the meaning of the phrase and pretended to have personally witnessed the performance, constructing the details a priori, I can only say that I have known the same thing done often enough in this country, by persons who thought they might harmlessly have the attraction of an interesting story to tell; and very funny blunders they have made in attempting it. But I do not assume this: I wait for information which may introduce me to a new style of penalty.
Hartford, Conn.
In Mackay's 'History of the Burgh of Canongate,' Edinburgh, 1886, p. 204, mention is made of the murder of the Laird of Warriston, which took place in July, 1600:
"Weir, the manservant, escaped at the time, but was shortly afterward caught, and condemned to be broken on the wheel—or, according to the sentence given, 'to be broken upoune ane row until he be deid.' This horrible death was seldom inflicted in Scotland. The condemned person being placed or fastened on a wheel, the hangman, with the coulter of a plough, broke the man's bones till he was dead."
Weir was thus put to death on 26 June, 1604; see the 'Domestic Annals of Scotland,' Edinburgh, 1885, p. 161.
An instance of carrying out this punishment in effigy is given in 'Les Devoirs de 1'Homme de Guerre,' which, I believe, was first printed at Paris in 1670, but my edition is dated A La Haye, 1693:—
"Le condannât a être roué tout vif, ce qui fut executé en éffigie."—P. 47.
I give the French accents as in the book.
Drum-Major: John Bibie (10 S. vii. 168).—To the 1661 (sixth) edition of William Barriffe's 'Military Discipline' in which was included his 'Mars his Triumph'—a treatise on cavalry, by J. B., was added to bring the book up to date; this, probably, is how the mistake by Sibbald Scott in regard to authorship has arisen. The first edition of 'Mars his Triumph' was published in 1639 under the authorship of William Barriffe. See 'Bib. Eng. Milit. Books up to 1642,' No. 143.
Walton-on-Thames.
"Podike" (10 S. vi. 128, 176, 275, 311, 472).—Mr. Nicholson, in speaking (10 S. vi. 176) of the French words billon and sillon for furrow and ridge, says that the Italian language seems to have no dictionary word for ridge, but only solco. This is inexact. There is a dictionary word for ridge, though whether it is really used by agricultural labourers is, of course, another matter. I should think it is, however, as the two dictionaries in which I have found the word are published, the one at Florence, the other at Milan. The dictionaries referred to are "Vocabolario della Lingua italiana, compilato da Pietro Fanfani. Firenze, Felice Le Monnier"; and "Novo Dizionario universale della Lingua italiana, compilato da P. Petrocchi. Milano, Fratelli Trèves." The word given in each of these dictionaries is porca. Fanfani says:—
"Porca, s.f. Quello spazio della terra nel campo tra solco e solco, nel quale si gettano e si ricuoprono i semi."
Petrocchi says:—
"Porca, s.f. I agr: Spazio di terra tra solco e solco.—Porche a tetto di capanna. Più curve.—Colmo, cresta, costa o ciglio della porca."
A Musical Family: Dr. Jay (10 S. vi. 441, 502).—The celebrated singer and actress Madame Vestris was a pupil of Dr. Jay's. See Boase's 'Modern English Biography,' vol. ii. col. 794.
St. Leonards-on-Sea.
Worple Way (10 S. iv. 348, 396; vii. 233).—Mr. Edward Smith has somehow fallen into a huge error. There is no street or road in Wimbledon bearing the name of Walpole. Worple Road, Avenue, Arcade, and Hall are spelt as here written.
Authors of Quotations Wanted (10 S. ii. 130, 477).—
8. "The words of the tragedian, Jam mansueta mala."
The tragedian is Seneca. See his 'Thyestes,' 423 sqq. (Act III., Thyestes is soliloquizing):
Quid, anime, pendes? quidye consilium diu
Tam facile torques? rebus incertissimis,
Fratri atque regno credis? ac metuis mala
Iam victa, iam mansueta? et ærumnas fugis
Bene collocatas? esse iam miserum iuvat.
Reflecte gressum, dum licet, teqxie eripe.
University College, Aberystwyth.
Porlock Church (10 S. vii. 228).—There is a niche in the north-west face of a pier in the nave of Tewin Church, Hertfordshire, similar to that described by Dr. Whitham. The dimensions are as follows: height, 1612 in.; width, 434 in.; depth, 2 in.; height of base from floor, 5 ft. 412 in. The niche has a pointed head, and one inch below the base is a roughly circular hole, with a diameter of about 134 in. In plan this is something like a capital V, the
