he died there towards the latter end of the year that many persons with some pretensions 1660, about the forty-fourth year of his age." to science have been believers in the powers Though Bishop Kennet and Whitelocke both ascribed to it; viz., of indicating the posispeak of Nayler, they neither of them say any- tion of springs of water and minerals, and thing of the place of his death or interment. your correspondent will find such instances Perhaps "W. A." may meet with something more satisfactory in Gough's "History of the Quakers," a work which I do not possess.

Edmund Tew, M.A.

were alleged in 1825, by Dr. Herbert Mayo, in his work on "Popular Superstitions." I cannot refer your correspondent to the earliest mention of the Divining Rod, but in a little book IN Beeton's "British Biography," there is a I possess, "Curiosities for the Ingenious," (quite short notice of this enthusiast, but neither the at the service of "Avalonensis,") it is said, "It year of his death nor his place of interment is is not known who was the discoverer of the recorded. He was born 1616. In 1641 he be- Divining Rod, but Agricola, in his treatise, De came a soldier in the Parliamentary army, which Re Metallica,' supposes that it took its rise from he quitted in 1649, and in 1651 became a disciple the magicians, who pretended to discover mines of George Fox, the Quaker. In 1656 he began by enchantment; others are of opinion that the to pretend to be inspired, and committed great discovery is of later date, and that the inventor extravagances at Exeter, which bringing him was hanged in Germany as an impostor. Be into trouble with the Parliament, he was ordered that as it may, no mention is made of it earlier to be whipped, and to have his tongue bored than the 11th century." The article is a long through with a red-hot iron. This sentence was one, far too long to transcribe. I remember "Antiquary," carried out, after which Nayler was committed there is a character in Scott's to Bridewell, in London, where he remained till Dousterswivel, a tramping philosopher, a Ger1660, and did not long survive his liberation. man cheat, described as one of those learned I have not given your correspondent the infor- adventurers, as represented by Kircher "Artem mation he requires, and, probably, I have but habent sine arte, partem sine parte, quorum medium told him what he already knows. est mentiri, vita eorum mendicatum ire"-and this Ashford. impostor obtains money under the promise of finding wealth by the divining rod. See Scott's "Antiquary," chapters xiii., xxi., and many others.

FREDK. RUle.

JAMES NAYLER died in 1660; below I give copy of short note at p. 696 of his "Works," printed by "the Assigns of J. Lowle," London, 1716. "He died in Peace with the Lord, at Siam (or Home), in Huntingdonshire, and was Buried at King's-Rippon, in the said County, the latter end of the year 1660, about the 44th Year of his Age." I may add, he had been "disowned" for his extravagances.

AVALONENSIS.

Ashford.

FREDK. RULE.

ST. MAURICE (vol. i. 316).—I refer to this note for the simple purpose of remarking how curiously often historians differ in their statements of the same fact, and the conflicting causes they assign for its occurrence. The generally received account of the martyrdom of the Theban legion is that here stated-that they were cut to pieces by order of Maximian, for refusing to sacrifice to In the account of his life in Blake's "General the heathen gods. Canon Robertson, however Biographical Dictionary," (Philadelphia, U.S., 1842,) ("History of the Christian Church," vol. i. p. 147, it is stated that Nayler died in 1660, whilst on the 8vo., 1867), gives quite a different version. He journey from London to join his wife and family at says: "The story of the Theban legion, which Wakefield, after two years' imprisonment in Bride- is referred to the year 286, although extravawell. He was buried at King's-Ripon. His pre-gantly fabulous in its details, may possibly have tended inspiration and extravagant conduct having some foundation of truth. The legion, it is said, attracted the attention of Parliament, Nayler was tried and condemned as guilty of blasphemy, and as an impostor. He was exposed in the pillory, and whipped, and branded on the forehead, his tongue was bored through with a red-hot iron at the Old Exchange, and he was then imprisoned in Bridewell for life. He was, however, set at liberty on the 8th of September, 1659, after having been confined two years, but he did not long survive his release.

