2«><> S. N" 82., Mar. 7. '5?.;] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



183 



been the children of William Battcrsby and Frances his 

 wife, the word Jane having been in both cases neatly 

 converted into Frances, by the addition of three letters, 

 and by altering the J into an F, These forgeries were 

 however clearly established by a comparison of the re- 

 gisters with the bishop's transcripts at York, where the 

 entries were found in their original and authentic form. In 

 the prosecution of inquiries connected with this case, a 

 leaf was discovered to be missing from the register of 

 Warboys, embracing a particular year, for which no tran- 

 script could be found. 



" On the 21st of January, 1840, Henry Fowler and 

 Susannah Jordan were charged at Bow Street with forg • 

 ing and altering the parish register of East Mailing, in 

 Kent ; and it was stated that property to the amount of 

 6,000/. a-year was involved in the inquiry. It appears that 

 the Jirst ivord in an entry of baptism of James Fowler, in 

 1688, and the whole of a marriage entry in 1726, ' May the 

 21st, married George Fowler to Hannah Bassett,' were 

 forged. On the 12th of February last, the male prisoner 

 was committed to take his trial at the next Central 

 Criminal Court for the forgery." 



MICHAEL DRAYTON. 



In the often-quoted Bihliographia poetica of 

 mister Joseph llitsou, nine pieces of commenda- 

 tory verse are ascribed to Drayton. I could 

 make some slight additions to the list on positive 

 evidence, besides the lines which follow : — 



" In Politeuphuian Decastichon. 



" The curious eye that over-rashly looks. 

 And gives no taste nor feeling to the mind, 

 Kobs its ownself, and wrongs these labour'd books 

 Wherein the soul might greater comfort find ; 

 But when that sense doth play the busy bee, 

 And for the honey, not the poison, reads. 

 Then for the labour it receives the fee, 

 When as the mind on heavenly sweetness feeds. 

 This do thine eye : and if it find not here 

 Such precious comforts as may give content. 

 And shall confess the travail not too dear. 

 Nor idle hours that in this world were spent. 

 Never hereafter will I ever look 

 For things of worth in any mortal book. 



M. D." 



Politeuphuia : Wits commonwealth, whence I 

 transcribe the above sonnet, was the joint com- 

 pilation of John Bodenham and Nicholas Ling, 

 and was printed for Ling in 1597. Now, Ling 

 published six or more works of Drayton, or new 

 editions of his works, in the years 1594 — 1605, 

 and doubtless they were on friendly terms. 

 Moreover, the signature applies to no other poet 

 of that period, and it is certain that Drayton was 

 partial to that style of composition. 



BoiiTON Cornet. 



perhaps, of all his works, states Candide to have 

 obtained, when he saw the awful and unmerited 

 execution of the unfortunate Byng going on at 

 Portsmouth. I am in possession of the log-book 

 of the Monarch, 74, at the period (which on Sa- 

 turday sennight, the 14th inst., will be just a cen- 

 tury), and from which I extract such particulars 

 as relate to this victim of prejudice, and of a cruel, 

 and at any rate much too severe a sentence. As 

 the details from the 8th to 13th of March are very 

 similar to those of the 7th, I have omitted to re- 

 peat them, that I may not encroach too much on 

 your columns. Pni. 



" From a Journal of the Proceedings of H.M. Ship Mo- 

 narch, John Montague, Esq., Commander. 



*• In Portsmouth Harbour, moored at the Briddles, 



« 1757, Sunday, 6th March. — N.N.W. Fresh gales and 

 cloudy weather ; began to keep a Guard-boat with six 

 men, two armed Marines, and a Midshipman. The Lieute- 

 nants began to relieve each other in the charge of Adm" 

 Byng. At half-past 8 a.m. Mr. Muckings and Mr. John 

 Byng came to the Admiral. 



^^ Monday, 7th. — At ^ past 6 r.M. Adm' Byng's Co. 

 went on shore. The guard boat came on board at day- 

 light. At i past 8 Mr. John Byng came on board, and 

 went on shore in half an hour after. At eleven he came 

 on board accompanied by Capt. Hervey, Mr. George Byng, 

 and Mr. Muckins. The Lieutenants having charge of the 

 Admiral as usual. 



" 8th to 13th as before. 



" Monday 14. — These 24 hours very squally, with 

 showers of rain and wind ; Admiral Byng's Co. as" before ; 

 at 7 A.M. his Coffin came on board; at 10 a.m. all the 

 Ships' Boats, manned and armed, came to attend his Exe • 

 cution; hard gales, lowered down the lower yards: at 

 noon all hands were called up to attend his execution ; 

 he was shot on the larboard side of the Quarter Deck by 

 six Marines, attended by Lieut. Clark, the Marshal, and 

 Mr. Muckings; these gentlemen went ashore after the 

 execution was over. 



" Tuesday, 15. — Hard gales and squally with rain. 

 At i past 9 P.M. sent the Corpse of Mr. Byng ashore, with 

 all his baggage, to the Dockyard. 



" N.B. — It is stated that on the 14th, the day of Exe- 

 cution, the Admi's Coxswain came on board; also at 

 ^ past nine a.m. came on board to wait on the Admi 

 Mr. Daniel, Mr. Brampston, and Mr. MeUicot, besides the 

 Gentlemen above enumerated." 



ADMIRAL BYNG AND HIS EXECUTION. 



" Dans ce pays-ci il est bon de tuer de temps en temps 

 un amiral, pour encourager les autres." — Candide, ou 

 rOptimisme, chap, xxiii. 



This is the reply which Voltaire, in the cleverest, 



JOHN REEKIE, ETC. 



There was an eminent scholar in Glasgow who 

 would never admit into his category any of the 

 Greek critics but Moor and Porson, for both of 

 whom he had the most profound admiration. This 

 linguist was John Reekie (or as he was sometimes 

 jocosely designated, " Johannes Fumosus "), who 

 died on January 4, 1811, aged sixty-four, and by 

 his own desire was interred in the "Martyrs' 

 Ground," on the north side of the cathedral. In 

 his religious principles he was one of the people 

 called " Cameronians," or Old Covenanters. 

 Among other property which he left was a clas- 



