Notes and Queries, Number 187, May 28, 1853

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.
* * * * *
"When found, make a note of."--CAPTAIN CUTTLE.
* * * * *
No. 187.] Saturday, May 28, 1853. [Price Fourpence. Stamped Edition
5d.
* * * * *
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of '45: unpublished Letter 519 Oliver St. John, by James Crossley 520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
* * * * *
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,