Pater noster. Legatur Ewangelium, Cum venerit Paraclitus. Item, Ps. Qui habitat. Pater noster. Pecora nostra sint Deo et sancto Job. Liberet ea fidelis Job, per virtutem sancte crucis. O crux admirabilis, evacuacio doloris, restitucio sanitatis. Ps. Quicunque vult repetatur tribus vicibus, et aspergatur ordeum aqua benedicta, et post comedatur. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti."

It will be remarked that the priest officiates in his robes as solemnly as if he were at mass! The quantity of crosses to be made over the barleythe absurd and irreverent mixture of names in the adjuration and the introduction of holy Job to drive away the disease-present a singular example of that false devotion which, under the form of a religious service, was superstitiously adopted as a means of safety against disease. It may be asked, what were the swinish maladies known under the names of tac, taluu, or purpurola?

INSCRIPTIONS.

με

Your correspondents have furnished you with inscriptions on "Bell, Book, and Candle," and on houses of the living and tombs of the dead, but I am not aware that they have yet noticed the multitudinous writings on the walls and windows of inns, -a prolific subject, which I venture to recommend to the recorders of ancient and modern practices.* As Christmas time is approaching it may amuse your subscribers to read a few lines which a facetious uncle of mine forwarded some sixty or seventy years ago to a gentleman who left his name and address, and nothing more, fairly engraven on the window of an inn on the road to Northampton.

"To
-, Esq, of -
in -shire.
"Ingenious Sir, the other day,
Through Hockley as I chanc'd to stray,
And stopping at my fav'rite Inn -
You know, good Sir, which 'tis I mean,
And whilst my dinner could be drest,
I, uninclin'd to sleep or rest,
With curious eye and nicest care,

Read scraps of verse wrote here and there,
Or on the wall or on the window,
Scratch'd with a di'mond or a cinder.
I saw for why those lines were writ,
To shew the Author's Love or Wit.
When, lo! amidst the scribbling class,
I found your name adorn the glass,
Your name at length, and where you dwell,
With 'Squire added, sounding well.
This name,' thought I, 'could ne'er be writ
To show the author was a wit;
Nor can I from one letter prove
This honest man was e'er in love.

On the old school at Great Blencowe, in the parish of Dacre, also in Cumberland, which was rebuilt in 1798, and where Lord Chief Justice Ellenborough received his education : —

"Ye youths rejoice at this Foundation
Being laid for your edification."

Whose force to breake no right but greedie Death possesseth power,

As time and sequels well shall prove. My ringe can say no more.'

Vide Ellis's Orig. Lett., 2nd S. ii. 290.
E. H. A.

INEDITED LETTER DESCRIBING THE SIEGE OF PONDICHERRY.

The enclosed letter, describing the siege of Pondicherry, is I think interesting from its mentioning the names of several officers killed, wounded, and taken prisoners, besides describing the siege very sufficiently, and being a good specimen of the solemn and yet affectionate style in which sons wrote home to their fathers in those days. I may add that the letter is genuine. It came into my hands as connected with the family the writer belonged to; and I enclose you my name and address. F. J. J.

"Hona Sir,

Cuddalore, Oct. 20th, 1748.

"I take this favourable Opportunity of Acquaints you of our success at Pondi Cherry. We attacked first Areacupong, a small but compact fort, where we lost some men, and the following Officers were Killed and Wounded, viz. Capt L. Brooks, who was shot through the body before he got up to Areacupong, but lived long enough to be brought to Camp, where he Dy'd of his wound. I forgot he was Capt" of Granadiers. Lieu Phillips was Kill'd before the Walls; and Lieut Rose was wounded in his right shoulder, which It is thought will be a bad Wound to him as long as he lives; some few Days after we took the place; but before we took it the Enemys Horse and Foot made a Sortie from the Garrison, and came to Attack our Trenches, but the most part was taken and Cutt off, with only this lost to us, that Major Lawrence of the East India Battalion, and Peter Bruce (whom I am sure you know), were both taken prisoners and Carried to Pondi Cherry, and Major Goodyer of the Train had his leg broke by a Recoushée Shot as he was a Recconnoitring. After taking this place, and leaving a Sufficient Number of Hands with Guns, &c., we made our Approaches towards Pondi Cherry, where we erected our Batteries, which were as following, one of Eight 24 Pounders, One of four 24 Pounders, besides a three Guns and two Gun Batterie and a Mortar Battary, which when we opened the Shipping began along with us to ring them such a peal that towards the Sea they cou'd not Stand to their Guns, and unfortunately for us our Battaries was four Hundred Yards too Short of the Walls, so that and the Monsoons together oblig'd us to raise the Siege and brake up the Camp and go to winter Quarters. During the Siege we lost a good many private men, Serj and

