Jan. 8. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUEKIES. 



35 



history of those times. I possess some thirty of 

 these, and extract from their pages the following 

 morsels, •which may be taken as a fair sample of 

 the general strain : 



From 



" ' Gemltus Columbse,' the Mournful Note of 

 the Dove ; a Sermon preached," &c. : by John Lang- 

 ley, Min. of West Tuperley in the Countie of South- 

 ampton. 1644. 



" The oxen were plowing, the asses were feeding 

 beside them ('twas in the relation of one of Job's mes- 

 sengers). By the oxen wee are to vnderstand the 

 laborious Clergie ; by the asses, that were feeding beside 

 tliem, wee may vnderstande the Laity " ( ! ). — P. 8. 



" The worde set on by the Spirit, as Scanderbags' 

 sworde, by the arme of Scanderbags, will make a deepe 

 impression." — P. 16. 



Query, what is the allusion here ? 



" We came to the height, shall I saye, of our fever 

 (or frenzie, rather), when wee began to catch Dotterills, 

 when wee fell to cringing and complimenting in wor- 

 ship, stretching out a wing to their wing, a legge to 

 their legge." — P. 18. 



" Time was when the Dove-cote was searched, the 

 PistoUs were cockt ; the Bloudie-birdes were shirring 

 about : then the Lord withdrew the birds." — P. 29. 



" When your ginnes and snares catch any of the 

 Bloudie-birdes, dally not with them, blood will have blood; 

 contracte not their bloude-guiltinesse vpon your owne 

 soules, by an vnwarranted clemencie and mildnesse." — 

 P. 30. 



" (^Note The 'Bloudie-birdes,' i. e. the cavaliers.)" 



From 



" A Peace Offering to God : a Sermon preached," &c,, 

 by Stephen Marshall, B.D. 1641. 



" Not like tavernes, and alehouses, bowses of lewd 

 and debauched persons, where Zim awd/mdwels, dole- 

 ful! creatures, fitt only to be agents to Satan." — P. 50. 



I conclude with a rather interesting scrap, which 

 I do not remember to have met with elsewhere, 

 from 



" The Ruine of the Authors and Fomentors of 

 Cluill Warre ; a Sermon," &c., by Samuel Gibson. 

 1645. 



" There was a good motto written ouer the gates at 

 Yorke, at King James the Firste his firste entraunce 

 into that city : 



' Suavis Victoriae amor populi.' 

 I. e. the sweete victorie is the love of the people." — 

 P. 27. 



R. C. Wabde. 



Kidderminster. 



A PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF TWELVE POSTAGE- 

 STAMPS. 



In the advertising sheet of " N. & Q." for De- 

 cember 18, 1852, its unartistic readers have the 

 tempting oflFer placed before them of being taught 



" the art of drawing and copying portraits, views, 

 steel or wood engravings, with perfect accuracy, 

 ease, and quickness, in one lesson!" And when 

 the gentle reader of "N. & Q." has recovered from 

 the shock of this startling announcement, he is 

 further instructed that, "by sending a stamped 

 directed envelope and twelve postage-stamps, the 

 necessary articles will be forwarded with the in- 

 structions." Who would not, thinks the gentle 

 reader, be a Raphael, a Rubens, or a Claude, when 

 the metamorphosis may be effected for twelve 

 postage-stamps ? And then, delighted with the 

 thought that no expensive residence in Italy, or 

 laborious application through long years of study, 

 will be required, but that the royal road to art 

 may be traversed by paying the small toll of twelve 

 postage-stamps, he forthwith gives them to " Mr. 

 A. B. Cleveland, 13. Victoria Street, Brighton," 

 and in due course of time Mr. A. B. C. forwards 

 him "the necessary articles with the instructions," 

 the former of which the gentle reader certainly 

 finds to be "no expensive apparatus," but as 

 simple as A, B, C. The articles consist of a small 

 piece of black paper, and a small piece of common 

 tissue paper, oiled in a manner very offensive to a 

 susceptible nose. The instructions are printed, 

 and are prefaced by a paragraph which truly de- 

 clares them to be "most simple :" 



" The outlines must be sketched by the following 

 means, and may be filled vp according to pleasure. la 

 the first place, lay what you intend to copy straight he- 

 fore you ; then lay over it the transparent paper, and 

 you will see the outlines most distinctly ; pencil them 

 over lightly, taking caire to keep the paper in the same 

 position until you have finished the outlines ; after 

 which, place the paper or card you intend the copy 

 to appear on under the black tracing-paper, with 

 the black side on it, and on which place the outlines 

 you have previously taken, remembering to keep them 

 all straight, and then, by passing a piece of wire (or 

 anything brought to a point not sufficient to scratch) 

 correctly over the said outlines, you will have an exact 

 impression of the original upon the card intended, which 

 must then be filled up. I would recommend a portrait 

 for the first attempt, which can be done in a few minutes, 

 and you will soon see your success. Of course you can 

 ink or paint the copy according to pleasure." 



" Why, of course I can," probably exclaims the 

 now un-gentle reader ; " of course I can, when I 

 have the ability to do it, — a consummation which 

 I devoutly wish for, and which I am quite as far 

 from as when I was weak-minded enough to send 

 my twelve postage-stamps to Mr. A. B. C. ; and 

 yet that individual encloses me a card along with 

 his nasty oiled paper and ' instructions,' which 

 card he has the assurance to head ' scientific ! ' 

 and says, ' the exquisite and beautiful art of draw- 

 ing landscapes, &c. from nature, in true perspec- 

 tive, with perfect accuracy, ease, and quickness, 

 taught to the most inexperienced person in one 

 lesson.^ 



