Third Edition, greatly enlarged, cloth, 12s.

NEW EDITIONS OF SHARON TURNER'S HISTORICAL WORKS, WITH THE AUTHOR'S FINAL CORRECTIONS.

Just published, in 4 vols. 8vo., price 50s. cloth. HIS

SHARON TURNER'SING THE

MIDDLE AGES: Comprising the Reigns from the Norman Conquest to the Accession of Henry VIII. The Fifth Edition, revised; with the Author's final Corrections added by the Author's Son, the REV. SYDNEY TURNER.

By the same Author, New Editions, THE HISTORY OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. The Seventh Edition. 3 vols. 8vo., price 36s.

THE SACRED HISTORY OF THE WORLD. The Eighth Edition, in 3 vols. post 8vo., price 31s. 6d.

London: LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, & LONGMANS.

A

COMPLETE HISTORY OF DRUGS, by M. POMET; with what is Observable from MESSRS. LEMERQ and TOURNEFORT. Divided into Three Classes: Vegetable, Animal, and Mineral, and their Use in Chemistry, Pharmacy, and the Arts. Illustrated with above 400 Copper Cuts. Done into English. 2 vols. 4to. in one. London: R. Bornirck & Co., 1712. Dedicated to Dr. Sloane.

DE HUMANA PHYSIOGNOMIA JOANNIS BAPTISTE PORTÆ Neapolitani. Libri 4. 1601. Ursellis_Typ. Conellatorii. Numerous Woodcuts. To be disposed of.

Apply by letter to W. C., care of MR. BELL, 186. Fleet Street.

LITERARY

CURIOSITIES.

An Original and Highly Interesting Newspaper (A Little Mercury, of eight pages), published in the ever Memorable Year of the Martyrdom of KING CHARLES THE FIRST, 205 years ago! Very rare, exceedingly curious, and in fine preservation! Sent free on receipt of 12s. 6d.

An Original, Rare, and Curious Newspaper (A Little Mercury, of sixteen pages), published in CHARLES THE SECOND'S Reign, sent free on receipt of 68.

An Original Newspaper (A Little Gazette), rich in curious historical and domestic announcements, published in CHARLES THE SECOND'S Reign, sent free on receipt of 48. 6d.

An Original Newspaper of JAMES THE SECOND'S Reign, rare and curious, sent free on receipt of 38. 6d.

An Original Newspaper of WILLIAM AND MARY'S Reign, rare and curious, sent free on receipt of 3s. 6d.

An Original Newspaper of QUEEN ANNE'S Reign, ornamented with curious woodcuts, rare and very interesting, sent free on receipt of 3s.

An Original Newspaper of GEORGE THE FIRST'S Reign, with a curious woodcut title, rare, sent free on receipt of 2s. 6d.

An Original Newspaper of GEORGE THE SECOND'S Reign, sent free on receipt of 2s.

An Original Newspaper of GEORGE THE THIRD'S Reign, sent free on receipt of 1s.

Apply, BY LETTER ONLY, inclosing a Remittance, either Post-office Order, or Postage Stamps, addressed to MR. JAMES HAMIL TON FENNELL, 1. Warwick Court, Holborn, London.

CONTENTS.

Page

- 93

94

94

95

Books chained to Desks in Churches: Font Inscription:
Parochial Libraries, by W. Sparrow Simpson, B.A.
Real Signatures versus Pseudo-names, by the Rev. James
Graves
Popular Stories of the English Peasantry, by Vincent
T. Sternberg
Shakspeare Correspondence, by Cecil Harbottle, &c.
Epitaph and Monuments in Wingfield Church, Suffolk -
Original Royal Letters to the Grand Masters of Malta -
MINOR NOTES:- Meaning of "Clipper " — Anathema,
Maran-atha Convocation and the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts-Pigs
said to see the Wind-Anecdote of the Duke of
Gloucester

MINOR QUERIES:-Reynolds' Nephew-Sir Isaac Newton-Limerick, Dublin, and Cork-Praying to the West Mulciber Captain Booth of Stockport "A saint in crape"- French Abbés - What Day is it at our Antipodes ?-" Spendthrift " Second Growth

of Grass The Laird of Brodie - Mrs. Tighe, Author of " Psyche "- Bishop Ferrar - Sir Thomas de Longueville - Quotations wanted- Symon Patrick, Bishop of Ely: Durham: Weston: Jephson - The Heveninghams of Suffolk and Norfolk Lady Percy, Wife of Hotspur (Daughter of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March)-Shape of Coffins-St. George Family Pictures Caley (John), "Ecclesiastical Survey of the Possessions, &c. of the Bishop of St. David's," &c.Adamson's "Lusitania Illustrata "-Blotting-paperPoetical Versions of the Fragments in Athenæus

98

99

100

100

101

102

104 105 106

· 108

108 109

109

110

114

114

115

Notes.

