banter, which, however, it may be questionable if Richardson did not receive as replete with the highest compliments to his genius, says, “Indeed, Sir, I resolved, if ever I came to town, to find out your haunts, if possible, and I have not said any thing that is not, nor am at all naughty in this respect, for I give you my word, endeavours have not been wanting. You never go to public places. I knew not where to look for you (without making myself known) except in the Park, which place I have frequented most warm days. Once I fancied I met you; I gave a sort of a fluttering start, and surprised my company; but presently recollected you would not deceive me by appearing in a grey, instead of a whitish coat; besides the cane was wanting, otherwise I might have supposed you in mourning." Could any thing exceed this touch about "a grey, instead of a whitish coat," except the finishing one of the "mole upon your left cheek?" "To be sure on the Saturday you mention, I was dressing for court, as you supposed, and have never been in the Park upon a Sunday; but you cannot be sure that I have not seen you. How came I to know that you have a mole upon your left cheek? But not to make myself appear more knowing than I am, I'll tell you, Sir, that I have only seen you in effigy, in company with your Clarissa at Mr. Highmore's, where I design making you another visit shortly." All this and much more is followed by a most tantalizing and puzzling P.S. to poor Richardson. His fair, or rather "brown as an oak wainscot, with a good deal-of-country-red in her cheeks" correspondent, requests him "to direct only to C. L., and enclose it to Miss J., to be left at Mrs. G.'s," &c. &c., previously observing that, "whenever there happens to be a fine Saturday I shall look for you in the Park, that being the day on which I suppose you are called that way." Roused into desperation, Richardson on the 2nd February writes to Mrs. Belfour as follows: "What pains does my unkind correspondent take to conceal herself! Loveless thought himself at liberty to change names without act of parliament. I wish, Madam, that Lovelace-'A sad dog,' said a certain lady once, 'why was he made so wicked, yet so agreeable?' ", re "Disappointed and chagrined as I was on Friday night with the return of my letter, directed to Miss J jected and refused to be taken in at Mrs. G- -'s, and with my servant's bringing me word that the little book I sent on Thursday night, with a note in it, was also rejected; and the porter (whom I have never since seen or heard of, nor of the book) dismissed with an assurance that he must be wrong; my servant being sent from one Mrs. Ganother Mrs. G at Millbank; yet I resolved to try my to fortune on Saturday in the Park in my way to North End. The day indeed, thought I, is not promising; but where so great an earnestness is professed, and the lady possibly by this time made acquainted with the disappointment she has given me, who knows but she will be carried in a chair to the Park, to make me amends, and there reveal herself? Three different chairs at different views saw I. My hope therefore not so very much out of the way; but in none of them the lady I wished to see. Up the Mall walked I down the Mall, and up again, in my way to North End. O this dear Will-o'-wisp, thought I when nearest, furthest off! Why should I, at this time of life? No bad story, the consecrated rose, say what she will: and all the spiteful things I could think of I muttered to myself. And how, Madam, can I banish them from my memory, when I see you so very careful to conceal yourself; when I see you so very apprehensive of my curiosity, and so very little confiding in my generosity? O Madam! you know me not! you will not know me! "Yesterday, at North End, your billet, apologizing for the disappointment was given me. Lud! lud! what a giddy appearance, thought I. O that I had half the life, the spirit of any thing worth remembering I could make memorandums. "Shall I say all I thought? I will not. But if these at last reach your hands, take them as written, as they were, by Friday night, and believe me to be, Madam, Your admirer and humble servant, S. RICHARDSON." The words on the left side of the coin are, Hnu Dk Hmign Ihri, and may be translated, The crooked rod (crozier) of the Prince of the Magi. I will not determine whether Moses or Aaron is here meant: I think the former; for most assuredly the Magi were considered as both prophets and priests. I am also inclined to think, from the three-beaked capsule (see Kitto, p. 833), that it was made of the buxus sempervirens, and was not the same as Aaron's rod. The crozier is a most ancient spiritual symbol, examples of which are frequent in the inscriptions of Babylon, Nineveh, Persepolis, and Egypt, &c. The words on the right side of the coin are, U Arni Lkn, and may be translated, And the cup (censer) of Aaron. The form of the censer seems to explain the 2nd June, 1852. SIR,-The communications that have appeared in your "Current Notes" respecting the Tokens of the 17th Century, seem to have excited considerable interest. Permit me to add a few remarks. Mr. Boyne, of Leeds, in his interesting notices in your April No., calculates the number of Tokens at 40,000; but I have a notion that double that quantity would be nearer the mark-and for the following reasons. They