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NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. in. MAY 27, mi.

GLADSTONE ON THE UPAS TREE (11 S. iii. 367). I doubt whether Gladstone ever used the actual words "upas tree"; but in addressing the electors of South -West Lancashire on 23 October, 1868, he spoke of the Protestant ascendancy in Ireland as " a tall tree of noxious growth, lifting its head to heaven and darkening and poisoning the land, so far as its shadow can extend."

A. A. B.

Mr. Gladstone's reference to the upas tree in connexion with the Irish Church is contained in his speech delivered at Wigan on 23 October, 1868. See the quotation, with similar references by other statesmen, in Yule-Burnell, ' Hobson-Jobson,' 2nd ed., p. 959. W. CROOKE.

[MR. T. BAYNE, MR. J. PATCHING, and L. A. W. also thanked for replies.]

" PUT A BEGGAR ON HORSEBACK AND HE WILL RIDE TO THE DEVIL" (11 S. iii. 269,

334). As MR. COLLINGWOOD LEE has com- pared Claudian, "in Eutropium," i. 181, quoted in King's ' Classical and Foreign Quotations,' it may be worth adding that a large number of parallels to this (Latin, German, Dutch, French) are collected by W. H. D. Suringar on pp. 142, 558, 559 of his edition of Heinrich Bebel's ' Proverbia Germanica,' Leyden, Brill, 1879, under No. 537, " Nihil superbius pauperi, dum surgit in altum." Suringar's book is very useful. EDWARD BENSLY.

"WELCOME AS THE FLOWERS TN MAY" (11 S. iii. 367). In 'Rob Roy,' chap, viii., Mr. Inglewood, J.P., greets Diana Vernon with " Art welcome, girl, as flowers in May," using the phrase as a proverb. A. A. B.

" As welcome as the flowers in May " occurs in James Howell's * Proverbs,' 1659; also in Charles Macklin's (1690-1797) ' Love a la Mode,' I. i., " You are as welcome as the flowers in May." TOM JONES.

[MR. R. L. MORETON also thanked for reply.]

BATTLE OF BARNET : ITS SITE (US. iii. 208). As King Edward IV. was marching from London, and Warwick towards it on the high north road, it would seem to follow that the two armies faced each other north and south. There is, however, a good deal of confusion in the accounts of the battle. A turning or flanking movement, such as seems to have taken place in the course of the struggle, may easily have placed the foes facing east and west. Stow says that there was a chapel, which marked the field

of battle, standing in his time. Lysons ('Environs of London') gives it as his opinion that the battle was fought not on Barnet Heath, but rather to the south-east about East Barnet. Tradition, however, is strongly opposed to this opinion, and Lysons adduces no evidence in its support. A foot- note in a new edition of Knight's ' History of England ' thus sums up the matter :

"Probably the conflict took place on the elevated plateau to the north of the town of Barnet. The modern stone column at the end of the common, where the high road forks, probably marks the site with sufficient accuracy."

It is also to be remembered that King Edward slept at Barnet the night before the battle. SUTOCS.

The Rev. George Hennessy, who was 22 years resident here, after careful research and examination of the sites was very decidedly of opinion that the battle of Barnet was fought in the parish of Friern Barnet, not far from the parish church. He is now Rector of Monk Okehampton, Wink- leigh, N. Devon. H. BEAZANT.

Rouudway, Friern Barnet.

" CLERK OF THE PAPERS " (11 S. iii. 368). The State Paper Office was established by Queen Elizabeth in 1578, and Dr. Thomas Wilson was appointed " Clerk of the Papers," Many important treaties, letters, and other State papers had been purloined previously, and it was decided to collect the remainder at one place, and have them carefully kept in an orderly manner. At first the State Paper Office was in rooms adjoining the Banqueting House at Whitehall, but on the occasion of the fire in 1618 the contents were hastily thrown into blankets and removed, finding a refuge in two rooms and three turrets in the old tower at Whitehall. The accommodation was so inconvenient and inadequate that ultimately in 1706, under the superintendence of Sir Christopher Wren, the upper floor of the Lord Chamber- lain's lodgings in the Cockpit (now part of the Treasury buildings) was fitted up as a State Paper Office.

In 1833 a new State Paper Office was erected in Duke Street, Westminster, a thoroughfare afterwards absorbed by Dela- hay Street, which is itself now covered by the Local Government Board and Education Department new buildings. The State Paper Office stood at the end of the street, where a flight of steps led into St. James's Park (Peter Cunningham).

The first occupant of the office was styled " Clerk of the Papers." In 1612 Thomas