The Queer, the Quaint and the Quizzical: A Cabinet for the Curious
by Frank H. Stauffer · English · Gutenberg #41762 · 607,758 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The Queer, the Quaint and the Quizzical: A Cabinet for the Curious
Author: Frank H. Stauffer
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Most recently updated: October 23, 2024
Language: English
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[Transcriber's Notes:
This book is best read in a monospaced font such as Courier. This
version uses underscores '_' to show _italics_ and '^' to indicate
superscripts.
The long lines in the three crosses poem and Richelieu's letter were
unavoidable so have been reproduced at the end of the book in alternate
forms to make them more readable on handheld devices.]
THE QUEER, THE QUAINT
AND
THE QUIZZICAL
A CABINET FOR THE CURIOUS
"The company is mixed."—_Byron_
BY
FRANK H. STAUFFER
PHILADELPHIA:
DAVID McKAY, PUBLISHER,
610 SOUTH WASHINGTON SQUARE.
Copyright, 1882, by
F. H. STAUFFER
Oddities and wonders.
Intiquities and blunders.
Omens dire, mystic fire,
Strange customs, cranks and freaks,
With philosophy in streaks.
INTRODUCTION.
Custom doth often reason overrule,
And only serves for reason to the fool.—_Rochester._
A moon dial, with Napier's bones,
And sev'ral constellation stones.—_Butler._
He shows, on holidays, a sacred pin,
That touch'd the ruff that touch'd Queen Bess's chin.
—_Wolcot's Peter Pindar._
Stretching away on the one hand into the deep gloom of barbaric
ignorance, and on the other hand into the full radiance of Christian
intelligence, and, grounding itself strongly in the instinctive
recognition by all men of the intimate relations between the seen and
the unseen, the empire of SUPERSTITION possesses all ages of human
history and all stages of human progress.—_Nimno._
Matrons who toss the cup, and see
The grounds of _fate_ in _grounds_ of _tea_.—_Churchill._
I have known the shooting of a star to spoil a night's rest; I have seen
a man in love grow pale upon the plucking of a merry-thought. There is
nothing so inconsiderable which may not appear dreadful to an
imagination that is filled with omens and prognostics.—_Addison._
_Books with Unpronounceable Names._
In the seventeenth century there was a book published entitled:
"Crononhotonthologos, the most tragical tragedy that ever was tragedized
by any company of tragedians." The first two lines of this effusion
read—
"Aldeborontiphoscophosnio!
Where left you Chrononhotonthologos?"
We might name another singular title of a work published in 1661 by
Robert Lovell, entitled: "Panzoologicomineralogia; a complete history of
animals and minerals, contain'g the summs of all authors, Galenical and
Chymicall, with the anatomie of man, &c."—_Salad for the Solitary._
_Most Curious Book in the World._
The most singular bibliographic curiosity is that which belonged to the
family of the Prince de Ligne, and is now in France. It is neither
written nor printed. All of the letters of the text are cut out of each
folio upon the finest vellum; and, being interlaced with blue paper, it
is read as easily as the best print. The labor and patience bestowed
upon it must have been excessive, especially when the precision and
minuteness of the letters are considered. The general execution is
admirable in every respect, and the vellum is of the most delicate and
costly kind. Rodolphus II., of Germany, offered for it, in 1640, eleven
thousand ducats, which was probably equal to sixty thousand at this day.
The most remarkable circumstance connected with this literary treasure
is that it bears the royal arms of England, but it cannot be shown that
it was ever in that country. The book is entitled: _Liber Passionis
Domini Nostri Jesu Christi cum Characteribus Nulla Materia Compositis_.
_A Long Lost Book Recovered._
The book called "The Ascension of Isaiah the Prophet" had been known to
exist in former ages, but had disappeared after the fifth century.
During the present century Dr. Richard Laurence, the professor of Hebrew
at Oxford, and afterwards Archbishop of Cassel, accidentally met with an
Æthiopic MS. at the shop of a bookseller in Drury Lane, which proved to
be this apocryphal book. There was something remarkable in the
discovery, in a small bookseller's shop, of a book which had been lost
to the learned for more than a thousand years.
_The Bug Bible._
Among the literary curiosities in the Southampton library, England, is
an old Bible known as the "Bug Bible," printed by John Daye, 1551, with
a prologue by Tyndall. It derives its name from the peculiar rendering
of the fifth verse in the 91st Psalm, which reads thus: "So that thou
shalt not need to be afraid for any bugs by night."
_Illuminated Manuscript Bible._
Guido de Jars devoted half a century to the production of a manuscript
copy of the Bible, with illuminated letters. He began it in his fortieth
year, and did not finish it until his ninetieth (1294). It is of
exceeding beauty.
_The Mazarine Bible._
This is so called from its having been found in the Cardinal's library.
It was the first book printed with metal types, and cost $2,500.
_A Book without Words._
A literary curiosity exists in England in the shape of "A Wordless
Book," so called because, after the title page, it contains not a single
word. It is a religious allegory devised by a religious enthusiast, and
the thought is in the symbolic color of its leaves, of which two are
black, two crimson, two pure white, two pure gold. The black symbolizes
the unregenerate heart of man; the crimson, the blessed redemption; the
white, the purity of the soul "washed in the blood of the Lamb;" the
gold, the radiant joy of eternal felicity.
_Wierix's Bible._
The edition of this Bible contains a plate by John Wierix, representing
the feast of Dives, with Lazarus at his door. In the rich man's
banqueting room there is a dwarf playing with a monkey, to contribute to
the merriment of the company, according to the custom among people of
rank in the sixteenth century.
_Gilt Beards._
There was a French Bible printed in Paris in 1538, by Anthony Bonnemere,
wherein is related "that the ashes of the golden calf which Moses caused
to be burnt, and mixed with the water that was drank by the Israelites,
stuck to the beards of such as had fallen down before it, by which they
appeared with gilt beards, as a peculiar mark to distinguish those who
had worshipped the calf." This idle story is actually interwoven with
the 32d chapter of Exodus.
_Printed in Gold Letters._
Bede speaks of a magnificent copy of the Gospels in letters of the
purest gold, upon leaves of purple parchment.
_Magnificent Latin Bible._
Amongst the rare and costly relics in the library of the Vatican, is the
magnificent Latin Bible of the Duke of Urbino. It consists of two large
folios, embellished by numerous figures and landscapes, in the ancient
arabesque.
_Interesting Manuscript Bibles._
In the British Museum there are two copies of the Scriptures which are
peculiarly calculated to interest the pious visitors, from the
circumstances under which they were transcribed. The elder manuscript
contains "The Old and New Testaments, in short hand, in 1686," which
were copied, during many a wakeful night, by a zealous Protestant, in
the reign of James II., who feared that the attempts of that monarch to
re-establish Popery would terminate in the suppression of the sacred
Scriptures.
The other manuscript contains the book of Psalms and the New Testament,
in 15 volumes, folio, written in characters an inch long, with white
ink, on black paper manufactured for the purpose. This perfectly unique
copy was written in 1745, at the cost of a Mr. Harries, a London
tradesman. His sight having failed with age so as to prevent his reading
the Scriptures, though printed in the largest type, he incurred the
expense of this transcription that he might enjoy those sources of
comfort which "are more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine
gold."
The British Museum paid $3750 for the manuscript Bible made by Alcuin,
in the eighth century, for the Emperor Charlemagne, whose instructor and
friend he was.
_The Vinegar Bible._
This Bible derives its title from an edition which contained an error in
the heading to the twentieth chapter of St. Luke, in which "Parable of
the Vineyard" is printed "Parable of the Vinegar." The edition was
issued in the year 1717, by the University of Oxford, at their Clarendon
Press.
_Queen Elizabeth's "Oone Gospell Booke."_
This book is a precious object to the virtuoso. It was the work of Queen
Catherine Parr, and was enclosed in solid gold. It hung by a gold chain
at her side, and was the frequent companion of the "Virgin Queen." In
her own handwriting, at the beginning of the volume, the following
quaint lines appear—
"I walke many times into the pleasaunt fieldes of the Holie Scriptures,
where I plucke up the goodliesome herbes of sentences by pruning; eate
them by readinge; chawe them by musing; and laye them up at length in ye
state of memorie by gathering them together; that so, having tasted
their sweetness, I may the lesse perceave the bitterness of this
miserable life."
This was penned by the Queen, probably while she was in captivity at
Woodstock, as the spirit it breathed affords a singular contrast to the
towering haughtiness of her ordinary deportment.
_Eliot's Indian Bible._
At the age of 42, John Eliot, pastor of a church at Roxbury, Mass.,
began the study of the Natick Indian dialect, with a view of translating
the Bible into that language. He completed the translation in 1658,
after a labor of eight years, and the book was issued in 1663. Upwards
of one thousand copies were printed, of which twenty copies were
dedicated to King Charles. The latter copies are so rare that one of
them was sold in the U. S., in 1862, for $1000, and six years later for
$1150. Among the many points of interest which Eliot's Indian Bible
possesses, not the least is the fact that it is the language of a nation
no longer in existence, and is almost the only monument of the race;
another, that it is the first edition of the Bible published in this
country.
_Silver Book._
In the library of Upsal, in Sweden, there is preserved a translation of
the four Gospels, printed with metal type upon violet-colored vellum.
The letters are silver, and hence it has received the name of _Codex
Argenteus_. The initial letters are in gold. It is supposed that the
whole was printed in the same manner as book-binders letter the titles
of books on the back. It was a very near approach to the art of
printing, but it is not known how old it is.
_Huge Copy of the Koran._
D'Israeli mentions a huge copy of the Koran—probably without a
parallel, as to its _size_, in the annals of _letters_. The characters
are described as three inches long; the book itself is a foot in
thickness, and its other dimensions five feet by three.
_A Lost Book._
Celsus wrote a book against the Magi, which was not preserved. He was an
Epicurian philosopher, and lived in the second century. Much regret has
been expressed over the loss of the work. He is mentioned with respect
by Lucian, who derived from him the account which he gives of Alexander
the imposter. Even Origen treated him with consideration.
_Book of Riddles._
The Book of Riddles, alluded to by Shakespeare in the Merry Wives of
Windsor (Act 1st, scene 1st), is mentioned by Laneham, 1575, and in the
English Courtier, 1586. The earliest edition now preserved is dated
1629. It is entitled "The Booke of Merry Riddles, together with proper
Questions and with Proverbs to make pleasant pastime; no less usefull
and behovefull for any young man or child, to know if he be quick-witted
or no."
_Unique Library._
A singular library existed in 1535, at Warsenstein, near Cassel. The
books composing it, or rather the substitutes for them, were made of
wood, and every one of them is a specimen of a different tree. The back
is formed of its bark, and the sides are constructed of polished pieces
of the same stock. When put together, the whole forms a box, and inside
of it are stored the fruit, seed and leaves, together with the moss
which grows on its trunk and the insects which feed upon the tree. Every
volume corresponds in size, and the collection altogether has an
excellent effect.
_The New England Primer._
After the horn-book, the children of the incipient United States were
furnished with primers, among the most noted of which was "The New
England Primer for the more easy attaining the reading of English, to
which is added the Assembly of Divines and Mr. Cotton's Catechisms."
This primer had in it the alphabet, syllables of two letters, and many a
pious distich, such as—
Young Timothy
Learn'd sin to fly.
Whales in the sea
God's voice obey.
In Adam's fall
We sinned all.
Vashti for pride
Was set aside.
These puritanic verses were accompanied with illustrations fully as bad
as the rhymes, which were occasionally stretched to a triplet, as—
Young Obadias,
David, Josias,
All were pious.
_The Bedford Missal._
One of the most celebrated books in the annals of bibliography is the
richly illuminated Missal executed by John, Duke of Bedford, Regent of
France under Henry VI., and presented by him to the king in 1430. This
rare volume is eleven inches long, seven and a half inches wide, and two
and a half inches thick. It contains fifty-nine large miniatures, which
nearly occupy the whole page, and above a thousand small ones, in
circles of about an inch and a half in diameter, displayed in brilliant
borders of golden foliage, with variegated flowers, etc. At the bottom
of every page are two lines in blue and gold letters, which explain the
subject of each miniature. This relic, after passing through various
hands, descended to the Duchess of Portland, whose valuable collection
was sold by auction in 1786. Among its many attractions was the Bedford
Missal. A knowledge of the sale coming to the ears of George III., he
sent for his bookseller, and expressed his intention to become the
purchaser. The bookseller ventured to submit to his Majesty the probable
high price it would bring. "How high?" asked the king. "Probably two
hundred guineas," replied the bookseller. "Two hundred guineas for a
missal!" exclaimed the Queen, who was present, and lifted her hands in
astonishment. "Well, well, I'll have it still," said his majesty; "but
since the Queen thinks two hundred guineas so enormous a price for a
missal, I'll go no higher." The bidding for the royal library actually
stopped at that point, and a celebrated collector, Mr. Edwards, became
the purchaser by adding three pounds more. The same missal was
afterwards sold at Mr. Edwards' sale, in 1815, and purchased by the Duke
of Marlborough for the enormous sum of £637 15_s._ sterling.
_Lord Kingsborough's Mexico._
The most costly undertaking of a literary character ever undertaken by a
single individual is the magnificent work on "Mexico," by Lord
Kingsborough. This stupendous work is said to have been produced at an
enormous cost to the author. It is comprised in seven immense folio
volumes, embellished by about one thousand colored illustrations. He
spent more than $300,000 in its production, his enthusiasm carrying him
so far that he ultimately died in debt.
_Imperishable Prison Literature._
Bœthius composed his excellent "Consolations of Philosophy" in prison.
Grotius wrote his "Commentary" while in prison. Cervantes, it is said,
wrote that masterpiece of Spanish romance, "Don Quixote," on board one
of the galleys, in Barbara. Sir Walter Raleigh compiled his "History of
the World" in his prison-chamber in the Tower. Bunyan composed his
immortal allegory in Bedford jail. Luther gave the Bible to Germany,
having translated it in Wartburg castle.
_Puffing their own Books._
Authors of the olden time used to puff their own works by affixing
"taking titles" to them; such as "A right merrie and wittie interlude,
verie pleasant to reade, &c.;" "A marvellous wittie treatise, &c.;" "A
Delectable, Pithie and Righte Profitable Worke, &c."
_Sibylline Books._
The Sibylline prophecies were of early Trojan descent, and the most
celebrated of the Sibyls, or priestesses, plays an important part in the
tales of Æneas. Her prophecies were supposed to be heard in dark caverns
and apertures in rocks. They are thought by Varro to have been written
upon palm leaves in Greek hexameters. They were largely circulated in
the time of Crœsus, and the promises which they made of future empire
to Æneas escaping from the flames of Troy into Italy, were remarkably
realized by Rome. Of the nine books offered for sale by a Sibyl to
Tarquinius Superbus, six were burnt, after which he purchased the
remaining three for the price originally demanded for the nine. They
were kept in a stone chest under ground in the temple of Jupiter
Capitolinus, in the custody of certain officers, who only consulted the
books at the special command of the Senate. Some Sibylline books appear
to have been consulted until the tenth century.
_Prophetic Almanacs._
The fame of the celebrated astrologer, Nostradamus, who prophesied
minutely the death of Henry II. of France, the execution of Charles I.
of England, the great fire of London, the Restoration, &c., gave such an
impulse to predictions that, in 1579, Henry III. of France prohibited
the insertion of any political prophecies in almanacs, a prohibition
which was renewed by Louis XIII., in 1628. In the reign of Charles IX. a
royal edict required every almanac to be stamped with the approval of
the diocesan bishop. Prophetic almanacs still circulate to an incredible
extent in the rural districts of France, and among the uneducated. The
most popular of all these is the "Almanac Liègeois," a venerable remnant
of superstition, first issued in 1636. It is a most convenient almanac
for those who are unable to read, for by certain symbols attached to
certain dates the most unlettered persons can follow its instructions. A
rude representation of a phial announces the proper phase of the moon
under which a draught of medicine should be taken; a pair of scissors
points out the proper period for cutting hair; a lancet, for letting
blood, &c.
_Diaries._
Marcus Antonius' celebrated work, entitled "Of the Things which Concern
Himself," would be a good definition of the use and purpose of a diary.
Shaftesbury calls a diary "A Fault-book," intended for self-correction;
and a Colonel Hardwood, in the reign of Charles I., kept a diary which,
in the spirit of the times, he entitled "Slips, Infirmities and
Passages of Providence." One old writer quaintly observes that "the
ancients used to take their stomach-pill of self-examination every
night. Some used little books or tablets, tied at their girdles, in
which they kept a memorial of what they did, against their
night-reckoning." We know that Titus, the delight of mankind, as he has
been called, kept a diary of all his actions, and when at night he found
that he had performed nothing memorable, he would exclaim: "Friends, we
have lost a day." Edward VI. kept a diary, while that left by James II.,
so full of facts and reflections, furnished excellent material for
history. Richard Baxter, author of one hundred and forty-five distinct
works, left a diary extending from 1615 to 1648, which, when published,
formed a folio of seven hundred closely-printed pages. Valuable diaries
were also left by Whitelock and Henry Earl of Clarendon.
_Literary Ingenuity._
Odo tenet mulum, madidam mappam tenet anna.
The above line is said, in an old book, to have "cost the inventor much
foolish labor, for it is perfect verse, and every word is the very same
both backward and forward."
_Supposed to be a Genuine Island._
When the Utopia of Sir Thomas More was first published, it occasioned
quite a complimentary blunder. This political romance represents a
perfect but visionary republic, in an island supposed to have been newly
discovered in America. As this was the age of discovery (says Granger),
the learned Budæus, and others, took it for a genuine history, and
considered it as highly expedient that missionaries should be sent
thither, in order to convert so wise a nation to Christianity.
_King of India's Library._
Dabshelim, King of India, had so numerous a library, that a hundred
brachmans were scarcely sufficient to keep it in order, and it required
a thousand dromedaries to transport it from one place to another. As he
was not able to read all these books, he proposed to the brachmans to
make extracts from them of the best and most useful of their contents.
These learned personages went so heartily to work, that in less than
twenty years they had compiled of all these extracts a little
encyclopædia of twelve thousand volumes, which thirty camels could carry
with ease. They presented them to the king, but what was their amazement
to hear him say that it was impossible for him to read thirty
camel-loads of books. They therefore reduced their extracts to fifteen,
afterwards to ten, then to four, then to two dromedaries, and at last
there remained only enough to load a mule of ordinary size.
Unfortunately, Dabshelim, during this process of melting down his
library, grew old, and saw no probability of living long enough to
exhaust its quintessence to the last volume. "Illustrious Sultan," said
his vizier, "though I have but a very imperfect knowledge of your royal
library, yet I will undertake to deliver you a very brief and
satisfactory abstract of it. You shall read it through in one minute,
and yet you will find matter in it to reflect upon throughout the rest
of your life." Having said this, Pilpay took a palm leaf, and wrote upon
it with a golden style the four following paragraphs:
1. The greater part of the sciences comprise but one single
word—_Perhaps_, and the whole history of mankind contains no more than
three—they are _born_, _suffer_, _die_.
2. Love nothing but what is good, and do all that thou lovest to do;
think nothing but what is true, and speak not all that thou thinkest.
3. O kings! tame your passions, govern yourselves, and it will be only
child's play to govern the world.
4. O kings! O people! it can never be often enough repeated to you, what
the half-witted venture to doubt, that there is no happiness without
virtue, and no virtue without God.
_Palindromes._
One of the most remarkable palindromes is the following—
SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS.
Its distinguishing peculiarity is that the first letter of each
successive word writes to spell the first word; the second letter of
each the second word, and so on throughout; and the same will be found
as precisely true upon reversal. But the neatest and prettiest that has
yet appeared comes from a highly cultivated lady who was attached to the
court of Queen Elizabeth. Having been banished from the court on
suspicion of too great familiarity with a nobleman in high favor, the
lady adopted this device—_a moon covered by a cloud_—and the following
palindrome for a motto—
ABLATA ATALBA. (Secluded but Pure.)
The merit of this kind of composition was never in any example so
heightened by appropriateness and delicacy of sentiment.
_Chronogram._
Such was the name given to a whimsical device of the later Romans,
resuscitated during the _renaissance_ period, by which a date is given
by selecting certain letters amongst those which form an inscription,
and printing them larger than the others. The principle will be
understood from the following chronogram made from the name of George
Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham—
Georg IVs. DVX. bVCkIngaMIæ.
The date MDCXVVVIII (1628), is that of the year in which the Duke was
murdered by Felton, at Portsmouth.
_Instance of Remarkable Perseverance._
The Rev. Wm. Davy, a Devonshire curate, in the year 1795, begun a most
desperate undertaking, viz: that of himself printing twenty-six volumes
of sermons, which he actually did, working off page by page, for
fourteen copies, and continued the almost hopeless task for twelve
years, in the midst of poverty. Such wonderful perseverance almost
amounts to a ruling passion.
_Alliterative Whims._
Mrs. Crawford says she wrote one line in her song, "Kathleen
Mavourneen," for the express purpose of confounding the cockney warblers,
who sing it thus—
"The 'orn of the 'unter is 'eard on the 'ill."
Moore has laid the same trap in the _Woodpecker_—
"A 'eart that is 'umble might 'ope for it 'ere."
And the elephant confounds them the other way—
"A helephant heasily heats at his hease,
Hunder humbrageous humbrella trees."