were first brought into use, and circulated, by the Tavern Keepers and Coffee Houses; they are noticed by the Dramatists of the day, particularly by Shadwell, as "Tavern Tokens ;" and Evelyn's words are "which EVERY Tavern and Tippling House presumed to stamp and utter." Supposing then, that only one-half of the Taverns of England issued these pieces (and Taverns at that time were more abundant in proportion to the population than now), I conceive that Taverns alone would supply an amount nearly equal to Mr. Boyne's calculation. But as every collector knows that the Tokens of other traders prevail in the proportion of four to one, I think it would be a moderate estimate if we doubled Mr. Boyne's number. No perfect scries ever was, or perhaps ever can be, formed. The late Matthew Young, the extensive coin dealer, purchased a cabinet containing more than 20,000 varieties, amassed by one collector; the wonder is, not that so many have been lost, but that so many have been preserved. As to London Tokens, their name is "Legion;" and the 2461 published by Mr. Akerman are not a quarter of the estimated number; but publishing reasons prevented a more bulky or costly volume. I can hardly agree with Mr. Boyne that Tokens "have met with unmerited contempt from some of our ablest antiquaries;" I know no one that ever treated them with scorn, except the pedantic Pinkerton, and he never sought to learn their utility and interest. Your eminent namesake, Browne Willis, was an ardent collector of them. The late Robert Surtees, the Historian of Durham, made an extensive collection of those of Northumberland and Durham. The late Mr. Staun ton collected largely for Warwickshire, and they are still in the possession of his family at Longbridge House, near Warwick. The late Sir George Chetwynd collected for the same county, which collection is possessed by the present Baronet. Capt. W. H. Smyth, Director of the Society of Antiquaries, published a most able paper on the Tokens of Bedfordshire. Mr. Salt, the eminent Banker of Lombard Street, is collecting those issued in Staffordshire; and_Dr. Diamond has many hundreds appertaining to Kent. These are but a few of the County Collectors I could name. Indeed, to the County Historian they are useful topographically, genealogically and heraldically. As an example of their utility, I may refer to one of Soho, which I published in the "Gentleman's Magazine" for March, 1850, struck 18 years previous to the Battle of Sedgemoor; correcting the error, so widely circulated by Pennant, that the name originated in the pass-word used by the Duke of Monmouth on that occasion. My account of the origin of Tokenhouse Yard has been adopted by Cunningham in his second edition of the "Hand Book of London." 66 Your Dublin Correspondent, K. L., has drawn attention to Dr. Aquila Smith's valuable Catalogue of Tokens current in Ireland, between 1637 and 1679.” There is an important error in this Title, for no Tokens were struck in Ireland until 1653. Dr. Smith, with well convinced that the 1637 Coin is a blundered one of whom I have the honour to correspond, is now, I believe 1657. There is no difficulty in crediting that the upper limb of 5, by turning it the reverse way, would become, a 3. Nor is it likely that Ireland would take the lead of England in this species of coinage, and the earliest dated in England are of 1648. It is remarkable that the year most prolific of Tokens, was that of the "Great Fire," and the Plague, 1666. In 1672 they were suppressed by an Order in Council, not because of the great loss to the public" (for they were professedly issued for public convenience, in the absence of any small currency provided by the State), but because Government in that year had resolved upon a large issue of copper money, which required the abolition of Tokens. Bristol was fined £200 for issuing Townpieces after that Order, and Gloucester was mulcted in a similar sum. 66 In Ireland, they appear to have continued until 1679, probably because the law operated less efficiently there, or the new coinage found its way slowly to some of the remoter districts. Mr. Willis. B. NIGHTINGALE. P.S. I think Mr. Boyne will find a Token bearing the Arms of the Commonwealth, described in "Akerman's London Tokens," No. 812, p. 93, issued by John Ward in New Gravel Lane. Regarding his other question as to whether Tradesmen's Tokens were issued in Scotland during the 17th century, I think we may safely conclude that they were not, at least none are known. During eighteen years experience in collecting I never met with a single specimen, nor do I know any collector that ever saw one. I imagine the solution of this may be found in the fact that they were not needed, for the Scotch had had since the time of James VI. an abundance of copper and Billon money (hence Bawbee, a corruption of bas billon), while in England a similar coinage, the introduction of which had been frequently attempted previous to the reign of Charles I., was repudiated by the public as base or black money. James VI. coined three hundred stone weight of pure copper coins in 1597 and 1601 (See Lindsay's Coinage of Scotland), and these were in common circulation during the whole of the 17th century. B. N. G. W. begs to assure Mr. Nightingale, that his promised "Brief Paper on the Satirical and Rhyming