consisting of 6,600 Christians, was summoned from the east for the service of Maximian in Gaul. When near the Alpine town of Aganuum, which takes its modern name from their leader, St. Maurice, the soldiers discovered that they were to be employed in the persecution of their brethren in the faith, and refused to march onwards for such a purpose. By order of Maximian, who was in the neighbourhood, they F. A. EDWARDS. were twice decimated. But this cruelty was IRRUPTION OF THE SEA-THE DIVINING ROD unable to shake the firmness of the survivors; (vol. i., p. 310). The first question I cannot and Maurice, in the name of his comrades, As to the Divining Rod, it is said declared to the emperor that, while ready to obey

answer.

him in all things consistent with their duty to deposited; and he thinks that he has discovered God, they would rather die than violate that strong evidence of this in the statement that the duty. The emperor, exasperated by their ob- sharp flint knives with which Joshua used to cirstinacy, ordered his other troops to close around cumcise the Children of Israel, at Gilgal, were them, whereupon the devoted band laid down buried in his tomb. On removing the dirt from their arms and peacefully submitted to martyr- the floor of the tomb, a large number of flint dom." Which, of statements so diverse, are we knives were found, as well as in Gilgal, the passage to accept, as both seem based on authority of the Jordan. The pillars in the vestibule of the equally reliable? Or, accepting neither but in tomb are surrounded by a fillet, in the style of part, must we accept them with the reservation, Egyptian monuments.”—Illustrated London News, of all others on matters of fact the most unsatis- Oct. 4. F. A. EDWARDS. factory, Grammatici certant; sub judice lis est?" EDMUND TEW, M.A.

PEOPLE AND Steeple Rhymes, (vol. i., pp. 277, 306.)-The following were contributed at various times during the early part of the present year to the Athenæum. The correspondence was occasioned by the writer of a review on "Lancashire Legends, Traditions, Pageants, Sports," &c., comparing the rhyme relating to Preston with the following one applied to Newry:

Newry (Ireland) —

"High church and low steeple,
Dirty streets and proud people."

Carlow (Ireland)

"Low town, high steeple,

Proud folk, beggarly people,

Carlow spurs and Tullow Garters."

The last line of this refers to two branches of local

trade that have long since disappeared.

Boston (Lincolnshire)—

"Boston! Boston!

What hast thou to boast on?
High steeple, proud people,

And shoals that souls are lost on."

Rockingham (Rutland)—
"Rockingham! poor people!
Nasty town! castle down!
One bell! wooden steeple."

The contributor of the last rhyme remarks, "Of
the castle, said to have been built by William the
Conqueror to protect the iron works in the neigh-
bourhood, nothing remains but the keep. The
wooden steeple, it is said, by even such a respecta-
ble authority as Dugdale, replaces a fine one bat-
tered down by Cromwell." F. A. EDWARDS.

THE TOMB OF JOSHUA.-"The Tomb of Joshua, the son of Nun, is stated to have been discovered by M. Guerin, the French explorer in Palestine. The tomb is situated at Tigné, the ancient Timnath Serath, the heritage of Joshua. In the hills at this spot, one tomb has a vestibule into which the light of day penetrates, and the place has nearly 300 niches for lamps. The vestibule gives entrance to two chambers, one containing fifteen receptacles for coffins, and the other but one, in which M. Guerin supposes the body of Joshua to have been

THE POETICAL WILL (vol. i., p. 311).—Contri-
buted by Mr. W. Andrews reminds me much of
one I met with a short time since in the “London
Magazine" for 1737-"The following is the copy
of a will just brought into the Commons.
"The 5th day of May,
Being airy and gay,
To hip not inclin'd,
But of vigorous mind,
And my body in health,
I'll dispose of my wealth,
And all I'm to leave,
On this side the grave,
To some one or other,
And I think to my brother,
But because I forsaw,

That my brother-in-law,
If I did not take care,

Wou'd come in for their share;
Which I no ways intended

Till their manners are mended:

(And of that God knows there's no sign) Ì do therefore enjoin,

And do strictly command

(Of which witness my hand)

That nought I have got,
Be brought into hotchpot;
But I give and devise,
As much as in me lies,
To the son of my mother,
My nown dear brother,
To have and to hold
All my silver and gold,
As the affectionate pledges
Of his brother, JOHN HEDGES."
Waltham Abbey.

