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needed he to envy the skill of the physician, when for his sight he had Eyebright, for his hurts he had Wound-wort, for ointment Ploughman's-spikenard, for sprains Chafe-weed, against infection Pestilent-wort, in the burning summer, Fever-few; in the unhealthy autumn, Spleen-wort; if hurt by poison, Adderwort; for condiments, Poor-man's-pepper; finally, against all possible accidents, All-heal? Merrily might the traveller wend on his way when there was the little Speedwell to cheer him, Waybread to support him, Gold-of-pleasure to enrich him, Travellers'-joy to welcome him; when, though Dent-de-lion and Wolf'sclaw might meet his eye, he would find no further trace of those evil beasts. Animals, too, have left their names; so we have Snake-weed, and from its sweetness Ox-lips or Cows'-lips; and how pretty are the names Day's-eye and Night-shade! Sage men, too, have given such titles as Honesty, and Thrift, and Heart's-ease, and Loose-strife; and even in this cold age we have St. John's Wort, St. Peter's Wort, St. Barnaby's Thistle, ay, and best of all, Everlasting!

Palæophilus.-Yes, our boasted wisdom has fallen very short here in the unpronounceable and hideous names which we fasten on our delicate plants.— Hierologus, p. 171: Lond. 1846.

PURITAN SIMILES.

1. Indeed there is an ignorance that is no better than a dancing-roome for the satyre.-Sydenham's Serm., 1637, p. 198.

2. Our Church is full crammed with Pastours, our Pastours with the Worde, and our Congregations with both, and our Parloures sometimes with all three.-Ibid, p. 223.

3. That hande is vnshapen and little better than monstrous, where all the fingers are the same length.—Ibid, p. 295. (Touching the Degrees of Church Ministry.)

4. Between a toad under a sill, and the sunne in the firmament.-Baxter's Saints' Rest, 1649, p. 270.

5. When God will, he takes up whom He will amongst the wicked and trusseth him up so or so, quarters him, and hangs up his quarters; setts him up as a mark, and shoots him clean thorow.-Lockyer's England Watched, 1646, p. 308.

6. Malice should be looked on as an implacable thing, and

the men in whose breasts it is, as fire shovels fetched from Hell. -Ibid, p. 402.

7. Vindication of conscience! ah, what a thing 'tis! 'tis a granado shot into the house in the night, when all are abed and asleep which awakens, breaks open, teares open windows, doores, eyes, and bowels, and fetches the sleeper oute piecemeal.-Ibid, p. 499.

8. As all the beastes tremble when the lion roreth, soe let all men harken when God teacheth.-Smith's Serm., 1622, p. 311. 9. But if they bee vsed as beautifull baites to couer a barbed hooke, I will there lay a strawe, and reject them.-Frewen's Serm., 1612, c. 4.

10. They returned home with the same sinnes they carried away; like new moones, they had a new face and appearance, but the same spots remained still.—Stillingfleet's Serm., 1666, p. 9.

11. Hell paved with skulls of children.-Watson's Art of Contentment, 1653, p. 27.

12. His house made an habitation for Zim and Jim, and every unclean thing.-Godly Man's Portion, 1663, p. 129.*

13. A covenant with them is like a loose collar aboute an ape's neck, which they can put off and on at pleasure.—Calamy's Serm., p. 27; Gibson's Serm., 1645, p. 22.

Pray'r is Faith's pump, where't works till the water come;
If't comes not free at first, Faith puts in some.

Pray'r is the sacred bellows;

How doth that live-coal from

when these blow,

God's altar glow.

Faithful Teate's Ter Tria, 1658.

Walking in the streets, I met a cart that came near the wall; so I stept aside, to avoid it, into a place where I was secure enough. Reflection. Lord, sin is that great evill of which Thou

* See the margin of the authorized version of Isaiah xiii. 21, 22, where these words occur: Gesenius makes Zim to be animals, i. e. jackals, ostriches, wild beasts. The Jim, he says, were jackals.

complainest that Thou art pressed as a cart is pressed; how can it then but bruise me to powder ?-Caleb Trenchfield's Christian Chymestree.

ANTIQUITY OF THE "BONES."

And with his right drew forth a truncheon of a white ox rib, and two pieces of wood of a like form; one of black Eben, and the other of incarnation Brazile; and put them betwixt the fingers of that hand, in good symmetry. Then knocking them together, made such a noise as the lepers of Britany used to do with their clappering clickets; yet better resounding, and far more harmonious.-Rabelais, book ii. c. 19.

COLLEGE SALTING.

There formerly prevailed an odd custom at Oxford and Cambridge, entitled Salting, which was the ceremony of initiating a freshman into the company of senior students. There is an account of it given in the Life of Anthony Wood, who was admitted a student at Oxford, 1647. At various periods, from All Saints till Candlemas, "there were Fires of Charcole made in the Common hall."

