9'* s xn. AUO. MOOS.] NOTES AND QUERIES.
81
LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 190S.
CONTENTS. No. 292.
NOTES : The Letters of Dorothy Osborne, 81 Burns and ' The Greek Anthology,' 82 'Beowulf,' 83 Britannia on the Coinage "Bloomers" Ground Plan of Sorbonne Church, 84 Whistler Rhinoceros in Fleet Street Waterloo Survivor Duke of Wellington Dunstable Court Leet, 85 Servian Dynasties SPX of George Washington Crashaw : a Recent Edition, 86.
QUERIES :-"Paddv Persons," 87 Wordsworth Queries- Story of French Revolution Tale by Archibald Forbes- Was Marat a Jew? 88 Lois the Witch' Hawkins's 'Instructions to Young Sportsmen' Dialectal Word for "See-saw" "Aocorder" " Healen peny " : " Ging stick" Veto at Papal Elections Griffith Jones's Por- traitMineralogist and Botanist to George III., 89.
REPLIES : Shakespeare's Geography, 90 Byroniana The Hapsburgs as Emperors, 91 Brighton Court Roll- Riming Epitaph Lucretius " Dude " Bly the's De- scendants Dog and the Due d'Enghien, 92 "Over- slaugh " 'Le Vicalre Savoyard' Home or Hearne Spanish Badge " Nothing*' " Bletberamskite," 93 English Accentuation Arms Wanted : Illegitimacy, 94 "Suff" and "Btuff," 95 Blue and the Virgin Author and Avenger of Evil Skulls, 96" Tory "Living Dead "Nightrail and notableness," 97 Mottoes Quarterings, 98.
NOTES ON BOOKS : Chambers's 'Medieval Stage' Bodley's 'Coronation of Edward the Seventh' 'Cam- brian Notes and Queries.'
Notices to Correspondent!.
THE LETTERS OF DOROTHY OSBORNE.
(See 9 th S. xi. 319, 385, 445.)
JUDGE PARRY'S new edition of these ' Let- ters ' is certainly an improvement on previous issues, but a careful examination of the book reveals the fact that there is still scope for the labour of a future editor. I will venture to point out one or two matters which may serve as indicia or finger-posts to any one who undertakes the rather thankless task of revising the work.
In letter xxv. of Mr. Gollancz's edition, p. 109, answering to Mr. Parry's letter xxix. p. 124, Dorothy writes : " Is not your cousin Ranke left a rich widow 1 I was told so to- day, and that she is very handsome too. A fine house I am sure she has ; it was my Lord Paget's." When I read this passage, I made sure that the name should be "Rante," and I told Dr. Furnivall so before Mr. Parry's edition appeared. I am glad to find that Mr. Parry has printed the name correctly. But neither editor gives any information about " cousin Rante." In letter liv. of Mr. Gollancz's edition, p. 259, corresponding with Mr. Parry's letter Ix. p. 239, Dorothy writes : " That house of your cousin R is fatal to physicians. Dr. Smith that took it is dead already ; but maybe this was before you went [to Ireland], and so is no news to you." Now,
assuming, as I think we fairly may, that
" cousin Rante " and " cousin R " are one
and the same person, it seems clear that her
late husband was a physician, and I feel no
doubt that he may be identified with Dr.
William Rant. This gentleman was the
youngest son of William Rant, of Norwich,
by his wife Mary, daughter of Thomas Ward,
of Bixley, co. Norfolk. His elder brother
was Sir Thomas Rant, of Broomhill, who was
knighted in 1660, and died s.p. in 1671. Le
Neve, in his ' Pedigrees of Knights ' (Harl.
Soc., vol. viii. p. 98), states that " William
Rant, of Morley, Norff. Med. Doctor, married
Jane, daughter of Sir John Dingley, Knt., of
Wolverton, in the Isle of Wight." This
statement is confirmed in the ' Allegations for
Marriage Licences issued by the Bishop of
London,' ii. 222 (Harl. Soc., vol. xxvi.), where
we find the following entry under date 24 June,
1635 : " William Rant, D r of Physic of City of
London, Bachelor, 30, and Jane Dingley of
St. Anne's, Blackfriars, Spinster, 19, daughter
of Sir John Dingley, Knt., of same, who con-
sents, at St. Anne's, Blackfriars." I cannot
explain the exact connexion that existed
between Temple and the Dingley family, but
we know that Mrs. Rebecca Dingley, who
lived with Stella in Dublin, was a relative of
Temple, and probably a niece of "cousin
Rante." From Smyth's ' Obituary,' published
by the Carnden Society in 1849, p. 35, we
learn that Dr. Rant died on 9 September,
1653, and we gather from a remark made by
the writer that he was no great credit to
his profession. Judge Parry assumes that
letter xxix. was written on 17 July, 1653, but
if my identification is correct, the date should
be two or three months later. With regard
to the Dr. Smith mentioned in letter Ix., I
think he maybe identified with the "Edm.
Smith, dr. physick," who, according to Smyth,
p. 37, " died of a pleuresie in Shoe Lane," on
16 February, 1653/4. Mr. Parry dates his
letter Ix. 10 March, 1654, and this may be
taken as approximately correct. This entry,
it will be seen, gives the locality of " cousin
Rante's fine house."
I notice that both editors look on Temple's aunt, " Lady R.," as connected in some way with "cousin Rante." This may be so, but identity of initial seems to be the only warrant for the assumption. Both ladies may have been related to Temple on his mother's side. His father had only three sisters : Catherine, who married first John Archdall, of Archdall, co. Fermanagh ; secondly, Sir John Veil, Knt., and died in 1642 ; Mary, who married Job Ward, and died in 1627 ; and Martha, who died unmarried. Our future
