St. Catherine's Hall, Cambridge.
The _Temple or_ a _Temple_.--I am happy to see that your
correspondent, Mr. Thoms, is about to illustrate some of the
obscurities of Chaucer. Perhaps he or some of your learned
contributors may be able to remove a doubt that has arisen in my mind
relative to the poet's well-known description of the Manciple in his
Prologue to the _Canterbury Tales_.
You are aware that the occupation of the Temple by students of the
law in the reign of Edward III. has no other authority than tradition.
Dugdale, Herbert, Pearce, and others who have written on the Inns of
Court, adduce this passage from Chaucer in support of the assertion;
and they all quote the first line thus:
"A manciple there was of _the_ Temple."
In Tyrwhitt's edition of _Chaucer_, however, and in all other copies
I have seen, the reading is
"A gentil manciple was ther of _a_ temple."
Now the difference between "the Temple" and "a temple" is not
inconsiderable. I should feel obliged, therefore, by any explanation
which will account for it. If Chaucer was, as he is sometimes
pretended to be, a member of the Temple, it is somewhat extraordinary
that he should have designated it so loosely. The words in the real
passage would seem to have a more general signification, and not to
be applied to any particular house of legal resort.
Edward Foss.
_Family of Steward or Stewart of Bristol_.--I have in my possession a
drawing, probably of the time of James or Charles I., of the following
arms. Azure a lion rampant or, with a crescent for difference,
impaling argent a cross engrailed flory sable between four Cornish
choughs proper--Crest, on a wreath of the colours a Saracen's head
full-faced, couped at the shoulders proper, wreathed round the temples
and tied or and azure.
On removing the shield from the paper on which it was pasted, I found
a spoiled sketch of the coat of Poulett, with the name Ambrose Moore
written over it in a hand of about the reign of Charles I.: the object
in passing the fresh shield over the spoiled coat appears to have been
merely to make use of the mantling.
I have also a locket of silver gilt containing a miniature of a
gentleman apparently of the time of the Commonwealth, finely executed
in oils upon copper; on the back are engraved the arms and crest above
described without the impalement, the crescent bearing the addition
of a label. The only information I have is, that the locket and the
drawing belonged to a family of the name of Steward or Stewart, who
were clothworkers at Bristol during the Commonwealth, and for some
generations later; and they are now in the possession of their
descendants. The first of whom I have any authentic record is Hercules
Steward, who was admitted to the liberties of the city of Bristol in
1623.
I cannot find that any family of Steward has borne the arms in
question; and if any of your readers can throw a light on the matter,
I shall feel greatly obliged to them.
Query. Was there a Herald painter of the time named Ambrose Moore?