Various - Notes and Queries, Number 75, April 5, 1851

M. N. so shall thine, in the Name," &c.

"Our Blessed Saviour was born in Bethlehem and baptized in the river Jordan.

He put His foot into the waters, and the waters stopped, and so shall thy blood, in the Name," &c.

"All glory! all glory! all glory! be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

"As our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was walking in the garden of Gethsamene, He saw Peter weeping. He called him unto Him, and said, Peter why, weepest thou? Peter answered and said, Lord, I am grievously tormented with pain, the pain of my tooth. Our Lord answered and said, If thou wilt believe in Me, and My words abide with thee, thou shalt never feel any more pain in thy tooth. Peter said, Lord, I believe, help Thou my unbelief. In the Name, &c.

"God grant M. N. ease from the pain in his teeth."

( e. ) For Fits. —Go into a church at midnight and walk three times round the communion table. This was done in this parish a few years since.

( f. ) An inhabitant of this parish told me that his father went into Lydford Church, at twelve o'clock at night, and cut off some lead from every diamond pane in the windows with which he made a heart, to be worn by his wife afflicted with " breastills ," i.e. sore breasts .

( g. ) The skin cast by a snake is very useful in extracting thorns, &c. from the body, but, unlike I other remedies, it is repellent, not attractive; hence it must always be applied on the opposite side to that on which the thorn entered. In some cases where the skin has been applied on the same side, it has forced the thorn completely through the hand.

Lent Lilies.—Oak Webs, &c. —In this part of Cornwall, the native yellow narcissus, known in most counties, and in the books, as daffodils (the "Daffy Down Dilly" of your correspondent, Vol. iii. p. 220.), are called only by the name of Lent lilies , or simply Lents , and are commonly sold by the poor children, frequently in exchange for pins . The pleasing name reminds one of Michaelmas Daisy ( Chrysanthemum ), Christmas rose ( Helleborus niger ), and the beautiful pasque flower ( Anemone pulsatilla ).

The common beetle called cockchafer is here known only as the oak-web , and a smaller beetle as fern-web . It seems hard to guess why they should be named web (which in Anglo-Saxon means weaver ), as they do not, I think, form any cocoon.

Launceston.

The Threnodia Carolina of sir Thomas Herbert is a jewel of historical composition, and I am persuaded that a new edition of it, if formed on a collation of the best manuscripts, and illustrated by extracts from the principal historians of the same period, would not only be received by the public with thanks, but with expressions of surprise that so rare a treasure should have been suffered to remain in such comparative obscurity.

There are four manuscripts of the work in public libraries, two of which I am enabled to describe.

1. The Harleian Ms. in the British Museum, No. 7396.

This Ms. is in folio. The preliminary leaves have the notes marked 1, 2, 3—the second being in the handwriting of sir William Dugdale. The narrative occupies thirty-six pages, with interlinear corrections and additions. This Ms. does not contain the words This brief narrative , &c. nor the letter dated the 3d Nov. 1681.

(1) "This book contains S rTho. Herberts memoirs being the original in his own hand sent to S rW mDugdale in 1678."

(2) "A true and perfect narrative of the most remarkable passages relating to king Charles the first of blessed memory, written by the proper land of S rThomas Herbert baronet, who attended upon his ma tiefrom Newcastle upon Tine, when he was sold by the Scotts, during the whole time of his greatest afflictions, till his death and buriall; w chwas sent to me S rWill mDugdale knight, garter principall king of armes, in Michaellmasse Terme a o. 1678, by the said S rThomas Herbert, from Yorke, where he resideth."

(3) "Court passages in the two last yeares of the raigne of king Charles the first, during y etime of his affliction."

2. The Harleian Ms. in the British Museum, No. 4705.

This Ms. is in small folio. It was formerly in the possession of Peter le Neve, norroy. A preliminary leaf has the subjoined attestation by sir William Dugdale. The narrative is much more ample and circumstantial than in the former Ms., but it is not all in the handwriting of sir Thomas Herbert. The letter dated 3 November 1681, and the relations of Huntington, Cooke, and Firebrace, are added in the handwriting of Dugdale; also, the names of persons who corresponded with Charles I. while he was a prisoner in the Isle of Wight. The passages transcribed by the Rev. Alfred Gatty appear in this Ms.—also in the edition of 1702. The edition of 1813 is a verbatim reprint of the first and second articles of that of 1702. It was edited by Mr. George Nicol.

"This booke containeth a large answer to a short letter sent by S rWill mDugdale kn t(garter; principall king of armes) unto S rThomas Herbert baronet, residing in the citty of Yorke. By w chletter he did desire the sayd S rThomas Herbert to informe him of such materiall passages, as he had observed touching the late king Charles the first (of blessed memory) during the time that he the sayd S rThomas did attend him in person; B tfor the two last yeares of his afflicted life."

The other Mss. alluded to are preserved in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. The most important is No. 1141., which is minutely described in the admirable catalogue compiled by Mr. Black. A transcript of the Threnodia Carolina by Ant. à Wood, also in the Ashmolean Museum, is recorded by Huddesford.

As there were two recensions of the narrative, I have added a specimen of each of the Harleian Mss., which may serve as a clue to the nature of other copies, whether in public libraries, or in private hands.

"The Lords ordered a girdle or circumscription of Capitall Letters to be cutt in Lead and putt about the Coffin. being onely these wordes

The kings body was then brought from the chamber to Saint Georges hall. whence after a Little pause, it was w tha slow pase & much sorrow carrye'd by those gentlemen that were in mourninge: the Lords in blacks following the royall Corpes & many gentlemen after them, and their attendants."—Threnodia Carolina, p. 36. Harleian MS. 7396.

"The girdle or circumscription of Capitall Letters in Lead putt about the Coffin had onely these words.

The Kings body was then brought from his Bed-chamber, downe into S tGeorges-hall; whence after a little stay, itt was with a slow and solemn pace (much sorrow in most faces discernable) carryed by gentlemen that were of some quallity and in mourning. the Lords in like habitts followed the Royall Corps. the Governor, and severall gentlemen, and officers, and attendants came after."—Carolina Threnodia, p. 80. Harleian MS. 4705.

Sir Thomas Herbert's Memoirs of Charles I. —The question suggested by Mr. Gatty's first note upon this subject was one of some importance, viz., whether the original MS. in the possession of his friend contained anything of Sir Thomas Herbert's not hitherto published? There is no doubt that the "Memoir of the two last years of King Charles I." was written by Sir Thomas Herbert, after his retirement to his native city of York, at the request of the author of the Athenæ Oxonienses , who made use of nearly the whole of it in compiling that great work, adapting different portions to his biographical notices of the persons to whom they principally related. The notices of Colonel Joyce and Colonel Cobbet are chiefly composed of extracts from Herbert's Memoir; whilst under the name of Herbert himself not more than about one-third of his own communication will be found.