364 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2°a S. No 97., Nov. 7. '67. 



greater part of his countrymen, and seizing ou a proffered 

 gain, he led forth a multitude at night, who, taking Yay- 

 800, bound him and carried him before Ana-sze [Ana- 

 nias] in the courthouse of Pe-lah-to [Pilate]. Kudely 

 stripping off his garments, they tied him to a stone pillar, 

 inflicting on him upmirds of 5400 stripes, until his whole 

 body was torn and mangled ; but still he was silent, and 

 like a lamb remonstrated not. The wicked rabble, taking 

 a Cap made of piercing thorns, pressed it forcibly down 

 on his temples. They hung a vile red cloak on his body, 

 and hypocritically did reverence to him as a king. They 

 made a very large and heavy machine of wood, resem- 

 bling the character ten [an upright cross], which they 

 compelled him to bear on his shoulders. The whole way 

 it sorely pressed him down, so that he moved and fell 

 alteraately. His hands and feet were nailed to the wood, 

 and being thirsty, a sour and bitter drink was given him. 

 When he died, the heavens were darkened, the earth 

 shook, the rocks, striking against each other, were 

 broken into small pieces. He was then aged thirty-three 

 years. Oa the third day after his death, he again re- 

 turned to life, and his body was splendid and beautiful. 

 He appeared first to his mother, in order to remove her 

 sorrow. Forty days after, when about to ascend to heaven, 

 he commanded his disciples, in all a hundred and two, to 

 separate, and go everywhere under heaven to teach, and 

 administer a sacred water to wash away the sins of those 

 who should join their sect. Having finished his com- 

 mands, a flock of ancient holy ones followed him up to 

 the celestial kingdom. Ten days aft^r, a celestial god 

 descended to receive his mother, who also ascended up on 

 high. Being set above the nine orders, she became the 

 Empress of heaven and earth, and the protectress of 

 human beings." 



Davis (Chinese, vol. ii. p. 91.) thinks ft indis- 

 putable that this account was received by the 

 Chinese from the Catholics. Crucifixion, which is 

 common with the Chinese, is described above in a 

 circumlocutory way to meet the erroneous opinion 

 of the Christian narrator, that the cross of Christ 

 \tas a large machine. The number of stripes does 

 not coincide with possibility or with the Roman 

 practice of " forty save one." The number ap- 

 pears to be a computation ; for example, one stripe 

 every other second would occupy three hours of 

 time. The above names are the nearest approxi- 

 mations the Chinese can make with their mo- 

 nosyllabic language and deficient consonantal 

 sounds : thus the Chinese Jews read the initial 

 word of the Law, Pie-le-shi-sze, meaning to say 

 Be-rai-shithj having no b, r, or th, in their voca- 

 bulary. The recent disclosures of the doctrines 

 of Chinese rebels, resembling the Mosaic, evince a 

 like origin. T. J. Buckton, 



ttESTRlCTIONS ON THE SALE OF TOBACCO. 



The following extracts from the Convocation 

 Books of the Corporation of Wells may prove 

 interesting to the correspondents of " N. & Q." on 

 the subject of tobacco. 



" T/ie Coppie of a Lre written by ye Lords of the Councell 



abowte Tobacco. 

 "To O'r Lovinge freinds ye Mayor and Burgesses of ye 

 Cittie of Welles, or other Cheife Ofliicers there. 



" After o'r hartie coEnendacons, Ther hath been a longe 

 continueinge Compl' made vnto his Ma'tie by ye Traders 

 in Tobacco w*Mn ye Cittie of London and places adjacent, 

 of great disorder vsed in the Ventinge and sellinge of 

 Tobacco, causeinge many intollerable inconvenyences and 

 abuses to arise from thence. And a reformacon therof in 

 things wch by these you are required to make will much 

 conduce to that reformacon. And therfore wee doe pray 

 and require you forthw"' vppon the receipt of these o'r 

 Lres, yt you advisedly consider how mannie choise and 

 honest and fitt jpsons you knowe in yo'r cittye fitt to vent 

 and sell Tobacco, and therof make Certificate in writinge, 

 togeather \i^^ theyr Trades theye doe nowe vse, and to 

 send the same vnto Vs w'^ as much expedicon as may 

 be. To the end his Ma'tie, for the coinon good of his 

 people, may jpceed in takinge such course for reformacon 

 of ye psent abuse, as in his Princely wisedome he bathe 

 resolved. And heargf you are not to fajde or bee remisse 

 as you tender his Ma'ties service. And see wee bidd you 

 hartily farewell. From Whitehall, ye laste dav of Aprill, 

 1632. 



" Yo'r lovinge freindes, Tho. Coventrye, Wentworth, 



J. Coke, Ridg'ton, Holland, Manchester, Fr. 



Cotington, Lyndsey, Tho. Suffolk, Newberghe. 



"This Lfe was del* to Mr. Maior, 19'ii daye of May 

 1632, by a Straunger." 



(Added in another hand), " Hee will not tell ye place, 

 wher hee dwelt." 



June 4, 1632. At a meeting of the Corporation 

 the subject of the foregoing letter is thus noticed: 



" To Aunswere ye Lre of the Lords of the Cotmcell aboute 

 Tobacco. 



" This day Mr. Mayor did cause the Serjeants to warne 

 the Councell to consider of an Answere to a Lfe directed 

 from ye Lordes of the Councell, dated att Whitehall, the 

 last of Aprill, 1632, for the C'tifieinge of what jsons were 

 fitt to sell Tobacco w'l'in this Cittye. And hee further 

 saieth that hee hath made itt knowen of such Lfs vnto 

 Mr. Cornelius Watts, Mr. Cordwent, Mr. Henry Rapley, 

 Willih Walter, als Hosier, and Willffi West and James 

 Stocke, John Hill, Roger Udall, Jacob Standeforde, and 

 John Edicott, whoe doe all confesse that they doe vsuallie 

 sell Tobacco, And hervppon itt is ordered by all the psons 

 above named that a Lfe shalbe directed to the Lords of 

 the Councell, Certifyeinge therby the ^sons above named, 

 w'li their sev'all aditions." 



" Welles Civit' sive Burgh, in Com. 8om. 



" To the Right honorable the Lords of his Mat' Privie 

 Councill. 



" The humble C'tificate of the Maior, Masters, and Bur- 

 gesses of the Cittye or Burrow of Welles, of such choise 

 psons as doe vsually sell Tobacco ther. 



" Cornelius Watts, of Welles aforesaid. Vintner. 



Humphrey Cordwent, of Wells aforesaid, Inn- 

 keeper, 



Henry Raplej', of Welles aforesaid. Vintner. 



Willm. Walter, als Hosier, of Welles afore- 

 said. Innkeeper. 



James Stock, of Wells aforesaid, Barber-Sur- 

 geon. 



Willm. West, of Welles aforesaid. Innkeeper. 



John Hill, of Welles aforesaid, Vintner. 



Roger Udall, of Welles aforesaid. Alehouse 

 keeper. 



Jacob Sandefor, of Welles aforesaid. Apo- 

 thecary. 



John Edycott, of Welles aforesaid, Gordwyner, 



