188 Mr. Tyrwhitt vindicated from a Reflection of Dr. Johnson. * his friend the Doctor, to whom the "But this farcafin on Mr. S. is of pendix, about a year afterwards; and, had Dr. Johnfon been acquainted with the gentleman whofe conduct he undertook to cenfure, he would never have urged against him, either as a weakness tion of the Poems, and was not much or as a fault, that he perifted in pis edipleased to find himself mistaken. Mr. T. was wholly uninterested in the refult of the publication. He was equally content whether he was employed to enlift a poetical recruit, or to detect an impoftor who firove to difguife himself in the uniform of one of the oldeft regithe object of his refearches; and, in the ments of Parnaffus. Mere truth was prefent inftance, he discovered it by his uninfluenced by the recantations of Catown fagacity, his judgement being alike cot, the difquifir ons of Barret, and the decretals of Johnfon. And yet, had the Doctor's reprefentation of this matter been frictly juft, could it have been amifs if the vifitant of Fanny the phanthe more indulgence to a quondam feeptom had been difpofed to manifelt a lit tic in the caufe of the Pfeudo-Rowley?" Mr. URBAN, London, Carling Vol. I. p. 337. Catcot has been convinced by Barret, and has written bis recantation to Tyrwhitt, who fill perafts in bis edition of the poems, and perhaps is not much pleased to find himself miftaken. "As Mr. Tyrwhitt (unfortunately for the publick as well as his particular friends) can no longer vindicate himfelf, that office muft devolve on one who honours his memory, and, knowing all his gradations of belief as to the authenticity or illegitimacy of the pieces in question, thinks he ought not to fuffer the most remote infinuation to his difadvantage (and especially from the a writer fo eminent as Dr. Johnson) to pen of pafs without proper notice. "Before Mr. T. published his Chau-HAVE long threatened to trouble cer, the productions of the fictitious Rowley were only known to him through the medium of partial tranfcripts, and extracts of very doubtful authority. When he was firft favoured with thefe fpecimens, he was fufficiently willing to have fuppofed them genuine, but foon discovered reafon enough for wavering in his opinions concerning their value, if confidered in the light of ancient compofitions. Till he visited Briftol, however, he had not feen the fmalleft fragment of their boafted archetypes. His judgement, therefore, might be allowed to fluctuate till the means of complete decifion were in his reach. No fooner had he examined the many-coloured "Rolles," (thofe fimie vetuftatis) than his fentiments became immutably fixed. Nevertheless, he refolved to proceed in printing the Poems, which had been already purchafed (as curiofities of dubious character) by his recommendation. Still he forbore to obtrude on the publick a fingle hint of his own concerning their spurioufnefs or originality; though he referved to himself a right of delivering his undifguifed opinions of them on fome future occafion. Of this privilege he availed himself, in an Ap See Mrs. Piozzi's Collection, vol. I. 115. faws; for, what we catch in our youth, you with fome of my grandmother's half a century, the tag of many a monkwe rarely lofe. At the diftance of nearly ifh rhyme ftill rings in my ears. Born and educated in a Northern county of England, and therefore remote from the capital, their fayings, and their customs, which ftill favour much dered at. of Popish fuperftition, are not to be won work, you make mention of the Sunday Careing Sunday, care away; Tid, and Mid, and Mifera, your Pas-day is obviously an abbreviation of Pafque, the old French fpelling for Eafter. Pas-eggs are ftill, I am told, fent as prefents for young folks in the * Vol. LV. p: 779. LVI. p. 410. Eafter Provincial Cufoms in Northumberland.-Inscriptions at Bath. 189 Eafter-holidays. They are merely the eggs of our domestic fowl boiled, and tinged of various hues, by adding to the water, when boiling, logwood, rofeleaves, the yellow bloffoms of the whin or furze, or other dyes, and are written on, figured, or ornamented, by an oiled pencil, or any greafy matter, drawn lightly over the thell, before they are boiled, according to the boyish taste of the artist. A pecuniary prefent, at this feafon, has the fame name given to it. Of the more focial customs fill kept up in this county, is this of, the Sunday fortnight before Eafter, feafting together on Carlings *, which are choice grey-peafe, of the preceding autumn, fteeped in fpring water for 12 or 15 hours, till they are foaked or macerated; then laid on a fieve, in the open air, that they may be externally dry. Thus fivelled, and enlarged to a confi derable fize, and on the verge of vegetating, they are put in an iron pot, or otherwife, on a flow fire, and kept tirring. They will then parch, crack, and, as we provincially call it, briftle: when they begin to burst, they are ready to eat. Houfton, Sir Patrick, Scotland 1785 1782 1781 1785 1784 1779 1782 Temple, Sir Richard, bart. 1786 1784 1786 March 6. Rowe, Elizabeth, Somerferbire Mr. URBAN, the Wardrobe Account of the 28th year of King Edward the Firft (A. D. 1300), published last year by the Society of Antiquaries, among the entries of money iffued for the use of his fon Prince Edward in playing at different games, is the following Item: "Domino Johanni de Leek, capellano domini Edwardi fil' ad creag' et alios ludos per vices, per manus proprias apud Weftm. 