2 W. Here's Leopard's bane Hec. Put in againe.

1 W. The juice of toade, the oile of adder 2 W. Those will make the yonker madder. Hec. Put in there's all, and rid the stench. Firestone. Nay here's three ounces of the redhair'd wench,

All. Round, around, around, &c.

The sabbath of the witches is supposed to be held on a Saturday: when the devi is by some said to appear in the shape of a goat, about whom several dances and magic ceremonies are performed, and before the assembly breaks up the witches are all said to have the honor of saluting Satan in a particular manner. King James's remarks on this subject in his "Dæmonology" are very curious. Satan is reported to have been so much out of humor at some of these meetings, that, for his diversion, he beat the witches black and blue with the spits and brooms, the vehicles of their trans portation, and played them divers other unlucky tricks.

King James, in his Dæmonology, tells us, that "the devil teacheth how to make pictures of wax or clay, that, by roasting thereof, the persons that they bear the name of may be continually melted, or dried away by continual sickness." In Grafton's Chronicle, we find it laid to the charge (among others) of Roger Bolinbrook, a cunning necromancer, and Margery Jordane, the cunning witch of Eye, that they at the request of Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester, had devised an image of wax representing the King, (Henry VI.) which by their sorcery a little and little consumed: intending thereby in conclusion to waste and destroy the king's person. According to Strype, Bishop Jewel, preaching before the Queen, in 1558, said: “It may please your grace to understand that witches and sorcerers within these few last years are marvelously increased within your grace's realm. Your grace's subjects pine away, even unto the death, their colour fadeth, their flesh rotteth, their speech is benumbed, their senses are bereft. pray God they never practice further than upon the subject." "This," says Strype, "I make no doubt was the occasion of bringing in a bill, the next parliament, for making enchantments and witchcraft felony." One of the bishop's strong expressions is, "These eyes have seen most evident and manifest marks of their wickedness." There is a statement by

I

Strype, in 1581, that "one Mrs. Dier had practised conjuration against the Queen, (Elizabeth) to work some mischief to her majesty for which she was brought into question: and accordingly her words and doings were sent to Popham, the Queen's attorney, and Egerton, her solicitor, by Walsingham the secretary, and Sir Thomas Heneage her vice chamberlain, for their judgment, whose opinion was that Mrs. Dier was not within the compass of the statute touching witchcraft, for that she did no act, and spake certain lewd speeches tending to that purpose, but neither set figure nor made pictures." Strype says. in 1578; "Whether it were the effect of magic, or proceeded from some natural cause, but the queen was in some part of this year under excessive anguish by pains of her teeth: insomuch that she took no rest for divers nights, and endured very great torment night and day." Andrews, in his continuation of Henry's history of Great Britain, speaking of Ferdinand, Earl of Derby, who, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, died by poison, tells us, "the credulity of the age attributed his death to witchcraft. The disease was odd, and operated as a perpetual emetic, and a waxen image, with hair like that of the unfortunate earl, found in his chamber, reduced every suspicion to certainty." This superstition may be illustrated by an anecdote in Seward, from French history. "The wife of Marshal D'Ancre was apprehended, imprisoned, and beheaded for a witch, upon a surmise that she had enchanted the queen to doat upon her husband: and they say, the young king's picture was found in her closet, in virgin wax, with one leg melted away. When asked by her judges what spells she had made use of to gain so powerful an ascendancy over the queen, she replied, that ascendancy only which strong minds ever gain over weak ones'." Old Blagrave, in his Astrological Practice of Physick, observes," the way which the witches usually take to afflict man or beast in this kind, is, as I conceive, done by image or model, made in the likeness of that man or beast they intend to work mischief upon, and, by the subtlety of the devil, made at such hours and times when it shall work most powerfully upon them, by thorn, pin, or needle, pricked into that limb or member of the body afflicted. This practice is referred to by poets, Daniel says, in one of his sonnets:

The slie inchanter, when to work his will And secret wrong on some forspoken wight Frames waxe, in forme to represent aright The poor unwitting wretch he meanes to kill, And prickes the image, fram'd by magick's skill, Whereby to vex the partie day and night. Cole, in his Art of Simpling, says that witches "take likewise the roots of mandrake, according to some, or, as I rather suppose, the roots of briony, which simple folke take for the true mandrake, and make thereof an ugly image, by which they represent the person on whom they intend to exercise their witchcraft."