_Alliterations carried to Absurd Excess._
In the early part of the seventeenth century the fashion of hunting
after alliterations was carried to an absurd excess. Even from the
pulpit the chosen people were addressed as "the _c_hickens of the
_c_hurch, the _s_parrows of the _s_pirit, and the _s_weet _s_wallows of
_s_alvation." "Ane New-Year Gift," or address, presented to Mary Queen
of Scots by the poet Alexander Scot, concludes with a stanza running
thus—
"Fresh, fulgent, flourist, fragrant flower formose,
Lantern to love, of ladies lamp and lot,
Cherry maist chaste, chief, carbuncle and chose, &c."
_Vacillating Newspapers._
The newspapers of Paris, under censorship of the press, in 1815,
announced in the following manner Bonaparte's departure from the Isle of
Elba, his march across France and his entrance into the French
Capital:—
"9th March.—The Cannibal has escaped from his den. 10th.—The Corsican
Ogre has just landed at Cape Juan. 11th.—The Tiger has arrived at Gap.
12th.—The Monster has passed the night at Grenoble. 13th.—The Tyrant
has crossed Lyons. 14th.—The Usurper is directing his course toward
Dijon, but the brave and loyal Burgundians have risen in a body and they
surround him on all sides. 18th.—Bonaparte is sixty leagues from the
Capital; he has had skill enough to escape from the hands of his
pursuers. 19th.—Bonaparte advances rapidly, but he will never enter
Paris. 20th.—To-morrow _Napoleon_ will be under our ramparts.
21st.—The _Emperor_ is at Fontainebleau. 22d.—His _Imperial_ and
_Royal Majesty_ last evening made his entrance into his Palace of the
Tuileries, amidst the _joyous_ acclamations of an _adoring_ and
_faithful people_."
_Dr. Johnson's Blunders._
Considering that Doctor Johnson was himself a severe verbal critic, it
might be expected that his own writings would be correct. But he wrote:
"Every monumental inscription should be in Latin; for that being a
_dead_ language it will always _live_." Another Johnsonian lapsus is
palpable in the lines—
"Nor yet perceived the vital spirit fled,
But still fought on, _nor knew that he was dead_."
It would puzzle the reader to understand how a warrior could continue
fighting after he was dead.
_Blunders of Painters._
Tintoret, an Italian painter, in a picture of the Children of Israel
gathering manna, represents them armed with guns. In Cigoli's painting
of the circumcision of the infant Saviour, the aged Simeon has a pair of
spectacles on his nose. In a picture by Verrio of Christ healing the
sick, the by-standers have periwigs on their heads. A Dutch painter, in
a picture of the Wise Men worshipping the Holy Child, has drawn one of
them in a white surplice, and in boots and spurs, and he is in the act
of presenting to the children a model of a Dutch man-of-war. In a Dutch
picture of Abraham offering up his son, instead of the patriarch
"stretching forth and taking the knife," he is represented as holding a
blunderbuss to Isaac's head. Berlin represents in a picture the Virgin
and Child listening to a violin. A French artist, in a painting of the
Lord's Supper, has the table ornamented with tumblers filled with cigar
lighters. Another French painting exhibits Adam and Eve in all their
primeval simplicity, while near them, in full costume, is seen a hunter
with a gun, shooting ducks.
_Thackeray's Geographical Blunders._
The novelist, in "The Virginians," makes Madam Esmond, of Castlewood, in
Westmoreland county, a neighbor of Washington at Mt. Vernon, on the
Potomac, fifty miles distant, and a regular attendant at public worship
at Williamsburg, half-way between the York and James rivers, fully one
hundred and twenty-five miles from Mt. Vernon; and so "immensely
affected" are the colored hearers of a young preacher at Williamsburg
"that there was such a negro chorus about the house as might be heard
across the Potomac," the nearest bank of which is fifty-seven miles
away.
He makes General Braddock ride out from Williamsburg (he never was
there) in "his own coach, a ponderous, emblazoned vehicle," with Dr.
Franklin, "the little postmaster of Philadelphia" (Franklin's average
weight was 160 pounds), over a muddy road, in March, through a
half-wilderness country of more than one hundred miles, to dine with
Madam Esmond, in Westmoreland county, near Mt. Vernon.
_A Stupid Critic._
Commentators are sometimes stupid, and their criticisms so absurd as to
be amusing. A German critic, in explaining the text of Shakespeare's
comedy "As You Like It," came to the following passage—
"Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing."
He made this comment upon it: "The lines as they now stand are
manifestly wrong. No one ever found books in the running brooks, or
sermons in stones. But a slight transposition of words reduces the
passage to sense. Shakespeare's meaning is clear, and what he meant he
must have written. The passage should read thus"—
"Stones in the running brooks,
Sermons in books, and good in every thing."
_Crooked Coincidences._
A pamphlet published in the year 1703, has the following strange title—
"The _Deformity_ of Sin Cured, a sermon preached at St. Michael's,
_Crooked_ Lane, before the Prince of Orange, by the Rev. James
_Crook_shanks. Sold by Matthew Dowton, at the _Crooked_ Billet, near
_Cripple_gate, and by all other Booksellers." The words of the text are,
"Every _crooked_ path shall be made straight," and the Prince before
whom it was preached was _crooked_, i. e., deformed.
_The Bride of Abydos._
In this poem of Byron's there is no _bride_, for the heroine dies
heart-broken and unwedded.
_Grandiloquent Outbursts._
There is a volume printed at Amsterdam, 1657, entitled: "Jesus, Maria,
Joseph; or the Devout Pilgrim of the Everlasting Blessed Virgin Mary, in
his Holy Exercises, Affections and Elevations, upon the sacred Mysteries
of Jesus, Maria and Joseph." We append a few extracts from this curious
book, as a specimen of the language employed at that time in addressing
the Virgin—
"You, O Mother of God, are the Spiritual Paradise of the second Adam;
the bright cloud carrying him who hath the cherubims for his chariot;
the fleece of wool filled with the sweet dew of heaven, whereof was made
that admirable robe of our royal shepherd, in which he vouchsafed to
look after his sheep; you are pleasing and comely as Jerusalem, and the
aromatical odours issuing from your garments outvie all the delights of
Mount Lebanon; you are the sacred pix of celestial perfumes, whose
sweet exhalations shall never be exhausted; you are the holy oil, the
unextinguishable lamp, the unfading flower, the divinely-woven purple,
the royal vestment, the imperial diadem, the throne of the divinity, the
gate of Paradise, the queen of the universe, the cabinet of life, the
fountain ever flowing with celestial illustrations."
"All hail! the divine lantern encompassing that crystal lamp whose light
outshines the sun in its midday splendour; the spiritual sea whence the
world's richest pearl was extracted; the radiant sphere, the well-fenced
orchard, the fruitful border, the fair and delicate garden, the nuptial
bed of the eternal world, the odoriferous and happy City of God, etc.,
etc."
_Dialect Rhyme._
The subjoined is a specimen of the dialect spoken in the county of
Lancashire, England. The verse is a description of a lost baby, by the
town-crier, or bellman, who still plies his trade in out-of-the-way
parts of England—
Law-st oather [either] to-day or else some toime to morn,
As pratty a babby as ever wur born;
It has cheeks like red roses, two bonny blue een,
Had it meauth daubed wi' traycle th' last toime it were seen;
It's just cuttin' it teeth, an' has very sore gums,
An' it's gettin' a habit o' suckin' it thumbs;
Thoose at foind it may keep it, there's nob'dy'll care,
For thoose at hav lost it, hav lots moor to spare!
_In Search of a Rhyme._
Luttrell made this couplet on the wife of "Anastatius" Hope, famous for
his wealth and her own jewels—
"Of diamond, emerald and topaz,
Such as the charming Mrs. Hope has!"
_Noted Anachronisms._
Shakespeare makes Lear, an early Anglo-Saxon King, speak of not wanting
spectacles, which were not known until the fourteenth century. Cannon
were first used in the year 1346, but in relating Macbeth's death, in
1054, and King John's reign in 1200, he mentions cannon. In his Julius
Cæsar, he makes the "clock" strike three.
Schiller, in his "Piccolomini," speaks of a "lightning-conductor" as
existing about 150 years before its invention.
_Diogenes and his Tub._
Modern scepticism about the practical stoicism of the ancients is surely
brought to a climax by a living writer, M. Fournier, who maintains that
the so-called tub of Diogenes was in reality a commodious little
dwelling—neat but not gorgeous. It must be supposed, then, that he
spoke of his tub much as an English country gentleman does of his
"box."—_The Book Hunter, by Burton._
_Slave Advertisements._
The following announcements are curious, showing the merchandise light
in which the negro was regarded in America while yet a colony of Great
Britain:
FRANCIS LEWIS, HAS FOR SALE,
A Choice Parcel of Muscovado and Powder Sugars, Tierces and Barrels;
Ravens, Ducks and a Negro Woman and Negro Boy. The Coach-House and
Stables, with or without the Garden Spot, formerly the property of
Joseph Murray, Esq.; in the Broadway, to be let separately or
together:—Inquire of said Francis Lewis.—_New York Gazette_, April
25th, 1765.
This Day Run away from JOHN MCCOMB, Junier, an Indian Woman, about 17
Years of Age, Pitted in the Face, of a middle Stature and Indifferent
fatt, having on her a Drugat, Wast-coat, and Kersey Petticoat, of a
Light Collour. If any Person or Persons shall bring the said Girle to
her said Master, shall be Rewarded for their Trouble to their
Content.—_American Weekly Mercury_, May 24th, 1726.
A Female Negro Child (of an extraordinary good Breed) to be given away.
Inquire of Edes and Gill.—_Boston Gazette_, Feb. 25th, 1765.
TO BE SOLD, FOR WANT OF EMPLOY,
A Likely Negro Fellow, about 25 Years of Age. He is an extraordinary
good Cook, and understands setting or tending a table very well,
likewise all kind of House Work, such as washing, scouring, scrubbing,
&c. Also, a Negro Wench, his Wife, about 17 Years old, born in this
City, and understands all Sorts of House Work. For farther Particulars,
inquire of the Printer.—_New York Gazette_, March 21st, 1765.
_Sir John Moore not Buried at Night._
It has been generally supposed that the burial of Sir John Moore, who
fell at the battle of Corunna, in 1809, took place during the night, an
error which doubtless arose from the statement to that effect in Wolf's
celebrated lines. Rev. Mr. Symons, who was the clergyman on the
occasion, states, however, in Notes and Queries, that the burial took
place in the morning, in broad daylight.
_Cleopatra a Myth._
Commentators of no mean standing insist that Cleopatra
"Star-eyed Egyptian,
Glorious sorceress of the Nile,"
is merely a creature of the imagination; in plain words, that the
Cleopatra of history never existed, though there were two or three women
who bore the name.
_Abelard and Heloise._
Though they may have lived about the same time, the romance of their
love is now gravely denied by scholars and antiquarians.
_Odd Titles of Old Books._
In "Gleanings for the Curious" we find the following list of odd titles
to books, most of which were published in the time of Cromwell:—
A Shot aimed at the Devil's Head-Quarters through the Tube of the Cannon
of the Covenant.
Crumbs of Comfort for the Chickens of the Covenant.
Eggs of Charity, layed by the Chickens of the Covenant, and boiled with
the Water of Divine Love. Take Ye and eat.
High-heeled Shoes for Dwarfs in Holiness.
Hooks and Eyes for Believers' Breeches.
Matches lighted by the Divine Fire.
Seven Sobs of a Sorrowful Soul for Sin; or, the Seven Penitential Psalms
of the Princely Prophet David; whereunto are also added William Humius'
Handful of Honeysuckles, and Divers Godly and Pithy Ditties, now newly
augmented.
Spiritual Milk for Babes, drawn out of the Breasts of both Testaments
for their Souls' Nourishment: a catechism.
The Bank of Faith.
The Christian Sodality; or, Catholic Hive of Bees, sucking the Honey of
the Churches' Prayer from the Blossoms of the Word of God, blowne out
of the Epistles and Gospels of the Divine Service throughout the yeare.
Collected by the Puny Bee of all the Hive not worthy to be named
otherwise than by these elements of his Name, F. P.
The Gun of Penitence.
The Innocent Love; or, the Holy Knight: a description of the ardors of a
saint for the Virgin.
The Shop of the Spiritual Apothecary; or, a collection of passages from
the fathers.
The Sixpennyworth of Divine Spirit.
The Snuffers of Divine Love.
The Sound of the Trumpet: a work on the day of judgment.
The Spiritual Mustard Pot, to make the Soul Sneeze with Devotion.
The Three Daughters of Job: a treatise on patience, fortitude and pain.
Tobacco battered, and the Pipes shattered about their Ears that idly
idolize so loathsome a Vanity, by a Volley of holy shot thundered from
Mount Helicon: a poem against the use of tobacco, by Joshua Sylvester.
A Fan to drive away Flies: a theological treatise on Purgatory.
A most Delectable Sweet Perfumed Nosegay for God's Saints to Smell at.
A Pair of Bellows to blow off the Dust cast upon John Fry.
A Proper Project to Startle Fools: Printed in a Land where Self's cry'd
up and Zeal's cry'd down.
A Reaping-Hook, well tempered, for the Stubborn Ears of the coming Crop;
or, Biscuit baked in the Oven of Charity, carefully conserved for the
Chickens of the Church, the Sparrows of the Spirit, and the sweet
Swallows of Salvation.
A Sigh of Sorrow for the Sinners of Zion, breathed out of a Hole in the
Wall of an Earthly Vessel, known among Men by the Name of Samuel Fish (a
Quaker who had been imprisoned).
_Title-Pages which Mislead._
The title-page is not always a distinct intimation of what is to follow.
"The Diversions of Purley" is one of the toughest books in existence.
"Apes Urbanæ" (Urban bees), by the great scholar, Leo Allatius, is not
about bees, but is devoted to the great men who nourished during the
Pontificate of Urban VIII., whose family carried bees on their
coat-armorial. "Marmontel's Moral Tales" has been found to give
disappointment to parents in search of the absolutely correct and
improving; and Edgeworth's "Essay on Irish Bulls" has been counted money
absolutely thrown away by eminent breeders. "MacEwen on the Types" is
not a book for printers, but for theologians. Ruskin's treatise "On the
Construction of Sheepfolds" treats about Popery and Protestantism.—_The
Book Hunter._
_A Carmelite Friar's Poem._
In the seventeenth century a carmelite friar named Jean Louis
Barthelemi, but who always called himself Pierre de St. Louis, composed
(in twelve books) a poem entitled, "The Magdaleneide; or, Mary Magdalen
at the Desert of the Sainte Beaume in Provence, a Spiritual and
Christian Poem." Some idea of it may be obtained from a literally
translated extract. Having treated at large of the Magdelen's irregular
conduct in the early part of her life, and of her subsequent conversion,
he says:—
"But God at length changed this coal into a ruby, this crow into a dove,
this wolf into a sheep, this hell into a heaven, this nothing into
something, this thistle into a lily, this thorn into a rose, this
impotence into power, this vice into virtue, this caldron into a
mirror."
The poem cost him five years of close application, and he concludes it
by egotistically saying: "If you desire grace and sweetness in verses,
in mine will you find them."
_Striking Parallel Passages between Shakspeare and the Bible._
_Othello._—Rude am I in speech.—I. 3.
But though I be rude in speech.—2 Cor. xi. 6.
_Witches._—Show his eyes and grieve his heart.—iv. 1.
Consume thine eyes and grieve thine heart.—1 Sam. ii. 33.
_Macbeth._—Lighted fools the way to dusty death.—V. 5.
Thou hast brought me into the dust of death.—Ps. xxii.
_Othello._—I took him by the throat, the circumcised dog, and
smote him.—V. 2.
I smote him, I caught him by his beard and smote him, and slew
him.—1 Sam. xvii. 35.
_Macbeth._—We will die with harness on our back.—V. 5.
Nicanor lay dead in his harness.—Maccabees xv. 28.
_Curious Play Bill._
The following remarkable theatrical announcement is worthy of
preservation for its effusion of vanity and poverty, in the shape of an
appeal to the inhabitants of a town in Sussex:—
"At the old theatre in East Grimstead, on Saturday, May 5th, 1758, will
be represented (by particular desire, and for the benefit of Mrs. P.)
the deep and affecting tragedy of Theodosius; or, the Force of Love,
with magnificent dresses, scenery, &c.
"Varanes, by Mr. P., who will strive, as far as possible, to support the
character of this fiery Persian Prince, in which he was so much admired
and applauded at Hastings, Arundel, Petworth, Lewes, &c.
"Theodosius, by a young gentleman from the University of Oxford, who
never appeared on any stage.
"Athenais, by Mrs. P. Though her present condition will not permit her
to wait on gentlemen and ladies out of the town with tickets, she hopes,
as upon former occasions, for their liberality and support.
"Nothing in Italy can exceed the altar, in the first scene of the play.
Nevertheless, should any of the nobility or gentry wish to see it
ornamented with flowers, the bearer will bring away as many as they
choose to favour him with.
"As the coronation of Athenias, to be introduced in the fifth act,
contains a number of personages, more than sufficient to fill all the
dressing room, &c., it is to be hoped no gentlemen and ladies will be
offended at being refused admission behind the scenes.
"N. B.—The great yard dog that made so much noise on Thursday night
during the last act of King Richard the Third, will be sent to a
neighbor's over the way; and on account of the prodigious demand for
places, part of the stable will be laid into the boxes on one side, and
the granary be open for the same purpose on the other. _Vivat Rex._"
_Boone's Spelling._
An old letter written by Daniel Boone, furnishes this specimen of
original spelling:—
"I hope you Will Wright me By the Bearer, Mr. goe, how you Com on with
my Horsis—I Hear the Indians have Killed Some pepel near Limstone."
_Vagaries of Spelling._
Queen Elizabeth spelt the word sovereign in seven different ways. The
Earl of Leicester, her favorite, spelt his own name in eight different
ways. Sir Walter Raleigh spelt his own name in more than eight different
ways. In the deeds of the Villars family their name is spelt in fourteen
different ways. In the family documents of the Percy family their name
is spelt in fifteen different ways.
_Singular Specimen of Orthography in the Sixteenth Century._
The following letter was written by the Duchess of Norfolk to Cromwell,
Earl of Essex. It exhibits a curious instance of the monstrous anomalies
of our orthography in the infancy of our literature:—
"My ffary gode lord,—her I sand you in tokyn hoff the neweyer, a glasse
hoff setyl set in sellfer gyld. I pra you tak hit in wort. An hy wer
habel het showlde be bater. I woll hit war wort a m crone."
_Translated._—"My very good lord. Here I send you, in token of the new
year, a glass of setyll set in silver gilt. I pray you take it in worth.
An I were able it should be better. I would it were worth a thousand
crowns."
_High-Sounding Prologue._
In a medical work entitled "The Breviarie of Health," published in 1547,
by Andrew Borde, a physician of that period, is a prologue to
physicians, beginning thus—
"Egregious doctors and masters of the eximious and arcane science of
physic, of your urbanity exasperate not yourselves against me for making
this little volume."
_Inducements to Subscribers._
For journals to offer inducements to subscribers is not a modern
feature. A book was published in 1764, entitled "A New History of
England, Manchester, printed by Joseph Harrop, opposite the Exchange."
At the end of this octavo volume, which consists of 778 pages, is the
following:—
"TO THE PUBLIC.
"The History of England being now brought down to that period which was
at first proposed, the Publisher takes this opportunity of returning his
thanks to his friends and subscribers for the kind encouragement they
have given his News Paper; and hopes that as he has steadily persevered
in going through with, and given gratis, The History of England, at the
Expence of upwards of One Hundred Pounds, they will still continue their
Subscription to his paper, which he will spare neither pains nor
assiduity to render worthy their perusal.
JOS. HARROP."
_Composition During Sleep._
Condorcet is said to have attained the conclusion of some of his most
abstruse, unfinished calculations in his dreams. Franklin makes a
similar admission concerning some of his political projects which, in
his waking moments, sorely puzzled him. Sir J. Herschel is said to have
composed the following lines in a dream:—
"Throw thyself on thy God, nor mock Him with feeble denial;
Sure of His love, and, oh! sure of His mercy at last!
Bitter and deep though the draught, yet drain thou the cup of thy trial,
And in its healing effect, smile at the bitterness past."
Goethe says in his "Memoirs," "The objects which had occupied my
attention during the day often reappeared at night in connected dreams.
On awakening, a new composition, or a portion of one I had already
commenced, presented itself to my mind. In the morning I was accustomed
to record my ideas on paper." Coleridge composed his poem of the
"Abyssinian Maid" during a dream. Something analogous to this is what
Lord Cockburn says in his "Life of Lord Jeffrey." "He had a fancy that
though he went to bed with his head stuffed with the names, dates and
other details of various causes, they were all in order in the morning;
which he accounted for by saying that during sleep 'they all
_crystallized round their proper centres_.'"
