naturally enough the sudden effect a surprise has on the lungs, but in other cases it only miserably fatigues the speaker, excepting when it comes after a consonant, as in th." I is placed among the consonants except "where it sounds like Y, of which it is an unnecessary modern substitute in our language, as in the word might for myght, and fight for fight, then only it commences vowel." Mr. Collier seemed in some doubt as to the classification of I, but he finally pronounced it "a mongrel, though oftener a consonant." K is a consonant, and "is a strange letter, and seems so confounded with C as scarce to be separated from it without investigating the radicals of almost every language since the days of Adam." L is a vowel in every case, M also is a vowel "as clear as any yet fixed," N is another vowel "as clearly as sound or reason can form." O is a vowel. Between B and P Mr. Collier found so little distinction that he thought one "might be well spared out of the alphabet"; but if the latter was to be retained in the alphabet he named it a consonant. Q"is a devil of a letter in our alphabet, because it is none at all; and being a nothing I wonder how it came by its tail." R is a "letter of the most curious construction in regard to sound in the whole alphabet, and very difficult to pronounce by the northern nations of Europe, particularly the Danes and Norwegians, from whose long residence in Northumberland," Mr. Collier supposed, "the present inhabitants of that part owe their difficulty in pronouncing this letter." He regarded it as a vowel. "The perfection of the sound" of S, "convinces you 'tis a vowel at first touch, and on examination you will find it the most remarkable one in the whole alphabet; and no wonder, since it even requires to form it no less than three motions." T is a consonant except when it is joined with H, when it becames a sort of diphthong to the eye, "but in sound and use a vowel; and both our Saxon ancestors and Greeks knew it to be such, and very wisely made them one character." U is a vowel. V is also a vowel, and is an "unnecessary duplicate of F in sound, and of U in use." It is, therefore, a "useless, troublesome confuser of our alphabet," and has nothing to recommend it or distinguish it but the sharp point at the bottom, which, according to Mr. Collier, was "occasioned by the laziness of a botching Latin workman." W is a diphthong in one sense, but being formed by three motions is also a vowel. X, being a "cristy-crosty character, and 80 seldom used in our language," puzzled Mr. Collier. It appeared to him to be a vowel, "but swelled a little with a consonant, and no more than a composition of our hard C or K and S," and, as such, he wished it "with other useless duplicates-out of the alphabet." Y is a "good old Greek, Welsh, and Saxon letter," and a diphthong vowel, and Collier "knew not how it came

to lose its consequence with us." Z is a queer zigzag sort of letter, and like Ts in sound; its use seems to be so little that we may conclude and fix it a vowel." To sum up the alphabet, Mr. Collier classed as vowels, A, F, J, L, M, N, O, R, S, V, W, X, Y, and Z; both, C, E, G, H, I, and U; consonants, B, D, K, P, and T; and unknown Q. "Fourteen vowels, six mongrels! five consonants! and one devil knows what-form our present alphabet, consisting of twenty-six marksbut" is the abrupt termination of this curious alphabetical theory. The pamphlet contains three more pages, yet from the "but” quoted above to the end the alphabet is not named. These final pages are very wild, and relate to a theory of thought transference by contact with the electrical fluids in which Collier was a firm believer.

The later career of John Collier, the "supposed lunatic," is melancholy. He was in the asylum for some time, then under a brother's care and in a mild kind of restraint, and afterwards, having recovered his reason, he lived many years at Milnrow, where he was regarded as a natural or "softie." He died in 1809. ERNEST AXON.

SWIFT AND STELLA. The two following memorials of assignment executed by Stella in favour of Dean Swift are copies of the originals preserved in the Dublin registers, and were kindly sent to me by Mr. Horace Wilson, solicitor, of that city. They relate to certain properties in Trim (Talbot's Castle), and in St. Patrick's Street, Dublin, which were by these deeds transferred to Swift. Stella calls herself "Esther Johnston" in both, though, as I discovered in the Richmond registry of baptisms, she was christened Hester, and was the daughter of Edward Johnson (without a t). She is styled "spinster," in spite of the alleged marriage with Swift in 1716; but this, believers in the marriage legend will say, was part of the system of concealment adopted by the dean.

