2"4 a VI. 151,, Nov. 20. '58.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



407 



At p. 54. the author says : " if our common 

 writers have any wit at all, they set it like velvet 

 before; though the back (like a bankrupt's 

 doublet) be but of buckram or poldavy." What 

 was poldavy ? * 



Seneca an English Landholder. — At p. 52. the 

 author says : 



" Some st?te that about the be^nning of Nero's reign, 

 Seneca came over here into Britain ; but most certain it 

 is, he had divers lands bestowed on him here in England, 

 and those supposed to have lain in Essex, near to Cama- 

 lodunum, now Maldon." 



What authority is there for these assertions ? 



Draioing Materials 200 Years ago. — There 

 were then no pencils of black lead encased in wood; 

 but instead thereof, lead in long round slips, which 

 were used by being "sharpened finely, and put 

 fast into quills." " Sallow coals" were " sharpened 

 upon the ends, being more blew and finely grained 

 than the other coals, and smooth, being broken, 

 like satten," were also used as pencils. Was this 

 charcoal made from the wood of the sallow, or 

 Salix cinerea ? 



The " crumbs of fine manchet, or white bread," 

 were used " to rub out the marks of lead or coal." 



Brushes (for water-colour drawing) appear to 

 have been unknown, and pupils are directed — 



" to take a broom stalk about the bignesse of a spoon- 

 handle, and cut it even at the end ; when you have done, 

 chew it between your teeth, till it be fine and grow hairy 

 at the end like a pencil: but I care not how little you 

 use them, because your pen shall do better, and show 

 more art." 



" About twenty or thirt3' drawing pens should always 

 be kept, made of Raven's or Goose quills. Your raven 

 quills are the best of all, to write fair or shadow fine ; 

 your goose quills for the bigger or ruder lines." 



The dry colours were made up into pastils like 

 the modern crayons. The colours were " ground 

 with strong wort, and rowled up into long rowls like 

 pencils, and dried in the sun ; some put hereto a 

 little new milk." Such were Henry Peacham's 

 directions to his pupils circa 1660. 



Arms of the Kingdoms of Christendom in 1661. — 

 Peachaiu enumerates the following : — 



" Those of the Emperor of Germany, the Kings of the 

 Romans, and of Hunjjary, Polonia, and Bohemia, and of 

 the kingdoms of Arragon, Sclavonia, Sueva, Dalmatia, 

 Moravia, Castile, France, England, Navarre, Scotland, 

 Sicily, Denmark, Portugal, Leon, Ireland, Toledo, Naples, 

 Galicia, Grenada, and Norway." 



It would appear from this list, tliat the names 

 of half the present kingdoms of Europe were 

 either then unknown, had not any arms assigned, 

 or were not considered to be within the pale of 

 Christendom. The author says : — 



" The Armes of every kingdom in Christendome arc 

 about five-and-twenty in number, if you count those 

 kingdomes in Spain, Leon, Aragon, Castile, and the rest." 



The inference from this is, that Spain had not 

 [• Sec " N. & Q." 1" S. xi, 2CG. 333. 475.] 



at that time any national coat of arms as one 

 united kingdom. 



A Tapsters Dress in 1661. — 



" 1 have myself met an ordinary tapster in his silk 

 stockins, garters deep fringed with gold lace, the rest of 

 his apparell suteable. With cloak lined with velvet, and 

 who took it in some scorn I should take the wall of him 

 as I went along the street." — See p. 428. 



PiSHtY Thompson. 

 Stoke Newington. 



BACON S ESSAYS. 



{Continued from 2°'^ S. v. 421.) 

 I send a few additional Notes : — 



I. "A mixture of a Lie doth ever add Pleasure. Doth 

 any man doubt, that if there were taken out of Jleu's 

 minds vain Opinions, flattering Hopes, false Valuations, 

 Imaginations as one would, and the like ; but it would 

 leave the Minds of a number of Men poor shrunken things, 

 full of Melancholy and Indisposition, and unpleasiiig to 

 themselves? One of the Fathers, in great severity, called 

 Poesy, Vinum D(Emonum ; because it filleth the Imafcina- 

 tion, and yet it is but with the Shadow of a Lie." — Essaj' 

 I. p. 2. 



The above reminds one of Touchstone's account 

 of " the truest Poetry," which he declares to be 

 " the most feigning." Poetry seems to have been 

 formerly synonymous with Fable and Invention. 

 Thus Plutarch, in his treatise on reading the 

 Poets, says that while the young are not to be 

 debarred from them, they are to be cautioned 

 against such parts as may have bad effects ; and 

 are first to be prepossessed with this leading prin- 

 ciple, that Poetry is false and fabulous. We 

 sometimes find in old writers a confusion (if not 

 in thought, at least in word) between Fiction and 

 Falsehood, Lies and Delusions. The following 

 lines on the Pleasures of Fancy and Fiction are 

 " imitated from Voltaire" : * — 



" the happy, happy season. 



Ere bright Fancy bent to Reason ; 



When the spirit of our Stories 



Filled the mind with unseen glories; 



Told of Crealures of the Air, 



Spirits, Fairies, Goblins rare. 



Guarding Man with tenderest care ; 



When before the blazing hearth. 



Listening to the tale of mirth. 



Sons and daughters, mother, sire. 



Neighbours all drew rouud the fire ; 



Lending open ear and faith 



To what some learned gossip saith I 

 But the Fays and all are gone. 



Reason, Reason, reigns alone ; 



Every grace and charm is fled. 



All by dulness banished; 



Thus we ponder slow and sad ; 



After Truth the world is mad ; 



Ah ! believe me, Error too 



Hath its charms, nor small, nor few." 



The Pleasures of Delusion are often dwelt 

 ' German I'oimlar Stories, Loud., 182C, vol. ii. p. iv. 



