And speak instead of thee, and every thing "Then they converse concerning the rod, and the other prodigies. 66 6 Say what is that thou holdest in thy hand?' Fear not the serpent, confident draw near, Dost thou not bring it forth as white as snow? "Then, after a few other matters, he (Demetrius) goes on to say: These same things Ezechiel commemorates in his Exagoge.' And of the prodigies, he introduces God speaking thus: "With this same rod shalt thou work every woe. The heavens shall frown, and shower down hail and fire The fields shall be laid waste, the beasts shall die. "And then he observes that God gave more minute directions respecting the same festival: "In all your families of Hebrew race, This month, which as the first of months has place, And let them till the fourteenth day remain. And eat with entrails roasted; nothing leave, "He then gives other particulars: 'Ezechiel also,' he says, 'in the drama entitled The Exagoge, introduces a messenger describing the position of the Hebrews, and the defeat of the Egyptians, thus: ' "When the King Pharao, with a mighty host, Went forth full armed, with proud insulting boast, Of the Egyptian army, flushed with pride. I ask the number of the imposing band; Ten hundred thousand own the King's command, Obeys, the waters instantly divide, And all the Hebrews safely tread their way Through the deep bed, untouched by salt-waves' spray. We quickly followed, marching boldly on, And loudly shouting, where they first had gone.— And when the Hebrews safely reached the shore, "Again, a little after, they went a journey of three days, as Demetrius commemorates; and this the Holy Bible also testifies. But as they had no sweet water, but only what was bitter, by the command of God, he cast a certain kind of wood into the spring, and the water was made sweet. Thence they came to Elim, and there they found twelve fountains of water, and seventy palm trees. Of these, and of a certain bird which they saw, Ezechiel introduces a person addressing Moses; and on the subject of the palm trees and the twelve fountains, he speaks thus: "Attend, great Moses! we a spot have found, Where breezes through the valley softly sound. collection of angling literature, I am enabled to give the information required. The first Garland was published in 1821, in form of a single-sheet broadside; it commences, "Auld Nature now revived seems," and was the joint production of Robert Roxby and Thomas Doubleday. It was annually succeeded by similar pieces, principally by the same writers, till 1832, when the series terminated. It is impossible to say how many editions of these single sheet broadsides were issued, or how many of each; but it may be set down as a significant hint, that some of them, published at Newcastle for a halfpenny, were bought by collectors in London for sixpence, and even one shilling, and we may conclude that demand found its usual supply. There was a kind of mania at the time for angling works, and many dodges were the consequent result; one of these may be mentioned here as a curious, if not amusing, piece of literary history. A person named Lathy one day called upon Gosden, the well-known bookbinder, publisher, and collector, with an original poem on angling. Gosden purchased the manuscript for 30%, and had it published, with a whole length engraved portrait of himself, in a fishing dress, armed with rod and landing-net, leaning sentimentally against a votive altar, dedicated to the manes of Walton and Cotton, as a frontispiece. A number of copies were printed on royal paper, and one on vellum, the vellum alone costing "He then goes on to describe the appearance of the Gosden 10., before it was discovered that the bird: "Soon after this, we saw a living thing, His wings were beautiful with changing dies. FISHER'S "GARLANDS." (3rd S. vi. 286.) F. C. H. The query of J. M. scarcely admits of a concise and ready reply; there has also been some evident mystification practised on this subject, which makes it rather difficult to get at the truth; but from a notice lately published in the Fisherman's Magazine (No. VII.) of a work entitled A Collection of Right Merrie Garlands for North Country Anglers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1864; from Mr. T. Westwood's very excellent and interesting Bibliotheca Piscatoria, a book seemingly not so well known as it deserves to be; and from my own whole was a plagiaristic swindle, the manuscript being very little more than a copy of a rather rare poem, entitled The Anglers. Eight Dialogues in Verse. London, 1758.