Corp's; and one Capt" Forbes belonging to the Independents had his leg broke by a 13 Inch Shell which fell into the Trench; and Lt Spey of the Train had his arm broke; and Hood of our RegiIment had his Shoulder bone broke by a wall piece, as he was firing of it at the french. So much for our famous Expedition. I waited on Mr Lisle, who was very glad to see me, and assur'd me what ever lay in his power he wou'd do for me; but there is no Prospect of any thing turning out here for my Advantage, for there is a great change in Affairs, but I'll Endeavour to comply with your request. I shou'd be glad you wou'd pay Capt Gibson what money he lent me after mine was gone. I wou'd have sent you Inclosed the Account what It comes to, but have lost it, but Capt" Gibson has the Account, which agreed exactly with mine. Pray give my Duty to my Mother and love to my Sister and all other of my ffriends and Relations, and I hope they are all well. I am glad to hear of your Recovery from that sleepy Disorder. I beg leave to Assure you with great truth, "Hond Sir,

"Your most Dutiful Son,
"WM. EGAN.

"P.S. My complements to all
my Brother officers to

whom I have the Plea

"The keeper of his shrine, a monk at Canterbury, was commissioned to commit to writing miracles performed through the Saint's intercession, which came to his knowledge. An English MS. translation of a Latin history of these miracles, compiled by a monk who lived in the monastery of Christ Church at the time of the Saint's martyrdom, is kept in the library of William Constable, esq., at Burton Constable, in Holderness, together with a life of St. Thomas."

And farther on, in the same note, he says:

6th, 1363; and who received the temporalities of that see Decr 26th, 1864, the 38th of Edward III., and died about Christmas in 1372."

Both the MSS. here spoken of by Alban Butler were evidently translations of the De Vita et Miraculis S. Thomæ Cantuar., by Benedict Abbot of Peterborough, which was published in 1850 for the Caxton Society by Dr. Giles. The cure of the son of the Earl of Clare, which was No. 263., and therefore the last in the Essex MS., may be found at p. 264. of Dr. Giles's edition; and the remarkable account of confirmation being habitually given by the roadside, and that St. Thomas always dismounted to administer that sacrament, while it was usual for the bishop to remain on horseback, will be found at p. 177.

Through the kindness of its owners, the Burton Constable MS. now lies before me; and as I wish to ask, as my first Query, What MS. was it that belonged to Bishop Trilleck? I will first quote the opening sentences of "The p'face of ye translatoure":

"It was my chaunce (goode Reader) to find the originall coppy of thys booke (beinge an auntient parchmente manuscripte wrighten in the Latyne tongue) amonge a caos of caste bookes ande waste paps: upon yo inside of ye cover whereof it appeareth by a very auntient hande wrightinge, that it was some tyme ye booke of Thomas Trylicke, bysshop of Rochester: by whom it was soulde unto Willia Reade, bishop of Chechester, who gave the same unto Exiter haule in Oxenforde to be cheyned in ye commō Library of ye same howse: where (as it is to be supposede) it did remayne, untill such tyme as Henry ye 8th (thristinge after ye treasure wtin St Thomas of Canterbury his tombe, (wch as Doctor Saunders in his booke de Scismate Anglicano wrighteth), was so muche as suffisede to Loade: 26: waynes), tooke upo him to thruste hym out of heaven, and to inflicte a penalty upō all such as would honour him as a Sayncte: In weh tempest ye saide book, & all such other coppies thereof as remayned in publique libaries, weare ether defasede or (privilye) conveyede unto pivate mens handes."

Against the name of Trilleck is placed in the margin: "he died 47 Edwardi 3. ;" and the note to Reade is "he was made bishop 20 Ri. 2."

Is the MS. of Benedict, which belonged thus successively to Bishops Trilleck and Reade, and to Exeter Hall, Oxford, still known to exist? It may help to its recognition to say that, to the perplexity of the "translatoure," it ended at the word tetendit in the middle of p. 256. of Giles's edition; and that the pages from Concurrentibus (p. 125.) to incognitus in the middle of p. 151. (Giles), were transposed to the end.

