Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/34

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. VIL JAN. 12, 1901.


wrote of 'Lucrece' as "revived to live another age" in Shakespeare's work (see Sidney Lee's ' Life of William Shakespeare, p. 78) ; and Shakespeare was eulogized bj name as the author of 'Lucrece' in some verses prefixed to ' Willobie his Avisa,' which according to Mr. Lee ('Life,' p. 155), " wa licensed for publication on Sep. 3, 1594, am was- published immediately." See also Mr Thompson Cooper's life of Clerke in th 'D.N.B.' ALEX. LEEPER.

Trinity College, University of Melbourne.

1796. Turning over some family papers, came across an old pocket-book which hat belonged to my grandfather. It is ' Kearsley' Gentleman and Tradesman's Pocket Ledger for the Year 1796,' published by G. Kearsley 46, Fleet Street, "price Is. 8d, bound in rec leather with pockets for notes." As it repre sents in many ways an obsolete state of things a few notes may be interesting.

The Law Terms and Essoign Days are se out in the ancient form, according to octaves fifteen-days, and morrows ; there were n< sittings in Westminster Hall on 2 Februan (Purification of St. Mary the Virgin), Ascen sion Day, and Midsummer Day. "Marriage: are forbidden from the first Sunday in Advent till after Twelfth Day, and from the beginning of Lent to Low Sunday."

Dates are given of the dividend days at th< South Sea House in Threadneedle Street where, however, no business was done on Saturday after one of the clock. Hacknej coach-horses were not to be less than 1^ hands high ; drivers were fined if they ha no check - string, and the licensed number was to be fixed on the fore-standard of a mourning-coach. "Hackney Coach fares from different parts of the town to various place; of pleasure"; these places are Drury Lane Co vent Garden, and Haymarket Theatres, the Opera House, Kanelagh, Vauxhall, Sadler's Wells, Astley's, and the Circus. One point of departure is the Obelisk in Fleet Street Kates of watermen plying upon the river lhames : the following occur in the list of places :

T cross lehOUS ' NCW CranC ' Shadwe11 and rl X! 10 Hermitage and Rotherhithe. To Twickenham and Tide-end town. rom Billingsgate to St. Saviour's Mill Ao Lambeth, Vauxhall, or Marble Hall.


.

ir ntained 8 1 million inhabitants 39 million acres ; land in tillage was

only about 10J million acres; corn growrTfn


'N.



our own country was estimated to produce 2,000 million pounds of bread ; many other details are given.

Certificates for hair powder were ll. Is. each. Members of the royal family and their im- mediate servants were exempted ; so also were persons in the army, navy, and volun- teers ; also clergy whose annual income was less than 100/. on an average of seven years. The same exemption applied to preachers of Dissenting congregations, to Dissenters in pre- tended holy orders, and to those of the Popish religion. If a man had more than two un- married daughters, he was to pay for no more than two. Lists of those who took out certi- ficates were to be fixed on the market cross, and on the church or chapel ; if there were no church or chapel in the place, then on the next church or chapel. Penalty for using hair powder without certificate, 201. Makers and retailers of "sweets," made- wines, me- theglin or mead, had to take out an excise licence. Customs and excise duty had to be paid on cocoa-nuts.

No letter could be franked by a member of Parliament if it weighed more than 1 oz., and he had to be in the post town at the time the letter was posted ; he could only send ten, and receive fifteen, free letters in a day. No letter sent to or from persons in the army and navy was to be charged more than Id.

Innkeepers or others on whom soldiers were billeted were to receive lOd a day for each ; a soldier could be supplied with five pints of beer or cider in a day.

Instructions for the management of sheep and swine contain some dialect words.

The Kings of France end with "Lewis XVI., beheaded January 21, 1793," and no notice is taken of any subsequentgovernment. Austrian rulers appear as " Emperors of Germany."

A bishop on translation pays no fees to the House of Lords unless he be translated to Canterbury, York, London, Durham, or Win- chester.

The House of Commons numbered 558. George Rose was Clerk of the House of Lords, and Henry Cowper, assistant. John Nichols was printer of the votes of the House of Commons, and John Bellamy was the housekeeper.

There is scope for much annotation, which I leave to others. W. C. B.

INDEXES TO 'N. & Q.' For a dozen years I nave regarded with sorrow on my shelves a efc .i f m?: & ' com P 1 ete all but the Index o the I bird Series. For the encouragement >f those contributors who are in the like case,

may say that the desideratum has been