2nd g. No 48., Nov. 29. '56.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



429 



not, I cannot say : perhaps some of your readers 

 may be able to supply information on this subject. 



Thomas Cobseb. 

 Stand Rectory. 



JOHN rOCKE AND FBEEMASONBY. 



In an Appendix to The Spirit of Masonry, by 

 William Hutchinson, third edit, Edinbur<rh, 1813, 

 is given " A Letter from the learned Mr. John 

 Locke to the Right Hon. Thomas, Earl of Pem- 

 broke, with an old Manuscript on the subject of 

 Free Masonry," as follows : 



" May 6, 1G96, My Lord, I have at length by the help 

 of Mr. Collins procured a copy of that MS. in the Bodleian 

 Library which you were so curious to see, and in obedience 

 to your lordship's commands I herewith send it to you. 

 Most of the notes annexed toit are what I made j'ester- 

 day for the reading of my Lady Masham, who is become 

 80 fond of Masonry, as to say, that she now more than 

 ever wishes herself a man that she might be capable of 

 admission into the fraternity. 



" The MS., of which this is a copy, appears to be about 

 100 years old (as your Lordship will observe by the 

 title) ; it is itself a copy of one yei more ancient by 100 

 years, for the original is said to have been the hand- 

 writing of King Henry VI. Where that prince had it is 

 at present an uncertainty ; but it seems to me to be an 

 examination (taken perhaps before the King) of some 

 one of the brotherhood of Masons, among whom he 

 entered himself, as it is said, when he came out of his 

 minority, and thenceforth put a stop to a persecution that 

 had been raised against them ; but I must not detain 

 your Lordship longer by my preface from the thing itself. 



" I know not what effect the sight of this old paper 

 may have upon your Lordship ; but for my part I cannot 

 deny, that it has so much raised my curiosity as to in- 

 duce me to enter myself into the fraternity, which I am 

 determined to do (if 1 may be admitted) the next time 

 I go to London, and that will be shortly. I am, my 

 Lord, your Lordship's most obedient and most humble 

 servant, John Locke." 



The MS. sets forth to have been " Writene by 

 the hande of Kynge Henrye the syxthe of the 

 name, and faythfuUye copyed by me, Johan Ley- 

 lande Antiquarius" (who " was (says Mr. Locke) 

 appointed by King Henry VIII. at the dissolution 

 of monasteries to search for and save such Books 

 and records as were valuable among them. He 

 was a man of great labour and industry.") 

 " By the Command of His Highnesse" to which 

 Mr. Locke also adds this illustrative note : " His 

 Highnesse meaning the said King Henry VIII. 

 Our Kings had not then the title of Majesty." 



Is anything farther known whether the author 

 of the Essay on the Human Understanding, whose 

 conversion was thus brought round, ever fulfilled 

 his determination, in becoming a brother of " the 

 mystic tie." G. N. 



Mitiat caucrtcS. 

 Recorder of London. — Can any of the corre- 

 spondents of " N. & Q." give information as to 



the custom of the Recorder of the City of London 

 being summoned before the equity judges ? On 

 the occasion of his appearance last week, it was 

 disputed how he should be robed ; and after long 

 discussion and consideration, scarlet was decided 

 on. The only instances of the kind I can find 

 mentioned in any of the books is one about a 

 century ago, and one in the reign of Henry VI. ; 

 but no explanation is given, I want to know 

 whether there are any records of the fashion of. 

 his robes on such occasions? and whether there 

 are any, and what, cases besides those before men- 

 tioned ? T. M. M. 



Is there an authorised Version of the Hebrew 

 Scriptures ? — Whilst the clergy and a portion of 

 the press are discussing the expediency of a re- 

 vision of the authorised version of the Bible, it 

 would be curious to know whether the Jews, the 

 original depositories of the Hebrew Scriptures, 

 have in this country or abroad an authorised 

 version, and if so, what authority is attached to 

 it ? Inquieer. 



Jewish Versions of the Hehrew Scriptures. — 

 Are these versions, in the various modern lan- 

 guages, issued by authority of the chief priests 

 and rabbis, and, if so, what comparative repute do 

 they bear ? 



And is there any edition put forth with critical 

 and exegetical apparatus, similar to Bloomfield's 

 or Alford's editions of the New Testament, or 

 with any commentary ? Delta. 



Derivation of Skoymus. — What is the derivation 

 and precise meaning of the word shoymus f It 

 occurs in the Te Deum : " Thou wert not shoymus 

 of the mayden's wombe to dely ver mankynde." 



The only information I have been able to pro- 

 cure is that the word skoymus is said to be related 

 to the German scheuen, Swedish sky, English shy, 

 French eschever (eschew). To the learned gen- 

 tleman who gave me the above I suggested that 

 our squeamish might have something to do with 

 it ; and I find Chaucer has 



" But soth to say he was somdel squaimoiis." 



(Moxon's ed. 1848, p. 25.) But squeamish, which 

 would be allied to ashamed (ala-xww), is rather 

 meagre for 



" Non horruisti Virginia uterum." 



" Thou didst not abhor, &c." 



J. B. Wilkinson. 



Theatrical Property. — What is the supposed 

 amount of money invested in theatrical property 

 in the United Kingdom, and the supposed annual 

 revenue of such establishments ? T. 



Preston Fitzgerald. — Can any of your readers 

 give me any information regarding Preston Fitz- 

 gerald, author of The Spaniard and Siorlamh ; a 