Witches are said to sometimes content themselves with a revenge less than mortal, causing the objects of their hatred to swallow pins, crooked nails, dirt, cinders, and different trash; or by drying up their cows, and killing their oxen; or by preventing butter from coming in the churn; or beer from working.

Sometimes, to vex squires, justices, and country-parsons, fond of hunting, witches are presumed to have changed themselves into hares, and elude the speed of the fleetest dogs. Hence, in Scot's Discovery, he says of these country gentry, "that never hunters nor their dogs may be bewitched, they cleave an oaken branch, and both they and their dogs pass over it." Warner, in his Topographical Remarks relating to the Southwestern parts of Hampshire, 8vo., 1793, mentioning Mary Dore, the "parochial witch of Beaulieu," who died about half a century since, says, "her spells were chiefly used for purposes of self-extrication in situations of danger; and I have conversed with a rustic whose father had seen the old lady convert herself more than once into the form of a hare, or cat, when likely to be apprehended in woodstealing, to which she was somewhat addicted.

DISENCHANTMENT OF A SORCerer.

As Gassendi was one day taking a morning's walk near Digne, in Provence his ears were assailed by repeated excla mations of "A sorcere., a sorcerer!" On looking bend him he beheld a mean and simple-looking man, with his hands tied, whom a mob of the country people were hurrying to prison. Gassendi's virtues and learning had given him great authority with them, and he desired to be left alone with the man. They immediately surrendered him, and Gassendi,

said to him in private, "My friend, you must tell me sincerely whether you have made a compact with the Devil or not: if you confess it, I will give you your liberty immediately; but if you refuse to tell me, I will give you directly into the hands of the magistrate." The man answered, “Sir, I will own to you that I go to a meeting of wizards every day. One of my friends has given me a drug which I take to effect this, and I have been received as a sorcerer these three years." He then described the proceedings at these meetings, and spoke of the different devils as if he had been all his life acquainted with them." Show me," said Gassendi, "the drug that you take to enable you to attend this infernal assembly, for I intend to go there with you tonight." The man replied, “As you please, sir; I will take you at midnight as soon as the clock strikes twelve." Accordingly he met Gassendi at the appointed hour, and showing him two bolusses, each of them the size of a walnut, he desired him to swallow one, as soon as he had seen him swallow the other. man swallowed one, and Gassendi pretended as if he had swallowed the other, and then they laid down together upon a goat-skin. The man soon fell asleep, but Gassendi remained awake and watched him, and perceived that he was greatly disturbed in his slumbers, and writhed and twisted his body about, as if he had been troubled by bad dreams. At the expiration of five or six hours he awoke, and said to Gassendi, I am sure, sir, you ought to be satisfied with the manner in which the Great Goat received you; he conferred upon you a high honor when he permitted you to kiss his tail the first time he ever saw you." The deleterious opiate had operated upon his imagination. He was one in whom, while waking,

The

the eye works Unto the timid thought, and the thought paints Forms from the mire of Conscience, will o'wisps

To dazzle sober reason.

Gassendi, compassionating his weakness and credulity, took pains to convince him of his self-delusion; and, showing him the bolus, he gave it to a dog, who soon fell asleep and suffered great convulsions. The poor fellow was set at liberty to undeceive his brethren, who had, like him, been lulled by the noxious bolus into imagining themselves sorcerers.

fistory is philosophy teaching by example."-Mr. Churchwarden, and Mr. Overseer, Gentlemen, Past Churchwardens, and Past Overseers' of the joint parishes of St. Margaret and St. John the Evangelist, Westminster, thanks to you for the "History" of your Parish TobaccoBox.

About a hundred-and-twenty years ago, little more or less, Mr. Henry Monck, one of the parishioners of one of the abovementioned parishes, bought a common horn Tobacco-Box, of an oval shape, and portable size for the pocket; according to tradition, he gave four-pence for it at Horn Fair. He carried it with him to his parish club-to the tavern where the

"gentlemen of the parish," who, like hinself, had served the office of overseer, met to talk over and confer upon parochial matters, and smoke their pipes in friendly intercourse. They associated under the denomination of the "Past Overseers' Society," and Mr. Monck presented his fourpenny Horn Fair TobaccoBox to the society, for the general use of the members.

