Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 5.djvu/153

 9*s.v.FEB.au.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

145

1605, is not mentioned ; in the dedication he refers to his 'Antithesis doctrinse Euan- gelicae & Pontificiae,' dedicated to Prince Henry. For his controversy with Richard Parkes, see under that name in ' D.N.B.,' and his own 'Exodus/ p. 456. Chr. Nesse, ' Antidote against Popery,' 1679, quotes him as " the learned Dr. Willet," p. 148.

P. 320 a. " Unmistakably " ?

P. 331 a. " Princess of Victoria " ?

P. 360. William of Newburgh would have been better under " Newburgh " ; the order of all the Williams is strange.

P. 369 b. "Beforth," i.e., Beeford.

P. 386. D. Williams's controversy with Crisp, see Nelson's 'Bull,' 1714, pp. 259 sq.

P. 386 b. "Villanous"?

Pp. 399-400. Geo. Williams supplied some of the "Occasional Papers of the Eastern Church Association," e.g., iii., 1866, and ix., 1868.

P. 414. Abp. John Williams. J. Owen has an epigram on him, 4th coll., iii. 44 ; Willet's ' Leviticus,' 1631, was dedicated to him by Peter Smith ; he was a friend of the Ferrars of Little Gidding, Wordsworth, ' Eccl. Biog,' v. ; on Laud and Williams, see Mutton's ' Laud,' 1895.

P. 420. John Williams, Bp. of Chichester. W. Lowth praises his Boyle Lectures, 'In- spiration,' ed. 2, 1699, pref.; Bp. Patrick's 'Autob.,' 196.

P. 467. Williams of Kars. Add Illus. Lond. News, 28 June, 1856. W. C. B.

FLYING CUPS. In Col. Henry Yule's 'Book of Ser Marco Polo,' first edition, vol. i. p. 266, we read :

" There is another marvel performed by those

Bacsi [Buddhist priests] For when the great

Kaan is at his capital and in his great palace, seated at his table, which stands on a platform some eight cubits above the ground, his cups are set before him in the middle of the hall pavement, at a distance of some ten paces from his table, and filled with wine or other good spiced liquor such as they use. Now when the Lord desires to drink, these enchanters, by the power of their enchant- ments, cause the cups to move from their place without being touched by anybody, and to present themselves to the Emperor ! This every one present may witness, and there are ofttimes more than ten thousand persons thus present. Tis a truth and no lie ! and so will tell you the sage of our own country who understand necromancy, for they also can perform it."

In a note on this paragraph, Yule refers to Simon Magus and Cesare Maltisio as having displayed a similar magic. Ignorant as we are as to what kind of contrivance was applied to it, it yet appears to me that in China in old days such a show was not in-

frequent among Buddhist priests, as the following passage in a Japanese work testi- fies :

"Once upon a time a priest named Jakusho

went to China, where the Emperor happened to hold a mass in a temple splendidly adorned, and entertained a host of Buddhist monks. The Emperor announced to his guest that on that occasion every priest invited should be allowed no attendant, and he ought to receive food by flying his own bowl. This order was issued, in fact, to examine the ability of the Japanese priest, and accordingly all Chinese prelates in their respective turns caused their bowls to fly and received food. Now the turn came to Jakusho to do his duty, and he, who was sitting on the last seat in the meeting, began to hold up his bowl and to walk into the spot where food was being given. He was, how- ever, interrupted by all lookers-on, who were unanimous in urging him to fly his bowl. Jakush6 replied thus : * To cause one's bowl to fly is an art wnich needs special training I never underwent. Although Japan saw a few persons who were ac- quainted with this art, yet they did not perform it in public. How then can I cause my bowl to fly ? ' But, seeinglthat the Emperor would not cease to exact from him the performance of such a duty, Jakusho turned his face towards his country and silently prayed with utmost devotion to the Buddhas ana deities guarding it for their help to protect it from ignominy through his failure in the performance. Then suddenly his bowl began to turn like a spun top, went through the air swifter than all the other priests', and receiving his portion returned to him. This miracle, so un- expected by the Chinese, impelled the Emperor and all who were there to adore him as an unparalleled saint." Minamoto - no - Takakuni, ' Uji Shui,' written in the eleventh century, chap, clxix.

This Jakushd was a famous man of litera- ture ; after becoming a priest which is said to have been caused by his observation of nine changes that the corpse of his beloved wife passed through in succession he made a pilgrimage to Mount Tsing-Ling (1022), and died in China (1034). Another version of the above-quoted story, given by Oe- no-Masafusa (1041-1111), whose great-grand- father was a cousin of the priest, has these clauses :

" Through his prayers and meditations Jakusho' s bowl flew inside the temple three times round, and returned to him with food in it. All the Chinese lookers-on, moved to tears thereby, said to one another that the people of Japan were very ignorant to let such a saint pass over to another country." 'Zoku Honchd Wojoden,' ed. Hanawa, Tokyo reprint, 1898, p. 431.

Also 'Uji Shui' narrates (chap, clxx.) how two hermits on the river Kiyotaki used to fetch water with jugs they caused to fly ; and the 'Genkd Shakusho,' written by Kokwan, 1320, sub 'Taichd,' gives an account of a certain "lying-down ascetic" (Fushi Gydja) on Mount Hakuzan, who used to send his bowl flying upon the sea surface to ask