_A Bill of Particulars._
A certain gentleman of Worcester (Mass.) sent a very fine French clock
to a well-known jeweler to be repaired, saying that he wished each item
of repairing specified. The following is a copy of the bill as
rendered:—
To removing the alluvial deposit and oleaginous
conglomerate from clock a la French, $0.50
To replacing in appropriate juxtaposition the constituent
components of said clock, .50
To lubricating with oleaginous solution the apex of
pinions of said clock, .50
To adjusting horologically the isochronal mechanism of
said clock, .50
To equalizing the acoustic resultant of escape wheel
percussion upon the verge pallets of said clock, .50
To adjusting the distance between the centre of gravity
of the pendulum and its point of suspension, so that
the vibrations of the pendulum shall cause the index
hand to indicate approximately the daily arrival of
the sun at its meridian height, .50
─────
$3.00
_Lilly's Predictions._
While Lilly is ridiculed for his absurdities, let him have credit for as
lucky a guess as ever blessed the pages even of "Francis Moore,
Physician." In Lilly's "Astrological Predictions for 1648," there occurs
the following passage, in which we must allow that he attained to
"something like prophetic strain," when we call to mind that the Great
Plague of London occurred in 1665, and the Great Fire in the year
following:—
"In the year 1656, the aphelium of Mars, who is the general
signification of England, will be in Virgo, which is assuredly the
ascendant of the English monarchy, but Aries of the kingdom. When this
absis, therefore, of Mars shall appear in Virgo, who shall expect less
than a strange _catastrophe_ of human affairs in the commonwealth,
monarchy and kingdom of England? There will then, either in or about
these times, or within ten years, more or less, of that time, appear in
this kingdom so strange a revolution of fate, so _grand a catastrophe_,
and great mutation unto this monarchy and government as never yet
appeared; of which, as the times now stand, I have no liberty or
encouragement to deliver any opinion. _Only, it will be ominous to
London, unto her merchants at sea, to her traffique at land, to her
poor, to her rich, to all sorts of people inhabiting in her or her
liberties_, BY REASON OF SUNDRY FIRES AND A PLAGUE."
This is the prediction which, in 1666, led to Lilly's being examined by
a committee of the House of Commons; not, as has been supposed, that he
might "discover by the stars who were the authors of the Fire of
London," but because the precision with which he was thought to have
foretold the events gave birth to a suspicion that he was already
acquainted with them, and privy to the (supposed) machinations which had
brought about the catastrophe. Curran says there are two kinds of
prophets—those who are really inspired and those who prophecy events
which they themselves intend to bring about. Upon this occasion poor
Lilly had the ill-luck to be deemed of the latter class.
_Puritan Surnames._
The following names are given in Lower's English Surnames, as specimens
of the names of the old Puritans in England about the year 1658. They
are taken from a jury list in Sussex county:—
Faint-not Hewett.
Redeemed Compton.
God-reward Smart.
Earth Adams.
Meek Brewer.
Repentance Avis.
Kill-sin Pimple.
Be-faithful Joiner.
More-fruit Flower.
Grace-ful Harding.
Seek-wisdom Wood.
Fight-the-good-fight of Faith.
Accepted Trevor.
Stand-fast-on-high Stringer.
Called Lower.
Be-courteous Cole.
Search-the-Scriptures Morton.
Return Spelman.
Fly-debate Roberts.
Hope-for Bending.
Weep-not Billing.
Elected Mitchell.
The-peace-of-God Knight.
Make-peace Heaton.
_Curious Old Memorandum._
We have supposed that no record of our Saviour's life older than the New
Testament was known to exist; but it seems that a venerable journal is
carefully preserved in Nablous (ancient Samaria), in which the following
item appears in the handwriting of one of the Samaritan high priests:—
"In the year from Adam 4281, in the nineteenth year of my pontificate,
Jesus, the Son of Mary, was crucified at Jerusalem."
This curious and interesting record was shown by the present high
priest, who keeps it among the archives of his church, to Dr. El Kary, a
Protestant missionary of Jewish descent and a native of Nablous. The
doctor learned that the old journals of the priests of the Samaritan
synagogue are still in existence, dating back to fifty or sixty years
before Christ was born. It was the custom, he says, of all the high
priests to set down in their books any notable events that happened
during their term of office. He also learned that the tenth Samaritan
high priest was named Shaboth, who lived in the days of our Saviour, and
it was this Shaboth who wrote the record quoted above.
It will be remembered that Jesus visited Samaria in the early part of
His ministry, where He first talked with the woman at Jacob's well, and
afterwards stayed two days in the city, where He attracted public
attention to His preaching, and won many followers. During those days
Shaboth may have become personally acquainted with Him, and, though far
from being His disciple, he would naturally follow Jesus' after-history
and movements with considerable interest.
We gather the above account from the letter of an Eastern correspondent
to the _Advance_ (Chicago), who spent some time in Nablous, and received
the statements from Dr. El Kary.
_Double-Entendre._
This double-entendre was originally published in a Philadelphia
newspaper a hundred years ago. It may be read three different ways:
First, let the whole be read in the order in which it is written;
second, read the lines downward on the left of each comma in every line;
third, in the same manner on the right of each comma. In the first
reading the Revolutionary cause is condemned, and by the others it is
encouraged and lauded—
Hark! Hark! the trumpet sounds, the din of war's alarms,
O'er seas and solid grounds, doth call us all to arms;
Who for King George doth stand, their honors soon shall shine;
Their ruin is at hand, who with the Congress join.
The acts of Parliament, in them I much delight,
I hate their cursed intent, who for the Congress fight;
The Tories of the day, they are my daily toast,
They soon will sneak away, who independence boast;
Who non-resistance hold, they have my hand and heart,
May they for slaves be sold, who act a Whiggish part;
On Mansfield, North and Bute, may daily blessings pour,
Confusion and dispute, on Congress evermore;
To North and British lord, may honors still be done,
I wish a block or cord, to General Washington.
_Changes of Signification._
The meaning of the word _wretch_ is one not generally understood. It was
originally, and is now, in some parts of England, used as a term of
fondest tenderness. This is not the only instance in which words in
their present general acceptation bear a very opposite meaning to what
they did in other times. The word _wench_, formerly, was not used in the
low and vulgar acceptation that it now is.
_Don Quixote's Sheep._
Don Quixote's mistaking two flocks of sheep for two armies is not
without parallel. In Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, written 1516, the hero,
in his madness, falls foul of a flock of sheep.
Still more ancient is "Ajax Mad," a tragedy founded on the madness of
Ajax, because of the armor of Hector being awarded to Ulysses instead of
himself. In his insanity, Ajax fell upon a flock of sheep, driven at
night into the camp, supposing it to be an army led by Ulysses and the
sons of Atreus. On discovering his mistake he stabs himself.
_The Oldest Ballad._
The earliest English ballad is supposed to be the "Cuckoo Song," which
commences in the following style:—
"Sumer is incumen in
Lhude sing cuccu,
Groweth sed, and bloweth med,
And sprigth ye wede nu,
Singe cuccu."
_Two Certificates of Gretna-Green Marriages._
"This is to sartfay all persons that may be consern'd, that A. B., from
the parish of C. in the county of D., and E. F., from the parish of G.,
in the county of H., and both comes before me and declares themselves
both to be single persons, and now mayried by the form of the Kirk of
Scotland, and agreible to the Church of England, and givine ondre my
hand, this 18th day of March 1793."
"Kingdom of Scotland,
"County of Dumfries,
"Parish of Gretna:
"These are to certify, to all whom it may concern, that John N——, from
the parish of Chatham, in the County of Kent, and Rosa H——, from the
parish of St. Maries, in the County of Nottingham, being both here now
present, and having declared to me that they are single persons, but
having now been married conformable to the Laws of the Church of
England, and agreeable to the Kirk of Scotland. As witness our hands at
Springfield, this 4th day of October, 1822.
"Witness me,
"Witness, David Lang.
Jane Rae. John N——.
John Ainsle. Rosa H——."
_Swift's Latin Puns._
Among the nugæ of Dean Swift are his celebrated Latin puns. They consist
entirely of Latin words, but, by allowing for false spelling, and
running the words into each other, the sentences make good sense in
English. The subjoined is one of his best—
Mollis abuti, Moll is a beauty.
Has an acuti, Has an acute eye.
No lasso finis, No lass so fine is.
Molli divinis. Molly divine is.
Omi de armis tres, O my dear mistress.
Imi na dis tres, I'm in distress.
Cantu disco ver Can't you discover.
Meas alo ver? Me as a lover?
_Rhyming Charter._
The following grant of William the Conqueror may be found in Stowe's
_Chronicle_ and in Blount's _Ancient Tenures:_
HOPTON, IN THE COUNTY OF SALOP.
TO THE HEYRS MALE OF THE HOPTON, LAWFULLY BEGOTTEN.
From me and from myne, to thee and to thyne,
While the water runs, and the sun doth shine,
For lack of heyrs to the king againe,
I, William, King, the third year of my reign,
Give to the Norman hunter,
To me that art both line [A] and deare,
The Hop and the Hoptoune,
And all the bounds up and downe,
Under the earth to hell,
Above the earth to heaven,
From me and from myne,
To thee and to thyne;
As good and as faire
As ever they myne were.
To witness that this is sooth,[B]
I bite the white wax with my tooth,
Before Judd, Marode and Margery,
And my third son Henery,
For one bow, and one broad arrow,
When I come to hunt upon the Yarrow.
[A] Related, or by lineage.
[B] True.
_Accidental Rhymes._
In President Lincoln's last inaugural address occurs the following
instance of involuntary rhyme:—
"Fondly do we hope,
Fervently do we pray,
That this mighty scourge of war
May speedily pass away;
Yet, if it be God's will
That it continue until—"
And here the rhyme ceases. Cicero's prose shows, in places, similar
instances of involuntary rhyme.
_Cæsar's Wife must be above Suspicion._
No doubt this proverb originated from a passage in Suetonius, which says
that "the name of Pompeia, the wife of Julius Cæsar, having been mixed
up with an accusation against P. Clodius, her husband divorced her; not,
as he said, because he believed the charge against her, but because he
would have those belonging to him as free from suspicion as from crime."
_Oddly Addressed Letters._.
On one occasion a letter arrived by post in London, directed to
"Sromfridevi, Angleterre." No such person had ever been heard of; but,
on a little consideration, and judging from the sound, it was obvious
that the foreign writer of the letter meant Sir Humphrey Davy, and such
proved to be the case. Some years since there was returned to the French
Dead Letter Office a letter which had gone the round of every seaport in
the Levant, and the ambiguity of whose superscription had baffled a
legion of postmasters. It was addressed, "J. Dubois, Sultan Crete," and
was intended for J. Dubois _Surle_ Tancrede, a quartermaster on board of
the ship _Tancrede_. The name and address had been written just as they
had sounded to the ear. A letter addressed as follows arrived safely at
its destination:—
Wood,
John,
Mass.
It was for John _Under_wood, _Andover_, Massachusetts.
_Amusements of some Learned Men._
Tycho Brahe polished glass for spectacles, and made mathematical
instruments; D'Andilly delighted in forest trees; Balzac, in
manufacturing crayons; Pieresc, in his medals and antiques; the Abbé de
Marolles, in engravings. Rohault's greatest recreation was in watching
different mechanics at their labor; Arnauld and Warburton read trashy
novels for recreation; Montaigne fondled his cat; Cardinal Richelieu
enjoyed leaping.
_Kant's Eccentricity._
Kant was probably the profoundest of metaphysicians that the world has
yet seen. It was his custom, when deeply engaged upon some abstruse
topic, to walk backward and forward, upon a moonlight evening, along the
avenue (bordered on each side with magnificent trees) approaching his
house. He was observed, on one occasion, as he slowly, in deep
meditation, moved backward and forward along the avenue, to leap over
the _shadows_ of the trees as they cast themselves before him in his
meditative walk. The delusion was strong upon him that these same
shadows were _ditches_, and that it was incumbent upon him that he
should _clear_ them, and that precisely in the way he did. Such are the
occasional abberrations of true genius.
_Death Warrant of the Saviour._
Of the many interesting relics brought to light by the researches of
antiquarians, none could be more interesting to Christians than the
following, which is faithfully transcribed—
"Sentence by Pontius Pilate, acting
Governor of Lower Galilee, stating that
Jesus of Nazareth shall suffer death
On the cross.
In the year seventeen of the Emperor Tiberius Cæsar, and the 27th day of
March, the city of the holy Jerusalem—Annas and Caiaphas being priests,
sacrificators of the people of God—Pontius Pilate, Governor of Lower
Galilee, sitting in the presidential chair of the prætory, condemns
Jesus of Nazareth to die on the cross between two thieves, the great and
notorious evidence of the people saying—
1. Jesus is a seducer.
2. He is seditious.
3. He is the enemy of the law.
4. He calls himself falsely the Son of God.
5. He calls himself falsely the King of Israel.
6. He entered into the temple followed by a multitude
bearing palm branches in their hands.
Orders the first centurian, Quilius Cornelius, to lead him to the place
of execution.
Forbids any person whatsoever, either poor or rich, to oppose the death
of Jesus Christ.
The witnesses who signed the condemnation of Jesus are—
1. Daniel Robani, a Pharisee.
2. Joannus Robani.
3. Raphael Robani.
4. Capet, a citizen.
Jesus shall go out of the city of Jerusalem by the gate of Struenus."
The foregoing is engraved on a copper plate, on the reverse of which is
written, "A similar plate is sent to each tribe." It was found in an
antique marble vase, while excavating in the ancient city of Aquilla, in
the kingdom of Naples, in 1810, and was discovered by the Commissioners
of Arts of the French Army. At the expedition of Naples, it was enclosed
in a box of ebony and preserved in the sacristy of the Carthusians. The
French translation was made by the Commissioners of Arts. The original
is in the Hebrew language.
_Quaint Recipes._
The following recipes are taken from a work entitled "New Curiosities in
Art and Nature, or a collection of the most valuable Secrets in all Arts
and Sciences. Composed and Experimented by Sieur Lemery, Apothecary to
the French King. London, 1711."
_To Make one Wake or Sleep._—You must cut off, dexterously, the head of
a toad alive, and at once, and let it dry, observing that one eye be
shut and the other open; that which is found open makes one wake, and
that shut causes sleep, by carrying it about one.
_Preservative against the Plague._—Take three or four great toads,
seven or eight spiders, and as many scorpions, put them into a pot well
stopp'd, and let them lye some time; then add virgin-wax, make a good
fire till all become a liquor; then mingle them all with a spatula, and
make an ointment, and put it into a silver box well stopp'd, being well
assured that while you carry it about you, you will never be infected
with the plague.
These recipes indicate the delusion which prevailed with respect to
certain nostrums as late as 1711.
_Chronological Table of Remarkable Events._
The following curious table is taken from Arthur Hopton'a "Concordancie
of Years," 1615:—
1077—A blazing star on Palm Sunday, near the sun.
1100—The yard (measure) made by Henry I.
1116—The moone seemed turned into bloud.
1128—Men wore haire like women.
1180—Paris in France, and London in Englande, paued, and
thatching in both left, because all Luberick was spoiled
thereby with fire.
1189—Robin Hood and Little John lived. This yeare London
obtained to be gouerned by Sheriffes and Maiors.
1205—By reason of a frost from January to March wheate
was sold for a marke the quarter, which before was at
twelve pence.—_Anno Regni_ 6. John.
1209—London bridge builded with stone; and this yeare the
citizens of London had a grant to choose them a maior.
1227—The citizens of London had libertie to hunt a certain
distance about the citie, and to pass toll-free through
England.
1231—Thunder lasted fifteen daies; beginning the morrow
after St. Martin's day.
1233—Four sunnes appeared, beside the true sunne, of a red
colour.
1235—The Jews of Norwich stole a boy and circumcised him,
minding to have him crucified at Easter.
1247—The king farmed Queene-hiue for fifty pounds per
annum, to the citizens.
1252—Great tempests upon the sea, and fearful; and this
year the king (Henry III.) granted, that wheretofore
the citizens of London were to present the maior before
the king, wheresoeuer he were, that now barons of the
exchequer should serue (serve).
1292—The Jews corrupting England with vsury, had first a
badge giuen them to weare, that they might be knowne,
and after were banished to the number of 150,000
persons.
1313—This yeare the king of France burned all his leporous
and pocky people, as well men as women; for that
he supposed they had poysoned the waters, which
caused his leprosie. About this time, also, the Jews
had a purpose to poyson all the Christians, by poysoning
all their springs.
1361—Men and beasts perished in diuers places with thunder
and lightning, and fiends were seene speake unto men
as they trauelled.
1386—The making of gunnes found; and rebels in Kent and
Essex, who entered London, beheaded all lawyers, and
burnt houses and all bookes of law.
1388—Picked shoes, tyed to their knees with siluer chains,
were vsed. And women with long gownes rode in
side-saddles, like the queen, that brought side-saddles
first to England; for before they rode astrid.
1401—Pride exceeding in monstrous apparrell.
1411—Guildhall in London begun.
1417—A decree for lantherne and candle-light in London.
1427—Rain from the 1st of Aprill to Hollontide.
_Hymn in the Form of a Cross._
The following hymn was composed by a Christian monk during the middle
ages:—
THE CROSS.
Blest they who seek
While in their youth,
With spirit meek,
The way of truth.
To them the sacred Scriptures now display
Christ as the only true and living way;
His precious blood on Calvary was given
To make them heirs of endless bliss in heaven.
And e'en on earth the child of God can trace
The glorious blessings of his Saviour's face.
For them He bore
His Father's frown,
For them He wore
The thorny crown;
Nailed to the cross,
Endured its pain
That His life's loss
Might be their gain.
Then haste to choose
That better part,
Nor dare refuse
The Lord your heart,
Lest He declare—
"I know you not!"
And deep despair
Shall be your lot.
Now look to Jesus who on Calvary died,
And trust on Him alone who there was crucified.
_Curious Piece of Antiquity, on the Crucifixion of our Saviour and the
two Thieves._
┌────┐
│ │
│ │
│INRI│
│ │
│ │
┌──────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────┐
│ My God! My God! vers of my tears │
└──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┘
I come to Thee; │ │bow down thy blessed ears
To hear me, wretch, oh │ │let thine eyes, which sleep
Did never close, │ │behold a sinner weep.
Let not, O God! │ │my God! my faults, though great
And numberless, bet │ w │een thy mercy─seat
And my poor soul be t │ h │rown, since we are taught.
│ │
┌────┐ │ │ ┌────┐
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
┌────┘ └────┐ │ │ ┌────┘ └────┐
Thou,│Lord! remember│ est th │ y │ne, │If thou beest │sought.
└────┐ ┌────┘ │ │ └────┐ ┌────┘
I co │ me │not, Lord, wit │ h │any o │the │r merit
Than │ wh │at I by my S │ a │viour │ Ch │rist inherit:
Be th │ en │his wound │ s │my balm, his st │ ri │pes my bliss,
My crown his │ th │orns, my dea │ t │h be lo │ st │in his,
And th │ ou │my bles │ t │Redeemer, │ Sa │viour God!
Quit my ac │ co │unts, with │ h │old thy │ v │engeful rod;
O beg for │ me │my h │ o │pes on the │ e │are set,
Thou Chri │ st │forgi │ u │e, as well as pay │ th │e debt.
The liv │ in │g fount, the li│ f │e, the wa │ y │I know;
And but │ to │thee │ o │whither │ s │hould I go?
All o │ th │er helps a │ r │e vain, giv │ e │thine to me;
For by th │ y │cross my │ s │aving hea │ l │th must be.
Oh hear │ k │en then, wh │ a │t I with │ f │aith implore,
Lest s │ in │and death sin │ k │me forev │ e │r more.
Oh Lord! my │ G │od! my way │ e │s direct │ a │nd keep,
In │ d │eath defe │ n │d that from thee I│ n │e'er slip;
And at the do│ om │let │ m │e be raise │ d │then,
To liv │ e │with the │ e.│Sweet Jes │ us │say, Amen!
└────┘ └────┘ └────┘
EXPLANATION.
The middle cross represents our Saviour; those on either side, the two
thieves. On the top and down the middle cross are our Saviour's
expression, "My God! My God! why hast thou forsaken me?" and on the top
of the cross is the Latin inscription "INRI"—Jesus Nazarenus Rex
Judæorum, _i. e._ Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Upon the cross on
the right-hand is the prayer of one of the thieves:—"Lord! remember me
when thou comest into thy kingdom." On the left-hand cross is the
saying, or reproach, of the other: "If thou beest the Christ, save
thyself and us." The whole, comprised together, makes a piece of
excellent poetry, which is to be read across all the columns, and makes
as many lines as there are letters in the alphabet. It is perhaps one of
the most curious pieces of composition to be found on record.
_Copy of a Letter written by Cardinal Richelieu to the French Ambassador
at Rome._
First read the letter across, then double it in the middle, and read the
first column.
SIR.—Mons. Compigne, a Savoyard by birth, a Friar of the order of Saint Benedict,
is the man who will present to you as his passport to your protection,
this letter. He is one of the most discreet, the wisest and the least
meddling persons that I have ever known or have had the pleasure to converse with.
He has long earnestly solicited me to write to you in his favor, and
to give him a suitable character, together with a letter of credence;
which I have accordingly granted to his real merit, rather I must say, than to
his importunity; for, believe me, Sir, his modesty is only exceeded by his worth,
I should be sorry that you should be wanting in serving him on account of being
misinformed of his real character; I should be afflicted if you were
as some other gentlemen have been, misled on that score, who now esteem him,
and those among the best of my friends; wherefore, and from no other motive
I think it my duty to advertise you that you are most particularly desired,
to have especial attention to all he does, to show him all the respect imaginable,
nor venture to say any thing before him, that may either offend or displease him
in any sort; for I may truly say, there is no man I love so much as M. Compigne,
none whom I should more regret to see neglected, as no one can be more worthy to be
received and trusted in decent society. Base, therefore, would it be to injure him.
