Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/40

 considered by you good enough to be printed in your Macaulay Number.

"There goes a story about the town, that Dr. Busby, walking one day in St. James's Park, met with Father Petre, who saluted Busby, cap in hand, which occasioned this following dialogue:

"P.'' Reverend Doctor, your humble servant; how have you done this long time?

"B.'' Very well, I thank yon; but, Sir, I don't know you, and especially in this dress."

"P.'' Not know me, Doctor? why, I was one of your scholars."

"B.'' That may be; pray what is your name?" "P. My name is Petre."

"B.'' Petre! What, not that Petre who has made all this noise in the world?'

"P.'' The very same, Sir.'

"B.'' You surprise me very much. You were of another faith, Sir, when you were under my tuition; how came you to change it, Sir?'

"P.'' Because the Lord had need of me.'

"B.'' Need of you, Sir! why, I have read the Scriptures as often as any other man, and I never read that the Lord had any need of any thing but once, and that was of an ass."

"Here Busby took Petre knapping at his own weapons."

Satire against Sherlock.—The following extract from Short Remarks on the Life of Dr. Kennett, p. 19., affords a curious illustration of Macaulay's account of Sherlock, vol. iv. p. 50.:

"On one occasion, Dr. Hickes, Dr. Sherlock, and others, were in conversation at the fireside of that honest bookseller, Wat Kettilby, when Dr. Sherlock made the following remark: 'Brother Hickes, they that take the oaths are as surely damned as the fire burns.' To which Dr. Hickes replied, I believe I may take them when you do.' But some time after, St. Paul's Deanery prevailed with Dr. Sherlock to take the dose; and some say the Vixon was the occasion of it. Upon this account Tom Brown has these words, which are ingenious:

"When Eve the fruit had tasted, She to her husband hasted, And chuck'd him on the chin-a: "Dear Bud," quoth she, "come taste this fruit, "Twill finely with your palate suit, To eat it is no sin-a."

As moody Job in shirtless case, With collyflow'rs all o'er his face, Did on the dunghill languish, His spouse thus whisper'd in his ear, Swear, husband, as you love me, swear, Twill ease you of your anguish."

The Glencoe Massacre — The annexed cutting from the Guardian of Sept. 19, 1855, seems worth preserving in "N. & Q.:"

"A copy of the warrant authorising the Glencoe massacre by King William III., was stolen some time back from the archives of the Eglington family. It has been recently restored, and is now priuted by the Scottish Press, which informs us that the paper is merely a copy of the warrant, though thought at first to be the original document. It docs not bear the sign-manual of King

William; but it is written in an antique style of penmanship, and the spelling is peculiar:

'"For

Their Majesties Service To Captain Robert' Campbell of Glensgow.

" ' Yon are hierby ordered to fall upon the Rebels the McKdonalds of Glenco and put all to the sword under 70. You are to have a speciall care that the old fox and his sones doe upon no account escape your hands. You are to secure all the avenues, that no man escape. This you are to put in execution at five of the clooke precisly and by that time, or very shortly after it, I'll strive to be at you with a stronger pairtie. If I do not come to you at five you are not to tarrie for me, but to fall on. This is by the kings command for the good and saftie of the Coimtrie that thes miscreants be cut off root and branch, so that he put to execution without fend or favour, else you may expect to be dealt with as one not true to king or government, nor a man fit to carrie commission in the kings service. Expecting j'ou will not faile in the ful- filling heirof as you love your selfe, I subscrive this with my hand. Baideresis, Feb. 12, 1692.

"'ROBERT DONCAN8OX.

" ' sic subscribilor.' "

In connection with this, perhaps some of your correspondents would give me the authority for what I have seen somewhere stated, viz. that Wil- liam of Holland had determined to carry out against the Frasers, and some other clan, the same murderovis measures which were put in execution against the MacDonalds of Glencoe.

WILLIAM FRASER, B.C.L.

Alton, Staffordshire.

THE SCREW BAYONET.

The third volume of Mr. Macaulay's History of England contains, at page 371., the following pas- sage :

"The immediate cause of hjs defeat was the diniculty of fixing bayonets. The fireloc-k of the Highlander was quite distinct from the weapon which he used in close fight. He discharged his shot, threw away his gun, and fell on with his sword. This was the work of a moment. Tt took the regular musketeer two or three minutes to alter his missile weapon into a weapon with which ho could encounter an enemy hand to hand, and during thesp two or three minutes the event of the battle of Killic- crankie had been decided. Macky therefore ordered all his bayonets to be so formed that they might be screwed into the barrel Avithout stopping it up, and that his men might be able to receive a charge the very instant after firing."

A foot-note refers to Macky 's Memoirs, which I have no opportunity of consulting ; but as the statement seems to me, for reasons I will mention, a somewhat doubtful one, I write in the hope that some of your correspondents may be able to givo some additional information on the subject.

The introduction of the screw bayonet I have always understood took place at a later date, by some ten or twelve years, than the year 1G89 ; and