W. WINTERS.

I

AABAPO'N (vol. i., pp. 275, 309).—I observe that one of your correspondents has cited from Du Cange a derivation of the above word from the Celtic, which is supposed to indicate, "dearer than light," Panniculus exercitus. cannot pretend to understand this derivation, or to recognise the two alleged Celtic words, lab and hair, on which it is based. Moreover I cannot here refer to books-faring as I am in the old Brugh-of-the-Sons-of-the-Dagda, among the great grave-mounds of the Midian

VESTIGES OF OLD PROVINCIALISMS (vol. i., p. 295). Some of the provincialisms mentioned by "J. Y." are to be met with beyond the districts he has named. The old Saxon plural lingers also in BY THE SINCERE FRIENDS OF THE ABOVE Cornwall, where I frequently heard "housen" used. I should have supposed the use of "few" to denote a small quantity, as well as a small number, was not very uncommon in any part of England. I have frequently heard "a few broth" in Cornwall, an old friend of mine used to speak of it as "a northcountry phrase," and I have certainly seen it in grammar books amongst phrases to be avoided. Torquay. WM. PENGElly.

Secrets thou alone can'st show; Time alone will tell the hour Thou'lt appear in greater power. 14, Spring-street, Hull.

WILLIAM ANDREWS.

On the 2nd of January, 1815, the remains of Joanna Southcott were privately interred in Marylebone Upper Burying Ground, near Kilburn, and a stone bearing the following inscription is placed over her grave :—

In Memory of Joanna Southcott,
Who departed this life December 27, 1814,
Aged 60 years.

While through all my wondrous days,
Heaven and earth enraptured gaze,
While vain sages think they know
Secrets thou alone can'st show.
Time alone will tell what hour
Thou'lt appear in greater power.
-From the "Book of Wonderful Characters,"
by H. Wilson and J. Caulfield.
J. C. HOTTEN.

Piccadilly.

"diabolical witcheries." She was, therefore, an object of great terror to the rural population. No doubt she has been one of the stock Lancashire witches for many generations, and her name and fame still held in remembrance in the

way described by "Faber," ie., when_anyone FIDES. shows fear, he sees Redcap.

SEXTON'S WAGES (vol. i. p. 277).-Your correspondent's curious sexton's account is akin to one which has received a notice in the Guardian of this week, and these, no doubt, are very poor specimens of the rich treasures contained in some of our old parish books. In Gunwalloe, Cornwall (where the oldest registers have disappeared, the earliest extant being 1716), among other quaint documents in the parish chest is a sexton's bill, containing as items:Killing 3 Foxes

Again

7s. 6d.

2s. 6d.

and in the adjoining parish of Mullion such
Killing 1 Fox
entries are continued even up to 1856-57. What
would fox-hunters say, now-a-days? This is
not quite so curious, however, as the entry of a
metropolitan sexton, wherein he charged the
churchwardens for

3 Bushels of Dirt

4s. 6d. Dirt must have been dear in those days. ALFRED H. CUMMINGS.

Cury and Gunwalloe.

IN the authentic narrative of Joanna Southcott, &c., at p. 354, of "Kirby's Wonderful Museum" it is stated that after the dissection of her body, which led to the exposure of the disgraceful imposition, the coffin into which her remains were put was at Mrs. Moore's, the undertaker's at the corner of Rathbone-place, Oxfordstreet, during Sunday, January 1, 1815, and on Monday it was interred with the usual church service at Marylebone Upper Burying Ground, near Kilburn. Four gentlemen who attended (vol. i. p. 309).—I see in your journal of this the funeral were so muffled up as to be unrecog- month you devote nearly two columns to discusnisable, and the general public were unaware sions on the authorship of these two celebrated who was being interred.

JOSIAH MILLER, M.A.

142, Brecknock-road, N. THIS singular fanatic died of dropsy on the 27th December, 1814. After her death her body was subjected to an anatomical investigation, and was conveyed for interment, under a fictitious name, to the burying ground attached to the chapel in St. John's Wood. Her followers for some time could not be brought to believe that she was dead, but they thought she had fallen into a trance, and after her interment they began confidently to anticipate her speedy resurrection. F. A. EDWARDS.

