2'"> S. VL 150., Nov. 13. '58.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



397 



In a note Mr. Motley adds that he is assured by 

 M. Gachard (author of Correspondance de Guil- 

 laume le Tacit), that a copy of this important let- 

 ter is confidently expected by the Commission 

 Royale d'Histoire. 



Can you, or any of your correspondents, inform 

 me if this second letter has yet been made public, 

 or if it is likely it will appear soon ? The fact 

 that the contents of one letter have been made 

 known, and not of both, is suggestive of grave 

 reflections. R. J. R. 



Everton. 



Palms of the Hands and Soles of the Feet. — A 

 traveller in India, some years ago, stated that he 

 saw a number of human skeletons, the remains of 

 persons who had been drowned by means of a 

 ferry-boat sinking with them ; and on his ap- 

 proach, he perceived that the flesh had been com- 

 pletely devoured from the bones by dogs, vultures, 

 and other animals, with the exception of the bot- 

 toms of the feet and the insides of the hands ; 

 bringing immediately to mind the remarkable pas- 

 sage recorded in the Second Book of Kings re- 

 lating to Jezebel. Has this abtipathy of the dog 

 been, or can it be, accounted for ? S. O. 



Le Stue. — Who is the author of a parody on 

 Garrick's Ode on Shakspeare's statue, entitled The 

 Ode on dedicating a Building and erecting a Statue 

 to Le Stue, Cook to the Duke of Newcastle at Cler- 

 mont, by Martinus Scriblerus, 4to., 1769; and 

 reprinted in The Repository, by Dilly? X. 



[We are inclined to attribute Ithis parody to George 

 Steevens, " the Puck of commentators," who at tliis time 

 was employing himself in throwing out abusive stric- 

 tures, sarcasms, and witticisms on the Stratford jubilee. 

 Consult Davies's Life of Garrick, ii. 226—228., edit. 1808. 

 AVhen are we to Lave a good Life of George Steevens, and 

 a collection of his jeux d'esprit, so far as they can be iden- 

 tified .''] 



" Vease." — What means this word in the pro- 

 verb, "Every pea hath its vease, and a bean 

 fifteen " ? Vease, as a verb, I am told, signifies 

 hunt or drive in Somersetshire. Vkyan Eheged. 



[If this proverb occurs in print, before attempting an 

 eicplanation, one would wish to see the context ; or if it 

 was heard in conversatiin, it would be satisfactory to 

 know how it was brought in. In the absence of all such 

 gaiditig lights, nothing can now be offered beyond simple 

 suggestion and conjecture. " Use," in old English, was 

 often written vse; and "vysses" is explained by Jamieson 

 to signify iises : " That vi/sses of armys be not abusit 

 [disused], nor foryett in tyine of pece": i.e. that, in 

 time of peace, martial uses (or exercises) be not neglected. 

 If vease, in like manner, be taken as equivalent to use, the 

 proverb will be " Every pea hath its use, and a bean hath 

 fifteen," — a maxim of rural thrift, warning us not to 

 waste a bean, or even a pea; and belonging to the same 

 category as " Many a little makes a mickle," and " A pin 



a day is a groat a year." In thus viewing " vysse " and 

 " vease " as equivalent to use, we must bear in mind not 

 only that use, as already stated, was in old English writ- 

 ten vse, V for u, but that in mediaeval times the ..,.^,i,d of 

 the letter v often found its way to the beginning of words 

 commencing with u, eu, ew. Thus, uscerium, a ship for 

 conveying horses, became vysserium; just as we suppose 

 use, or vse, to have become vysse or vease. In like manner 

 the yew (formerly eit'e,e«g/(, &c.), in Cheshire is called the 

 vewe (Halliwell). So vse = vse = vease. The manner in 

 which a v has introduced itself in various words is among 

 the curiosities of etymology, and has not escaped the 

 notice of philologists. Thus we have vinum from olvos, 

 virtus from iperij, vis from U. We have heard a modern 

 Greek pronounce the words naOAot, aurbt, Pavlos, avtos. 

 But this is a subject more worthy of an essay, than of a 

 cursory note.} 



Heraldic Query. — I am desirous of learning to 

 whom a certain coat of arms belongs, which is 

 much defaced, so that I cannot make out the 

 colours with certainty. My knowledge of heraldic 

 terms, too, is so very limited that I fear I can 

 hardly make myself understood by those of whom 

 I seek information. They will excuse my igno- 

 rant attempt at description. The right half of 

 the shield has quarterly (1.) Above, two grifiins 

 arg., below, a field arg. is engrailed (I believe 

 thatfis the term), and bears a griffin sa. 



(2.) Sa. on a chevron arg. three leopards' 

 heads, all between three scallop-shells arg. 



The left half of the shield bears (3.) sa. a 

 chevron arg. between three pheons arg. 



Crest. — A dove arg. holding in its beak a scallop, 

 shell. I am told that (1.) is the arms of the 

 Knight family. J. 



[Michael Knight of Westerhara, co. Kent, son of Chris- 

 topher Knight of Cudhara, co. Kent, by Mary, daughter 

 and heir of John Piatt of Wigan, co. Lancaster, had the 

 following arms granted to him by Byshe in 16G2. Quar- 

 terly, 1 and 4. Per chevron engrailed sable and argent 

 three griffins passant counterchanged, for Knight. 2. and 

 3. Azure on a chevron between three escallops argent as 

 many leopards' faces gules, for Piatt. The crest of Knight, 

 a stork argent. Wings expanded, sable, holding in his 

 beak an escallop of the first. 



This family entered a short pedigree at the Visitation 

 of Kent, A.D. 1C63. 



The other coat mentioned, viz., sable a chevron be- 

 tween three escallops argent, belongs to a family of Eger- 

 ton, of Egerton, co. Dorset, who entered a pedigree at 

 the Visitation of that county, A. d. 1677.] 



" Essays on the Formation and Publication of 



Opinions," — Who was the author of this work ? 



The first edition was published in 1821 ; the third 



in 1837. Q. 



[By Samuel Bailey, of Sheffield.] 



Sevres Porcelain. — What is the date of a white 

 plate — rich arabesqtie border, dotted ground and 

 flowers in gold, marked G. C. (engraved) ; and L 

 (cursive capital in gold) as the painter's mark, 

 (Leve, pere) ? 



Am I correct in interpreting L. L. (cursive 

 capitals) and V. in blue with 73 7 (engraved) — 

 the subject, a light frieze border with sprigs and 