And I well know, that as soon as you are made sensible of his virtues, and
shall become acquainted with him you will love him as I do; and then
you will thank me for this my advice. The assurance I entertain of your
Courtesy obliges me to desist from urging this matter to you further, or
saying any thing more on this subject. Believe me, Sir, &c., RICHELIEU.
_Passage through the Isthmus of Panama, Suggested Three Hundred Years
Ago._
In the Town Library (_Stadt Bibliothek_) of Nuremberg is preserved an
interesting globe, made by John Schoner, professor of mathematics in the
gymnasium there, A. D. 1520. It is very remarkable that the passage
through the Isthmus of Panama, so much sought after in later times, is,
on this old globe, carefully delineated.
_A False Conclusion._
Amongst the _deliramenta_ of the learned, which have amused mankind, the
following deserves a place:—
In 1815 a noted London professor occupied a window which overlooked the
college garden. Amid the trees in the latter a number of rooks had taken
up their abode. A young gentleman, who lodged in an attic opposite,
frequently amused himself by shooting the rooks with a cross-bow. The
professor noticed that the birds frequently dropped senseless from their
perches, no sound being heard, no person being visible. It was a strange
phenomenon, and he set his wits to work to account for the cause of it.
At length he became fully satisfied that he had made a great
ornithological discovery which would add vastly to his fame. He actually
wrote a _learned treatise_, stating what he had seen, and declaring that
it was a settled conviction in his mind that _rooks_ were subject to
_falling sickness_.
_Posies from Wedding Rings._
_Hamlet._—Is this a prologue, or a posy of a ring?
The following posies were transcribed by an indefatigable collector,
from old wedding rings, chiefly of the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries. The orthography is, in most cases, altered:—
Death never parts
Such loving hearts.
In thee, my choice,
I do rejoice. 1677.
A heart content
Need ne'er repent.
All I refuse,
And thee I choose.
In thee, dear wife,
I find new life.
This ring doth bind
Body and mind.
Joy day and night
Be our delight.
Endless as this,
Shall be our bliss. 1719.
God alone
Made us two one.
I change the life
Of maid to wife.
No gift can show
The love I owe.
In love abide,
Till death divide.
_Private Expenses of Charles II._
Malone, the well-known editor of Shakespeare, possessed a curious
volume—an account of the privy expenses of Charles II., kept by Baptist
May. A few extracts from Malone's transcripts are here subjoined:—
£ _s._ _d._
My Lord St. Alban's bill, 1,746 18 11
Lady Castlemaine's debts, 1,116 1 0
For grinding cocoanuts, 5 8 0
Paid Lady C, play-money, 300 0 0
For a band of music, 50 0 0
For a receipt for chocolate 227 0 0
Lady C, play-money, 300 0 0
Mr. Knight, for bleeding the king, 10 0 0
Mr. Price, for milking the asses, 10 0 0
Lady C, play-money, 300 0 0
To one that showed tumbler's tricks, 5 7 6
For weighing the King, 1 0 0
The Queen's allowance, 1,250 0 0
Lost by the King at play on twelfth-night, 220 0 0
Nell Gwyn, 100 0 0
For 3,685 ribbons for healing, 107 10 4
Lord Landerdale, for ballads, 5 0 0
Paid what was borrowed for the Countess
of Castlemaine, 1,650 0 0
_First Brick House in Philadelphia._
The following editorial announcement is taken from the Philadelphia
_Weekly Mercury_ of November 30th, 1752, because it is a novelty in its
way, and also affords an insight into the degree of communication which
existed at the time between large towns and the provinces:—
"On Monday next the Northern Post sets out from New York, in order to
perform his stage but once a fortnight, during the winter quarter; the
Southern Post changes also, which will cause this paper to come out on
Tuesdays during that time. The colds which have infested the Northern
Colonies have also been troublesome here; few families have escaped the
same, several have been carry'd off by the cold, among whom was David
Brintnall, in the 77th year of his age; he was the first man that had a
brick house in the city of Philadelphia, and was much esteem'd for his
just and upright dealing. There goes a report here that the Lord
Baltimore and his lady are arrived in Maryland, but the Southern Post
being not yet come in, the said report wants confirmation."
_The Pillory in Philadelphia._
Among the local items of news in the _Pennsylvania Gazette_, published
in Philadelphia, and bearing date of November 4th, 1772, is recorded the
following:—
"At the Mayor's Court, held in this city last week, John Underwood, for
counterfeiting and passing counterfeit money, of this province, was
ordered to be whipt, stand in the pillory, and have both his ears cut
off and nailed to the post; others were ordered to be whipt and stand in
the pillory for divers felonies, and five more to receive the discipline
of the post, which was put in execution on Saturday last."
_One Hundred Years too Soon._
The following appears in _Baker's Chronicle, sub anno 1524_:
"In this yeere, through bookes of prognostications, fore-showing much
hurt by waters and floods, many persons withdrew themselves to high
grounds for feare of drowning; specially one Bolton, prior of St.
Bartholomew's, in Smithfield, builded him an house upon Harrow on the
hill, and thither went and made provision for two moneths. These great
waters should have fallen in February, but, no such thing happening, the
astronomers excused themselves by saying, that, in the computation, they
had miscounted in their number an hundred yeeres."
_The Manner of Watchmen Imitating the Clock at Herrnhuth, in Germany._
VIII.—Past eight o'clock! O, Herrnhuth, do thou ponder;
Eight souls in Noah's Ark were living yonder.
IX.—'Tis nine o'clock! ye brethren, hear it striking;
Keep hearts and houses clean, to our Saviour's liking.
X.—Now, brethren, hear, the clock is ten and passing;
None rest but such as wait for Christ's embracing.
XI.—Eleven is past! Still at this hour eleven
The Lord is calling us from earth to heaven.
XII.—Ye brethren, hear, the midnight clock is humming;
At midnight our great Bridegroom will be coming.
I.—Past one o'clock! The day breaks out of darkness;
Great Morning Star appear, and break our hardness.
II.—'Tis two! On Jesus wait this silent season,
Ye two so near related, Will and Reason.
III.—The clock is three! The blessed three doth merit
The best of praise, from body, soul and spirit.
IV.—'Tis four o'clock! When three make supplication,
The Lord will be the fourth on that occasion.
V.—Five is the clock! Five virgins were discarded,
While five with wedding garments were rewarded.
VI.—The clock is six, and I go off my station.
Now, brethren, _watch yourselves for your salvation_.
_Household Rules in the Sixteenth Century._
From Sir J. Harrington's (the translator of Ariosto) rules for servants,
we obtain a very clear conception of the internal government of a
country gentleman's house in 1566—
A servant who is absent from prayers to be fined.
For uttering an oath, 1_d._; and the same sum for leaving a door open.
A fine of 2_d._ from Michaelmas to Lady Day, for all who are in bed
after seven, or out after nine.
A fine of 1_d._ for any bed unmade, fire unlit, or candle-box uncleaned,
after eight.
A fine of 4_d._ for a man detected teaching the children obscene words.
A fine of 1_d._ for any man waiting without a trencher, or who is absent
at a meal.
For any one breaking any of the butler's glass, 12_d._
A fine of 2_d._ for any one who has not laid the table for dinner by
half-past ten, or the supper by six.
A fine of 4_d._ for any one absent without leave.
For any man striking another, a fine of 1_d._
For any follower visiting the cook, 1_d._
A fine of 1_d._ for any man appearing in a foul shirt, untied shoes, or
torn doublet.
A fine of 1_d._ for any stranger's room left for four hours after he has
dressed.
A fine of 1_d._ if the hall be not cleansed by eight in winter and seven
in summer.
The porter to be fined 1_d._ if the court-gate be not shut during meals.
A fine of 3_d._ if the stairs be not cleaned every Friday after dinner.
All these fines were deducted by the steward at the quarterly payment of
wages.
_Hindoo Oaths._
The Hindoos regard the Ganges as a sacred river. It is a common practice
in British Courts to "swear" Hindoo witnesses upon the waters of the
Ganges, just as Christians are sworn upon the Bible.
_Saturday a Fatal Day to the Royal Family of England._
Saturday has been a fatal day to the royal family of England during the
last hundred and sixty years, as is shown by the following list:—
William III. died Saturday, March 18th, 1702.
Queen Anne died Saturday, August 1st, 1714.
George I. died Saturday, June 10th, 1727.
George II. died Saturday, October 25th, 1760.
George III. died Saturday, January 29th, 1820.
George IV. died Saturday, June 26th, 1830.
Duchess of Kent died Saturday, March 16th, 1861.
Prince Albert died Saturday, December 14th, 1861.
Princess Alice died Saturday, December 14th, 1878.
_Edicts Against Fiddlers._
An idea may be formed of the strictness with which all popular
amusements were prohibited when the Puritans had the ascendency, from
the fact that in 1656-7 Oliver Cromwell prohibited all persons called
fiddlers or minstrels from playing, fiddling or making music in any inn,
ale-house or tavern, etc. If they proffered themselves, or offered to
make music, they were adjudged to be rogues and vagabonds, and were to
be proceeded against as such.
_John O'Gaunt's Will._
Perhaps the shortest deed of land by a will in the world is the
following:—
"I, John of Gaunt,
Do give and do grant
To John of Burgoyne
And the heirs of his loin,
Both Sutton and Potton
Until the world's rotten."
It is by this tenure, it is said, that the estates of Sutton and Potton,
in the county of Bedford, England, are now held by the house of
Burgoyne.
_Eccentric Will._
Mr. Tuke, of Wath, near Rotherham, England, who died in 1810, bequeathed
one penny to every child that attended his funeral (there came from six
to seven hundred); 1_s._ to every poor woman in Wath; 10_s._ 6_d._ to
the ringers to ring one peal of grand bobs, which was to strike off
while they were putting him into the grave. To his natural daughter, £4
4_s._ per annum. To his old and faithful servant, Joseph Pitt, £21 per
annum. To an old woman who had for eleven years tucked him up in bed, £1
1_s._ only. Forty dozen penny loaves to be thrown from the church leads
at twelve o'clock on Christmas day forever. Two handsome brass
chandeliers for the church, and £20 for a set of new chimes.
_Curious Custom at Strasbourg._
At Strasbourg they exhibit a large French horn, the history of which is
as follows:—
About four hundred years ago the Jews formed a conspiracy to betray the
city, and with this identical horn they intended to give the enemy
notice when to attack. The plot, however, was discovered; many of the
Jews were burnt alive; the rest were plundered of their money and
effects, and banished the town. This horn is sounded twice every night
from the battlements of the steeple in gratitude for the deliverance.
The Jews deny the facts of this story, excepting the murdering and
pillaging of their countrymen. They say the whole story is fabricated to
furnish a pretext for the robberies and murders, and assert that the
steeple of Strasbourg, as has been said of the monument of London,
"Like a tall bully lifts the head and lies."
_Tooth-Picks._
In the fourteenth century it was the fashion to carry tooth-picks of
silver suspended round the neck by a chain.
_Phantom Menageries._
"The Magick of Kirami, King of Persia, and of Harpocration," printed in
the year 1685, contains the following:—
"The hyena is a four-footed animal, savage and ambiguous; for this
creature is born female, and, after a year, turns male, and then, for
the next year, turns female again, and brings forth and gives suck; and
the gall of this animal, being sweet, has efficacy for a miracle; and a
great miracle is made of it; and this is the composition: Take the eyes
of the fish glaucus, and the right eye of the said hyena, and all that
is liquid of the said hyena; dissolve all together, and pot it up in a
glass vessel, covering it well. If, therefore, you will show a great
miracle, when you have set a light, mix the fat of any creeping thing,
or four-footed beast you please, with a little of the foresaid
composition; if you anoint the wick of the lamp or candle, they will
think it is the beast of which it is the fat, whether of a lion, bull,
serpent, or any other creature. If you put a little of the confection
upon burning coals, in the middle of the house, the beast will appear
whose fat you mixed with it. And you may do the same with birds. And if
you mix a little sea-water with the composition, and sprinkle among the
guests, they will all fly, thinking that the sea is in the midst of
them."
_Curious Law._
The following curious law was enacted during the reign of Richard I.,
for the government of those going by sea to the Holy Land: "He who kills
a man on shipboard, shall be bound to the dead body and thrown into the
sea; if the man is killed on shore, the slayer shall be bound to the
dead body and buried with it. He who shall draw his knife to strike
another, or who shall have drawn blood from him, to lose his hand; if he
shall have only struck with the palm of the hand, without drawing blood,
he shall be thrice ducked in the sea."
_Curious Historical Coincidence._
The following curious historical coincidence has been remarked in the
life of Thomas a-Becket, who was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by
Henry II.:—
The dignity was conferred upon him on a Tuesday; Tuesday brought him
face to face with the peers of Northampton; he was banished from England
on a Tuesday; he had a celestial visit on a Tuesday, foretelling his
"martyrdom;" he came home from exile on a Tuesday; he was slain at the
altar on a Tuesday, and was canonized as a saint on a Tuesday.
_Born within the Sound of Bow Bells._
One of the most celebrated peals of bells in London is that of St.
Mary-le-bow, Cheapside, which forms the basis of a proverbial expression
meant to mark emphatically a London nativity. Brand speaks of a
substantial endowment by a citizen for the ringing of Bow-bells every
morning to wake up the London apprentices.
_Refreshments for the Pulpit._
In the books of Darlington parish church, the following items appear,
which show that, in the olden time, provision was made for comforting
the inner man:—
"Six quarts of sack to the minister who preached when he had no minister
to assist, 9_s._; for a quart of sack bestowed on Jillett, when he
preached, 2_s._ 6_d._; for pint of brandy when George Bell preached
here, 1_s._ 4_d._; for a stranger who preached, a dozen of ale. When the
Dean of Durham preached here, spent in a treat in the house, 3_s._
6_d._"
_Birthdays._
It is not generally known that the custom of keeping birthdays is many
thousand years old. It is recorded in the fortieth chapter of Genesis,
twentieth verse: "And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's
birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants."
_Toppling Flower Pots._
An Act of Parliament was passed to "put down" the flower pots, "which
were accustomed to topple on the _walkers'_ heads, from the windows of
houses wherein flower-fanciers dwelt."
_Electioneering in 1640._
In Sir Henry Slingsby's diary is the following entry respecting the
election at Knaresborough, in 1640: "There is an evil custom at such
elections, to bestow wine on all the town, which cost me sixteen pounds
at least."
_Monks Ordered to Shave._
In the year 1200 the Council of Lateran ordered the monks to shave off
their beards, "lest in the ceremony of receiving the sacrament, the
beard might touch the bread and wine, or crumbs and drops fall and stick
upon it."
_Odd Bill for Repairs._
One meets with curious things in the old church registers of England.
The subjoined, in the Record Office of Winchester Cathedral, dated 1182,
is certainly unique. It is a bill for work done:—
_s._ _d._
To soldering and repairing St. Joseph, 0 8
To cleaning and ornamenting the Holy Ghost, 0 6
To repairing the Virgin Mary and cleaning the child, 4 8
To screwing a nose on the Devil, and putting in the hair
on his head, and placing a new joint in his tail, 5 6
_Antiquity of Riddles._
Riddles are of the highest antiquity. The oldest one on record is in the
book of Judges, xiv. 14-18. We are told by Plutarch that the girls of
his time worked at netting or sewing, and the most ingenious made
riddles. The following riddle is attributed to Cleobolus, one of the
seven wise men of Greece, who lived about 570 years before the birth of
Christ:—
"There is a father with twice six sons; these sons have thirty daughters
apiece, parti-colored, having one cheek white and the other black, who
never see each other's faces, nor live more than twenty-four hours."
_Cashing Lottery Prizes._
In the State Lottery of 1739, tickets, chances and shares were "bought
and sold by Richard Shergold, printer, at his office at the Union
Coffee-house over and against the Royal Exchange, Cornhill." He
advertised that he kept numerical books during the drawing, and a book
wherein buyers might register their numbers at sixpence each; that
_fifteen per cent. was to be deducted_ out of the prizes, which were to
be paid at the bank in fifty days after the drawing. The heavy
percentage demanded occasioned the following epigram:—
"This lottery can never thrive,"
Was broker heard to say,
"For who but fools will ever give
Fifteen per cent. to play?"
A sage, with his accustomed grin,
Replied, "I'll stake my doom,
That if but half the fools come in
The wise will find no room!"
_Lottery for Women in India._
_Advertisement._—BE IT KNOWN, that SIX FAIR PRETTY YOUNG LADIES, with
two sweet and engaging young children, lately imported from Europe,
having roses of health blooming on their cheeks and joy sparkling in
their eyes, possessing amiable manners and highly accomplished, whom the
most indifferent cannot behold without expressions of rapture, are to be
RAFFLED FOR next door to the British gallery. SCHEME: _Twelve tickets_
at twelve rupees each; the highest of the three throws takes the most
fascinating, &c., &c.—_Calcutta Newspaper of September 3rd_, 1818.
_Ancient Lottery._
In 1612, King James I., "in special favour for the plantation of English
colonies in Virginia, granted a Lottery to be held at the west end of
St. Paul's; whereof one Thomas Sharplys, a taylor of London, had the
chief prize, which was four thousand crowns in fair plate."—_Baker's
Chronicles._
_Child Played For._
In October, 1735, a child of James and Elizabeth Leesh, of
Chester-le-street, in the county of Durham, was _played for at cards_,
at the sign of the Salmon, one game, four shillings against the child,
by Henry and John Trotter, Robert Thomson and Thomas Ellison, which was
won by the latter two and delivered to them accordingly.—_Syke's Local
Records_, page 79.
_Lotteries._
The change in public opinion respecting lotteries is strikingly
illustrated by the following entry in the day-book kept by the Rev.
Samuel Seabury, father of the first Protestant Episcopal Bishop in the
United States: "June, 1768. The ticket number 5866, by the blessing of
God, in the Lighthouse and Public Lottery of New York, appointed by law,
Anno Domini, 1763, drew in my favor £500 0_s._ 0_d._, of which I
received £425 0_s._ 0_d._, which, with the deduction of fifteen per
cent., makes £500, for which I now record to my Posterity my thanks and
praise to Almighty God the giver of all good gifts. Amen!"
_Babes in the Wood._
This popular legend was a disguised recital of the reported murder of
his young nephews by Richard III. Throughout the tale there is a marked
resemblance to several leading facts connected with the king and his
brother's children, as well as a correspondence with historical details.
In an old black-letter copy of the ballad there is a rude
representation of a stag, which is significant, because a stag was the
badge of the unfortunate Edward V.
_A Little Bird Told Me._
This expression comes from Ecclesiastes x. 20: "For a bird of the air
shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter."
_Dead Drunk for Twopence._
From the "Gentleman's Magazine" (1736), we learn that at some of the
taverns where the poorer classes drank to excess, the signs bore the
following inscription: "_Drunk for a penny, dead drunk for twopence,
clean straw for nothing._" This record gives reality to the inscription
in Hogarth's print of "Gin-lane."
_How the Prophecy of the Destruction of Bath came About._
On the 30th of March, 1809, the destruction of the city of Bath was to
have been effected by a convulsion of the earth, which should cause
"Beaconhill to meet Beechen Cliff." This inauspicious juncture was said
to have been foretold by an old woman who had derived her information
from an angel. This reported prophecy rendered many of the inhabitants
uneasy, and instigated crowds of visitors to quit the city. The
portentous hour—twelve o'clock—passed, and the believers were ashamed
of their credulity. The alarm is said to have originated with two noted
cock-feeders, who lived near the before-mentioned hills; they had been
at a public house, and, after much boasting on both sides, made a match
to fight their favorite cocks on Good Friday; but fearing the
magistrates might interfere, if it became public, they named the cocks
after their respective walks, and in the agreement it was specified that
"Mount Beacon would meet Beechen Cliff, precisely at 12 o'clock on Good
Friday." The match was mentioned with cautions of secresy to their
sporting friends, who repeated it in the same terms, and with the same
caution, until it came to the ears of some credulous beings, who took
the words in their plain sense; and, as stories seldom lose by being
repeated, each added what fear or fancy framed, until the report became
a marvellous prophecy, which in its intended sense was fulfilled; for
the cocks of Mount Beacon and Beechen Cliff met and fought, and left
their hills behind them on their ancient sites, to the comfort and joy
of multitudes who had been disturbed by the epidemical
prediction.—_Hone._
_Drop-Letter Retort._
An old gentleman by the name of Page, having found a young lady's glove
at a watering place, presented it to her with the following couplet:—
"If you from your glove take the letter G,
Your glove leaves love, which I devote to thee."
To which the lady returned the following answer:—
"If from your page you take the letter P,
Your page is age, and that won't do for me."
_Dean Swift's Marriage Ceremony._
Dean Swift was applied to, at a late hour on a stormy night, after he
had gone to bed, by a run-away couple, to be married. He answered the
call from his upper chamber window. He told them that as he was
undressed, the weather very threatening, and they, he presumed, in a
hurry, he would marry them as they stood. After asking the necessary
questions, he said—
"Under this window, in stormy weather,
I marry this man and woman together;
Let none but Him who rules the thunder
Put this man and woman asunder."
_Pious Guide-Posts._
In olden times the guide-posts not only pointed out the road, but
furnished texts and maxims upon which to meditate. The following
inscriptions were upon guide-posts in Devonshire, England:—
_To Woodbury, Topsham, Exeter._—Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and
all her paths are peace.
_To Brixton, Ottery, Honiton._—O hold up our goings in thy paths, that
our footsteps slip not.
_To Otterton, Sidmouth, A. D. 1743._—O that our ways were made to
direct, that we might keep thy statutes.
