Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/410

 402

NOTES AND QUERIES.

N 20., MAY 17. '56.

lished The Writing Schoolmaster, a treatise con- sisting of three parts : the first treating of " Bra- chygraphie, that is, to write as fast as a man speaketh, treatably, writing but one letter for a word;" the second of Orthography, and the third of Caligraphy. " Imprinted at London by T. Or* win, 1590, 4to."

Holinshed describes one of Bales' performances as a " rare peece of worke and almost incredible, brought to passe on the tenth of August, 1575." This consisted in writing

" within the cotnpasse of a penie, in Latinei the Lord's praier, the Creed, the 10 Commandements, a praier to God, a praier for the Queene, his posie, his name, the daie of the moneth, the yeare of our Lord, aud the reigue of the Queene."

And on August 17, following,

" He presented the same to the Queene's Majestic, at Hampton Court, in the head of a ring of gold couered with christall ; and presented, therewith an excellent spectacle by him deuised, for the easier reading thereof: wherewith Hir Majestic read all that was written therein with great admiration, and commended the same to the Lords of the Council and the Ambassadors ; and did wear the same many times upon hir finger."

There was also another English treatise on stenography, published in 1588 by Dr. Timothy Bright, and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth, but I have no further note of it. R. W. HACKWOOD.

Facetious Writer (2 nd S. i. 313.) -"Who is the late facetious writer ? "

" It is to be noted, that when any part of this paper appears dull, there is a design in it." Steele, Tatler, !No. 38.

A.B.

Hamilton Terrace.

The Tithe Impropriators of Benefices in Capitu- lar Patronage ( 2 nd S. i. 173.) The information required will be found in a Blue Book of 308 pages, printed by order of the House of Commons (No. 298, session 1848), being a return

" Of all Tithes commuted and apportioned under the Act 6 & 7 Will. IV. c. 71., distinguishing between those assigned to Clerical Appropriators, Lay Impropriators,

Parochial Incumbents, Schools and Colleges: And,

of all Tithes commuted but not yet apportioned."

AKUN.

Tau Cross (2 nd S. i. 211.) The monumental effigy which your correspondent desires to recall to mind, is that of Sir Roger de Boys, in Ingham Church, Norfolk, engraved by Stothard, where the mantle of the Order of St. Anthony is seen, with the tau cross on the right shoulder.

C. R. M.

Communion Wine (2 nd S. i. 334.) In the an- cient canons a provision is simply made that the oblation and wine should be free from unclean- ness and impurity. Theodulf's Capitula, 5, A.D. 994. ; Canons, A.D. 960. c. 39., which forbid the

use of a wooden chalice (c. 41). ; Canons, A.T>. 740. c. 98. In the Prayer Books of 15521559, and 1604, it is ordered that the " bread be such as is usually to be eaten at the table with other meats, but the best and purest wheat bread : " the wine, therefore, was probably also that in ordinary use. " The minister of the altar " was by some of the ancient canons required to superintend the baking of the " holy bread."

MACKENZIE WALCOTT, M.A.

Query about Elephants (2 nd S. i. 115.) The following are two quotations in point. Gwillim's Display of Heraldry, London, 1611, p. 124. :

' This beast is so proud of his strength, that he never bowes himselfe to any (neither indeed can he) ; and when hee is downe (as It usually is with proud great ones), hee cannot rise up againe."

Li Livre des Creatures, by Philip de Thaun, who dedicated his work to Adelaide of Louvaine, queen of Henry I. of England ; it was probably written soon after their marriage in 1121. It was printed (with others) by the Historical Society of Science in 1841 ; edited by Mr. Thos. Wright, F.S.A., with translation in notes :

" Et Isidres nus dit, ki le elefant descrit,

Es jambes par nature nen ad que une jointure, II ne pot pas gesir quant il se volt dormir, Ke si cuchet estait par sei nen leverait ; Pur 960 li stot apuier, el lui del cucher, U a arbre u a mur, idunc dort aseur. E le gent de la terre, ki li volent conquere, Li mur enfunderunt, u le arbre enciserunt ; Quant li elefant vendrat, ki s'i apuierat, La arbre u le mur carrat, e il tribucherat ; Issi faiterement le paruent cele gent." P. 100.

A. H. Stoke Newington.

The Hangman-stone (2 nd S. i. 282.) It may be interesting to your correspondent, MR. J. W. PHILLIPS to be informed that at about five miles from Sidmouth on the road to Colyton, on the right hand side of the road, and near Bovey House, isa large stone known by the name of " Hang- man-stone." The legend is precisely similar to that noticed by ME. PHILLIPS in " N. & Q.," 2 nd S. i. 282. and by" MR. GKEAVES, p. 15.

N. S. HEINEKEN.

Sidmouth.

In Westcote's View of Devonshire in 1630, p. 252., there'.is this statement with respect to the parish of Tatchcomb :

" This parish is separated from Comb-Martin by bound- stones only, one of which they term hang-man-stone : the reason demanded, it was answered, that a thief having stolen his neighbour's sheep, bound the legs together, and casting him upon his shoulders, the legs compassing his neck, he came to the stone (which is some four feet in height, pitched in the earth) and thinking there to ease himself for awhile of his heavy burden, the sheep, laid on