14 NOTES AND QUERIES. P* s. vi. JULY 7, woo Philip and Mary—charter confirmed by Par- liament 1566. Under the warm patronage of_Queen Elizabeth and ivan the Terrible, this company (first styled the Company or Merchant-Adventurers of England for the Discovery of Lands, Territories, Islands, ifec., Unknown or Unfrequented, after wards abbre- viated to the Company of English Merchants for discovering New Trades) had a prosper- ous career for nearly a century ; but after the expulsion of the English from Russia on account of the martyrdom of King Charles, the company, though permitted after the Restoration to re-establish their business at Archangel, never attained to their former greatness. However, though greatly reduced, the company lasted, with a governor ana directors, up to the early years of the present In the Library of Trinity College, century. Dublin, there are several books printed tween 1555 and 1596 containing some valu- able information upon the subject. A rival enterprise, the Northern Company, founded 7 August, 1579, does not appear to have achieved anything like the same success. The Company of Virginia, founded 1606, was suppressed 1623. The Massachusetts Bay was organized 1628. There was also about the same period the French Company. Printed records of these associations are scanty and scattered. The most complete account as regards the number of companies mentioned will be found in Pierre Bonas- sieux's ' Les Grandes Compagnies de Com- merce," though this work is scarcely more than an enlargement of a paper in the ' Diet. Encyclopedic de Commerce' of the 'Encyclop. Methodique,' 1789, the latter being better as regards details. Among English books the best for reference is Rees's ' Cyclopedia,' 1819. In the British Museum Library are some printed books dated 1640 to 1695 relat- ing to the affairs of the Hamburgh Company. HERBERT B. CLAYTON. 39, Renfrew Road, Lower Keimingtou Lane. I.O.U. (9th S. v. 475).—In the first edition of the well-known law-book ' Byles on Bills,' published in 1829, p. 8, there is this passage : "The common memorandum, 'I.O.U. such a sum,' does not amount to a promissory note, is mere evidence of a debt, and need not be stamped." In the case of Fisher, Gent., v. Leslie, reported in 1 Espinasse's 'Reports' in 1795, there is the report of an action for money lent, and the plaintiff "produced a slip of paper signed by the defendant in the following words, ' I.O.U. eight guineas.' " In Grey (or Guy) v. Harris, in 1800, before Lord Eldon, C.J., an I.O.U. was given in evidence. In 1822, in Childers v. Boulnois, in Dowling and Ryland's 'Nisi Prius Cases,' p. 8, two I.O.U.s were put in evidence; and many similar cases can be found. H. B. P. Inner Temple. " Sous " (9th S. v. 437).—As in many other cases, an interesting illustration of the early pronunciation of this adopted word is to be found in the poetry of Scotland. A good example occurs in the ' Birks o' Abergeldie,' where a young householder vividly realizes the serious character of marriage expenses (Herd's 'Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs,' ii. 21) :— My ain sma' stock did scarce defray Half of the marriage-charge, jo; For things belanging to a house I gave till I left ne'er a souce; 0 but I'm turned wond'rous douse. And siller's nae sae large, jo. The editorial note appended to the above reference, regarding the inapplicability of ordinary rules to imported words, may also be exemplified by Scottish practice. The peasantry in the eastern counties, for instance, use the French fracas (often in the form " farcaw ") for a fussy turmoil, whereas Burns opens his vivacious lyric on ' Scotch Drink' thus :— Let other poets raise a fracas 'Bout vines, an' wines, an' drucken Bacchus, &c. THOMAS BAYNE. " THE DEVIL WALKING THROUGH ATHLONE " (9th S. v. 336, 425, 464).—AYEAHR should not have contented himself with pointing out to his intelligent Irishman that " other places besides Athlone had felt the Protector's heavy hand." Cromwell was never near Athlone in his life. SAMUEL R. GARDINER. EPITAPH AT BANBURY (9th S. v. 434).—This epitaph appears much the same as quoted by MR. PICKFORD in 'Epitaphs and Epigrams' (1869), p. 1. In 'Antiente Epitaphes,' by Thomas F. Ravenshaw(M.DCCC.LXXVin),p. 112, it is given as follows :— %65fi Richard Richards To the memory of Ric. Richards who by Gangrene lost tfrst a Toe, afterwards a Leg, & lastly his Life on the 7th day of Aprill, 1656. Ah ! cruell Death, to make three meals of one, To taste and taste till all was gone. But know, tliou Tyrant, when the trvmpe shall call, He '11 Ii11.1 his feet & stand when thou snalt fall. Banbury, Oxon. JOHN T. PAGE. West Haddou, Northamptonshire. J. F. SMITH (9"1 S. v. 377, 459).—I think MR. AXON is mistaken in his statement that Mr. J. F. Smith wrote " the earlier part of the
