow’s Survey, 
edit. 1720, 2 vols., fol. ] 
Replies. 
QUEEN OF BOHEMIA’S JEWELS. 
(1* §. xii. 494.) 
Since writing the Query on the above subject I 
have read with pleasure the full, though rather 
diffuse, life of the queen contained in Mrs. Everett 
Green’s Lives of the Princesses of England, and 
found therein seyera} allusions to her jewels, of 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
195 
which she possessed a large and valuable collec- 
tion. 
In a letter to the States General in 1654 (vol. vi. 
p: 41.), she assured them that she had parted with 
almost all her jewels, to satisfy in some small de- 
gree her more pressing debts. At her death an 
inventory was taken of those that remained (Jb. 
p: 86.), and, as is natural to expect, these consisted 
mostly of family relics, which she had contrived to 
retain notwithstanding her pecuniary difficulties. 
The jewels enumerated in the testament of Co- 
lonel Conynghame, which I now subjoin, must 
have been parted with-at least twenty years be- 
fore her death, which took place in 1661-2, as he 
died ‘soon after 1640. How they came into his 
hands does not appear. He may have been con- 
fidentially intrusted with them for the purpose of 
raising money, which he may have borrowed from 
John Ramsay, agent for the Scottish Burghs, who 
had a factory at Campvere, as he was decerned 
his executor gua creditor. About that time an 
individual of the same surname (Thomas Cuning- 
hame) held the appointment of Conservator of the 
Privileges of the Royal Burghs in Holland, and 
on the Restoration he is said ‘to have got the 
honour of knighthood, as a sufficient recompence 
for his good services in almost ruining his own 
family, and influencing his friends to ruin their's, 
to the irreparable loss of the factory.” I have not 
discovered to what family Sir Thomas or the co- 
lonel belonged, but it is not improbable that they 
were relatives. R. BR. 
“Testament dative viij Oct., 1646, of Colonell Alexr 
Conynghame, who d. 164-, given up by Jo Ramsay, 
agent to y® borrowes onlie executor dative, decernit as 
creditor to y® s4 umq!" [deceased ] Colonell Alext Conyng- 
hame, &c. 
“In the first place, the said umq! Colonell Alexr 
Conynghame had the goods, geir, and uy™ [others ] fol- 
lowing, of the ayaill [value] and pryces efter specified 
perteining to him the tyme of his deceis foirsaid, viz. im- 
primis, in the hands, custodie, and keeping of Mt James 
Aikenheid, avocat, ane silver baseine [bason] and ane 
(a flourish here] Germane wark with the queen of Bohe- 
mes armes in the middle ytof [thereof ], weyand viij pund 
thrie unce sex drope wecht, estimat all to eccc pundes. 
Item, an littill silver coup weyand sextene unce, and ane 
dauskene irne kest *, estimat to clx lib. Item, ane chyne 
of diamonds sett in gold enambled with black and quhyt, 
qin [wherein ] is conteaned and sett fourscore tablet dia- 
mond and ninescore auchtene lesser tablet diamonds, in 
ane black lethir caice, estimat all to cece libs. Item, ane 
pair braceletts of diamonds sett with gold wt black and 
quhyt enambling qrof the ane bracelett conteines twintie 
aucht tablet diamonts sett be twa in aine piece togidder, 
and the uy™ bracelet conteining twintie four in yt same 
form, in ane black lethir caice, estimat all to cc lib. 
Item, ane carcat or necklaiss, conteining sexscore peices 
orientall pearle q*» [which ] wer at the buying twelf pund 
Scotts a pearle, inde ceeccee lib. Item, ane pictour box 
of gold qrin is conteaned in the on syd the king of Bo- 
heme his portrait, the cover qrof is sett with diamonts 
eftir this forme $o¢, conteining twa J deciphered withine 
* Danish iron chest, 