10 die Aprilis 100 S." P. 157. It is remarked in the preface, p. xliii. that there is no word in the Gloffaries that comes near this fenfe of a game in which creag could have been used; but, as I apprehend, light will be thrown upon it by the following extract of a letter from Mr. Maurice, jun. to Mr. Roger Gale, dated May 13, 1743, and printed in Biblioth. Topog. Britan. No. II. Part III. p. 393. "On difcourfe of plays, obferving that the inftrument ufed thereat generally gives the denomination to the game; and, on recollecting all I could of the ball plays ufed by the Greeks and Romans, and confulting Ballinger de Ludis Vet. Roufe, Godwyn, and Kennet, find nothing of cricket there, a very favourite game with our young gentlemen, I conceive it a Saxon game called cpicce, a crooked club, as the bat is wherewith they ftrike the ball; as billiards, I take to be a Norman paftime from the billart, a tick fo called, with which they do the like thereat." The variation of creag from cricce is certainly not very great; and, confidering the long lapte of time, cricket cannot be deemed an extraordinary corruption of either of those words. Is it not, therefore, a probable conclufion, from the above-cited article in the wardrobe account-that cricket* was an old English game-that almost 500 years ago it was nearly fo denominated-and that then it was a favourite paftime with * See yol. LVII. p. 784. the the Prince of Wales? Nor is it unlikely but that John de Leek, his Highness's chaplain, might be his playfellow. From cricket to whift, otherwife whisk, another game fuppofed to have been invented by the English, is in thefe days no uncommon tranfition; and I offer the latter as a topic of difcuffion to your many ingenious correfpondents, with the view of prompting them to afcertain which is the proper word; it being extremely mortifying that a game, which fo much ingroffes the attention of numberlefs polite affemblies, fhould not be correctly pronounced. In the well-known paffage of Swift, as cited by Mr. Barrington in his Effay on Card-playing (Archæol. VIII. 143), it is fpelt whifk, and that is the reading of the word in my copy of the works of that humorous author. But Dr. Johnfon, in his Dictionary, though he quotes the fame fentence, writes it whifi, and fays that whifk is a vulgar pronunciation. Whifk is manifeftly far better adapted to hazard, as well as to unlimited loo, and many other games of cards, in which the largest slake can be more expeditioufly fwept or fwabberedt off the table than it can at whift. This is, befides, a game that requires deli beration and filence, which is a word fynonimous with whift. It is doubtless on this account that the ladies have almost univerfally, and with the utmost willingness, fent to Coventry the tattling and prattling game of quadrille; and that taciturnity which, when expedient and defirable, is their characteristic, is one of the circumftances that contributes to their excelling at whiß. Though Mr. Barrington admits that the word is commonly thus written, he repeatedly ftyles it whisk. Very great deference is due to this gentleman, both as a lawyer and an Antiquary, in interpreting a modern act of parliament, and. in illuftrating the more antient ftatutes. But, in the point under enquiry, he will not, I truft, be hurt at an inuendo, that his opinion will not carry equal weight with that of Lord Chancellor Hoyle, who, in his admirable Code and Digeft of Laws, Rules, and Cafes, uniformly terms it whift. W & D. is a milliary infcribed with the name of Trajanus Decius, which may be compared with that found at Devilcrois, given in your vol. LVII. p. 565: IMP. CAES G. MESSIVS Q P.F AVG.P.M.TRIB. POT. Mr. Barrington has fuggefted, that in a proclamation of Edw. III. A. 1363, cricket is alluded to under two Latin words, denoting the ball and bat fport; as also in a ftat. of 17 Edw. IV. A. 1477, by the paftime of handyn and handout. (Archæol. VII. p. 50; and Obfervations on the more ancient Stain the fame Collection, CCXLIX. 10, tutes, p. 378). + According to Mr. B. this game feems never to have been played upon principles till about go years ago, when it was much ftudied by a fet of gentlemen who frequented the Crown coffee-houfe in Bedford-row. Before that time he thinks it was confined to the fervants'-ball with all-fours and put, being then played with what was called fwabbers.