A Memorial of Deeds of Lease and Release Indented bearing date respectively the 19th and 20th day of May 1718 Between Esther Johnston of the city of Dublin Spinster of the one part and the Reverend Jonathan Swift Doctor in Divinity Dean of the Cathedral Church Release the said Esther Johnston in consideration of of St. Patricks Dublin of the other part By which said £200 did release and confirm unto the said Jonathan Swift all that House Messuage or Tenement commonly called or known by the name of Talbots Castle with the appurtenances situate in the Town of Trim in the county Morrison and afterwards in the possession of his widow of Meath aforesaid formerly in the occupation of Hugh Mary Morrison who by her last will and Testament devised the same to William Johnston of Trim Gentleman aforesaid and Jane Johnston alias Blakeley his wife who conveyed the same to John Blakeley of Rochestown in the deed duly executed sold the same to the said Esther said county Gentleman which said John Blakeley by Johnston which said premises are bounded on the south

to a slate house in the possession of Anne Greggats Byrnes widow on the north to the Street which leadeth towards the Mills of Trim on the East to the Street which Leadeth towards the Bridge of Trim on the West to a House and Grounds belonging to the Lady Roscommon To Hold to the said Jonathan Swift his heirs and assigns for Ever to his and their own proper use and behoof which said Deeds were perfected on the Said 20th day of May 1718 are witnessed by Rebecca Dingley of the City of Dublin spinster and David Bourne of Trim GentleESTHER JOHNSTON. (Seal)

man.

A Memorial of Deed Indented bearing date and perfected the 28th day of November 1721 made between Esther Johnston of the city of Dublin Spinster of the one part and the Reverend Jonathan Swift Doctor of Divinity Dean of St. Patrick's Dublin of the other part whereby the said Estber [sic] in consideration of the Sum of £158 10 10 Sterling to her in hand paid by the Said Jonathan Swift did assign and make over unto the Said their Backsides Stables and Gardens late in the possession Hudson situate in St Patrick Street Dublin with one moiety of the close or Field near Cullenswood in the County of Dublin formerly in the Possession of Thomas Gavan To Hold to the Said Jonathan Swift his Executors administrators and assigns during all the residue and remainder of the Several Terms of years by several Leases granted therein recited under the several yearly Rents and the Covenants of the said Leases Subject nevertheless to the Equity of Redemption in the Reverend Anthony Raymond clerke and Elizabeth his wife their Executors administrators and assigns by virtue of the Provisoe of the said recited deed of Mortgage contained which said deed is witnessed by Rebecca Dingley of the city of Dublin and David Bourne of Trim in the county of Meath ESTHER JOHNSTON. (Seal)

Jonathan Swift all those Houses or Tenements with

Gentleman.

Signed and sealed in the presence of us

REBECCA DINGLEY
DAVID BOURNE

Registered on the oath of David Bourne who swears that he saw the said deed duly executed by the said Esther Johnston and Jonathan Swift and the mem' by the said Esther Johnston and that said memorial was delivered to Mr. William Parry Deputy Registrar on the

28th day of November 1721 at or near half past an hour

after Five of the Clock in the afternoon.

Registered in Book 33, Page 49, No. 19613.
WILLIAM PARRY, Dep. Reg.
STANLEY LANE-POOLE.

Athenæum Club.

ANCIENT HERALDIC TILES.

In the month of August last an interesting discovery of encaustic tiles was made in Cardiff during the demolition of an old house situated in the High

Street, not far from the castle gates. By the courtesy of Mr. Storrie, of the Museum, whose vigilant efforts undoubtedly secured the find and its preservation, I have been enabled to carefully examine and note the heraldic bearings on these apparently fourteenth century relics. No historical evidence appears to be at hand whereby to indicate the purpose they originally served, but in all probability they formed a portion of the decorated pavement of some ecclesiastical edifice whose history is now buried in oblivion. In the twelfth century there was a chapel of St. Perian in Cardiff, wherein Henry III. heard mass on Low Sunday, April 23, 1172 (cf. ‘The Land of Morgan,' by G. T. Clark, p. 58), the site of which is undetermined; and there was also about the same date a chapel attached to the castle and granted by Nicholas, Bishop of Llandaff, to the monastic house of Tewkesbury some time between 1153 and 1183, so that possibly the present discovery may help to localize one or the other of these, if, indeed, they were not identical.