† To return, however, to the Fisher's Garlands. In 1836, the set of Garlands from 1821 to 1832 inclusive, were published in a collected form, octavo, by Charnley of Newcastle, their original publisher. There were fourteen garlands in this collection, two being placed to the credit of 1824, and the well-known Angler's Progress of Boaz, written and published in the previous century, being interpolated as the "Fisher's Garland" for 1820. How many editions were published of this collection, or what were their dates, is now unknown. In 1842, after a lapse of ten years, an attempt was made to resuscitate the annual series of garlands, but without success; they only continued till 1845, and then completely and finally ceased. But in 1842, Mr. Charnley published A * Under the title of The Angler; a Poem in Ten Cantos, with Notes, &c. By T. P. Lathy, Esq. Subsequently, when the fraud was discovered, the last words were altered to " By Piscator." + Correctly ascribed to Dr. Scott, a dissenting minister at Ipswich. The poem was afterwards published by Ruddiman, in his Collection of Scarce, Curious, and Valuable Pieces, &c., Edinburgh, 1773. See also Gentleman's Magazine, vol. lxxxix. p. 407. Collection of Right Merrie Garlands for North The poems reprinted from the Etonian and the Those contributed to Knight's Quarterly Magazine have also been easily recognised; but in 1828, when Mr. Knight edited the London Magazine, Praed sent him four poems, all published over the signature . These were, "School and Schoolfellows," " Arrivals at a Watering Place," "April Fools," and "Our Ball." I may add that the choice of the Roxby and Doubleday Garlands were published, in a collected form, as The Coquet-Dale Fishing Songs, by the Blackwoods in 1852. And I should not conclude this unpleasant notice of crambe repetita of the worst kind, without observing that Allan Cunningham actually published one of the Roxby and Doubleday garlands, The Auld Fisher's Welcome to Coquet-Side, in the strange omnium gatherum, which he had the boldness to term The Songs of Scotland; though, at the same time, he had, or could have easily found, at least fifty genuine Scottish songs to take its place, any one of them fifty times superior to the Northumbrian doggrel garland aforesaid. WILLIAM PINKERTON. "COUSINS," A SONG: PRAED'S POEMS. (3rd S. vi. 414.) W. M. F. inquires if Praed were the author of this song; and though an answer will probably be given ere this reaches England, this query and several like it may serve as an excuse for a note on Praed's poems. This poem was in the American edition, and is not in the authorised collection. The American book was necessarily composed of such poems as were found in print and were signed by Praed; and it contained also poems supposed to be written by the same author. As editor, I have had occasion to examine many of the Annuals and Magazines to which Praed contributed, and the result of the search is as follows: In the New Monthly Magazine a series of poems appeared, all signed. In 1826, without a signature, "Josephine was printed, which is confessedly Praed's. In 1827, with the signature were "Utopia," "A Year of Impossibilities*", "A Song for the Fourteenth of February," "To by an Ex In 1828, "My Partner," "A Chapter of Ifs *," "The Fancy Ball," "A Letter of Advice," and "The Light o' Love *." 66 In 1829, "Twenty-eight and Twenty-nine," to a Serenader in February* 99.66 Of these poems all but seven, marked with a star in the preceding list, are reprinted in Mr. Coleridge's most interesting edition. As all the poems appeared over the same signature, it seems difficult to decide upon the authorship, unless the poet left some list of his publications. Six other short poems in the London Magazine signed were printed in the American book, and are doubtless not the work of Praed. One of these, signed, "Chivalry at a Discount," was especially noticed in the London Times, Oct. 7, 1864, with an expressed wish from the critic to know who wrote it, if Praed did not. In the Literary Souvenir for 1830, another poem on the same subject, and one called "An Invitation," signed, were printed; the same volume contained two poems by the "Author of Lillian,' and one, "Where is Miss Myrtle," unsigned, but written by Praed. It seems hardly possible that two writers would use the same signature in the same volume, and yet if Praed was of the New Monthly in 1827, 1828, and 1829, would he have been apt to yield the name in 1830 in a volume to which he contributed, especially if he had already written a poem on the same subject? It has been repeatedly said that some of these poems were written by a Mr. Fitz-Gerald. Surely it cannot be too late to learn something about him. In 1834, two songs, "I remember," and "The Runaway," were published by Dannely, London, the words by Praed, the music by Mrs. E. Fitz-Gerald. Could this lady's husband have been so intimate a friend that Praed joined with him in his enterprises, and shared the signature with him? The question is interesting because in 1839 and 1841 certain Charades appeared in the New Monthly, which were the production of no inferior poet. These are numbered 1, 2, 21, 22, 25-30, in the American work. Two of them, "Sir Geoffrey lay in his cushioned chair," and "There kneels in holy St. Cuthbert's aisles," are certainly worthy of Praed's genius. If we are yet to have the collected works of one who belonged to Praed's school, and who has so successfully studied his style, it is time the enterprise were announced. Lastly, may we not hope that, in view of these repeated inquiries, Mr. Coleridge will inform us if the edition contains all the poems which Praed acknowledged, and in what form the declaration was made; or whether it contains only such Doenis as the surviving friends of the poet can identify positively. If the latter, it is not unreasonable to hope that an author will be found for these poems, which so nearly approach the perfection of one who must rank