DEFOE'S CONSOLIDATOR.'-There are several allusions to contemporaries in Defoe's curious book, The Consolidator, published in March, 1705, to which little attention has apparently been given. On p. 27 Defoe refers thus to Addison's Campaign,' published only a few months before : "Ad...son may tell his master my Lord......the reason from nature, why he would not take the Court's word, nor write the poem called 'The Campaign,' till he had 2001. per annum secured to him; since 'tis known they have but one author in the nation that writes for 'em for nothing, and he is labouring very hard to obtain the title of blockhead, and not be paid for it." The story is, of course, well known how, after the battle of Blenheim, Godolphin asked Halifax if he knew any one who could worthily celebrate the occasion, and how Halifax replied that he knew of one well qualified, but that he would not desire him to write, because, while too many blockheads were maintained in luxury at the public expense, men who were really an honour to their age and country were allowed to languish in obscurity. The result was that Godolphin agreed, before the proposed poem was commenced, to make Addison a Commissioner of Appeal in the Excise, and promised that something more considerable should follow. Early in 1706, at Godolphin's recommendation, Addison was made Under Secretary of State. But who was the one author who, according to Defoe, wrote for the Government for nothing? In another place (pp. 96-108) Defoe describes a machine called the "Cogitator," used in the moon, and remarks that it would be very useful to people who are always travelling in thought, but never delivered into action; it would, therefore, be "of singular use to honest S......, whose peculiar it was, to be always beginning Projects, but never finish any." Is this an allusion to Steele ? G. A. AITKEN. 12, Hornton Street, Kensington, W. BARTON FAMILY.-I shall be obliged if all persons descended from the Bartons of Lancashire, or of Smithells Hall, Lancashire, and Dean water, Cheshire, will communicate with me; and I shall be glad to receive any genealogical information respecting the family. Cirencester TINLEY BARTON. Replies. 'HARPINGS OF LENA.' (6th S. v. 129, 209, 314, 370, 413; 7th S. vii. 223). I have been considering whether I should make any answer to MR. WILSON's communication or lines will easily see it is the amount of truth in the not, for I think those who can read between the account of Alford in former days which rankles. Only think it is just seven years since the Baitman papers appeared in 'N. & Q.' What a deal has happened in seven years, and yet "society" in Alford has not recovered its equanimity. It is sad; but on looking over the articles, I cannot withdraw anything of importance. I might have put things less offensively; but I was "indignant," and meant to be offensive; which some may consider a mistake. MR. WILSON'S lady friend confirms part of the account, and says, "there was plenty of poaching and smuggling going on......and I remember many romantic cases of the latter myself." So that portion of the indictment must be considered proved, notwithstanding a former correspondent ment is too remote from the truth to give serious had said (N. & Q.,' 6th S. v. 314), "The stateoffence." It is very satisfactory to see the witnesses for the defence demolishing each other in this fashion. " Another corre"He was not without As to Baitman having been "a low, ignorant "quite incapable of writing any of these poems, or fellow," " a worthless vagabond and an impostor,' a line correctly," one of the leading men of Alford member being present not much less than sixty (J. A., in 'N. & Q.,' 6th S. v. 314), says, "I reNational School. The first prize was adjudged to years ago, at the distribution of prizes at Alford worthless fellow"? The best boy in the Alford Baitman." What! To that "low, ignorant, National School " a low, ignorant fellow"? Quite possible, but hardly flattering to Alford or to "society" there. The same gentleman says-and no one was better able to judge-"Baitman was undoubtedly a man of talent." spondent, J. M. T., says, friends, and his occasional visits to the vicarage of your old correspondent, the late Felix Laurent [vicar of Saleby, a village about two miles from Alford] procured for him the loan of books and other little kindnesses which rendered his latter days less deary than they might have been, and for which I believe he was not ungrateful." The testimony of two such witnesses is very valuable ; the first probably the most cultured and gentlemanly man in the place; the other a highly respected clergyman just in the immediate vicinity. Even MR. WILSON is forced to acknowledge that Baitman did "somehow" get into the society of the two geniuses of the place, West and Lenton. And West was a gentleman, with a "paddock" and a "hermitage," mind you, and doubtless "with two gowns and everything handsome about him." any 66 "When I made my first appearance in the Literary It were World, it was manacled and gyved by difficulties under which many would have sunk, to rise not again. But cheered on by hope, and two kind individuals, I persevered, and found