ii. NOV. 12,
NOTES AND QUERIES.
397
was when Sir W. Burrell visited the church ;
perhaps an earlier portion of the marriage
register has been discovered since then. I
am writing to the vicar of this church, and
will let your readers know the result.
C. H. C.
South Hackney.
EATING OF SEALS (9 th S. i. 305 ; ii. 313). The old play 'Sir John Oldcastle' was, as was the fashion of the time of its production, composed in two parts. I cannot gather from MR. BOUCHIER'S communication whether the scene he cites between Lord Cobharn and Harpool occurs in part i. or part ii.
During 1852-4 Messrs. Virtue, of London and New York, published an edition of Shakespeare (imperial quarto) in monthly parts, which, when complete, bound up into iour handsome volumes, respectively sequent comedies, tragedies, histories, doubtful plays. The first part of the play 'Sir John Old- castle ' is included in the final volume, and I think the second part also ; but of this I am not sure. Strange to say, on two or three occasions within the last few years, on writing for this edition of Shakespeare at the British Museum, only the first three volumes were supplied me, and on inquiring for the fourth 1 was, on the last occasion, about three years ago, informed that it had been mislaid. On previous applications the courteous officials seemed to be dubious whether such a volume had ever been issued : but as I had once (alas, that once !) possessed the whole set of four, I was enabled to con- vince them of their error. Perhaps since then (at least three years ago) the missing volume has been found, and an inquiry now at the British Museum might result in its pro- duction.
But Messrs. Virtue have apparently recently published a reissue of the same impression in eight volumes, vol. vii. of which I had in my hands on Saturday, 15 October. Therein I found the first part of ' Sir John Old- castle' on p. 127 et seq., but had not the opportunity of examining it to discover if the passage referred to by MR. BOUCHIER occurred in that part, nor had I access to vol. viii., in which, if anywhere in this col- lection of plays loosely attributed to our great bard, part ii. would be found. NEMO.
Temple.
I have a volume of plays in which appears 'The History of Sir John Oldcastle.' The following is a copy of the title-page : " The History of Sir John Oldcastle, the good Lord Cobham. By Mr. William Shakespeare. London : printed by J. Tonson, and the rest
of the proprietors : and sold by Booksellers of
London and Westminster. MDCCXXXIV." I am
reading the play, and find it extremely inter-
esting. H. Y. J. TAYLOR.
TRANSLATION OF DIGBY'S 'DE ARTE NA- TANDI' (8 th S. xii. 107). I lately visited the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, and there saw the copy of Digby's book which was. missing at the time of MR. RALPH THOMAS'S inquiry. It is a fine copy. G. F. BARWICK.
"SABLE SHROUD" (9 th S. i. 445 ; ii. 133, 231, 357). At the time burial in woollen was com- pulsory, the penalty for non-observance was very severe, and one-half for it was a pecu- niary one went to the informer. By a sub- sequent enactment the punishment was altered to imprisonment ; but in the printing of it, it was forgotten to alter the last clause, '" one-half to the informer," and the number of informations, it is said, began to diminish from this time, until the Act became inopera- tive. R. B.
Upton.
DR. WARD, OF SOHAM (9 th S. ii. 328). Doubt- less, when the tomb was repaired in 1764, and the inscription was recut, the original figure (probably illegible) was mistaken by the workman. ' N. & Q.,' 1 st S. xii. 495, con- tains a query, and a long explanation by our ever esteemed and lamented Editor, WILLIAM J. THOMS. EVERARD HOME COLEMAN.
71, Brecknock Road.
BLACK IMAGES OF THE MADONNA (9 th S. ii. 367). There are several well-known black Virgins in Italy. In all the countries of the Eastern Church they swarm. Perhaps the best known is the large one at Moscow, which is fetched as a miracle-worker to the dying, and goes in state with black horses and an escort. Black Virgins are included in the eikons for sale in every place where Russian and Greek images are sold. D.
AUTHORS OF QUOTATIONS WANTED (9 th S. ii.
289).
The curse of a granted prayer. This, I should say, is from Juvenal, Satire x. 7: Evertere domos totas optantibus ipsis l)i faciles.
See also a fine passage in Val. Maximus, lib. vii. c. 2, to the same effect. G. T. SHERBORN.
I have not skill
From such a sharp and waspish word as " No" To pluck the sting.
Henry Taylor's 'Philip van Artevelde,' I. ii., published 1834. C. C. M.
The remark that Addison was a parson in a tie- wig is attributed to Mandeville (Hawkins, 'History
