June 2. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



425 



Policy and Interests of some of the States of Italy : being 

 a Supplement to Dr. Burnet's Letters, printed in the year 

 1688." 



Is this book by the Bishop of Salisbury, author of 

 the History of the Reformation, and of the History 

 of his own Times, and has it ever been republished? 

 My reason for doubting the authorship is, that 

 while the three letters are written throughout in 

 the first person, a passage in the beginning of the 

 first one spealcs of Dr. Burnet in the third : 



". . . . and though I am not so much in love with 

 writing, as to delight in transmitting you long Letters, 

 yet I find I have matter at present for a very long one ; 

 chiefly in that which relates to the Quietists : for you ob- 

 serve right, that the short hints that Dr. Burnett gave of 

 their matters in his Letters, did rather increase the 

 curiosity of the English than satisfy it. He told as much 

 as was generally known in Rome at that time concerning 



them So I was pusht on by my own Inclinations, 



as well as by your Entreaties, to " &c., &c. 



My main object, however, in preparing this note 

 for " N. & Q.," is to ask for information on the 

 following extract from the postscript to the last of 

 these interesting letters (I give it in the ortho- 

 graphy, and with all the capitalised letters and 

 italicised words of the original) : 



" There is a little Town in the Appennins, about twenty- 

 five milies from Rome, called Norcia, near which there is 

 a considerable Abbey, which belongs now to a Cardinal. 

 This Town, though it lies within the Pope's Territory, yet 

 has such great Priviledges still reserved to it, that it may 

 pass in some sort for a free Common wealth. They make 

 their Laws, and choose their own 3Iagistrates ; but that 

 which is the most extraordinary part of their Constitution, 

 and that is the most exactly observed, is, that they are so 

 jealous of all Priests, and of their having any share in 

 their Government, that no man that can either read or 

 write is capable of bearing a share in their Government : 

 so that their Magistracy, which consists of four Persons, is 

 always in the hands of Unlettered Men, who are called 

 there Li guatri Illiterati : for they think the least tendency 

 to Letters would bring them under the ordinary Miseries 

 that they see all their Neighbours are brought under b_y 

 the credit in which both the Robes are among them. And 

 they are so shy of all Churchmen, and so jealous of their 

 Liberty, that when the Cardinal comes during the Heats 

 of the Summer sometimes to his Abbey, they take no 

 notice of him, nor do they make any sort of Court to him. 

 One that has been oft there, told me, that by divers of 

 their Customs the,v seem to be of the race of the old 

 Latines ; and that their Situation and their Poverty had 

 at all times preserved them: yet they are not such 

 Strangers to the manners of the rest of the Italians as not 

 to take pleasure in severe revenges, of which this Instance 

 was given me." 



(The instance savours too much of the Boccaccio 

 school for the taste of the readers of " N. & Q.") 



Where can I find a history, or any account of 

 this little commonwealth? Whence, and what 

 was its origin ? Does it still exist ? and, if not, 

 when and what was its end ? It reminds one of 

 the Lilliputian Republic of San Marino, of which 

 mention is made in " N. & Q.," Vol, iii., pp. 321. 

 376., and Vol. iv., p. 64. Ebic. 



Ville-Marie, Canada, April, 1855. 



:^tu0r ^utviti. 



Mr. Pie.rpoin£s MSS. — Dugdale, in his Monas- 

 ticon AngUcanum, mentions a certain " W. Pier- 

 point, Arm.," in whose possession were certain 

 papers, including a register of the nunnery at 

 Castle Hedinghara, Essex. If any one could give 

 any information as to where the papers or library 

 of W. Pierpoint are, or where I could see this 

 register, he would greatly oblige Oxoniensis. 



Union Society, Oxford. 



Eshe, Ushaw, Flass. — I am at a loss for the 

 etymology of these names of places in the county 

 of Durham, and perhaps some of the contributors 

 to " ISr. & Q." would kindly assist me. C. T. 



John Duer, Esq., of Antigua. — That prince of 

 gossips old Cole tells in his MSS. in the British 

 Museum, that he had a friend, John Duer, Esq., 

 gent., commoner of Christ Church, Oxon, who 

 went to Antigua, where he had an estate of be- 

 tween 3000Z. and 4000Z. a year, that he after- 

 wards resided twelve or fourteen years at Belair, 

 near Exeter, and subsequently at Fulham, co. 

 Midd. ; and that his father was educated at Cud- 

 dington, co. Beds. ; the son died at Fulham anno 

 1764, and appears to have been born in 1697. I 

 shall be particularly obliged to any reader of 

 " N. & Q." who Avill inform me what sisters John 

 Duer the son had, and whom they married. And 

 what daughters he had, and whom they married. I 

 should also be glad to know whom John Duer the 

 father married. This may perhaps appear on some 

 memorial at Antigua, where I think you have 

 more than one correspondent. J. K, 



Decalogue in Common Prayer. — I should be 

 very much obliged if I could find out why the Ten 

 Commandments are difierent in the Bible and 

 Prayer-Book. The difference is in the first, sixth, 

 and tenth, I cannot find out. I have been to the 

 British Museum ; and I thought I would ask you, 

 as probably some of your readers would be ac- 

 quainted with the cause. Frederic Wilson. 



Marine Policies. — Having asked several friends 

 the rendering of the letters " S, G." at the head of 

 all marine policies without being able to be en- 

 lightened on the matter, perhaps some of the 

 readers of your much-prized periodical may know 

 the meaning of this. The first letter undoubtedly 

 stands for " Sigillum," the documents having been 

 first used by the Romans.* Guuelmus. 



Armorial. — I should feel glad if you could 

 inform me to whom the following arms belong ? 



1. Party per pale. Azure, a chevron raguly 

 or. Gules, three sinister hands (two and one) 



[* As these letters, S. G., are prefixed to the policies, 

 may they not stand for "Salutis Gratia? "] 



