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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. i. MAY a, 100*.

situatio i in the Near East, necessitated the presence of the allied fleet in its waters. Bismarck had been asked as to some state- ment alleged to have been made by him with reference to the above matter, when he contented himself with referring his inter- rogator to the first part of the above passage from St. Paul. Apparently, however, the Iron Chancellor did not at the same time indicate the original authority for his reply. Will one of your many scholarly corre- spondents kindly say whether I am wrong in attributing the authorship of the above verse to Epimenides 1 ? J. S. UDAL, F.S.A.

Antigua, W.I.

[You will see that your question is answered in anticipation by PROF. LEEPER.]

MOTHER SHIPTON. In Webster's ' Inter- national Dictionary,' in the section of ' Noted Names in Fiction,' I find the following under the above heading :

" The nickname of a Welshwoman in the reign of Henry VIII., who was reputed to have foretold many public events. Her rhymed prophecies still have some currency, although most of them are forgeries, many being of recent origin."

I always thought " Mother Shipton " was & Yorkshirewoman, and lived in the reign of H.mry VII. ! OH AS. F. FORSHAW, LL.D.

Bradford.

[As a legendary figure Mother Shipton appears in many districts. But see under the heading the 'D.N.B.']

PHCEBE HESSEL, THE STEPNEY AMAZON. The renaming Morgan Street, St. George's- in-the-East, Hessel Street, in memory of Phoebe Hessel, is, I think, worthy of note, and would, I am sure, have met with the approval of the late Sir Walter Besant, one of whose pet schemes was the naming of streets and localities after celebrated people identified vith them. This famous amazon was born in Stepney in 1713, and while in her teens fell in love with a soldier in the regiment known as Kirke's Lambs. Refusing to part with him when he was ordered to the West Indies, Phoebe disguised herself and enlisted in the same regiment. She served in various parts of the world, was wounded by a bayonet at Fontenoy, and ended her days at Brighton at the advanced age of 108 years.

FREDERICK T. HIBGAME.

^ BEFORE BIRTH. In 1529 a testator

gives a legacy " puero in vent-re uxoris mese " (' Visitations of Southwell/ Camd. Soc.,

6134). I have seen a later instance at York. ontaigne, addressing the Lady Diana of Foix, speaks of the "little lad" to whom she is soon to give birth, "for you are too

generous to begin with other than a man childe" ('Florio,' Dent, 1897, i. 209). In 1670 W. Marshall, of the College of Physicians, published 'Answers upon severall Heads in Philosophy,' one of which was "Of judging sex before birth." Mrs. Joceline, who wrote 'A Mother's Legacy to an Unborn Child,' seems to have counted on a boy (see ' Memoirs of Legh Richmond,' by Grimshawe, sixth ed., 1829, p. 418). The subject has been briefly mentioned in 'N. & Q.,' 1 st S. ii. 20; 4 th S. iii. 288. W. C. B.

WE must request correspondents desiring in- formation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries, in order that the answers may be addressed to them direct.

"THE GLORY OF THE METHODISTS." All

original autograph letter of John Wesley has been in my possession for about twenty-five years, and so far as I am aware has never- been published. It belonged to a relative of mine who was the daughter of a Methodist preacher, whose ministry probably extended back very nearly to the days of Wesley, as he died many years ago at an advanced age.

Aberdeen, 5 th May, 1784.

DEAR JEMMY, All Letters to any part of (Scot- land must go thro' Edinburgh. Therefore it is sufficient to direct thither till the 15 th instant, & then to Newcastle-on-Tyne.

I objected to nothing in that Sermon but a few tart Expressions concerning the Clergy : when these are altered, I believe it will be of use : And the more of them you can sell the better.

You have done well in restoring the meetings at five in the morning. These are the Glory of the Methodists. My kind love to Hetty Roe. I am, Dear Jemmy,

Your affectionate Friend & Brother J. WESLEY.

Who was Jemmy 1 WILMOT CORFIELD. Calcutta.

JEREMY TAYLOR QUOTATIONS. (1) "No man is a better merchant than he that lays out his time upon God and his money upon the poor" (Jeremy Taylor, 'Holy Living,' ch. i., vol. iii. p. 8 of Eden's edition, 1847). Is this Taylor's own, or is it a quotation ?

(2) Prayer is "a building to God a chapel in our heart" ('Holy Living,' ch. i. iii., vol. iii. p. 26 of Eden's edition). Who was the " spiritual person " who said this 1

ROBIN.

NORTH DEVON MAY DAY CUSTOM. Flowers and garlands are associated with May Day, yet I do not remember to have seen elsewhere the curious custom which prevails here.