It is important to the history of this Tobacco-Box, now about to be publicly disclosed, that the world should know the constitution of the Past Overseers' Society. It consists of parishioners of S.. Margaret and St. John's parishes, who, as before intimated, have either been

overseers of the poor in the joint parishes abovementioned, or who have paid the fine to be excused from serving the office, and also of the overseers for the time being. The average number of members is now about forty. On the evening of the second Thursday in every month the society meet at the Swan tavern, Bridgestreet, Westminster, where the Lord Mayor of London aunually holds a court of conservancy, with good cheer, and wine and wassail, and where also the past overseers' society annually dine together upon the day of appointment of new overseers. The general expenses of the society are defrayed by annual subscriptions, a certain portion of which fund is applied towards discharging the reckoning of each meeting, and the deficiency is made up by the attending members. There are instances of honorary members having been admitted for services done to the society, but such occurrences are very rare. clerk to the governors of the poor, on account of his intimacy with parish affairs, is an official member of the society, and acts as its secretary.

The

In 1720 the society of past overseers, ou of respect to the donor of the TobaccoBox, ornamented the lid with a silver rim, bearing the following inscription :"Given by Henry Monck, one of the overseers of St. Margaret's, Westminster, 1713." They then committed it to the custody of the senior overseer for the time being, through each of which annual officers it has descended to the present day, and from most of them it has received successive silver ornaments and additions, each of which bears the names of the contributors to the importance and value of the box.

In 1824 the society published, by subscription, a volume in quarto, with the following title:

"REPRESENTATIONS of the embossed, chased, and engraved Subjects and Inscriptions which decorate the TOBACCOBox and Cases belonging to the PAST OVERSEERS' SOCIETY of the Parishes of St. Margaret and St. John the Evangelist, in the city of Westminster." The work thus entitled consists of three leaves of letter-press "Introduction;" three other leaves of "Explanatory References to the Plates and Subjects;" thirty-four full sized copper-plate engravings; two descriptive vignettes; and an engraved title-page, bearing a vignette of the successive forms and sizes of the

Tobacco-Box and its cases, from which the engraving at the beginning of this ar ticle is taken. A letter-press leaf at the end, contains a "List of the Subscribers" to the work; ainong whom are the Rev. Jon. Tyers Barrett, D.D., the Rev. Charles Fynes Clinton, D.D, the Rev. Wm. Winfield Dakius, D.D., the Rev Hen. Chute, the Rev. Darcy Haggitt, the Rev. W. Rodber, the Rev. R. S. B. Sandilands, the very Rev. D D Stevens, Dean of Rochester, John Abington, Esq., Dean's Yard, John Elliot, Esq., Pimlico, Samuel Hanbury, Esq., King-street, Thos. Maude, Esq., Great George-street, Simon Stephenson, Esq., Great Georgestreet, Alex. Richard Sutherland, M.D., and one-hundred-and-twenty other respectable names.

After the silver rim bestowed by the society upon the lid of the Tobacco-Box in 1720, the next addition to it was a silver side-casing and bottom, in 1726. In 1740, a broad handsome embossed border of ornaments was placed upon the lid, within the before-mentioned rim; and subsequently, the bottom was covered with an "ornamented emblem of Charity," engraved very much in the style of cgaith, and probably by that artist's own hand; for, in 1746, Hogarth, who was then in the zenith of his reputation, designed and executed, on the inside of the lid, a portrait of the Duke of Cumberland, in manner of a bust, with allegorical figures at the sides of the pedestal, and an inscription commemorative of the victory of Culloden. The last addition to the lid was an interwoven scroll, dated 1765; the scroll encloses a plate in the centre, bearing the arms of the city of Westminster, and inscribed, “This Box to be delivered to every succeeding Sett of Overseers, on penalty of Five Guineas."

The Horn Fair Tobacco-Box having thus been ornamented within and without to repletion, there was no room for further additions; but as each senior Overseer, with few exceptions, followed the example of his predecessors, a new outer case was always prepared for it, when further space was required for ornament, and the original fourpenny Tobacco-Box is now kept in a series of four embellished cases, case within case, until the whole has become of greater bulk and worth than any tobacco-box in the kingdom.

