398 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
[2a §, No 20, Max 17, °56, 
the resurrection of the dead, was condemned to 
be burnt by the Emperor Tiberius (circ. a.p. 585.). 
When the Roman Senate condemned the books 
of Cassius Severus to the fire, he told them that if 
they would not have them remain, they must burn 
him also, for he had every word of them in his 
mind. 
The Emperor Basilise says : 
“ As for those writings which disturb the harmony and 
order of the holy churches of God, and the peace of the 
whole world, viz. the decision of Leo concerning the faith, 
and all that was decreed by the Council of Chalcedon, 
defining the faith, and expounding the creed, whether 
exposition, doctrine, or discussion, said or done, whereby 
a new belief is introduced contrary to the holy symbol of 
318 bishops, we decree and determine, as well here as in 
every church everywhere, that they shall be anathema- 
tized by the bishops, and wherever found, that they shall 
‘be committed to the flames and burnt (as Constantine 
and Theodosius Jun. decided concerning all the dogmas 
of all heretics),” &c. 
The Solemn League and Covenant was in a yet 
more ignominious manner, and with more dreadful 
and diabolical solemnity, burnt at Linlithgow in 
Scotland, May 29, 1662. (Sermons of D. Wilson, 
». 619.) 
' James Montgomery, of Sheffield, during his 
imprisonment in 1796, solaced his captivity by the 
composition of a novel, which he subsequently 
burnt. (Memoirs.) 
“There is one action for which the Count d’Orsay de- 
serves respectful remembrance. He burnt his diary — 
the sparkling diary said to surpass De Grammont. Its 
reputation was wide, and tempting offers were made for 
publication, but he would not violate the privacies of life : 
he burnt it to avoid the tempters.” — #cl. Rev. on “ Life 
of Lady Blessington,” 1855, p. 526. 
The fire of London destroyed the libraries of 
many: among others Dr. Edmund Castell lost 
many cabalistic and rabbinical books, and three 
hundred copies of his great Lexicon, as far as was 
printed. 
Some of the works of Chrysostom, preserved in 
the Thanaite Palace, perished by fire under Con- 
stantine and Irene. (Zonara, lib. iii. fol. 96.) 
The original copy of the famous Hexapla of 
Origen, which was deposited in the library at 
Cesarea, was burnt, together with many other 
books, by the Mohammedans in their devastating 
campaigns. 
“ Antiochus magnus libros Moisis et prophetarum un- 
dique conquisitos igni consumit.” — Chron. Carionis, 
p. 137., ed. 1610. 
A destruction of MSS. by fire at Alexandria is 
recorded to have occurred in the reign of Hadrian. 
Tetzel hurled his thunderbolts at Luther: he 
everywhere shouted that this heretic ought to be 
destroyed by fire, and Luther's theses and dis- 
course of indulgences, he publicly cast into the 
flames. 800 copies of Tetzel’s counter-theses 
were burnt at Wittemberg in the market-place by 
the students to revenge the act of their author at 
Frankfort. (D’Aubigné.) 
Mr. Addington burnt the immense mass of 
Mr. Pitt’s communications with him. (Court and 
Cab. of Geo. III, by Duke of Buckingham, 
vol. ili, pp. 142—3.) B. H. Cowrer. 
(To be continued.) 
Under this head I have not seen in “N. & Q.” 
a notice of the fire that occurred in Gray’s Inn 
about the year 1650, by which the Society's books 
were destroyed. GAsTROs. 
HOLLY FENCES, 
(2 §. i. 335.) 
In reply to W. P. A.’s request of the best 
manner of planting holly fences, I would recom- 
mend two courses; according to what his aim is, 
whether he intends to fence common fields with 
the holly, or only a piece of pleasure ground. 
Tf a field is to be fenced, let the plough turn 
over a breadth of ground ten or twelve feet, in 
the line of the fence. The ploughing should be 
deep, and a clearing out, leaving the open furrow 
where the line of fence is to be. This ploughing 
may be executed in the leisure time, after turnip 
sowing is over. Let the ploughed stripe of land 
be harrowed, and picked clean of any weeds. 
Then put on good manure, at the rate of sixteen 
to twenty cart loads to the imperial acre; spread 
it, and plough it in; gathering the land towards 
the open furrow, which will then become the 
crown of the stripe, and still be in the line of the 
proposed fence. 
Let the ground remain so for a month or two, 
to give the dung time to incorporate with the 
soil; and whenever surface weeds appear, let the 
harrows put them down. 
In September or October Jet the holly plants 
be planted. In doing this, run a garden line in 
the exact line in which it is determined to plant 
the hedge, and make a small trench with the spade 
from the line: place the plants upright at the 
perpendicular side of the trench against the line, 
arranging the roots, and replacing the earth 
against the plants with the hand. Return the 
earth into the trench with the spade, tramping 
it against the plants firmly down with the foot, 
and the spade also finishes the surface of the 
ground. 
Tf the fence is for a pleasure ground, let a two- 
spit trench be made with the spade, mixing dung 
with the earth, in the line of the fence, and plant 
the plants as above. 
The holly plants should be from nine to twelve 
inches in height, and be furnished with plenty of 
small fibrous roots. They should be planted 
