44 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 90. 



human corpse, stiff and cold, lay before his sight ! 

 After a night spent in the most agonizing appre- 

 hensions he descends to breakfast, and his fears 

 become somewhat lightened by the savoury fumes 

 of the morning meal. 



" Indeed so much did he feel reassured and elevated 

 by the extinction of his personal fears, that, just as the 

 good woman was broiling him another rasher, he out 

 with the secret of the chest, and let them know that he 

 had been somewhat surprised by its contents; venturing 

 to ask, in a friendly tone, for an explanation of so re- 

 markable a circumstance. ' Bless your heart, your 

 honour, 'tis nothing at all,' said her son; ''tis only 

 faytlier!' — ' Father ! your father !' cried the traveller ; 

 ' what do you mean ? ' — ' Why, you know, your 

 honour,' replied the peasant, ' the snaw being so thick, 

 and making the roads so cledgy like, when old fayther 

 died, two weeks agon, we couldn't carry un to Tavi- 

 stock to bury un, and so mother put un in the old box, 

 and salted un in : mother's a fine hand at salting un 

 in.' " — Vol. i. pp. 29. 32. 



In connexion with this subject you will perhaps 

 permit me to observe, that the custom of placing 

 a plate of salt on the body is still retained in many 

 parts of the country. An instance of its use in 

 the metropolis came under my notice only last 

 week. The reason assigned for this is, that it 

 prevents the spread of any noxious vapours. But 

 query, is it not an ancient superstitious obser- 

 vance ? According to Moresin : 



"Salem abliorrere constat diabolum et ratione op- 

 tima nititur, quia Sal a;ternilatis est et immortalitatls 

 signum, neque putredine neque corruptione infestatur 

 unquam, sed ipse ab his omnia vendicat.'' — Moresini 

 Papatus, p. 154. 



Speriend. 



Bogatsky (Vol. iii., p. 478.). — A very satisfac- 

 tory biographical sketcli of Bogatsky, author of the 

 Golden Treasury, will be found in Evangelical 

 Christendom, vol. iii. for 1849, pp. 69. and 101. 



C. W. B. 



Baronette (Vol. iii., p. 450.). — Selden was of 

 opinion that Baronet was used for Banneret, as 

 may be seen in the following extracts from the 

 second part of Titles of Honor. 



Chap. iii. sect. 23. : 



" Bannerets some have stiled them Baronets, 



as if they had a diminitive title of Barons." 



Chap. V. sect. 2.5. : 



" And whereas in the statutes of the same King" 

 (Richard II.), "as we read them in English, every 

 Archbishop, Bishop, Abbot, Prior, Duke, Earl, Baron, 

 Baronet, Knight of the Shire, &c. , are commanded 

 mider paine of amerciament or other punishment, ac- 

 cording to ancient use, to appear in Parlament ; the 

 French, both of the Roll and of those Books that are 

 truly printed, hath Banneret and by some little mis- 



take Barneret for the same word. And as when 

 mention is in the old stories of Knight Banneret, the 

 word Baronet (which runnes easier from the tongue) is 

 often for Banneret ; so fell it not only in the English 

 print of our statutes, but also in a report of a case that 

 is of a later time than that to which our present di- 

 vision confines us, that Baronet (for Banneret) is 

 likewise used for a Baron. For in an attaint under 

 Henry the Sixt, one of the Jury challenged himselfe 

 because his ancestors had been Baronets and Seigneurs 

 des Parlements. I cannot doubt but that the title of 

 Banneret in this sense was meant there." 



Chap. V. sect. 39. : 



" Of the name of Banneret as it sometimes expressed 

 a Baron of Parlament enough is before said. And as 

 in that notion of it, Baronet was often miswritten for 

 it, so also in this." (Militts vexilliferi) : " Neither 

 only have the old stories Baronetti very frequent for 

 Banneretti, but even in a patent passed to Sir Ralph 

 Fane, a Knight- Banneret under Edward the Sixt, he 

 is called Baronettus for Bannerettus." 



Llewellyn. 



Rifles (Vol. iii., p. 517.), —In reply to A.C., I 

 can safely assert that the best American rifles are 

 nearly equal, in point of workmanship, to the 

 common ones made in Birmingham, and that there 

 is no " use for which an American rifle is to he 

 preferred to an English" French, or Belgian one ; 

 and further, that tlie American rifles will not bear 

 comparison with those of any London maker. 



Colt's revolvers were submitted to our Govern- 

 ment twelve or fourteen years sigo, and not ap- 

 proved. The present revolvers, made in England, 

 have always been considered improvements upon 

 them. 



I do not pretend to be the " highest authority," 



though I profess to know something of the subject. 



The Author of " Engines of War." 



Miss (Vol. iv., p. 6.). — Evelyn's notice of this 

 word is prior to the instance cited by your cor- 

 respondent. Under the 9th of January, 1662, 

 he has, — 



" I saw acted The Third Part of the Siege of Rhodes. 

 In this acted ye faire and famous comedian call'd 

 Roxalana, from ye part she perform'd; and I think it 

 was ye last, she being taken to be ye Earle of Oxford's 

 Misse (as at this time they began to call lewd women)." 



Speriend. 



Lady Floi-a Hastings' Bequest (Vol. iii., p. 522.). 

 — 1 can state positively, that the lines with the 

 above title were " in reality written by that 

 lamented lady." I was not aware they had ever 

 appeared in print, nor do I think her family are 

 aware either. I am truly sorry that a " Christian 

 Lady" should have been guilty of such a shame- 

 less, heartless act of literary piracy. 



I here take the opportunity of remarking that, 

 in the last stanza but one, and sixth line, " upon" 

 is a misprint for " uprose." Erza. 



