2nd s. No 66., Atkil 4. '57.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



269 



a bookseller's catalogue, it is usually accompanied 

 by a flourish upon its extraordinary rarity. My 

 copy came not from one of those dear shops, but 

 was dug out of a fourpenny box in a late biblio- 

 graphical cruise in the suburbs. Can any reader 

 of "N. & Q." say who sat for this portrait of Dr. 

 Bongout ? J. 0. 



The Sibylline Verses. — In Sharpe's Egypt 

 (vol. ii. p. 167., 3rd edit.) is mentioned a poem 

 named the " Sibylline Verses." Mr. Sharpe states 

 that it describes the Roman emperors by the 

 numbers or first letters of their names, and thus 

 teaches us what is meant by the number of the 

 Beast in the Book of Revelation. It would be 

 very interesting to have this statement explained. 



A Reader. 



Powell of Herefordshire. — Can any of your 

 correspondents afford me the information as to 

 which branch of the Powells or Ap Howells of 

 Wales the family of Powell of Herefordshire are 

 descended ? Cl. Hoppeb. 



Copper Coins or Tokens of the last Century. — 

 An opulent farmer (an octogenarian) died the 

 other day. I had an opportunity of examining a 

 bag of old halfpence collected by him, perhaps in 

 his youth, and would trouble anyone for informa- 

 tion as to the class of numismatics they belong to. 

 They are, perhaps, too abnormal for classification, 

 possibly spurious, or the work of some idle 'prentice 

 hand that could hardly spell. They are badly 

 made, many struck not in the centre, and certain 

 letters almost uniformly defaced in all. The dates 

 range from 1760 to 1791, but chiefly 1771. An 

 ordinary profile head (but with just a hint of ar- 

 mour on the bust) does duty for the first and 

 second Georjxes, for two Popes, for Claudius, and 

 a certain "Glaucous," also for Gulielmus Shak- 

 speare, &c. ; the reverses being either a (quasi) 

 Britannia, or a crown and harp ; with various le- 

 gends, as North Wales, Hebrides, Hibemia, Britain 

 Rules., or sometimes, Britan Rules (other mis- 

 spellings are Britiannia, Oprguis, Claudais, &c.) 

 I will specify a few more particularly : 



George Gordon Reverse Britons Rule, 1776 



Glaucous . Dei . Sea „ Breda (apparently), but 



in some " Britannia." 



Clauduis Romanus „ Pax Placid. 1771 



Georivs II. Ren. „ Bonny Girl, 1771 



Gregorivs 111. Pont. „ Britain Rules, 1771 



Celestin II. Pope „ North Wales, 1765 



George Gordon „ Britons Rule, 1776 



Gregory III. Pen. „ British Tars, 1797 



I know nothing of minting processes ; but such 

 freaks as the above suggest the idea of tyros 

 trifling with their implements, much as idle 

 printers' 'prentices might do with their masters' 

 type. 



One of course thinks of the local tokens of the 

 last generation ; but I do not remember anything 



of that class so unmeaning and capricious as the 

 above. Beckb. 



" Regi Sacrum." — Who was the author of a 

 small book entitled, — 



" Regi Sacrum. London, printed for Tho. Dring, and 

 are to be sold at his Shop at the George in Peet Street, 

 near St. Dunstan's Church, 1660." 



Facing the title is an engraved plate witli the 

 following lettering : 



" Meyoijuei' oTirep eer/xev," 

 [" May w« remain where we are."] 



Is this book scarce ? B. B. 



Autographs. — Who may be considered as the 

 first " collector " of autographs ? At what period 

 were they first considered valuable ? Autog. 



Yo?'k Proclamations respecting Unthrifty Folk. 

 — In Drake's York, p. 197. we have the sheriffs' 

 Proclamation on St. Thomas's Day, from which 

 the following is an extract : 



" Also, that all manner of whores, thieves, dice-players, 

 and all other unthrifty folk, be wellcome to the towne, 

 whether they come late or early, at the reverence of the 

 high feaste of Yoole, till the twelve days be passed." 



Are such licences met with in other places ? 

 and what is the meaning of the words " at the 

 reverence of? "* 



In another York Proclamation we find — 



" Also that no common woman walk in the street with- 

 out a ray-hood on her head and a wand iu her hand." 



A note says — Ray-hood, a radiated or striped 

 hood, I suppose. B. 



Hanbury's Bequest for County Histories. — The 

 Rev. W. Hanbury, Rector of Church Langton, 

 Leicestershire, left in 1817 [1778?] a fund for 

 the compiling and publishing a history of every 

 county of England by a professor for the purpose.f 

 Can you inform me if the bequest has been so em- 

 ployed ? G. S. 



SSiinat ^vLtxiti tot'tlb ^niStoer^. 



Callander's " Bibliotheca Septentrionalis." — A 

 few days ago, on looking over some old papers, I 

 met with the following prospectus : 



" Speedily Avill be published, Bibliotheca Septentrionalis, 

 or an Univtrsal Dictionary, containing every thing rela- 

 tive to the Northern Nations, from the Sources of the 

 Danube and Rhine to the Extremities of Iceland and 

 Greenland; comprehending their Ancient Histories and 

 Traditions, the Revolutions of their several Empires, 

 their different Sects in Religion and Politics, their Go- 

 vernments, Laws, Customs, Manners, in Peace and War ; 

 their Arts and Sciences, Theology, Mythology, Magic, 



[* Regard with honour or awe. See this proclamation 

 in extenso in Leland'a Itinerary, ed. 1769, iv. 182. ; and in 

 Bohn's edit, of Brand's Popular Antiquities, i. 477.] 



[t See a notice of this fund in Gent. Mag., May, 1817, 

 p. 469.] 