Tokens of the Seventeenth Century, with a few remarks on Townpieces," cannot fail to be most acceptable to the readers of Current Notes. THE SHAKSPERE SOCIETY. MR. WILLIS,-Can any of your Correspondents give as good an account of the Shakspere Society as you have done of the Percy in the last Number of your Notes, and what will you give for the S. S. publications? You have made a distinct offer in one case, and I ask you what you will give for my duplicate set, should I be so lucky as to get one? M. S. S. G. W. cannot reply to this question. In one case the Society exists, in the other it does not, and the books are not in the market. G. W. is prepared to give £1. for certain sets of three issues only, by the Percy Society, and as large a sum in proportion for one or two single issues, if offered to him. He must, therefore, decline saying any thing further in this matter. VERSES ON BOBART'S DRAGON. Ashby, May 28th, 1852. SIR,-Dr. Zachary Grey in his edition of Hudibras, vol. 1, page 125, relates the following anecdote. "Mr. Jacob Bobart, Botany Professor of Oxford, did about forty years ago, (in 1704) find a dead Rat in the Physic Garden, which he made to resemble the common picture of Dragons, by altering its head and tail, and thrusting in taper sharp sticks, which distended the skin on each side, till it mimicked wings. He let it dry as hard as possible. The learned immediately pronounced it a Dragon; and one of them sent an accurate description of it to Dr. Malibechi, Librarian to the Grand Duke of Tuscany: several fine copies of verses were wrote upon so rare a subject; but at last Mr. Bobart owned the cheat: however it was looked upon as a masterpiece of art, and as such deposited in the Anatomy Schools (at Oxford), where I saw it some years after." Can you or any of your readers of "Current Notes," inform me whether I can procure the several fine copies of verses, or where they are to be seen, and any other particular relating to Jacob Bobart. Mr. Willis. Yours, &c. H. T. BOBART. SIR CHARLES WILKINS. April 2nd, 1852. SIR,-Can you or your readers inform me whether any more detailed account of the literary labours and persevering achievements of the late Sir Charles Wilkins have been published, than those which appeared in the Penny Cyclopedia, and the Asiatic Journal, soon after his decease? When it is considered how much he has done to advance and lay open such treasures in Eastern literature, posterity could not but read his Memoirs with feelings of veneration for talent of so high an order. Yours, PILGRIM'S Badge. 66 ORIENTALIS. Mr. WILLIS,-Your Correspondent, "M. C. S." when he conjectures the Cross Keys, engraved in the number of your amusing Current Notes for January last," p. 7, which I have only just found here, to be a Pilgrim's badge brought from Rome, had better look to and consider the Arms of the Sees of York, St. Asaph, Gloucester, and other English and Irish Cathedrals-Cashel for instance. "M. C. S.," it appears to me, might have saved himself any conjecture upon the subject by referring the object in question to Mr. Roach Smith for his opiniona gentleman who has made the religious badges and tokens of the Medieval Ages his particular study, and who was, I believe, one of the first of our English antiquaries that called attention to such matters. See his Collectanea Antiqua. I should not be sorry if you printed this my note to you, as it will give me the pleasure of making a public acknowledgment to Mr. Roach Smith of how much I feel indebted to him for the great kindness with which some time since he allowed me to inspect his treasures, and which I feel to be now, coupled with the Roman remains I have recently examined, so important to the knowledge of ancient London. His collection is an extraordinary one; and the frankness of his manner, while gratuitously devoting his valuable time, and no less valuable stores of information, (the result of thoughtful, profound, and judicious research), to a stranger, no less extraordinary. I must couple with this acknowledgment my sincere regret that he who was the founder of the British Archæological Association, and who induced me to become a Member, has ceased not only to be its zealous Secretary, but a Member of what I fear will soon become a useless body, and to which, in consequence, I shall cease to subscribe. I enclose my card, to be forwarded to Mr. Smith, should he require the name of your correspondent and SUBSCRIBER, Venice, 26th Feb. 1852. SIR, AS I think it very probable that your Correspondent, Mr. Murdock of Glasgow, who appears in the May number of your Current Notes, p. 35, to feel so much interest about Sterne's authorship, is not aware of a little volume printed for private circulation in 1844, by W. Durrant Cooper, Esq. F.S.A. entitled, "Seven Letters written by Sterne and his Friends, hitherto unpublished," I beg to call his attention to it, as throwing considerable light upon what may be called "the secret literary history" of the period. In the introductory observations addressed by Mr. Durrant Cooper to John Thomas Wharton, Esq., of Skelton Castle, he observes: 4 "The two letters from Sterne are even more characteristic than the twelve also addressed to J. Hall Stevenson, which have found their way into Sterne's collected works. In the year thirty-two,' says the latter, my cousin sent me to the University, where I staid some time. 