174 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 173. 



little jealous of the renown which Lilly acquired 

 by these productions ; for he asserts that. — 



« Mr. Thomas Flatman (poet) did affirm that he had 

 seen those Hieroghjphicks in an old parchment manu- 

 script, writ in the time of the monks." — Mwc, p. 125. 

 ed. 1721. 



Nostradamus also, more than a century before, 

 is said to have foretold the very year of the burn- 

 ing. In the edition, or reputed edition, of 1577, 

 cent. ii. quatrain 51., is the following: 



" Le sang du jusse a Londres fera faute 

 Bruslez par foudres de vingt trois les six 

 La dame anticque cherra de place haute 

 De mesme secte plusieurs seront occis." 



Those of your readers who incline to dubiety on 

 this subject, I refer to the copy from whence it 

 was taken, in the Museum Library, press-mark 

 718. a 14. If it is a forgery (and such I take it 

 to be), it is decidedly the best I ever met with. 

 Some time ago the Queries of your correspondent 

 Spekiend elicited some interesting particulars 

 relative to Nostradamus and his prophecies; but I 

 do not think the question of his claim to having 

 predicted the death of Charles I. was finally 

 decided. 



I should be glad if any of your correspondents 

 could tell me whether the quatrain above, or any- 

 thing like it, occurs in any of the genuine early 

 editions. Dugdale, by the way, evidently believed 

 in its authenticity, and has inserted a version in 

 his Histo7-y of St. PauVs. 



Such a promising theme as the destruction of 

 London was, of course, too good a thing to escape 

 the chap-book makers. During the period of the 

 Civil Wars, we find many allusions to it. In a 

 little quarto brochure, published in 1648, entitled 

 Twelve Strange Prophecies., the following is placed 

 in the mouth of the much maligned and carica- 

 tured Mrs. Ann Shipton. The characteristic ter- 

 mination I consider a fine stroke of the art vati- 

 cinatory. 



" A ship shall come sayling up the Thames till it 

 come to London, and the master of the ship shall weep, 

 and the mariners shall ask him why he weepeth, and he 

 shall say, ' Ah, what a goodly city was this ! none in 

 the world comparable to it ! and now there is scarce 

 left any house that can let us have drinke for our money. ^ " 



This string of notes, turned up at difierent times, 

 and while in search of more important matter, can 

 no doubt be materially increased from the collec- 

 tions of your correspondents. If my researches 

 prove interesting, I may trouble you with another 

 paper : at present I leave the facts brought to- 

 gether above to the candid investigation of your 

 readers. Vincent T. Steenberg, 



EXAMPLES OF THE FRENCH SIZAIN. 



The epigram (if it may with propriety receive 

 that appellation) printed in Vol. vi., p. 603., re- 

 minded me of some similar pieces of composition 

 stored in my note- book ; and as they are not de- 

 void of a certain degree of curious interest, I now 

 forward them pro bono publico. 



On Luther, Calvin, and Henry VIII., the 

 leaders of the Reformation : 



" Vous, dont le sens est encore sain, 

 Fuyez Luther, Henri, Calvin. 

 Vous, dont le coeur n'est point fletri, ] 

 Fuyez Calvin, Luther, Henri. 

 Vous, a qui le salut est cher, 

 Fuyez Henri, Calvin, Luther." 



On the death of Francis II. : 



" Par I'ceil, par I'oreille, et I'epaule, 

 Trois rois sont morts naguere en Gaule; 

 Par I'epaule, I'oreille, et I'ceil, 

 Trois rois son entres au cercueil; 

 Par I'epaule, I'teil, et I'oreille, 

 Dieu a montre grande merveille." 



By Beaumarchais : 



" Connaissez-vous rien de plus sot 

 Que Merlin, Bazire, et Chabot? 

 Non, certes, il n'est rien de pire 

 Que Chabot, Merlin, et Bazire ; 

 Et nul ne vit-on plus coquin 

 Que Chabot, Bazire, et Merlin." 



A more modern one still, date 1842 : 



" L'Etat est fort mal attel6 

 Avec Thiers, Guizot, ou Mole; 

 L'Etat marche tout de travers, 

 Avec Mole, Guizot, ou Thiers ; 

 Vers I'abime il court a galop, 

 Avec Mole, Thiers, ou Guizot." 



The prophecy in the last two lines has been un- 

 fortunately fulfilled. W. PlNKEBTON. 

 Ham. 



EPIGRAMS. 



The two epigrams which follow were com- 

 municated to me many years ago by the Rev. 

 George Loggin, M.A., of Hertford College, long 

 one of the masters of Rugby School. He died 

 July 15, 1824, at the age of forty; and this re- 

 miniscence of their old tutor's name will be wel- 

 comed by many a Rugbsan. They were repre- 

 sented to have proceeded from the pen of Thomas 

 Dunbar of Brasenose, who, from 1815 to 1822, 

 was keeper of the Ashmolean Museum. I have 

 never seen them in print, or even in writing. 

 They were recited memoriter, and from memory 

 I write them down ; and hence, no doubt, there 

 will be some deviations from the true text. But 

 they seem too good to be lost ; and I am not with- 