as chief of the ninor poets of England for the present century. W. H. WHITMORE. Boston, U.S.A. THE GROTTO OF THE NATIVITY AND OTHER CHRISTMAS MATTERS. (3rd S. vi. 493, 519.) The readers of "N. & Q." are much indebted to DR. RIMBAULT for his interesting article on the Pitterari in Rome, at the same time it contains some remarkable mythological speculations after the manner of Conyers Middleton, upon which I would fain offer a few remarks. The Pifferari speak of our Saviour having been born in a Grotto: DR. RIMBAULT is pleased to consider this a "popular corruption of the Scriptural text," and adds, "I am not aware that any attempt has been made to trace the origin of it." He undertakes the task himself, and traces it mediately to the false gospels forged by some of the ancient heretics, and ultimately to "the great Mithraic mysteries, the Sibyl's Cave, the Cave of Trophonius," &c. On his way to these primæval tiquities, DR. R. picks up "the celebrated rerious poet Sannazarius of Naples," who has “unequivocally adopted" this corruption of Scripture, and who, I fear, helped on DR. R. to his Pagan conclusions. M. l'Abbé Gaume, a good Catholic, thus disposes of this "religious poet," notwithstanding his having founded a church: * Sannazaro, in his poem entitled De Partu Virginis, makes a medley, which we should call ridiculous, were it art indecent, of the most august truths of the Faith, and the absurdities of mythology. The whole poem is filled with gods and goddesses, while the name of our Lord does not occur once."-Le Ver Rongeur des Sociétés Modernes, ch. xi.* I am at loss to conceive how the allusion in the Pifferari Hymn could in any sense be called “a corruption of the Scriptural text." It is a tradition of universal Christendom, which comes under the conditions of the golden rule of St. Vincent of Lerins, Quod ubique, quod semper, et ab omnibus creditum. The Eastern Church refers to it in her services, and the early Greek writers and painters commemorate it; moreover, the local tradition is clear and steadfast. It would be easy to quote a host of authorities, I shall however quote but a few, and those readily accessible. The learned patristic theologian, Mr. Isaac Williams, says of our Lord's birthplace: "It was a cave in the native city of David according to the testimony of Justin Martyr, Origen, and others; for such the stables in that country often are. And thus as He was buried, so also was He born in a cave in the rock."-Comm. on the Nativity, 1852, p. 83. Bp. Taylor says in his Life of Christ : — "She that was Mother to the King of all creatures, could find no other place but a stable, a cave of a rock, whither she retired." And in a note to this passage he refers to the Septuagint Version of Isaiah, xxxiii. 16, which some ancient writers consider to be a prophecy of this birth-place.† We have not only good testimony to show that our Saviour was born in a cave of a rock at Bethlehem, but we have also good reason to believe that the very cave can be identified, the record of it having been preserved by an uninterrupted tradition. Mr. Chester, in his admirable little work entitled Three Weeks in Palestine and Le banon, which, I believe, the S. P. C. K. has stereotyped, thus writes of "the lowly scene of the Messiah's birth, upon entering which," he says, "I sank instinctively upon my knees "Buckingham treats the idea of the Grotto of the Nativity being really the scene of that event as an absurdity, chiefly on account of its being underground: while Clarke, though generally so sceptical with regard to the identity of the Holy Places, says that the tradition respecting this cave seems so well authenticated as hardly * The poet's tomb was quite in keeping with his pagan Hone that "His superb tomb in the church of St. Mark predilections. We are told in an account quoted by is decorated with two figures originally executed for, and meant to represent Apollo and Minerva; but as it appeared indecorous to admit heathen divinities into a Christian church, and the figures were thought too excellent to be removed, the person who shows the church is instructed to call them David and Judith. The note is curious and worth quoting here: "Juxta propheticum illud, Esai. xxxiii. 16, OUTOS oikησEL EV ὑψηλῷ σπηλαίῳ πέτρας ἰσχυρᾶς· ̓́Αρτος δοθήσεται αὐτῷ, apud lxx., sed hanc periodum Judæi eraserunt ex Hebræo textu; sic et Symmachus. [Hexapl. Montf. vol. ii. p. 146], aрTOS SolhσETα, mystice Bethlehem, sive Domus panis, indigitatur."- Eden's ed. vol. ii. 64. to admit of dispute. Whatsoever the truth may be, I do not think Buckingham's objection a valid one, as it is by no means uncommon in these countries to use similar souterrains as habitations both for man and beast; and the adherence to ancient customs in the 'never-changing East,' argues the probability of similar usage in our Saviour's time."