464 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2-d S. VIII. Dec. 10. '59. 



guilty will easily get it, bat let him guess on while he 

 cannot prove ; and if there was nothing to fear but him- 

 self, I would own it to his face. Adieu, dear cousin. I 

 am, with great sincerity and an affectionate respect, 

 yours while alive. 



" I go soon from this, so the matter must be soon ended 

 if you please. 



" LovAT." 



I now leave the question for the consideration 

 of your readers. T. R. O. 



HUNGERFORD FAMILY. 



In Hungerford Church, co. Berks, is a curious 

 incised marble slab affixed to the wall, being of 

 one of the family of De Hungerford. The inscrip- 

 tion is a quadrilateral within a quatrefoil, sur- 

 rounded by a circle. The square tablet runs 

 thus, line for line: — 



lijr p mons ^obt he ^iugtrfml) 

 timt t\x xl wiura (Et p Talme he Ig ajji' 

 SE wtort pritHT snuli tcni^ & mx 

 ;qanlc iaats ht jiarboit uucnt gr:tir 

 it ht qatorsj tusqcs* tant iour il 

 foist en bit ' par tjuci m jiou f ht 

 chxt'de l^ater tC- §i&c 



The inscription upon the four semicircles of the 

 quatrefoil is as follows : — 



" Per dei pat' potenciam per filii sapienciam per sci sps 

 clemeciam vitam possidere bealam." 



The circular inscription thus : — 



" Quod . de . terra . svrrectvr' . sv . qd . i . carne . mea . 

 videbo . dev . salvatore . mev . qd . ds . pr . fili . et . spc . 

 SC3 . st . ds . vn' . qd . id . ds . queqrh . scdm . opa . sva . 

 ivdicabit." 



At the points where the quatrefoil touches the 

 outer circle are four smaller circles, upon each of 

 which the word credo is thus inscribed : — 



D 



which word must be taken before every sentence 

 commencing with quod. 



The tablet has suffered much from wanton de- 

 facement, the first-mentioned square inscription 

 being difficult to be deciphered. One of the 

 spoilers has perpetuated his name and date near 

 the bottom. " Willm Yong, 1616." 



This slab formed a portion of the tomb of Sir 

 Robert de H., who served in the parliament for 

 the county of Wilts, 9 Ed. II., and who, although 

 twice married, died without issue, anno 28 Ed. 

 III. (1355). He gave divers lands to the church 

 of St. Leonard at Hungerford, where there was a 

 chantry founded by him. His remains were de- 

 posited under a purfled arch with a tombstone, 



* This word is not verj' clear. 

 t Doubtful. Query, don or nou ? 



whereon was once his figure in stone, cross-legged, 

 with a round helmet and a lion at his fee*^. 



Lying in the churchyard at the present time is 

 a much-mutilated figure, which would correspond 

 with this description, as far as its lamentably di- 

 lapidated state will suffice to show. None of the 

 inhabitants appear to know to whom or what this 

 appertained. G ough (vide Sepulchral Monuments^ 

 gives the inscription, but rather inaccurately as 

 regards the orthography. He states that below 

 the square inscription were the arms of his mother, 

 Maud Haytesbury : per pale indented gu. and 

 vert a chevron, or. This is now wanting. Le- 

 thieuUier (^Archceol. vol. ii.) says by the inscrip- 

 tion having no date, it shows it was set up in 

 his lifetime. Query, was this a common practice 

 of the period ? Cl. Hopper. 



BOOK-NOTES AND FLY-LEAF SCRIBBLINGS. 



In Sarum MS. fifteenth century : — 



" January. Si tonitruum fuerit habundantiam frugum 

 anno significat. 



" Mense Febr. Si tonitruum fuerit eo anno maxime 

 mortem divitum significat. 



" Mens. Mar. Si tonit. souat validos ventos et frugum 

 copiam et lites et proelia eo anno sign. 



" Men. April. Si ton. sonat habundantiam frugum et 

 iniquonim mortem signific. 



" Mens. Mai. Si ton, son. inopiam frugum et famem eo 

 anno sign. 



" Mens. Jun. Si ton. fuerit habundantiam frugum et 

 varias infirmitates sign. 



" Mens. Julii. Si ton. son. annona erit bona et pecorum 

 fetus peribunt. 



" Mens. August. Si ton. fuerit reipublicce prospeva sign, 

 et multi segrotabunt. 



" Mens. Septemb. Si tonit sonat habundantiam frugum 

 et mortem pecorum signif. 



" Mense Oct. Si tonit fuerit, ventos validos, annonas 

 bonae, et occisionem potentium hominum. 



" Mense Novem. Si ton. fuer. habundantiam frugum et 

 jocunditatem sign. 



" Mens. Decemb. Si tonit fuer. habundantiam annonae, 

 pacem et concordiam significat." 



From this it appears that they believed thun- 

 der to be good for the crops, bad for man and 

 animals. 



Historical Notes from same book : — 



" Anno Dni. 1221. In Festo S. Lucse Evang. irruit ventus 

 a septentrione quatiens et domos et pomaria et nemora et 

 turres occlesiarum, visique sunt dracones ignei et maligni 

 spiritus in turbine volitare. 



"A" Dni. 1316. Magna lues animalium et hominum 

 maximaque inundatio ymbrium fuit ex qua pervenit 

 tanta bladi caristia, quod quarterlies tritici vendebatur 

 pro xl'. 



" Anno Dili 1348. Incepit magna pestilentia Londoniis 

 circa fest. Sci Michael. Archangel, et duravit usque ad 

 fest. S. Petro quod dicitur ad Vincula proximo sequen- 

 tem (sic). 



" An. Dni. 1361. xviii. Kal. Febr. in Festo S. Mauri 

 Ab. accidit ventus vehemens et terribilis per totam An- 

 gliara. Eodem anno fuit secunda pestilentia in qua obiit 

 vir nobilis et strenuus Henricus dux Lancasiriaa. 



"An. Dni. 1368. Erat tcrtia pestilentia in qua obiit no- 