What has become of the other MS. mentioned by Alban Butler, as "in the hands of Antony Wright, esq., in Essex ?" Surely there were not two books that belonged to Trilleck. My conjecture is, that after Butler had written bis account of the Burton Constable MS. (in which, by the way, the very phrase Butler uses occurs (fol. 71.): "it is evident that this originall coppie was abrode w'in 150 years of St Thomas his death, for it was

ye book of Thomas Trilecke bishop of Rochester, who died 47 Ed. 3d."—he met with Mr. Wright's book, was struck with the story of the Earl of Clare, which he had not seen, as the Burton Constable MS. does not reach that chapter of Benedict, and that he interpolated the story into the

note.

I should like very much to insert a Query here on the roadside confirmations, of which Benedict says: "Non enim erat ei, ut plerisque, immo ut fere omnibus, episcopis moris est, ministerium confirmationis equo insidendo peragere:" but I content myself with one more extract from "the p'face of y translatoure," which is curious in itself, and suggests more queries than one : —

"Aboute y yeare of or Lorde 15-, ther was a notable miracle shewed at St Winifrides Welle here in Englande upo a certen pson that wouled neede enter ther into in contempt & derisio of other mens devotio: and psently was striken wt suche a nunes in all his Lymes that he was nether able to come forthe or to move his hande frō ye hafte of his dagger whereupō it was fixed: at his entring therunto: wch pty after he had so remayned a Longe tyme was upō his repentanc by entraunce into yo same againe restored to his former state: And concerninge ye miracles wch it hath pleased gode of Late to showe at Sychim Ine Brabant Lypsius hath wrighten at Large, whose reporte therof beinge fortefied wt ye testemony of a thousand credible pson yet living, if it be true, then weare they playnly evangelicall miracles: if not, why is not ye falshode layed open, being so easy to be discovered? finally, for yo satisfaction of all such as (wt ye interlocutor in Sr thomas Moore his dialoges will not beleve y testemony of any man in a matt contrary to naturall reson) I will pduce yo same 2 witnesses that Sr Thomas More did in ye Like case, to witt, his owne eyes; if he will go into Italye, ther shall he see St Clares body Liing in hir religious habite unputrified, & 3 miraculouse balles wch weare founde w'in ye same, being (in resemblance of ye trynitie) in weight every on equall to ye other: and all thre together equall to any one: if he will not take so far a Jorney, Lett hym but crosse yo see into fraunce, and ther shall he se devels cast out of ye possesseds by Catholicke priests, so as he shall be forsed to saie wt ye blasphemous Jewes, he casteth forth devils by ye power of Belzebub: or els wt those that beleved, if these me weare not of gode, they cold not have done these things: if he will not traveile out of England, Lett hym go unto a certeyne place in Yorkshire cauled Whytby strande, and ther shall he understand by ye generall reporte of all ye inhabitants that it was not knowne (wtin yo memory of ma) that ever any wilde gose wch did Light upō ye same ground (being a Large circuite) had ye power to flye from thens, and that being ther taken and caried out of yo said circuite of grounde, they do use ther winges as they did before: ye traditio is that it came so to passe by ye praiers of St Ide, yo ruines of whos chappell & place of buriall is yet to be seene; I might also ad herunto yo hawthorntre at ye Abbey of Glostenbury: and an other lik unto it nere unto Havering parke in Essex, fm wch parke ther was nevr any nightigall sene by any ma living*, notwtstanding that they do sitt singinge about it on every syde in great abundanc, wt divers other lik instances wch I may not stand upō," &c.

St. Ide must be St. Hilda, Abbess of Whitby. The St. Clare here mentioned is B. Clare of Mon

[* See "N. & Q," 2nd S. iv. 145. 215.-ED.]

tefalco, a village near Foligno, where her body is still to be seen, as well as the "3 miraculouse balles;" but all the other "lik instances" here given are quite new to me. J. Ms. Bishop's House, Northampton.

NOTES ON HYMN-BOOKS AND HYMN WRITERS. NO. II.

(Continued from 2nd S. vi. 129.)

English hymnology commenced with the establishment of Protestantism. Before that event the people had few sacred songs in the vulgar tongue. Their religious poems consisted chiefly of Christmas carols, and scraps from the miracleplays. Some of these were addresses to the Virgin Mother, others prayers and invocations to the saints. Many united the religious element with the satirical, and showed out the grievances of government, and the shortcomings of the clergy. Few contained what we should consider the elements of devotion; none render any supIf they are to be plies to the modern compiler. taken as indications of the depth of popular religion, popular religion must have sunk to its lowest ebb. But probably they cannot be so taken.

