Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalof606319111912roya).pdf/409

, Guinea, Binney, the Amazon and the East Indies for all manner of rare boasts fowls and birds shells and stones." On Buckingham's death, he seems to have entered the service of the king and queen and probably at that date established his physic garden and museum at the oast side of South Lambeth Road, leading from Vauxhall to Stockwell. He was the first in England who "made any considerable collection of the subjects of natural history, He died 1637-1638. The son succeeded the father as gardener to Queen Henrietta Maria, and was also a traveller. In 1656 resolving to take a catalogue of those rarities and curiosities which my father had sedulously collected" he published his Museum Tradescantianum. This book in its 179 pages contains lists of birds, shells, fishes, insects, minerals, fruits, war instruments, habits, utensils, coins and medals. Among entries of other warlike. instruments from Japan. Turkey, India, China, Canada, Virginia, Ginny, Persia, and Muscovy occurs the entry on page 46 of "Poisoned creeses or Daggers, two waved two plain"—apparently one of the plain has been lost. In 1659 Tradescant and his wife sealed and delivered a deed of gift of this collection of rarities to Sir Thomas Ashmole, but his will of date 1661 bequeathed the collection to his wife for life and after her decease to "the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge to which of them she shall think fit." There was a law-suit and Ashmole got the collection "to have and enjoy." In 1677 Ashmole offered it to Oxford as soon as a building should be erected to receive it. In 1683 Wren finished a building and the collection went to Oxford in 'barges', and "the name of Tradescant was unjustly sunk in that of Ashmole." Ashwole, of course, was not a traveller, but Windsor herald and author of a book on the order of the Garter.

The old M. S catalogue of the Tradescant collection compiled in 1685 by Edward Lhywd, first Assistant Keeper of the Ashmolean and still preserved in the archives of the museums contains entries of several creeses vaguely described and an attempt at exact description of the little demi-god hilted kĕris: "117 Pugio anceps in mucronem exit, manubrium simiae imaginem exprimit: a double-edged, dagger tapering to a point,—its handle exhibiting the figure of an ape." The vagina lignea or wooden scabbard has been lost.

The official catalogue of the Ashmolean Collection of 1836 has the entries

32 ''Two Malay creeses or daggers with waved blades. Mus. Tradesc.''

33 ''Another with straight blade. Mus. Tradesc.''

So we have the history of those three kĕris established practically beyond doubt back to the early years of the XVIth century. I am indebted to Mr. E. T. Leeds, formerly of the F. M. S. Civil Service and now Assistant Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum for calllingcalling [sic] my attention to these weapons, getting them photographed for me and putting the Catalogues cited at my disposal,