446 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 184. 



No impressions by Kynge or Charlwood Laving 

 come down to us, we have no means of knowing 

 whether they availed themselves of the permission 

 granted at Stationers' Hall ; and, unless I am de- 

 ceived, the fragment which occasions this Note is 

 not from the presses of either of them, and is of 

 an earlier date than the time of Copland ; the 

 type is much better, and less battered, than that 

 of Copland ; at the same time it has a more an- 

 tique look, and in several respects, which I am 

 about to point out, it furnishes a better text than 

 that given by Ritson from Copland's edition, or 

 by Percy with the aid of his folio manuscript. I 

 am sorry to say that it only consists of a single 

 sheet ; but this is nearly half the production, and 

 it comprises the whole of the second, and two 

 pages of the third " fit." The first line and the 

 last of the portion in my hands, testify to the 

 greater antiqizity and purity of the text there 

 found ; it begins — 



" These gates be shut so wonderly well; " 



and it ends, 



" Tyll they came to the kynge's palays." 



It is " wonderous well " in Copland's impression, 

 and palace is there spelt " pallace," a more modern 

 form of the v/ord than palays. Just afterwards 

 we have, in my fragment, 



" Streyght coraen from cure kyng," 

 instead of Copland's 



" Streyght come nowe from our king." 



Cornell is considerably more ancient than " come 

 nowe;" so that, without pursuing this point 

 farther, I may say that my fragment is not only 

 an older specimen of typography than Copland's 

 impression, but older still in its words and phrase- 

 ology, a circumstance that communicates to it 

 additional interest. I subjoin a few various read- 

 ings, most, if not all, of them presenting a su- 

 perior text than is to be met with elsewhere. 

 Speaking of the porter at the gate of Carlisle, we 

 are told — 



" And to the gate faste he throng." 

 Copland's edition omits faste, and it is not met 

 with in Percy. In another place a rhyme is lost 

 by an awkward transposition, " he saide " for 

 sayd he; and farther on, in Copland's text, we 

 have mention of 



" The justice with a quest of squyers." 

 instead of " a quest of swerers" meaning of course 

 the jury who had condemned Cloudesly " there 

 hanged to be." Another blunder committed by 

 Copland is the omission of a word, so that a line 

 is left without its corresponding rhyme : 

 " Then Clowdysle cast hys eyen aside, 

 And sawe his two bretheren stande 

 At the corner of the market-place, 



With theyr good bowes bent in theyr hand." 



The word I print in Italics is entirely wanting in 

 Copland. It is curious to see how Percy (Re- 

 liqices, i. 157., ed. 1775) gets over the difficulty by 

 following no known copy of the original : 



" Then Cloudesle cast his eyen asyde, 

 And saw hys brethren twaine 

 At a corner of the market-place, 

 Ready the justice for to slaine." 



Cloudesly is made to exclaim, in all editions but 

 mine, " I see comfort," instead of " I see good 

 comfort." However, it would perhaps be weari- 

 some to press (his matter farther, and I have said 

 enough to set a few of your readers, zealous iu 

 such questions, rummaging their stores to ascer- 

 tain whether any text with which they are ac- 

 quainted, tallies with that I have above quoted. 



J. Payne Coli-ier. 



WITCHCKAFT. 



Observing that you have lately admitted some 

 articles on witchcraft. It may be interesting to 

 make a note of two or three original papers, out 

 of some in my possession, which were given to me 

 many years ago by an old general officer, who 

 served in the American war, and brought them 

 with him to England about 1776. I send exact 

 copies from the originals. H. T. Ei.lacombe. 



Rectory, Clyst St. George. 



Whereas several persons, being by authority 

 coiiiitted to Ipswich Goall for fellony and witch- 

 craft, and order being given that search should be 

 made carefully upon their bodyes, to see if there 

 nothing appeared preternaturall thereon : for that 

 end, on July y® 4"^, 1692, a Jurie of one man and 

 eight women were suiiioned to attend, and sworne 

 to make dilligent search, and to give a true ac- 

 count of what they found, viz*. — 



Doctor Philemon Dance, 



Mrs. JohaHa Diamond, midwife, 



Mrs. Grace Graves, 



Mrs. Mary Belcher, 



Mrs. Gennet Pengery, 



Ann Lovell, 



Francis Davis, 



Mary Browne, 



Who, after search made In particular, give this 

 account, viz'. — Upon the body of goodwife Estue 

 they find three unnaturall teats, one under left 

 arme, and one on the back side of her sholder- 

 blade, one near to her secret parts on one thigh, 

 which, being pricked throw with a pin, remained 

 without sense, and did not bleed. 



2. Upon y'' veiwing and searching y" body of 

 Sarah Cloice, there was nothing unnaturall ap- 

 peared on her. 



3. Upon searching y" body of Mrs. Bradbury, 

 there was nothing appeared unnaturall on her, 