The engraving submitted to the inspec tion of the reader represents Monck's box, and its four enriched cases, grouped

with decanters, goblets, wine-glasses, leons, and tobacco-pipes. The old box is filled with tobacco; its lid, engraved withinside by Hogarth, reclines against the second case; and across the box is a mother-of-pearl tobacco-stopper, presented to the society by Mr. John Ansell. The proportionate size of the cases denotes the order of their accession to the

box.

The cases of this Tobacco-Box are overlaid with various plates of silver, presented, according to the society's rules, by successive overseers. These plates are embossed or engraved with different emblematical devices and representations, chiefly of memorable historical occurrences, and with portraits of several eminent persons; and each plate has a suitable inscription. Among these_memorials are:-a view of the fireworks in St. James Park, in celebration of the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749; a portrait of the well-remembered John Wilkes, who was churchwarden of St. Margaret's parish in 1759; a representation of Admiral Keppel's engagement off Ushant, and another of his acquittal after trial by a court-martial; inscriptions relating to the taking of St. Eustatia by Rodney; the restoration of the health of George III. in 1789, and the general illumination upon that event; a view of the Battle of the Nile; records of the union with Ireland, and the peace of 1802; a representation of the repulse of the French China fleet, under Admiral Linois, 1804; another of the Battle of Trafalgar, and death of Nelson, 1805; portraits of Nelson, Duncan, Howe, and Vincent; portraits of Pitt and Fox, upon their death in 1806; a view of the engagement between the St. Fiorenzo and La Piedmontaise, 1808; a record of the jubilee in 1809; portrait of George IV., as Prince Regent, 1811: emblems of the general peace, 1814, and notices of the visit of the Foreign Sovereigns; views of the Battle of Waterloo, 1815, and the bombardment of Algiers, 1816; portraits of the Princess Charlotte, upon her death, 1817, and of Queen Charlotte, upon her death, 1818; an interior view of the House of Lords, upon the trial of Queen Caroline, 1821; a representation of the coronation of George IV., and another commemorative of his visit to Scot land, 1822, &c.

There are several plates in commemoration of local circumstances, relating to

the past overseers' society's parishes. One of them is a monumental design, with military trophies, inscribed, "To the memory of John Lee, a much respected member of this society, who died at Leeds, in Yorkshire, in the execution of his office as overseer of the poor of the parish of St. Margaret, 17 May, 1796, aged 33 years: humane, diligent, and just as an overseer; strictly attentive to his duty as a light-horse volunteer; a sincere friend, a cheerful companion, and an honest man." Another plate represents a very curious view of the interior of Westminster-Hall, with the St. Margaret's and St. John's corps of volunteers, assembled there on the Fast-day, 1803, hearing Divine service performed at the drum-head by the Rev. Dr. W. W. Dakins. There is a plate of the sessions-house, when the portico fronted St. Margaret's churchyard. There is likewise a plate representing St. John the Evangelist at Patmos, with a view, below, of the tower and western entrance of the church of St. Margaret. Another plate contains an engraving of the carved altar-piece of that church, from Titian's painting of the supper at Emmaus.

An oval plate, on the outside of the first case, contains a very spirited little engraving, in the style of Callot, of a cripple; and another plate represents the patroness of the parish, St. Margaret, triumphing over the dragon. This latter legend is likewise engraved upon an elegant silver gilt cup, which, with its cover and stand, weighing together 93 oz. 15 dwts. was given, in 1763, by Samuel Pierson, Esq., to the overseers of the parish of St. Margaret, and their successors for ever in trust, for the use of the vestry at their entertainments. Mr. Pierson was elected churchwarden for seven successive years, pending a memorable suit in the ecclesiastical court against the parish, for setting up in the church the celebrated painted glass-window of the crucifixion, with certain figures, which were imagined to be improper subjects for exhibition in a church. The court decided in favour of the parish, and the painted window remains in its original state.

In 1713, when Mr. Monck presented his fourpenny Tobacco-Box to his club, he little imagined the honours that would be paid to it, and the consequence it would assume. In 1813, the body of the Outer case received a large silver plate, inscribed, "A tribute of gratitude for the