_To Budleigh._—Make us to go in the paths of thy commandments, for
therein is our desire.
_A Bogus Dragon._
A curious anecdote of Jacob Bobart, keeper of the physic garden of
Oxford, England, occurs in one of Grey's notes to _Hudibras:_ "He made a
dead rat resemble the common picture of a dragon, by altering its head
and tail, and thrusting in taper sharp sticks, which distended the skin
on each side till it resembled wings. He let it dry as hard as possible.
The learned immediately pronounced it a dragon, and one of them sent an
accurate description of it to Dr. Magliabecchi, librarian to the Grand
Duke of Tuscany; several fine copies of verses were written on so rare a
subject. At last Mr. Bobart owned the cheat; however, it was looked upon
as a master-piece of art, and, as such, was deposited in the museum."
_Donation to a Fair._
On one occasion Oliver Wendell Holmes sent a letter to the post-office
of a ladies' fair at Pittsfield. On the first page he wrote—
"Fair lady, whoso'er thou art,
Turn this poor leaf with tenderest care,
And hush, Oh hush, thy breathing heart—
The _one_ thou lovest will be there."
On turning the "poor leaf" there was found a one dollar bill with the
subjoined verse—
"Fair lady, lift thine eyes and tell
If this is not a truthful letter?
This is the one (1) thou lovest well,
And nought (0) can make thee love it better."
_Confectionery Decorations._
Probably the ancients exceeded us in the art of decorating
confectionery. After each course in solemn feasts there was a
"subtilty." Subtilties were representations of castles, giants, saints,
knights, ladies and beasts, all raised in pastry, upon which legends and
coat-armor were painted in their proper colors. At the festival, on the
coronation of Henry VI., in 1429, there was a "subtilty" of St. Edward
and St. Louis, "armed, and upon either his coat-armor, holding between
them a figure of King Henry, standing also in his coat-armor, and an
inscription passing from both, saying, 'Beholde twoe perfecte kynges
vnder one coate-armoure.'"—_Fabyan-Dallaway's Heraldic Inq._
_Superscription to a Letter._
A letter upon which the following was written, passed through the
Atlanta (Ga.) post-office:—
"Steal not this for fear of shame—
There is no money in the same;
True, it does a check contain,
But 'tis for baggage on a train."
_In Search of a Looking-Glass._
"When I was last in Lisbon, a nun made her escape from the nunnery. The
first thing for which she inquired, when she reached the house in which
she was to be secreted, was a looking-glass. She had entered the convent
when only five years old, and from that time had never seen her own
face."—_Southey._
_Bleeding for Nothing._
"Whereas, the majority of Apothecaries in Boston have agreed to pull
down the price of Bleeding to sixpence, let these certifie that Mr.
Richard Clarke, Apothecary, will bleed anybody at his shop,
gratis."—_Stamford Mercury_, March 28th, 1716.
_An Astonished Lawyer._
A curious instance occurred of a witness confounding a counsel, at
Gloucester, England, some years ago. The witness, on being asked his
name, gave it as Ottiwell Woodd. The learned counsel did not seem to
catch it, though it was several times pronounced. "Spell it, sir, if you
please," he said, somewhat angrily. The witness complied as follows:
"O-double t-i-double you-e-double l-double you-double o-double d." The
spelling confounded the lawyer more than ever, and in his confusion,
amid the laughter of the court, he took the witness aside to help him to
spell it after him.
_Duels Fought by Clergymen._
In England, in 1764, the Rev. Mr. Hill was killed in a duel by Cornet
Gardener, of the carbineers. The Rev. Mr. Bates fought two duels, and
was subsequently created a baronet, and preferred to a deanery after he
had fought another duel. The Rev. Mr. Allen killed a Mr. Delany in a
duel in Hyde Park, without incurring ecclesiastical censure, though the
judge, on account of his extremely bad conduct, strongly charged his
guilt upon the jury.
_A Singular Coincidence._
On the 13th of February, 1746, as the records of the French criminal
jurisprudence inform us, one Jean Marie Dunbarry was brought to the
scaffold for murdering his father; and, strangely enough, on the 13th of
February, 1846, precisely one hundred years later, another Jean Marie
Dunbarry, a great-grandson of the first-mentioned criminal, paid the
same penalty for the same crime.
_Tavern Screens._
Centuries ago, the doors of taverns had an interior screen, similar to
those in use at the present day. Lounging was just as much in vogue. In
Clare's "Shepherd's Calender," we read—
"Now, musing o'er the changing scene,
Farmers behind the tavern screen
Collect; with elbow idly press'd
On hob, reclines the corner's guest,
Reading the news, to mark again
The bankrupt lists, or price of grain,
Puffing the while his red-tipt pipe,
He dreams o'er troubles nearly ripe;
Yet, winter's leisure to regale,
Hopes better times, and sips his ale."
_Ancient Antipathy to Red Hair._
Ages before the time of Judas, red hair was thought a mark of
reprobation, both in the case of Typhon, who deprived his brother of the
sceptre in Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar, who acquired it in expiation of
his atrocities. Even the donkey tribe suffered from this ill-omened
visitation, according to the proverb of "wicked as a red ass." Asses of
that color were held in such detestation among the Copths, that every
year they sacrificed one by hurling it from a high wall.
_Lightning-Prints._
Lightning-prints are appearances sometimes found on the skin of men or
animals that are struck by lightning, and are currently believed to be
photographic representations of surrounding objects or scenery.
At Candelaria, in Cuba, in 1828, a young man was struck dead by
lightning near a house, on one of the windows of which was nailed a
horse-shoe; and the image of the horse-shoe was said to be distinctly
printed upon the neck of the young man. On the 14th of November, 1830,
lightning struck the Chateau Benatonière, in Lavendèe. At the time a
lady happened to be seated on a chair in the salon, and on the back of
her dress were printed minutely the ornaments on the back of the chair.
In September, 1857, a peasant-girl, while herding a cow in the
department of Seine-et-Marne, was overtaken by a thunder-storm. She took
refuge under a tree, and the tree, the cow and herself were struck with
lightning. The cow was killed, but she recovered, and on loosening her
dress for the sake of respiring freely, she saw a picture of the cow
upon her breast.
_No Buttons but Brass Buttons._
There is a curious law extant in England in regard to brass buttons. It
is, by Acts of Parliament passed in three reigns, (William III., Anne
and George I.), illegal for a tailor to make, or mortal to wear, clothes
with any other buttons appended thereto but buttons of brass. The law
was put in force for the benefit of the button-makers of Birmingham; and
it further enacts, not only that he who makes or sells garments with any
but brass buttons thereto affixed, shall pay a penalty of forty
shillings for every dozen, but that he shall not be able to recover the
price he claims, if the wearer thinks proper to resist payment. The Act
is not a dead letter. Not more than thirty years ago a Mr. Shirley sued
a Mr. King for nine pounds sterling due for a suit of clothes. King
pleaded non-liability on the ground of an illegal transaction, the
buttons on the garments supplied being made of cloth, or bone covered
with cloth, instead of glittering brass, as the law directs. The judge
allowed the plea; and the defendant having thus gained a double suit
without cost, immediately proceeded against the plaintiff to recover his
share of the forty shillings for every dozen buttons which the poor
tailor had unwittingly supplied. A remarkable feature in the case was,
that the judge who admitted the plea, the barrister who set it up, and
the client who profited by it, were themselves all buttoned contrary to
law!
_Curious Signs in New York._
One may see in the shop-windows of a Fourth avenue confectioner, "Pies
Open All Night." An undertaker in the same thoroughfare advertises,
"Everything Requisite for a First-class Funeral." A Bowery placard
reads, "Home-made Dining Rooms, Family Oysters." A West Broadway
_restaurateur_ sells "Home-made Pies, Pastry and Oysters." A Third
avenue "dive" offers for sale "Coffee and Cakes off the Griddle," and an
East Broadway caterer retails "Fresh Salt Oysters" and "Larger Beer." A
Fulton street tobacconist calls himself a "Speculator in Smoke," and a
purveyor of summer drinks has invented a new draught, which he calls by
the colicky name of "Æolian Spray." A Sixth avenue barber hangs out a
sign reading "Boots Polished Inside," and on Varick street, near
Carmine, there are "Lessons Given on the Piano, with use for Practice.",
"Cloth Cutt and Bastd" is the cabalistic legend on the front of a
millinery shop on Spring street; on another street the following catches
the eye: "Washin Ironin and Goin Out by the Day Done Here."
_Recipes from Albertus Magnus._
"If thou wylt see that other men cannot see: Take the gall of a male
cat, and the fat of a hen all whyte, and mixe them together, and anoint
thy eyes, and thou shalt see it that others cannot see.
"If the hart, eye or brayne of a lapwyng or blacke plover be hanged upon
a man's neck, it is profitable agaynste forgetfulnesse, and sharpeth
man's understanding."—_Black letter copy—very old._
_Infamous Nankeen._
The wearing of nankeen at one time was so popular among gentlemen in
England, that it also became the fashion in France. English nankeen
threatened to drive all French manufactured articles of summer wear out
of the market. Louis XVI., however, was equal to the emergency. He
ordered all the executioners and their assistants to perform their
terrible office in no other dress but one made out of nankeen, which
rendered the material so "infamous" that its use was discarded.
_The Military Salute._
The military salute, which consists of the hand being brought to a
horizontal position over the eyebrows, has a very old origin, dating, in
fact, from the very commencement of the history of the English army. Its
origin is founded on the tournaments of the Middle Ages, and was as
follows: After the queen of beauty was enthroned, the knights who were
to take part in the sports of the day, marched past the dais on which
she sat, and as they passed they shielded their eyes from the rays of
her beauty.
_Book-keeping in Norway._
The process of keeping accounts among the Norway lumbermen is unique in
style. The time-keeper, after comparing accounts with the workman, sends
him to the cashier for his wages, with the amount due to him chalked on
his back; and when the cashier has paid it, he takes his receipt by
brushing off the chalk-marks.
_Curious Post-Office._
The smallest post-office in the world is kept in a barrel, which swings
from the outermost rock of the mountains overhanging the Straits of
Magellan, opposite Terra del Fuego. Every passing ship opens it to place
letters in or take them out. Every ship undertakes to forward all
letters in it that it is possible for them to transmit. The barrel hangs
by its iron chain, beaten and battered by the winds and storms, but no
locked and barred office on land is more secure.
_Inordinate Self-Esteem._
Some Frenchmen who landed on the coast of Guinea, found a negro prince
seated under a tree on a block of wood for his throne, and three or four
negroes, armed with wooden spears, for his guards. His sable majesty
anxiously inquired: "Do they talk much of me in France?"
_He's a Brick._
If this is slang, it is classical slang. Of the thousands who use the
expression, very few know its origin or its primitive significance.
Truly, it is a heroic thing to say of a man to call him a brick. The
word so used, if not twisted from its original intent, implies all that
is brave, patriotic and loyal. Plutarch, in his life of Agesilaus, King
of Sparta, gives us the original of the quaint and familiar expression.
On a certain occasion an ambassador from Espirus, on a diplomatic
mission, was shown by the king over his capital. The ambassador knew of
the monarch's fame—knew that though only nominally king of Sparta, he
was ruler of Greece—and he had looked to see massive walls rearing
aloft their embattled towns for the defence of the town; but he found
nothing of the kind. He marvelled much at this, and spoke of it to the
king.
"Sire," he said, "I have visited most of the principal towns, and I find
no walls reared for defence. Why is this?"
"Indeed, Sir Ambassador," replied Agesilaus; "thou canst not have looked
carefully. Come with me to-morrow morning, and I will show you the walls
of Sparta."
Accordingly, on the following morning, the king led his guest out upon
the plain where his army was drawn up in full array, and pointing
proudly to the serried hosts, he said—
"There thou beholdest the walls of Sparta—ten thousand men, and EVERY
MAN A BRICK!"
_Punch and Judy in 1669._
Although Punch was not originally French, he has always been greatly
esteemed in France. The following entries are found in the registers of
the royal treasury:—
"Paid to Brioché, the puppet-player, for sojourning at St.
Germain-en-Laye, during September, October and November, 1669, to divert
the royal children, 1365 livres."
"Paid to François Daitelin, puppet-player, for the fifty-six days he
remained at St. Germain, to amuse Monseigneur le Dauphin (July and
August, 1669), 820 livres."
Five successive months must almost have been enough of such amusement
for the royal children of France.
_Offending Barbers._
On the 20th of November, 1746, fifty-one barbers were convicted before
the commissioners of excise, and fined twenty pounds each, for having in
their custody hair-powder not made of starch, contrary to Act of
Parliament.
_Primitive Tavern Signs._
In Ireland, in the taverns by the road-side, in which illicit whiskey
can be obtained, the traveler is informed of the fact by a piece of turf
unobtrusively placed in the window. In the Middle Ages, road-side ale
houses in England were indicated by a stake projecting from the front of
the house, from which some object was suspended. Sometimes a garland was
hung upon the stake, to which occasional reference is made in Chaucer's
poems. The bush, however, was more common than the stake, and was often
composed of ivy. The saying "Good wine needs no bush," no doubt
originated from this custom.
_Watch-Papers._
Years ago it was the custom for watch-makers to put their business cards
inside of the case. These cards were sometimes enlivened with a couplet
or a verse, of each of which we subjoin a sample—
He that wears a watch, two things must do;
_Pocket_ his _watch_ and _watch_ his _pocket_ too.
I labor here with all my might,
To tell the hours of day and night;
Therefore, example take by me,
And serve the Lord as I serve thee.
_Echo Verse._
It was a sharp bit of echo verse that the _Sunday Times_ of London threw
off in 1831, when tickets to hear the great violinist were very high—
What are they who pay three guineas
To hear a tune of Paganini's?
Echo—Pack o' ninnies.
_Signature of the Cross._
The mark which persons who are unable to write are required to make
instead of their signatures, is in the form of a cross; and this
practice having formerly been followed by kings and nobles, is
constantly referred to as an instance of the deplorable ignorance of
ancient times. This signature is not, however, invariably a proof of
ignorance. Anciently, the use of the mark was not confined to illiterate
persons; for among the Saxons the mark of the cross, as an attestation
of the good faith of the persons signing, was required to be attached to
the signature of those who _could_ write, as well as to stand in the
place of the signature of those who could not write.
_Simply on Account of her Name._
Herrera, the Spanish historian, records an anecdote in which the choice
of a queen entirely arose from her name. When two French ambassadors
negotiated a marriage between one of the Spanish princesses and Louis
VIII., the names of the royal females were _Urraca_ and _Blanche_. The
former was the elder and the more beautiful, and intended by the Spanish
court for the French monarch; but they resolutely preferred Blanche,
observing that the _name_ of _Urraca_ would never do! And for the sake
of a more mellifluous sound, they carried off the happier-named but less
beautiful princess.
_Richelieu's Boast._
Richelieu one day boasted among his courtiers that out of any four
indifferent words he could extract matter to send any one to a dungeon.
One of his attendants immediately wrote upon a card: "_One and two make
three._." "_Three_ make only _One!_" exclaimed the cardinal. "To the
Bastile with him. It is a blasphemy against our Holy Trinity."
_Curious Parallel._
The story of Alnaschar, which is in the "Arabian Nights," tells how one
Alnaschar had invested all his money in a basket of glassware, which he
calculated to sell at a profit, and got into a day-dream of a splendid
future.
Out of the profits of his glass he was to rise into the position of a
merchant-prince, with the Grand Vizier's daughter for his wife.
Offended, in this day-dream, with the lady, he fancied that he would
spurn her before forgiving her, and kicked out his foot, which broke all
his glass and left him beggared.
Rabelais makes Echepron, an old soldier, tell the advisers of King
Picrochole, who wanted him to go to war, that a shoemaker bought a
ha'p'orth of milk. This he intended to make into butter, and buy a cow
with the money thus obtained. In due time the cow would have a calf;
this calf would be sold, and so on money would pile up, until, having
become a nabob, he should wed a princess. Only, just at this crisis, the
jug fell, the milk was lost, and the dreamer sneaked, supperless, to
bed.
_Earliest Clocks._
The first clock which appeared in Europe was probably that which
Eginhard (Secretary to Charlemagne) describes as sent to his royal
master by Abdallah, King of Persia. "A horologe of brass, wonderfully
constructed, for the course of the twelve hours, while as many little
brazen balls dropped upon bells underneath, and sounded each other." The
Venetians had clocks in 872, and sent a specimen of them that year to
Constantinople.
_Famous Astronomical Clock._
This clock, in the Strasburg Cathedral, was invented by Isaac Habrecht,
a Jewish astrologer, in 1439. He called it the "Clock of the Three
Sages," because once in every hour the figures of the Three Kings of
Orient came out from a niche in its side, and made a reverential bow
before an image of the Virgin Mary, seated just above the dial-plate, on
the front of the clock. It is built of dark wood, gilded and carved, and
is sixty feet high. In shape it is somewhat similar to a church, with a
tower on either side of the entrance; and these towers of the clock are
encircled by spiral staircases, which are used when repairs are
necessary. When Isaac Habrecht invented this wonderful clock, he meant
it to run forever, always displaying to the good people of Strasburg the
days of the month, phases of the sun and moon, and other celestial
phenomena; and while he lived it worked admirably, but when he had been
dead awhile, the clock stopped; and as nobody else understood its
machinery, it had quite a vacation, which lasted until 1681, when it was
repaired and improved.
It will now not only give the time of Strasburg, but every principal
city in the world; also the day of the week and month, the course of the
sun and planets, and all the eclipses of the sun and moon, in their
regular order. In an alcove above the dial is an image of the Saviour,
and every day, at noon, figures of the twelve apostles march around it
and bow, while the holy image, with uplifted hands, administers a silent
blessing. A cock, on the highest point of the right-hand tower, flaps
his wings and crows three times; and when he stops, a beautiful chime of
bells rings out familiar and very musical tunes. A figure of Time, in a
niche on one side, strikes the quarter hours from twelve to one, and
four figures—Childhood, Youth, Manhood and Old Age—pass slowly before
him. In a niche on the other side is an angel turning an hour-glass.
_Clock that Strikes Thirteen._
The Duke of Bridgewater was very fond of watching his men at work,
especially when any enterprise was on foot. When they were boring for
coal at Worsley, the duke came every morning, and looked on for a long
time. The men did not like to leave off work while he remained there,
and they became so dissatisfied at having to work so long beyond the
hour at which the bell rang, that Brindley had difficulty in getting a
sufficient number of hands to continue the boring. On inquiry, he found
out the cause and communicated it to the duke, who from that time made a
point of immediately walking off when the bell rang—returning when the
men had resumed work, and remaining with them usually until six o'clock.
He observed, however, that though the men dropped work promptly as the
bell rang, when he was not by, they were not nearly so punctual in
resuming work—some straggling in many minutes after time. He asked to
know the reason, and the men's excuse was, that though they could always
hear the clock when it struck twelve, they could not so readily hear it
when it struck only one. On hearing this, the duke had the mechanism of
the clock altered so as to make it strike thirteen at one o'clock, which
it continues to do to this day.
_Westminster Clock._
The winding up of the going part of the great clock at Westminster,
London, takes ten minutes, the weight of the pendulum being six hundred
and eighty pounds; but the winding up of the striking parts—the quarter
part and the hour part—takes five hours each, and this has to be done
twice a week. The contract cost of winding up the clock is $500 a year.
The error of the clock amounts to only about one second for eighty-three
days in the year, and there is probably no other clock in the world of
which the same can be said.
_Wonderful Clock._
Toward the end of the last century a clock was constructed by a Geneva
mechanic named Droz, capable of performing a variety of surprising
movements, which were effected by the figures of a negro, a shepherd and
a dog. When the clock struck, the shepherd played six tunes on his flute
and the dog approached and fawned upon him. This clock was exhibited to
the King of Spain, who was highly delighted with the ingenuity of the
artist. The king, at the request of Droz, took an apple from the
shepherd's basket, when the dog started up and barked so loud that the
king's dog, which was in the same room, began to bark also. We are,
moreover, informed that the negro, on being asked what hour it was,
answered the question in French, so that he could be understood by those
present.
_Vocal Clock._
The subjoined description of a curious clock is given in the journal of
the Rev. J. Wesley: "On Monday, April 27, 1762, being at Lurgan, in
Ireland, I embraced the opportunity, which I had long desired, of
talking to Mr. Miller, the contriver of that statue which was in Lurgan
when I was there before. It was the figure of an old man standing in a
case, with a curtain drawn before him, over against a clock which stood
on the opposite side of the room. Every time the clock struck he opened
the door with one hand, drew back the curtain with the other, turned
his head, as if looking round on the company, and then said, with a
clear, loud, articulate voice: 'Past 1,' or 2 or 3, and so on. But so
many came to see this (the like of which all allowed was not to be seen
in Europe), that Mr. Miller was in danger of being ruined, not having
time to attend to his own business. So, as none offered to purchase it,
or reward him for his pains, he took the whole machine to pieces."
_Harrison's Clock._
In 1735, John Harrison, a rural clock-maker, invented a time-piece which
scarcely ever lost five seconds in six months. To him, in 1767, was paid
$100,000, as the first prize for all but an infallible time-keeper.
