2"* S. IX. June 2. *60.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



431 



back, the chaps in the cart blowing away as fresh as 

 ever. When we went up in the evening, Ave found quite 

 ' a throng ' in the village. People come from all parts ; 

 and it seems to be the custom with those who can afford 

 it, to keep open house for the da}'. A great deal of taste 

 and fancy is exhibited in the 'well-flowering,' or 'well- 

 dressing,' or ' tap-dressing,' as it is variously called. Be- 

 hind two of the taps that supply water to the village, 

 was erected a large screen of rough boards ; the principal 

 one was about 20 feet square. The screen is then plas- 

 tered over with moist clay, upon which the Duke of 

 Devonshire's arms, and a great variety of fanciful devices 

 and mottoes, are executed in various colours by sticking 

 flowers and buds into the clay, by which means they 

 keep fresh for several days. The] background to the de- 

 vices is formed with the green leaves of the fir. Some of 

 the ornaments are formed of shells stuck into the clay. 

 Branches of trees are arranged at the sides of the screen ; 

 and in the front a miniature garden is laid out, with tiny 

 gravel-walks, and flower-beds with shell borders, and 

 surrounded by a fence of stakes and ropes. Opposite the 

 principal screen they had gone a step farther, and at- 

 tempted a fountain ; formed by the figure of a duck with 

 outstretched wings, straight neck, and bill wide open, 

 from which a stream of water shot up about a yard high. 



There was a handsome flag ftying on the village 



green, and the same at the inn ; and a pole decorated 

 with flowers, and a young tree tied to the lower part ; and 

 a few stalls for nuts and gingerbread. A very large tent 

 in which tea was served at a shilling, and as much dan- 

 cing as you liked afterwards for nothing; or the dancing 

 without the tea for sixpence ; and some third-rate itiner- 

 ant posturers in the street. There was to be a grand 

 display of fireworks between 11 and 12 o'clock; and be- 

 sides, there was dancing at the inn : so that, with these 

 combined attractions, no wonder the village was in a 

 tremendous state of excitement. 



" The ' flowering ' is so good, I wonder it has not been 

 painted." 



Edwin Roffe. 



Somers' Town. 



FLAMBARD BRASS AT HARROW. 

 (2 nd S. ix. 179. 286. 370. 408.) 



Having received from a friend a very perfect 

 rubbing of the curious inscription on the above 

 brass, I find my explanation (p. 370.) every way 

 confirmed. The second and third words are 

 plainly and indisputably me do. The other words 

 are given already, and the only question remain- 

 ing is about the meaning of the capital letter E 

 before the word funere. In my former communi- 

 cation, I considered it to stand for et. I will show 

 by a few examples that this is pretty certain : — 



On a brass at Loddon, in Norfolk, we find : 

 " Orate p am Johis gare E Margerete uxis sue." 



At Blofield : 

 " Orate p aiabj Johis KydmS E Margerete uxis sue." 



What is more remarkable is, that the same was 

 used for the word and in English inscriptions : — 



Tims at Beighton, in Norfolk : 



" Here lythe Rychardc Leman E Mgaret hys wyfe." 



At Salhouse, I omit all that is superfluous : 



"... of Thomas Revett gutyllnia .... E of Kateriuc 

 liyn wyf." 



At Upper Sherringham : 



" Thomas Borgese E Mgaret his wyf." 



I think no reasonable doubt can remain that 

 the E in the Flambard brass stands for et. 



Since writing the above, I have read in " N. & 

 Q." the interesting communications of Mr. J. G. 

 Nichols and of Canon Williams, in farther elu- 

 cidation of the obscure inscription on the above 

 brass. I am quite of opinion that we ought, and 

 also that we can arrive at the meaning, without 

 any necessity for supposing that the engraver took 

 any liberty with the original inscription. I place 

 little or no reliance on the laws of prosody in 

 these old inscriptions, where the jingle of rude 

 rhyme seems chiefly to have commanded atten- 

 tion. As regards the first words, therefore : — 



1. Jon me do, — by adopting my interpretation, 

 we do not deprive tumulatur of a nominative case ; 

 we simply provide it with another in Flam. It is 

 true that there is an abrupt transition from the 

 first to the third person ; but that is only one of 

 those anomalies which so often startle us in old 

 inscriptions. 



2. With regard to the contraction q"-$, Me. 

 Nichols remarks, that to represent quoque com- 

 pletely, it ought to have been engraved q°q~i : but 

 the contraction 3 does duty on brasses for various 

 terminations, such as -us, and even -orum, as we 

 often find qy aiabl for quorum animabus. Thus 

 the engraver having sufficiently to his mind re- 

 presented quo by 5 , might very consistently let 

 5 stand for que. I can show that this was done in 

 a much later brass, and even when the inscription 

 was in Roman capitals. In the curious brass of 

 Herman Blanfort, in the church of St. Columban, 

 at Cologne, date 1554, may be seen in the third 

 line of the inscription, the words Heu quoque ex- 

 pressed thus, Hev qz. 



3. Mk. Nichols does not think with me that 

 E was intended for et; and Canon Williams says 

 he will surrender if I can produce an example. 

 In the above communication I have produced, I 

 trust, sufficient proofs, both from Latin and Eng- 

 lish inscriptions. 



4. Mr. Nichols objects to tueatur being taken 

 in the active sense. I trust Canon Williams in 

 2 ni S. ix. 409. has said enough in defence of our 

 joint opinion. If it be objected that uumen being 

 neuter, hie cannot agree with it, though I think it 

 sufficient that hie may generally refer to the 

 Deity, I see no reason that would forbid us to 

 refer hie to ordine, and understand it to mean — 

 " may this same order of God protect Flambard." 



Why does Mr. Nichols finish with so unjust 

 an insinuation as that a prayer that Flambard 

 might be saved by the stripes of our B. Saviour, 

 would be " too evangelical a sense for the time 

 when the epitaph was written?" Are Catholics 

 to be ever taunted with such unfounded asper- 

 sions, and in pages too where, as in " N. & Q.," a 