At all these Fires every Night, which began to be made a little after five of the clock, the Senior Under-Graduats would bring into the hall the Juniors or Freshmen between that time and six of the clock, and there make them sit down on a Forme in the middle of the Hall, joyning to the Declaiming Desk: which done, every one in Order was to speake some pretty Apothegme, or make a Jest or Bull, or speake some eloquent Nonsense, to make the Company laugh: But if any of the Freshmen came off dull or not cleverly, some of the forward or pragmatical Seniors would Tuck them, that is, set the nail of their Thumb to their chin, just under the Lipp, and by the help of their other Fingers under the Chin, they would give him a chuck, which sometimes would produce Blood. On Candlemas day, or before (according as Shrove Tuesday fell out), every Freshman had warning given him to provide his Speech, to be spoken in the public Hall before the Under-Graduats and Servants on Shrove

Tuesday night that followed, being alwaies the time for the observation of that Ceremony. According to the said Summons A. Wood provided a Speech as the other Freshmen did.

Shrove Tuesday Feb. 15, the Fire being made in the Common hall before 5 of the Clock at night, the Fellowes would go to Supper before six, and making an end sooner than at other times, they left the Hall to the Libertie of the Undergraduats, but with an Admonition from one of the Fellowes (who was the Principall of the Undergraduats and Postmasters) that all things should be carried in good Order. While they were at Supper in the Hall, the Cook (Will. Noble) was making the lesser of the brass Pots full of Cawdle at the Freshmans Charge; which, after the Hall was free from the Fellows, was brought up and set before the Fire in the said Hall. Afterwards every Freshman, according to seniority, was to pluck off his Gowne and Band, and if possibly to make himself look like a Scoundrell. This done, they were conducted each after the other to the high Table, and there made to stand on a Forme placed thereon; from whence they were to speak their Speech with an audible voice to the Company: which, if well done, the person that spoke it was to have a Cup of Cawdle and no salted Drinke; if indifferently, some Cawdle and some salted Drinke; but if dull, nothing was given to him but salted Drinke, or salt put in College Bere, with Tucks to boot. Afterwards when they were to be admitted into the Fraternity, the Senior Cook was to administer to them an Oath over an old Shoe, part of which runs thus: Item tu jurabis, quod penniless bench non visitabis, &c.: the rest is forgotten, and none there are that now remembers it. After which spoken with gravity, the Freshman kist the Shoe, put on his Gowne and Band, and took his place among the Seniors.

Mr. Wood gives part of his speech, which is ridiculous enough. It appears that it was so satisfactory that he had cawdle and sack without any salted drink. He concludes thus:—

This was the way and custome that had been used in the College, time out of mind, to initiate the Freshmen; but between that time and the restoration of K. Ch. 2. it was disused, and now such a thing is absolutely forgotten.

LIFE.

It has been ingeniously said that "Life is an epigram, of which death is the point." Alas for human nature! good points are rare, and no wonder, according to this wicked but witty

EPIGRAM BY LA MONNOYE.

The world of fools has such a store,
That he who would not see an ass,
Must bide at home, and bolt his door,
And break his looking glass.

CHILDREN CRYING AT THEIR BIRTH.

When I was born, I drew in the common air, and fell upon the earth, which is of like nature, and the first voice which I uttered was crying, as all others do.-Wisd. vii. 3.

Tum porro Puer, ut sævis projectus ab undis
Navita, nudus humi jacet, Infans, indigus omni
Vitali auxilio; cum primum in luminis oras
Nixibus ex alvo matris natura profudit:
Vagituque locum lugubri complet, ut æquum est,
Cui tantum in vita restet transire malorum.

Lucret. De Rer. Nat., v. 223.

For the benefit of the lady readers of " N. & Q." I subjoin a translation of these beautiful lines of Lucretius:

The infant, as soon as Nature with great pangs of travail hath sent it forth from the womb of its mother into the regions of light, lies, like a sailor cast out from the waves, naked upon the earth in utter want and helplessness; and fills every place around with mournful wailings and piteous lamentation, as is natural for one who has so many ills of life in store for him, so many evils which he must pass through and suffer.

Thou must be patient: we came crying hither;
Thou know'st, the first time that we smell the air,
We wawle and cry-

When we are born, we cry that we are come

To this great stage of fools.-Shakspeare's Lear.

Who remindeth me of the sins of my infancy? "For in Thy sight none is pure from sin, not even the infant whose life is but a day upon the earth." (Job xxv. 4.) Who remindeth me? Doth not each little infant, in whom I see what of myself I remember not? What then was my sin? Was it that I hung upon the breast and cried?-St. Austin, Confess., lib. i. 7.

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