Dec. 23. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



509 



the effect that, several generations back, its then 

 representative, who was a government contractor, 

 brought upon himself the displeasure of " the 

 powers that were," and was consigned to the 

 pillory, and that he thereupon effected a change 

 of name from Acton (I think) to the present more 

 euphonious cognomen of Saville. Is there any 

 truth in this tradition ? and if so, what were the 

 circumstances connected with it ? T. Hughes. 



Chester. 



[The tradition relates to Mr. Christopher Atkinson, who 

 was accused of mal-practices as agent of the Victualling 

 Office, and on Dec. 4, 1783, expelled the House of Com- 

 mons for perjury. He was subsequently convicted in the 

 Court of King's Bench on the charge of perjury, and 

 ordered to pay a fine of 2000Z. ; to stand in the pillory near 

 the Corn Exchange; and to be impris6ned for twelve 

 months. The punishment of the pillory took place Nov. 

 25, 1785. We believe it was Atkinson's case that oc- 

 casioned the following epigram : 



" Quoth Ralph to his friend, Here's a strange rout and 

 pother. 

 It matters' not which they chuse, this man or t'other; 

 I'd as soon give my vote for the India contractor. 

 As I would for the no less deserving cornfactor. 

 They are both rogues alike — I repeat it again, 

 The one rogue in spirit, the other in grain." * 



Atkinson however subsequently received the royal pardon ; 

 and on his marriage with Jane, daughter and heir of 

 John Savile, Esq., of pjufield, assumed by royal licence, in 

 1798, the surname and arms of Savile.] 



Historical Work. — There has lately come into 

 my possession a volume in black letter, there being 

 two volumes bound in one : the title-page of the 

 first is wanting ; it contains 193 pages, being from 

 the Creation to the death of Harold: the second 

 volume, from William the Conquerer to the reign 

 of Elizabeth, date 1568, containing 1369 pages. 

 On the last page is " Imprinted at London, by 

 Henry Denham, dwelling in Paternoster Row, at 

 the costs and charges of Richard Tottle and 

 Humphrey Toye. Anno 1569 last of March." 

 Above the inscription below is a quaint woodcut, 

 representing a barrel with a tree growing out of 

 the bunghole. Is this book rare, and who is the 

 author ? Anon. 



Dublin. 



[This is commonly called Grafton's Chronicle, entitled 

 " A Chronicle at large, and meere History of the Affayres 

 of Englande and Kinges of the same." London : 1569, 

 folio, 2 vols. The collation is, vol. i. 1569, pp. 192, with 

 title, epistle dedicatory, &c., six leaves, and at the end of 

 the volume a summarie and table, four leaves. Vol. ii. 

 1568, pp. 1369, with title, a general table, and a table to 

 vol. ii., twentj'-two leaves. (See Herbert or Dibdin's 

 Typographical Antiquities.") The appearance of the Chroni- 

 cles of Holinshed and Stowe threw Grafton into the shade. 

 Mr. Heber possessed wliat he calls " the finest and purest 

 copy," which fetched at his sale 8/. 15s. Another copy, 

 with frontispiece mended, sold for 21. 3s.] 



* See a similar epigram, " X. & Q.," Vol. x., p. 61. 



The Plague. — In the last Number of the 

 Quarterly Review (No. CXC), in an elaborate 

 article upon Church Bells, at p. 328., there is a 

 foot-note referring to Dr. Herring's " Rules to be 

 observed in times of Pestilence," date 1625 [1665]. 

 The reference is extremely vague. The exact 

 title, or any particulars about this work, would be 

 very acceptable to W. P. 



[This pamphlet is entitled Preservatives against the 

 Plague, or Directions and Advertisements for this Time of 

 pestilential Contagion. With certain instructions for the 

 poorer sort of people when they shall be visited : and also 

 a Caveat to those that wear about their necks impoisoned 

 Amulets as a preservative against that sickness. Pub- 

 lished in the behoofe of the City of London, now visited, 

 and all other parts of the land that may or shall hereafter 

 be visited. Bj' Francis Herring, Dr. in Physick. London : 

 4to., 1665. Some of his preservatives are excellent ; take 

 the following : "Let the pipes laid from the New River 

 be often opened, to cleanse the channels of every street in 

 the city. Let the ditches towards the suburbs, especially 

 towards Islington and Pick-hatch [near the Charter- 

 house], Old Street, and towards Shoreditch and White- 

 chapel, be well cleansed, and if it might be, the water of the 

 New River to I'un through them, as also the like to be done 

 through the Borough of Southwarke. Let the bells in 

 cities and towns be rung often, and the great ordnance 

 discharged, thereby the aire is purified."] 



Seller\s History of England. — A friend has re- 

 cently given to me a curious 12mo. volume, of 

 nearly 700 pages, which I do not recollect to have 

 seen noticed. It is entitled — 



" The History of England .... With an account of all 

 the Plots, Conspiracies, Insurrections, and Rebellions. 

 Likewise a Relation of the Wonderful Prodigies, Monstrous 

 Births, Terrible Earthquakes, Dreadful Sights in the Air, 

 Lamentable Famines, Plagues, Thunders, Lightnings, 

 and Fires, &c., to the Year 1696. Being the Eighth Year 

 of the Reign of his present Majesty King William III. 

 Together with a particular Description of the Rarities in 

 the several Counties of England and Wales : with exact 

 Maps of each County. By John Seller, Hydrographer to 

 His Majesty. London; Printed by Joh and John HoWf 

 for John GwilUm, against Crosby Sqtuire, in Bishopsgate- 

 street, 1696." 



I shall feel obliged if any of your correspondents 

 will inform me whether this is a rare book ; which 

 I presume it to be, from the fact of its not oc- 

 curring in any one out of numerous catalogues of 

 old books to which I have referred. 



William Kellt. 



[No copy of this work is to be found either in the 

 British Museum or the Bodleian; nor is it noticed by 

 Watt or Lowndes. Seller was the author of several other 

 works, many containing maps, at the close of the seven- 

 teenth century, but mostly without dates.] 



