CHRISTMAS CAROLS. French Noël (old French Nouel; Burgundy Noé; Normandy nuel; Poitou nau.) German Weihnachts gesang old English Nowell, Nouell. "It is almost certain that this particular kind of Hymn was first cultivated either in France or Burgundy, and commonly sung there in very ancient times. Of the numerous early examples which have fortunately been preserved to us, the most interesting is undoubtedly the famous 'Prose de l'âne.' This curious Carol was annually sung, at Beauvais, and Lens, on the Feast of the Circumcision, as early as the twelfth century; and formed an important part of the ceremonial connected with a certain popular Festival called the 'Fête de l'âne,' on which an ass, richly caparisoned, and bearing upon its back a young maiden with a child in her arms, was led through the city, in commemoration of the Flight into Ægypt, and finally brought in solemn procession to the Cathedral, while the crowd chaunted the following quaint, but by no means unmelodious ditty: Orientis partibus, Adventavit asinus, Pulcher et fortissimus, Sarcinis aptissimus. Hez, sire Asnes, hez! Hez, sire Asnes, car chantez, Belle bouche rechignez, Vous aurez du foin assez, Et de l'avoine a plantez. Hez, sire Asnes, hez! Scarcely less popular in Germany, than the 'Prose de l'àne' in France, were the beautiful Carols 'Resonet in laudibus' (Wir loben all' das Kindelein,) and 'Diesest lætitiæ' (Der Tag der ist so freundlich)the latter equally well known in Holland as 'Tis een dach van violichkeit.' Both these examples are believed to be as old as the 13th century; as is also another 'Tempus adest floridum'-of equally tuneful character. 'In dulci jubilo'—a curious mixture of Latin and Patois, set to a deliciously simple melody-may possibly be of somewhat later date. A MEDIUM OF INTERCOMMUNICATION FOR LITERARY MEN, GENERAL READERS, ETC. = Copyrighted 1891, by The Westminster Publishing Co. Entered at the Post-Office, Philadelphia, as Second-class Matter. American Notes and Queries PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE WESTMINSTER PUBLISHING COMPANY, 619 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. Single copies sold, and subscrip ions taken at the publishers J. W. Roberts & Co, 10 Post Queries on all matters of general literary and historical interest-folk-lore, the origin of proverbs, familiar sayings, popular customs, quotations, etc., the authorship of books, pamphlets, poems, essays, or stories, the meaning of re condite allusions, etc., etc.-are invited from all quarters, and will be answered by editors or contributors. Room is allowed for the discussion of moot questions, and the periodical is thus a valuable medium for intercommunication between literary men and specialists. Communications for the literary department should be addressed: EDITOR AMERICAN NOTES AND QUERIES. All checks and money orders to be made payable to the order of The Westminster Publishing Company, 619 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. per year. $1,75, 6 months. {$1.00, 3 months. $10 cents per number. CONTENTS. NOTES:-Literary Curiosities, 97-Sterne's Latin-Snobbium Gatherum-Port vs. Larboard, 98-Gent-Mistletoe; or Golden Bough, 99. QUERIES:-Bisk-Acquaintance, Relation-Brideog-Potato -Pate-Floating Islands-Date of Importation Wanted"The !" 100-The Excursion - Tom-alley-Crowland Cruelty Chaise-Christopher Columbus, roi. REPLIES:-Mother Goose, Who was She?-Delia in Literaature-Firing Out-Latin Quotations-Fountainhall and Coupon, 101-U. S. President ad Interim-A U. S. President Abroad While in Office-Differ from, Differ withBairseth-Indian Names, 102-Hired Weepers or Mutes, 103-Sword of Bunker Hill, 104. COMMUNICATIONS:-Discoveries by Accident-America's Smallest City-"Nork" for "New York"-English as She was Pronounced in Tahiti-Curan and Argentile-Franklin and the Cyclometer-Curious Problem-Corn Bread and its Various Names, 104-Flowers as Food-Floating Islands-Palindromes-Washington, a Marshall of France, 105-Does Writing Pay?-English as She is Pronounced in India-Unlucky Days of the Year-Oddities of the British Constitution-"Christmas" in Shakespeare-Pillars of the Church-New Light on Bunker Hill, 106-A Village on Tree-tops-Men who Wear Small Hats-Epitaphs-The Largest Artesian Well, 107-A Tree that Foretells Rain-The Sounds of Color-How Names Grow-The Squaring of the Circle-Horn-mad, 108. se rafraîchit, les vents se calment et les oiseaux se taisent," (Sismondi, op. om. Tom. iv p. 296) i. e.: "The sun grows larger on the horizon, the air freshens, the wind becomes calm and the birds are silenced." But the poet says no such thing, as will be seen by the literal translation of de Miranda's quoted lines: "The sun is brilliant (hot), the birds droop with oppressive heat at the time of the year when it is usual to be cold." Herculano, the