The translation of the Church Service into

English brought Bible scenes continually before the minds of the people. The Scriptures, too, upon the revival of learning, were much read and studied in their originals; hence it became a fashion to versify the poetical parts, not only amongst scholars and poets, but also amongst courtiers and ladies. One of the first to engage in this service was Robert Crowley, vicar of S. Giles, Cripplegate. In 1549 he published The Psalter of David newly translated into English Metre. The same year Sir Thomas Wyatt versified the seven penitential psalms. In 1557 Archbishop Parker produced a metrical version of the entire book. Some time before this Thomas Sternhold, groom of the robes to Henry VIII., had engaged in a like service. His compositions are almost entirely in the old ballad measure, and no doubt were often sung to the popular ballad tunes. Once or twice he employed the form called Poulterer's verse, consisting of one Alexandrine line, and one line of seven iambic feet, better known as our short metre. The only variation from these measures is in the cxx. psalm, an arrangement that seems to have fallen into disuse :

One of

"O God, my strength and fortitude,"

to the second verse of the second part. He had finished about forty psalms when he died. His work was taken up and continued by John Hopkins, schoolmaster. Several of his versifications deserve revival, especially the xlii. psalm. c. psalm:

"All people that on earth do dwell,"

uncommon measures.

The

is too well known to need a word of reference. W. Whittingham, Dean of Durham, was another who took part in this version. His renderings are somewhat peculiar, from his employing several He has left little that is worthy of commendation. Neither Norton, nor any other of its contributors, deserve special notice. Although of necessity there is a roughness about many of the pieces in this collection, they are marked by homely vigour and pure Saxon language.

Francis Davidson, son of the Secretary of State, employed his poetic powers upon the Psalms. Many of his renderings are very beautiful, and well repay the modern reader. Queen Elizabeth tried her abilities at versification, and has left us the xiv. psalm as a specimen. The Earl of Surry, Bishop Coverdale, Hunnis, Bishop Hall, Lord Bacon, Sir Philip Sidney, with his sister the Countess of Pembroke, Wither, Sandys, Phineas Fletcher, George Herbert, and Drummond of Hawthornden, all contributed more or less to this kind of literature. In 1640, the first colonial book was printed in New England: it was a metrical version of the Psalms by John Eliot, Thomas Welde, and Richard Mather. In 1641, Francis Rouse, a Member of the Long Parliament, and Provost of Eton, published the Psalter in verse. The Westminster Assembly of Divines adopted it as the foundation of a national psalmody: by them it was revised, and published in 1645. For a time the Church of Scotland kept to its own translation; but in 1649, the Assembly's version was made the basis of their new rendering, and was universally adopted in the following year. Its chief interest arises from its associations, though some of its verses possess a simple beauty, as in the beginning of the xxiii. psalm:

Sir John

"Let us with a gladsome mind," is still found in most hymn-books. Denham is smooth, neat, and sometimes pleasing. Tate and Brady are too well known to need remark. Watts published his Psalms in 1719. They were not intended to be a literal versified translation, but are "imitated in the language. of the New Testament." Though now the style in some parts may be stiff and antiquated, they excel anything that preceded, or, with one or two exceptions, has yet succeeded them. Addison has given us two specimens of his own in the Spectator :

"The spacious firmament on high." Both deserve the highest praise, and make us wish that he had left us the whole Psalter in the same style. The Wesleys, father and sons, have given us several spirited translations; but their followers have not adopted any entire versions of the Psalms.

Such are a few of the older English psalmists. Nearly fifty entire metrical renderings of the Psalter appeared from the reign of Edward VI. to the end of the eighteenth century. More than seventy other translators have left us smaller collections. Of course many are unfit for singing. Some are written in blank verse, some in heroics, and numbers in the dullest style of Pindaric odes.

The nineteenth century has contributed its share. If the Psalter be required in metre,-and many still think it is,-an ample stock of material is at the service of the compiler. By selecting from many of the writers enumerated, and only by selection, a worthy version may be made. But no single versifier, or company of versifiers, can produce what is needed. The store is superabundant; but it is a mine that has never yet been worked. Until some bolder editor than any who has yet appeared is willing to go down into the sea of mud, and pick up whatever he may find valuable in it,-and it has pearls not a few,we shall not have a psalm-book that will meet with very general approval. HUBERT BOWER.

Minor Notes.

Surnames. In the town and county of Leicester are living numerous families whose surnames end in t or tt. We have Brewitt, Barratt, Everett, Garratt, Hackett, Hewitt, Kellett, Marriott, Mallet, Paget, Trivett, Willett, Wallett, and others. It would almost seem most of them were originally of foreign extraction. I have known,