166 
and a sincere friend to the free constitution of his 
country. He defended that constitution in Parliament, 
with zeal and energy, against the encroachments of 
prerogative, and concurred in the establishment of new 
securities for its protection.” — Lord Grenville, Note in 
Chatham Correspondence, vol. i. p. 113. 
«« We suffer ourselves to be delighted by the keen- 
ness of Clarendon’s observations, and by the sober 
majesty of his style, till we forget the oppressor and 
the bigot in the historian.” — Macaulay, Essays, vol. ii. 
p- 281. 
“There is no historian, ancient or modern, with 
whose writings it so much beboves an Englishman to be 
thoroughly conversant, as Lord Clarendon.” —- Southey, 
Life of Cromwell. 
“ The genuine text of the history has only been 
published in 1826,” says Mr. Hallam, who speaks of 
“inaccuracy as habitual to him ;” and further, “as no 
one, who regards with attachment the present system 
of the English constitution, can look upon Lord 
Clarendon as an excellent minister, or a friend to the 
soundest principles of civil and religious liberty, so no 
man whatever can avoid considering his ineessant 
deviations from the great duties of an historian as a 
moral blemish in his character. He dares very fre- 
quently to say what is not true, and what he must 
have known to be otherwise ; he does not dare to say 
what is true, and it is almost an aggravation of this 
reproach, that he aimed to deceive posterity, and 
poisoned at the fountain a stream from which another 
generation was to drink. No defence has ever been 
set up for the fidelity of Clarendon’s history; nor can 
men, who have sifted the authentic materials, entertain 
much difference of judgment in this respect ; though, 
as a monument of powerful ability and impressive 
eloquence, it will always be read with that delight 
which we receive from many great historians, especially 
the ancient, independent of any confidence in their 
veracity.” — Hallam, Constitutional History, 8vo. vol. ii. 
p. 502. 
“ His style is a little long-winded ; but, on the other 
hand, his characters may mateh those of the ancient 
historians; and one thinks they would know the very 
men if you were to meet them in society. Few English 
writers have the same precision, either in describing 
the actors in great scenes, or the deeds which they 
performed; he was himself deeply engaged in the 
scenes which he depicts, and therefore colours them 
with the individual feeling, and sometimes, doubtless, 
with the partiality, of a partizan. Yet, I think he is, 
on the whole, a fair writer; for though he always en- 
deavours to excuse King Charles, yet he points out his 
mistakes and errors, which certainly were neither few 
nor of slight importance.”—Seott, Life by Lockhart, 
vol. v. p. 146. 
Other opinions as to the noble writer will be 
found in the Life of Calamy, and in Lord Dover's 
Essay; but I have perhaps already trespassed too 
much on your space. M. 
MISCELLANIES, 
Books by the Yard.—Many of your readers 
have heard of books bought and sold by weight,— 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
[No. 11. 
in fact it is questionable whether the number of 
books sold in that way is not greater than those 
sold “ over the counter,”— but few have probably 
heard of books sold “by the yard.” Having 
purchased at St. Petersburg, the library left by 
an old Russian nobleman of high rank, I was 
quite astonished to find a copy of Guores de 
Frederic II. originally published in 15 vols. 
divided into 60, to each of which a new title had 
been printed; and several hundred volumes lettered 
outside Quvres de Miss Burney, Giuvres de Swift, 
&c., but containing, in fact, all sorts of French 
waste paper books. These, as well as three editions 
of Giuvres de Voltaire, were all very neatly bound 
in calf, gilt, and with red morocco backs. My 
curiosity being roused, I inquired into the origin 
of these circumstances, and learnt that during the 
reign of Catherine, every courtier who had hopes 
of being honoured by a visit from the Empress, was 
expected to have a library, the greater or smaller 
extent of which was to be regulated by the fortune 
of its possessor, and that, after Voltaire had won 
the favour of the Autocrat by his servile flattery, 
one or two copies of his works were considered 
indispensable. Every courtier was thus forced 
to have a room fitted up with mahogany shelves, 
and filled with books, by far the greater number 
of which he never read or even opened. A book- 
seller of the name of Klostermann, who, being of 
an athletic stature, was one of the innumerable 
favourites of the lady “ who loved all things save 
her lord,” was usually employed, not to select a 
library, but to fill a certain given space of so many 
yards, with books, at so much per volume, and 
Mr. Klostermann, the “ Libraire de la Cour Im- 
periale,” died worth a plum, having sold many 
thousand yards of books (among which I under- 
stood there were several hundred copies of 
Voltaire), at from 50 to 100 roubles a yard, “‘ac- 
cording to the binding.” A. ASHER. 
Berlin, Dee. 1849. 
Thistle of Scotland.— R. L. will find the thistle 
first introduced on coins during the reign of 
James V., although the motto “ Nemo me impune 
lacessit”” was not adopted until two reigns Jater. 
— See Lindsay's Coinage of Scotland, Longman, 
1845. B.N. 
Miry-land Town.—TIn the Atheneum, in an 
article on the tradition respecting Sir Hugh of 
Lincoln, the Bishop of Dromore’s version of the 
affair is thus given : — ; 
«“ The rain rins doun through Mirry-land toune, 
Sae dois it doune the Pa’; 
Sae dois the lads of Mirry-land toune, 
a” 
Quhan they play at the Ba’. 
In explanation of part of this stanza, Dr. Perey || 
is stated to have considered “ Mirry-land toune” 
to be “ probably a corruption of Milan (called by 
the Dutch Meylandt) town,” and that the Pa’ 
a 
