ii s. VIIL AUG. 9, i9i3.] NOTES AND QUERIES.
101
LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1913.
CONTENTS.—No. 189.
NOTES:—Stephen Duck, Thresher, Poet, Parson, 101—St. Mary's, Amersham, Inscriptions, 103—De Quincey and York Street, Covent Garden, 104—Oldham Election, 1832, and John Bright—Dragonby, New Place-Name—"Felix quern faciunt aliena pericula cautum"—Southey's Quarter-Boys—"Supersubstantial," 105—Caffres and Caffraria—Teething—Empress as a Surname, 106.
QUERIES:—Anne, Countess of Dorset and Pembroke, 106—Linsey-Woolsey—Rectors of Mary Tavy, Devon—"Eowestre": "Yousters"—Author of Quotation Wanted—"The Five Wounds"—Henry de Grey of Thurrock—Words and Tunes Wanted, 107—Arthur Onslow: Seymour—Fonts: Wargrave-on-Thames—Lacis or Filet-Work—Ballad of "Boldhang'em"—Water-Colour by J. J. Jenkins, 108—Ruxton "The Marleypins," Shoreham—'Our National Statues': 'The Saturday Magazine'—Warwickshire Queries—Clouet, 109.
REPLIES:—Panthera, 109—The Marquessate of Lincolnshire, 111—Danvers Family, 113—"Dubbing": "Iling"—Wreck of the Jane, Duchess of Gordon, 114—Oak Trees in a Gale—Humbug—"He" in Game of "Touch"—Ellis Walker—Hebrew or Arabic Proverb—The Miller of Huntingdon—Author of Quotation Wanted, 115—Sand-Pictures—Scott: Stanhope—Siege of Acre—"The Crooked Billet"—"Scolopendra cetacea," 116—Spencer's Patent Clip—Reference and Quotation Wanted—Peter Pett—Fane: Vane: Vaughan—"The Eight and Fortie Men"—Downderry—Private Schools—"All Sir Garnet"—'The Reader' and Dr. Johnson's Dictionary, 117—Rughcombe Castle, 118.
NOTES ON BOOKS:—'Calendar of the Patent Rolls, 1367-70'—'British Borough Charters'—'The Nineteenth Century.'
Booksellers' Catalogues.
Notices to Correspondents.
Notes.
STEPHEN DUCK,
THRESHER, POET, PARSON.
The account of Duck in the 'D.N.B.' is good and fairly accurate as far as it goes, but of necessity many minor, yet interesting details are omitted, and a few new facts have come to light since the article was written.
Duck, like our other agricultural labourer poets Clare and Bloomfield, died bereft of his wits, yet for twenty-six years fortune favoured him. From his threshing-floor and wages of 4s. 6d. a week he passed to a small house in Richmond and an annuity of 30l. a year. In turn he became keeper of Merlin's Cave at Kew, Yeoman of the Guard, clerk in holy orders, chaplain of a Dragoon Regiment, preacher at Kew Chapel, and the most popular pulpit orator of his day; finally, he retired to the living of Byfleet, Surrey, in possession of which he died. In addition, he must have received a considerable sum for the sale of his verses. No wonder the disappointed parasites of Pope and the denizens of Grub Street poured out a torrent of satire, libel, parody, and lampoon upon the fortunate thresher. Duck, however, was wise enough to let all attacks pass without attempting to reply publicly. That he could reply effectively is apparent from a letter of his printed in the Appendix to Spence's 'Anecdotes.' To do him justice, he seems neither to have been elated by the foolish praise of his friends, nor irritated by the ridicule heaped upon him by his envious and disappointed competitors. His innate good sense and modesty appear to have commended him to Pope and Spence, who continued his lifelong friends.
Johnson did not include Duck in his 'Lives of the Poets,' although he added several to those ordered by the booksellers, among them Blackmore and Yalden, whose works—like Duck's—have passed into the limbo of half-forgotten things. The reason of Johnson's omission is, however, not far to seek, for in his life of Savage he remarks:—
"Nor was it without indignation that he saw his proposals neglected by the Queen, who patronized Duck with uncommon ardour, and incited a competition among those who attended the Court, who should most promote his interest, and who should first oiler a subscription."
I think, however, that Duck's name was under consideration for inclusion in the series, for a little volume of Duck's life and poems in my possession has bound up in it several pages of MS. notes by Isaac Reed, together with a quantity of contemporary newspaper cuttings. Now we know from Boswell that Johnson was principally indebted to Reed for the biographical facts used in the 'Lives of the Poets,' and from interior evidence it is clear that the notes were written at the time the work was in progress. My volume is one of those finds which gladden—alas! how rarely!—the heart of the book-hunter. Inside the cover is the armorial book-plate of Joseph Haselwood, of Roxburghe Club notoriety. If one-half of what Burton says about him is true, Joseph was a "cad" of the first water. From him the volume appears to have passed into the hands of one who treasured it greatly. In a most beautiful script, that must have taken much time and pains to inscribe, he has set out the contents of the volume with additional notes of his own. The writer's name has been carefully erased: possibly the beloved tome had to be parted with in the owner's lifetime.