that I did so not in vain. unpardonable in me not to seize this present opportunity of expressing my most grateful thanks to those persons whose kindness in becoming subscribers to my publication -obscure and unknown as I then was-contributed to rescue me from the most spirit-galling bondage of indigence and suffering under which I then agonized. For the past two years the cheering effects of kind regard and encouragement have spirited me on, and introduced me into scenes and converse more congenial to my inclination and feelings. Of the present work, it is enough to say, that it has been prepared amid much domestic affliction, with the sick and the dying around me," &c. resented this fraudulent conduct? Not a bit of it. On the contrary, two or three years afterwards, To refute the inconsistent and contradictory when Baitman published another volume, 'Poetics statements of Baitman's detractors is so delightfully and Prosaics,' "R. U. West, Esq.," who had then easy that it is difficult to treat them seriously; moved to Hogsthorpe, a village about seven miles off, A subscribed for four copies. In the preface to this but I now come to a graver aspect of the case. book the writer says:lady rather ruffled in defence of her brother may be excused when not quite logical; but the same plea will not avail for her legal adviser, who might be expected to be a man trained to weigh evidence and to look at all sides of a question. Cannot MR. WILSON see how seriously the statements he now publishes reflect on his friends and on society in Alford? He represents Mr. West as a kind of man-cuckoo. For as a cuckoo lays its eggs in a smaller bird's nest, so this big "poet," Mr. West, is said to place his poems in the nest of the little birds Lenton and Baitman; and afterwards he does not attempt to throw out the eggs, but worse, he throws out and tramples on Baitman, the layer of most of them. His witness says, "Baitman did not write of the poems in Harpings of Lena,'" but that those not signed Lenton were all written by her brother, who " was half afraid they were not good enough to be published." So it is represented that he "assisted "in having them foisted into the world in the company of those of the lawyer's poor dead boy, and in the name of Baitman, a "worthless vagabond and impostor"; and afterwards, when West found the poems very much admired," he claimed "all those unsigned. There are three poems in Harpings of Lena' professing to be written from " Alford Workhouse," and not signed Lenton. Now, if this "low, ignorant, worthless fellow" "could not write a poem, or even a line correctly," how came these three poems to be dated from Alford Workhouse? Is it contended they also were written by West, and that he falsely dated them as a further precaution against the real author being found out? Here is a dilemma. Either Mr. West wrote what was false, and condescended to personate the "worthless vagabond" Baitman, or Baitman did actually write those three poems. And if he did, he may well have written most of the others, for they are of about the same quality. Another puzzle. It is said "Baitman (who had doubtless secured Lenton's MS.) persuaded West to assist him in publishing the 'Harpings of Lena.' ."" In whatever manner they were obtained, Mr. West not only "assisted" him, but, if he was the author of any of the poems, he must have given the MSS. to Baitman to enable him to get them printed. The poems were published as "Harpings of Lena, being Original Poems by the late Edward Lenton, and by W. J. Baitman," although it is now asserted that none of the poems were by Baitman, but by West, and that they were not "original," but had many of them been printed before in a periodical. Is there any evidence that Mr. West And now it is asserted that this touching preface was a fraud, that it was penned by an "ignor ant fellow," a "worthless scamp," who had laid claim to poems in the first book which were known to be written by another. If he were an impostor about to deceive the public a second time, what must be thought of R. U. West (now brought forward as the real author), who again aided and abetted this "worthless scamp," and by having his name printed in the list of subscribers sanctioned the statements made in the preface, "that it had been prepared amid much domestic affliction, with the sick and the dying around," when all the time he knew it had been nothing of the kind, also confirming Baitman's claim on the title-page to be the author? In the other book Lenton's name had been first, but in this second book, when it is said it was known that Baitman had acted dishonestly, and that "he was quite incapable of writing any poem," then Baitman's name was placed first, and Mr. R. U. West, who knew best how false all these pretensions were, subscribed for four copies! This second book it was for which Alfred Tennyson, Montgomery, Miss Priscilla Taylor, and many other distinguished people subscribed. MR. WILSON and his friend must have written hastily, and without carefully looking over the previous correspondence. For it is a curious way of showing the respectability of Alford "society" by trying to prove that an eminent