446 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 210. 



or Shairetana, will be found to be the same people 

 as the Ciiatas of the Hindu Puranas, I have 

 little doubt. 



Ciratas is there applied as a name to the people 

 who were afterwards known to us as the Phoe- 

 nicians ; but that either the Shirutana or the 

 Ciratas will be found to have discovered Britain, 

 though they may have given it a name, I do not 

 expect. The Ciratas were a people of a later 

 age to that of the first inhabitants of Britain. 

 The first inhabitants of Britain I call the Celta3, 

 as I know no other name for them ; but there 

 seems reason for thinking that this island was 

 visited by an earlier tribe, though probably they 

 were of the same race. 



The origin of the Ciratas and first inhabitants 

 of Britain is this: — A powerful monarchy appears 

 to have been established at the earliest dawn of 

 history in the country we now call Persia, long 

 before there was any Assyrian government, and 

 under this monarchy that country was the true 

 centre of population, of knowledge, of languages, 

 and of arts. Three distinct races of men appear 

 to have migrated in different directions from this 

 their common country. One of these divides into 

 two parts, one proceeding to the west, the other 

 to the south-east of the place where the division 

 took place. The western party passed through 

 Asia Minor, and also by the north of the Black 

 Sea, carrying with it all that was then known of 

 the different arts and sciences, until we find the 

 descendants at this day in the British Isles. The 

 south-eastern party, also, continued its progress 

 to the part now known to us as India, where its 

 descendants may be found at this day. Long 

 after the settlement in India, various tribes, all 

 proceeding from it, migrated from that country 

 to the parts now known to us as Egypt and Syria; 

 and one of these tribes was the Ciratas. 



That the Ciratas, Shirutana, or Phoenicians, 

 call them as you may, were the first who passed 

 the Pillar of Hercules in ships on their way to 

 obtain tin here at first-hand, is almost certain ; 

 and that the western party, as described above, 

 had broken ground to supply it long before their 

 customers came for it, is scarcely less so. They 

 all had a common origin, and used nearly the 

 same language, religion, and laws. 



My Query has brought out a highly satisfactory 

 elucidation of the origin of the term Britain; and 

 this, looking at the position in which that term 

 stood on the day the last ISTumber of " JST. & Q." 

 was published, is by no means a slight acquisition. 

 I now leave it. G. W. 



Stansted, Montfichet. 



PICTORIAL EDITIONS OF THE BOOK OF COMMON 

 PKAYER. 



(Yol. vii., pp. 18. 91. 321. ; Vol. vlii., p. 318.) 



The following list may prove an acceptable 

 addition to those already printed in your pages. 

 Some of your correspondents perhaps will make 

 it more complete : 



1707. Oxford. 8vo. Plates by John Sturt. 



1710. London. 8vo. Fort\'-four plates, with no en- 

 graver's name. 



1712. Oxford. 8vo. Plates by Sturt. 



1717. London. Svo. Ruled with double red lines. 

 Plates by Sturt. 



Lowndes speaks of a large paper impression in 

 quarto of this same edition : "The volume consists 

 of one hundred and sixty-six plates, besides twenty- 

 two containing dedication, table, &c. Prefixed is 

 a bust of King George I. ; and facing it, those of 

 the Prince and Princess of Wales. Sturt likewise 

 published a set of fifty-five historical cut^s for 

 Common Prayer in small 8vo." 



1738. London. Svo. "With Old Version of the Psalms ; 

 and forty-four curious plates, including Gun- 

 powder Treason, the Martyrdom of Charles I., 

 and Restoration of Charles II. (Booksellers' 

 Catal.) 



1794. London. Published by J. Good and E. Hard- 

 ing, with plates after Stothard by Bartolozzi 

 and others (Lowndes). 



Lowndes also mentions "Illustrations to the 

 Book of Common Prayer by Richard Westall, 

 London, 1813, Svo. (proofs) 4to.," and "Twelve 

 illustrations to ditto, engraved by John Scott, 

 from designs by Burney and Thurston, royal Svo." 



I have reserved for more particular description 

 two editions in my own possession : — One is a 

 small Svo., ruled with red lines : " In the Savoy, 

 printed by the assignees of John Bill and Chris- 

 topher Barker, Printers to the King's Most Ex- 

 cellent Majesty, 1667." It contains fifty-nine 

 plates : these are identical with those in the An- 

 tiquitates Christiavce, or Bishop Taylor's Life of 

 Christ, and Cave's Lives of the Apostles (folio 

 editions), which, if I mistake not, were engraved 

 by William Fai thorn. The Act of Uniformity is 

 given in black-letter. The Ordinal is wanting. 

 The three State Services are not enumerated in the 

 Table of Contents, but are added at the end of 

 the book. The Old Version of the Psalms (with 

 its usual quaint title), a tract of 104 pp., is ap- 

 pended : " London : printed by Thos. ISTewcomb 

 for the Company of Stationers, 1671." The other 

 edition is a 12mo. : "London, printed by Charles 

 Bill and the Executrix of Thomas Newcomb de- 

 ceased, Printers to the Queen's Most Excellent 

 Majesty, 1708" (ruled with red lines). In the 

 frontispiece is represented a female figure kneel- 

 ing with a prayer book open before her : an angel 



