Aug. 18. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



133 



the old Mazarinean Library, Paris Tnstitut, there 

 exists a copy of Sir T. Harrington's curious tract, 

 The Metamorphosis of Ajax, another drollery of 

 the same era (not of the same stamp), on the 

 title-page of which one may read, written in a 

 very good hand of the sixteenth century, the word 

 William, quite legible, under a slight dash of the 

 pen, and the letters S . . p . . e, more effectually 

 concealed under a more vigorous stroke of the 

 same hand and the same ink. 



Philarete Chasles, Mazarinaeua. 



Paris, Palais de I'lnstitut. 



Beating the Bounds (Vol. xi., p. 485.). — Feel- 

 ing sure that you will have a multiplicity of 

 answers to this question, I shall content myself 

 with referring R. P. to Brand's Popular Antiqui- 

 ties, (Knight's edition, vol. i. pp. 116 — 124.); 

 Hone's Year-Book (October 8.) ; Hone's Every- 

 Day Book (May 12.) ; Wheatly's Illustration of 

 the Book of Common Prayer (Oxon, 1846, p. 202.). 

 Also in the churchwarden's accounts for the parish 

 of Ecclesfield, are the following entries : 



" 1680. Spent at the preambulation, 6s. Sid. ; payde for 

 bread and ale for those that went with the presession at 

 Shiergreene Cross, 6s. 8d." 



J. Eastwood. 



Eckington. 



The origin of the custom of "beating the bounds," 

 or perambulating the limits of the parish, which still 

 prevails in the east, and other parts, as well as in 

 the west of England, was from the ancient prac- 

 tice of walking round in solemn religious proces- 

 sion, chanting the Litanies, on the three days 

 before Ascension, commonly called the three 

 Rogation days. In the Catholic Church, the Lita- 

 nies are still sung or recited on those days, and 

 also in procession, where this is practicable. 



F. C.H. 



Method of taking out Ink (Vol. xii., p. 29.). — 

 A small quantity of oxalic acid, or muriatic acid, 

 somewhat diluted, applied with a camel's hair 

 pencil, and blotted off with blotting-paper, will in 

 two applications quite obliterate any traces of 

 modern ink. By the aid of oxalic acid, I have 

 restored a page on which an inkstand had been 

 upset to almost primitive purity. 



WiixLAM Fbaser, B.C.L. 



Alton, Staffordshire. 



The following passage, which seems to answer 

 J. P.'s Query referred to above, caught my eye 

 yesterday whilst looking for something else in 

 Hone's Every-Day Book, vol. ii. Not having the 

 opportunity of trying the method referred to, I 

 can only give the passage verbatim : 



_ " M. Chaptal remarks, that, since the oxygenated mu- 

 riatic acid had been found capable of discharging the 

 colour of common writing-ink, both from parchment and 

 No. 308.] 



paper, without injuring their texture, it had been fraudu- 

 lently employed," &c. &c. 



J. Eastwood. 



Absorbent Paper (Vol. xii., p. 87.). — In an- 

 swer to the inquiries of C, I beg to inform him, 

 that if he will dissolve a drachm of alum in three 

 ounces of spring water, and sponge the paper with 

 it ; when dry, it will bear writing upon without 

 blotting. 



He may also write on absorbent paper with 

 common ink, if he mixes gum-water with it. 



F.C.H. 



Having had much experience in foreign books^ 

 and the papers on which they are printed — more 

 particularly noticing the absorbent nature of 

 modern German works — I would advise C. to 

 make his notes upon their margins in pencil, a 

 card being introduced under the leaf to make the 

 line clear and sharp ; as I do not think anything 

 could be done to impart size to the paper of a 

 bound book, without injury to its appearance.^ 



Books may be with ease sized prior to binding,^ 

 and the paper materially strengthened. 



Luke Limner. 



Stained Glass Picture of BlessedVirgin (Vol. xi.r 

 p. 466.). — If the picture referred to be intended 

 for the Blessed Virgin and Divine Infant, the toy 

 described by L. J. B. is very remarkable and un- 

 usual. 



A toy mill is the emblem of the infant St. James 

 the Less, as represented among the highly-finished 

 paintings on the screen of Ranworth Church, 

 Norfolk ; and referred to by the Very Rev. Dr. 

 Husenbeth, in his useful book of reference. Em- 

 blems of Saints, by which they are distinguished 

 in works of art (pp. 74 — 78.). I suspect that the 

 figure holding an Agnus Dei is intended for St.. 

 John Baptist, he being almost always so repre- 

 sented. C. A. B. 



In answer to L. J. B. on "Stained Glass Pic- 

 tures of the Blessed Virgin," I would remark that 

 representations of toys are not uncommon in pic- 

 tures of the childhood of our Blessed Lord. For 

 example : 



1. In an early Byzantine painting I have, our 

 Lord is painted with a twisted stick, probably a 

 sugar-stick, in his hand. 



2. He is represented blowing bubbles froni a 

 mussel-shell on a stick in one of those beautiful 

 early pictures lately placed in the National Gal- 

 lery. This is very prettily treated in Wierx's 

 Vita et Passio Dei, where an angel is playing with 

 Him. 



3. In A. Wierx's print of Virgo Matre, he is 

 represented with a windmill on a stick, like the 

 toy of the same kind we still see used. 



4. In a print of M. Sadlee, He has a sort of 

 chaplet with which he is playing. 



