2»'» S. No 31., Aug. 2. '56.1 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



85 



ferred to in " N. & Q.," 1'* S. iv. 195., who is still 

 living. 



The most noted pretender to be the dauphin 

 was one Hervagault, who died in prison under the 

 Consulate. Another, Mathurin Bruneau, appeared 

 shortly after the restoration of the Bourbons in 

 1815. I have no doubt all were impostors, who 

 by making out specious cases obtained more or 

 less credence, and dup^d many honourable 5,nd 

 well-meaning persons. Perkin Warbeck, the 

 false Don Sebastians of Portugal, Martin Guerre, 

 and others, have had equal celebrity and success 

 at various times in history. A Bookworm. 



Miliar ^attS, 



Handel out of tune ! Concordia discors. — 



" This celebrated composer, though of a very robust 

 and uncouth appearance, yet had such a remarlcable irri- 

 tability of nerves, that he could not bear to hear the 

 tuning of instruments, and therefore this was always done 

 before Handel arrived. A musical wag, who knew how 

 to extract some mirth from his irascibility of temper, stole 

 into the orchestra on a night when the late Prince of 

 Wales * was to be present at the performance of a new 

 oratorio, and untuned all the instruments, some half a 

 note, others a whole note lower thau the organ. As soon 

 as the prince arrived, Handel gave the signal of begin- 

 • ning Con Spirito; but such was the horrible discord, that 

 the enraged musician started up from his seat, and having 

 overturned a double-bass which stood in his way, he seized 

 a kettle-drum, which he threw with such violence at the 

 head of the leader of the band, that he lost his full- 

 bottomed wig by the effort. Without waiting to replace 

 it, he advanced fimrheaded to the front of the orchestra, 

 breathing vengeance, but so much choaked with passion, 

 that utterance was denied him. In this ridiculous at- 

 titude he stood staring and stamping for some moments 

 amidst a convulsion of laughter ; nor could he be pre- 

 vailed upon to resume his seat, till the prince went per- 

 sonally to appease his wrath, which he with great difficulty 

 accomplished." — Political Magazine, 1786. 



The first royal personage who ever succeeded 

 in composing Handel. F. Philloxt. 



The Journal des Debats^ M. ViUemain, and M. 

 Querard. — In the number of the Journal des 

 Bebats for July 11, there is a review, by the cele- 

 brated Villemain, of Prince Albert de Broglie's 

 new publication L'Eglise et F Empire Romain au 

 4"""' Steele. In mentioning some English authors 

 who have written on the truth of Christianity, M. 

 Villemain has fallen into an error in ascribing to 

 Lord Erskine a small volume on the Christian 

 Evidences by Mr. Thomas Erskine, an advocate 

 at Edinburgh. M. Villemain may have been led 

 into this mistake by the bibliographer Querard, 

 who in his otherwise valuable work, which is a 

 source of such frequent reference — La France 

 Litteraire — has classed all the French transla- 



* Frederic, father of George III. 



tions of Mr, Thomas Erskine's works under the 

 name of Lord Erskine. As M. Querard is con- 

 stantly anxious to profit by every hint for the 

 improvement of his most useful work, he probably 

 will not fail to free it from this blunder in any 

 subsequent edition. John Macbay. 



Oxford. 



Viner's *' Abridgment" — The following extract 

 will probably both interest and amuse your 

 readers of the legal profession : it is from — 



" Bibliotheca Legum : or a new and compleat List of 

 all the Common and Statute Law Books of this Kealm, 

 and some others relating thereunto, from their first Pub- 

 lication to the Year 1746 ; giving an Account of their 

 several Editions, Dates, and Prices, and wherein they 

 differ. The Sixth Edition with Improvements. Com- 

 pil'd by John Worrall. Sm. 8vo. London, 1746. 



" Viner's (Cha.) General Abridgment of Law and 

 Equity, beginning were Mr. D'Anver's Abridgment Ends, 

 viz. with letter F., title Factor, and goes to the End of 

 the Alphabet. 10 Vols. fo. 



" As an Apology why I have not fix'd the Price, I beg 

 leave to acquaint the Reader that Mr. Viner prints his 

 Abridgment at bis own Expence, at his dwelling House 

 at Aldershott, near Earnham in Hampshire, and sells 

 them at his Chambers in the Bang's Bench Walks, allow- 

 ing those Booksellers who sell his Books the Advantage 

 of bringing Customers to their Shop for their profit ; and 

 if a Bookseller is not pleased with this, he is thought an 

 Enemy to the Work, and may disoblige either his Cus- 

 tomer or Mr. Viner." 



James Knowijes. 



Now and Then. — The following is a cutting 

 from a late number of the Birmingham Journal. 

 It (happily) reads in striking contrast to the re- 

 cent accounts of the execution of a poisoner : 



" Execution of a Poisoner in 1765. — Ivelchester, May 9, 

 1765. — Yesterday, Mary Norwood, for poisoning her 

 husband, Joseph Norwood, of Uxbridge, in this county 

 (Somersetshire), was burnt here pursuant to her sentence. 

 She was brought out of the prison about three o'clock in 

 the afternoon, barefoot. She was covered with a tarred 

 cloth, made like a shift, a tarred bonnet on her head, and 

 her legs, feet, and arms had also tar ou them. The heat 

 of the weather melting the tar on her bonnet it ran over 

 her face, so that she made a most shocking appearance. 

 She was put on a hurdle, and drawn on a sledge to the 

 place of execution, which was very near the gallows. 

 After spending some time in prayer and singing a hymn, 

 the executioner placed her on a tar barrel, about three 

 feet high. A rope, which ran in a pulley through the 

 stake, was fixed about her neck, she herself placing it 

 properly with her hands. The rope being drawn ex- 

 tremely tight with the pulley, the tar barrel was pushed 

 away, and three irons were fastened round her body to 

 confine it to the stake, that it might not drop when the 

 rope should be burnt. As soon as this was done the fire 

 was kindled, but in all probability she was quite dead 

 before the fire reached her, as the executioner pulled the 

 body several times whilst the irons were being fixed, 

 which took about five minutes. There being a great 

 quantity of tar, and the wood on the pile being quite dry, 

 the fire burnt with amazing fury ; notwithstanding which 

 great part of her could be plainly discerned for near half 

 an hour. Nothing could be more affecting than to be- 

 hold, after her bowels fell out, the fire flaming between 

 her ribs, and issuing out at her mouth, ears, eyeholes, &c 



