Notes and Queries, Number 187, May 28, 1853

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and Queries, Number 187, May 28, 1853, by Various

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Title: Notes and Queries, Number 187, May 28, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.
Author: Various
Editor: George Bell
Release Date: January 21, 2007 [EBook #20410]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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{517} NOTES AND QUERIES:
A MEDIUM OF INTER-COMMUNICATION FOR LITERARY MEN, ARTISTS, ANTIQUARIES, GENEALOGISTS, ETC.
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"When found, make a note of."--CAPTAIN CUTTLE.
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No. 187.] Saturday, May 28, 1853. [Price Fourpence. Stamped Edition 5d.
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CONTENTS.
NOTES:-- Page On Chaucer's Knowledge of Italian 517 The Rebellion of '45: unpublished Letter 519 Oliver St. John, by James Crossley 520 Notes on several misunderstood Words, by the Rev. W. R. Arrowsmith 520 FOLK LORE:--Weather Rules--Drills presaging Death --Superstition in Devonshire; Valentine's Day 522 A Note on Gulliver's Travels, by C. Forbes 522 Shakspeare Correspondence 523 The Coenaculum of Lionardo da Vinci, by E. Smirke 524 MINOR NOTES:--Scotter Register (County Lincoln)-- "All my Eye:" "Over the Left"--Curious Marriages --Child-mother 525
QUERIES:-- Further Queries respecting Bishop Ken 526 The Rev. John Larson and his Mathematical Manuscripts, by T. T. Wilkinson 526 MINOR QUERIES:--"Wanderings of Memory"-- "Wandering Willie's Tale"--Chapel Sunday--Proud Salopians--George Miller, D.D.--Members of Parliament --Taret--Jeroboam of Claret, &c.--William Williams of Geneva--The First of April and "The Cap awry"--Sir G. Browne, Bart.--Bishop Butler--Oaken Tombs--Alleged Bastardy of Elizabeth--"Pugna Porcorum"--Parviso--Mr. Justice Newton--Mufti --Ryming and Cuculling--Custom at the Savoy Church 527 MINOR QUERIES WITH ANSWERS:--Faithful Teate-- Kelway Family--Regatta--Coket and Cler-mantyn 529
REPLIES:-- Curfew 530 The "Salt-Peter-Man," by C. H. Cooper 530 Forms of Judicial Oaths, by John Thrupp, &c. 532 PHOTOGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE:--Washing Collodion Pictures--Test for Lenses--Improvement in Positives--Cheap Portable Tent--Rev. Mr. Sisson's New Developing Fluid 533 REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES:--Vanes--Loselerius Villerius--Westminster Parishes--Hevristic--Creole --General Monk and the University of Cambridge-- Ecclesia Anglicana--Gibbon's Library--Golden Bees --Passage in Orosius--Names first given to Parishes --Grafts and the Parent Tree--Lord Cliff and Howell's Letters--The Bouillon Bible--Rhymes on Places-- Serpents' Tongues--Consecrated Roses, &c. 534
MISCELLANEOUS:-- Notes on Books, &c. 537 Books and Odd Volumes wanted 538 Notices to Correspondents 538 Advertisements 538
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Notes.
ON CHAUCER'S KNOWLEDGE OF ITALIAN.
In the Memoir prefixed to the Aldine edition of the Poetical Works of Chaucer, London, 1845, Sir Harris Nicolas expresses an opinion that Dan Geoffrey was not acquainted with the Italian language, and therefore not versed in Italian literature.
"Though Chaucer undoubtedly knew Latin and French, it is by no means certain, notwithstanding his supposed obligations to the Decameron, that he was as well acquainted with Italian. There may have been a common Latin original of the main incidents of many, if not of all the tales, for which Chaucer is supposed to have been wholly indebted to Boccaccio, and from which originals Boccaccio himself may have taken them. That Chaucer was not acquainted with Italian may be inferred from his not having introduced any Italian quotation into his works, redundant as they are with Latin and French words and phrases."--Life of Chaucer, pp. 24, 25.
To which the following note is subjoined:
"Though Chaucer's writings have not been examined for the purpose, the remark in the text is not made altogether from recollection, for at the end of Speght's edition of Chaucer's Works, translations are given of the Latin and French words in the poems, but not a single Italian word is mentioned."
If Sir Harris Nicolas had examined the writings of Chaucer with any care, he would scarcely have formed or expressed so strange an opinion, for he must necessarily have discovered that Chaucer was not only well acquainted with the language, but thoroughly well versed in Italian literature, and that he paraphrased and translated freely from the works of Dante, Petrarca, and Boccaccio. Chaucer would naturally quote Latin and French, as being familiar to his cotemporaries, and would abstain from introducing Italian, as a knowledge of that language must have been confined to a few individuals in his day; and he wrote for the many, and not for the minority.
The circumstances of Chaucer's life, his missions to Italy, during which he resided several months in that country, when sent on the king's business to Genoa, and Florence, and Lombardy, afforded {518} him ample opportunities of becoming thoroughly acquainted with the language and literature of Italy; the acquisition of which must have been of easy accomplishment to Chaucer, already