BOOKS CHAINED TO DESKS IN CHURCHES: FONT INSCRIPTION: PAROCHIAL LIBRARIES.

It would be interesting to have a complete list of the various books still to be found chained to desks in our ancient churches. The "Bible of the largest volume," the "Books of Homilies allowed by authority," and the Book of Common Prayer, are ordered by Canon 80. to be provided for every church. In some places this regulation is still complied with: at Oakington, Cambridgeshire, a copy of a recent (1825) edition of the Homilies lies on a small desk in the nave. But besides these authoritative works, other books are found chained to their ancient desks: at Impington, Cambridgeshire are, or were, "three black-letter volumes of Fox's Martyrs chained to a stall in the chancel." (Paley's Ecclesiologist's Guide, &c.) At St. Nicholas, Rochester, chained to a small bracket desk at the south side of the west door, is a copy of A Collection of Cases and other Discourses to recover Dissenters to the Church of England, small 8vo., 1718. The Paraphrase of Erasmus may probably be added to the list (see Professor Blunt's Sketch of the History of the Reformation, 10th edit., p. 130.), though I cannot call to mind any church in which a copy of this work may now be found. In the noble minster church at Wimborne, Dorsetshire, is a rather large collection of books, comprising some old and valuable editions: all these books were, and many still are, chained to their shelves; an iron rod runs along the front of each shelf, on which rings attached to the chains fastened to the covers of the works have free play; these volumes are preserved in an upper chamber on the south side of the chancel. The parochial library at St. Margaret's, Lynn, Norfolk, is one of considerable interest and importance; amongst other treasures are a curious little manuscript of the New Testament very neatly written, a (mutilated) blackletter copy of the Sarum Missal, and many fine copies of the works of the Fathers, and also of the Reformers; these are preserved in the south aisle of the chancel, which is fitted up as a library, and are in very good order. At Margate Church are a few volumes, of what kind my note-book does

claimant. Tired of this unprofitable farming, the Bogie agrees to hazard his claims on a mowingmatch, thinking that his supernatural strength would give him an easy victory; but before the day of meeting, the cunning earth-tiller procures a number of iron bars which he stows among the grass to be mown by his opponent; and when the trial commences, the unsuspecting goblin finds his progress retarded by his scythe coming into contact with these obstacles, which he takes to be some very hard — very hard — species of dock. "Mortal hard docks, these," said he; "Nation hard docks!" His blunted scythe soon brings him to a stand still, and as, in such cases, it is not allowed for one to sharpen without the other, he turns to his antagonist, now far ahead, and inquires, in a tone of despair, "When d'ye wifflewaffle (whet), mate? "Waffle!" said the farmer, with a well-feigned stare of amazement, "O, about noon mebby." "Then," said the despairing spirit, "That thief of a Christian has done me; and so saying, he disappeared and was never heard of more.

Under Nurse-tales, I include the extremely puerile stories of the nursery, often (as in the German ones) interlaced with rhymes. The following, from the banks of the Avon, sounds like an echo from a German story-book.

Any notes of legends, or suggestions of any kind, forwarded to my address as below, will be thankfully received and acknowledged. VINCENT T. STERNBERG.

15. Store Street, Bedford Square.

SHAKSPEARE CORRESPONDENCE.

The old Corrector on "The Winter's Tale."I am glad to find that you have another correspondent, and a very able one too, under the signature of A. E. B., who takes the same view of "Aristotle's checks" as I have done; though I think he might have paid me the compliment of just noticing my prior remonstrance on this subject. It is to be lamented, that MR. COLLIER should have hurried out his new edition of Shakspeare, adopting all the sweeping emendations of his newly-found commentator, without paying the slightest heed to any of the suggestions which have been offered to him in a friendly spirit, or affording time for the farther objections which are continually pouring in. At the risk of probably wearying some of your readers, I cannot forbear submitting to you a few more remarks; but I shall confine them on this occasion to one play, The Winter's Tale: which contains, perhaps, as many poetical beauties as any single work of our great dramatic bard. With reference to the passage quoted in p. 437., I can hardly believe that Shakspeare ever wrote such a poor unmeaning line as.they are false as dead blacks."

