Marvellous Music.-Among the Howard Papers, Lady Arabella Stuart, writing to the Earl of Shrewsbury from Broad Street, June 17, 1609, says:

"But now from doctrine to miracles: I assure you wthin these few dayes I saw a paire of virginalles make

good musick wthout helpe of any hand, but of one, that did nothing but warme, not move, a glass some five or six foote from them. And if I thought, thus great folkes invisibly and farre off worke in matters to tune them, as they please, I pray yor Lop forgive me; and I hope God will, to whose holy protection I humbly recomend yr Lop," &c.

Can any of the readers in "N. & Q." divine any explanation how this curious experiment was contrived? Electricity or galvanism has been suggested. CL. HOPPER. Bankers' Cheques.-A difficulty in one case, a loss in another, and a doubt in the third-all of which have happened during the last few days -make it of great importance that there should be a better understanding in these matters than seems at present to prevail. Some would, probably, think the city article of The Times the most appropriate place for these inquiries. I believe there are many readers of "N. & Q." who can enlighten us on the subject.

1. Can a banker lawfully refuse to pay a cheque drawn on himself, although it be crossed in blank; that is, the words "& Co." written upon it?

2. Is there any specific time in which a country banker becomes liable for a cheque which he has changed, or received in account, supposing it be not paid by the person on whom it is drawn?

3. Is it lawful, or necessary, or of any utility, to cross a stamped cheque made payable to order? N. H. L. R.

66

"I think the thing you call renown,
That unsubstantial vapour,
For which the soldier burns a town,
The sonnateer a taper,

Is like the mist, which as he flies
The horseman leaves behind him,
He cannot mark its wreaths arise,
Or if he can, they blind him."

R. Y. T.

Struggles for Life." Could any of your readers tell me who is the author of Struggles for Life, or the Autobiography of a Dissenting Minister, published in 1853, by W. & F. G. Cash, 5. Bishopsgate Street. FLEUR-DE-LIS.

That "good hater" after Dr. Johnson's own heart, George Fox foretold: Query, By what Prophet?worthy Francis Bugg, mentions in his Pilgrim's Progress from Quakerism to Christianity, p. 259., the following long-winded title of one of Fox's works:

"News coming up out of the North, sounding towards the South, written from the Mouth of the Lord, from one Name is not known in the World, risen out of the North, who is naked, &c., and cloathed with Righteousness; whose which was prophesied of, and now fulfilled.”

To which our friend with the unsavoury patronymic dryly adds in the margin: "Query. By what Prophet ?" I am pretty well acquainted with the Controversial literature of the time, but I don't remember to have seen this answered. Will some one state the grounds for the assumed Messiahship. The marked locality of expression forbids the idea of a mere generality.

"Pollards."

C. CLIFTON BARRY.

Trees with their heads cut off are called pollards, and disfigure the landscape in many parts of England. They are all old and ugly; and as tenants are not allowed to cut the timber, how came these trees into existence? H. T.

Providence. -Written upon a fly-leaf of a little pocket Goldsmith's Almanac of 1679, I found the following lines. Are they from any known author? There is a striking similarity in idea to some portions of Pope's Essay on Man: "Did we not know, there's an adorèd will In all that happs to men, or good or ill, Suffer'd or sent, and what is man to pry Into th' abyss of such a mystery? How many dangers on best actions wait, Right check'd by wrong, and ill men fortunate, Those mov'd effects from an unmovèd cause, Might shake an easie faith; Heav'n's sacred laws Might casual seem, and or irregular sense Spurne at just order, and blame Providence."

CL. HOPPER.

"Nine hundred and three doors out of the world.” - Can any of your readers inform me in what Jewish author can be found an enumeration of

nine hundred and three, being every kind of death by which man enters the unseen world? It is referred to in an interesting little volume by H. Pendlebury, one of the ejected ministers, entitled Invisible Realities, p. 19.:

"There is but one door that we all land in at our entrance. The Jews reckon nine hundred and three kinds of death or ways out of the world. Among all the kinds we can't see our own kind of death, by which we shall go into another world."

But it appears there are many keys to each door, for, on p. 68., the author thus: argues

"O Sirs! you and I stand at the door of these unseen things; and if death do but once open it, by any one of its many thousand keys, we shall immediately see that which we have never seen."

Hackney.

G. Offor.

"News from Westminster."-In the Poems on State Affairs, printed in 1704, occurs the following quatrain. An explanation will oblige.

66 NEWS FROM WESTMINSTER.

"Strange news from Westminster, the like was never

heard,

A Treasurer in pantaloons, a Bishopt without beard, A Judge with a periwig to his waste hanging down, A Speaker § of the Commons that never wore a gown." CL. HOPPER. "Old Nick." -In Mr. Thoms' edition of the History of Reynard the Fox, printed for the Percy Society, p. 191., is the following note:

"Nyckers. In this name we have a striking allusion to the mythology of Scandinavia, and that portion of it which is retained among us to this day, when we designate the Evil One by the epithet of Old Nick. Odin assumes the name of Nickar, or Hnickar, when he enacts the destroying or evil principle, and scarcely a river of Scandinavia which has not its appropriate Nikir."

Bennet's "Paraphrase on the Book of Common Prayer." - In Thomas Bennet's Paraphrase, with Annotations upon the Book of Common Prayer, edit. 1709, p. 94., occurs the following passage in a note on his commentary on the Litany:

"I think myself obliged to take notice of a most scandalous practice which prevails in many such congregations, as ought to be fit precedents for the whole kingdom to follow. Tis this: that laymen, and very often young boys of eighteen or nineteen years of age, are not only permitted, but oblig'd, publicly to perform this office; which is one of the most solemn parts of our divine service, even tho' many priests and deacons are at the same time present."

