1460 quotation "to comforte the joynctis," and in that of the botanical symphytum. "Comfrey" is then a variant of "comfort," originally with the second syllable stressed, as the English equivalent of Low L. confortare, consolidare. The Provençal name counsòudo appears to have almost left the rough-skinned "comfrey" to attach itself to the still rougher horsetail (coueto de rat, rat-tail; fretadou, rubber), used for scrubbing pots and pans. It would be curious to know if "comfrey" has been used for this purpose in England or Scotland. In this case the change from "comfort" to "comfrey" might possibly have been supported by the use of the plant for fretting or fraying domestic utensils.
'The Sacrifice of Isaac': a Curious Anachronism.—In the second part of the fourth of the Chester Plays, 'The Sacrifice of Isaac,' there occurs a most remarkable anachronism, which, apart from its own absurdity, proves the incongruity of making Isaac a type of Christ. That this was the dramatist's intention is plain enough when we read God's words to Abraham, ll. 457-60 (I quote from Mr. Pollard's 1890 edition of 'English Miracle Plays, Moralities, and Interludes'), and especially ll. 469-76, in which the Expositor says:—
Utterly forgetful of his purpose, the dramatist makes Abraham exclaim, towards the end of the fine scene in which Isaac shows himself a willing sacrifice, and which Mr. Pollard justly calls "perhaps the most pathetic in our older literature" (11. 413-16 ):
Ah, sonne! my harte will breake in three,
To heare thee speake such wordes to me.
Jesu! on me thou have pittye,[1]
That I have moste in mynde.
So not only does the author perpetrate one of the most curious anachronisms in literature by making Abraham call on Jesus, but in doing so it seems to have escaped his attention that a father appeals for pity to a son whom he is about to kill.
J. F. Bense.
London Livery Companies and Guilds.—A more useful list of books on the Livery Companies of London than that printed by Mr. Rhodes (11 S. iv. 451) has already been provided by Mr. George Unwin in an Appendix to his 'The Gilds and Companies of London,' 1908, and it is obvious that the Guildhall Collection would be more complete than that at the British Museum. As many books and pamphlets on this subject were privately printed, it is possible they are not to be found at either library.
Mr. Rhodes omits the Brewers, Broderers, Carmen, Coachmakers, Cooks, Fanmakers, Farriers, Fellowship Porters, Feltmakers, Fletchers, Framework Knitters, Fruiterers, Garblers, Gardeners, Glovers, Gunmakers, Haberdashers, Innholders, Joiners, Loriners, Merchant Tailors, Plasterers, Playing-Card Makers, Plumbers, Salters, Scriveners, Spectacle Makers, Tilers and Bricklayers, Turners, Upholders, Wax Chandlers, Weavers, Woodmongers, and Woolmen. Several of these have been dealt with in separate volumes, and Herbert's 'History' also was published in sections. Clearly the Reports of the Commissions on Municipal Corporations, 1837 and 1881, have not been referred to.
"Couriers" has been printed for Curriers; although there is a Couriers' Club, it is not in any sense a Guild. Barbers and Barber-Surgeons are synonymous. Very many entries could be added under Stationers and Apothecaries. College of Physicians' publications should be a separate heading or be omitted as irrelevant.
Aleck Abrahams.
Rhinoceros: First in England, 1684—Perhaps the following advertisement, copied from The London Gazette of 13 Oct., 1684, is worthy of a place in 'N. & Q.':—
"A Very strange Beast called a Rhynoceros, lately brought from the East Indies, being the first that ever was in England, is daily to be seen at the Bell Savage Inn on Ludgate-Hill, from Nine a Clock in the Morning till Eight at Night."
Albert Mathews.
Hurley Manor Crypt.—The village of Hurley, on the banks of the Thames, has within its limits a new residence, "Ladye Place," in the grounds of which is the old crypt, near the lock and bridge, in which those who arranged to invite William III. to accept the throne of England held frequent secret meetings. Hurley parish church contains monuments of the Lovelace family, including John, Lord Lovelace, one of the planners of the Revolution.
