Mar. 1. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



165 



of the paper was always devoted to a letter from 

 the editor's own pen on husbandry, trade, chemis- 

 try, domestic cookery, and a variety of other topics. 

 Tlie editor appears to have been a spirited man, 

 who collected with great care and diligence a great 

 variety of facts whereby to interest his readers. 

 The advertisements are very curious, spei'imens of 

 which I will give you in another communication. 

 Each j)aper contains the weekly prices of wheat, 

 rye, barley, malt, oats, horse beans, peas, coals, 

 hops, hay, tallow, and wool, in all the counties of 

 England and Wales ; the prices of provisions in 

 London ; also a weekly statement of wind and 

 weather; the number of deaths, and their causes; 

 the number of christenings and burials, specifying 

 how many of each sex. The editor often concludes 

 a column of information by stating, "this is all I 

 see useful to posterity." He not only appears to 

 have been a man of an active mind, but also a very 

 kind man ; for he says to those who advertise in his 

 paper for situations, &c., that " if they apply them- 

 selves to me, I'll strive to help them." He appears 

 also to have kept a shop, or at least to have traded 

 in certain articles : for in one of his papers is this 

 advertisement : — 



" III my first volume of 1682, I publish'd my OAvn 

 selling of chocolate, and have sold in small quantities 

 ever since : I have now two sorts, both made of the 

 best nuts, without spice or perfume; the one 5s., and 

 the other 6s. the pound ; and I'U answer for their 

 goodness. If I shall think fit to sell any other sorts, 

 I'll give notice. John Houghton." 



By this advertisement we get at the date when 

 the paper was first published. H. M. Beaxby. 



North Brixton. 



MR. GOUGH S TEANSLATION OF THE HISTORT OP THE 

 BIBLE. 



The original work is thus described by Brunei, 

 ia his Manuel, Paris, 1842, vol. ii. p. 583. : 



•' Histoire du Vieux et du Nouveau Testament (par 

 Dav. Martin) enrichie de plus de 400 Hg. Anvers 

 (Antwerp ), P .Murtier, 1700, '_> vol. gr. in fol." 



This work is usually called Bible de Mortler. It 

 is not a diflieult book to be met with, but the price 

 varies considerably according to the state of the 

 plates. H. F. 



Mr. Gough's Translation of the History of the 

 Bible (Vol. iii., p. 100.). — A friend has furnished 

 me with the following extract from the Manuel du 

 Lilrraire of M. J. C. Brunei in reply to my in- 

 quiry who was the author of the original history. 

 It is taken from tom. i. p. 544. 



" Histoire du V. et du N. Testament (par Dav- 

 Martin), enrichie de plus de -100 fig. Anvers (Ant- 

 werp.), P. .Mortier, 1700, 2 vol. gr. in fol." 

 M. IJrunet informs us that copies of these volumes 

 are valued by the stale of the plates ; one of which. 



in the Apocalypse, having been broken, was 

 mended with nails, which marked the impression, 

 and gave the distinction of copies before or with 

 the nails. 



As there can be no doubt but that most book- 

 sellers take in your useful publication, one of them 

 may be induced to inform the undersigned if he 

 has a copy for sale, and the price. J. M. Gutch. 



Worcester. 



Miliar ^atei. 



Origin of Harlequins. — In a note to his trans- 

 lation of Priscus' " History of the Embassy sent to 

 Attila by Theodosius the Younger " {Hist Civiliz. 

 app. iii. vol. ii. p. 430., Bogue's edit. European 

 Library), M. Guizot remarks, alluding to the ap- 

 pearance of Zercho, a Moor, at Attila's feast: 



" Is it not singular to find an harlequin at the court 

 of Attila? Yet such is the origin of these buffoons. 

 The colour of the black slaves, the strangeness of their 

 face and manners, caused them to be sought after as 

 excellent ministers of mirth ; to complete the singu- 

 larity, Zercho asks his wife at the hands of Attila, 

 closely paralleling Harlequin demanding Columbine." 



Is this account of the origin of Harlequins 

 generally acquiesced in ? I should be obliged by 

 any early notice of the character of Harlequin, 

 and his introduction on the English or any foreign 

 stage. E. L. N. 



Monosyllables. — Among the many correspond- 

 ents who have sent you specimens of mono-iyllabic 

 poetry, I have seen no one who has quoted this 

 very singular passage from Phineas Fletcher's 

 Purple Island. It \sfar more striking than anything 

 you have yet inserted on this subject. 



Canto I. Stanza 7. 

 " New light new love, new love new life hath bred; 

 A life that lives by love, and loves by light ; 

 A love to HLm to whom all loves are wed ; 



A light to whom the sun is darkest night : 

 Eye's light, heart's love, sojiTs only life He is ; 

 Life, soul, love, heart, light, eye, and all are Hisj 

 He eye, light, heart, love, soul ; He all my joy and 

 bliss." 



In seventy words only one of more th.nn a syl- 

 lable ; the alliteration in the second line is likewise 

 noticeable. H. A. B. 



Trin. Col., Cambridge. 



The Breeches, or Geneva Bible (Vol. iii., p. 17.). 

 — I have before me a copy of Christojiher Bar- 

 kar's edition of the "Breeches" Bible, 1576, small 

 folio, in which, on the fly-leaf, is the followiiig 

 interesting note in the handwriting of Uie kte^ 

 Francis Douce : — 



" It is generally conceived that the peculiarify, 

 'and they sewed fig tree leaves together, and' innde , 

 themselves breeclies,' belongs exclusively to this Bible,, 

 but it is a mistake. The Saxon v«rsion-by iElfric has,. 



