104 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2»d S. VII. Feb. 5. '59. 



ALLEGED COPY OF THE SENTENCE PASSED ON 

 THE SAVIOUR. 



Can any of your correspondents inform me 

 whether the enclosed extract from the Kolnische 

 Zeitung is based on sound authority, and what 

 that authority is ? also, where and when was this 

 Kolnische Zeitung published ? 



" Correct Transcript of the Sentence of Death pronounced 

 against Jesus Christ. 



" The following is a copy of the most memorable judi- 

 cial sentence which has ever been pronounced in the an- 

 nals of the world, namely, that of death against the 

 Saviour, with the remarks which the journal Le Droit 

 has collected, and the knowledge of which must be in- 

 teresting in the highest degree to every Cliristian. Until 

 now I am not aware that it has ever been made public 

 in the German papers. The sentence is word for word as 

 follows : — 



" ' Sentence pronounced by Pontius Pilate, Intendant of 

 the Province of Lower Galilee, that Jesus of Nazareth 

 shall suffer death by the cross. 



" ' In the seventeenth j'ear of the reign of the Em- 

 peror Tiberias, and on the 25th day of the month of 

 March, in the most holy city of Jerusalem, during the 

 pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas ; 



" ' Pontius Pilate, Intendant of the Province of Lower 

 Galilee, sitting in judgment in the presidential seat of 

 the praetor, sentences Jesus of Nazareth to death on a 

 cross between two robbers, as the numerous and noto- 

 rious testimonies of the people prove 



" ' 1. Jesus is a misleader. 



" ' 2. He has excited the people to sedition. 



" ' 3. He is an enemv to the laws. 



« ' 4. He calls Himself the Son of God. 



" ' 5. He calls Himself falsely the King of Israel. 



" ' 6. He went into the Temple, followed by a multi- 

 tude carrying palms in their hands. 



" ' Orders the first centurion, Quirilius Cornelius, to 

 bring him to the place of execution. 



'" Forbids all persons, rich or poor, to prevent the exe- 

 cution of Jesus. 



" ' The witnesses who have signed the sentence against 

 Jesus are — 



" ' 1. Daniel Robani, Pharisee. 



« ' 2. John Zorobabel. 



« « 3. Raphael Robani. 



« « 4. Capet. 



" ' Jesus to be taken out of Jerusalem through the 

 gate of Tournea.' 



" This sentence is engraved on a plate of brass, in the 

 Hebrew language, and on its side are the following 

 words : A similar plate has been sent to each tribe. It 

 was discovered in the year 1280, in the city of Aquila, 

 in the kingdom of Naples, by a search made for the dis- 

 covery of Roman antiquities, and remained there until it 

 was found by the Commissaries of Art in the French 

 army to Italy. Up to the time of the campaign in 

 Southern Italy, it was preserved in the sacristj' of the 

 Carthusians near Naples, where it was kept in a box of 

 ebony. Since then the relic is kept in the Chapel of 

 Caserta. The Carthusians obtained by their petitions 

 that the plate might be kept by them, which was an 

 acknowledgment of the sacrifices which they made for 

 the French army. The French translation was made 

 literally by members of the Commission of Arts. Denon 

 had a facsimile of the plate engraved, which was bought 



by Lord Howard, on the sale of his cabinet, for 2,890 

 francs. There seems to be no historical doubt as to the 

 authenticity of this. The reasons of the sentence cor- 

 respond exactly with those of the Gospel." — Translated 

 from the Kolnische Zeitung." 



E. M. J. 



ETON AND OXFORD MANUSCRIPT LATIN AND 

 ENGLISH POEMS. 



I purchased for a few pence at a broker's 

 shop two 4to. MS. books which had belonged to 

 the library of the late Dr. Bliss. The doctor 

 marks them as having been bought at Rodd's. 

 The first is a transcript of Latin verses written at 

 Eton by R. Smith (Bobers Smith), Keate, L. 

 Way, W. Way, Bethell Minor, Morpeth, Puller, 

 &c. between the years 1787 — 91. Mr. Rodd as- 

 signs the date of the latter year to the MS. It is 

 in a very neat hand, and it is needless to say that 

 some of the poems are very elegant. The second 

 volume is a transcript of • Latin and English 

 poems, spoken at Oxford at the installation of the 

 Duke of Portland in 1795. The handwriting is 

 the same as the last, and Rodd assigns the date 

 1795 to it. It contains, among many others, two 

 English poems by Canning. I should much like 

 to know if they have ever been printed. The two 

 first lines of one are the following : — 



" While Britain, rous'd by Gallia's frantic pride, 

 Joins the fierce war, and turns the battle's tide." 



It is signed " George Canning, A.B., Ch. Ch. 

 Spoken by John Dawkins, Gentleman Commoner 

 of Ch. Ch." 



The other poem commences : — 



" Stranger ! whoe'er thou art, whose careless tread 

 To these proud scenes or chance or choice hath led." 



This is also signed " G. Canning, A.B., Ch. Ch. 

 Spoken by Lord John Beresford, Ch. Ch. (Qy. 

 the present Archbishop of Armagh ?) 



I presume the Eton poems are copied from 

 some MS. volume probably in the possession of 

 the head master of that day, I should feel much 

 obliged if any of your readers could throw any 

 lisht on these volumes. R. H. 



Shoivbanker. — Can any one give me the deriva- 

 tion of a word in use amongst the " old hands " 

 in these colonies, and whether it is of colonial 

 growth, or is an English provincialism. The 

 word is " Skowbanker," and is used for a fellow 

 who is willing to loiter about the premises of any 

 one who will support him, without working for 

 his living. The word is also used as the parJ" 

 ticiple of a verb, as " skowbanking," and as an 

 adjective, as " skowbanking " rascal, rogue, &c. 

 I am not quite sure that I spell it right, as it is 



