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"Sir, Having seen some of your Diamond-Plate Lenses, I write to ask your terms for supplying me with the same per 20 gross, as I consider them superior to mine. Yours, &c.,

"RAE & CO., Opticians, Carlisle."

I beg to inform the public that I have no Agent anywhere, and all pretended Agents are impostors. The above instrument can only be had from me, in Birmingham. Those at a distance who care for instruction and amusement, can have it safe and free by sample post, with book of full instructions, on receipt of 32 Postage Stamps. Samples sent abroad 2 extra Stamps.

All persons wishing further particulars and testimonials, must send stamped and addressed envelop.

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GENERAL INDEX

ΤΟ

SERIES THE THIRD

(VOLS. I.-XII.: 1862-1867)

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SIX YEARS having elapsed since, following the example of other Joint Stock Companies-for what is NOTES AND QUERIES but a Joint Stock Company for the promotion of historical truth ?-we rendered to our subscribers an account of our stewardship, we have called in once more the assistance of our highly skilful literary accountant, and in the following pages submit to public inspection his balance sheet, which will, we trust, show most satisfactorily how great has been the gain to historical, biographical, literary, antiquarian, and philological knowledge in the last twelve volumes of NOTES AND QUERIES.

The late Lord Brougham, whose name can never be mentioned by us without grateful acknowledgment for many unsolicited acts of friendship, was once good enough to declare to us his opinion that "NOTES AND QUERIES was most useful, most valuable, and made ten times more so by its admirable Indexes." Lord Brougham was perfectly right. Intrinsically valuable as the contents of the many volumes of NOTES AND QUERIES must be for the information they contain, they would be comparatively useless but for the ready means which the Indexes afford of turning the information stored up in them to instant account. Without such Index they would form

"One glaring chaos and wild heap of wit."

But with such an Index as is here set before the reader, which well deserves Bayle's definition of an Index," the soul of a book," the huge confusion springs into regularity and order, and the curious masses of information are at once available to the student.

How vast and how varied these masses of information are, one little fact will serve to show. In the series of Indexes, of which the present is the third, there will be found nearly EIGHTY THOUSAND ARTICLES, many of them furnishing references to the best authorities on the special subjects to which they refer.

The FIRST SERIES of NOTES AND QUERIES, in Twelve Volumes, was brought to a close at the end of 1855, by the issue of a GENERAL INDEX. Of the utility of this INDEX, The Times spoke as follows on June 28, 1856:

"The utility of such a volume, not only to men of letters, but to well-informed readers generally, is too obvious to require proof, more especially when it is remembered that many of these references (between 30,000 and 40,000) are to articles which themselves point out the best sources of information upon their respective subjects."

A SECOND SERIES of Twelve Volumes was completed at the end of 1861, by the publication of a similar GENERAL INDEX, of which The Times of November 8, 1862, remarks:

"It contains about 30,000 references to articles written by some of our best scholars upon every conceivable subject, from predestination to slea silk,' for in the pages of this Everybody's Common-place Book no subject comes amiss. It is a book which will be found most useful to those who possess NOTES AND QUERIES, and indispensable to the searchers after the curiosities of literature.'"

Of these Two INDEXES a few Copies may still be had, price 5s. and 5s. 6d. respectively.

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No. 37.

ME

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1868.

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"The produce of years of research."--Examiner. "Destined to take a high place among books of this class." Notes and Queries.

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"CARLISLE, DECEMBER 12th, 1867. "To Mr. McCulloch, Philosophical Instrument Maker.

"Sir, Having seen some of your Diamond-Plate Lenses, I write to ask your terms for supplying me with the same per 20 gross, as I consider them superior to mine. Yours, &c.,

"RAE & CO., Opticians, Carlisle."

I beg to inform the public that I have no Agent anywhere, and all pretended Agents are impostors. The above instrument can only be had from me, in Birmingham. Those at a distance who care for instruction and amusement, can have it safe and free by sample post, with book of full instructions, on receipt of 32 Postage Stamps. Samples sent abroad 2 extra Stamps.

