Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 8.djvu/370

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. vn. MAY 10, 1913.

RICHARD BURBAGE. A performance of Richard Burbage which has not yet found its way into the textbooks appears among the Guildhall Records (Letter-Book DD, f. 184b):

"Martis Quinto die Junii Anno Regni Regis Jacobi An^lie, &c., Octavo.

" Item, it is ordered that Mr. Chamberlaine shall pay unto Mr. Burbage and John Rice, the Players that rodd upon the twoe fishes and made the speeches at the meetings of the Highe and mightie prince the Prince of Walles, upon the River of Thames on Thursday last, seventeene poundes tenne shillinges and sixpence by them disbursed for robes and other furniture for adorning themselves at the same meeting. And that they shall retaine to their owne use", in liewe of their paynes therein taken, suche Taffety silke and other necessaryes as were provided for that purpose without any further allowance And this shalbe Mr. Chamberlain his warrant on this behalfe."

I thought the whole thing interesting enough to be recorded where it could be preserved for the use of scholars working on stage history. C. C. STOPES.

PERCIVALL POTT, F.R.S. (See 8 S. vii. 105, 293.) This eminent surgeon resided during the later years of his life at Neasden House, in the parish of Willesden, Middlesex. His name occurs in the parochial rate-book for the first time in 1784, as the occupier of Neasden House, where he resided until 1788, the year of his death. Mrs. Pott continued in occupation of the house until the end of 1791. It does not appear from the records that Pott took any active interest in Willes- den parochial affairs.

Three of his holograph letters, &c., dated 1765, 1785, are preserved in the British Museum (Add. MSS. 32,968, f. 164 ; 35,534, ff. 70, 170).

His portrait, engraved by Heath from a picture by Reynolds, was published 10 March, 1790, by J. Johnson, St. Paul's Churchyards DANIEL HIPWELL.

QUEEN ELIZABETH'S " MY OWN CROW." The letter published by COL. FYNMORE in connexion with the Norris family (ante, p. 275) would seem to imply that " my own crow " was a term of endearment exclusively applied by Queen Elizabeth to the Lady Margaret Norris. There is, however, suffi- cient evidence that her Majesty thus habitu- ally addressed her familiars. Here is a copy of a letter sent by her to one of her maids of honour, Lady Leicester, on the death of her son, and, curious coincidence, it was written on the same day as the epistle to Lady Norris. The letter to Lady Leicester, urging philosophic resignation and a determination to subjugate sorrowful

emotions, may be considered as typical of the scholarly culture of that age. The following foot-note accompanies the letter, which was published in The Lady's Magazine for February, 1775: "Crowe, a term of familiarity used by the queen to this lady, whose father suffered with Queen Anne Boleyn." I should imagine it was not applied in consequence of the addressee being of dark complexion, but purely as a caprice.

" My owne crowe, harme not thieselfe for booteless helpe, but shew a good example to comfort your dolorous yoke-fellowe.

" Althoughe we have deferred longer to repre- sent to you our greeved thoughtes, because we liked ful il to yelde you the first refleccion of misfortunes whom we have alwaies rather thoughte to clierishe & cornforte ; yet knowinge now neces- sitie must bringe it to your eares, & nature con- sequenthe must move both griefe and passions in your harte ; we have resolved no longer to smother either ouer care for your sorrowe, or sympathie of ouer griefe for his losse : wherein, if it be true, that societie in sorrowe, workes dimynution, we do assure you by this true messenger of ouer mynde that nature can have stirred noe more dolorous affection in you (as a mother for a deare sonne) than gratefulness and memorie of his services past hath wrought in us his soveraigne, apprehension of our "misse of so worthie a servante ; but now that nature's common worke is done, and he that was borne to die hath paide his tribute, let that Christian discretion steil the flux of your immoderate greefinge, which hath instructed you both bie example and knowledge, that nothing of this kind hath happened but bie Godes divine providence ; and let these lines from your loveing and gratious soveraigne serve to assure youe, that there shall ever appeare the livelie characters of our esti- maceon of him, that was in our gratious care of youe, and you that are left in valuing rightelie all thcire faithful and honest endeavours : more at this time we will not write of this unpleasant e subjecte, but have dispatched this gentleman to yisite both youer lord and you, to condole with you in the true sence of your losse, and to praise you that the world maie see that what tyme cureth in weak myndes, that discretion and moderatyon helpeth in yours, in this accident where tbere is so just cause to demonstrate true patience & u;cdcra- tyon.

" Geoven at our Manor of Richmonde, the 22nd of September, in the xxxix yeare of our reigne, 1597."

T. H. BARROW.

CORNISH WILLS, PREROGATIVE COURT OF CANTERBURY. In the British Record Society's most useful volumes of indexes to wills preserved at Somerset House, and in the ' Index Locorum ' to the three volumes so happily divided into counties, a few mis- takes, as is inevitable occur.

As regards Cornwall, in the volume dealing with wills 1383-1558 (on pp. 613 and 614), for " Mawgan-in-Meneage " read Mawgan Lanherne, i.e. Mawgan-in-Pydar ; and for