_A Cat-Clock._
The following curious incident is to be found in Hue's "Chinese
Empire:"—
"One day when we went to pay a visit to some families of Chinese
Christian peasants, we met, near a farm, a young lad who was taking a
buffalo to graze along our path. We asked him carelessly, as we passed,
whether it was yet noon. The child raised his head to look at the sun,
but it was hidden behind thick clouds, and he could read no answer
there. 'The sky is so cloudy,' said he; 'but wait a moment;' and with
these words he ran toward the farm, and came back a few minutes
afterward with a cat in his arms. 'Look here,' said he, 'it is not noon
yet;' and he showed us the cat's eyes, by pushing up the lids with his
hands. We looked at the child with surprise, but he was evidently in
earnest. 'Very well,' said we; 'thank you;' and we continued on our
way.
"To say the truth, we had not at all understood the proceeding, but we
did not wish to question the little pagan, lest he should find out that
we were Europeans by our ignorance. As soon as we reached the farm,
however, we made haste to ask our Christian friends whether they could
tell the clock by looking into a cat's eyes. They seemed surprised at
the question; but as there was no danger in confessing to them our
ignorance of the properties of a cat's eyes, we related what had just
taken place. That was all that was necessary; our complaisant neophytes
immediately gave chase to all the cats in the neighborhood. They brought
us three or four, and explained in what manner they might be made use of
for watches. They pointed out that the pupils of their eyes went on
constantly growing narrower until twelve o'clock, when they became like
a fine line, as thin as a hair, drawn perpendicularly across the eye,
and that after twelve the dilation recommenced."
_Curious Time-Piece._
About 1679 Nicholas Grallier de Servierre, an old soldier who had served
in the Italian army, constructed a whimsical clock. A figure of a
tortoise, dropped into a plate of water, having the hours marked on the
rim, would float around and stop at the proper time, telling what
o'clock it was. A lizard ascended a pillar, on which the hours were
marked, and pointed to the time as it advanced. A mouse did the same
thing by creeping along an hour-marked cornice.
_Clock Presented to Charlemagne._
The French historians describe a clock sent to Charlemagne in the year
807, by the famous eastern caliph, Haroun-al-Raschid, which was
evidently furnished with some kind of wheel-work, although the moving
power appears to have been produced by the fall of water. In the dial of
it were twelve small doors forming the divisions for the hours, each
door opened at the hour marked by the index, and let out small brass
balls which, falling on a bell, struck the hours—a great novelty at
that time. The doors continued open until the hour of twelve, when
twelve figures, representing knights on horseback, came out and paraded
around the dial-plate.
_Delicate Machinery._
Machines in a watch factory will cut screws with 589 threads to an inch.
These threads are invisible to the naked eye, and it takes 144,000 of
the screws to make a pound. A pound of them is worth six pounds of pure
gold. Lay one of them upon a piece of white paper, and it looks like a
tiny steel filing.
_Ancient Dials._
The dial in use among the ancient Jews differed from that in use among
us. Theirs was a kind of stairs; the time of the day was distinguished,
not by lines, but by steps or degrees; the shade of the sun every hour
moved forward to a new degree. On the dial of Ahaz, the sun went back
_degrees_ or _steps_, not _lines_.
_Skull Watches._
Diana of Poictiers, the mistress of Henry II., being a widow, the
courtiers of the period, to ingratiate themselves in her favor, used to
present her with watches in such shapes as coffins, skulls, etc., and it
became the fashion to have them made in this lugubrious style. Mary,
Queen of Scots, is said to have had several, and she gave one to Mary
Letown, in 1587, which is still in existence. It was made by Moyse, of
Blois, France, and has been thus described:—
"The watch has a silver casing in the form of a skull, which separates
at the jaws so as to expose the dial, which is also of silver, occupying
about the position of the palate, and is fixed in a golden circle, with
the hours in Roman letters. The movement appropriately occupies the
place of the brains, but is enclosed in a bell, filling the hollow of
the skull, which bell is struck by the hammer to sound the hours. The
case is highly ornamented with fine engravings, showing on the front of
the skull Death standing between a cottage and a palace; in the rear is
Time devouring all things; on one side of the upper part of the skull
are Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, with the serpent tempting Eve;
on the opposite side is the Crucifixion. Inside, on the plate or lid, is
the Holy Family in the stable, with the infant Saviour in the manger,
and angels ministering to him. In the distance are the Shepherds with
their flocks, etc." The works are said to be in good order and to
perform astonishingly well.
_Book-Shaped Watch._
One of the choicest rarities of the Bernal collection is a book-shaped
watch. It was made for Bogislaus XIV., Duke of Pomerania, in the time of
Gustavus Adolphus. On the dial-side there is an engraved inscription of
the duke and his titles, with the date 1627, and the engraving of his
armorial bearings; on the back of the case there are engraved two male
portraits, buildings, &c. The watch has apparently two separate
movements, and a large bell; at the back, over the bell, the metal is
ornamentally pierced in a circle, with a dragon and other devices. It
bears the maker's name, "Dionistus Hessichti."
_Cruciform Watch._
In the family of Lady Fitzgerald, of England, there is a cruciform watch
made in 1770, and covered with elaborate drawings of a delicate
character. The centre of the dial-plate has a representation of Christ's
agony in the garden, the outer compartments being occupied by the
emblems of the passion, and the lowermost by a figure of Faith.
_Miniature Time-Piece._
The time-piece carried by Louis XIV. of France was so small that it was
set in one of that luxurious monarch's finger-rings.
_Resurrection Watch._
During the reign of Catherine II. of Russia, Kalutin, a peasant, made a
musical repeating watch about the size of an egg, which had within it a
representation of Christ's tomb, with sentinels on guard. On pressing a
spring the stone would be rolled from the tomb, the angels appear, the
holy women enter the sepulchre, and the same chant which is sung in the
Greek Church on Easter eve accurately performed. The watch is now in the
Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburg.
_Borrowing Watches._
Watches were so rarely in use in the early time of James I. that it was
deemed a cause of suspicion that one was found, in 1605, upon Guy Vaux.
Jonson, in his "Alchemist," tells of the loan of one to wear on a
particular occasion—
And I had lent my watch last night to one That dines to-day at
the sheriff's.
_Striking Watches._
Hon. Mr. Barrington mentions that a thief was detected by watches called
"strikers," which he says were introduced in the reign of Charles II.;
but repeating watches were worn in the time of Ben Jonson. In his
"Staple of News," we read—
—It strikes! one, two,
Three, four, five, six. Enough, enough, dear watch,
Thy pulse hath beat enough. Now stop and rest;
Would thou couldst make the time to do so too;
I'll wind thee up no more.
_Too Many Watches._
Watches were very common in 1638. It is complained in the "Antipodes," a
comedy of that year, that
—Every clerk can carry
The time of day in his pocket.
On which account a projector in the same play proposes to diminish the
grievance by a
—Project against
The multiplicity of pocket watches.
_Wearing Two Watches._
About 1770 it became the fashion to wear two watches. In a rhyming
recipe of that date, "To Make a Modern Fop," appear the lines—
"A lofty cane, a sword with silver hilt,
A ring, _two watches_ and a snuff-box gilt."
The ladies soon adopted the fashion, but as watches were still very
expensive, mock watches were often substituted.
_Minute Mechanisms._
There is a cherry stone at the Salem (Mass.) Museum which contains one
dozen silver spoons. The stone itself is of the ordinary size, but the
spoons are so small that their shape and finish can only be
distinguished by the microscope. Dr. Oliver gives an account of a cherry
stone on which were carved one hundred and twenty-four heads, so
distinctly that the naked eye could distinguish those belonging to popes
and kings by their mitres and crowns. It was bought in Prussia for
fifteen thousand dollars, and thence conveyed to England, where it was
considered an object of so much value that its possession was disputed,
and it became the subject of a suit in chancery. One of the Nuremberg
toy-makers enclosed in a cherry stone, which was exhibited at the French
Crystal Palace, a plan of Sevastopol, a railway station, and the
"Messiah" of Klopstock. In more remote times, an account is given of an
ivory chariot, constructed by Mermecides, which was so small that a fly
could cover it with its wing; also a ship of the same material, which
could be hidden under the wing of a bee. Pliny tells us that Homer's
Iliad, with its fifteen thousand verses, was written in so small a space
as to be contained in a nutshell; while Elian mentions an artist who
wrote a distich in letters of gold, which he enclosed in the rind of a
kernel of corn. But the Harleian MS. mentions a greater curiosity than
any of the former, it being nothing more nor less than the Bible,
written by one Peter Bales, a chancery clerk, in so small a book that it
could be enclosed within the shell of an English walnut. There is a
drawing of the head of Charles II. in the library of St. John's College,
Oxford, wholly composed of minutely written characters, which at a short
distance resemble the lines of an ordinary engraving. The head and ruff
are said to contain the book of Psalms, in Greek, and the Lord's
Prayer.—_Bombaugh._
_Wonderful Lock._
Among the wonderful products of art in the French Crystal Palace was
shown a lock which admitted of 3,674,385 combinations. Heuret spent one
hundred and twenty nights in locking it; Fichet was four months in
unlocking it; afterwards they could neither shut nor open it.
_Roman Stamp._
This curiosity is preserved in the British Museum. It is the very
earliest specimen of printing by means of ink or any similar substance.
It is made of metal, a sort of Roman brass, the ground of which is
covered with a green kind of verdigris rust with which antique medals
are usually covered. The letters rise flush up to the elevation of the
exterior rim which surrounds it. Its dimensions are about two inches
long by one inch broad. At the back of it is a small ring for the
finger, to make it more convenient to hold. As no person of the name
which is inscribed upon it is mentioned in Roman history, he is,
therefore, supposed to have been a functionary of some Roman officer, or
private steward, who, perhaps, used this stamp to save himself the
trouble of writing his name.
_Talisman of Charlemagne._
The Emperor Napoleon III., when Prince Louis Napoleon, was stated to be
in possession of the talisman of Charlemagne to which allusion is
frequently made in traditional history. This curious object of vertu is
mentioned in the Parisian journals as _la plus belle relique de
l'Europe_, and it certainly has excited considerable interest in the
archæological and religious circles on the continent. The talisman is of
fine gold, of a round form, set with gems, and in the centre are two
rough sapphires and a portion of the Holy Cross, besides other relics
brought from the Holy Land. This was found round the neck of Charlemagne
on the opening of his tomb, and given by the town of Aachen
(Aix-la-Chapelle) to Bonaparte, and by him to his favorite Hortense,
_ci-devant_ Queen of Holland, at whose death it descended to her son
Prince Louis, the late Emperor of the French.
_The Black Stone at Mecca._
Near the entrance of the Kaaba, at Mecca, is the famous Black Stone,
called by the Moslems _Hajra el Assouad_, or Heavenly Stone. It forms a
part of the sharp angle of the building, and is inserted four or five
feet above the ground. It is an irregular oval, and is about seven
inches in diameter. Its color is now a deep reddish brown, approaching
to black, and it is surrounded by a border of nearly the same color,
resembling a cement of pitch and gravel, and from two to three inches in
breadth. Both the border and the stone itself are encircled by a silver
band, swelling to a considerable breadth below, where it is studded with
nails of the same metal. The surface is undulated, and seems composed of
about a dozen smaller stones, of different sizes and shapes, but
perfectly smooth, and well joined with a small quantity of cement. It
looks as if the whole had been dashed into many pieces by a severe
concussion, and then re-united—an appearance that may perhaps be
explained by the various disasters to which it has been exposed. During
the fire that occurred in the time of Yezzid I. (A. D. 682), the violent
heat split it into three pieces; and when the fragments were replaced,
it was necessary to surround them with a rim of silver, which is said to
have been renewed by Haroun-al-Raschid. It was in two pieces when the
Karmathians carried it away, it having been broken by a blow from a
soldier during the plunder of Mecca. Hakem, a mad Sultan of Egypt, in
the eleventh century, attempted, while on a pilgrimage, to destroy it
with an iron club which he had concealed under his clothes, but was
prevented and slain by the populace. After that accident it remained
unmolested until 1674, when it was found one morning besmeared with
dirt, so that every one who kissed it returned with a sullied face. As
for the quality of the stone, it does not seem to be accurately
determined. Burckhardt says it appeared to him like a lava containing
several small extraneous particles of a whitish and yellowish substance.
Ali Bey calls it a fragment of volcanic basalt, sprinkled with
small-pointed colored crystals, and varied with red feldspar. The
millions of kisses and touches impressed by the faithful have worn the
surface uneven, and to a considerable depth. This miraculous block all
orthodox Mussulmans believe to have been originally a transparent
hyacinth brought from heaven to Abraham by the angel Gabriel; but that
its substance, as well as its color, have long been changed by coming in
contact with the impurities of the human race.
_The Portland Vase._
This was the name of a beautiful cinerary urn, of transparent dark blue
glass, found about the middle of the sixteenth century in a marble
sarcophagus near Rome. It was at first deposited in the Barberini Palace
at Rome, and hence is often called the Barberini Vase. Next it became
(in 1770) the property, by purchase, of Sir William Hamilton, from whose
possession it passed into that of the Duchess of Portland. In 1810 the
Duke of Portland, one of the trustees of the British Museum, allowed it
to be placed in that institution, retaining his right over it as his own
property. In 1845 a miscreant named William Lloyd, apparently from an
insane love of mischief, or a diseased ambition for notoriety, dashed
the valuable relic to pieces with a stone. Owing to the defective state
of the law, only a slight punishment could be inflicted; but an act was
immediately passed making such an offence punishable with imprisonment
for two years. The pieces of the fractured vase were afterwards united
in a very complete manner; and, thus repaired, it still exists in the
Museum, but is not exhibited to the public.
_Martin Luther's Tankard._
This interesting relic of the great reformer is of ivory, very richly
carved, and mounted in silver-gilt. There are six medallions on its
surface, which consist, however, of a repetition of two subjects. The
upper one represents the agony in the garden and the Saviour praying
that the cup might pass from Him; the base represents the Lord's Supper,
the centre dish being the incarnation of the bread. This tankard, now in
the possession of Lord Londesborough, was formerly in the collection of
Elkington, of Birmingham, who had some copies made of it. On the lid, in
old characters, is the following: "C. M. L., MDXXIIII."
_Brass Medal of the Saviour._
In 1702 Rev. H. Rowlands, author of _Mona Antiqua_, while superintending
the removal of some stones near Aberfraw, Wales, for the purpose of
making an antiquarian research, found a beautiful brass medal of the
Saviour in a fine state of preservation, which he forwarded to his
friend and country-man, the Rev. E. Lloyd, author of the _Archeologiæ
Britannica_, and at that time, keeper of the Ashmolean Library at Oxford.
This medal has on one side the figure of a head exactly answering the
description given by Publius Lentulus of our Saviour, in a letter sent
by him to the Emperor Tiberius and the Senate of Rome. On the reverse
side it has the following legend or inscription in Hebrew characters;
"This is Jesus Christ, the Mediator or Reconciler;" or, "Jesus the Great
Messias, or Man Mediator." Being found among the ruins of the chief
Druid's residence in Anglesea, it is not improbable that the curious
relic belonged to some Christian connected with Brân the Blessed, who
was one of Caractacus's hostages at Rome from A. D. 52 to 59, at which
time the Apostle Paul was preaching the gospel at Rome. In two years
afterwards, A. D. 61, the Roman General Suetonius extirpated all the
Druids in the island. The following is a translation of the letter
alluded to, a very antique copy of which is in the possession of the
family of Lord Kellie, now represented by the Earl of Mar, a very
ancient Scotch family, taken from the original at Rome:—
"There hath appeared in these our days a man of great virtue, named
Jesus Christ, who is yet living among us, and of the Gentiles is
accepted as a prophet, but his disciples call him The Son of God. He
raiseth the dead, and cures all manner of diseases; a man of stature
somewhat tall and comely, with very reverend countenance, such as the
beholders both love and fear; his hair the color of chestnut, full ripe,
plain to his ears, whence downward it is more orient, curling, and
waving about his shoulders.
"In the midst of his head is a seam or a partition of his hair after the
manner of the Nazarites; his forehead plain and very delicate; his face
without a spot or wrinkle, beautified with the most lovely red; his
mouth and nose so formed that nothing can be reprehended; his beard
thickish, in color like his hair, not very long but forked; his look,
innocent and mature; his eyes gray, clear and quick. In reproving, he is
terrible; in admonishing, courteous and fair spoken; pleasant in
conversation, mixed with gravity. It cannot be remarked that any one saw
him laugh, but many have seen him weep. In proportion of body most
excellent; his hands and arms most delicate to behold. In speaking, very
temperate, modest and wise. A man, for his singular beauty, surpassing
the children of men."
The representation of this sacred person which is in the Bodleian
Library, somewhat resembles that of the print of this medal, when
compared together.
_Friar Bacon's Brazen Head._
The most famous of all the brazen heads was that of Roger Bacon, a monk
of the thirteenth century. According to the legend, he spent seven years
in constructing the head, and he expected to be told by it how he could
make a wall of brass around the island of Great Britain. The head was
warranted to speak within a month after it was finished, but no
particular time was named for its doing so. Bacon's man was therefore
set to watch, with orders to call his master if the head should speak.
At the end of half an hour after the man was left alone with the head,
he heard it say, "Time is," at the expiration of another half hour,
"Time was," and at the end of a third half hour, "Time's past," when it
fell down with a loud crash, and was shivered to pieces; but the stupid
servant neglected to awaken his master, thinking that he would be very
angry to be disturbed for such trifles: and so the wall of brass has
never been built.
_Crucifix of Columbus._
Mrs. General Hefferman, of Animas City, is the possessor of a very
interesting and valuable relic, it being no less than the veritable
crucifix which Columbus held in his hand when he landed in America, of
which she has ample documentary evidence, if one accept the witness,
viz: the Catholic Church. It has been in the possession of the missions
and churches of Mexico and California since a very early date; and even
if originally a fraud, it would nevertheless be almost as interesting,
from its great age and as a work of art, as though what is claimed for
it were actually true. Mrs. Hefferman holds it in trust for a religious
order to which her mother belonged, and sacredly believes it a genuine
relic, as claimed. The crucifix itself is of carved wood, of what kind
no one is able to determine. The image of Christ upon it is of carved
ivory. The expression of agony depicted on the countenance and in the
drawn muscles and sunken flesh, as well as the delineation of the
anatomical structure, are triumphs of artistic skill which could not be
surpassed, if equalled, by the best artists of the present
day.—_Durango (Col.) Record._
_Scipio's Shield._
In 1656 a fisherman on the banks of the Rhone, in the neighborhood of
Avignon, drew to shore in his net a round substance in the shape of a
large plate, thickly encrusted with a coat of hardened mud. A
silversmith who happened to be present bought it for a trifling sum. He
took it home, and upon cleaning and polishing it, found it to consist of
pure silver, perfectly round, more than two feet in diameter, and
weighing upwards of twenty pounds. Fearing that such a massive and
valuable piece of plate might awaken suspicion, if offered for sale
entire, he divided it into four equal parts, each of which he disposed
of at different times and places.
One of the pieces was sold at Lyons to Mr. Mey, a wealthy and
well-educated merchant, who at once saw its value and who, after great
effort, procured the other three sections. He had them nicely rejoined,
and the treasure was finally placed in the cabinet of the King of
France. This relic of antiquity, no less remarkable for the beauty of
its workmanship than for having been buried at the bottom of the Rhone
more than two thousand years, was a votive shield, presented to Scipio
as a token of gratitude and affection by the inhabitants of Carthago
Nova, now the city of Carthagena, for his generosity and self-denial in
delivering one of his captives, a beautiful virgin, to her original
lover. This act, so honorable to the Roman general, who was then in the
prime vigor of manhood, is represented on the shield.
_Horn of Oldenburg._
The story of the Horn of Oldenburg is a type of the legends which
connect valuable plate, &c., belonging to old churches with underground
fairies. The pictures of the horn represent it as a beautiful drinking
vessel in the shape of a horn, exquisitely decorated with the finest
fanciful silver-work, in the style contemporary with the richest Gothic
architecture. The legend is, that one day, Otto of Oldenburg, being
exhausted with hunting, and very thirsty, exclaimed: "O God, would that
I had a cool drink!" Thereupon appeared before him, as if coming out of
the rock, a lovely maiden, who offered him a drink in the fairy horn. He
made off with it, and saved himself from evil consequences by bestowing
it on the church.
_Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Mask._
This interesting relic of remote antiquity is at present preserved in
the Museum of the East India Company. It was found by Colonel Rawlinson
while engaged in prosecuting the discoveries commenced by Layard and
Botta, at Nineveh and Babylon, and is supposed to have belonged to King
Nebuchadnezzar. The body was discovered in a perfect state of
preservation, and the face covered by the golden mask is described as
handsome, the forehead high and commanding, the features marked and
regular. The mask is of thin gold, and, independent of its having once
belonged to the great monarch, has immense value as a relic of an
ancient and celebrated people.
_Iron Crown of Lombardy._
When the Emperor Napoleon I. was crowned King of Italy, 1805, he placed
the iron crown of the kings of Lombardy upon his head with his own
hands, exclaiming, "God has given it to me—beware who touches," which
was the haughty motto attached to it by its ancient owners. The crown
takes its name from the narrow iron band within it, which is about
three-eighths of an inch broad and one-tenth of an inch in thickness. It
is traditionally said to have been made out of one of the nails used at
the crucifixion, and given to Constantine by his mother, the Empress
Helena, the discoverer of the Cross, to protect him in battle. The crown
is kept in the Cathedral of Monza. The outer circlet is composed of six
equal pieces of beaten gold, joined together by hinges, and set with
large rubies, emeralds and sapphires, on a ground of blue-gold enamel.
