2°* S.'.VIII. July 16. '69.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



45 



milies on Leviticus in Latin, followed by a re- 

 markable letter from one French bishop to another 

 against ordaining presbyters for money. A small 

 volume of the thirteenth century, containing a 

 long Poem on Alexander the Great in Latin hexa- 

 meters; a poem on a religious subject, attributed 

 to Ovidius Naso! sometliing about the Theodosian 

 Codex; a treatise relating to the Calendar; a 

 poem on a similar subject, and other matters. 

 A volume containing MS. lives of various saints 

 in English ; to each of them is prefixed a few 

 lines in rhyme. A small volume giving sundry 

 statutes relating to the Dean, Sfc. of Hereford, 

 given by Charles L, and other matters ; two 

 MSS. of the Latin Bible; a printed treatise in 

 a volume containing others, stating in the colo- 

 phon that the work was completed at Paris in 

 1423, which requires explanation. Two volumes 

 of the Grans Chroniques de France, with curious 

 illustrations. Book-covers which would gladden 

 the heart of our well-known friend in Abchurch 

 Lane, &c. &c. Lest, however, my Note should be 

 metamorphosed into a catalogue of the store to 

 which I have now had access, let me in conclusion 

 express a hope that we may some day secure, by 

 means of a parliamentary commission or private 

 enterprise, a catalogue of all the more remarkable 

 manuscripts and the most precious printed books 

 to be found in this country, — at least of all such 

 as are not personal property. We are here far 

 behind our French neighbours, but it is not too 

 late to mend. B. H. Cowpbr. 



BOB KER AND THE FASHIONS OF 1719. 



While the Times and Punch are inveighing 

 against the preposterous bulk of the fair sex of our 

 day, allow me to bring to the notice of your 

 readers a little book in my library, to show that 

 our forefathers in the reign of Geo. I. laboured 

 under a similar social visitation. Here it is : — 



"A Short and True Discription of the Great Incum- 

 brances and Damages that City and Country is like to 

 sustain by Women's girded Tails, if it be not speedily 

 prevented. Together with Robert Ker's Dedication to 

 those that wear them. 



" The Dedication of this Book 

 Calls for Ten Shillings from each Hoop. 

 Printed in the year 1719. " 



Mr. Ker was a small prophet in his way, who 

 wrote divers tracts in prose and verse against the 

 Defections of the Times, — in religion, politics, and 

 manners, — which he seems to have hawked about 

 the streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow. His 

 denunciations against ordinary sinners, and the 

 traitors who consented to the Union, appear to 

 have fallen harmless ; but poor Ker ventured upon 

 dangerous ground when he attacked the girded 

 tails of the ladies : the incensed dames of Glas- 

 gow would not stand this, and working upon the 



Nicol Jarvies of that day, the luckless reformer 

 was incarcerated in the Tolbooth by Provost 

 Aird, " for," as he says, " decrying against their 

 Women's Pride ; " and in another tract, A Missive 

 Letter and Petition to the magistrates for enlarge- 

 ment, he sharply rebukes the authorities for their 

 tame submission in sacrificing him to the malice 

 and vanity of their wives. 



Ker's attack is in both prose and verse — " A 

 Short Discourse of Fashions of Apparel," in the 

 former; and "A Poem against Farthing-gales," 

 in thejatter : — 



" Oh ! how immodest a thing it is to see," says the in- 

 dignant moralist, " so many women with Girds at their 

 Tails, that men are put to a difficulty how to walk in the 

 streets, but are every day in great hazard of breaking 

 their shin-bones, and called ill-bred forbye. And more, 

 if a man were upon the greatest express that can be, if 

 he shall meet them in any strait stair or entry, you can- 

 not pass by them without being stopped and called im- 

 pertinent to boot; forbye many other confusions and 

 cumbrances that are made both in churches and coaches 

 and everywhere they come." 



The author goes on to say, if these troublesome 

 steel tails are not laid aside, churches, doors, stair- 

 cases, carriages, &c. must be enlarged to admit 

 their monstrous girded fats. Mr. K.'s poetry is 

 below mediocrity. Following up his point, he 

 ungallantly couples it with a wholesale sneer at 

 the sex : — 



" And let not men be over-trod, 



With snares that lie now in our rod. 



Women to men have been great snares, 



As may be seen in former days." 



Again, — 



" Oh ! the great sums now that are ward 

 By many gentleman and laird, 

 And all upon our women's tails : 

 At last Death will bring down their saih." 



But enough of this. Let me now say, in justice 

 to Ker, that he by no means confined his refor- 

 matory strictures to the softer sex. There lies 

 before me also — 

 ' " A Glass, wherein Nobles, Priests, and People may see 

 the Lord's Controversies against Britain. By R. K., 

 Fewer in Gilmertoun. Printed in the year 1719 " — 



in which the shortcomings of all classes are over- 

 hauled in his peculiar fashion; but I fear the 

 moral force of his teaching was neutralised by the 

 following unhappy admission : " that bitter expe- 

 rience is the best teacher of fools, among which I 

 do esteem myself to be inferior to very lew " (!) 



J. C/. 



PROBATION LISTS OF MERCHANT TATLOBs' SCHOOL. 



I have been recently engaged in examining the 

 Probation Lists of Merchant Taylors' School, and 

 I think that the results of my researches may be 

 interesting to your readers, while at the same 



