Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 4.djvu/446

 368 NOTES AND QUERIES. [io» s. iv. NOV. 4, i Hardy, of, Piece-Broker, was Indicted for Felony for paying and putting off Counterfeit Milled Money at a lower rate than the same was Coined or Counterfeited for." In Strype's edition of Stow's ' Survey,' ed. 1754, p. 113, we read, " Holy well Street, commonly called the backside of St. Clement's, a place inhabited by divers Salesmen and Piece- brokers." And ' The Annual Register' of 1770 has in its 'Obituary' (p. 143), "Mr. Muzere, aged ninety, many years an eminent piece-broker, who never trusted any money put at interest, but put it into an iron chest, in which was found at his death about 9,OOOJ." These can hardly come under a modern explanation given in Simmonds's ' Diet, of Trade,1 1858 (copied in 'Century' and 'Standard ' American dictionaries), "a person who buys shreds and remnants of woollen cloth from tailors, to sell again to others who want them for mending, or for other pur- poses." Is this, by the way, an actual use of the word ? I have not met with it. J. A. H. MURRAY. SHAKESPEARE'S PORTRAIT.—I have in my possession a booklet of 67 pp., the title of which is as follows: " Original Prologues, Epilogues, and other Pieces never before printed London 1756." This contains a number of poems in praise of Shakespeare, including the tributes of Milton, Ben Jonson, Dryden, Sir R. Steele, and Collins. In addi- tion to these there is a poem ' On Shake- spear's Monument,' meaning, I suppose, the statue by Roubiliac. The opening lines of this piece are as follows :— Old Homer's fancy'd face, a form unknown. Survives in breathing brass, or Parian stone : While of the mind such images remain, We wish to raise the honour'd shade again ; Immortal wit compels us to admire The relique, rescu'd from devouring fire. Such Shakespear was ; from hence invention took The studious posture, and the piercing look. The rest of the poem consists of the usual kind of praise which was bestowed upon Shakespeare in the eighteenth century ; out at the end there is the following prose note : "There is no genuine picture of Shakespear. That, called His, was taken long after his death from a person supposed extremely like him, at the direction of Sir Thomas Clarges." I do not think that any of the editors _or biographers of Shakespeare have taken notice of the above statement. I suppose that the writer must have meant by "picture" a painted portrait of Shakespeare, for his words could hardly apply to the engraved portrait affixed to the First Folio. Anyhow it seems to me that the writer's statement deserves to be taken into consideration, for there is no apparent reason why he should make it without having some warrant for it. Bat which of the painted portraits of Shake- speare does he allude to 1 Is any one of them known to have been in the possession of Sir Thomas Clarges t Are any particulars of that gentleman known ? By following up the clue here given it is possible that some important results may be obtained. At any rate, in the scarcity of information about Shakespeare the man, we cannot afford to overlook such a statement as the aboTe, especially as it appears to be reasonable. BERTRAM DOBELL. [For Sir Thomas Clarges see ' Diet. Nat. Biog.,'».r.] JAMES V.'s POEMS.—A number of poems- ' Peblis to the Play,' ' Christ's Kirk on the Green,' 'The Gaberlunzie Man,' and 'The Jollie Beggar' — are attributed to King James V. of Scotland. I am anxious to learn the original authority for ascribing these to the king ; and if you, or any of your correspondents, could give me this informa- tion, I should feel deeply indebted. I have consulted the 'Dictionary of National Bio- graphy,' but without result. W. G. BLAIKIE MURDOCH. " THIS TOO SHALL PASS AWAY." — I« Munsey's Magazine for May there is a story of an 'Oriental satrap who asked his vizier to give him a motto suitable for every joy, every sorrow, in fact for everything earthly. The vizier answered, "Great lord, this too shall pass away." I had never met with this story before, and shall be most grateful if any reader can tell me where it comes from, or the names of the despot and his vizier. The reason I am interested in it is that I happen to possess a curious seal-ring, the gift of a dear friend, engraved with this very motto, but in the Persian language. VIL, " In niz bugzarad." JAS. PLATT, Jnn. DAVIES OF CORNWALL.—Henry Da vies, of Buryan, Cornwall, married Hester, eldest daughter of Col. Humphrey No.ve, m Buryan, and was succeeded by his eldest son William Davies, who married 22 January, 1709, Elizabeth Harvey. Can any correspon- dent of ' N. & Q.' kindly give the names and any particulars of the other sons of toB Henry and Hester Davies 1 WILLIAM JACKSON PIGOTT. CATALOGUES OF MSS.—It is thirteen ye*n since MRS. C. A. WHITE in these column* (8th S. ii. 44) referred to the manuscript treasures in libraries which still remain buried for want of handy catalogues. I h»« just received an admirable index to the O»«"