194 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[Sept. 8. 1855. 



phlebotomising him everywhere ? Or, if not him- 

 self a victim, has he never seen the head of his 

 companion surrounded with a cloud of poisonous 

 flies? — moving as he moves, and keeping their 

 place in spite of his involuntary starts and springs, 

 and, regai'dless of his oaths and abjurations, wor- 

 rying him till the very grouse sit on the heathery 

 hillocks and crow over his torments, and the 

 hearts of the trout rejoice over the poetical justice 

 that causes their whilome betrayer to be pun- 

 ished by the slaves of his treachery ? 



If H. W. has seen none of these things, how 

 can he hope to understand Tennyson ? G. H. K. 



Authorship of the " Gold-Headed Cane " 

 (Vol. xii., p. 113.). — The followintr inscription in 

 the copy belonging to the RadclifFe Library at 

 Oxford, proves that the author was the late Dr. 

 Macmichael of Christchurch : 



" For the KadclifFe Library, Oxford, from the author, 

 who was one of the RadclifFe Travelling Fellows from 

 1811 to 1821, London, June, 1834." 



M. D. 



Whitewashing in Churches (Vol. ix., p. 148.). — 

 An evidence of the antiquity of this custom is 

 afforded by the following passage from Eddius 

 Stephanus, an old monkish historian, quoted by 

 William of Malmsbury. It has reference to the 

 first edifice of the cathedral of St. Peter's, York, 

 erected in the beginning of the seventh century, 

 by Edwin, the first Christian king of Northumbria. 

 This structure appears soon to have been in very 

 bad repair, Eddius Stephanus thus describes its 

 ruinous condition, and subsequent restoration : 



" The leaking roofs admitted rain, and the open win- 

 dows birds, which built their nests within, and were con- 

 stantly flying in and out. The rain and birds together 

 defiled and discoloured the neglected walls. But our 

 holy bishop (Wilfrid), in horror that the house of prayer 

 should be thus brought to resemble a den of thieves, 

 straightway undertook to i-epair it. He restored the 

 rotten ridges of the roof, and covered it with pure lead. 

 The windows, which formerh' derived their light from 

 the transparency of linen, or of boards pierced with many 

 holes, he provided with glass; thus excluding the birds 

 and rain, and yet admitting the light. He cleansed the 

 walls, and made them whiter than snnw, hy means of white 

 lime ; and not only furnished the house and altars with 

 ornaments and vessels, but endowed it with many lands." 



BOUNOS. 



Harcia, Earl of Carlisle (Vol. xii., p. 145.). — 

 A memoir of this nobleman was printed some two 

 or three years since in a monthly periodical paper 

 published by Mr. Whitridge, bookseller, at Car- 

 lisle ; in which his family was traced up to a 

 remote period, and many details of his life and 

 actions given, placing his character in a much 

 more favourable point of view than it has hitherto 

 stood in. Your correspondent, by application to 

 Mr. Whitridge, may probably be able to procure 

 copies of the papers in which it appeared. K. 



No. 306.] 



Posies from Wedding-rings (Vol. xl., pp. 277. 

 434.). — The following references on this subject 

 are taken from Shakspeare : 



" Pnr. A quarrel, ho, already ! What's the matter? ■' 

 Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltr}' ring 

 That she did give me: whose posy was 

 For all the world like cutler's poetry 

 Upon a knife : ' Love me, and leave me not.' " 



Merchant of Venice, Act V. Sc. 1. 



" Ham. Is this a prologue, or the posy of a ring? " 



Hamlet, Act III. Sc. 2. 



" Jac. You are full of pretty answers ; have you not 

 been acquainted with goldsmiths' wives, and conned them 

 out of rings?" — As You Like It, Act III. Sc. 2. 



CUTHBERT BeDE, B.A. 



On a ring found at Stalham, in Norfolk, was 

 this inscription : 



" Par ce present ami awmer rent." 

 "By this gift to love me given." 

 Many of the ancient posies — almost all, indeed 



— were written in French. 



Mackenzie Walcott, M.A. 



Lord Mahon's " History" (Vol. xii., p. 106.). — 

 As to the phrase " at gaze," compare Tennyson's 

 Lochsley Hall : 



" I that rather held it better men should perish one by 

 one, 

 Than that earth should stand at gaze, like Joshua's 

 moon in Ajalon ! " 



Erica. 

 Warwick. 



Great Charter of Henry III. (Vol. xii., p. 95.) 



— In your publication mention is made of that 

 precious warrant of English privileges, the first 

 Magna Charta of King Henry III., which is stated 

 to have been presented by the Rev. Archdeacon 

 Furney to the Bodleian Library. As there is no 

 doubt some history of the manner in which ^ it 

 came into possession of that rev. and very erudite 

 antiquary, I should be much obliged to any reader 

 of " N". & Q." who would state it. 



Doctor Hunter, in his History of London, 1811, 

 4to., says, p. 680., " It is impossible for us to pre- 

 tend to give even a sketch of the contents of this 

 magnificent repository (the British Museum)," and 

 then speaks of the Magna Charta of King John, 

 dated June 15, 1215, and adds, Sir Robert Cotton 

 " had the good fortune by accident to rescue this 

 curious monument of British story from the shears 

 of a tailor." May not Mr. Furney have saved 

 this invaluable document from being cut up to 

 make labels for the directions on parcels, or such 

 " base uses ? " CuRiosus. 



Moreton-in-the-Marsh. 



" Whig Examiner " (Vol. xii., p. 47.). — The 

 first number was published Sept. 14, not Au- 

 gust 3, 1710. E. W. O. 



Camberwell. 