REDCAP (vol.i.p.311).—In Roby's "Traditions of Lancashire" is a thrilling tale called "Mother Redcap." This Mother Redcap is there depicted as a hideous old witch (having sold herself to the arch-enemy of mankind), clad in garments of a dingy red, with cap of the same colour, her appearance in some districts was a certain sign of blighted corn, the death of cattle, and other

"HE that fights and runs away,
May live to fight another day"

lines, commonly, but erroneously, attributed to Butler. Although the lines are not strictly Butler's, the exact idea occurs twice in the course of his "Hudibras"-the first time in part i., canto 3, lines 609-10; the second time in part iii.,

canto 3, lines 243-4; and in the edition anno-
tated by me, and published in my "Illustrated
Library," April, 1869. I wrote two painstaking
time were thought by critics to exhaust the sub-
and somewhat elaborate notes, which at the
ject; at any rate, they contained more illustra-
think, that your correspondents have now repro-
tion than had previously been given, and all, I
duced. I will add here, from my "Dictionary of
English Poetical Quotations," the lines given in
Goldsmith's "Art of Poetry on a New Plan,"
as these are not referred to in your paper:—

"He who fights and runs away,
May live to fight another day;
But he who is in battle slain
Can never rise to fight again."

H. G. B.

THE YORKSHire Tumuli.-The Rev. Canon Greenwell, of Durham (and with him several distinguished archæologists), has just concluded a three weeks' examination of the barrows on the Goodmanham Wolds, the property of Lord Londesborough, near Market Weighton. Among the objects found were two beautiful and quite perfect urns, as well as three other good ones, and four more broken but repairable. The best thing found was a most beautiful war-axe, perforated, with a burnt body, and close to a beautiful flint knife, delicately serrated along both edges. Another flint knife (a very good one), a pendant of jet, and some very typical skulls were also found. Dr. Wilson, of Pocklington, presented to Mr. Greenwell a large axewent. hammer of whinstone, found at Sutton-on-Der

A DISCOVERY has just been made in the excavations at Pompeii of another skeleton, apparently that of a man of about fifty years of age. The cast formed in the ashes was admir

THE QUERN AT ST. ALBAN'S ABBEY. In "Esta: Abb: Mon: S Abb," vol. ii., is recorded the proceedings of the monks of St. Alban's in abolishing the use of the quern, or hand-able, and is in fact much more exact than those mill (I presume within the demense of the monastery), as the above-named work is not accessible to me, I would esteem it a favour could any of your correspondents favour me the date and an abstract of the proceedings of the case. Warrington. JAMES PATTErson.

THE German expedition for the exploration of the Libyan desert is expected to start from Europe about the end of November, and from Egypt early in December, and it is thought that the first reports may accordingly be looked forward to about Christmas. The leader of the expedition is Dr. Gerhard Rohlfs.

hitherto found. The supposition is that the deceased was ill, and that his strength failing him in his flight he lay down resting his cheek on his left hand, such being the position in which he was found.

THE Nazione of Florence relates that two frescoes of considerable importance have just been discovered, under a bed of lime, at the villa of Dr. Lemmi, near Carezzi. They are not cited by Vasari, but connoisseurs unhesitatingly attribute them to Sandro Botticelli, the great painter of the fifteenth century. The figure of San Sagustino, in the Church of Ognissanti, is the only work of that artist remaining in Florence. The subjects of the frescoes now discovered have not yet been clearly made out; but one of them, which contains ten figures, undoubtedly represents one of the allegorical designs in which the painter above-mentioned delighted.

ANTIQUARIAN DISCOVERY IN THE CRIMEA.— The Cologne Gazette says:-" Last year, near Kertch, three catacombs were discovered. One of them is situate on the northern slope of the Mithridates mount, and its interior is decorated WITH reference to our announcement of the with stucco-work and pictures in fresco, in which forthcoming work by Mr. Boyd Dawkins on various animals and hunting scenes are repreCave Hunting-the new line of inquiry which sented. At the entrance there are visible on the has added so much to our knowledge of ancient side walls, where the stucco has fallen off, men-we may now state the work will comprise symbols, monograms, and figures of animals, the physical history of caves and their relation cut with sharp tools. Mr. Lucenko, the director to the general physical geography of the district, of the Kertch Museum, has since opened two as well as the history of their contents; and will treat of the men who have inhabited the caves of France, Spain, and Britain, during the historic, pre-historic, and pleistocene ages.-Nature.

catacombs, which, however, have proved less interesting. In the opinion of antiquaries the paintings found in the catacombs belong to an Oriental people. As evidence of this are pointed