•May 1. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



415 



singfular metamor])l)osis of the Pix und Ousel into tlie 

 familiar sign of the Pig and Whisth. During tlie 

 IVIiddle Ages, as we learn inci;Ieatally from lleinerius, 

 Gallus-super-camprtnam was the ecclesiastical hiero- 

 glyphic of a Romish Priest : and as the gentlemen of 

 that fraternity dealt somewhat fopiously in legends 

 rather marvellous than absolutely true, t!ie contempt 

 of our English Protestantism soon learned proverbially 

 to distinguish any idle figment by tlie burlesque name 

 of a Cock-on-a- Bell story, or, as we now say, a Cock- 

 and-a- Bull story." — From An Liquiry into the History 

 and Theology of the Ancient Vallenses and Albigenses, by 

 Georg2 Stanley Fabjr, B.D., 1838, p. 76. n. 



J. R. R. 



Mary Queen of Scots — Her Monument and 

 Head. — I find in Grose's Antiquarian Repertory, 

 2ml edition, vol. iii. p. 388., an account of" a monu- 

 ment which was formerly to be seen in the Church 

 of St. Andrew, at Antwerp, to the memory of 

 Mary Queen of Scots ; and it is therein related, 

 on the authority of " an ancient MS.," shown to 

 the author by " a Flemish gentleman of conse- 

 quence and learning'," tliat two of Mary's atten- 

 dant ladies, named Barbara ]\Iovvbray and Eliza- 

 beth Curie, buried the head of their unfortunate 

 mistress there, having been permitted, on leaving 

 England after her execution, to carry her head 

 with them. 



Can any of your readers inform me whether this 

 nionument still exists, and wliether anything is 

 known of a portrait of Mary said to have been 

 placed by these ladies near the monument ? Also, 

 whether there is any truth whatever in the above 

 Strange story. C. E. D. 



^ucrt'r^. 



THE BOOK OF JASHER. 



The inclosed cutting is from the New Monthly 

 Magazine for March 1 829. What has become of 

 the translation of the "Book of Jasher" named 

 therein, and was it ever published as promised ? 



" Curious Literary Discovery. — The following is a 

 singular disct)v;Ty, said to be a translation from the 

 original Hebrew manuscript of the Book of Jasher, 

 teferred to as a work of credit and reputation in Holy 

 Scripture, first in Joshua x. 13. and again in 2 Sam. i. 

 18. This book was kept as a memorial of the great 

 events which had happened from the beginning of time, 

 especially to the family and descendants of Abraham, 

 by the Kings of Judah. After the Babylonish cap- 

 tivity, it fell into the possession of the Persian Kings, 

 and was preserved n ith great care in the city of Gazna : 

 from whence a translation was procured by the great 

 Alcuin, who flourished in the eighth century, at tlie 

 cost of several bars of gold, presented to those who had 

 the custody of it. He brought this translation to his 

 own country, having employed, with his companions, 

 seven years in pilgrimage ; three of which were spent 

 in Gazna, in order to his obtaining this important and 



interesting work. After his return to England, he was 

 made Abbot of Canterbury ; and having lived in the 

 highest honour, died in the year 804, leaving this, with 

 other manuscripts, to his friend, a clergyman in York- 

 shire. It appears to have been preserved with reli- 

 gious care for many centuries, until, about one hundred 

 years since, it fell into the hands of a gentleman, who 

 certifies that on its cover was the following testimony 

 of our great reformer WicklifFe : — 'I have read the 

 Book of Jasher twice over, and I much approve of it 

 as a piece of great antiquity and curiosity ; but I can- 

 not assent that it should be made a part of the Canon 

 of Scripture."— (Signed, Wickliffe. ) This gentleman, 

 who conceals his name, communicated it to a Noble 

 I..ord, who appears to have been high in office, when a 

 rumour prevailed of a new translation of the Bible. 

 His Lordship's opinion of it was that it should be 

 published, as a work of great sincerity, plainness, and 

 truth ; and further, his Lordship added, ' it is my 

 opinion the Book of Jasher ought to have been printed 

 in the Holy Bible before the Book of Joshua.' From 

 that period this invaluable work has lain concealed, 

 until, by an accident, it fell into the hands of the pre- 

 sent possessor, who purposes to pii!)lish it in a way 

 worthy its excellence for truth, antiquity, and evident 

 originality. — Daily Paper." 



L. L. L. 



[Two editions of this work have been published : the 

 first appeared in 1751, and the other in 1829, lioth in 

 4to. The title-page of the latter edition informs us 

 that it was " translated into P^nglish from the Hebrew, 

 by Flaecus Albinus Alcuinus of Britai), Abbot of 

 Canierbury, who went a pilgrimage itito the Holy 

 Land and Persia, where he discovered this volume, in 

 the city of Gazna." But it appears that this Alcuin 

 of Britain was no other than Jacob Hive; and, ac- 

 cording to Rowe Mores, the whole of it is a palpable 

 forgery. He states, that " the account given of the 

 translation is full o^ glaring absurdities. Mr. Hive, in 

 the night-time, had constantly an Hebrew Bible before 

 him, and cases in liis closet. He produced the Book of 

 Jasher ; and it was comptiscd in private, and the same 

 worked oflT in the night-time in a private press-room." 

 — Rowe Mores' Diss, on Founders, p. 64. See also 

 Nichols' Literary Anecdotes, \\>\. i. p. S09.] 



:^tnor ^utiit€. 



Old China. — It was gratifying to see some 

 inquiries respecting Dutch china, which It Is to be 

 hoped will lead to a further pursuit of such sub- 

 jects. Some connoisseur would confer a benefit 

 upon the community If he would be kind enough 

 to give a concise description of the various styles 

 and to point out the distinguishing marks of old 

 china generally, by which its beauties might be 

 appreciated and its value estimated: there Is great 

 difficulty in acquiring such information. C. T. 



Pagoda, Joss House, Fetiche. — No such word 

 as Pagoda Is known in the native languages : De- 

 ical, according to Mr. Forbes (Orient. Mem. vol. i. 