professional man there, when he was from twenty-three to twenty-five years of age, not only associated with a fellow he knew to be "a worthless scamp," but also gave MS. poems to him to be printed falsely in the name of that "scamp," for the curious never posed as reason that their real author a poet, and did not care to have his name affixed, because he was half afraid they were not 66 good enough to be published"; but when he found they were praised by the public," he meanly claimed them, although he still left the lame, diseased young pauper to pay for printing one, if not both, of the books. I can speak positively as to the second of them; for poor Baitman has repeatedly, when he had secured a subscriber, given me fifteenpence to take to Mr. Cussans, of Horncastle, to pay for a copy. Would it not have been more magnanimous for Mr. West to have kept the secret, and not have claimed the authorship at the price of the utter ruin and degradation of the poor fellow, thus made a handle of, and who appears never to have overcome the mortification he felt? It did not enrich West, but it made Baitman poor indeed. No stricture which has been passed upon former generations of Alford people is half so damaging to their reputation as the character now given to them by some of themselves. To imagine that a man could act as Mr. West is said to have acted without meeting with universal reprehension is sufficient to mark the tone of the place. That some of its best society could even imagine an educated man doing such a thing is not complimentary. I am really very sorry to be forced by the indiscreet advocacy of Mr. West's friends to show how his conduct in this matter may strike other people. This was a grievous mistake made in the youth of a man who afterwards deservedly bore a high character; and probably most readers will think silence had been the best policy. Having pleaded Baitman's cause to the best of my ability, I wish to be fair even to those who seem not to have treated him as they should have done. I therefore freely confess I see no reason to doubt that Miss West is right in claiming the halfdozen poems which she names as the work of her brother. He either wrote them or so polished and altered them as to be entitled to the joint authorship at least; but to claim all the unsigned poems for her brother is manifestly wrong. Some of them would be no credit to a man in his position, and are only tolerable as the work of a self-taught pauper. Many of them have words and phrases and awkward forms of expression, such as might be expected in the writing of an imperfectly educated man, but which Mr. West could not have been guilty of. Besides, the poem at p. 4 of 'Poetics and Prosaics,' entitled 'A Minstrel's Lay,' a long quotation from which is given N. & Q,' 6th S. v. 371, carries conviction with it. From internal evidence it is autobiographic, and naturally and correctly describes what must have been the state and feelings of Baitman; and I am convinced it was written by no one else. It would have been untrue of Mr. R. U. West. It is one of the best pieces in the book. It is very difficult to harbour unkind feelings against a whole community for seven years, especially when some of them are your friends and acquaintances, and I now gladly (and freely) bear testimony to the fact that Alford is a very pleasant, bright, "superior" little town, certainly not behind any of its neighbours. It has a profusion of handsome villas, standing in their own roomy grounds, with pretty gardens and shrubberies. But I still think that a few of the upper classes have not quite overcome a tendency to look down upon everybody unconnected with land. It is not to be supposed that the upper classes of Alford ever wished to be cruel to Baitman; but he was an anomaly. "Writing fellows"especially common writing fellows-were not much appreciated in any small agricultural town at that date, as I well know, and as the surreptitious way it is now alleged that Mr. West got his poems published serves to prove. Besides, Baitman, although a clever, was an impracticable fellow, who persistently sinned against the conventionalities and prejudices of the place, and indulged in much kicking against the pricks, for which he was made to pay very dearly. But the poor, unhappy, much-afflicted man is in his grave; there, for charity's sake, let him rest. R. R. Boston, Lincolnshire. PICTISH LANGUAGE (7th S. vii. 348).