Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 11.djvu/62

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. XL JAN. 17, ira.

copy the following recipe from Mr. Weddell's ' Arcana Fairfaxiana,' where it is given as "published amongst other things by Ro- dolphus Goclorius, Professor of Phisicke in Wittenberghe in the yeare 1608. Intituled the Magueticall cure of a Wound ":

" Take of the mosse of the skull of a strangled man 2 ounces, of the mumia of mans blood, one ounce and a halfe, of earth wormes washed in watter, or wine and dryed, one ounce and a halfe, of Henia- titis 2 ounces of the fatte of a Beare, bore pigge, and Bore of each 2 drams, of oyle of Turpintine two drams, pound them and steepe them in a longe narrow pott, make this when the Sunne is in Libra, dippe into the oyntment the Iron or wood, or some sallow sticke, made wett with blood in opening the wound. Lett the patient washe his wound in the morninge with his owne urine or cleare water, and bynde it with a cleane cloth, alwaies wyping away the matter."

C. C. B.

If the knife had been applied to the wound it would have been like the spear of Achilles and the sword, mentioned by Chaucer : And other folk han wondered on the swerd That wolde percen thurghout every thing, And fell in speche of Telephus the King, And of Achilles for his queinte spere, For he coude with it bothe hele and dere Right in swiche wise as men may with the swerd Of which right now ye have yourselven herd.

' The Squieres Tale '

Whose smile and frown, like to Achilles' spear, Is able with the change to kill and cure.

' King Henry VI.'

So the famed spear, for double force renowned, Applied the remedy that gave the wound.

Addison.

It is said that Achilles scraped the rust from the point of his spear and, applying it to the wound of Telephus, cured him.

E. YAEDLEY.

PORTRAITS OF JOHN NASH (9 th S. x. 387) There is a portrait of Nash by Sir Thomas Lawrence, which is considered to be one of the artist's most successful productions, at Jesus College, Oxford, and a bust in the collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Conduit Street, Regent Street. (Memoir by Thos. Leverton Donaldson, 'Dic- tionary of Architecture,' vol. vi. p. 16.)

JOHN HEBB.

WHIG TOKEN (9 th S. x. 489). May not "fusie" be a misprint for fusil? A fire- arm would be a not unlikely shape to be chosen for such a token. C. L. S.

" LICENCE TO DEPART " (9 th S. x. 368, 434). Is it known whether there are in existence any of the registered certificates required by the Act 5 Eliz. c. iv. ? Were the registrations kept with the parish books, &c., or where? Such certificates, if existing, might in some

cases be of genealogical value, as members of families of position must sometimes have come within the operation of the Act, if for any reason they had fallen on evil days.

H. L.

ICE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (9 th S. x. 506)." If the ice bear a man before Christmas it won't bear a goose after," was said to me by an old lady the other day in the following variant rendering : " You know, if the ice bears a goose before Christmas, it won't bear a duck after." W. SYKES, M.D., F.S.A.

Exeter.

ST. BOTOLPH, CITY OF LONDON (9 th S. x. 508). As to St. Botolph's churches, in London and elsewhere, perhaps I may refer MR. COLEMAN to correspondence in 8 th S. vi. 506 ; vii. 457 ; viii. 30, although it was chiefly my own contribution. I was not fortunate in eliciting an explanation of the fact that these churches were built immediately without the walls of London, or, as in the case of that which stood at Billingsgate, at the place of embarkation or landing by the riverside. The inference is natural that the saint was held to be the patron or protector of tra- vellers, who on their setting out or arrival prayed in his chapels at the gates. But I have not found tnis, as common belief or custom, stated by writers old or modern, save that Prof. Bonney, writing of the fine church of Boston ( = Botolph's Town), says that St. Botolph was held in honour by sea- faring folk. Those who do not attribute any special office to the old Saxon saint are New- court (' Repertorium '), Alban Butler (he does not mention St. Botolph), Mr. Baring- Gould, F. C. Husenbeth, and F. E. Arnold Forster. I hope there may be more to be said on the subject. W. L. RUTTON.

WESTMINSTER CHANGES (9 th S. x. 222, 263, 335, 469). It is always a pleasure to peruse anything from the pen of MR. J. HOLDEN MACMICHAEL, especially when his communi- cations are upon any matter concerning Lon- don or any portion thereof; but I would remind him that in these stray notes of changes in this locality I did not, nor do I now, aim at giving anything like a history going far back into the past, as it would make the notes run to too great a length, which I fear they very often do as it is. I only attempt to note what is now going on, or has gone on a short time back. With reference to St. Ermin's Hill, there were some notes con- cerning this interesting old spot at 7 th S. v. 450, in reply to a question asked in the same volume at p. 369. They were contributed by the late REV. J. MASKELL, then master and