Jan. 20. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



55 



Quotations of Plato and Aristotle (Vol. x., 

 p. 125.). — The passage in Plato referred to by 

 your correspondent H. P. will be found in his 

 JSpinomis, vol. ii. p. 978., edit. Serrani. The fol- 

 lowing extract from an analysis of this treatise, in 

 Dr. Caesar Morgan's Investigation of the Trinity 

 of Plato and of Philo Judceus, will I hope be ac- 

 ceptable : 



"♦The God that gave number is the Heaven, who 

 taught men the first principles of enumeration by the 

 succession of day and night, the variations of the moon,' 

 &c. The same method of instructing men in number is 

 likewise mentioned in the Timceus. Philo also, adopting 

 the same method of teaching, saj's, ' the stars were placed 

 in heaven to answer many purposes,' &c." 



The nocti-diurnal rule of Scripture, and of 

 various nations, respecting which inquiry has re- 

 cently been made in " N. & Q.," is copiously 

 illustrated by quotations and references in the 

 Kev. Edward Greswell's Fasti Catholici et Indices 

 Calendaricc, vol. i. pp. 130 — 236. : 



" In the allusions to the component parts of the wx^i- 

 juepoi', which occur in Greek writers, it is observable that 

 the idiomatic form of the allusion is invariably night and 

 day, and day and night. We may infer from this fact that 

 these two ideas were so associated in the minds of the 

 Greeks, that they always presented themselves in this 

 order; first night, and then day." — P. 167. 



To the specimens there given may be added 

 the words of Plato, following those referred to by 

 your correspondent : 



" no\Aa? fxti/ 5r) vu/cra? iroWa? 5e :^|acpas as ovpavo<; ouSeTrore 

 froverat SiSaaxwi' a.vdpu>TiOVi iv re KaX Svo." 



BiBLIOTHECAR. ChETHAM. 



Work on the Reality of the Devil (Vol. xi., 

 p. 12.).- 



"Semler. (1.) Untersuchung dcr damonischen Leute, 

 Oder .sogenanten Besessenen : nebst Beantwortung einigen 

 Angriflfe. Svo. Halle, 1762." 



" (2.) De Demoniacis, quorum in Evangeliis fit Mentio. 

 4to. Edition. 1779." 



These are the only works by Semler in the very 

 copious list of his writings to be found in Kayser's 

 Vollstdndiges BUcher- Lexicon, that treat directly 

 on this subject ; although it is not unlikely that 

 Semler may have written upon it in some of his 

 miscellaneous treatises, or in the theological re- 

 views of Germany. In Farmer's work on the 

 Demoniacs of the New Test., there are some refer- 

 ences to Semler. J. M. 



Antiquity of Swimming-helts (Vol. xi., p. 4.). — 

 There are many examples in the Nineveh sculp- 

 tures in the British Museum, which plainly prove 

 that something like the swimming-belt was in 

 common use at the time which they are meant to 

 represent. I do not recollect whether there is a 

 single figure, but there are many instances of 

 several people together passing a river supported 

 by inflated skins. ^ M. E. F. 



Jennens of Acton Place (Vol. xi., p. 10.). 



From the several inquiries which have appeared 

 in " N. & Q.," it seems evident that an impression 

 exists that some portion of William Jennens' large 

 property remains undisposed of. This, however, i/^ 

 is not the case. The pedigree (which is not cer- 

 tified) may be seen in the Townsend Collection in 

 the Heralds' College. I would send you a copy 

 if I thought it of sufllcient interest to appear in 

 your columns. John Jennens, of Birmingham, 

 left a son, Humphrey Jennens, of Erding and 

 Nether Whitacre in the county of Warwick, who, 

 by Mary, daughter of John Mil ward, of Snitterton, 

 CO. Derby, had issue (with other children) Charles 

 Jennens, eldest son, from whom descends Earl 

 Howe and Robert Jennens, the father of William 

 Jennens of Acton Place. Also two daughters : 

 Esther, who married William Hanmer, Esq. ; and 

 Ann, who married Sir Clement Fisher, Bart., of 

 Packington. From Esther descended William 

 Lygon, Esq., afterwards Earl Beauchamp ; and 

 from Ann descended Lady Mary Finch, born in 

 1716, and who married William, Viscount An- 

 dover, 



William Jennens of Acton Place, by his will, 

 simply devised his real estate to his wife for her 

 life, leaving the reversion, as well as the whole of 

 his personal estate, undisposed of. He appointed 

 no executor, and on the 6th July, 1798, admini- 

 stration, with the will annexed, was granted to 

 " William Lygon, Esq., and the Right Honorable 

 Mary, Viscountess Dowager Andover, the cousins- 

 german once removed and next of kin of the said 

 deceased." As next of kin, the personalty was 

 shared between these parties ; while the real estate 

 descended to the testator's heir-at-law, George 

 Augustus William Curzon, and from him to his 

 brother, the present Earl Howe. Q. D. 



Death-bed Superstition (Vol. xi., p. 7.). — I 

 remember to have seen hanging up in the entrance 

 of a relative's house at Clapham, many years ago, 

 a large brass shallow dish, with a representation 

 (cast in the metal) of Adam, Eve, the serpent, the 

 Tree, &c. Inquiring the use of so curious-looking 

 an article, I was told that such vessels were not 

 uncommon in the houses of old families in Hert- 

 fordshire, and it was generally placed, filled with 

 salt, immediately after death, upon the breast of 

 the deceased member of the family. Probably 

 this has reference to the curious circumstance re- 

 corded by W. N. T. It would be interesting to 

 trace the origin of such observances. W. P. 



Holy-loaf Money (Vol. x., p. 488.). — Referring 

 to Dr. Rock's corrections, I must observe, that 

 when I asserted that the practice of distributing 

 blessed bread was " the sole remnant of the obla- 

 tions of the faithful," I alluded to those made 

 during mass only, being quite aware of some 

 others, which Dr. R. particularises. F. C. H. 



