Notes and Queries, Number 06, December 8, 1849

In Short

This volume is a published issue of a weekly nineteenth-century British periodical dedicated to literary curiosity, historical preservation, and collaborative research. Within its pages, antiquarians, librarians, and private scholars exchange short notes, resolve obscure bibliographical dilemmas, and debate local traditions. It serves as an open forum where participants ask for help identifying rare manuscripts, correct errors in published histories, and share newly discovered historical documents. It survives as a vivid window into the working methods, personal networks, and intellectual preoccupations of Victorian literary historians as they established the foundations of modern archival research.

The Story

The volume opens with an editorial statement reflecting on the purpose and rapid growth of the periodical. The editors report that as their reader base expands, the proportion of answered queries increases dramatically. They express gratitude to the scholars who write in from across the country to share their specialized knowledge, comparing this collective generosity to Chaucer’s ideal scholar, who would gladly learn and gladly teach.

Following this opening, the text moves into a sequence of historical and literary contributions. The Earl of Shaftesbury provides a detailed narrative regarding Monmouth Close in Dorset, describing how the Duke of Monmouth hid in a fern-filled ditch after his defeat at Sedgemoor, how an old woman betrayed him, and how he was captured under an ash tree. Literary scholars then turn to sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English poetry, offering notes on early editions of Michael Drayton’s work, his Nymphidia, and his friendship with Ben Jonson.

The focus shifts to tracking down long-standing literary commonplaces. A correspondent examines Oliver Goldsmith’s famous maxim that language exists to conceal thought, tracing the idea past Goldsmith and Talleyrand back through Voltaire, Edward Young’s satires, and Roger Ascham’s seventeenth-century biography. Bibliographical scholarship takes center stage as Dr. James H. Todd outlines the rare contents of the Augustinian Eremites library catalog at York, urging its full publication. J. Payne Collier contributes a discussion of early English publishing entries, identifying rare sixteenth-century pamphlets, including a humorous paradox praising baldness and an elusive tract by Abraham Fleming.

Historical and administrative records follow. Contributors detail royal household food allowances from the court of King Henry VIII and clear up misconceptions surrounding historical figures, such as showing that Charles Martel’s surname derived from Saint Martin rather than a battle hammer. Minor queries and answers cover a broad spectrum of topics: the true origins of the Scottish thistle standard, early eighteenth-century travel conditions in Sussex, local Norfolk church records, and the winners of the Burnet theological prize at Aberdeen. The issue concludes with a section dedicated to open queries from readers searching for obscure biographical details, accompanied by notices of recent book sales and publisher advertisements for new antiquarian volumes.

How It Unfolds

The editor frames the mission The issue opens with a brief report on the journal's expanding circulation. The editor explains that wider distribution brings in more scholars, enabling the community to answer complex historical queries far faster than before.

Local tradition maps a royal flight Lord Shaftesbury details the regional memory surrounding the capture of the Duke of Monmouth in 1685. He records how the defeated duke hid in a ditch, survived on raw field peas, and was ultimately betrayed by a local woman whose family fell into lasting local disrepute.

Scholars trace an elusive maxim A contributor investigates the origin of the political phrase asserting that speech serves to conceal thoughts. He demonstrates that while commonly attributed to Talleyrand or Goldsmith, the sentiment appears decades earlier in the writings of Young, Voltaire, and Ascham.

Archivists catalog forgotten libraries Dr. James H. Todd presents transcriptions from an ancient manuscript catalog belonging to the Augustinian Friars of York. He shows how each medieval volume was classified by its opening lines, arguing that such records are essential for mapping early English literary history.

Bibliographers debate Elizabethan printings J. Payne Collier uses the Stationers' Registers to trace lost sixteen-century English tracts and poems. He calls upon private collectors across the nation to share details of unique volumes in their possession so that early English printing history can be accurately mapped.

Readers exchange historical fragments The closing section contains dozens of brief exchanges concerning administrative records, regional dialect terms, and obscure ancestral lines. The issue ends with classified requests for out-of-print books and notices of upcoming auction sales.

The People

• The Editor seeks to establish an efficient, open medium for literary correspondence. He acts as the clearinghouse for information, encouraging scholars to abandon proprietary secrecy in favor of shared research, and takes pride in the journal's growing success.
• The Earl of Shaftesbury aims to preserve authentic local history regarding the Duke of Monmouth's capture in Dorset. He records landscape details, family traditions, and physical artifacts, ensuring that rural memory is systematically documented.
• J. Payne Collier wants to complete the definitive history of early English printing and dramatic literature. Constrained by the limits of individual research, he calls upon the broader community of collectors to help him locate lost sixteenth-century tracts.
• Dr. James H. Todd works to bring medieval institutional catalogs to light. As a university librarian, he advocates for the systematic indexing and publication of ancient library holdings to assist scholars worldwide.
• The Duke of Monmouth appears within the historical accounts as a desperate fugitive following the Battle of Sedgemoor. Stripped of his aristocratic surroundings, he subsists on raw peas in a ditch before his apprehension under an ash tree.

In Its Own Voice

When reflecting on the generous exchange of information among contributors, the editor cites a classic description of academic community:

"Ful gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche."

In recording the tradition of the Dorset countryside regarding the Duke of Monmouth's apprehension, Lord Shaftesbury highlights the tangible legacy of the event:

"The ash tree is still standing under which the Duke was apprehended, and is marked with the initials of many of his friends who afterwards visited the spot."

When tracking down early modern printings, J. Payne Collier urges fellow researchers to pool their private holdings for the public good:

"It is impossible to expect that any one individual could thoroughly accomplish such an undertaking; and, by means of your excellent periodical, it will be easy for literary men, who possess scarce or unique books, mentioned in the Registers and in my quotations from them, to furnish such brief descriptions as will be highly curious and very useful."

What It's Really About

This text reveals how historical knowledge is constructed through incremental, collaborative effort rather than individual genius. It argues that physical artifacts, local folklore, and marginal notes are fragile resources requiring systematic preservation. Beneath the diverse range of topics lies a deep concern with textual accuracy, authorial attribution, and the recovery of lost cultural heritage. The journal demonstrates that single facts—such as the origin of a proverb or the true owner of a sixteenth-century poem—can only be verified when an entire community of researchers pools its library holdings, memory, and expertise.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals to historical researchers, bibliophiles, and anyone fascinated by the mechanics of Victorian scholarship. It offers an immediate, unvarnished look at how scholars worked before digital databases, showing them sifting through dusty parish registers, comparing notes on rare editions, and debating minor points of regional geography. The reading experience feels like stepping into a nineteenth-century reading room filled with passionate, opinionated specialists.

The main difficulty for a modern reader lies in its fragmented nature and dense mid-19th-century references. The text moves abruptly from medieval Latin library records to Elizabethan poetry, royal meat allowances, and obscure regional proverbs without transitional narrative. Readers must also navigate untranslated Latin phrases, archaic bibliographic abbreviations, and dense lists of long-forgotten books.

Yet this very density creates its lasting charm. It leaves the reader with a genuine appreciation for the painstaking labor required to build modern library systems and literary histories, alongside a striking sense of the human curiosity that drives scholars across generations to solve small mysteries together.

<ElicitationsGroup message="Explore related historical and literary topics:"> <Elicitation label="Learn about 19th-century antiquarian societies" query="How did 19th-century antiquarian societies and periodicals shape modern historical research?"/> <Elicitation label="Examine the Monmouth Rebellion history" query="What was the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, and what were its key events?"/> </ElicitationsGroup>