What practice is here alluded to, and what H. congregations?

A small white Hand a Sign of high Birth. · I wish some of your correspondents would give their observations on this fallacy (as I must deem it) of Lord Byron's. I have had little opportunity myself of forming a general opinion on the sub

With the greatest deference to these learned antiquaries, I venture to propose a more simple, and therefore, in my judgment, better explanation of the epithet. It seems to me to refer to that peculiarly distinguishing mark of the devil, in popular belief, the cloven hoof:

"There is no vulgar story of the devil's having appeared anywhere without a cloven foot. It is observable, also, that this infernal enemy, in graphic representations of him, is seldom or never pictured without one." - Brand, vol. ii. p. 517.

The writer goes on to explain that the cloven foot belongs to the goat's shape, which is attributed to

* Osborn. Atkyn.

+ Crew.

§ Seymour.

one of the largest pair of hands I ever beheld belonging to a gallant naval officer, to whom, in point of pedigree, Lord Byron could hardly hold a candle. Sir Walter Scott too is well known to have had remarkably large hands, although he could adduce as many royal and noble ancestors as Byron himself. On the other side, I have seen very small white hands on persons of no particular descent; but who may have consoled themselves, in their obscurity, with the belief that they had more illustrious blood in their veins than they were aware of, on the strength of Lord Byron's dictum. J. S. WARDEN.

SIR RICHARD STEELE AND THE LADIES' LIBRARY.

46

(Vol. xi., p. 408.)

Steele's eldest daughter, afterwards Lady Trevor, was named Elizabeth, and it is not improbable that, though a child at the time, the doating father had a copy of the work bound in morocco after his thoughtless fashion and presented it to her, and that the father, the mother, or she herself at some subsequent period, wrote "Eliza Steele" in it. This of course is but a conjecture. I think, however, there is some evidence that may lead us to conclusions as to who was the compiler of the work. Your correspondent says it was edited by Sir Richard from materials forwarded by a lady." So far as I can see, Steele's labours were confined to writing the dedications and a general preface. In the title-page the work is said to be "written by a lady," and "published by Sir Richard Steele; " but in the preface the "writer" of the title-page becomes the "compiler," and Steele informs us that he is but "her gentleman usher," that the work is "supposed to be collected out of the several writings of our greatest divines," - was "intended by the compiler for a guide to her own conduct," and sent to him that "if thought worth publishing" it might be "of the same service to others of her sex," - and he thus proceeds:

"I put them into the care of a reverend gentleman much better qualified for the publication of such a work, and whose life and character are not so subject to the exceptions which the levity of some of my writings, as well as other circumstances, may expose a work as passing through my hands only. Though he was so good as to peruse the papers, he would not allow that the exception I made against my being the publisher was of weight; for he would have it, that its coming out with my name would give an expectation that I had assembled the thoughts of many ingenious men on pious subjects, as I had heretofore on matters of a different nature: by this means, he believes, the work may come into the hands of persons who take up no book that has not promises of entertainment in the first page of it. For the rest, he was of opinion it would make its own way, and I easily submitted to suffer a little raillery, when I had hopes of being the means of promoting the interests of religion and virtue."

It follows, according to the title-page and this statement, that the work was compiled by a lady, and given to Steele for publication, and I agree with your correspondent that the question, "Who was the compiler?" has some little literary interest. The publication gave rise to an angry correspondence, embodied in a pamphlet entitled:

"Mr. Steele Detected: or the poor and oppressed orphan's letters to the great and arbitrary Mr. Steele; complaining of the great injustice done to the publick in general, and to himself in particular, by the Ladies' Library; published by Mr. Steele. Together with Mr. Steele's Answers; and some just Reflections on them. Lond., Morphew, 1714."

"Sir, I will inquire into what you write about, and write again about the subject of yours to, Sir, your most humble servant, RICHARD STEELE."

The "oppress'd orphan," however, would not wait Steele's inquiries, but replied immediately, insisting on ample satisfaction, threatening proceedings at law, and informing Steele that Tonson the publisher, on being referred to, said "that he paid copy-money, and that Meredith must apply to the author for redress." Steele now replied, not unkindly, but firmly and finally :

"October 26, 1714. St. James's Street. "Sir, I have a second letter from you. The stile of the first was very harsh to one whom you are not at all acquainted with; but there were suggestions in it which might give excuse for being out of humour at one whom you might, perhaps, think was the occasion of damage to you. You mentioned also an orphan, which word was a defence against any warm reply; but since you are pleased to go on in an intemperate way of talk, I shall give myself no more trouble to inquire about what you complain, but rest satisfied in doing all the good offices I can to the reverend author's grandchild, now in town. Thus leaving you to contend about your title to his writings, and wishing you success, if you have justice on your side; I beg you will give me no more ill language, and you will oblige, Sir, your humble servant, RICHARD STEELE."

Meredith, in his pamphlet, expresses his belief that "the lady mentioned in the title-page, and the clergyman in the preface," are "nothing more than a blind excuse for his notorious plagiarism." I think not. In Steele's letter the shadowy "lady" of the title-page becomes a real and distinct personage, "the reverend author's grandchild." Now the only reverend author mentioned in Meredith's letters, the only author referred to, that the work was compiled by Taylor's grandis Jeremy Taylor; and as I read it, Steele declares daughters, Mary and Ann, children of his daughter daughter. Jeremy Taylor had two grandJoanna, who had married Edward Harrison of Maralane, Antrim, member of parliament for Lisburn. Mary was twice married; first to a Colonel Columbine, and secondly to Sir Cecil Wray, of Glentworth, Lincolnshire. She was not only wealthy by marriage, but ultimately inherited a considerable fortune as the last survivor of the Harrison family. Ann married Colonel John Pacey, secretary to the Duke of Ormond.