Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/475

 g*s. vii. JUNE 15, 1901.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

467

ties of Wind ' (Oxford, 1671) and a

prebendary of Salisbury (1701), obtained recognition of his own claim in 1655.

H.C.

A LADLE. An old and not yet obsolete mode of taking a collection in a Scotch church is by means of a ladle a small wooden box at the end of a straight wooden shaft, about four and a half feet long, the top of the box being sufficiently open to receive contributions of money. For all special collections this was the usual mode in the chief churches of Edinburgh when I was a boy at school there, fifty years ago; but it has gradually gone out of fashion, and is not often to be seen nowadays.

For ordinary Sunday collections the general custom has been to have a metal plate or basin on a small table at the church entrance, superintended by an elder a mode which was often called the brod. When ladles are used they are handed round the congregation by elders, after the sermon or after the last psalm, and the common Scotch phrase to "lift" the collection may have come from this custom.

The recently published section, L Lap, of the 'Oxford English Dictionary' does not mention this sense of tha word "ladle."

W. S.

SAMPLERS. It may be well to record in 1 N. & Q.' that an early instance of the word "sampler" occurs in Richard Johnson's ' Crowne-Garland of Goulden Roses,' 1612. It is in the heading of a poem entitled "A Short and Sweet Sonnet made by one of the maides of honor of Queene Elizabeth, which she sowed uppon a sampler in red silke" (Percy Society reprint, p. 32). The late Miss Peacock contributed a paper on samplers to the Antiquary in 1898, and another to the Architectural Review in 1900. There is also a paper on the same subject by Mr. H. A. Lediard, M.D., in the Journal of the Royal Archaeological Institute for September, 1900.

ASTARTE.

SCOTTISH DEATH SUPERSTITION. If the body be still warm when put in the coffin another death will occur in the same family within the year. A friend living in Devon- shire informs me that on the occasion of a death taking place in a house where she was present lately, and where the body had to be put in the coffin as soon as possible, a Scotch servant of the deceased was much alarmed, and remonstrated, giving this super- stition as a reason. I could not find out what part of Scotland the old servant came from.

IBAGUE.

WE must request correspondents desiring infor- mation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries, in order that the answers may be addressed to them direct.

MOTTO ON SUNDIAL. Could you kindly give me any information concerning the following matter? In this old hotel during restoration an ancient sundial has been discovered on the ceiling of one of the rooms, above a window facing south. The inscription, which is somewhat obliterated, seems to read thus : ...IBM AVTEM HORAM ET VIRAM. The last word may be Vinam, Illam, or Illiam. I am told this is not the " Carpe diem" quotation from Horace. Representa- tions of rays of sunlight emerge from the dial. There is an idea here that this sundial was put up by a Bishop of Winchester, but I cannot verify this statement.

THOMAS BUBB.

Bush Hotel, Farnham, Surrey.

[We fail to find any motto corresponding to that you send in the enlarged edition of Mrs. Gatty's 'Book of Sundials.' We cannot reproduce your design.]

HAMMER - PONDS : FRESH-WATER MUSSELS AND PEARLS. I find that some of the pic- turesque Sussex hammer-ponds abound with large beautiful fresh-water mussels, which may possibly contain pearls. I should grate- fully appreciate the favour of references

1. As to the best up-to-date litera- ture and information anent these Sussex artificial hammer-ponds, formerly used to work the wheels connected with the machi- nery to set in motion the forge hammers, or to work the furnace bellows for the iron industry.

2. As to the chief inland waters, in Sussex and elsewhere, where these large fresh- water mussels are discovered.

3. As to whether any of these fresh- water mussels contain pearls.

4. As to foreign fresh-water inland pearl farms, like those of China, Siam, &c.

J. LAWRENCE HAMILTON, M.R.C.S.

NAPOLEON AND A COAT OF MAIL. I should be grateful if any of your readers could tell me in what history or memoir I could find the following story about Napoleon the Great. Napoleon ordered a coat of mail to be made for him, to wear underneath his tunic, as he was afraid of being assassinated. When the armourer brought the coat Napo- leon made him put it on, and, standing a few paces off, shot at the man from various