Aug. 11. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



113 



ment of a number to each letter of the alphabet. 

 If he wish to test his ingenuity in the art, he should 

 endeavour to discover the meaning involved in a 

 piece of secret writing printed in Rees's Encyclo- 

 pcedia, art. Cipher. It is the production of the 

 late Mr. Blair, an Irish surgeon, and forms the 

 best treatise on the art with which I am acquainted. 

 The cypher alluded to is the last in the treatise ; 

 and although the key and interpretation be given, 

 yet it is a task of considerable difficulty to dis- 

 cover the plan on which the alphabet is arranged. 



Should your correspondent desire to know more 

 of this art, I would refer him, in addition to the 

 article above mentioned, to La Cryptographie 

 Devoilee, par Ch. Fr. Vesin (Bruxelles, 8vo., 

 1848). Specimens of ciphers may be found in 

 the second volume of Martens' Guide Diploma- 

 tique, p. 576. et seq., and the Works of Dr. John 

 Wallis, vol. iii. p. 659. 



There is a curious story respecting the inven- 

 tion of a cipher used by the British government 

 in the Autobiography of Wm. Jerdart, vol. i. pp. 40 

 — 43. Thompson Coopek. 



Cambridge. 



Holidays (Vol. xii., p. 65.). — The reference to 

 the Council of Trent by G. E. Howard is mani- 

 festly wrong. Perhaps he refers to the twenty- 

 fifth Session, Dec. 4, 1563, and the decree "De 

 invocatione, veneratione et reliquiis sanctorum, 

 et sacris imaginibus," where it is ordained that — 



" Omnis porro superstitio in sanctorum invocatione*, 

 reliquiarum veneratione, et imaginum sacro usu tollatur, 

 omnis turpis quaestus eliminetur, omnis denique lascivia 

 .vitetur, ita ut procaci venustate imagines non pingantur 

 nee ornentur, et sanctorum celebratione ac reliquiarum 

 visitatione homines ad comessationes atque ebrietates non 

 abutanturf, quasi festi dies in honorem sanctorum per 

 luxum ae lasciviam agantur." — Canones et Decreta Sac, 

 CEc. Concilii Tridentini, ed. 3., stereot. Romae, 1834. 



This confirms the alleged statement of St. Chry- 

 sostom, that " the honouring of the martyrs [holi- 

 days], instead of promoting religion and devotion, 

 had quite the opposite effect." T. J. Buckton. 



Lichfield. 



Buying the Devil (Vol. x., p. 365.). — There 

 was an account in the American newspapers 

 several years since of a spirit-merchant at Boston 

 who purchased a cask of rum, in which he found 

 a young negro ; upon which discovery he disposed 

 of the cask again, observing, in the spirit of com- 

 mercial enterprise, if any one bought the devil he 

 was justified in selling him again. G. B. 



Posies on Wedding-rings (Vol. xi., p. 277.). — 

 Your correspondent E. D. has furnished an inte- 

 resting collection of these mottoes, evidently the 

 result of much perseverance and attention. The 



• Cf. c. ult. X. De reliq. et ven. sanct. iii. 45. (Innoc. III.) 

 t Cf. c. 2. D. iii. de cons. (cone. Tol. iii.) 

 No. 302.] 



list is capable of being augmented, if such of your 

 readers as possess information oil the subject 

 would favour you with the particulars thereof. 

 Perhaps you will allow me to add the following. 

 Many years since a massive gold ring was found 

 in a field at Terling, Essex, on which was en- 

 graved, — 



" Where hearts agree, 

 There God will bee." 



The late Mr. Brand, of Chapel, in the same 

 county, picked up a similar one in his garden, 

 having upon it, — i. 



" Heart and hand 

 At your command." 



G.B- 

 Manningtree. . ^ 



'"Aboard," ''Ashore" (Vol. xii., p. 46.)._— = 

 These are nautical words, to be classed with 

 aback, abaft, abreast, aburton, adrift, afloat, afore, 

 aground, ahead, alee, aloft, aloof, amain, amidships, 

 an-end, apeek, astern, athwart, atrip, avast, &c. 

 The grammatical landsman usually inserts the 

 preposition on, where the seaman softens it into 

 the initial syllable a. A ship afire has originated 

 a house afire, but in both instances on fire is the 

 grammatical form, and the most ancient one. Two 

 only of the above nautical terms are French, 

 d bord and dflot. The landsman, as well as the 

 seaman, uses a where on, in the sense of in, was 

 anciently used, as afoot, aside, nowadays, alive, 

 asleep, awalking, ariding, &c. T. J. Buckton. 



Lichfield. 



Old College of Physicians (Vol. xii., p. 66.). — 

 Your correspondent W. M. will find the engrav- 

 ings to which he alludes, viz. Linacre's House in 

 Knight Eider Street, and the Old College of 

 Physicians, in Sir Henry Halford's Gold-headed 

 Cane, published by Murray in 1828, pp. 131. 137. 



Russell Institution. 



Milton, Lines on his Blindness (Vol. xii., p. 65.). 

 — In one of my copies of Milton's Works, I have 

 a manuscript affix of the lines beginning, — 

 " When Milton's eye ethereal light first drew," 

 which is thus introduced, — 



" Impromptu on the Blindness of Milton, from MSS. 

 intituled • Icarian Flights.' " 



There is no note on my little record to state 

 whence and when I procured it ; but it was many 

 years ago, and my impression is that it was from 

 a friend who was well aware of the interest I ever 

 took in all that related to John Milton. Of th& 

 manuscripts entitled " Icarian Flights," I know 

 nothing ; but in the event of your not receiving 

 more specific information, I thought F. might 

 derive some assistance from the above. 



A Hermit at Hampstead. 