-In the absence of Pictish literature it is natural to examine the place-names of those districts assigned by the early chroniclers to the people known as Picts, in order to form an opinion of the language spoken by that people. The two principal regions inhabited by Cruithne, or Picts, in Alba (Scotland) in the sixth century (when St. Columba visited Brude, King of the Picts) were, first, Cruithintuath, including most of the district north of the Clyde and Forth, except Argyle; and, secondly, Gallgaidhel, now called Galloway, comprising Wigtonshire and Kirkcudbright. In both of these regions the vast preponderance of place-names is in Goidhelic Celtic-Gaelic. This is the more remarkable in Galloway because it is a small province, closely girt with the formerly Brythonic, or Welsh-speaking territory of Strathclyde. It is true that there are, in addition to the Welsh, many Gaelic names in Strathclyde-survivals, probably, from the time before the divergence of Welsh from Gaelic speech took place. (It should be remembered that the early Welsh inscriptions are so Goidhelic in form as to have been made the basis of a claim by Irish archaeologists asserting the occupation of Wales by Irish Gaels.) Now the Picts of Galloway are known in the chronicles long after the divergence of Welsh from Gaelic speech, which Prof. Rhys assigns approximately to the sixth century. Erse, or Gaelic (which is the same thing), continued, as we know, to be spoken in Galloway down to the reign of Queen Mary. If the Pictish language was organically different from Gaelic, how did the Picts of THE 'DIDACHE' (7th S. vii. 363).-May I be allowed to correct the impression made by a quotation on p. 363 by pointing out (1) that I really wrote, "For the purpose of this essay no attempt need be made to decide what sort of abnormal acts were to be condoned in the Christian prophets "; and (2) that "an attempt to decide was made in the Lectures' (pp. 88-90), to which the essay is an appendix ? C. TAYLOR. Galloway learn Gaelic speech after their only con- HERBERT MAXWELL. THE CELIBACY OF THE CLERGY (7th S. vii. After the "Two crimes, or at least violations of the ecclesiastical law, had become almost universal in the eleventh_century-the marriage or concubinage of priests, and the FAMILY OF LORD CONINGSBY (7th S. vii. 147, sale of benefices. In every country the secular or 235). I am obliged to H. H. B. for the informa- parochial clergy kept women in their houses on more or tion he gives me in connexion with my inquiries twelfth century the abuse of concubinary priests was less acknowledged terms of intercourse. concerning the Coningsby family, although prac- reduced within limits at which the Church might contically it is of little use for my purpose. I delayed nive. A writer of respectable authority asserts that the answering your correspondent's letter, and have to clergy frequently obtained a bishop's license to cohabit apologize for this. With regard to the inquiries with a mate." From Hallam's Middle Ages,' pp. 173, asking me for information of the Battle of Chester-174 of the twelfth edition, Murray, London, 1868. field, all I can give him is, that Chesterfield Castle was occupied by the Earl of Derby autumn, 1256, and that the barons were defeated by Royalist forces spring, 1266 (Encyclopædia of Chronology,' Woodward, late Librarian to the Queen, Longmans & Co., 1872). Cambridge. Č. W. MARTINDALE. Freegrove Road, N. HENRY GERALD HOPE. Is there not, unfortunately, such evidence as leaves no doubt on the subject of the query? Froude gives a list of twenty-three persons in the Hereford diocese, from documents in the State Paper Office, copies of them being in the Bodleian BATTLE OF WATERLOO (7th S. vii. 185).-An Hutton (sermon at York, 1579) argues that "the ('Hist. Eng.,' vol. i. p. 200, 8vo. ed.). Matthew authority who is still allowed, I presume, to be unimpeachable on this subject, says: "The battle ministers of God's word may please him in the began, I believe, at eleven" (Duke of Wellington, priests of the East Church have walked, and do holy state of matrimony......in which old way the letter dated Aug. 17, 1815, in Words of Welling-walk until this day." Speaking of the Latin ton,' p. 111). EDWARD H. MARSHALL, M.A. Hastings. 6 ANTHONY A WOOD (7th S. vii. 323). As this letter is well known from being printed in Dr. Bliss's edition of the Athenæ' and his separate edition of Wood's Life,' it was not worth while to reprint it in 'N. & Q.' But being reprinted, let me point out three mistakes made in this copy. For "to recreate on Christmas Day," read to receave on Christmas Day; for "appointing his Fours," read appointing his hours; for "Dr. Bille," read Dr. Bisse. W. D. MACRAY. 'THE KALEVALA' (7th S. vii. 309).-Max Müller's allusion to The Kalevala' occurs in his 'Survey of Languages,' p. 116 (Williams & Norgate, 1855). It is as follows: "A Finn is not a Greek, and Wainamoinen was not a Homer. But if the poet may take his colours from that nature by which he is surrounded, if he may depict the men with whom he lives, Kalevala' possesses merits not dissimilar from the Iliad,' and will claim its place as the fifth national epic of the world, side by side with the Ionian songs, with the Mahabharata,' the 'Shahnámeh,' and the 'Nibelunge."" J. YOUNG. Church, he says: I do not remember ever having met with the document which Mr. Froude "declares he has seen." It is somewhat important that all who wish to comprehend the history of the Reformation in its true light should have proof beyond the assertion of an historian that he has seen "licences to keep concubines." We trust that some one will tell us where these documents are to be found. Are they in MS. or printed? By whom were they given? Strange tales get into print and MS. Until the fact is proved beyond dispute I shall not give credence to the assertion that licences for these purposes were granted by lawful authority in the reign of Henry