2nd g, VIII. Nov. 19. '59.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



411 



partment commence ? I have been given to un- 

 derstand that In the present day they draught oflf 

 their accumulations of papers to the doclcyards to 

 be burnt. Can this be correct? This much I 

 know, that some short time since several very 

 valuable papers, I believe (as far as memory 

 serves me) connected with Nelson, were offered 

 to the Museum authorities for sale ; who, con- 

 ceiving that they might have been illegally appro- 

 priated, communicated with the heads of the 

 Admiralty upon the subject, who disclaimed all 

 title to the property, it having been condemned 

 as rubbish. 



It is not generally known that the Rolls, some 

 little time since, burned a great quantity of old Re- 

 cords : touching this, I should like some additional 

 information. I believe my informant told me that 

 they were medical accounts relating to prisoners 

 in the Tower of London. Would it not have 

 been preferable to have sent them to the auction- 

 rooms, and so given the public an opportunity of 

 preserving what the Vandalism of the nineteenth 

 century takes upon itself to condemn as worthless ? 



"^hile alluding to Rubens, I might as well make 

 a note that Harleian MS. (No. 218.) gives the 

 obituary of Philip (set. 38.), the brother of Sir 

 Peter Paul Rubens ; and that of Albert, the son 

 of the latter, in 1657. Abbacasabba. 



EXTRACTS FROM AN EAELT MANUSCRIPT. 



Arithmetical Notation. — The following is tran- 

 scribed from a MS. of the end of the fourteenth, 

 or beginning of the fifteenth century ; — 



" 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5 4. 3. 2. 1. Computa ordine retro- 

 grado et sic prima figura primo loco posita valet se ; se- 

 cundo loco posita valet decies se ; tertio loco centies se ; 

 quarto loco posita milesies se; quinto loco decies mi- 

 lesies ; sexto loco centies milesies ; septimo loco mille 

 millesies; octavo loco decies mille millesies; nono loco 

 centies mille milesies; decimo loco mille mille milesies. 

 Numerorum vero alius digitus, alius articulus, alius com- 

 potus. Digitus est omnis numerus infra decern, et debet 

 scribi per predictas figuras simplices. Articulus est 

 omnis numerus qui potest dividi in decern partes equales 

 et communiter scribitur per ciphram ut hie : 10. 20. 30. 

 40. Compotus constat ex articulo et digito, ut hie : 1. 2. 

 Et semper digitus est in parte dextra. Qui scire voluerit 

 pluries tabulam ruminet." 



The /orms of the numerals have, of course, not 

 been copied. Is the distinction between digitus^ 

 compotus, and articulus, well known ? 



Verses on the Death of Edward IV. — In the 

 volume which contains the above table, the fol- 

 lowing hexameters are written in one of the blank 

 leaves at the end, in a hand probably of the first 

 half of the sixteenth century. I follow the punc- 

 tuation exactly : — 



" Carmina qui letus : tecum cane Tristia mestus 

 Heu pater heu pastor heu rex heu bellicus armis 



Heu doctus Salamon Jonatbas Arturus in hostes 

 Heu vere legis custos heu gloria plebis 

 Edwardus quartus Anglie rex et decus orbis 

 ToUitur a nobis rosa mundi sol que triumphi 

 Absolon in vultu Salamon Christi quasi cultu 

 Templi fundator astri nomen et recreator 

 Ast orbis natis qui sit jam queso beatis 

 Gallus obedit ei vultu Scotes que subegit 

 Protoctoi". Christi fidei victus nece tristi 

 Celsa petena astri jam liquit culmina castri 

 Sol latit obscuris grauibus dolet Anglia curis 

 Castra thoris plena psallentum sunt per amena 

 Olim iam flentum vix verba referre valentum 

 Luce migrat celis nona rex noster Aprilis 

 Edwardi Christi matris precibus que Georgii 

 M semel et C quater octo decies tribus aunis 

 Cristi sed regni vicenus tercius annus 

 Natus que mense necat huius mors illius ense 

 Anglia plange parens regis sic neustria nutrix 

 Rex cuius ex iure moritur cur. Gallia confle 

 Regem nunc reges plangant geniti genitores 

 Princeps dux que comes genitrix regina que proles 

 Spiritus exorent regis petat alta polorum 

 Omnes Angligiae quia rex et tutor eorum." 



Just below these lines, and in the same hand, 

 are the following, the object of which is clear 

 enough : — 



" Hastyns hie domini Willielmi corpus humatur. 

 Funde preces anima quod celi luce fruatur. 

 Centum namque dies venie tociens tibi dantur 

 A te quando pater et ave pro se recetantur." 



On a preceding leaf, in different hands of the 

 sixteenth century, are the following : — 



" Anno milleno C quater . X. quoque seno 

 Festo sex fratrum . dat Northamptonie bellum 

 Campo sanctarum viridi delapray monacharum 

 Quid plagis .quid . aqua . sunt plurima corpora strata 

 Ex quibus hii . buc . Be . proceres iungas Tal. et Egre 

 Et lucy miles . deus hiis . omnibus requiem des. Amen." 



Over the abbreviations, hue, Be, Tal, Egre, 

 are written respectively by way of explanation or 

 completion : diix hukhyngham, vicecomes bevmond, 

 hot, mond. 



Again : — 



" When qwene Anne was crownyd 

 Syr John d3'gby was beryd 

 A m d iij and thrytty 

 Was the date of our lord I say trewly." 



Again, some mnemonic verses for the order of 

 succession of the kings of England : — 



" Wil. con. Willms. hen. Stephanus. henque secundua 

 EL Jon. Henri. Edwardus tres. Ri. que secundus 

 Postea regnavit. Quartus. quintus simul Henri. 

 Hen sextus regnat. felice tempore viuat 

 Edwardus quartus. quintus ternus que Ricardus 

 Septimus. Henricus. octauus nunc numerandus." 



Again : — 



" Sanguine© ore Gallus contra Anglos 

 Siccine tam creb[rjis frustra conuentibus Anglos 

 Querimus et dubii pacis abimus iter 

 Credimus astute tritas dissoluere gentes 

 Quam retro ex nostris nuUus amauit auus 

 Sic michi persuasi francus conseneiet Anglis 

 Cum dabit agniculis vbera seua lupa 

 Cum fonte ex vno cerua lupus que bibent 