-Qu. In what year did Swift publish his Effay on the Fates of Clergyment? If mamy years previous to the time Mr. B. has fpeerfied, the probability is, that it had been the amfement of perfons of ranks fuperior to fervants; an archbishop confidering it to be pardonable in a clergyman to play now and then a fober game at whisk for pastime, though his Grace could not digeft the wicked fwabhers. Poffibly it may be within the recollection of fome of your ancient readers, whether, whilft they were young academics, whift was one of the games played in the Another infcription to this Emperor, runs thus: IMP. CAES. C. RI DACIARVM COL. NOVA APVLS. In both thefe he is named Trajanus Decius, but in yours Decius Trajanus; and in neither of the Italian is he ftyled Pins Felix. As to the tranfpofitions of his name they have been fhewn on his coins, p. 659, in one of which the nominative and dative cafes are alfo blended. Yours, &c. D. H. Mr. URBAN, College balls and combination rooms during PASS The Chriftmas holidays. ANSW. In 1728. EDIT. 3 March 4. ASSING the other day through Shiffnal, a very pleafant markettown in Shropshire, while my horfes were Kemarkable Longevity.—Cure for a Cancer.—Natural Curiofity. 191 were feeding, I walked into the churchyard, and, obferving the church door open, curiofity led me in. Upon two fmall boards, affixed to a pillar oppofite the pulpit, were recorded two very remarkable inftances of longevity of a man and woman of that parish. Í have taken the liberty of fending you correct copies of them, and beg the favour of you to infert them in your truly inftructive and entertaining Magazine. S. A. M. "William Wakeley was baptized at Idfal, alias Shiffinal, May the first. 1590, and buried at Adbafton, Nov. the 28th, 1714. His age was 124, and upwards; he lived in the reign of eight kings and queens.-D. P." "Aug. 14, 1776, died Mary Yates of Shiffinal, aged 128. She lived many years entirely on the bounty of Sir Harry and Lady Bridgeman. She walked to London just after the fire in 1666. She was hearty and ftrong 120 years, and married a third hufband at ninety-two." An extraordinary Cure of a CANCER by the Rev. Dr. BACON, by the Ufe of CLEAVERS, or CLIVERS, in a Let ter to a Friend. N aged woman in my parifh, who falt-meats, and to use only thin diets, and twice a-day, between meals, to drink about a quarter of a pint of the juice of Cleavers, which he got by pounding and fqueezing them. At the fame time, I directed her to take of the fame juice boiled, and mixed with hog's-lard, fo as to make a very foft green ointment, and conftantly apply it to the wound, laying alfo the bruifed Cleavers over it, and to refresh it fo often as it dried, taking particular care immediately put in practice, and conti to keep the wound clean. This was nued fix months, partly by compulfion and importunity; for the benefit was fo gradual, that I could hardly perfuade the woman he was better for it. Indeed, I should have been doubtful myfelf, but that the offenfive fmell abated, and her being ftill alive, were convincing proofs to me that a cure would in time be effected. Accordingly, I preffed and infifted on her continuing the fame practice; and, it being a very mild winter, the Cleavers were procured in warm hedges, the fame courfe was pur fued, and, in three months after, the wound was perfe&ly healed. I advised her to take them every fpring after, turn of her diforder. bloody which the did, and cancer, continuing to eat away the fleth feveral years, had a relation at Abingdon, to which place the went for the fake of a furgeon, who could not come over to her. His vifits were an act of charity; and, while she was near him, he often called on her, and gave her his medicines, without any good effect: when, at laft, defpairing of a cure, the was fent home with the comfortable affurance, that he would be eafed of mifery in a fortnight or lefs. On her return to my parish, I was fent for to pray by her, and never met with a more deplorable object in my life: nothing could be fo offenfive as the fmell, and nothing fo terrible as her fhrieks! Juft at that time I had been defired to write Dr. Dillenius's diploma, our profeffor of botany and, to acquaint myfelf with fome botanical expreilions, referred to fome books of that kind in our library at Magdalen-college: and, after I had finished my compilement, I amufed myself for fome time with reading the virtues of feveral plants, and particularly Cleavers, and the manner I recommended, and which was ftrictly followed by the patient, was as follows: She tft took a common inercurial purge; was charged to abftain from Mr. URBAN, IN March 8. N the parish of Hartingfordbury, about two miles from Effenden in the county of Hertford, is a fpring of water, known by the name of Aquatilehole, vulgò, Akerley-hole, now in the tenure or occupation of Samuel Whitbread, efq. of the most copious or fin gular nature in the ifland, fuppofed to deliver a quantity of water at the mouth or opening fufficient for the difcharge of a pipe of the bore of three feet and a half in diameter. This fpring arifes within 100 yards of the river Lea, into which it difembogues; and, in that short fpace, actually furnishes a