66

nor can I perceive any possible objection to the original words "o'er dyed blacks." They may either mean false mourners, putting an over dark semblance of grief; or they may allude figuratively to the material of mourning, the colours of which if over-dyed will not stand. In either of these senses, the passage is poetical; but there is nothing like poetry in "our dead blacks."

In p. 450. the alteration of the word "and" to "heaven" may be right, though it is difficult to conceive how the one can have been mistaken for the other. At all events, the sense is improved by the change; but I do not see that anything is gained by the substitution in the next line of "dream" for "theme." Whatever the king said in his ravings about Hermione, might as aptly be called part of his "theme" as part of his "dream." The subject of his dream was in fact his theme! Neither can I discover any good reason for changing, in p. 452.,

and one may drink, depart, And yet partake no venom,"

into "drink a part." The context clearly shows the author's meaning to have been, that if any one

would have no knowledge of what he had drunk;

but if he remained, some one present might point out to him the spider in the cup, and then "he cracks his gorge," &c.

66

In p. 460. MR. COLLIER says that the passage, "dangerous, unsafe lunes i' the king," is mere tautology, and therefore he follows the old corrector in substituting unsane lunes." Now it strikes me that there is quite as much tautology in " unsane lunes" as in the double epithet, "dangerous, unsafe." It is, in fact, equivalent to "insane madness;" and, moreover, drags in quite needlessly a very unusual and uncouth word.

In p. 481. we have the last word of the following passage

"I never saw a vessel of like sorrow, So fill'd and so becoming,". converted into "o'er-running." This may possibly be the correct reading; but, seeing that it is immediately followed by the words –

66

in pure white robes,

Like very sanctity,"

I question whether “ becoming" is not the more natural expression.

is made

"There weep-and leave it crying,"

"There wend- and leave it crying," which I submit is decidedly wrong. I will not be hypercritical, or I might suggest that in that case the words would have been "thither wend;" but I maintain that the change is contrary to the sense. The spirit of Hermione never could have been intended to say that the child should be left crying. She would rather wish that it might not cry! The meaning, as it seems to me, is, that Antigonus should weep over the babe, and leave it while so weeping.

In p. 487. the words "missingly noted" are altered to "musingly noted," which is a very questionable improvement. Camillo, missing Florigel from court, would naturally note his absence; and he may have mused over the causes of it, but there could be no necessity for musing to note the fact of his absence and I cannot help thinking that the word missingly is more in Shakspeare's style.

I cannot subscribe at all to the alteration in p.492. of the word "unrolled" to "enrolled." To be enrolled and placed in the book of virtue is very like tautology; but I conceive Shakspeare meant Autolycus to wish that his name might be unrolled from the company of thieves and gypsies with whom he was associated, and transferred to the book of virtue.

Why, by stating that formerly "says" was often written "saies.' Now, I cannot for the life of me discover why the word "saies" should have been mistaken for " seems," any more than the word says." But surely the phrase, “nothing she does or seems," is far more poetical and elegant than the other. It says in effect: there is nothing either in her acts or her carriage," but smacks of something greater than herself." We have positive evidence, however, that the passage could not have been "nothing she does or says," viz. that this speech of Polixenes immediately follows a long dialogue between Florizel and Perdita, which could not have been overheard, because Camillə directly afterwards says to the king:

That makes her blood look out." Thereby clearly proving, that the king could not have been remarking on what she said.

The transformation of the last-mentioned line into

"That wakes her blood-look out!" cannot, I think, be justified on any ground. He tells her something which "makes her blood look out." That is, something which makes her blush rush to the surface to look out upon it! What can be more natural? The proposed alteration is not only unnecessary, but awkward!

In p. 499., if the words "unbraided wares" must be altered, I see no reason for the change to "embroided" wares. It seems to me that embraided would be the most proper word.

What possible reason can there be for converting "force and knowledge," in p. 506., to “sense and knowledge?" If I may be excused a play upon the words, I should say the sense of the passage is not at all improved, and the force is entirely lost.

I must protest most decidedly against the correction of the following lines, p. 507.:

MR. COLLIER'S objection to the speech of Camillo, in p. 514., it shall be so my care To have you royally appointed, as if The scene you play were mine;" is, that to make the scene appear as if it were

66

Nothing she does or seems,

prince. Now Camillo says nothing about the scene appearing as his. He says he will have the prince royally appointed, as if the scene he played were really his own: that is, as if he were the party interested in it, instead of the prince.