June 5. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



531 



:anything dextrous or easy in ; but one, who has 

 been the greatest part of his life master of his 

 own time and thoughts, has his head pre-occupied ; 

 at least is commonly fitter for the direction than 

 the execution of business ; tmless it be such in 

 ■which his head will concur with his hand. Besides, 

 iiot to mention other incongi'uities, how would it 

 fit a man, growing in years, to be company for a 

 pack of young clerks ? or, how could he hope 

 to be continued, of such honourable persons, as 

 should recommend him even to that situation, 

 but might with the same trouble to something more 

 •convenient for him ? 



" I have been assured by persons of experience, 

 that an handsome post is not only sooner procured 

 as having less candidates, but a man's pretension 

 is more regarded. Whereas, in business of ordi- 

 nary or mean account, his merits and abilities are 

 thought proportionable, and therefore his preten- 

 sion or request is less regarded. Besides, places 

 that are something considerable, are generally less 

 slavish and engrossing of a man's time; which, 

 -God knows, I desire not to be better employed 

 than mine is, and may be by myself; only, a part 

 of it more profitably : and yet, the convenience of 

 such leisure, with the credit attending such a 

 place, I should more value than the profit. 



" There is a common advice, that a man should 

 not put in for everything, because it implys too 

 high thoughts of his own sufiiciency, as if he 

 thought himself fit for everything : which is the 

 character of an arrogant and conceited coxcomb. 

 This offering of one's self, without latitude or 

 limitation, is indeed one extreme ; but the other 

 is, to nail one's self down to some one individual 

 place, like a dainty guest, that can taste but of 

 one dish, and so wait for the vacancy ; wherein he 

 is led, by his own election, first to go barefoot 

 (perhaps to his grave) in waiting for a dead man's 

 shoes ; and when he is dead, then he shall proba- 

 bly see another wear them. So that any vacancy 

 •which will accommodate the candidate with a 

 competency suitable to his condition and qualifi- 

 cations ; or, at least, equal to what he has appeared 

 in, and decently enjoyed, cannot, 'tis presumed, 

 l>e thought unreasonable. 



" Two or three hundred a year may be thought 

 a very liberal allowance from a single person ; in 

 places of the government 'tis thought no burden, 

 because the publick contributions are settled for 

 the payment: there is no new charge or salary 

 •created, and they have stood the test of various 

 changes or revolutions in the administrations. If 

 I were to be restored to a place of two hundred a 

 year now, it would not be by one fourth part of 

 the advantage to me that it might have been five 

 jears since : for I should look upon myself in con- 

 science obliged to sequester so much, even though 

 I should live long enough to enjoy such a place 

 ten years, to re-iinburse such friends as have 



assisted me in all that time, but can no longer 

 now. So that this one act of accommodation 

 would indeed save more persons than one from 

 ruin." 



If it is not already known that Oldys obtained the 

 appointment of Norroy through the intercession of Sir 

 Peter Thompson, to whom the above autobiographic 

 sketch was addressed, I think I can confidently assert 

 such was the fact. I am collecting materials for bio- 

 graphical notices of the King's Heralds and Pursui- 

 vants-at-Arms. Will you permit me, through the 

 medium of " N. & Q.," to make known to your corre- 

 spondents that I have such a work in hand ; and that 

 I should be obliged for any unpublished particulars, 

 either relative to Oldys, or any other members of the 

 College of Arms. 



Chables Bbibgeb. 



ON COSIN S 

 TIATION," 



" HISTOBT OF POPISH TBANSUBSTAN- 

 EDITED BY THE BEV. J. S. BBEWEB. 



As every work of value, and likely to live, 

 should be made as correct as possible, I beg in- 

 sertion in " 2T. & Q." of some remarks on a note 

 in Mr. Brewer's very satisfactory edition of so 

 important a volume as that of Cosin on the papal 

 doctrine of transubstantiation. The note occurs 

 in p. 130., and is as follows : — 



" |: Index Expurg. Hispan. D. Gasp. QuirogcB Card, 

 et Inquisit. generalis in fine. 



" There is a copy of one edition of this Index in the 

 British Museum, but I cannot find the passage to 

 which Bp. Cosin refers. The other Index to which 

 he refers Is not to be found In the British Museum, 

 Bishop Tenlson's library, or Sion College." 



The disappointment of Mr. Brewer may not 

 improbably be ascribed to the unfortunate fact, 

 that in the English translation of Cosin's book, 

 which is given by Mr. Brewer in the forecited 

 extract, after the word fine are omitted the 

 words Lit. O., which are found in the Latin 

 original. This additional direction would have 

 led to the passage which the editor was desirous 

 of verifying. For, in the first edition of the Index 

 referred to, that of 1584, the particular index at 

 the end, under O, gives the fol. 182, 183 (/also 

 171), where the passage is found exactly as ex- 

 tant in the Latin of Cosin. The particular Ex- 

 purgatory Index under view was printed in 1601 

 and 1611. In the first of the two, thai printed at 

 Saumur, the passage is found fol. 149. verso. 

 I dare say it is so in the other entitled Dtio 

 Testes, ^c, but that is of no moment. Bp. Cosin 

 does not, as the note expresses, refer to any 

 " other index." The British Museum is com- 

 paratively scanty in this class of books, but they 

 are all to be found in the Bodleian Library. 



