Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 7.djvu/349

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us.vii.may3,i9i3.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 341

LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 3, 1913.

CONTENTS.—No. 175.

NOTES:—The Forged 'Speeches and Prayers' of the Regicides, 341 —Date of Webster's Play 'The White Devil,' 342 —Statues and Memorials in the British Isles, 343 —Nelson's Christian Name. 345 —Religious Celebrations in Ancient England and India —"Molliwig" —Mrs. Salmon's Waxworks, 346 —Richard Chausere —The Price of 'The Times,' 347.

QUERIES:—Richardsons of Munster —"Scolopendra ceracea," 347 —Walker of Londonderry —Relic of a Food Offering to the Dead —Wife of James Mohr Drummond —Duke of Newcastle at Marston Moor —St. Mary's, Scarborough —Morland's Residence —"Pleck" —Robertus Perkes, Chirurgus —Two Old-fashioned Romances —Sturminster Marshall, Dorset, 348 —Tokens: George III. and IV. —Westminster School Dinner Stewards —Thomas Wadding —Shakespeare Monument in Westminster Abbey —Edmund Cartwright —Grillfon's Club —Matthew Arnold's Poems —Kingsley's Poems —"If not the rose," 349 —Capt. Edmond Beavor —Dr. Fowler of York —Barret: Bareyte —Tracts and Pamphlets at the London Institution —'The Philosopher's Scales.'

REPLIES:—The Date-Letters of Old Plate, 360 —Thomas Ellis Owen —"Good Friday" in Welsh and Irish, 351 —A Cumberland Song —A Letter of Scott's —The Iron Mask: a "Feminist" Theory —Signs of the Fifteen Last Days, 352 —Wreck of the Royal George, 353 —Authors Wanted —"Scaling the Hennery": "Mouse Buttock" —Early Railway Travelling —Lamb's Chapel, London —Rev. John Hutchins —Henry Morris —"Four square humours" —"Itte-dhandu," Indian Game —An Evelyn Query —Poem Wanted —Biographical Information Wanted —Carisbrooke Castle Water-Wheel, 354 —Inscription in St. Mary's, Llanfair-Waterdine —Earliest Age of Knighthood —Smuggling Poems, 355 —Hosier Lane, West Smithfield —Old-time Children's Books. 356 —Old Charing Cross —Lions in the Tower —Onions planted with Roses, 357 —Price of Cereals in 1550, 358.

NOTES ON BOOKS: —'Dame Fashion' —'Bibliographia Boltoniensis' —"The Fortnightly Review' —"The Cornhill —'The Berwick and Lothian Coasts.'

Notes.

THE FORGED 'SPEECHES AND PRAYERS' OF THE REGICIDES.

II.—The Remaining Editions.

Two more editions of the 'Speeches and Prayers' appeared in the year 1661. The first was entitled (I cite the whole of the title-page):—

2. "Rebels no Saints; or, a Collection of the Speeches, private passages, letters and prayers of those persons lately executed, viz., Tho. Harrison, Octob. 13; Jo. Carew, Octob. 15; Jo. Cook and Hugh Peters, Octob. 16; Tho. Soot, Greg. Clement, Ad. Scroope, and Jo. Jones, Octob. 17; Dan Axtell and Fr. Hacker, Octob. 19. With Observations on the same. Wherein their pretended sanctity is refuted and a further inspection made into the lives and practices of those unhappy and trayterous politicians. By a person of quality. 1 Cor. 13. 3. Though I give my body to be burnt and have not charity it profiteth nothing. London. Printed and are to be sold by the several booksellers in London and Westminster Hall. 1661."—B.M. pressmark, 4408. bb. 34.

The short preface to this tract is different from the preface to the original 'Speeches and Prayers,' is signed " W. S.," and dated "Decemb. 16ᵗʰ 1660"; and each account of each regicide is followed by one solitary page of "observations" to that regicide's detriment. Whether these observations were taken from a book by a loyalist is doubtful. Probably they were as intentionally dishonest as the title-page and preface, so feeble and futile are they. In all other respects this book is a reprint of the 'Speeches and Prayers,' and, like them, contains no publisher's name.

3. The third edition, in 1661, omitted the phrase "Rebels no Saints," and commenced: "A Compleat Collection of the lives, speeches and prayers," the rest of the title-page running as in 'Rebels no Saints.' In the book, nevertheless, there is a great addition. The 'Preface' is dated and initialled as in 'Rebels no Saints,' but has an additional paragraph; while to each collection of 'Speeches and Prayers,' &c, a life of each regicide has been prefixed. These "lives" are in startling contrast with the 'Speeches and Prayers,' and actually contradict them in detail. Every one of these lives was taken verbatim, verses included, from the book by George Bate, published by Thomas Vere in the same year (1661), and entitled:

"The Lives, Actions and Execution of the Prime Actors and Principall Contrivers of that Horrid Murder of our late Pious and Sacred Sovereigne," &c.

Anthony à Wood says that this Bate was not Dr. George Bate, the author of 'Elenchus Motuum Nuperorum,' &c, but was a time-server. Evidently he was one who could not complain of the use made of his book. The British Museum pressmark of the 'Compleat Collection' is 291. b. 11.

To turn to the cause of the variations of the titles. Stitched pamphlets were bound in blue paper, and this was the case with the original 'Speeches and Prayers' (see the 'Exact Narrative,' p. 65). Hence our modern word "Blue-book." (I may be pardoned a slight digression here if I point out that the 'N.E.D.'s' earliest instance of the term, in 1715, is carried further back by the mention of "blew books" in the 'Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, for 1633-4,' p. 279.)

The way in which the first edition was sold is shown by the evidence of Brewster's apprentice Bodvell at the trial (p. 41):—

"Keeling, J. Where was this book kept? Publicly as other books or in other rooms?