Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 1.djvu/567

 NOTES AND QUERIES.

467

Cook (was he the horticulturist 1 ?), William Wells, Sir Robert Rich. When John Asty <d. 1730) was pastor, the following were among the members : Lady Rich, Madame Crouch (d. 1714), Madame Gibon, Mrs. Moore, Madame Elen Fleet wood (d. 1731), Madame Elizabeth Fleetwood (d. 1728), Madame Jane Fleetwood (d. 1761), Mary Carter (was she Oliver's granddaughter ? she first appears as a member in 1724), Capt. Samuel Richards (d. 1719), Madame Cook, and Joseph Alleine. The congregation still meets at Latimer Chapel, Stepney. STANLEY B. ATKINSON. Inner Temple.

A MEVAGISSEY DUCK. I heard a woman at Boscastle, in North Cornwall, call a her- ring a " Mevagissey duck." Mevagissey is a fishing village on St. Austell Bay in South Cornwall. The expression seems worth pre- serving. H. 2.

_ WESTMINSTER ABBEY CHANGES. An altera- tion in the government of places is almost inevitably the cause of some changes. With the death of Dean Bradley and the appoint- ment of the Rev. J. Armitage Robinson, D.D., to the position of Dean, some few alterations have been made, which I feel should be recorded in ' N. & Q.' A fresh pulpit has been placed in the nave of the Abbey for use at the popular Sunday evening services in that part of the building, and the one designed by the late Sir G. Gilbert Scott, that had done duty there for somewhere about forty years, has been presented by the Dean and Chapter to the new Cathedral of St. Anne at Belfast. The "new" one, how- ever, is stated to be the oldest in the Abbey, as it dates from the time of Henry VIII. It has been very little seen, having been hidden in an out - of - the - way corner in Henry VII.'s Chapel. It is of panelled oak, and is considered a beautiful specimen of workmanship, and of much interest in its associations, as from it Archbishop Cran- mer preached both the coronation and funeral sermons of Edward VI. It is of very quaint and picturesque design, being one of the kind known as " wineglass " pulpits, from the fact that in the modelling they follow the shape of many of the Com- munion cups. This one is hexagonal ; the pedestal upon which it stands is slender and very graceful. It is somewhat small, and, one would think, is likely in some cases to be rather inconvenient in use.* At present a very awkward flight of steps leads up to it;

There is a small sounding-board attached to it by a board at the back.

but this will probably be altered before long. It was used for the first time at the evening service on Trinity Sunday, 7 June, 1903, when Canon Hensley Henson preached.

Another change has been in the hour for opening the doors at the afternoon services on Sunday. This was formerly 2 o'clock, but has now been fixed at 2.30, which arrange- ment came into operation on the first Sunday after Christmas.

The children's service held on Innocents' Day, 28 December, since the days of Dean Stanley, has been transferred to 2 February, the day of the "Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonly called the Purification of St. Mary the Virgin," the Dean thinking that this arrangement will better meet the convenience of the children, as he desires to see the little ones form the larger part of the congregation, which has certainly not been the case of late years.

Among minor changes in the staff of the Abbey it may be recorded that Mr. Hughes, the well-known "Dean's Verger,' 3 has retired, having been granted a pension, his service being one of many years ; and Mr. Dunn, another verger, has also retired. Mr. Hughes has been succeeded by Mr. Weller, hitherto the Canons' Verger, his place being taken by Mr. Kemp, the beadle, that office being now filled by Mr. Rice, a comparative new-comer. W. E. HARLAND-OXLEY.

Westminster.

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.

BARNES: 'THE DEVIL'S CHARTER.' A tragedy of this name was published in 1(507 by Barnaby Barnes, and in it parallels have been found to passages in 'The Tempest' and ' Cymbeline.' Has this ever been reprinted, either separately or in any collection of plays, in an accessible edition ? and what is the plot of it ? CHARLES R. DAWES.

['The Tragedy of Pope Alexander VI.,' 4to, 1607, is by Barnaby Barnes. ' The Devil's Charter,' "containing the life and death of Pope Alex- ander VI.," was played by the King's Men before his Majesty on Candlemas night (2 Feb.), 1606 The play has not, we believe, been reprinted. The story seems to be derived from Guicciardini.]

IMMANUEL KANT'S ORIGIN. About the year 1678 Hans Cant and his wife, both Scots, left Scotland, and, by way of Sweden, reached Memel, in East Prussia, where Hans