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NOTES AND QUERIES. to* s. IL JULY ie,


assembling at the North Pole. See Brewer's 'Dictionary of Phrase and Fable' on the north side of the altar and the north side of a churchyard : " The north, the devil's side," fec. The passage in Isaiah is said by Delitzsch to embody the Babylonian notion that the north was the seat of Deity (see Barnes's long note on that passage).

C. LAWRENCE FORD, B.A. Bath.

In '1 Henry VI.' La Pucelle calls one of the devils " the lordly monarch of the north." In a note to this passage Steevens refers to a verse of Isaiah, which may have been the origin of the belief that the devils had their ha citation in the north.

E. YARDLEY.

The " well - known superstition " which Milton was following was doubtless the fine passage in Isaiah, thus given in Coverdale's Bible, 1535 :

"How art thou fallen from heauen (0 Lucifer) thou faire morninge childe ? hast thou gotten a fall euen to the grounde, thou that (notwithstandinge) dyddest subdue the people? And yet thou thoughtest in thine harte : I will clymme vp in to heauen, and make my seate aboue the starres of God, I wyll syt vpon the glorious mount towards the North, I wyll clymme vp aboue the cloudes, & wilbe like the highest of all. Yet darre I laye y* thou shalt be brought downe to the depe of hell." Esaye xiv. 12-15.

R. R.

Boston, Lincolnshire.

THE HEAD OP THE DECAPITATED DUKE OP SUFFOLK (9 th S. i. 508). Your correspondent MR. SYLVESTER is wrong in his statement that the church of Holy Trinity, Minories, has been pulled down. It is still standing, and, fortu- nately, likely to remain so while Dr. Kinns, the vicar, maintains his present attitude. In writing to ' N. & O.' correspondents should take care to verify their statements.

MATILDA POLLARD.

Belle Vue, Bengeo.

CURIOUS EARLY ENGLISH SCHOOL SAMPLER (9 th S. i. 184). I have for a number of years taken a deep interest in old samplers, and from time to time collected them. One sampler I possess is worked by Anne Radley, agea nine years, 1844. Round it is a neatly worked border. In the centre are the fol- lowing words, similar to those referred to by your correspondent :

Jesus, permit thy gracious name to stand As the first effort of an infant's hand, And, while her fingers o'er the canvas move, Engage her tender heart to seek thy love. With thy dear children may she have a part, And write thy name thyself upon her heart.


At the top of this sampler the alphabet is worked in three different styles of lettering ; also the figures from 1 to 12. The figures and letters are beautiful in form, and the general design of this sampler is exceedingly good.

Another sampler in my possession is beau- tifully worked in coloured silk by Leah Hughes, 1811. In the centre are the follow- ing words :

Whate'er we do, where'er we be,

We 're travelling to the grave.

Infinite joy or endless woe

Attends on every breath,

And yet how unconcerned we go

Upon the brink of death.

\fy aken, O Lord, our drowsy sense

To walk this dangerous road,

And if our souls be hurried hence

May they be found with God.

At the top is a shield, and the words upon it are, "Glory be to God on high." On each side is the figure of a warrior, and over each figure is worked a crown. Around the centre verse are a number of stags, dogs, and trees. At the bottom of the sampler are flowers in vases. It has a beautifully designed border, about one and a half inches wide, the whole being an excellent piece of work.

I have another interesting sampler ; the subject, boy and girl with dog and basket of flowers. The drawing of figures, which are about ten inches high, is very good ; the probable date 1800. I possess six other early specimens of needlework in oval frames illus- trating nursery rhymes one 'Little Blue Billy,' another " Mary had a little lamb," and various other illustrations of rhymes. The date of these specimens is about 1780. There was a competition for designs of samplers and also alphabets some time ago in the Studio, and the specimens submitted cer- tainly fall short in simplicity and beauty of design and formation of letters, compared to the early examples left to us.

While upon the subject of early school samplers it may be of interest to refer to the penmanship of early school copy-books, a number of which I have recently seen. Tiie copies written by these early instructors had beautifully formed letters, and the scroll- work surrounding the letters was very artistic. This kind of lettering is often to be found in old deeds. Now that type- writing is becoming so general, this interesting art in penmanship, one fears, will become obsolete.

CHARLES GREEN.

18, Shrewsbury Road, .Sheffield.

MEDIEVAL LYNCH LAWS IN MODERN USE (8 th S. xii. 465 ; 9 th S. i. 37, 116, 298, 477). To the instances given by your correspondents