Chapter II: Introduction (2)

"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._