2«'» S. VII. Mab. 5. '590 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



195 



" Paid unto M'. John Blakiston, a member of the House 

 of Commons, to be by him issued towards the charges of 

 engraving a new great seal in pursuance of an order of 

 the house, 9 J^anuary, and by warrant, 11 January', 1648, 

 and one acquittance indorsed ... - 60/." 



The last item I shall notice is one characteristic 

 of the times, and it is interesting as bringing before 

 us a slight mention of one of those great and im- 

 portant struggles which ever and anon disturb 

 and ruffle the quiet current of the page of history. 

 It Is a payment of 500^. to John Hampden's exe- 

 cutors by order of the House of Commons of 

 November 11, 1647, and by warrant of the 13th 

 January following In part of 1000/., parcel of 

 5000/. " in respect of his losses damages and suf- 

 ferings by him sustained in opposing the illegal tax 

 of Ship money, and for his service therein to the 

 Commonwealth." 



I have thus called the attention of your readers 

 to some of the most striking and interesting por- 

 tions of these Rolls, in the hope that some one 

 who has leisure to bestow on the subject will be 

 induced to dig deeper Into the mine than I have 

 been able to do. I have been Utile more than a 

 surface-worker ; but it is to be hoped that the 

 Camden Society will dp the rest, and thus add a 

 volume of great historical interest to their already 

 valuable collection. William IlEHKr Hart. 



Folkestone House, 

 Koupell Park, Streatbam, S. 



DR. FERRIAR S THEOKT OF ArPARlTIONS. 



In Dr. Ferriar's Essay toivards a Theory of 

 Apparitions (1813) Is a notice of the remarkable 

 case of Dr. Pordage. In this notice it will be 

 found that Dr. F. had not gone to the original 

 source for information. - 



Dr. F. Cp. 109.) offers certain observations upon 

 what he views as — 



" The great prevalence of spectral delusions during the 

 interregnum after the civil war in 1649." 



And after giving his idea towards accounting for 

 this circumstance, observes that — 



" A curious example of this disposition is afforded by 

 the trial of Dr. Pordage, a clergyman in Berkshire, which 

 was published under the frightful title of Daanonium 

 Meridionum, or Satan at Noonday, &c 



Dr. Ferriar concludes his account of the affair 

 with these words (the italics are mine) : — 



" The development of the story, which is not necessary 

 for my purpose, exhibits the combined effects of Mysti- 

 cism, Superstition, and sensuality, which evidently pro- 

 duced a disordered state of the sensorium, and gave rise to 

 the visions, which were admitted b_v all the parties." 



take the present opportunity of inquiring whether any of 

 your readers have in their possession, or know the where- 

 abouts of, any other orders or receipts relating to this 

 Committee, as they w^ould form interesting illustrations to 

 these Kolls, 



The book quoted by Dr. Ferrlar (published in 

 1655), is one written by a most determined oppo- 

 nent of Dr. Pordage, in reply to Dr. P.'s own 

 book (published in 1654). Had Dr. Ferriar con- 

 sulted that, he would have found the following 

 passage, which would have required quite another 

 theory than the one he has offered, to explain it. 

 It will be seen that it affirms the fact of perma- 

 nent impressions, caused by the spiritual powers, 

 vpon objects in nature. Such impressions, of 

 course, could be judged of by the senses of other 

 persons than the parties immediately concerned : — 



" Now, besides these appearances within, the spirits 

 made some wonderful impressions upon visible bodies with- 

 out ; as figures of men and beasts upon the glass-windows 

 and the cielings of the house, soine of which yet remain. 

 But what was most remarkable, was the whole invisible 

 world, represented by the spirits upon the bricks of a 

 chimne}', in the form of two half-globes, as in the maps. 

 After which, upon other bricks of the same chimney, was 

 figured a coach and four horses, with persons in it, and a 

 footman attending, all seeming to be in motion, with ■ 

 many other such images, which were wonderfully ex- 

 actly done. Now fearing lest there might be any danger 

 in these images, through unknown conjuration and false 

 magic, we endeavoured to wash them out with wet cloths* 

 but could not, finding them engraven in the substance of 

 the bricks ; which, indeed, might have continued until 

 this day, had not our fear and suspicion of witchcraft, 

 and some evil design of the devil against us in it, caused 

 us to deface and obliterate them with hammers." 



It is difficult to see how, what is commonly 

 called, delusion could have any place here. The 

 affirmation?, from their nature, if not truths, 

 must be intentional falsehoods ; yet are they most 

 deliberately put forth, and that, too, not by anyone 

 wholly obscure, but by a man well known amongst 

 those who are interested in the mystic writers, as 

 being of some eminence in that class ; and, more- 

 over, he makes these statements in a book written 

 lo clear himself from charges which had been of 

 the most serious consequence to him. 



The Library of the British Museum contains 

 the work quoted by Dr. Ferriar, and Dr. Por- 

 dage's book also. A. R. 



A THEOLOGICAL ALPHABET. 



I take this curious " Theological Alphabet" 

 from the number for September last of a maga- 

 zine published in Rome under the title of Ana- 

 lecta. It has been saved from the usual fiite of 

 fugitive productions by being bound up in the 

 657 th vol. of Miscellanea in 8vo. in the Minerva 

 Library : — 



" Alphabeti Latini Theologica Interpretatio. Interlo- 

 cutores Magister et Discipulus. 



" Mag. — ' Da nostri alphabeti theologicam interpreta- 

 tionem. Quid est A ? ' 



" Disc. — • A est Anima nostra, quae creata est propter 

 B. 



' B. Id est, propter Beatitudinero, quae Beatitudo sita 

 est in C, 



