404
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9* s. v. MAY 19, 1900.
immediately above the station (Chilham) on
the right. The compilers of this work and
of Black's ' Guide ' offer the suggestion that
this is a corruption of "Julian's Bower," a
common name given to an area devoted
to Boman popular games. The generally
accepted tradition, however, is that it marks
the grave of one of Julius Caesar's generals,
Laberius Durus ; and the story is well told by
Philipott in his 'Villare Cantianum,' 1659,
p. 117 :
" There is a place in this Parish [Chilham] on the South-side of the River stretched out on a long green Hill, which the Common People (who bear the greatest sway in the corrupting of Names) call Jelliberies Grave. The Historic itself will evidence the original of this denomination. It was about this place that Julius Caesar respited his farther remove or advance into the bowels of this Island, upon intelligence received that his Fleet riding in the road at Lymen not far distant, had been much afflicted and shattered by a Tempest ; whereupon he returned, and left his Army for ten dayes, encamped upon the brow of this Hill, till he had new careen'd and rigg'd his Navy ; but in his march from hence was so vigoriously [sic] encountered by the Britons that he lost with many others Leberius Durus, Tribune and Marshal of the Field, whose Obsequies being performed with solemnities answerable to the eminence of his Place, and Command, each Souldier as was then Customary, bringing a certain quantity of earth to improve his place of Sepulture into more note than ordinarie, caused it so much to exceed the proportion of others elsewhere ; and from hence it assumed the name of Julaber, whom other vulgar heads, ignorant of the truth of the story, have fancied to have been a Giant, and others of them have dreamed to have been some Enchanter or Witch."
Kilburne, in his * Survey, 7 1659, p. 56, under the heading of * Chilham,' describes the hill as "Jullaberies grave," and refers us to Camden's 'Britannia,' fol. 336, for further particulars of the Roman officer, whom he calls Quintus Laberus, and the place of his burial Julaber. W. NOKMAN.
HUMBUG = NONSENSE (1 st S. vii. 550, 631; viii. 64, 161, 232, 422,* 575 ; 3 rd S. v. 470; 5 th S. v. 83, 332, 416; vi. 17, 38; vii. 32, 194; 7 th S. xi. 328, 434; 8 th S. i. 85, 137, 192; ix. 459; xi 25t). Dr. Murray having disposed of all that can be called evidence as to the history of this word, I take the liberty of classify- ing the information on the subject that has appeared in 'N. & Q.,' and dealing with a communication (3 rd S. v. 470) to the effect that the word occurs in 1677. I have not succeeded in seeing this edition of 'The
- The reference in General Index and elsewhere
to p. 494 is an error.
f Humbugs for cows and horses are referred to at 8 th S. ix. 327, 412, 458, and humbug (a kind of sweet- meat) at 5 th 8. v. 332 ; vi. 16, 38.
Loves of Hero and Leander,' although I
have examined one bearing that date in the
British Museum Library. In the first (?)
edition of 1651 the passage in which it
occurs (p. 6) runs thus :
Quoth he, my dwelling is Abidos,
This is my walke Wednesdayes and Frydayes ;
My name is young Leander call'd,
My Father 's rich and yet hee 'a bald.
Enough, quoth Hero, say no more,
Mum-budg, quoth he, 'twas knowne of yore.
Edition 1653 also reads mum-budg, but editions of 1667, 1672, 1677, 1682, and 1705 (in all of which 'The Loves of Hero and Leander' is appended to a translation of Ovid's 'Ars Amandi') read mum-bug. The sub- stitution of a capital H for M is a very easy misprint.
It is most probable that Butler had this phrase in his mind (and certainly not Anne Page and Slender, as Zachary Gray sug- gests) when he wrote ('Hudibras,' book i. canto iii. 203) :
Am not I here to take thy part?
Have these Bones ratled, and this Head
So often in thy quarrel bled ?
Nor did I ever winch or grudge it
For thy dear sake. (Quoth she) Mumbudget*
Think'st thou 'twill not be laid i' th' dish,
Thou turn'd thy back ?
The work of James Glass Bertram is " sus- pect," but I should like to know whether the 'Diary' of Lady Frances Pennoyer is a fabri- cation of his own. He cites it in ' Flagella- tion '(n.d.), xxxix. 407, as follows :
"[1760, Mar. 10.] Charlotte performed a song, written by Mr. Pope to the harpsichord, which was much applauded by the company, and certainly the dear girl hath a voice of a fine quality. My lord says it is all ' humbug,' which is a new word much in favour in London. It soundeth vulgar, but as it hath been introduced by the wise Lord Chester- field, I suppose it must be considered fashionable."
There seems something very apocryphal about this diary, and even if Dr. Murray had the quotation (as to which I have no in- formation), I venture to think he was wise to reject it as unreliable. If true, it is interest- ing, and suggests the possibility 'of Lord Chesterfield having been in possession of a copy of another 1677 edition of the extremely unsavoury book referred to ; though the more probable solution is that he was merely pushing an effective Oxford slang word into London society. Q. V.
STAMP COLLECTING (8 th S. xii. 469 ; 9 th S. i. 115). The answer given at the latter refer- ence to my original question, " Is there any
- The dialect use of mumbudget (9 th S. iv. 144)
seems much to resemble the way in which humbug has been and is widely used.
