Notes and Queries, Number 72, March 15, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc

In Short

This issue of Notes and Queries is an open forum of Victorian textual analysis, local history, and literary debate. Contributors exchange brief letters, queries, and editorial notes to solve puzzles in early English literature, regional dialects, historical accounts, and folklore. Across its pages, readers inspect line readings from Geoffrey Chaucer, debate Sir Walter Scott’s poetic choices, examine dialectal terms like "burl," and share records of odd customs. The publication endures because it captures the collaborative nature of antiquarian scholarship, preserving nineteenth-century intellectual curiosity and daily research habits in real time.

The Story

The text opens with a call to illuminate the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer, treating his verses as a fertile field ripe for careful editing and critical comment. The commentary moves directly into precise textual analysis, addressing how Chaucer measures time in his verse—specifically whether his reference to fifty weeks in The Knight's Tale signifies a solar year calculated by lunar quarters rather than literal days, and how his mixing of classical, pagan, and Christian details served his poetic narrative. This focus on close reading extends into unprinted poetry, presenting verses from Harleian manuscripts with questions about their obscure imagery.

As the issue progresses, the discourse shifts from medieval verse to nineteenth-century literature and regional linguistic habits. A correspondent writing from the Cheviot hills re-evaluates a scene in Sir Walter Scott’s Marmion, arguing that Scott's genius lay in fulfilling internal poetic prophecies and second-sight traditions during Lord Marmion’s death on Flodden field. Moving from literary criticism to spoken language, another contributor records local speech from a contemporary poisoning trial in Gloucestershire, tracing the verb "burl"—meaning to pour liquor—back to its Anglo-Saxon roots and early English usages.

The middle portion of the issue gathers accounts of regional traditions, religious legends, and historical records. A detailed narrative outlines the legend of the Chapel of Loretto as translated from a Latin brass inscription, detailing the miraculous movement of the Holy House across countries. Brief entries record local folk beliefs, such as the Cornish habit of hanging dried sea-weed as "Lady's trees" to protect homes against fire, alongside satirical Norfolk rhymes about regional seaports. Historical receipts from the Order of St. John of Jerusalem sit alongside discussions comparing poetic phrasing in Thomas Gray, Robert Burns, and ancient classical texts.

Toward its conclusion, the issue becomes an arena for spirited debate over Shakespearean phrasing. Correspondents argue heatedly over Hamlet’s line regarding drinking "eisell" or swallowing a crocodile over Ophelia's grave. One writer defends his interpretation against rival commentators, dissecting historical recipes for wormwood wine and contrasting Jacobean social habits—such as drinking tobacco and wearing slashed satin doublets—with earlier medieval customs. The issue concludes with brief notes on Irish fossil elks, queries regarding the regicide Hugh Peters, notices of recently published antiquarian books, and advertisements for London societies, devotional manuals, and church furnishings.

How It Unfolds

Chaucer's time and verse Contributors analyze The Knight's Tale, proposing that Chaucer’s use of fifty weeks represents a solar year divided by lunar quarters. The entry highlights Chaucer's habit of blending classical pagan elements with Christian customs to fit his poetic needs.

Unpublished manuscript poetry A subscriber submits a piece of unedited verse found in the Harleian manuscripts regarding time and mortality. The submitter asks whether the poet's reference to an almond tree points to a classical motif or a botanical fact.

Scott and Flodden field A northern reader examines the burial and battle scenes in Sir Walter Scott's Marmion. The writer traces Scott's fascination with prophetic legends, noting how the dying hero hears a haunting voice over the prayers of the priest.

Gloucestershire speech and ancient roots A note examines the dialectal verb "burl," recently spoken by a witness in a Gloucestershire court case. The contributor links the court testimony to Anglo-Saxon origins, early Bible translations, and northern festival customs.

Legends of Loretto and local folk ways A historical summary details the supposed miraculous removals of the Virgin Mary's house to Loretto, as recorded on church tablets. Accompanying items note Cornish sea-weed charms used to ward off fire and rhymes mocking Norfolk towns.

The Shakespearean eisell debate A extended reply addresses Hamlet’s challenge at Ophelia's grave, comparing interpretations of drinking vinegar versus wormwood wine. The writer defends his reading by examining early modern recipes, medical texts, and Jacobean social fashions.

Life of Hugh Peters An entry investigates whether the Puritan preacher Hugh Peters ever appeared as an actor on stage. The contributor provides excerpts from Peters's own deathbed legacy to his daughter, detailing his early conversion in London.

The People

• Geoffrey Chaucer: The central subject of early English literary analysis. Editors and readers attempt to resolve numerical and thematic anomalies in his poetry to prepare a reliable modern edition.
• Sir Walter Scott: The late poet and novelist whose works are scrutinized by a friend from the Cheviot slopes, who seeks to demonstrate Scott's reliance on prophetic folklore.
• H. K. S. Causton: A passionate contributor who engages in detailed arguments over Shakespeare’s vocabulary, insisting that Hamlet’s dramatic rants must be read in their proper artistic context.
• Mr. Singer: A rival Shakespeare commentator whose theories regarding "wormwood wine" and early modern phrasing are vigorously contested within the issue’s reply section.
• Hugh Peters: A controversial seventeenth-century preacher whose early life, London lectures, and alleged stage connections are evaluated using his personal writings.
• J. Bruckner: The late pastor of the Walloon and Dutch churches in Norwich, whose published writings and life story form the basis of a biographical query.
• Albert Way: A scholar of local dialects who documents regional terms used in contemporary legal trials and connects them to medieval texts.

In Its Own Voice

"The besy larke, the messager of day, Saleweth in hire song the morwe gray; And firy Phebus riseth up so bright, That all the orient laugheth at the sight;"

A contributor transcribes these lines from Chaucer to demonstrate the poet's skill in describing May mornings.

"He told me 'to burl out the beer, as he was in a hurry;' and I 'burled' out a glass and gave it to him."

This quote from a Gloucestershire murder trial testimony illustrates how ancient Anglo-Saxon verbs survived in nineteenth-century courtroom language.

"We hooks them out of the wall with a stick, in winter time... and we roasts them, and, when they've done spitting, they be a-done."

A country child explains the traditional practice of gathering and eating land snails during the winter months.

What It's Really About

The issue centers on the preservation and precise interpretation of human culture across generations. Through its short essays, queries, and debates, the publication argues that popular idioms, scribbled marginalia, regional dialects, and formal poetry are all part of a single continuous heritage. The contributors treat minor linguistic quirks—such as a regional word for pouring beer or a disputed line in a play—as essential clues for understanding historical life and literature. Beneath the intellectual squabbles over Shakespeare or Chaucer lies a collective commitment to accuracy, showing how shared inquiry connects past authors, present readers, and local communities.

Why Read It Today

This periodical offers a captivating snapshot of nineteenth-century scholarship at work. It appeals to literary historians, antiquarians, linguists, and anyone fascinated by the mechanics of Victorian intellectual life. Reading it feels like sitting in an armchair inside a vast private library while eccentric, highly educated readers call out discovery after discovery from across the room.

The issue moves quickly from formal poetic scansion to strange local habits, giving equal weight to high literature and cottage folklore. Readers should be prepared for Victorian scholarly conventions, including untranslated Latin phrases, archaic spellings, dense textual notes, and personal disputes over minor points of editing. The writers assume a high degree of familiarity with early modern literature and regional British geography. What lingers after reading is the remarkable enthusiasm of these early researchers, whose patience for uncovering forgotten words and tracing obscure stories turns a simple periodical into a living archive of human curiosity.