well known historian of Portugal and historical writer as well, makes a notable use of the word "calma," to signify oppressive summer heat in "O Monge de Cister" (The Cistercian Monk), Tom. ii. p. 145: "Pfhh! Assoprou a beata de Restello, deitando para traz o coromem, e repitindo o assopro-Pfhh !" "Coitada! Muita calma? Heim?" "E de frigir ovos," etc., which literally ren dered is: "Oh! sighed devotée de Restello, dropping back her hood and reiterating the sigh "Oh !" "Poor thing! Terribly sultry? Eh ?" In Denis, Résumé de l'histoire littéraire du Portugal, p. 56, may be found another, but not quite as glaring a blunder, in translating the following line of an eclogue by Sà de Miranda: "Nem ja ne o que era almalho," thus: "Il n'est plus ce qu'il était même sous le joug," or "He is no longer what he was even beneath the yoke." Miranda is describing an ox and says something vastly dif ferent, which is: "He, i. e. the ox, is now not as he was a young bull!" To Francesco Sà de Miranda is awarded the high distinction of having introduced among the Portuguese by his poetical compositions a taste for the Italian renaissance in letters. This influence is confessedly traceable in the Lusiadas of Camoens, and largely aided in moulding the style of succeeding writers according to Braga, Historia da Litteratura Portugueza, p. 59. "A litteratura Portugueza do seculo xvi deriva d'estes escriptores por um relacão muito clara." I may add here, as connected with the subject in a general way, that both Conde and Casiri, eminent for their labors in and versions of the Arabic authors of Moslem Spain, have been accused by a recent German writer with making inaccurate translations from the original Arabic to illustrate their texts, but Sen. Juan Valera, in his Spanish version of Schack's treatise, under the title of "Poesia y Arte de los Arabes en Espana y Sicilia," says in the Introduction to Tom. i, p. xiii, "La amarga censura que hace Dozy de Conde y de Casiri, y que Schack reproduce no es menester saber la lengua Arábiga para conocer que es injusta." As will be noted in this citation Valera says: "It is not necessary to understand Arabic in order to know that the bitter criticisms made by Dozy on Conde and Casiri and reproduced by Schack are unjust." This reasoning doubtless strikes the reader as somewhat lame. However, the following citation from the Introduction referred to, may be taken to represent the translator's personal judgment in a matter of such grave importance, and based upon his own familiarity with the Arabic language, or following the criticisms of such distinguished Oriental scholars as Alcantara and Fernandez y Gonzalez: "Casiri y Conde habran errado bastante, pero ellos empezaran la obra que Dozy ha continuado, y no son tam equivocadas, tan absurdas y mentirosas las noticias que dan.” "Casiri and Conde may have erred much, but they began the work that Dozy has continued and the extracts they furnish are not so very misunderstood, absurd or untrue. GEO. F. FORT. ing made a brave voyage, came carousing and quaffing in large silver kans to his helth. Fellowes they were that had good big pop mouths to crie PORT A HELME Saint George, and knew as well as the best what belongs to haling of bolings yare, and falling on the star-boorde buttocke." Nashe. The Terror of the Night. 1594. The above quotation (I think) refutes the frequently repeated story that port as a substitute for larboard is a modern invention. Whalemen are said to be the only sailors who cling to the use of tarboard. Yet, not very many years ago, I heard it frequently on the rivers Mississippi and Ohio. X. I. V. GENT. The use of gent for gentleman is by no means of recent origin. Thomas, 6th Lord Clifford, in a complaint to the king against his own son Henry, (afterwards Earl of Cumberland) speaks "of certain evil disposed persons as well young gents as others." This was probably written very early in the 16th century, for the writer died in 1523. Ch. W. MISTLETOE; OR GOLDEN BOUGH. Oh! stay, bright habitant of air, alight, High o'er the heav'n of boundless ether roves, Few subjects of the kind are more attract ive than that of the parasite, mistletoe. From whichever side it may be viewed, whether the physiological, the mythological, the historical, or any other, it forms a link between the ages of the world, and the races of man, a link which connects our Christmas of 1891 with periods of unrecorded time. Nor does it lessen the interest of the subject, but rather the contrary, to learn that ignorance is the parent of the superstitions which cling to it, and the source of the mystery to which are due centuries of reverence and mystic honor. Etymologically, mistletoe shares the mystery which surrounds the whole subject. The name Mistle-toe, A. S. Mistel-tan, Icel, Mistil-teinn, seems