All persons wishing further particulars and testimonials, must send stamped and addressed envelop.

Address, A. McCULLOCH, Philosophical Instrument Maker, 18, Blucher Street, Birmingham.

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On the completion of the First Series of NOTES AND QUERIES, it was suggested from many quarters, that a selection of the more curious articles scattered through the twelve volumes would be welcome to a numerous body of readers. It was said that such a selection, judiciously made, would not only add to a class of books of which we have too few in English literature, we mean books of the pleasant gossiping character of the French ANA for the amusement of the general reader, but would serve in some measure to supply the place of the entire series to those who might not possess it.

It has been determined to carry out this idea by the publication of a few small volumes, each devoted to a particular subject. The first, which was published some time since, is devoted to History: and we trust that whether the reader looks at the value of the original documents there reprinted, or the historical truths therein established, he will be disposed to address the book in the words of Cowper, so happily suggested by Mr. Peter Cunningham as the appropriate motto of NOTES AND QUERIES itself,

"

"By thee I might correct, erroneous oft, The clock of History - facts and events Timing more punctual, unrecorded facts Recovering, and mis-stated setting right.' While on the other hand the volume, from its miscellaneous character, has, we hope, been found an acceptable addition to that pleasant class of books which Horace Walpole felicitously describes as "lounging books, books which one takes up in the gout, low spirits, ennui, or when one is waiting for company."

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THREE NOTELETS ON SHAKSPEARE.
I. SHAKSPEARE IN GERMANY.

II. THE FOLK LORE OF SHAKSPEARE.
III. WAS SHAKSPEARE EVER A SOLDIER?
BY WILLIAM J. THOMS,

A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. "On this subject of Shakspeare in Germany, Mr. W. J. Thoms has reprinted a paper read some years ago before the Society of Antiquarie, together with two other Notelets on the Poet, The Folk Lore of Shakspeare,' from the ATHENAEUM, and Was Shakspeare a Soldier?' from NOTES AND QUERIES. Not the least of Mr. Thoms's many services to English literature is the invention of that admirable word folk-lore, which appeared for the first time in these columns only a few years ago, and has already become a domestic term in every corner of the world. His illustration of Shakspeare's knowledge of this little world of fairy dreams and legends is a perfect bit of criticism. He answers the query as to Shakspeare having seen martial service in the affirmative; and therein we think his argument sound, his conclusion right. These Notelets' were very well worthy of being collected into a book." Athenæum. J. RUSSELL SMITH, 36, Soho Square.

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CONTENTS.-N° 37.

NOTES:-On the Epitaph ascribed to Milton, 241 -Chronology of Chaucer's" Knight's Tale," 243-Ancient Manor Courts, 244-Presentation by Charles I. to Edward Millar in 1633, Ib. -Milton's "Comus," 245-Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," &c., Ib.-Illustrations of Bishop Percy's Folio Manuscript, No. III., 248-Sir James Mackintosh - Æschines on Demosthenes-Sir Edward Howard, K.B., Lord Howard of Escrick - Thackeray's "Battle of Limerick " The Ancre Hotel at Ouchy, Switzerland

Old

Latin Song, 248. QUERIES:-" Dictionary of Artists of the English School," &c., 250-Bibliotheca Northantonensis - Dr. George Bright, Dean of St. Asaph - Creature, a Baptismal Name - Drog. heda Parish Register-Sir Patrick Drummond - Francis I. Harvey's Dog-"A Mirrour for Saints and Sinners" Peer's Christian Names - Anonymous Portrait Provin cial Use of Possessive Pronouns - Ramanuja Acharya of Perumber-Richard Seaborne, Serjeant-at-Law- Leaden Statues-Tubb Family -"Wigaro," 253.

