NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 88. 



command, printed in 1685, and perhaps compiled 

 from information given by the king himself!, the 

 following statement is made : — 



" The papers and books that were found on hira are 

 since delivered to his Majesty. One of the books was 

 a manuscript of sjjells, charms, and conjurations, songs, 

 receipts, and prayers, allivritten with the said late Duke's 

 own hand. Two others were manuscripts of fortification 

 and the military art. And a fourth book, fairly written, 

 wherein are computes of the yearly expense of his Ma- 

 jesty's navy and land forces." 



It is remarkable til at the "pocket-book" men- 

 tioned by Welwood is not here specified, but it is 

 possible that the entries quoted by him may have 

 been written on the pages of one of the other 

 books. Two of the above only are noticed by 

 Mr. Macaulay, namely, " a small treatise on for- 

 tification," and "an album filled with songs, re- 

 ceipts, prayers, and charms;" and there can be no 

 reasonable doubt that the latter, which is men- 

 tioned by the author of the tract in the Flarleian 

 Miscellany, as well as by Reresby and Barillon, 

 is the identical manuscript which Ibrms the subject 

 of Dr. Anster's remarks. 



AVithin a few weeks this singular volume has 

 been added by purchase to the National Collection 

 of Manuscripts in the British Museum, previous 

 to which I ascertained, by a careful comparison 

 of its pages with several undoubted letters of the 

 Duke of Monmouth (an advantage Dr. Anster 

 did not possess), that the whole of the volume (or 

 nearly so) is certainly in the Duke's handwriting. 

 This evidence might of itself be deemed sufficient ; 

 but some lines written on the fly-leaf of the 

 volume (which are passed over by Dr. Anster as 

 of no moment) confirm the fact beyond all cavil, 

 since, on seeing them, I immediately recognised 

 them as the autograph of King James himself. 

 They are as follows : 



" This book was found in the Duke of Monmouth's 

 pocket when he was taken, and is most of his owue 

 handwriting." 



Although the contents of this volume have been 

 already described in general terms by Dr. Anster, 

 yet it may not perhaps be uninteresting to give a 

 more detailed list of what is written in it : — 



1. Receipts "for the stone ;" "to know the sum of 

 numbers before they be writ doun;" "pour net- 

 toyer I'ovrages de cuyvre argente ;" "for to make 

 Bouts and Choos [ Boots and Shoes] hold out water ;" 

 and " to keep the goras well." — pp. 1 — 4. 8. 



2. Magical receipts and charms in French, written 

 partly in an abbreviated form, accompanied by 

 cabalistic figures. Two of these are to deliver a 

 person out of prison, and are no doubt the same 

 which Sir John Reresby refers to. — pp. 5. 7. 9. 

 11—17. 



3. " The forme of a bill of Exclieng," drawn on 

 David Nairne of London, from Antwerp, IMay 16, 

 1G84, for 200/. sterling p. 6. 



4. Astrological rules in French for finding out any- 

 thing required ; together with a planetary wheel, 

 dated 1680, to show life or death in case of illness, 

 also happiness and adversity. — pp. 19 — 25. 



5. Directions " pour savoire si une person sera fidelle 

 ou non," &c. At the bottom is a cypher, in which 

 a stands for 10, h for 52, &c., p. 27. All this is 

 entered again at pp. 45. 47. 



6. " The way from London to East Tilbery," dated 

 December 1, 1684. — p. 29. 



7. Prayers for the morning and evening, pp. SI — 43. 



8. List of the Christian names of women and men. 

 — pp.44. 46. 48. 



9. Arithmetical table of the number 7, multiplied 

 from 1 to 37. — pp. 49. 51. 



10. Receipts "to take away a come;" "a. soveraign 

 water of Dr. Stephens ;" " to make the face fair ;" 

 "to make golden letters without gold;" "to Icip 

 iron from rusting;" "to write letters of secrets ;" 

 " to make hair grow;" "to make hair grow black, 

 though of any colour ;" and several more. — pp. 52 

 — 61. 



11. Casualties that happened in the reigns of the En- 

 glish sovereigns, from William I. to Queen Mary 

 inclusive ; consisting chiefly of remarkable acci- 

 dents, and reputed prodigies. — pp. 62 — 78. 



12. "Socrates, Platen, Aristote et Ciceron ont fait ces 

 trente Comanderaens pour leurs disciples." — pp.78, 

 79. 



13. " A receipt for the Farcy." — p. 81. 



14. A poem intitled "The Twin Flame, sent mee by 

 M P" — pp. 83— 91. 



The words in Italics have been scribbled over 

 with the pen for the purpose of concealment. The 

 verses conmience : 



" Fantastick wanton god, what dost thon mean, 

 To breake my rest, make mee grow pale and lean." 



15. Receipts for secret writing, to take impressions of 

 prints upon glass, to boil plate, &c. — pp. 93 — 98. 



16. Several songs in English and French, pp.99 — 

 107. 



Among them are the verses printed in " Notes 

 AND Queries, Vol. i., p. 199., beginning "With 

 joie we do leave thee," accompanied by the musi- 

 cal notes ; and also a song connnenciiig " All ye 

 gods that ar above," with the musical notes, it 

 is most probable that these songs are copied from 

 printed sources ; but as they have been conjec- 

 tured to be compositions by Monmouth himself, 

 the following short specimen may not be luiae- 

 ceptaMe, copied literatim^ 



" O how blest, and how inocent, 

 and happy is a country life, 

 free from tumult and discontent; 

 heer is no flatterys nor strife, 

 for t'was the first and happiest life, 

 when nr^t nj^n .did injoig hira selfe. 