greater quantity of water than what is contained in the river it!elf, which is well known to take the aggregate fprings from Leagrove-marih, near Dunitable, in Bedfordshire, to that place. What most aftonishes me is, that none of your hiftorians, geographers, or noters of antiquity, have noticed this extraordinary natural curiofity, or that none of the mechanical geniufes of the prefent day, confidering its contiguity to the metropolis, and confidering its unbounded ability, thould not have thought it, long cre 192 inɲance of a Life preserved after falling into a Coal-pit. ere this, an object of serious attention For the contemplation of the curious, however, and of the Antiquary in particular, this communication is meant; and, if noticed by the mechanic, fo much the better; not but that I could wish that fome of your valuable and intelligent readers, whofe time may be more their own than mine, and whofe inclination is conftantly tending towards the information and benefit of mankind, would favour the publick with the exact quantity of water iffuing there from and, at a future period, with a comparative table of the productions of other large fprings throughout the kingdom; and, if it were not too arduous an undertaking, with the quality as well as quantity of each. J. B. ; Bubblade's Colliery,near Mr. URBAN, Newe.upon Tyne, Mar. 5. I HAVE taken the liberty of communicating the following account of a perfon's efcaping with life after falling down a coal-pit. Yours, &c. J.BUDDLE. John Boys, a collier, employed in the coal works belonging to the hon. the late Lady Windfor, and the late Mr. Alderman Simpfon, of Newcastle upon Tyne, at Lanchefter common, in that neighbourhood, going to his work very early one morning in the year 1763, and, according to cuftom, on his turn to defcend the fhaft, in waiting to take out the afcending hook, in order to his making a loop to introduce his thigh for that purpose, the pit, cafting up very ftrongly a thick denfe vapour, deceived him in the attempts of laying hold thereof, and, by his throwing his center of gravity, unfupported, too far over the mouth of the thaft, he unfortunately fell to the bottom; a depth of 42 fathoms, or 84 yards. Immediately on his falling, a cart was fent for, to convey the body home, as no perfon had ever been known to furvive fuch an accident to fuch a depth; but, to the great fuiprize of the other colliers, on his being fent to-bank, or drawn out of the pit, in a corf, and after having recovered in fome degree from the violence of the fall, he was found, on examination, neither to have a broken or dislocated bone or joint, nor any external wounds, or even marks of contufion; yet the delicate compages of the human frame had received fuch a fhock and derangement, from the momentum of his ftriking the bottom, walk without the affiftance of two sticks. that he was never able afterwards to He was a pretty jolly man at the time of the accident, of about 12 ft. weight; and furvived it about 20 years, getting being able to work any more in the his livelihood by cobling old fhoes, not coal-pit.“ Many people have attributed this he met with in falling from the force of very remarkable efcape to the resistance the ftrong up-caft current of air in the pit, having retarded the acceleration of little confequence; it ought rather to be his defcent: but I think that reason of attributed to his having fallen perpendi cularly, and without having been dafhed and reverberated from fide to fide in the fhaft (as generally happens when from his having truck the bottom in any thing is dropped down a pit), and the most favourabie pofition for the preconfequent faving of his life. fervation of his head, &c. &c. and the It is very remarkable, that he broke the ftrong chain on the rope at the botof round iron, near three quarters of an tom of the pit, confifting of links, made concerning his fenfations during the inch diameter. On his being asked fall, he faid he defcended very fmoothly; but, as his descent was confined only to a few feconds, it cannot be fuppofed that he could, during fo fhort a pace of time, employ the power of perception in any confiderable degree. Mr. URBAN, Mar. 5. HAVE miflaid your laft Magazine, Croft invites chimneyfweepers, and oin which, I think, Mr. Herbert ther adepts in and out of black, to communicate the terms of their feveral promay be rendered as complete as feffions, that his intended Dictionary It occurs to me, that there is a language potlible. fpoken in our Universities, which is no where elfe intelligible, and perhaps he much of it as he can. will do well to collect and recollect as Gentlmen Commoners, Fellow Commoners, Senior keeping within college walls, are the perWranglers, Bed-makers, and all others fons to be confulted; who, by the ready and phrafes, will be entitled to long communication of their technical words bonours from Mr. Croft and the pul lick. Withing fuccefs to his arduous enterprize, I remain, Mr. Urban, his and your moft obedient lervant, GIP. σε οι |