[The ground of offence for burning the _Historia Anglo-Scotica_ is
stated in _The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. xi. p. 66.,
viz.: "Ordered, that a book published by the title of _Historia
Anglo-Scotica_, by James Drake, M.D., and dedicated to Sir Edward
Symour containing many false and injurious reflections upon the
sovereignty and independence of this crown and nation, be burnt by the
hand of the common hangman at the mercat Cross of Edinburgh, at eleven
o'clock to-morrow (July 1, 1703), and the magistrates of Edinburgh
appointed to see the order punctually executed." It would appear from
the dedication prefixed to this work, that Drake merely pretended to
edit it, for he says, that "upon a diligent revisal, in order, if
possible, to discover the name of the author, and the age of his
writing, he found that it was written in, or at least not finished
till, the time of Charles I." But he says nothing more of the MS., nor
how it came into his hands. A notice of Dr. Drake is given in
Chalmers's _Biographical Dictionary_, and in the preface to _The
Memorial of the Church of England_, edit. 1711, which was also burnt by
the common hangman in 1705. See "N. & Q.," Vol. iii., p. 519.]
_Captain George Cusack._--It appears by an affidavit made by a Mr. Thomas
Nugent in the year 1674, and now of record in the Exchequer Record Office,
Dublin, that--
"He, being on or about the 20th of September preceding in London, was
by one Mr. Patrick Dowdall desired to goe along with him to see one
George Cusack, then in prison there for severall hainous offences
alleadged to have beene by him committed, which he could not do by
reason of other occasions; but having within two or three days
afterwards mett with Mr. Dowdall, was told by him that he had since
their last meeting seene the said Cusack in prison (being the
Marshalsea in Southwark) with bolts on, and that none of Cusack's men
who were alsoe in prison were bolted:"
that on the 11th of November Cusack was still in restraint, and not as yet
come to his trial:
"That there were _bookes written of the said Cusack's offences_, which
he heard cryed about in the streets of London to be sold, and that y^e
generall opinion and talke was that the said Cusack should suffer death
for his crimes."
By a fragment of an affidavit made by a Mr. Morgan O'Bryen, of the Middle
Temple, London, it appears that this man was a Captain George Cusack, who,
I presume, was a pirate. May I take leave to ask, are the above-mentioned
books in existence, and where are they to be found?