Within the circlet is the iron crown, without a speck of rust, although
it is more than fifteen hundred years old.
_The Sacro Catino._
The celebrated Sacred Catino, part of the spoil taken by the Genoese at
the storming of Cesarea, which was believed to be cut from a single
emerald, and had, according to tradition, been presented by the Queen of
Sheba to Solomon, was for ages the pride and glory of Genoa, and an
object of the greatest devotional reverence at the yearly exhibitions,
which were attended with great pomp and ceremony. Such was the opinion
of its intrinsic value, that on many occasions the republic borrowed
half a million of ducats upon security of this precious relic. When the
French armies, during the first revolution, plundered Italy of its
treasures, it was sent, with other spoils, to Paris. Upon examination,
it was, instead of emerald, proved to be composed of glass, similar to
that found in Egyptian tombs, of which country it was, no doubt, the
manufacture. At the Restoration the Sacro Catino was returned in a
broken state, and now lies shorn of all its honors, a mere broken glass
vessel, in the sacristy of the Church of San Lorenzo.
_Curious Lantern._
In 1602 it is related that Sir John Harrington, of Bath, sent to James
VI., of Scotland, as a new year's gift, a dark lantern. The top was a
crown of pure gold, serving also to cover a perfume pan. Within it was a
shield of silver, embossed, to reflect the light; on one side of the
shield were the sun, moon and planets, and on the other side the story
of the birth and passion of Christ, as it was engraved by David II.,
King of Scotland, who was a prisoner at Nottingham. The following words
were inscribed in Latin on the present: "Lord, remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom."
_Carrara's Toilet Box._
Francis Carrara, the last Lord of Padua, was famous for his cruelties.
At Venice is exhibited a little box for the toilet, in which are six
little guns, which were adjusted with springs in such a manner, that
upon opening the box the guns were discharged, and killed the lady to
whom Carrara had sent it for a present.
_Executioner's Sword._
This weapon forms one of the curiosities in the superb collection of
ancient armor which belonged to Sir Samuel R. Meyrick, at Herefordshire.
It bears the date of 1674. The blade is thin and exceedingly sharp at
both edges. Engraved on it is a man impaled, above which are some words
in German, of which the following is a translation:—
Look every one that has eyes,
Look here, and see that
To erect power on wickedness
Cannot last long.
A man holding a crucifix, his eyes bandaged, is on his knees; the
executioner, with his right hand on the hilt and his left on the pommel,
is about to strike the blow; above is engraved—
He who ambitiously exalts himself,
And thinks only of evil,
Has his neck already encompassed
By punishment.
On the other side is a man broken on a wheel, over which is—
I live, I know not how long;
I die, but I know not when.
Also a man suspended by the ribs from a gibbet, with the inscription—
I move, without knowing whither;
I wonder I am so tranquil.
_Luck of Eden-hall._
Hutchinson, in his "History of Cumberland," speaking of Eden-hall, says:
"In this house are some old-fashioned apartments. An old painted
drinking-glass, called the 'Luck of Eden-hall,' is preserved with great
care. In the garden, near to the house, is a well of excellent spring
water, called St. Cuthbert's well. The glass is supposed to have been a
sacred chalice, but the legendary tale is, that the butler, going to
draw water, surprised a company of fairies who were amusing themselves
upon the green near the well. He seized the glass which was standing
upon its margin; they tried to get it from him, but, after an
ineffectual struggle, flew away, singing—
'If that glass either break or fall,
Farewell the luck of Eden-hall.'"
_Bernini's Bust of Charles I._
Vandyck having drawn the king in three different faces, a profile,
three-quarters and a full face, the picture was sent to Rome for Bernini
to make a bust from it. Bernini was unaccountably dilatory in the work,
and upon this being complained of, he said that he had set about it
several times, but there was something so unfortunate in the features of
the face that he was shocked every time that he examined it, and forced
to leave off the work, observing, that if any stress was to be laid upon
physiognomy, he was sure the person whom the picture represented was
destined to a violent end. The bust was at last finished, and sent to
England. As soon as the ship that brought it arrived in the Thames, the
king, who was very impatient to see the bust, ordered it to be taken
immediately to Chelsea. It was accordingly carried thither, and placed
upon a table in the garden, whither the king went, with a train of
nobility, to inspect the work. As they were viewing it, a hawk flew over
their heads, with a partridge in his claws, which he had wounded to
death. Some of the partridge's blood fell upon the neck of the bust,
where it remained without being wiped off.
_Burn's Snuff-box._
Burns and Mr. Bacon, the latter an inn-keeper near Dumfries, were very
intimate, and, as a token of regard, the former gave to the latter his
snuff-box, which for many years had been his pocket companion. On Mr.
Bacon's death, in 1825, his effects were sold. The snuff-box was put up
for sale among the other things, and some one bid a shilling. There was
a general exclamation that it was not worth twopence. The auctioneer,
before knocking it down, opened the box. He saw engraved on the lid, and
read aloud, the following inscription:—
"ROBT. BURNS,
OFFICER
OF
THE EXCISE."
The value of the box suddenly rose. Shilling after shilling was added,
until it was finally knocked down for five pounds to a Mr. Munnell, of
Closburn.—_Hone._
_Statue of Memnon._
This celebrated statue was situated at Thebes, and was either injured by
Cambyses, to whom the Egyptian priests ascribed most of the mutilations
of the Theban temples, or else thrown down by an earthquake. The
peculiar characteristic of the statue was its giving out at various
times a sound resembling the breaking of a harp-string or a metallic
ring. Considerable difference has prevailed as to the reason of this
sound, which has been heard in modern times, it being ascribed to the
artifice of the priests, who struck the sonorous stone of which the
statue is composed—to the passage of light draughts of air through the
cracks, or the sudden expansion of aqueous particles, under the
influence of the sun's rays. This remarkable quality of the statue is
first mentioned by Strabo, who visited it about 18 B. C., and upwards of
one hundred inscriptions of Greek and Roman visitors, incised upon its
legs, record the visits of ancient travelers to witness the phenomenon,
from the ninth year of Nero, 63 A. D., to the reign of the Emperor
Severus, when it became silent.
_The Head of Orpheus._
Whether the head of Orpheus spoke in the island of Lesbos, or, what is
more probable, the answers were conveyed to it by the priests, as was
the case with the tripod at Delphi, cannot with certainty be determined.
That the imposter Alexander, however, caused his Æsculapius to speak in
this manner, is expressly related by Lucian. He took, says that author,
instead of a pipe, the gullet of a crane, and transmitted the voice
through it to the mouth of the statue. In the fourth century, when
Bishop Theophilus broke to pieces the statues at Alexandria, he found
some which were hollow, and placed in such a manner against a wall that
a priest could slip unperceived behind them and speak to the ignorant
populace through their mouths.
_Wonderful Automata._
Archytas, of Tarentum, is reported, so long ago as 400 B. C., to have
made a pigeon that could fly. The most perfect automaton about which
there is absolute certainty, was one constructed by M. Vaucanson,
exhibited in Paris in 1738. It represented a flute-player, which placed
its lips against the instrument, and produced the notes with its fingers
in precisely the same manner as a human being does. In 1741 M. Vaucanson
made a flageolet-player, which with one hand beat a tambourine, and in
the same year he produced a duck. The latter was an ingenious
contrivance; it swam, dived, ate, drank, dressed its wings, etc., as
naturally as its live companions; and, most wonderful of all, by means
of a solution in the stomach, it was actually made to digest its food.
An automaton made by M. Droz drew likenesses of public characters. Some
years ago a Mr. Faber contrived a figure which was able to articulate
words and sentences very intelligibly, but the effect was not pleasant.
The chess-player of Kempelen was long regarded as the most wonderful of
automata. It represented a Turk of natural size, dressed in the national
costume, and seated behind a box resembling a chest of drawers in shape.
Before the game commenced, the artist opened several doors in the chest,
which revealed a large number of pulleys, wheels, cylinders, springs,
etc. The chessmen were produced from a long drawer, as was also a
cushion for the figure to rest its arm upon. The automaton, not being
able to speak, signified, when the queen of his antagonist was in
danger, by two nods, and when the king was in check by three. It
succeeded in beating most of the players with whom it engaged, but it
turned out afterwards that a crippled Russian officer—a very celebrated
chess-player—was concealed in the interior of the figure. The figure is
said to have been constructed for the purpose of effecting the officer's
escape out of Russia, where his life was forfeited. So far as the mental
process was concerned, the chess-player was not, therefore, an
automaton, but great ingenuity was evinced in its movement of the
pieces.
_Temple of the Sun._
The Temple of the Sun at Cuzco, called _Coricancha_, or "Place of Gold,"
was the most magnificent edifice in the Persian empire. On the western
wall, and opposite the eastern portal, was a splendid representation of
the Sun, the god of the nation. It consisted of a human face in gold,
with innumerable golden rays emanating from it in every direction; and
when the early beams of the morning sun fell upon this brilliant golden
disc, they were reflected from it as from a mirror, and again reflected
throughout the whole temple by the numberless plates, cornices, bands
and images of gold, until the temple seemed to glow with a sunshine more
intense than that of nature.
_Tomb of Darius._
One of the most remarkable tombs of the ancients was that carved out of
rock, by order of Darius, for the reception of his own remains, and
which exists to this day at Persepolis, after a duration of twenty-three
centuries.
The portico is supported by four columns twenty feet in height, and in
the centre is the form of a doorway, seemingly the entrance to the
interior, but it is solid; the entablature is of chaste design. Above
the portico there is what may be termed an ark, supported by two rows of
figures, about the size of life, bearing it on their uplifted hands, and
at each angle a griffin—an ornament which is very frequent at
Persepolis. On this stage stands the king, with a bent bow in his hand,
worshipping the sun, the image of which is seen above the altar that
stands before him, while above his head hovers his ferouher, or
disembodied spirit. This is the good genius that in Persian and Ninevite
sculpture accompanies the king when performing any important act. On
each side of the ark are nine niches, each containing a statue in
bas-relief. No other portion of the tomb was intended to be seen,
excepting the sculptured front; and we must, therefore, conclude that
the entrance was kept secret, and that the avenues were by subterranean
passages, so constructed that none but the priviledged could find the
way. We are told by Theophrastus that Darius was buried in a coffer of
Egyptian alabaster; also that the early Persians preserved the bodies of
their dead in honey or wax.
_Temples the First Museums._
Natural objects of uncommon size or beauty were, in the earliest
periods, consecrated to the gods, and conveyed to the temples, to awaken
curiosity and to excite reverence. In the course of time the natural
curiosities dedicated to the gods formed large collections. When Hanno
returned from his distant voyages, he brought with him to Carthage two
skins of the hairy women whom he found on the Gorgades Islands, and
deposited them in the temple of Juno. The monstrous horns of the wild
bulls which had occasioned so much devastation in Macedonia were, by
order of King Philip, hung up in the temple of Hercules. The unnaturally
formed shoulder-bones of Pelopos were deposited in the temple of Elis.
The crocodile, found in attempting to discover the sources of the Nile,
was preserved in the temple of Isis, at Cæsarea. The head of a basilisk
was exhibited in one of the temples of Diana, and in the time of
Pausanias the head of the celebrated Calydonian boar was to be seen in
one of the temples of Greece.
_Wesley's Plate._
An order was made in the House of Lords, in May, 1776, "that the
commissioners of his majesty's excise do write circular letters to all
such persons whom they have reason to suspect to have _plate_, as also
to those who have not paid regularly the duty on the same." In
consequence of this order, the accountant-general for household plate
sent to the celebrated John Wesley a copy of the order. The reply was a
laconic one—
"SIR: I have _two_ silver teaspoons in London and _two_ at Bristol. This
is all the plate which I have at present; and I shall not buy any more
while so many round me want bread.
"I am, sir,
Your most humble servant,
JOHN WESLEY."
_Grace Knives._
There is in existence a curious class of knives, of the sixteenth
century, the blades of which have on one side the musical notes to the
benediction of the table, or grace before meat, and on the other side
the grace after meat. The set of these knives usually consisted of four.
They were kept in an upright case of stamped leather, and were placed
before the singer.
_Religious Relics._
At the commencement of the seventeenth century there was a crucifix
belonging to the Augustine friars, at Burgos, in Spain, which produced a
revenue of nearly seven thousand crowns per annum. It was found upon the
sea, not far from the coast, with a scroll of parchment appended to it
descriptive of the various virtues it possessed. The image was provided
with a false beard and a chestnut-colored periwig, which its holy
guardians declared were natural, and they also assured all pious
visitors that on every Friday it sweated blood and water into a silver
basin. In the garden of this convent grew a species of wheat, the grain
of which was unusually large, and which its possessors averred was
brought by Adam out of Paradise. Cakes, for the cure of all diseases,
were made out of the wheat kneaded with the aforesaid blood and water,
and sold to the credulous multitude for a quartillo each. They also
sold blue ribbons, of the exact length of the crucifix, for about a
shilling each. The ribbons were a sovereign cure for headache, and had
upon them, in silver letters, "La madi del santo crucifisco de Burgos."
_Mammoth Bottle._
In January, 1751, a globular bottle was blown at Leith capable of
holding two hogsheads. Its dimensions were forty inches by forty-two.
This immense vessel was the largest ever produced at any
glass-works.—_Hone._
_A Drinking Glass a Yard Long._
"On the proclamation of James II., in the market place of Bromley, by
the Sheriff of Kent, the commander of the Kentish troop, two of the
king's trumpets, and other officers, they drank the king's health in a
flint glass a yard long."—_Evelyn's Diary_, Feb. 10th, 1685.
_Kneeling Statue of Atlas._
In the Museo Borbonico, at Naples, is a kneeling statue of Atlas
sustaining the globe. It is a very interesting monument of Roman art,
and one of great value to the student of ancient astronomy. Of the
forty-seven constellations known to the ancients, forty-two may be
distinctly recognized. The date of this curious sculpture is fixed as
anterior to the time of Hadrian by the absence of the likeness of
Antinous, which was inserted in the constellation Aquila by the
astronomers of that period.
_The Druid's Seat._
The "Druid's Judgment Seat" stands near the village of Killiney, not far
from Drogheda, near the Martello tower. It was formerly enclosed with a
circle of large stones and a ditch. The former has been destroyed, and
the latter so altered that little of its ancient character remains. The
"Seat" is composed of large, rough granite blocks, and if really of the
period to which tradition credits it, an unusual degree of care must
have been exercised in its preservation. The following are its
measurements: Breadth at the base, eleven feet and a half; depth of the
seat, one foot nine inches; extreme height, seven feet.
_Curious Epitaphs._
Praises on tombs are trifles vainly spent;
A man's good name is his best monument.
From Childwald church-yard, England—
Here lies me and my three daughters,
Brought here by using seidlitz waters;
If we had stuck to Epsom salts,
We wouldn't have been in these here vaults.
From Nettlebed church-yard, Oxfordshire—
Here lies father, and mother, and sister, and I,
We all died within the space of one short year;
They all be buried at Wimble, except I,
And I be buried here.
At Wolstanton—
Mrs. Ann Jennings.
Some have children, some have none:
Here lies the mother of twenty-one.
In Norwich Cathedral—
Here lies the body of honest Tom Page,
Who died in the thirty-third year of his age.
At Torrington church-yard, Devon, England—
She was—but words are wanting to say what:
Think what a woman should be—she was that.
In the church-yard of Pewsey, Wiltshire—
Here lies the body of Lady O'Looney, great-niece of Burke,
commonly called the Sublime. She was bland, passionate and
deeply religious; also she painted in water-colors, and sent
several pictures to the exhibition. She was first cousin to
Lady Jones; and of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Shields (the Irish orator)—
Here lie I at reckon, and my spirit at aise is,
With the tip of my nose, and the ends of my toes,
Turned up 'gainst the roots of the daisies.
In Doncaster church-yard, 1816—
Here lies 2 brothers by misfortin serounded,
One dy'd of his wounds & the other was drownded.
On the monument of John of Doncaster—
What I gave, I have;
What I spent, I had;
What I saved, I lost.
In a New England grave-yard—
Here lies John Auricular,
Who in the ways of the Lord walked perpendicular.
Sternhold Oakes—
Here lies the body of Sternhold Oakes,
Who lived and died like other folks.
On a tombstone in New Jersey—
Reader, pass on! don't waste your time
On bad biography and bitter rhyme;
For what I _am_, this crumbling clay insures,
And what I _was_, is no affair of yours!
In East Hartford, Connecticut—
Hark! she bids all her friends adieu;
An angel calls her to the spheres;
Our eyes the radiant saint pursue
Through liquid telescopes of tears.
In Newington church-yard—
Through Christ, I am not inferior
To William the Conqueror.
In Bideford church-yard, Kent—
The wedding-day appointed was,
And wedding-clothes provided,
But ere the day did come, alas!
He sickened, and he die did.
Rebecca Rogers, Folkestone, 1688—
A house she hath, 'tis made of such good fashion,
The tenant ne'er shall pay for reparation;
Nor will her landlord ever raise her rent,
Or turn her out of doors for non-payment.
From chimney-tax this cell's forever free—
To such a house who would not tenant be?
At Augusta, Maine—
—After life's _scarlet fever_,
I sleep well.
John Mound—
Here lies the body of John Mound,
Lost at sea and never found.
POETRY, PIETY AND POLITENESS.
The following epitaph was copied from a stone in a country church-yard—
"You who stand around my grave,
And say, 'His life is gone;'
You are mistaken—_pardon me_—
My life is but begun."
At Loch Rausa—
Here lies Donald and his wife,
Janet MacFee:
Aged 40 hee,
And 30 shee.
On Mr. Bywater—
Here lie the remains of his relatives' pride,
Bywater he lived and by water he died;
Though by water he fell, yet by water he'll rise,
By water baptismal attaining the skies.
At Staverton, England—
Here lieth the body of Betty Bowden,
Who would live longer but she couden;
Sorrow and grief made her decay,
Till her bad leg carr'd her away.
At Penryn—
Here lies William Smith; and, what is somewhat rarish,
He was born, bred and hanged in this here parish.
From St. Agnes', London—
Qu an tris di c vul stra
Os guis ti ro um nere vit.
H san Chris mi t mu la.
In Linton church-yard, 1825—
Remember man, that passeth by,
As thou is now so once was I;
And as I is so must thou be:
Prepare thyself to follow me.
Under this inscription some one wrote—
To follow you's not my intent,
Unless I knew which way you went.
At Queenborough—
Henry Knight, master of a shipp to Greenland, and
Herpooner 24 voyages.
In Greenland I whales, sea-horses, bears did slay,
Though now my body is intombe in clay.
At Minster—
Here interr'd George Anderson doth lye,
By fallen on an anchor he did dye,
In Sheerness Yard, on Good Friday,
Ye 6th of April, I do say,
All you that read my allegy: Be alwaies
Ready for to dye—aged 42 years.
At Hadley church-yard, Suffolk—
The charnel mounted on the w }
Sets to be seen in funer }
A matron plain domestic }
In care and pain continu }
Not slow, not gay, not prodig } ALL.
Yet neighborly and hospit }
Her children seven, yet living }
Her sixty-seventh year hence did c }
To rest her body natur }
In hopes to rise spiritu }
The middle line furnishes the terminal letters or syllables of the words
in the upper and lower lines, and when added they read thus—
Quos anguis tristi diro cum vulnere stravit,
Hos sanguis Christi miro tum munere lavit.
[Those who have felt the serpent's venomed wound,
In Christ's miraculous blood have healing found.]
In a Paris cemetery—
I' attends ma femme. │ I await my wife.
1820. │ 1820.
────── │ ──────
Me voilá. │ I am here.
1830. │ 1830.
Shakespeare's tomb—
The inscription on Shakespeare's tomb forbids the removal of the body.
Subjoined is the prohibition—
"Good Friend, for Jesvs sake forbeare
To digg Y-E dvst EncloAsed HERE.
Blest be Y-E Man T-Y spares T-hs Stones
And cvrst be He T-Y moves my bones."
In consequence of this inscription, the people of Stratford-on-Avon are
afraid to put their feet on the stones above the grave, and the body of
the greatest English poet has not been placed with other geniuses in
Westminster Abbey.
Stone tablet puzzle—
The following letters are inscribed on a stone tablet placed immediately
over the Ten Commandments in a church in England, and are deciphered
with only one letter—
PRSVR Y PRFCT MN!
VR KP THS PRCPTS TN.
Grimmingham church-yard, Norfolk, England—
To the memory of Thomas Jackson, Comedian, who was _engaged,_ 21st of
Dec, 1741, to _play a comic cast of characters, in this great
theatre_—the World: for many of which he was _prompted_ by nature to
excel.
The _season_ being ended, his _benefit_ over, the charges all paid, and
his account closed, he made his _exit_ in the _tragedy_ of Death, on the
17th of March, 1798, in full assurance of being called once more to
_rehearsal;_ where he hopes to find his _forfeits_ all cleared, his
_cast of parts_ bettered, and his situation made agreeable by Him who
paid the great stock-debt, for the love which he bore to _performers_ in
general.
An inculpatory epitaph—
The following epitaph at West Allington, Devon, England, is not only a
memorial of the deceased, but reproves the parson of the parish—
Here lyeth the Body of
Daniel Jeffery the son of Mich
ael Jeffery and Joan his wife he
was buried y^e 22 day of September
1746 and in y^e 18th year of his age.
