Notes and Queries, Number 55, November 16, 1850 | Page 6

of in the famed song of "De
Night before Larry was stretched,"
"De deck being called for dey play'd, Till Larry found one of dem
cheated,"
it seems likely to be preserved. I may add, that many words and many
forms of expression which have gone out of vogue in England, or have
become provincial, are still in daily use in Ireland.

J.M.B.
_Time when Herodotus wrote._--The following passage appears to me
to afford strong evidence, not only that Herodotus did not complete his
history till an advanced age, but that he did not begin it. For in lib. i. 5.
he writes: "[Greek: ta de ep' emou ên megala, proteron ên smikra],"
"those cities, which in my time were great, were of old small." This is
certainly such an expression as none but a man advanced in years could
have used. It is perhaps worth observing, that this passage occurring in
the Introduction does not diminish its weight, as the events recorded in
it, leading naturally into the history, could not well have been written
afterwards. As I have never seen this passage noticed with this view. I
shall be glad to see whether the argument which I have deduced from it
appears a reasonable one to your classical readers.
A.W.H.
"_Dat veniam corvis," &c._--There were two headmasters of the school
of Merchant Taylors, of the respective names of Du Guard and Stevens:
the former having printed Salmasius' _Defensio Regia_, was ejected by
Lord President Bradshaw; and the latter held the vacant post in the
interim, from February to September, 1650. He wrote during his tenure
of office in the School Probation Book."-- {406}
"Res DEUS nostras celeri citatas Turbine versat." "_Dat veniam corvis,
vexat censura columbas_, Pejus merenti melior, et pejor bono."
On his restoration Du Gard pleasantly retorted,--
"Du Gardum sequitur Stephanus, Stephanumque vicissim, Du Gardus:
sortes versat utrinque DEUS."
M.W.
* * * * *
QUERIES.

DRYDEN'S "ABSALOM AND ACHITOPHEL."
In my small library I have neither Malone's _Life of Dryden_, nor that
of more recent date by Sir Walter Scott; and, possibly, either of those
works would render my present Query needless. It relates to a copy of
Absalom and Achitophel now lying before me, which is a mere
chap-book, printed on bad paper, in the most economical manner, and
obviously intended to be sold at a very reasonable rate: indeed, at the
bottom of the title-page, which is dated "1708," we are told that it was
"Printed and sold by H. Hills, in Black-fryars, near the Water-side, for
the Benefit of the Poor." It consists of twenty-four pages, small 8vo.,
and, in order that the poem should not occupy too much space, one of
the pages (p. 22.) is in a smaller type, and in double columns. At the
end is the following singular
"ADVERTISEMENT.
"To prevent the publicks being impos'd on, this is to give notice that the
book lately published in 4to. is very imperfect and uncorrect, in so
much that above thirty lines are omitted in several places, and many
gross errors committed, which pervert the sense."
The above is in Italic type, and the body of the tract consists of only the
first part of _Absalom and Achitophel_, as ordinarily printed: allowing
for misprints (which are tolerably numerous), the poem stands very
much the same as in several common editions I have at hand. My
Query is, Is the work known to have been so published "for the benefit
of the poor," and in order to give it greater circulation, and what is the
explanation of the "Advertisement?"
THE HERMIT OF HOLYPORT.
N.B. A short "Key" follows the usual address "To the Reader."
* * * * *
MINOR QUERIES.

_Edward the Confessor's Crucifix and Gold Chain._--In 1688 Ch.
Taylour published _A Narrative of the Finding St. Edward the King
and Confessor's Crucifix and Gold Chain in the Abbey Church of St.
Peter's, Westminster_. Are the circumstances attending this discovery
well known? And where now is the crucifix and chain?
EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.
_The Widow of the Wood._--Benjamin Victor published in 1755 a
"narrative" entitled The Widow of the Wood. It is said to be very rare,
having been "bought up" by the Wolseleys of Staffordshire. What is the
history of the publication?
EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.
_Cardinal Erskine._--I am anxious to obtain some information
respecting Cardinal Erskine, a Scotchman, as his name would impart,
but called Cardinal of England? I suppose he was elevated to the sacred
college between Cardinal Howard, the last mentioned by Dodd in his
_Church History_, and the Cardinal of York, the last scion of the house
of Stuart.
And is the following a correct list of English Cardinals since Wolsey,
who died in 1530?
Elevated in John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester 1535 Reginald Pole,
Archbishop of Canterbury 1536