VIII. EDWARD PEACOCK. Bottesford Manor, Brigg. Incidentally as to the practice, whether licensed or not, the fact was an important item in the dissolution of the monasteries. A glossary in the Appendix to the Forty-second Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records gives the word "couillage, a tax paid in times past by priests for licenses," &c., making the meaning and the custom clear. See also a learned note (5), p. 324, vol. i. of Rabelais (Bohn's edition) on the word couillage, which had without doubt been common, authorized, indeed, by, inter alia, the first Council of Toledo. Of course! Forest Hill. WILLIAM Rendle. In Sir R. C. Hoare's 'Modern Wiltshire,' vol. i. p. 102, is a letter from R. Layton to Lord Cromwell, written by him in 1537, when on a visitation of the religious houses throughout England to report on the state and morals of the same. The following is an extract relating to the priory of Maiden Bradley, in Wiltshire: Wherat is an holy father, prior, and hath but vj children, and but one dowghter mariede, yet of the goods of the monasterie, trystyng shortly to mary the reste; his sones be tall men waittyng upon hym, and he thanks Gode a never medelet w marytt women, but all w madens, the faireste cowlde be gottyn, and always marede them ryght well. The Pope consyderyng his fragilitie, gave him licens to kepe an hore, and hath goode writyng sub plumbo to discharge his conscience, and to choys Mr. Underhyll to be his gostely father, and he to gyve bym plenam remissionem," &c. It appears from the above that the prior was a married priest, notwithstanding which he had the licence. Sir R. C. Hoare gives as his authority for this letter Cotton MSS., Cleopatra, E. vi. fol. 249, British Museum. THOMAS H. BAKER. Mere Down, Mere, Wilts. PRESBYTERIANISM UNDER THE COMMONWEALTH (7th S. vii. 307).—A minute book of "the Classical Presbytery of Wirksworth, in the province of Derby," is printed in extenso (72 pp.) in the Journal of the Derbyshire Archæological Society for 1880. Wirksworth was the usual meetingplace for the Classis for the Hundred of the Low Peak, one of the six hundreds of Derbyshire, where the organization appears to have been complete. The entries of the monthly meetings run from December, 1651, to February, 1652, and from January, 1654, to November, 1658. An introduction by the Rev. Dr. J. C. Cox, author of 'The Churches of Derbyshire,' gives an interesting sketch of the Commonwealth Presbyterianism, with biographical notices of many of the persons named in the minutes. Dr. Cox states that the original of the Bolton Classis minute book is not extant, and he mentions the two following-that of the London Provincial Assembly in Sion College Library, and of the Manchester Classis in the RINGING THE GREAT BELL OF ST. PAUL'S (7th S. vii. 329).-—The great bell is tolled also for all members of the royal family and for the Bishops of London. The Home Secretary's letter quoted is couched in the terms which were used, inter alia, upon the occasions of the deaths of George III., of the Prince Consort, and the Duke of Albany. EDWARD H. MARSHALL, M. A. Hastings Corporation Reference Library. is incorrect. The great bell of St. Paul's is tolled The "general idea" mentioned by MR. BOASE on the decease of all members of the royal family. The late Duke of Sussex died in the afternoon of of April 21, 1843, and I well remember, as I crossed Southwark Bridge that evening, hearing the first toll of the great bell Swinging slow with sullen roar oratorios of the now unhappily defunct Sacred across the river. I was on my way to one of the Harmonic Society, which, in honour of the late duke, was prefaced by the performance of the Dead March in 'Saul.' EDMUND VENABLES. DARCY OR DORSEY (7th S. vii. 88, 195, 254).— Dorsey is a common female Christian name in this neighbourhood. Perhaps some of your correspondents may be able to give its derivation. E. L. H. TEW, M.A. Hornsea Vicarage, East Yorks. BECKFORD'S 'VATHEK' (7th S. i. 69, 154, 217; vii. 312).—Whether the note attributed to M. Chavannes is genuine or spurious, it is difficult to determine without some knowledge of the history of the volume in question, or a comparison of handwriting, &c. If authentic, it would go far, I think, to prove, without doing so absolutely, that the edition of Lausanne, 1787, was prior to that of tured to express in my notice on William BeckParis of the same year-an opinion which I venford in Le Livre, 1882, 'Bibliographie Rétrospective,' iv. 385. H. S. ASHBEE. DUGGLEBY (7th S. vii. 147, 214, 258).—If I had felt any concern about laying myself open to the charge of "excessive caution," that concern would have been removed on reading my friend MR. BRADLEY's notice under this head. MR. BRADLEY has specified the name I had in my mind when I wrote my note on Duggleby, and the reason I was not " more positive in my suggestion" was that I was not acquainted with any instance in which the term Dubhgall was used in what may be called a specific, in contradistinction to a generic, sense. Thus I make no scruple in admitting Norman and Dane as personal names used in forming the placenames Normanby (two places in Cleveland so |