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._