'Twas there I commenced a friendship with Mr. H. [Hall, afterwards Hall Stevenson] which has been lasting on both sides.' "Rightly," continues Mr. Cooper, "did Mr. H. Stevenson tell your uncle in the letter of 1785, wherein he recommended his grandson to pursue his studies at Cambridge, it is the only time of life to make lasting, honourable, and useful friendships.' He had experienced the full force of that truth. The friendship then formed with Sterne seems never to have been for one moment interrupted, and the letters shew what confidence the author of Tristram Shandy' reposed in his Eugenius." 6 Mr. Willis. Your very humble servant, MASSINGER. S. P. T. June 11th, 1852. It must be acknowledged that there is not, nor can there be, a complete uniform edition of Massinger, so long as his supposed lost play of "Believe as you List," remains to be incorporated with his works. It has been published by the Percy Society, and although uniform with the issues of that recently deceased Association, will not correspond with any edition of the Poet's works; and should it be reprinted, will require careful revision. The Manuscript was found among the papers of a deceased brother (Lancaster Herald, and one of the Executors to Mrs. Garrick's will), by Samuel Beltz, Esq. late of the Treasury, and by him presented to T. Crofton Croker, Esq. late of the Admiralty, by whom it was transcribed and edited for the Percy Society. G. W. is indebted to the Council of that Society so far back as 6th of February, 1851, (see his Current Notes for July last, p. 50), for permission to insert among them the facsimile of the indorsements upon the parchment cover, which Mr. Croker agrees with Mr. Beltz, as regarding to be in Massinger's Autograph. The Athenæum, however, was of a different opinion. But there can be no doubt whatever that the manuscript is genuine, nor that the play was acted. Here is the facsimile of Sir Henry Herbert's License. And Mr. Crofton Croker, in reply to an application, had the goodness to inform G. W. that in addition to submitting his request to the consideration of the Council of the Percy Society, Mr. Croker would have presented the original MS. to the Library of the Society of Antiquaries or the British Museum, did he not consider that a most unfair attack had been made upon him by Mr. Payne Collier, a V. P. of that Society. G. W. can only regret that any inquiry of his, which was kindly responded to, should lead to the revival of an unpleasant literary discussion-but circumstances have forced this acknowledgment upon him, and he acknowledges with sincere thanks Mr. Croker's courtesy. HOLOGRAPH. "A young Country Collector of MS." would be obliged by the information as to the particular sense intended in Catalogues by the use of the word "Holograph," the more so from its so frequently appearing in "Autograph" sales. SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. Edinburgh, 15th June, 1852. MY DEAR SIR,—In your "Current Notes" for May, "A Subscriber" states, on the authority of a London bookseller, that the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland was altogether extinct. I hope you will allow me space to contradict this assertion, and to assure your Subscriber that the Society has never been extinct, and is at present in full operation. It is true that the publication of the Society's Transactions has been suspended for many years, but it will shortly be resumed; indeed, the first part of the new issue is actually at press. The "Archæologia Scotica" is still to be had, on application to Mr. McCulloch, Clerk to the Society, Museum, George Street. I am, dear Sir, yours very truly, Mr. Willis. Hawkshead, April 26. SIR,-I shall feel much obliged if any of the readers of "Current Notes" will kindly afford even the least information respecting a small poetical volume, entitled "Sacrarum Heriodum Epistolæ, auctore Joanne Vincartio Insulano e S. J. Turici, 1640;" whether it exists in the British Museum, or in any other public or private library in this country. I have now before me a similar work : 66 "Cl. Espencæi Theologi Parisiensis Sacrarum to have been the precursor of the former. The BioHeroidum Liber, &c. Paris. 1564." This I suppose graphy of the Literary Jesuit Fathers will doubtless supply some information; but this work, I believe, is also very scarce. Mr. Willis. Yours, &c. DANIEL O'ROURKE. D. B. H. SIR,-To make what your Correspondent A., who dates from "Oak House," ("Current Notes" for March last, p. 18), a sort of mystery more mysterious, I beg to refer him to an amusing little volume, entitled "Irish Popular Superstitions, by W. R. Wilde," which has just been published in Dublin, in the Shilling Series of Readings in Popular Literature," where he will find it stated that "the story of Daniel O'Rourke is told upon a winter's night, by the laussogue's blaze in the Islands and Shark and Boffin (on the West Coast of Ireland), under the name of Terence O'Flaherty, as a warning to the stayers out late, by people who never heard of Mr. Crofton Croker's "Munster Legends." And a note adds, that "Daniel O'Rourke appeared many years before the publication of the "Munster Legends," in a periodical called the Dundee Repository.'' Mr. Willis. Yours, &c. THE PARADISE OF COQUETTES. W. B. |