86
NOTES AND QUERIES.
[No. 6.
"To the Lord Steward of our Household, the Treasurer, Comptroller, Cofferer, Clerke of our Grene Clothe, Clerke of our kechyn, and to all other our hed Officers of our seid Houshold and to every of theym."
As to Sir Christopher Hatton, I would refer Antiquarius, and all others whom it may concern, to Sir Harris Nicolas's ably written Memoirs of the "Dancing Chancellor," published in 1846. Hatton had ample means for the building of Holdenby, as he was appointed one of the Gentlemen Pensioners in 1564, and between that time and his appointment as Vice-Chamberlain in 1577 (five years prior to the period referred to by Antiquarius), he received numerous other gifts and offices. Joseph Burtt.
ADVERSARIA.
Printers' Couplets.
It may not perhaps be generally known that the early printers were accustomed to place devices or verses along with their names at the end of the books which they gave to the public. Vigneul-Marville, in his Mélanges d'Histoire et de Littérature, relates that he found the two following lines at the end of the "Decrees of Basle and Bourges," published under the title of "Pragmatic Sanction," with a Commentary by Côme Guymier,—Andre Brocard's Paris edition, 1507:—
"Stet liber hie, donee fluctus formica marines
Ebibat et totum testudo perambulet orbem."
The printers, it would appear, not only introduced their own names into these verses, but also the names of the correctors of the press, as may be seen in the work entitled, Commentariis Andreæ de Ysernia super constitutionibus Siciliæ, printed by Sixtus Ruffingerus at Naples in 1472:—
"Sixtus hoc impressit: sed bis tamen ante revisit
Egregius doctor Petrus Oliverius.
At tu quisque emis, lector studiose, libellum
Lætus emas; mendis nam caret istud opus."
Charles Martel.
Mr. Editor,—Perhaps the subjoined note, extracted from M. Collin de Plancy's Bibliothèque des Légendes, may not be without its value, as tending to correct an error into which, according to his account, modern historians have fallen respecting the origin of the surname "Martel," borne by the celebrated Charles Martel, son of Peppin of Herstal, Duke of Austrasia, by his Duchess Alphéide[1]:—
"It is surprising," he says, "that almost all our modern historians, whose profound researches have been so highly vaunted, have repeated the little tale of the Chronicle of St. Denis, which affirms that the surname of Martel was conferred on Charles for having hammered (martelé) the Saracens. Certain writers of the present day style him, in this sense, Karle-le-Marteau. The word martel, in the ancient Frank language, never bore such a signification, but was, on the contrary, merely an abbreviation of Martellus, Martin."[2]
From a legend on this subject given by M. de Plancy, it would appear that Charles received the second name, Martel, in honour of his patron saint St. Martin.
Not having at present an opportunity of consulting the works of our own modern writers on early French history, I am ignorant if they also have adopted the version given in the Chronicle of St. Denis. Mr. Ince, in his little work, Outlines of French History, states, that "he received the surname of Martel, or the Hammerer, from the force with which he hammered down the Saracens—martel being the name of a weapon which the ancient Franks used, much resembling a hammer,—and from his strokes falling numberless and effectual on the heads of his enemies." Query.—Which of the two is the more probable version? Perhaps some one of your numerous correspondents may be enabled to throw additional light on this disputed point. G. J. K.
BODENHAM AND LING.
Referring to Bookworm's note at p. 29, I beg to observe that the dedication negativing Bodenham's authorship of Politeuphuia is not peculiar to the edition of 1597. I have the edition of 1650, "printed by Ja. Flesher, and are to be sold by Richard Royston, at the Angell in Ivye Lane," in which the dedication is addressed as follows:—"To his very good friend Mr. Bodenham, N. L. wisheth increase of happinesse." The first sentence of this dedication seems to admit that Bodenham was something more than patron of the work:—"What you seriously begun long since, and have always been very careful for the full perfection of, at length thus finished, although perhaps not so well to your expectation, I present you with; as one before all most worthy of the same: both in respect of your earnest travaile therein, and the great desire you have continually had for the generall profit."
In Brydges' Censura Literaria, Bodenham is spoken of as the compiler of The Garden of the Muses, and editor of the Wit's Commonwealth, the
- ↑ This same Alphéide, or Alpaïde, as she was frequently called, though but scurvily treated by posterior historians, is honoured by contemporary chroniclers as the second wife of Peppin, uxor altera. See Frédégaire.
- ↑ Légendes de l'Histoire de France, par J. Collin de Plancy, p. 149. (notes.) Paris. Mellier Frères.
