406 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 209. 



bound himself to answer for the temporalities of 

 his bishopric to the English king. Stray dis- 

 coveries are now and then made in the charter- 

 rooms of royal burghs, as sometime ago there 

 was found in the Town-house of Aberdeen a 

 charter and several confirmations by King Robert 

 Bruce. The ecclesiastical records of Scotland 

 also suffered in our own day ; the original charters 

 of the assembly from 1560 to 1616 were presented 

 to the library of Sion College, London Wall, 

 London, in 1737, by the Honorable Archibald 

 Campbell (who had been chosen by the Presbyters 

 as Bishop of Aberdeen in 1721), under such con- 

 ditions as might effectually prevent them again 

 becoming the property of the Kirk of Scotland. 

 Their production having been requested by a 

 committee of the House of Commons, the records 

 were produced and laid on the table of the com- 

 mittee-room on the 5th of May, 1834. They were 

 consumed in the fire which destroyed the houses 

 of parliament on the 16th of October of the same 

 year. It was only after 1746, and on the break- 

 ing up of the feudal system, when men's minds 

 began to calm down, that any attention was paid 

 to Scottish antiquities. Indeed, previous to that 

 period, had any one asked permission to examine 

 the charter chests of our most ancient families, 

 purely for a literary purpose, he would have been 

 suspected of maturing evidence for the purpose of 

 depriving them of their estates. No such objec- 

 tion now exists, and every facility is afforded both 

 the publishing clubs and private individuals in 

 their researches. Much has been done by the 

 Abbotsford,Bannatyne, Maitland, Roxburgh, Spal- 

 ding, and other clubs, in elucidating Scottish his- 

 tory and antiquities, but niucli remains to be 

 done. " If it were done, when 'tis done, then 

 'twere well it were done quickly," as every day 

 lost renders the attainment of the object more 

 difficult ; and it is to be hoped that these clubs 

 will be supported as they deserve. * 



The student of Scottish history will find much 

 useful and important information in Robertson's 

 Index of Charters : Sir Joseph Ayloffe's Calendars 

 of Ancient Charters ; Domments and Records 

 illustrative of the History of Scotland^ edited by 

 Sir Francis Palgrave, 1837; Jamieson's History 

 of the Culdees ; Toland's History of the Druids ; 

 Balfour's History of the Picts ; Chalmers' Cale- 

 donia ; Stuart's Caledonia Bomana ; History of 

 the House and Clan Macfcay ; The Genealogical 

 Account of the Barclays of Ury for upwards of 

 700 Years ; Gordon's History of the House of 

 Sutherland; M'Nicol's JRemaj'hs on Johnson's 

 Journey to the Western Isles ; Kennedy's Annals 

 of Aberdeen; Dairy mple's Annals, &c. &c. 



Abredonensis. 



* See Scottish Journal, Edinburgh, 1847, p. 3., for 

 a very interesting article on the Early Records of 

 Scotland. 



PATRICK CAREY. 



Looking over Evelyn's Diary, edited by Mr. 

 Barry, 4to., 2nd edit., London, 1819, I came upon 

 the following. Evelyn being at Rome, in 1644, 

 says : 



" I was especially recommended to Father John, a 

 Benedictine Monk and Superior of the Order for the 

 English College of Douay ; a person of singular learn- 

 ing, religion, and humanity ; also to Mr. Patrick Cafy, 

 an abbot, brother to our learned Lord Falkland, a 

 wittv young priest, who afterwards came over to our 

 church." 



It immediately occurred to me, that this "witty 

 young priest" might be Sir Walter Qaoii' ^ pi-otege, 

 and the author of " Triviall Poems and Triolets, 

 written in obedience to Mrs. Tomkins' commands 

 by Patrick Carey, Aug. 20, 1651," and published 

 for the first time at London in 1820, from a MS. 

 in the possession of the editor. 



Sir Walter, in introducing his " forgotten poet," 

 merely informs us that his author " appears t6 

 have been a gentleman, a-loyalist, a lawyer, and a 

 rigid high churchman, if not a Roman Catholic." 



In the first part of this book, which the author 

 calls his " Triviall Poems," the reader will find 

 ample proof that his character would fit the " witty 

 young priest" of Evelyn ; as well as the gentle 

 blood, and hatred to the Roundheads of Sir 

 Walter. As a farther proof that Patrick Carey 

 the priest, and Patrick the poet, may be identical, 

 take the following from one of his poems, com- 

 paring the old Church with the existing one : 

 " Our Church still flourishing w' had seene, 

 If th' holy-writt had euer beene 

 Kept out of laymen's reach ; 

 : But, when 'twas English'd, men halfe-witted. 

 Nay, woemen too, would be permitted, 

 T' expound all texts and preach." 



The second part of Carey's poetical essays is 

 entitled " I will sing unto the Lord," and contains 

 a few "Triolets;" all of an ascetic savour, and 

 strongly confirmatory of the belief that the author 

 may have taken the monastic vow : 



" Worldly designes, feares, hopes, farwell ! 



Farwell all earthly joyes and cares ! 



On nobler thoughts my soule shall dwell ; 



Worldly designes, feares, hopes, farwell ! 



Att quiett, in my peaceful cell, 



I'le thincke on God, free from your snares ; 



Worldly designes, feares, hopes, farwell ! 



Farwell all earthly joys and cares. 



Pleasure att courts is but in show. 

 With true content in cells wee meete ; 

 Yes (my djeare Lord !) I've found it soe, 

 Noe joyes but thine are purely sweete !" 



The quotation from the Psalms, which forms 

 the title to this second part. Is placed above " a 

 helmet and a shield," which Sir Walter has trans- 



