2»4 S. VI. 143., Sept. 25. '58.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 



259 



or two hymns in that collection were composed bj' Robin- 

 son." — Dyer's Life of Robinson, p. 253. 



" Mighty God, while angels bless thee " is un- 

 doubtedly Robinson's. The story related by K. 

 is similar to another Z. has more than once heard 

 upon the subject ; and it would seem that these 

 stories were made in Robinson's favour, in claim- 

 ing to be the author of the hymn. Upon a time 

 Robinson travelling by coach, a lady sat opposite 

 him reading this hymn, and expressed a wish to 

 know the author, when Robinson (being much 

 affected) replied, he wished he was as happy then, 

 as when he composed that hymn. 



Z. is happy to have it in his power to be able 

 to answer S. M. S. as to the Countess being 

 author of several hymns ; and but for a gentle- 

 man having lost some papers, every inquiry could 

 be answered. Hymn 103, " Companions of thy 

 little flock," &c. (Countess's Collection), is by the 

 Countess ; as no doubt is also " When thou my 

 righteous .Judge shall come," &c., the original of 

 which has nine six-line verses. Jay, of Bath, who 

 was intimate with the Countess, says she was 

 author of some hymns. (See Jay's Life.) 



Amongst the sacred poets of the last century, 

 not a few of them were Elect Christian ladies, 

 noble by birth, but far nobler by their pious 

 Christian lives, and entire surrender of their all 

 to the Saviour who bought them with His blood. 

 The following are the principal names of those 

 who composed many of our hymns in present use : 

 Lady Selina Huntingdon, Countess Zinzendorf, 

 Mary Stonehouse (wife of the Rev. George Stone- 

 house), Mrs. Hetty Wright (sister to Charles 

 Wesley), Miss Theodosia Steele, Ann Clagget, 

 Elizabeth Clagget, Sister Spangenberg, Anna 

 Nitchman, and several others. That these pious 

 breathings should not be lost, it is Z.'s intention 

 (if spared) to gather and publish several, one of 

 which is nearly ready for the press. Z. 



The hymn, " Come, thou fount of every bless- 

 ing," is ascribed to the Countess of Huntingdon 

 on, I think, very insufHcieut authority. It was 

 inserted, at an early period, among the hymns 

 used in the Countess's chapels ; but in the very 

 copious account of her Life (2 vols. 8vo., 1839), 

 there is no allusion to her authorship of it, nor of 

 any other hymn, as far at least as my recollection 

 serves me. George Dyer, on the authority of 

 Dr. Rippon, ascribes it to his friend Robert Ro- 

 binson, of Cambridge (see Life of Robinson, by 

 Dyer, Svo,, 1796, p. 253.) ; and Benjamin Flower, 

 ill his edition of Robinson's Miscellaneous IVorks, 

 (4 vols. 8vo., 1807), has unhesitatingly inserted it 

 among his very few poetical composures, but not 

 wilh verses four audfioe, which ai)pear to me alto- 

 gelher new, and comparatively worthless. 



X. A. X. 



Hymnolifiii (2'"' S. vi. 116.) — However strongly 

 attached jAvi>ti; may be to the Congre^alional 



Hymn-Book, yet, if he will candidly look that 

 work through, he will find other " undue li- 

 cences" taken with some of our best composi- 

 tions, such as W. Williams's hymn, " Guide me, 

 O thou great Jehovah," &c., which has, in the 

 latter or revised editions, been restored to its ori- 

 ginal form, as it gave such " undue satisfaction." 



I could point out many of our hymns that have 

 stood the test of a century, and which our fore- 

 fathers would have thought it sacrilege to have 

 altered, which have within these few years been 

 so cut up and altered, that the original is smothered 

 and lost. Z. 



" The Land of the Leal (2°" S. vi. 169.) — The 

 late Hugh Miller states, in his Schools and School- 

 masters, p. 454. that Lady Nairne wrote this 

 beautiful song. He also says the same lady wrote 

 " The Laird o' Cockpen " and " John Tod." 



PisHET Thompson. 



The Hume Family (2'"» S. v. 444.) — Your cor- 

 respondent T. G. S. referred me to papers pub- 

 lished by the House of Lords, to which I have, 

 unfortunately, no access. Since my last Query 

 about the Marchmont Peerage, I have met with 

 some account of the Earls of Marchmont, from 

 which I am inclined to think that the late James 

 Deacon Hume, Esq., could not have been descen- 

 ded from either of the three Earls of Marchmont 

 (unless, perhaps, from the first one, through his 

 son Andrew Hume of Kimmerghame, who died 

 1730). I should be much obliged to any corre- 

 spondent of " N". & Q." who could inform me 

 where the line of J. H. Hume, Esq., branches off 

 from that of Lord Polwarth, who is great-grand- 

 son to Hugh, the third Earl of Marchmont. 



A. M. W, 



Hocus Focus (2"'* S. vi. 179.)— Archbishop 

 Tillolson, in his Discourse against Transubstantia- 

 tion, says — 



" 111 all probability those common juggling Words, of 

 Hocus Pocus, are nothing but a corruption of Hoc est 

 Corpus, by Way of ridiculous Imitation of the Priests 

 of tlie Church of Rome, in their Trick of Transtthstantiation. 

 Into such Contempt by this foolish Doctrine, and pre- 

 tended Miracle of theirs, have they brought the most 

 sacred and venerable Mysterj- of our Religion." 



Buchanan Washbouen, M.D. 



Fersecutions of Folish Nuus (2""^ S. v. 187.) — 

 With reference to A. D.'s Query, regarding the 

 alleged persecution of some Polish nuns by the 

 Emperor of Russia, I may mention that some few 

 years back I met a Russian gentleman, who was 

 married to an English lady, and spoke English 

 with but little accent, and a strong Protestant, 

 who told me that he believed the story to be an 

 invention. I think the story was that a female 

 reported herself as having escaped from a nun- 

 nery at Minsk. My Russian friend assured me 

 that, on cross-examination, her account of the 



