Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 6.djvu/249

 12 s. vi. MAY is,

NOTES AND QUERIES.

201

LONDON, MAY 15,

CONTENTS. No. 109.

SfOTES : A Seventeenth-Century Charm, 201 Latin as an International Language, 202 The De Gorges, 203 Izaak Walton's Nightingale A Seventeenth -Century Book- seller's Label Mandrill, 205 The Last Cavalier Venedi and Veneti,206.

'QUERIES : Was Dr. Johnson a Smoker? 206 Ramage Astronomical Table Torphichen : Torfeckan Unanno- tated Marriages at Westminster, 207 Browne : .Small : Wrench : Macbride Prints Illustrating Irish History- Gilbert, Bishop of Lisbon Miss Price Roe family Scottish Bishops Jeanne of Flanders, 208 Invention of the Holy Cross FitzHenry Wearing a Cross on St. Patrick's Day Timothy Perry Ovey Louisa de Bosch Turkey Mei chants Sir Win. Blackstone Rev. John Boultree " Wnite Wine" John De Burgo, 209 Hyphen- ated Surnames Bibliography : Foreign Kf prints and Translations Reference Wanted Author Wanted, 210.

^REPLIES .-Aaron Baker, 210 Custom as Part of Rent, 211 Burton's ' Anatomy 'Van Balen : Charles Lamb "Derby Blues" : " Oxford Blues," 212 Principal London Coffee-houses, &c. -Rev. John Gutch "The Beautiful Mrs. Conduitt" ' A New View of London,' 213 Maule Martin Prince Charles in North Devon, 214- 'The Three -Westminster Boys ' Raymond Wm. Allingham and a Folk-song No Man's Land Jenner Family. 215 Tubus : a Christian Name Moukshood Gender of Dish " in Latin "Diddykites " and Gipsies The Caveac Tavern Slates and Slate Pencils Stature of Pepys, 216 Marten Arms Clergymen: Church of England : Roman Catholic- David Humphreys Clerk of the Crown, 217 Darnell and Thorp Faui Parkas bibliography of Lepers in England Portuguese Embassy chapel Silver Punch Ladle Grosvenor Place, 218.

.TfOTES ON BOOKS : ' Samuel Pepys and the Royal

Navy ' ' A History of Modern Colloquial English.' .Nineteen City Churches in Danger. .-Notices to Correspondents.

A SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY CHARM.

'THE following document I found several years ago among some old papers that came

.into my hands. It purports to have been copied in 1722 and the style of the hand- writing is of that period. It is not without

interest, as the blessing invoked on whoever shall copy and publish it, and the curse pro- nounced on those who do not teach it to others, seem to foreshadow the " endless

chain" letters that have troubled many

persons in these latter years. It also holds .itself out as a charm, or protective amulet,
 * nd a copy was no doubt valued as such.

GODS MESSAGE FROM HEAVEN A Coppy of a letter written by Gods hands as it is said and found under a stone in a village named Mackabe near the Town of Isunday in the year of our Lord God: 1003: this letter by y e . commandment of Jesus Christ, and was found

under a great stone red and large it was aty* foot

of -a Ccag: 18:. miles from the said Town of Isunday

in y e village named Mackabe upon w ch stone was engraven these words. Blessed is he y* turneth me and y e people y' saw y e same endavoured to turn y e same stone but their labour was in vain, for they could not by any means move it, and they saw they could not prevail they prayed & desired of God y* they might understand what y* meaning of that writing should be. And there came a little Child betwixt y e age of six & seaven years old which turned y e stone without any worldly help to the great admiration of y e be- holders, and when it was turned up there was found under it a letter written in golden letters by y very hands of Jesus Christ, w' h letter was carried to Isunday to be read, which stone belongeth to Bethsamadown shall therein was written the Commandement as followeth.

You say one to another the that work on y e Sabbath day shall be Communicated and Cursed, of one Jesus Christ, and I do command you y c you go to y e Church keep that day holy without labour y c you earnestly desire me to forgive you your sins and offences my commandements you shall faithfully keep & observe, and shall stead- fastly believe this was written w th my own hands, you shall go to y" Church and take your Children with you and famely to keep my commandements, and shall Chastise them & correct them & teach them my words, You shall love with brotherly love & true hart, and leave working on y e Saturday at five of the clock in y 6 eavening and so continnue till Munday morning. I will you to fast five f ridays in the year in y e remembrance of y e five wounds I received for you, You shall take no gold nor silver unhonestly but shall keep my commande- ments, also you shall cause them that are unbaptized to come to y e Church & repent & receive it and so doing, I will give you manyfould gifts & long life. Your Cattle shall be replenished &; fruitfull to bring forth abundance. My blessing shall be upon you. But he that doeth the contrary shall be cursed & not blessed and their goods <fc Cattle shall be unprofitable. I will send upon them lightening & thunder both hunger and want of food & of goods untill I have destroyed them especially them that wittness against this writing and believe not y* it was written with my own hands. And it was not spoken with my own mouth he shall be cursed & they that have where- with all to give almes to y e poor, and will not in my name shall be cursed in the confution of hell, remember that you keep holy y Sabath without any reputation for I have given six days to labour, and y e seaventh day I have taken for myself, And that as many as doth write A Coppy of this writing and causeth it to be read & published he shall be blessed of me And if he have sinned as often as there is stars fixed in the sky his sinns shall be forgiven him, if he be hartyly sory for them, Asking forgiveness for them of me contrary as y' man y' doeth write a coppy of this writing with his own hands & keepeth it without teaching to others shall be cursed. Again if you do not these things and keepeth not my commandements, I will unto you black storms & great snows which shall destroy you & your Cattle your goods <fc whatsoever -you have. Also more if a man write a Coppy of this writing & keep it in his house no evil spirit shall anoy him, also if a woman be great with child labour thereof If she have a Coppy of this writing about her she shall be delivered of her burden you-shall know no more of me, but till the