not easily explained as there is much diversity of opinion concernity its origin. Tan, teinn, the final syllable, or second member, all agree, means "twig," "thorn, "or"sharp instrument," often used as a symbol of winter. But what does Mistel, mistil, the first member of the compound signify? Dr. Skeat, having found the first instance of the literary use of Mistletoe in Shakespere, "Titus Andronicus" (1588-90), remarks: "Mistel is plainly the dim. of mist which in English means 'fog' or 'vapor.' But in A. S. mist may take the sense of 'gloom.' Thus we see why Balder, the sun god, was fabled to have been slain by a twig of mistletoe, the sun at mid-winter is obscured, and we still connect mistletoe with Christmas. This sense of the word originated the legend; we must not reverse the order by deriving the sense from the story." Physiologically, mistletoe is full of idiosynDr. Darwin's lines at the opening cracy. of this article are a pleasing expansion of Cowley's: "She only from the earth loathes to be born, And on the meaner ground to tread thinks scorn." and a bit of his "scientific didacticism" "For what soil barren to that plant can be, And what to her close shut and locked can seem, As Parkinson, like Girarde, Lord Bacon and the author of "Pseudodoxia," had rejected the theory of the agency of the missel-thrush Turdus Viscivorus, advanced by Pliny and other ancients, saying that observation and experience, show that the mistletoe growth arises from trees from their own superfluous moisture, sudor quercus quoting Virgil's, Aeneid vi. 205. "Quale solet silvis brumali frigore," in support of his view. (Herball, 1640.) Dr. Darwin in his philosophical notes to the "Botanic Garden," 1789, gives the explanation generally accepted at the present time. The connection of the mistletoe with the story of Balder, the sun-god, also the personification of the oak in the Norse Mythology, may be seen from Dasent's translation of "Gylfi's Mockery," in the Younger, or Prose Edda. Frigga says to Loki: "There grows one tree-twig eastward of valhall, that is called mistletoe (mistilteinn), that one thought too young to crave an oath of." "Blind Hodr took the mistletoe and shot at Balder under the guidance of Loki; the shaft flew right through him and he fell dead to the earth." "Hoder, the blind old god, Whose feet are shod with silence, (Longfellow's "Tegner's Drapa." The whole story of Balder's death is re lated in "Frithiof's Saga" (canto 24), by Tegnér the famous modern Swedish poet. We owe to Mr. Mathew Arnold an English poetical version of the same in "Balder Dead." "But in his heart stood first the fatal bough Of mistletoe, which Lok the accuser gave To Hoder, and unwitting Hoder threw." As Mr. Fiske remarks, in the Balder myth, the mistletoe symbolizes the winter, or the period of ice and darkness. (To be continued.) QUERIES. ΜΕΝΟΝΑ. Bisk. This word means to blacken the page of a printed book, as was formerly done in England by the censors of the press and as is still done in Russia and some other countries in the case of passages deemed objectionable or unfit to be read. In the New English Dictionary it is marked obsolete, and the only quotations given for it are from Calamy and from Southey, with the remark that it may have been a misprint in Calamy copied by Southey. I am not familiar with Calamy's writings nor very well acquainted with those of Southey; but this particular word I have long known. It seems to me that I have principally seen it in catalogues of old book stores. Such of your correspondents as are familiar with the word would confer a favor by giving further examples of its use. Any notes as to origin would be duly appreciated. I can not believe it a mere misprint, Potato. It is generally assumed, as a matter of course, that the name potato is no doubt a derivative from batatas, and that the latter is the West Indian name of the common sweet potato. But in Earle's English Plant-Names, 1880, there is given, on pp. 61-65, a list of Names ("Nomina Bladorum et arborum”) from a vocabulary of the latter part of the 15th century. In it, p. 62, occur the words "Hec Betate, tes, bettes." This looks very much as if Betate was a variant of beta, a beet. May not early voyagers have given the name of the beet to the sweet potato? NEW YORK. BRADLEY SIMS. Pate. What does this word mean? "Whosoever shall take any fox, or pate, or badger, in this parish, and bring the heade to the church, shall have twelve pence paid by the churchwardens." (Vestry Book of the Parish of Pittington, Durham, 1628.) F. M. Floating Islands (Vol. vi, p. 48, etc.)-Besides those (real and imaginary) floating islands which your correspondents have already named, I find references to "the floating island of Camoens." What was it, and where was it? JAY WYE BEE. |