-Ed. 1838, p. 57. DR. RIMBAULT looks askance at "the winter wild," and other accessaries to the Nativity; but these are trifles, let us pass on to a graver matter. Granting that in the conversion of Heathendom, new converts clung to some of their old superstitions, which in some cases the Church was unable to eradicate, and in others unwisely permitted, "christening the ceremonies of pagan superstition, and adapting their fables to the mysteries of Christian worship, which will undoubtedly account for much of the ceremonies and superstitions of the modern Church of Rome:"* Granting that the old image of Jupiter at Rome does duty for the Jew Peter, and that the Mariolatry of Rome is a most deplorable heresy-still, surely DR. RIMBAULT might have found a truer and a fairer origin for this last than the foul worship, and abominable rites of Cybele! + Surely if he had reflected a little, he would have shrunk from such an association with the Blessed Virgin Mother of our LORD. It is true that the accomplished and lamented authoress of Legends of the Madonna gravely refers us to the Egyptian group of Isis and Horus as the prototype of the Blessed Virgin and Child of Catholic Art, and the inspiring Idea of Cyril and the Council of Ephesus! But the instincts of her heart were truer than the teaching of her creed, and elsewhere she does more justice to the subject. Devout celibates, poring with love and wonder upon that abyss of mystery the INCARNATION, became dazzled by "the matchless dignity of Mary," and loved not wisely but too well: not preserving "the proportion of faith," their fond imaginings at length condensed into new articles of faith, and they came at last to receive as sober truth and revelation what they had long wished might be truePopulus vult decipi, et decipitur. From S. Bernard to Pio Nono we may trace the successive stages of Mariolatry.§ This is illustrated by an * See Polydore Virgil, De Rerum Inventoribus, and Jones of Nayland's Reflexions on the Growth of Heathenism among Modern Christians. + Middleton quotes the following passage from a congenial writer," the describer of Modern Rome" (who is he?): "If in converting the profane worship of the Gentiles to the pure and sacred worship of the Church, the faithful desire to follow some use and proportion, they have certainly hit upon it here, in dedicating to the Madonna, or Holy Virgin, the temple formerly sacred to the Bona Dea, or good goddess.”—Letter from Rome. Ed. 1852, p. xxii. For the earlier history of it, the reader can refer to Mr. Tyler's valuable work, and to Bp. Hall, The Old Religion, ch. xiv. anecdote related by the late Rev. H. J. Rose in a very instructive article on "Catholicism in Silesia," published in the first volume of the Foreign Quarterly Review: "A friend of ours, long resident in the south of Italy, was in the habit of talking to a very devout old woman in the neighbourhood. One day the old lady, in the course of conversation, said that there was but one thing she wanted to be perfectly happy. On being asked what Virgin could but be made God-for He was so severe, but was this one requisite for the vita beata, she said, If the the Virgin was always kind, and gentle, and compassionate.""-P. 552. The French beggars referred to by DR. RIMBAULT, who asked alms au nom de la BONNE DEESSE, seem to have reached that happy height above story only aspired, wistfully and despondof imagination to which the Italian devotee in the ingly. In Hone's Ancient Mysteries and Every-Day Book, he describes a very interesting edition of Sannazaro's curious Poem, a quarto volume printed at Florence in 1740, with engravings of the Nativity, from sculptures on an ancient sarcophagi at Rome. Hone also describes a very curious sheet of Carols, printed in London in 1701, price one penny. The description is as follows: "It is headed CHRISTUS NATUS EST: Christ is born;" with a woodcut 10 inches high by 84 inches wide, representing the stable of Bethlehem; Christ in the crib, watched by the Virgin and Joseph; shepherds kneeling; angels attending; a man playing on the bagpipes; a woman with a basket of fruit on her head; a sheep bleating, and an ox lowing on the ground; a raven croaking, and a crow cawing on the hay-rack; a cock crowing above them; and angels singing in the sky. The animals have labels from their mouths bearing Latin inscriptions. Down the side of the woodcut is the following account and explanation: 'A religious man inventing the conceits of both birds and beasts drawn in the picture of our Saviour's birth, doth thus express them: the cock croweth, Christus natus est, Christ is born. The raven asked, Quando? when? The crow replied, Hac nocte, This night. The ox crieth out, Ubi? Ubi? Where? where? The sheep bleated out, Bethlehem. A voice from heaven sounded, Gloria in Excelsis, Glory be on high.'' This was, when Hone wrote, in the possession of Mr. Upcott. Where is it now? I have quoted the above description of this curious carol that I may give an instance of the same treatment of the subject existing in fresco in this country. Dr. J. M. Neale, who refers to it in The Unseen World, seems not to be aware of the existence of the broadside. He says: *See Bp. Hall's Apostrophe to the B. V. M.: “O Blessed Virgin, if in that heavenly glory wherein thou art, thou canst take notice of these earthly things, with what indignation dost thou look upon the presumptuous superstition of vain men, whose suits make thee more than a solicitor of Divine favours! Thy humanity is not lost in thy motherhood, nor in thy glory. It is far from thee to abide this honour, which is stolen from thy Redeemer."-Cont. N. T. lib. 11. p. 50, folio ed. |