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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9* s. m. APRIL 29,

25 February, 1678/9, and is omitted on and after 8 April.

He is always described as John Knight, " the younger," in the books of the Common Council and of the Merchant Venturers, until the knighting of his relative in 1663, when this distinctive affix is dropped.

3. Sir John Knight, " the younger." He was a son of Alderman John Knight (No. 2), as ap- pears from the minute-book of the Society of Merchant Venturers under date 10 November, 1675, when he was admitted as " John Knight of St. Michael's Parish, son of Alderman John Knight." He was a Warden of that society in the year 1681-2, but never passed the chair of it. He had been chosen a member of the Common Council 13 June, 1674, being then described as John Knight " of the Hill" (i.e., St. Michael's Hill, I think), but declinea to serve. He was, however, re-elected 11 Septem- ber, 1679, was sworn 21 August, 1680, and was Sheriff for the year 1681-2, being knighted on 12 March, 1681/2, at Newmarket. Le Neve apparently, in his * Pedigree of Knights,' p. 363, confounds him with his namesake (No. 1). He continued to be a member of the Council after the revocation of the charter, being named in the list appointed on 2 June, 1684. On 15 January, 1684/5, he was discharged at his own request, but on the restoration of the old charter (17 October. 1688) he resumed his seat and continued to serve till August, 1702, when he resigned. He was Mayor 1690-1, and served as M.P. for Bristol in the Convention Parliament of 1689, being re-elected in 1690, and an unsuccessful candi- date at the elections of 1695 and 1698. He subsequently became embarrassed in his financial circumstances, and was voted small pensions by the Corporation and by the Society of Merchant Venturers. He died in February, 1717/18.

4. John Knight, junior, son of Sir John Knight (No. 1). He was admitted a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers 10 November, 1663, and was one of its Wardens in 1671-2, but was never a member of the Common Council. He died 29 May, 1684.

I have tracings of the signatures of 1, 2, and 3, and a description of that of 4. It is curious that both 1 and 2 always sign " John," while their respective sons use the abbrevia- tion " Jno." 1 and 4 (father and son) both have a characteristic habit of appending the date of the year to the signature, the former invariably, the latter frequently.

The family connexion may be seen from the following table :

Francis Knight, Alderman (Mayor 1594-5, 1613-14), died 1616.

_J

I

George, Alderman (Mayor 1639-40), died 1659.

Edward.

Sir John, Alderman

(Mayor 1663-4), M.P. 1660-81,

died 1683.

John, died 1684.

John, Alderman

(Mayor 1670-1),

died 1679.

Sir John,

Common Councillor 1679-85 and 1688-1702

(Mayor 1690-1), M.P. 1689-95, died 1718.

ALFEED B. BEAVEN, M.A. Preston.

P.S. " Edward Knight, of Bristol, second son of Francis Knight, merchant, late Alder- man of Bristol; John Knight, the elder, of the said city, merchant, son of George Knight, late Alderman of the said city; and John Knight, the younger, of the said city, mer- chant, son of the above Edward Knight," unite in conveying some property in Bristol and Congresbury to Thomas Jenyns and Matthew Wolfe, of Bristol, in 1658. The con- veyance is dated 30 December, 1658, and enrolled in the Chancery of the Lord Pro- tector, Richard Cromwell, 5 May, 1659 (Roll 4031, 1659, Part xvii. No. 17).

BASILICAS.

(See ante, p. 276.)

THE building at Silchester is said to have been a Christian church, because the ground plan is that of a Roman basilica or court of Justice. In Italy there are many so-called basilicas, notably seven at Rome, of which S. Maria Maggiore, St. John Lateran, and S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura are the chief. At Milan, Venice, and Ravenna there are others, as S. Ambrogio, Torcello, and S. Apollinare in Classe. The type is commonly affirmed to have been taken from the pagan basilica, or court of justice ; but it is most improbable that the early Christians should have con- structed their places of worship on the model j of the buildings where they were condemned to torture or death. Another theory has been advocated by Prof. Baldwin Brown that the model was the schola, or guildhall; but there is no evidence that the schools of heathen philosophy or the guildhalls were frequented by the early Christians. A more probable hypothesis is suggested by a recent discovery. ; The ground plan of the great synagogue built by the centurion at Capernaum has been re- covered. It proves to be of the exact type of a basilican church a nave divided by rows