Nov. 12. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



473 



mends readers a proper ablution of their hands 

 before turning the consecrated leaves : 



" Utere me, lector, mentisque in sede loeato ; 

 Cumque librum petis hinc, sit lib! lota manus !" 



Sailh Lihrarij. 



Less lenient are the imprecations commemorated 

 bj Don ]\Iartenne and Wanlej. The one in- 

 scribed on the blank leaf of a Sacramentary of 

 the ninth century is to the following effect : 



" Si qnis eum (librum) de monasterio aliqiio in- 

 genio non redditurus, abstraxerit, cum Jrda proditcre, 

 Aniiii et Ca'ipha, portionem seterna; damnationis aeci- 

 piat. Ameul Amen! Fiat! fiat!" — Voyage Lilte- 

 raire, p. 67. 



That is fierce and fiery, and in very earnest. A 

 MS. of the Bodleian bears this other inscription, 

 to the same Import : 



" Liber Sanctoe Mariae de Ponte Roberti. Qui eum 



abstulerit aut vendiderit aut quamlibet ejus 



partem absciderit, sit anatbema maranatha." 



Canisius, in his Antiquce Lectiones (i. II. p. 3. 

 320.), transcribes another comminatory distich, 

 C025!ed from a MS. of the Saint Gall library : 



" Auferat hunc librum nulliis hinc, omne per asvum, 

 Cum Galio partem quisquis habere cupit!" 



Such recommendations are now no longer In 

 use, and seem rather excessive. But whoever has 

 witnessed the extreme carelessness, not to say im- 

 probity, of some of the readers admitted into the 

 public continental libraries, who scruple not to 

 soil, spoil, and even purloin the most precious 

 and rare volumes, feels easily reconciled to the 

 anathema maranatha of the ninth and tenth cen- 

 turies. 



P. S. — Excuse my French-English. 



Philarete Chasles, Mazarinaeus. 



Paris, Palais de I'lnstitut. 



trVERIES WORN, AND MENIAL SERVICES PERFORMED, 

 BY GENTLEMEN. 



(Vol. vl., p. 146.) 



However remarkable the conduct of the rustic 

 esquire of Downham may appear in the present 

 day, when he accepted and wore the livery of 

 his neighbour the Knight-Baronet of Houghton 

 Tower, It was a common practice for gentlemen 

 of good birth and estate to accept and wear, and 

 even to assume without solicitation, upon state 

 occasions, the livery of an influential neighbour, 

 friend, or relation. In testimony of respect and 

 affection for the giver of the livery. 



Thus it appears In the Diary of Nicholas Asshe- 

 ton tliat, in 1617, to the Court at Mirescough 

 " Cooz Assheton came with his gentlemanlie ser- 

 vants as anie was there," and that the retinue of 

 menial servants in attendance upon Sir Elchard 



Houghton was graced by the presence of more 

 than one country gentleman of good family. 

 Balnes, in his History of Lancashire, vol. ii. 

 p. 366., also relates concerning Humphrey Che- 

 tham, that — 



" In 1 635 be was nominated to serve the office of 

 sheriff of tbe county, and discharged the duties tbereof 

 with great honour, several gentlemen of birth and 

 estate attending and wearing bis livery at the assizes, 

 to testify their respect and affection for him." 



Evelyn, In his Diary, gives a similar account of 

 the conduct of " divers gentlemen and persons of 

 quality " in the counties of Surrey and Sussex : 



" 1634. My father was appointed sheriff for Surrey 

 and Sussex before they ivere disjoyned. He bad 116 

 servants in liverys, every one llvery'd in greene sattin 

 doublets. Divers gentlemen and persons of quality 

 waited on him in the same garbe and habit, which at 

 that time (when thirty or forty was the usual retinue 

 of the high sheriff) was esteemed a great matter. Nor 

 was this out of the least vanity that my father exceeded 

 (who was one of the greatest decUners of it) ; but be- 

 cause he could not refuse the civility of his friends and 

 relations, who voluntarily came themselves, or sent in 

 their servants." 



The practice of assuming the livery of a relation 

 or friend, and of permitting servants also to wear 

 it, appears to have existed In England In the time 

 of Richard II., and to have had the personal ex- 

 ample of this sovereign to support It. He seems, 

 however, to have thereby excited the disappro- 

 bation of many of his spiritual and temporal peers. 

 I produce the following passage with some hesi- 

 tation, because it is by no means cert.ain that any 

 one of the liveries thus assumed by Richard was a 

 livery of cloth : 



"17*'' Richard II. a.d. 1393-4. 



" Richard Count d'Arundell puis le comenceraent de 

 cest present Parlement disoit au Roy, en presence des 

 Achevesques de Canterbirs et d'Everwyk, le Due de 

 Gloucestr', les Evesqnes de Wyneestre et Saresbirs, le 

 Count de Warrewyk et autres 



" Item q le Roy deust porter la Livere de coler le 

 Due de Guyene et de Lancastr'. 



" Item q gentz de retenue de Rol portent mesme la 

 Livere 



" A qei nre Sf le Roi alors respondi au dit Count 



q blentot apres la venue son dit uncle de 



Guyene quant il vient d'Espaign darrein en Engleterre 

 q mesme nre Sr le Roi prist le Coler du cool mesme 

 son uncle et mist a son cool demesne et dist q'il vor- 

 roit porter et user en signe de bon amour d'entier coer 

 entre eux auxi come il fait les Liveres ses autres uncles. 



" Item (quant au tierce) nre Sr le Roi disoit q ceo 

 fuist de counge de luy et de sa volunte q gentz de sa 

 retenue portent et usent mesme la Livere de Coler." — 

 lioHs of Parliament, vol. iii. p. 313. 



" Richard Earl of Arundel, after the commencement 

 of this present parliament, said to the King in the pre- 

 sence of the archbishops of Canterbury and of York, 



