32 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 141, 



gravel, the materials of its nest. — See Note in the 

 NuhmiUsi's Libra?'!/. 



Still, naiwithstanding the marvellous legends 

 ■witli wiiii-h the ancients have loaded their accounts 

 of ilie animals they have desci-ibed, it is wonderful 

 with what correctness and precision they have 

 given us the history of many with which they *vere 

 better acquainted. Dr. Kidd, at the end of his 

 Bridgewuter Treatise, has drawn up a very curious 

 parallel between the writinirs of Aristotle and 

 Cuvler, In wliicli we see with astonishment the 

 nearness with which these two great naturalists 

 approached each other. 



An interesting series of pnpers might be written 

 on the mistakes of Aristotle, and other ancient 

 naturalists, and on the numerous instances which 

 have hitherto been considered as mistakes, but 

 which the light of modern science has shown to be 

 perfectly correct. G. M. 



East- Winch. 



QUEEN ELIZABETHS PBAYER-BOOK. 



Queen Elizahetlis Prayer-hook, — as it is com- 

 monly called, or, as it runs in the title-page, A 

 Books of Christian Praiers, collected out of the 

 aiicien' Writers, &c. (ed. of 1608), of which I have 

 a very clean and good copy, — of course abounds 

 with antiquated ideas and expressions. One idea 

 I " make a Note of (according to Captain Cuttle's 

 advice) when found." At p. 76. occurs " A 

 Prayer vpon the minding of Christ's passion." 

 The first i)aragraph contains an assertion of the 

 force with which the crown of thorns, &c. was 

 placed on the head of the great Redeemer, which, 

 I presume, can have no warrant in fact, and only 

 be regarded as used to round the period : 



" What man is this who I behold all bloody, with 

 skin al to torn with knubs and wales of stri])es, hanj>'itig 

 downe his head for weaknesse towards his slioutders, 

 crowned with a garland of thorns pricking through his 

 skull to the hard braine, and nailed to a Crosse? What 

 so hainous fault coulde he do to deserve it? Wliat 

 Judge could be so cruell as to put him to it? What 

 hangman could haue so butcherly mind as to deale so 

 outraglously with him ? Now I bethink myselfe, I 

 know liim; it is Christ." 



It is true that the spikes of thorns in Syria are 

 far stronger than anything we know of in the 

 north of Europe. M'Cheyne calls them " gigan- 

 tic." But the evident idea of the stubborn and 

 cruel Jews was to insult the Lord of life atid glory, 

 mocking Him with royal insignia. Dr. Kitto says 

 Plerod suggested the mockery, which, after all, was 

 more conformable to Oriental than Roman r)rac- 

 tice. This learned writer quotes a remarkable 

 illustration from Philo occuiring al)Out that period. 

 Caligula conferred on Herod's nephew the title of 

 king, and permission to wear a diadem. On arriv- 

 ing at Alexandria, the inhabitants felt hatred and 



envy at the idea of a Jew's being called a king, 

 and by way of insult and scorn, took hold of a ])oor 

 idiot, who wandered about the streets, the laugh- 

 ing-stock of boys and idlers. They set him on a 

 lofty seat in the theatre, put a paper crown on his 

 head, covered his body with a mat, to represent 

 the regal robe, and put a reed in his hand for a 

 scentre. The crowd uttered loud exclamations of 

 "Maris! Maris!" the Syriac word for "Lord." 

 The same mockery was always common in Persia. 

 1 send this Note not by way of underrating the 

 sufferings of " the holy, harmless Son of God," 

 who "when He was reviled, reviled not again," 

 but as a caution against adopting exaggerated 

 statements ; and not without a desire to be in- 

 formed whether or not it is possible the spikes of 

 these terrible thorns could penetrate so hard a 

 substance as a human skull. B. B. 



WHIMSICAL BOOK-PLATE. 



Attached as a book-plate to each of the volumes 

 and MSS. forming a portion of the extensive and 

 singularly curious library at Great Totham Hall^ 

 near AVitham, Essex, the property of that inde- 

 fatigable collector, Mr. Charles Clark, is found the 

 annexed ingenious piece of poetical pleasantry, 

 entitled : 



" A PLEADER TO THE KEEDER WHEN A READER. 



" As all, my friend, through wily knaves, full often 



suffer wrongs. 

 Forget not, pray, wlien it you've read, to whom this 



buok belongs. 

 Than one Gharlks Clark, of Totham Hall, none 



to 't a right hath better, 

 A wight, that same, more read than some in the lore 



of old WacA-letter ! 

 And as C. C. in Essex dwells — a shire at which all 



lau^h — 

 His books must, sure, less fit seem drest, if they're 



not bound in calf! 

 Care take, my friend, this book you ne'er with 



jrrease or dirt besmear it ; 

 While none but awkward puppies will continue to 



' dng's-ear ' it 1 

 And o'er my books when book-it-onns ' grub,^ I'd 



have them understand, 

 No marks the margins must de-face from any busy 



' ha7id ! ' 

 Marks, as re-marks, in books of Clark's, whene'er 



some critic spy leaves. 

 It always him so wasp-\s]\ makes, though they're but 



on the _^y- leaves ! 

 Yes, if so they're used, he'd not de-/er to deal a fate 



most meet — 

 He'd have the soiler of his quires do penance in a 



sheet ! 

 The Ettrick Hogg — ne'er deem'd a bore — his can- 

 did mind revealing. 

 Declares, to beg ' a copy ' now's a mere pte-text for 



stealing I 



