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    Notes and Queries, Number 85, June 14, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.
    Notes and Queries, Number 85, June 14, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.
    Notes and Queries, Number 85, June 14, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.
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    Notes and Queries, Number 85, June 14, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.

    By Various Various and George Bell

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateNov 27, 2013
    Notes and Queries, Number 85, June 14, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.

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      Notes and Queries, Number 85, June 14, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. - Various Various

      Project Gutenberg's Notes and Queries, Number 85, June 14, 1851, by Various

      This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

      almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or

      re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

      with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

      Title: Notes and Queries, Number 85, June 14, 1851

      A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists,

      Antiquaries, Geneologists, etc.

      Author: Various

      Editor: George Bell

      Release Date: September 11, 2011 [EBook #37403]

      Language: English

      *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTES AND QUERIES, JUNE 14, 1851 ***

      Produced by Charlene Taylor, Jonathan Ingram and the Online

      Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This

      file was produced from images generously made available

      by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

      Vol. III.—No. 85.

      NOTES AND QUERIES:

      A MEDIUM OF INTER-COMMUNICATION

      FOR

      LITERARY MEN, ARTISTS, ANTIQUARIES, GENEALOGISTS, ETC.

      When found, make a note of.—CAPTAIN CUTTLE.

      VOL. III.—No. 85.

      SATURDAY, JUNE 14. 1851.

      Price Threepence.   Stamped Edition 4d.

      CONTENTS.

      NOTES:—

      Illustrations of Chaucer, No. VIII.: The Armorican Word Menez 473

      Folk Talk: Eysell, Captious 474

      An Old Man whose Father lived in the Time of Oliver Cromwell 475

      Minor Notes:—On a Passage in Sedley—On a Passage in Romeo and Juliet—Inscription on a Tablet in Limerick Cathedral 476

      QUERIES:—

      Princesses of Wales 477

      Minor Queries:—Lady Mary Cavendish—Covey—Book wanted to purchase—The Devil's Bit—Corpse passing makes a Right of Way—Nao, a Ship—William Hone—Hand giving the Blessing—Tinsell, a Meaning of—Arches of Pelaga—Emiott Arms—Well Chapels—Davy Jones's Locker—Æsopus Epulans—Written Sermons—Pallavicino and the Conte d'Olivares 477

      MINOR QUERIES ANSWERED:—Athelney Castle, Somersetshire—Legend of St. Molaisse—Bogatzky 478

      REPLIES:—

      Greene's Groatsworth of Witte, by Rev. Thos. Corser 479

      The Dutch Martyrology 479

      Replies to Minor Queries:—Spick and Span New—Under the Rose—Handel's Occasional Oratorio—Stone Chalice—Thanksgiving Book—Carved Ceiling in Dorsetshire—Felix quem faciunt, &c.—The Saint Graal—Skeletons at Egyptian Banquet—Sewell—Col-fabias—Poem from the Digby MS.—Umbrella—The Curse of Scotland—Bawn—Catacombs and Bone-houses—Bacon and Fagan—To learn by heart—Auriga—Vineyards in England—Barker—The Tanthony, &c. 480

      MISCELLANEOUS:—

      Notes on Books, Sales, Catalogues, &c. 487

      Books and Odd Volumes wanted 487

      Notices to Correspondents 487

      Advertisements 487

      List of Notes & Queries volumes and pages

      Notes.

      ILLUSTRATIONS OF CHAUCER, NO. VIII.

      (Vol. iii., pp. 388. 420.)

      The Armorican Word Menez.

      I have been induced, in consequence of the scene of one of the Canterbury Tales being

      "In Armorike that called is Bretaigne,"

      to re-examine that tale (the Frankleine's) in the expectation that in it, if anywhere, some light might be thrown upon this newly discovered Chaucerian word menez; and I think I have succeeded in detecting its use in the sense of points or summits of rocks emerging from the surface of the water.

      But in weighing the probability of this being the true sense in which it is used in the present instance by Chaucer, the wide applicability of the word means in its usual acceptation of instrument to an end, must not be lost sight of. There is scarcely the name of any one thing for which means may not be made a plausible substitution; so much so, that if a man were to ask for a hat to cover his head, his demand would be quite intelligible if expressed by a means to cover his head.

      I make this proviso as an answer to the probable objection, that menes, in its usual acceptation, gives sufficiently good sense to the passage in question; it may do so, and still not be the sense intended by the author.

      The footing on which I wish to place the inquiry is this:

      1st. We have an Armorican word which it is desirable to prove was known to, and used by, Chaucer.

      2dly. We find this identical word in a tale written by him, of which the scene is Armorica.

      3dly. It bears, however, a close resemblance to another word of different meaning, which different meaning happens also to afford a plausible sense to the same passage.

      The question then is, in case this latter meaning should not appear to be better, nor even so good, as that afforded by the word of which we are in search, shall we not give that word the preference, and thereby render it doubly blessed, giving and receiving light?

      In coming to a decision, it is necessary to take in the whole context. Arviragus and Dorigene live in wedded happiness, until the former, leaving his wife, takes shipping

      —— "to gon and dwelle a yere or twaine

      In Englelond, that cleped was eke Bretaigne."

      Dorigene, inconsolable at his loss, sits upon the sea-shore, and views with horror the grisly, fendly, rockes, with which the coast is studded, in every one of which she sees certain destruction to her husband in his return. She accuses the gods of injustice in forming these rocks for the sole apparent purpose of destroying man, so favoured in other respects, and she concludes her apostrophe in these words,—

      "Than, semeth it, ye had a gret chertee

      Toward mankind; but how then may it be

      That ye such menēs make, it to destroyen,

      Which menēs don no good but ever anoyen?"

      Undoubtedly, in the third of these lines, menes seems to have a perfectly good meaning in the sense of instrument, or means to destroy. But, in the last line, the same sense is not so obvious—means to destroy must necessarily be destructive, and Chaucer would never be guilty of the unmeaning truism of repeating—means which do no good but ever annoy.

      Moreover, I am not aware that the accent is ever thrown upon the silent e where the

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