118
NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. iv. APR IL) wis.
By his second wife lie bad a son Francis, who
was father of Sir Francis Basset, Lord de
Dunstanville and Baron Basset of Stratton.
"' Mr. Basset. " died Dec. 11, 1721.
CHARLES DRURY. 12 Ranmoor Cliffe Bead, Sheffield.
CARCASSONNE (12 S. iv. 77). In addition to previous references, it may be of interest to note that Nadaud's ' Carcassonne ' is one of the pieces in the admirable little volume ' Gems of Modern French Poetry,' compiled by Jules Lazare (Hachette, 1914, 1,9. 6rf. net).
G. M. FRASER.
Public Library, Aberdeen.
"ACT OF PARLIAMENT CLOCK" (11 S. ix. 130 ; 12 S. iii. 462 ; iv. 23, 61). Two fine examples of these clocks are in the collection of Mr. S. B. Russell at the Lygon Arms, Broadway, Worcs.
HOWARD H. COTTERELL, F.R.Hist.S.
Walsall.
AUTHOKS OF QUOTATIONS WANTED (12 S. iv. 50, 90).
3. Were every hand a scribe by trade. Since submitting this query I have become aware that the eight lines beginning
Could I with ink the ocean fill, as communicated at p. 90, are (with a difference so slight as to be immaterial ) printed at p. 292 of " The Olio, by the late Francis Grose, Esq., F.R.S. and A.S.,'" second edition, 1796, headed as follows : "A London friend sent Mr. Austen, of Rochester, the following most extraordinary sublime lines in manuscript, sajd to be written by nearly an Idiot, living still, March 16, 1779, at Cirencester." W. B. H.
(12 S. iv. 78.)
3. " Whom the gods love die young," was said
of yore,
is from Byron, ' Don Juan.' IV. xii. 1. The phrase is the translation of a line of Menander,
- Oc 01 Oeoi <f>i\ovffiVf cnroBv^ffKet. v^oj,
<juoted by Plutarch in his ' Consolatio ad Apol- lonium,' 119 E. It appears in Plautus in the form
Quern di diligunt, Adulescens moritur.
' Bacchides, 1 816 sq.
Binder, after quoting Plautus's words in his 4 Novus Thesaurus Adagiorum Latinorum,' offers as a German equivalent the saying, " Great lords have the best chance of going to heaven if they die in their cradles." EDWARD BENSLY.
4. The ivory gate and golden.
The line occurs as the ref rain at the end of each verse of a song 'The Fairies,' by T. Westwood, published by Boosey & Co . Inside the cover the initial of the writer is, however, given as F., not T. E. H. BLANE.
16 St. Augustine's Mansions, S.W.I.
Mates 0n
The History of Totncs Priory and Medieval Toicn ,
Devonshire, together tcith the Sister Priori/ of
Tyicardreath, Cornwall. Compiled from Ori-
ginal Records by Hugh R. Watkin. With
Photographs, Plans, and Map. 3 vols. (Pub-
lished by the Author, Chelston, Torquay,
21. 10s. net.)
THIS is the most comprehensive work of its character that it has been our pleasure to wel- come for some time. Mr. Watkin deserves well of his county of adoption, and the assiduous band of Devon antiquaries amongst whom he works are to be congratulated on their new colleague. In his preface Mr. Watkin pays generous tribute to those who have in any way assisted him, and throughout his volumes the value of his work is enhanced by exact references to authorities and to other workers in the same field.
Mr. Watkin's story of the discovery of the deeds upon which his work is based is one of extreme interest. A small wooden box be- longing to Mr. W. G. Hole of Bovey Tracey was found to contain one hundred and twenty-nine parchment deeds, which proved to be the original charters of Totnes Priory. They had probably not been examined since the days when they passed, with the property of the monks, into lay hands. A memorandum on the lid of the box says " A number of small and very ancient deeds respecting Totton and Kings- weare," to which another hand has added " Non multum valent." From this estimate of their value Mr. Watkin dissented, and the volumes before us represent the result of several years' study of this almost unique find.
The first volume of the work was issued in 1914, and bears the sub title " Chronological Record." It contains the history of the town and priory as told in the charters. These Mr. Watkin has translated, and presents in an abbre- viated form. For these translations many students will be grateful, but arguments could be adduced in favour of printing transcriptions rather than (cTr, still better, in addition to) translations. However, to some extent this want is supplied in vol. ii., in which the more important deeds are clearly reproduced.
The first of these reproductions is of the original charter of the foundation of Totnes Priory by " Juhellus filius Aluredi " in 1088. No. II., a most interesting document, is a con- firmation by Henry I. of grants by Roger de Nonant, and bears, against their names, the actual crosses of those concerned in the execu- tion' of the deed, including the marks of the King and the Queen. Plate X. is a reproduction of a grant by Alfredus, son of Willelmus de Fonte. This undated document is assigned to about 1199. As Mr. Watkin remarks, the handwriting is very uncommon, it is also very ornate, but at the same time clear, so that it should prove of value to those interested in palaeography. Plate XII. from the Totnes Guild Rolls is equally valuable as a specimen of what is con- sidered to be the oldest guild roll extant. These rolls, Mr. Watkin says, date from the twelfth century. They were reported upon in 1872 by