This Youth When In his sickness lay
did for the minister Send┿that he would
Come and with him Pray┿But he would not atend
But when this Young Man Buried was
The minister did him admit┿he should be
Caried into Church┿that he might money geet
By this you see what man will dwo┿to geet
money if he can┿who did refuse to come
pray┿by the Foresaid young man
At St. Benedict Fink—
"1673, April 23rd, was buried M^r. Thomas Sharrow, Cloth-worker, late
Churchwarden of this parish, killed by an accidental fall into a vault,
in London Wall, men Corner, by Paternoster Row, and was supposed had
lain there eleven days and nights before any one could tell where he
was. _Let all that read this take heed of drink._"
At Clophill, Bedfordshire—
DEATH DO NOT KICK AT MEE
FOR CHRIST HATH TAKEN
THY STING AWAY.
1623.
In the same—
HEAR
LIES THE
BODEY OF
THOMAS
DEARMAN T
HAT GAVE 6 _P_
OVND A YEAR
TO TH E LABE
RERS O F CLOPH
ILL 1631.
A watchmaker's epitaph—
Among the curious epitaphs to be seen in the graveyards of England, this
one in the old church-yard of Lidford, Devon, is worthy of insertion—
Here lies, in a horizontal position,
The outside case of
George Rougleigh, watchmaker,
Whose abilities in that line were an honor
To his profession.
Integrity was the mainspring
And prudence the regulator
Of all the actions of his life.
Humane, generous and liberal,
His hand never stopped
Till he had relieved distress;
So nicely were all his actions regulated
That he never went wrong
Except when set a-going
By people
Who did not know his key;
Even then he was easily set aright again.
He had the art of disposing his time so well
That his hours glided away
In one continual round
Of pleasure and delight,
Till an unlucky minute put a period to
his existence.
He departed this life November 14, 1802,
Aged 57;
Wound up
In hopes of being taken in hand
By his Maker,
And of being thoroughly cleaned and repaired
And set a-going
In the world to come.
Grave of Robin Hood—
At Kirklees, in Yorkshire, formerly a Benedictine nunnery, is a
gravestone, near the park, under which it is said Robin Hood lies
buried. Mr. Ralph Thoresby, in his "Ducatus Leodiensis," gives the
following as the epitaph—
Here undernead dis laith stean
Laiz Robert Earl of Huntington,
Nea arcir ver az hie sa geude:
An piple kaud im Robin Heud
Sic utlawz as hi, an iz men,
Wil England never sigh agen.
Obiit 24 kal. Dekembris, 1247.
_Great Tom of Lincoln._
The finest bell in England was the Great Tom of Lincoln, considerably
older than St. Paul's. Its elevation gave it an horizon of fifty miles
in every direction. Its note was like the chord of A upon a full organ.
It fell from its support and was destroyed.
_Mammoth Bell of Buddah._
Klaprath states that in an edifice before the great temple of Buddah, at
Jeddo, is the largest bell in the world. It weighs 1,700,000 pounds,
four times greater than the great bell of Moscow, and fifty-six times
larger than the great bell of Westminister, England.
_Great Bell of Rouen._
The grand entrance to the cathedral of Rouen is flanked by two towers;
the one was erected by St. Romain; the expense of constructing the
other, which bears the whimsical name of _Tour-de-beurre_, was raised by
the sum received for granting the more wealthy and epicurean inhabitants
of the city permission to eat butter during Lent. It was in this tower
that the celebrated bell was erected; it was named George D'Amboise,
after its founder, who died from joy upon seeing it completed. It
weighed 40,000 pounds, and was melted into cannon in the year 1793.
_St. Fillan's Bell._
In Sinclair's "Statistical Account of Scotland," the Rev. Mr. Patrick
Stuart, minister of Killin parish, Perthshire, says: "There is a bell
belonging to the chapel of St. Fillan that was in high reputation among
the votaries of that saint in old times. It is a foot high, oblong in
form, and made of mixed metal. It usually lay on a grave-stone in the
church-yard. When mad people were brought to be dipped in the saint's
pool, it was necessary to perform certain ceremonies in which there was
a mixture of druidism and popery. After remaining all night in the
chapel, bound with ropes, the bell was set upon their head with great
solemnity. It was also the popular opinion that if the bell was ever
stolen, it would extricate itself out of the thief's hands and return
home, ringing all the way."
_The Bells of Jersey._
The following is the bell-legend connected with Jersey: "Many years ago
the twelve parish churches in that island possessed each a valuable peal
of bells; but during a long civil war the government determined to sell
the bells to defray the expenses of the troops. The bells were
accordingly collected and sent to France for that purpose; but on the
passage, the ship foundered, and everything was lost, to show the wrath
of Heaven at such a sacrilege. Since then, during a storm, these bells
always ring from the deep, and to this day the fishermen of St. Owen's
Bay always go to the edge of the water before embarking, to listen if
they can hear the bells upon the wind. If so, nothing will induce them
to leave the shore; if all is quiet, they fearlessly set sail."
_Subterranean Christmas Bells._
Near Raleigh, in Nottinghamshire, there is a valley, said to have been
caused by an earthquake several hundred years ago, which swallowed up a
whole village, together with the church. Formerly, it was a custom for
people to assemble in this valley on Christmas morning, to listen to the
ringing of the bells of the church beneath them. This it was positively
asserted might be heard by putting the ear to the ground and harkening
attentively. Even now, it is usual on Christmas morning for old men and
women to tell the children to go to the valley, stoop down, and hear the
bells ringing merrily.—_Hone_, 1827.
_St. Sepulchre's Bell._
It has been a very ancient practice, on the night preceding the
execution of condemned criminals, for the bellman of the parish of St.
Sepulchre to go under Newgate, and, ringing his bell, to repeat the
following, as a piece of friendly advice to the unhappy wretches under
sentence of death:—
All you that in the condemn'd hold do lie,
Prepare you, for to-morrow you shall die;
Watch all, and pray, the hour is drawing near,
That you before the Almighty must appear;
Examine well yourselves, in time repent,
That you may not to eternal flames be sent.
And when St. Sepulchre's bell to-morrow tolls.
The Lord above have mercy on your souls!
Past twelve o'clock
_The Passing Bell._
The Passing Bell was so named from being tolled when any one was passing
from life. Hence it was sometimes called the _Soul Bell_, and was rung
that those who heard it might pray for the person dying, and who was not
yet dead. We have a remarkable mention of the practice in the narrative
of the last moments of the Lady Katherine Grey (sister of Lady Jane
Grey), who died a prisoner in the Tower of London, in 1567. Sir Owen
Hopton, constable of the tower, "perceiving her to draw toward her end,
said to Mr. Bockeham, 'Were it not best to send to the church, that the
bell may be rung?' and she herself, hearing him, said: 'Good Sir Owen,
be it so;' and almost immediately died."—_Ellis's Original Letters._
_Bell-ringing in Holland._
The Hollanders exhibit the most enthusiastic fondness for bells. Every
church and public building is hung round with them in endless variety.
In Amsterdam not less than a thousand bells are kept constantly ringing,
which creates a din that is almost intolerable to strangers.
_Babes of Bethlehem._
It is an ancient custom at Norton, Worcestershire, England, on the 28th
of December (Innocents' Day) to ring a muffled peal in token of sorrow
for the slaughter of the hapless "babes of Bethlehem," and, immediately
afterwards, an unmuffled peal, in manifestation of joy for the
deliverance and escape of the infant Saviour.
_Ringing the Changes._
It is curious to note the number of changes which may be rung on
different peals. The changes on seven bells are 5040; on twelve,
479,001,600, which it would take ninety-one years to ring, at the rate
of two strokes in a second. The changes on fourteen bells could not be
rung through at the same rate in less than 16,575 years, and upon
four-and-twenty they would require more than 117,000 billions of
years.—_E. F. King._
_Bell Inscriptions._
Epigraphs or legends on bells were quite common in England. We subjoin
specimens—
_On the Six Bells of the Ancient Abbey of Hexham._
Even at our earliest sound,
The light of God is spread around.
At the echo of my voice,
Ocean, earth and air rejoice.
Blend thy mellow tones with mine,
Silver voice of Catherine!
Till time on ruin's lap shall nod,
John shall sound the praise of God.
With John in heavenly harmony,
Andrew, pour thy melody.
Be mine to chant Jehovah's fame,
While Maria is my name.
A not uncommon epigraph is—
Come when I call,
To serve God all.
At Aldbourne, on the first bell, we read: "The gift of Jos. Pizzie and
Wm. Gwynn.
Music and ringing we like so well,
And for that reason we gave this bell."
On the fourth bell is—
Humphry Symsin gave xx pounds to buy this bell,
And the parish gave xx more to make this ring go well.
At Broadchalk—
I in this place am second bell,
I'll surely do my part as well.
At Coln, on the third bell—
Robert Forman collected the money for casting this bell
Of well-disposed people, as I do you tell.
At Devizes, St. Mary—
I am the first, altho' but small,
I will be heard above you all.
I am the second in this ring;
Therefore next to thee I will sing.
Amesbury, on the fifth bell—
Be strong in faith, praise God well,
Frances Countess Hertford's bell.
Amesbury, on the tenor bell—
Altho' it be unto my loss,
I hope you will consider my cost.
At Bath Abbey—
All you of Bath that hear my sound,
Thank Lady Hopton's hundred pound.
At Stowe, Northamptonshire—
Be it known to all that doth me see,
That Newcombe, of Leicester, made me.
At St. Michael's, Coventry—
I ring at six to let men know
When to and from their work to go.
On the seventh bell is—
I ring to sermon with lusty bome,
That all may come, and none can stay at home.
At St. Peter-le-Bailey, Oxford, in expectation of other bells which were
never purchased—
With seven more I hope soon to be
For ages joined in harmony.
On the eighth bell is—
I am and have been called the common bell,
To ring when fire breaks out to tell.
St. Helen's church, at Worcester, England, has a set of bells cast in
the time of Queen Anne, with names and inscriptions recording victories
gained in that reign—
1. BLENHEIM.
First is my note, and Blenheim is my name;
For Blenheim's story will be first in fame.
2. BARCELONA.
Let me relate how Louis did bemoan
His grandson Philip's flight from Barcelon.
3. RAMILIES.
Deluged in blood, I, Ramilies, advance
Britannia's glory on the fall of France.
4. MENIN.
Let Menin on my sides engraven be,
And Flanders freed from Gallic slavery.
5. TURIN.
When in harmonious peal I roundly go,
Think on Turin, and triumphs on the Po.
6. EUGENE.
With joy I bear illustrious Eugene's name;
Fav'rite of fortune and the boast of fame.
7. MARLBOROUGH.
But I for pride the greater Marlborough bear;
Terror of tyrants and the soul of war.
8. QUEEN ANNE.
The immortal praise of Queen Anne I sound,
With union blest, and all these glories crowned.
On the famous alarm-bell called Roland, in a belfry-tower in the once
powerful city of Ghent, is engraved the subjoined inscription, in the
old Walloon or Flemish dialect—
"My name is Roland; when I toll there is fire,
And when I ring there is victory in the land."
The following inscription, remarkable for bad taste, is on one of eight
bells in the church tower of Tilton, Devon—
"Recast by John Taylor and Son,
Who the best prize for church bells won
At the Great Ex-hi-bi-ti-on
In London, 1-8-5 and 1."
ARTICLES OF RINGING.
The following "Articles of Ringing" are upon the walls of the belfry in
Dunster, Somersetshire, England:—
1. You that in ringing take delight,
Be pleased to draw near;
These articles you must observe,
If you mean to ring here.
2. And first, if any overturn
A bell, as that he may,
He forthwith for that only fault
In beer shall sixpence pay.
3. If any one shall curse or swear
When come within the door,
He then shall forfeit for that fault
As mentioned before.
4. If any one shall wear his hat
When he is ringing here,
He straightway then shall sixpence pay
In cyder or in beer.
5. If any one these articles
Refuseth to obey,
Let him have nine strokes of the rope,
And so depart away.
_Old Weather Rhymes._
If New Year's eve night-wind blow south,
It betokeneth warmth and growth;
If west, much milk, and fish in the sea;
If north, much cold, and storms there will be;
If east, the trees will bear much fruit;
If north-east, flee it, man and brute.
If St. Paul's day be fair and clear,
It does betide a happy year;
But if it chance to snow or rain,
Then will be dear all kinds of grain;
If clouds or mists do dark the skie,
Great store of birds and beasts shall die;
And if the winds do fly aloft,
Then wars shall vex the kingdome oft.
A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spune;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.
The hind had as lief see his wife on the bier,
As that Candlemas-day should be pleasant and clear.
If Candlemas-day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight;
But if Candlemas-day be clouds and rain,
Winter is gone, and will not come again.
When Candlemas-day is come and gone,
The snow lies on a hot stone.
If Candlemas is fair and clear,
There'll be twa winters in the year.
February fill dike, be it black or be it white;
But if it be white, it's the better to like.
When the cuckoo comes to the bare thorn,
Sell your cow and buy your corn;
But when she comes to the full bit,
Sell your corn and buy your sheep.
If the cock moult before the hen,
We shall have weather thick and thin;
But if the hen moult before the cock,
We shall have weather hard as a block.
When the wind's in the south,
It blows the bait into the fishes' mouth.
As the days lengthen
So the colds strengthen.
If there be a rainbow in the eve,
It will rain and leave;
But if there be a rainbow in the morrow,
It will neither lend nor borrow.
A rainbow in the morning
Is the shepherd's warning;
But a rainbow at night
Is the shepherd's delight.
No tempest, good July,
Lest corn come off blue by.
When the wind's in the east,
It's neither good for man nor beast;
When the wind's in the south,
It's in the rain's mouth.
When the sloe-tree is as white as a sheet,
Sow your barley, whether it be dry or wet.
No weather is ill
If the wind be still.
A snow year,
A rich year.
Winter's thunder
Is summer's wonder.
St. Swithin's day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
St. Swithin's day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain na mair.
The bat begins with giddy wing
His circuit round the shed and tree;
And clouds of dancing gnats to sing
A summer night's serenity.
At New Year's tide,
The days are lengthened a cock's stride.
If the red sun begins his race,
Expect that rain will fall apace.
The evening red, the morning gray,
Are certain signs of a fair day.
If woolly fleeces spread the heavenly way,
No rain, be sure, disturbs the summer's day.
In the waning of the moon,
A cloudy morn—fair afternoon.
When clouds appear like rocks and towers,
The earth's refresh'd by frequent showers.
As the days grow longer
The storms grow stronger.
Blessed is the corpse that the rain falls on.
Blessed is the bride that the sun shines on.
He that goes to see his wheat in May,
Comes weeping away.
_Signs of Foul Weather._
The soot falls down, the spaniels sleep,
And spiders from their cobwebs peep.
Loud quack the ducks, the sea-fowl cry,
The distant hills are looking nigh.
Puss on the hearth, with velvet paws,
Sits wiping o'er her whisker'd jaws.
The smoke from chimneys right ascends,
Then spreading, back to earth it bends.
The walls are damp, the ditches smell,
Clos'd is the pink-ey'd pimpernel.
Quite restless are the snorting swine,
The busy flies disturb the kine.
The wind unsteady veers around,
Or settling in the south is found.
The glow-worms, numerous and bright,
Illumed the dewy hill last night.
Through the clear stream the fishes rise
And nimbly catch the incautious flies.
_First Meerschaum Pipe._
In 1723 there lived in Pesth, the capital of Hungary, Karol Kowates, a
shoemaker, whose ingenuity in cutting and carving on wood, etc., brought
him in contact with Count Andrassy, ancestor to the present prime
minister of Austria, with whom he became a favorite. The count, on his
return from a mission to Turkey, brought with him a large piece of
whitish clay, which had been presented to him as a curiosity on account
of its extraordinary light specific gravity. It struck the shoemaker
that, being porous, it must naturally be well adapted for pipes, as it
would absorb the nicotine. The experiment was tried, and Karol cut a
pipe for the count and one for himself. But in the pursuit of his trade
he could not keep his hands clean, and many a piece of wax became
attached to the pipe. The clay, however, instead of assuming a dirty
appearance, as was naturally to be expected, when Karol wiped it off,
received, wherever the wax had touched, a clear brown polish, instead
of the dull white it previously had. Attributing this change in the tint
to the proper source, he waxed the whole surface, and, polishing the
pipe, again smoked it, and noticed how admirably and beautifully it
colored; also, how much more sweet the pipe smoked after being waxed.
Karol had struck the smoking philosopher's stone; and other noblemen,
hearing of the wonderful properties of this singular species of clay,
imported it in considerable quantities for the manufacture of pipes. The
natural scarcity of this much esteemed article, and the great cost of
transportation in those days of limited facilities for transportation,
rendered its use exclusively confined to the richest European noblemen
until 1830, when it became a more general article of trade. The first
meerschaum pipe made by Karol Kowates has been preserved in the museum
at Pesth.
_The First Oval Lathe._
William Murdock, the inventor of the oval lathe, was a poor millwright.
He was a good workman, but rather shiftless, until he came into the
employ of Boulton & Watt, the English manufacturers of steam-engines in
the last century. The way in which the millwright first attracted the
attention of these great machinists is thus told:—
Somewhere about the year 1780, a traveling millwright, weary and
foot-sore, and with the broadest of Northern Doric accent, stopped at a
factory in England and asked for work. His aspect indicated beggary, and
the proprietor, Mr. Boulton, had bidden him seek some other workshop,
when, as the man was turning sorrowfully away, he suddenly called him
back, saying—
"What kind of hat 's yon ye have on your head, my man?"
"It's just timmer, sir," replied the man.
"Timmer, my man!" ejaculated the manufacturer. "Just let me look at it.
Where on earth did you get it?"
"I just turned it in the lathe," said the mechanic, with a flush of
pride.
"But it's oval, not round, my man," said Mr. Boulton, in surprise; "and
lathes turn things round."
"A-weel, I just gar'd the lathe gang anither gait to please me; and I'd
a long journey before me, and I thocht I'd have a hat to keep out water;
and I had na muckle to spare, so I just make ane."
The man was a born inventor, but he didn't know it. By his ingenuity he
had invented the oval lathe, one of the most useful of machines. He had
made his hat with it, and the hat made his fortune. Great events often
result from seeming trifles. Mr. Boulton was a sharp man of business. He
saw that the man who could turn out of a block of wood an oval hat, was
too valuable a workman for the firm of Boulton & Watt to lose sight of.
William Murdock was then and there employed. In 1784 he made the first
wheeled vehicle impelled by steam in England,—made it with his own
hands and brains. He gained fame and fortune, but the "timmer" hat, made
for a long journey and to keep out water, was the corner-stone of both.
_Porcelain._
An alchemist, while seeking to discover a mixture of earths that would
make the most durable crucibles, one day found that he had made
porcelain.
_Origin of Blue-tinted Paper._
The origin of blue-tinted paper came about by a mere slip of the hand.
The wife of William East, an English paper-maker, accidentally let a
blue bag fall into one of the vats of pulp. The workmen were astonished
when they saw the peculiar color of the paper, while Mr. East was highly
incensed over what he considered a grave pecuniary loss. His wife was so
much frightened that she would not confess her agency in the matter.
After storing the damaged paper for four years, Mr. East sent it to his
agent at London, with instructions to sell it for what it would bring.
The paper was accepted as a "purposed novelty," and was disposed of at
quite an advance over the market price. Mr. East was astonished at
receiving an order from his agent for another large invoice of the
paper. He was without the secret, and found himself in a dilemma. Upon
mentioning it to his wife, she told him about the accident. He kept the
secret, and the demand for the novel tint far exceeded his ability to
supply it.
_Following His Nose._
While Marshall Jewell was Minister to Russia, he found out, by the use
of his nose, the secret of making Russia leather. Instead of using
tallow and grease in the dressings of skins, the Russians employed
birch-bark tar. By careful inquiry, and literally following his nose,
during a visit to one of their large tanneries, he found the compound in
a mammoth kettle, ready for use. He reported his discovery, and the
result is that genuine Russian leather goods are now made in America.
_Discovery of Composition for Printing-Rollers._
The composition of which printing-rollers are made was discovered by a
Salopian printer. Not being able to find the pelt-ball, he inked the
type with a piece of soft glue which had fallen out of a glue pot. It
was such an excellent substitute that, after mixing molasses with the
glue, to give the mass proper consistency, the old pelt-ball was
entirely discarded.
_Mezzotinting._
This art was suggested by the simple accident of the gun-barrel of a
sentry becoming rusted with dew.
_Whitening Sugar._
The process of whitening sugar was discovered in a curious way. A hen
that had gone through a clay puddle went with her muddy feet into a
sugar house, leaving her tracks on a pile of sugar. It was noticed that
wherever her tracks were the sugar was whitened. Experiments were
instituted, and the result was that wet clay came to be used in refining
sugar.
_Discovery of Glass._
Pliny informs us that the art of making glass was accidentally
discovered by some merchants who were traveling with nitre, and stopped
near a river issuing from Mount Carmel. Not readily finding stones to
rest their kettles on, they employed some pieces of their nitre for that
purpose. The nitre, gradually dissolving by the heat of the fire, mixed
with the sand, and a transparent matter flowed, which was, in fact,
glass.
_Essence of Pearl._
A French bead-maker named Jaquin discovered the manner of preparing the
glass pearls used at present, which approach as near to nature as
possible, without being too expensive. He once noticed, at his estate
near Passy, that when the small fish called _ables_ or _ablettes_ were
washed, the water was filled with fine silver-colored particles. He
suffered the water to stand for some time, and ob
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