122 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 197. 



' Go tben directly, Eumaeus, and call to my presence 

 the strange guest. 



See'st thou not that my son, ev'ry word I have spoken 

 hath gneez'd at 9* 



Thus portentous, betok'ning the fate of my hateful 

 suitors, 



All whom death and destruction await by a doom 

 irreversive.' " 



Dionyslus Halicarnassus, on Homer's poetry 

 (s. 24.), says, sneezing was considered by that 

 poet as a good sign (^av^iSoXov ayaQov) ; and from 

 the Anthology (lib- ii.) the words ouSe Aeyej, ZsG 

 iroJo-oj', icLv Trrafyfj, sliow that it was proper to ex- 

 claim " God bless you ! " when any one sneezed. 



Aristotle, in the Problems (xxxlii. 7.), inquires 

 why sneezing is reckoned a God (5(a ri tov fiev 

 irrapfj.hy, ^ehv ijyovfxeda f'ivai) ; to which he suggests, 

 that it may be because it comes from the head, the 

 most divine part about us (^ewraTov tcSc irepi Vfias). 

 Persons having the inclination, but not the power 

 to sneeze, should look at the sun, for reasons he 

 assigns in Problems (xxxiii. 4.). 



Plutarch, on the Daemon of Socrates (s. 11.), 

 states the opinion which some persons had formed, 

 that Socrates' dajmon was nothing else than the 

 sneezing either of himself or others. Thus, if 

 any one sneezed at his right hand, either before or 

 behind him, he pursued any step he had begun ; 

 but sneezing at his left hand caused him to desist 

 from his formed purpose. He adds something as 

 to different kinds of sneezing. To sneeze twice 

 was usual in Aristotle's time ; but once, or more 

 than twice, was uncommon (Prob. xxxiii. 3.). 



Petronius (Satyr, c. 98.) notices the " blessing " 

 in the following passage : 



" Giton collectione spiritus plenus, ier continuo ita 

 sternutavit, ut grabatum concuteret. Ad quern motum 

 £umolpus conversus, salvere Ghana jubet." 



T. J. BUCKTON. 



: Birmingham. 



ABUSES OF HACKNET COACHES. 



[The following proclamation on this subject is of 

 interest at the present moment. ] 



By the King. 



A Proclamation to restrain the Abuses of Hackney 

 Coaches in the Cities of London and Westmin- 

 ster, and the Suburbs thereof. 



Charles R. 

 Whereas the excessive number of Hackney 

 Coaches, and Coach Horses, in and about the 

 Cities of London and Westminster, and the Sub- 

 urbs thereof, are found to be a common nuisance 

 to the Publique Damage of Our People by reason 



* The practice of snufT-taking has made the sneezing 

 at anything a mark of contempt, in these degenerate 

 days. 



of their rude and disorderly standing and pass- 

 ing to and fro, in and about our said Cities and 

 Suburbs, the Streets and Highways being thereby 

 pestred and made impassable, the Pavements 

 broken up, and the Common Passages obstructed 

 and become dangerous, Our Peace violated, and 

 sundry other mischiefs and evils occasioned : 



We, taking into Our Princely consideration- 

 these apparent Inconveniences, and resolving that 

 a speedy remedy be applied to meet with, and 

 redress them for the future, do, by and with the 

 advice of our Privy Council, publish Our Royal 

 Will and Pleasure to be, and we do by. this Our 

 Proclamation expressly charge and command. That 

 no Person or Persons, of what Estate, Degree, or 

 Quality whatsoever, keeping or using any Hack- 

 ney Coaches, or Coach Horses, do, from and after 

 the Sixth day of November next, permit or suffer 

 the said Coaches and Horses, or any of them, to 

 stand or remain in any the Streets or Passages 

 in or about Our said Cities either of London or 

 Westminster, or the Suburbs belonging to either 

 of them, to be there hired ; but that they and every 

 of them keep their said Coaches and Horses within 

 their respective Coach-houses, Stables, and Yards 

 (whither such Persons as desire to hire the same 

 may resort for that purpose), upon pain of Our 

 high displeasure, and such Forfeitures, Pains, and 

 Penalties as may be inflicted for the Contempt of 

 Our Royal Commands in the Premises, whereof 

 we shall expect a strict Accompt. 



And for the due execution of Our Pleasure 

 herein. We do further charge and command the 

 Lord Mayor and Aldermen of Our City of London, 

 That they in their several Wards, and Our Jus- 

 tices of Peace within Our said Cities of London 

 and Westminster, and the Liberties and Suburbs 

 thereof, and all other Our Officers and Ministers 

 of Justice, to whom it appertaineth, do take 

 especial care in their respective Limits that this 

 Our Command be duly observed, and that they 

 from time to time return the names of all those 

 who shall wilfully offend in the Premises, to Our 

 Privy Council, and to the end they may be pro- 

 ceeded against by Indictments and Presentments 

 for the Nuisance, and otherwise according to the 

 severity of the Law and Demerits of the Offenders. 



Given at Our Court at Whitehall the 18th day 

 of October in the 12th year of Our Reign. 



God save the King. 



London : Printed by John Bell and Christopher 

 Barker, Printers to the King's most Excellent 

 Majesty, 1660. 



Pepys, in his Diary, vol. i. p. 152., under date 

 8th November, 1660, says : 



" To Mr. Fox, who was very civil to me. Notwith- 

 standing this was the first day of the King's proclama- 