QUERIES WITH ANSWERS:

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The Political Economy Club, 253. REPLIES: Hogarth Family, 254- Hall, 256-William Tans'ur, 257-St. Herefrid, 258- Dolly Pentreath, 259 Lacus Ampsanctus, 260-Illegitimate Children of King Charles II. Smiting the Thighs - "The Victim "- CuriBummer ous Orthographic Fact "Songs of Shepherds" Swift's Marriage- Parish Registers-Ambergris - Drydeniana-Hessey Whit-Sunday Decorations Tavern Sign - Mask of Cromwell Medal of Cromwell: the Dassier Medals - Raymond Lully- Joshua Sylvester Local Terminations, &c., 260.

Notes on Books, &c.

Notes.

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ON THE EPITAPH ASCRIBED TO MILTON.* The obscurity of the signature affixed to the Epitaph so confidently ascribed to Milton is a vexatious circumstance. It extends the field of conjecture, but it diminishes the chance of a safe conclusion.

I shall therefore, without a jot of concession as to the argument which rests on its non-appearance in 1673, decline further controversy on the main question; but-accepting the opinion of those who are in favour of J. M. — I submit specimens of the notes made for my own use, as they may prove acceptable both to experts and novices. 1. On the handwriting and signature of the MS.-The engraved specimens of the handwriting of Milton in my own possession are, 1. A signature and scrap dated in 1631. 2. A portion of a letter to Carlo Dati, dated in 1647. 3. A signature dated in 1667. When I compare the second specimen with the fac-simile of the poem as published by professor Morley, I find it impossible to admit his hypothesis. But I attach no importance to my own conclusion. The testimony of Mr. Aldis Wright, whose qualifications and opportunities of comparison are beyond dispute, will no doubt prevail as to that portion of the assumed evidence. Of the existing manuscripts of Milton,

[* 4th S. ii. 100, 146, 170.]

as preserved at Oxford and Cambridge, some interesting particulars have been recorded by the rev. Thomas Warton and the rev. Henry John Todd.

2. On Helicon.-The line which contains the word Helicon is objectionable, because it conveys no distinct idea. It is an enigma. I shall content myself with two illustrative extracts:

"Helicon, mons in Aonia, non longe à Parnasso, musis dicatus. Nam in eo est fons caballinus quem Pegasus fecit."-Torrentinus, Elucidarius carminum et historiarum etc. Daventrie, M.CCCCC.1, 4o Sig. E ii.

"Helicon, a well consecrated to the Muses."-Henry Cockeram, The English dictionary, London, 1658. Sm. 8°. The Elucidarius of Torrentinus is about as inaccessible as was Helicon itself when seen by Dodwell in 1801. Its information is correct. "Ce n'est jamais impunément qu'on renonce à ses As the volume of master Cockeram, pères." which was published as early as 1632, had reached its eleventh edition in 1658, I can give no estimate of the number of readers whom it may have misled.

3. On Parnassus.-I assume that "the two-topt mount divine" means Parnassus. Dodwell describes it as "towering above the clouds." He denies its right to be called Parnassus biceps, and affirms that its summit is "divided into many points." But it is not a question of fact: what said the ancient poets? Ovid, Persius, and Lucan describe it as two-topt.-When I first read the poem, I considered the epithet as trite and commonplace, and now learn, to my utter dismay, that a very reverend and much admired writer pro

nounces it to be "Milton all over." I have since found some small relief from a line in the Lucan of Thomas May esquire, printed A.D. 1627. Prose or verse, thus it stands

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"For copiousness, no marvel if it [the English] exceed the Greek, so happy in composition; seeing it hath words enow of its own, to express any conceit." Sig. *3.

I can safely recommend this learned work to all students of early English literature. There is, however, one serious objection to it. The author injudiciously adopted a reformed alphabet and orthography. Now, reform and improvement. are not synonymous terms.

5. On the insertion of the manuscript poem in a printed volume.-Why was the epitaph transcribed into the volume of 1645? Was paper so

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