366
NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. i. MAY 7, wot
"jessy" and "chessy," were usual, but the
Litter predominant. As Bartlett was a New
Englander, and the speaker mentioned a born
Pennsylvanian, the statement in Dialect
Notes needs correction.
Americans who have not read English books are generally ignorant of your county names. ALBERT J. EDMUNDS.
Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
NELSON AT BATH.- A tablet has been placed by the Corporation on the house No. 2, Pierrepont Street, Bath, in which Nelson lived from the autumn of 1780 to August of the following year. Broken down in health after the Fort St. Juan expedition, he came to Bath for the waters, with the result that his complete recovery followed. No place of its size in England has so many houses still standing which have been associated with celebrated people as Bath has, and the number of them marked with tablets adds much to the interest of that charming city . FREDERICK T. HIBGAME.
THOMAS RANKIN. A question was asked at 5 th S. iii. 67 about Thomas Rankin, and it may therefore be well to record that there is a notice of him in the 'D.N.B.' (vol. xlvii. p. 290). In addition to the references there given, see Jackson's 'Life of Charles Wesley' (ii. 412); Tyerman's 'Life of Whitefield ' (ii. 393); the same author's ' Life of Fletcher' (pp. 3, 447, 464) ; Southey's 'Life of Wesley ' (Bohn's ed. p. 505) ; Stoughton's ' Religion in England ' (vi. 278) ; Sidney's 'Life of Walker, of Truro' (2nd ed. p. 260); and a full bio- graphy in Jackson's 'Early Methodist Preachers.' His portrait appeared in the Arminian (not "Armenian," as printed in the note in the ' D.N.B.') Magazine of 1779, and another portrait was published in 1794 (see Stevenson's ' City Road Chapel,' p. 401).
FRANCIS M. JACKSON. -kJowdon.
SIR WILLIAM CATESBY. When visiting the church of Ashby St. Ledgers, in this county, the other day, in order to take rubbings of brasses there, I noticed a curious coincidence with respect to the brass of Sir William Catesby, friend of Richard III. Sir William was taken prisoner at the battle of Bosworth Field, and executed three days afterwards According to directions contained in his will, his body was brought for interment to Ashby. He is buried in the chancel, and over his tomb is a magnificent brass repre senting life-size effigies of himself and his lady. These are intact and in good preserva- tion, except that across the neck of Sir
William's effigy is an ugly crack which almost
severs the head from the body. Considering
- he fact that Sir William lost his head, it will
oe certainly somewhat strange if the same tate is in reserve for his effigy.
JOHN T. PAGE. West Haddon, Northamptonshire.
"HASPED." This word has, no doubt, its direct physical meaning of " enclosed with a hasp," as thus used in Garth's ' Dispensary ' :
Haspt in a tombril, awkward have you shined. The metaphorical signification is suggested by the service the word renders the Quaker who rebukes the soldier when, with others, they are travelling by coach, as described in the Spectator, No. 132. "To speak indiscreetly," he says, " what we are obliged to hear, by being hasped up with thee in this public vehicle, is in some degree assaulting on the high road." In conversation with myself a Scottish workman recently used the word in the purely figurative sense. He had promised to carry out a contract within a given time, and was several days late in making his appearance. His explanation of the delay was that a sudden crush of unexpected business had disturbed his plans. " I was fair hespit," he observed, "and couldna come a moment sooner." It is needless to say that the apology was deemed amply sufficient.
THOMAS BAYNE.
CASTING LOTS. Few dictionaries, when treating of "casting lots," allude at any length to the military custom which was common, both on the Continent and in this country, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Among Callot's illustrations in the ' Miseres de la Guerre,' 1633, is one which shows some soldiers dicing under a tree (the gallows). At the surrender of Winchester, in 1645, some captives complained of having been plundered, whereupon Cromwell had six of his soldiers tried. All were found guilty, and one of them, by lot, was hanged (Cromwell's 'Letters and Speeches,' second edition, vol. i. p. 252 ; Firth's ' Cromwell's Army,' p. 295). In Tangiers in 1663 two privates, sentenced to suffer death by being shot, were ordered to throw dice on a drum- head, "he who throws the least, to suffer." In the same garrison in 1665 tsvo privates, for theft from a comrade, were sentenced to be hanged :
"You are to see Thomas Shaw and Peter Craggs within mentioned throw dice upon a drum-head in the face of the parade, and that being done, to cause execution to be made upon him of the two who throws least."
