2n"» S. VI. 140., Sept. 4. '58.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



199 



books which I have examined, attributed to the 

 Rev. Robert Robinson, minister of the Baptist 

 congregation at Cambridge from 1759 to 1790. 

 They are likewise contained in the collected edi- 

 tion of Robinson's Minor Works (Harlow, 1807, 

 vol. iv. p. 348.) Until I saw your correspondent's 

 communication, I had never heard it hinted that 

 they were not Robinson's. A common account of 

 Robinson's death is, that, having become a Uni- 

 tarian, he died broken-hearted from hearing a 

 lady singing this hymn, and accompanying her 

 voice on the piano. This story, though not founded 

 on fact, could, however, have obtained no credence 

 had it not been thought that Robinson was really 

 the author of the verses. Robinson was also author 

 of a hymn beginning : — 



" Mighty God, while angels bless thee." 



K. 



'' Luther s Hijmn" (2"^ S. iv. 151.)— The original 

 source from which " Great God ! what do I see 

 and hear," &c., is taken is from J. C. Jacobi's trans- 

 lation of B. Ringwaldl's German hymn upon the 

 last judgment, "'Tis sure, that awful time will 

 come." See J. C. Jacobi's Psalmodia Germanica, 

 p. 202., 12mo., Loudon, 1722; or J. Haberkorn's 

 Psalmodia Germanica^ p. 201., 8vo., London, 1765. 

 Also W. B. Collyer's Collection of Hymns, hymn 

 856. Z. 



Gat-toothed and Venus (2°'^ S. v. 456.) — It is 

 true, at the commencement of Chaucer, the word 

 is spelt " gat-toothed ;" but if your correspondents 

 will turn to " the wife of Bathes prologue" (p. 67. 

 Speght's edition), they will find the lines run 

 thus : 



" Gaptothed I was, and that became me well, 

 1 had the print of dame Venus' seale." 



That is to say, she had lost a tooth, as many do at 

 forty (as she admits she was), and had a gap in 

 the mouth. Venus's seal is more puzzling. I 

 fancy it must refer to some astrological or talis- 

 manic symbol : we know Chaucer was very learned 

 in occult lore. Now, in turning to the editio prin- 

 ceps of the great work of Cornelius Agrippa, De 

 Occulta Philosophia (lib. ii. p. cli.), we have, 

 among other signacula, the seal of Venus. It is 

 figured thus: — A cross like a saltire, the centre 

 and three of the points ending with small roundles ; 

 the lower sinister point finishes with a curved line, 

 like the blade of a scythe. In the u])per quarter 

 is a figure like the union of a crosslet and a Y ; 

 in the dexter side a half circle ; in base a circle, 

 but in the fourth side is nothing — a ^ap. Is it 

 not likely, then, this is the meaning of "Venus's 

 seal ?" — something with a gap in it. A. A. 



Submarine Duel (2""' S. i. 412. 501.)— The 

 following extract from Connolly's History of the 

 Royal Sappers and I\Jincrs (2iid edition, vol. i. p. 

 ^98.), will probably satisfy Cjsnxukiom, and show 



to Mr. Hknbt Kensington the real nature of the 

 combat between the sapper-divers at Spithead in 

 1842: — 



" A dangerous but curious incident occurred this sum- 

 mer between Corporal Jones and private Girvan, two 

 rival divers, who, in a moment of irritation, engaged in a 

 conflict at the bottom of the sea, having both got hold of 

 the same floor timber of the wreck, which neither would 

 yield to the other. Jones at length, fearful of a collision 

 with Girvau, he being a powerful man, made his bull- 

 rope fast, and attempted to escape by it ; but before he 

 could do so, Girvan seized him by the legs, and tried to 

 draw him down. A scuftle ensued, and Jones succeeding 

 in extricating his legs from the grasp of his antagonist, 

 took a firmer hold of the bull-rope, and kicked at Girvan 

 several times with all the strength his suspended position 

 permitted. One of the kicks broke an eye or lens of 

 Girvan's helmet, and as water instantly rushed into his 

 dress, he was likely to have been drowned, had he not at 

 once been hauled on board. Two or three days in Haslar 

 hospital, however, completely cured him of the injuries 

 he thus sustained, and these two submarine combatants 

 ever after carried on their duties with the greatest cor- 

 diality." 



This fight took place at Spithead on the 22nd 

 September, 1842, when the divers were employed 

 recovering portions of the wreck of the " Royal 

 George," under Major-General (now Sir Charles) 

 Pasley, Royal Engineers, not Mr. Deane, the 

 submarine engineer. The depth of water was be- 

 tween fifteen and eighteen fathoms. The com- 

 batants, Richard Pillman Jones, now a sergeant 

 in the corps, and John Girvan, now a deserter, 

 were not tried by court-martial for the offence. 



M. S. R. 



Teston and Tester (2°i S. vi. 85.) — In the 

 paper on Base .Coin in the reign of Elizabeth, con- 

 stant mention is made of testons of ij* and testons 

 of iiij'*. How is it, then, that Halliwell and John- 

 son, who so especially treat of the foi'ce of words, 

 define a teston to be of the same value as a tester ? 



In Ireland, some thirty-seven years ago, "a 

 sixpenny bit " was constantly spoken of by per- 

 sons of advanced age as a tester. But the word 

 teston was never used. When George IV. went 

 to Shine Castle, a gentleman observed to Lord 

 Norbury, that the Marquess of Sligo must incur 

 great expense to entertain the royal guest. " Oh 

 no," was the reply ; " he can entertain him under 

 a tester." 



Pistol speaks of the tester to ffalstaflf, and Speed, 

 in the Two Gentlemen of Verona, says to Proteus, 

 " You have testerrid me ! " 



Jacobus de Lecetfeld. 



Sedulius (2"'^ S. vi. 129.) — Mr. Bower, in his 

 very able article, ante, p. 129., calls this well-known 

 ecclesiastical poet " a native of Scotland." This 

 is a notable er^-or. Like his countrymen, Co- 

 luinbanus, St. Gallus, and a host of other conti- 

 nental churchmen, Sedulius was a Scot of Ireland, 

 not of Aloany. The name of Scotia was not ap- 

 I)lied to North Britain until ages after, when the 