The tiles discovered are tinctured simply in red and white, and none appears to contain charges borne by any of the great families who have held the castle, but seem rather to be commemorative of local knightly families whose names will probably be well known to many. In the absence of any better account of this interesting discovery I append a description, as far as it can be given, of the various charges displayed on the tiles, in the hope that some one, well read in the heraldry of Glamorganshire, will be able to throw such light on the matter as may lead to the identification of the bearers, and possibly clearer information concerning the site.

1. A chevron between three maunches.-Argent, a chevron between three maunches sable, was the bearing of Sir Rice Mauncel, co. Glamorgan, whilst other members of the Mansell family bore the same charges with tinctures reversed.

2. Crusilly fitchy, three boars' heads couped.Azure, crusilly fitchy, three boars' heads couped or, was the bearing of John de la Bere.

3. (A fragment.) Semé of crosslets, and in the sinister chief a boar's head couped.-Azure, semée of crosses crosslet, three boars' heads couped or, was the bearing of Cradock; and the arms of Roger Craddock, Bishop of Llandaff, 1361-1382, are given as Azure, crusilly arg., three boars' heads couped, of the last.

4. A chevron between ten crosses patée, six and four.- Berkeley.

5. Fretty, on a chief a lion passant guardant (the head to sinister).-Gules, fretty argent, on a chief or, a lion passant guardant, of the first, was borne by Sir Henry Spigurnell, temp. Edward I. (1272-1307). The position of the lion's head is possibly a similar error to that on the reverse of the great seal of Edward IV., where, on the bard

ing of the horse, the three lions passant are represented with their heads towards the sinister.

6. Fretty, on a fesse four crescents increscent. 7. Three birds (? swans), two and one. 8. (A fragment.) This is an interesting fragment, of which, however, insufficient remains to distinguish either the form or the position of the shield. On a bordure argent, three cross crosslets gules, is distinct, and surmounting an angle of the shield is the lower portion (remaining) of a mitre, jewelled, with the infulæ resting on either side of the bordure.

9. This is a perfect tile, but evidently only a sixteenth part of a larger complete design. It bears, with floriated ornament, a portion of a ribbon on which may be read eo' gr in old English letters. The character represented here by an apostrophe is, however, in the original as large as the lettering, and may possibly be either a mediæval contraction of us or the letter s reversed.

Tamworth.

H. NORRIS.

THE COOK INSCRIPTIONS AT CAMBRIDGE.

It may seem somewhat singular that the burying-place of the family of the celebrated navigator Capt. Cook should be at Cambridge, but this arose from the death of Capt. Cook's youngest son having occurred at Christ's College in 1793. Hugh Cook died an undergraduate, aged seventeen, and was buried in the church of St. Andrew the Great, opposite the college. The church has been rebuilt since that date, but I am assured by the present vicar that the Cook grave has not been disturbed. By the favour of the vicar I am enabled to furnish a copy of the inscription on the north wall as follows:

In Memory

Of Captain James Cook of the Royal Navy one of the most celebrated navigators that this or former Ages can boast of; who was killed by the natives of Owyhee, in the Pacific Ocean, on the 14th day of February, 1779 in the 51st year of his age.

Of Mr. Nathaniel Cook, who was lost with the Thunderer Man of War, Captain Boyle Washington, in a most dreadful Hurricane, in October 1780: aged 16 years.

Of Mr. Hugh Cook, of Christ's College Cambridge who died on the 21st of December 1793, aged 17 years.

Of James Cook, Esq, Commander in the Royal Navy, who lost his life on the 25th of January, 1794: in going from Pool, to the Spitfire Sloop of War which he commanded in the 31st year of his age.

Of Elizth Cook, who died April 9th 1771, Aged 4 years. Joseph Cook, who died Sept 13th, 1768. aged 1 Month. George Cook, who died Oct 1st 1772, Aged 4 Months. All Children of the first-named Capa James Cook by Elizabeth Cook, who survived her Husband 56 years, and departed this life 13th May 1835 at her residence Clapham Surrey in the 94th Year of her Age. Her remains are deposited with those of her Sons James and Hugh in the middle Aisle of this Church.

I conclude, from nothing being said on the monument as to the cause of the death of Com

mander James Cook in 1794, that Mrs. Cook never ascertained whether he lost his life by the treachery of the boat's crew or whether he was drowned in the ordinary course of the passage from Poole to his ship. His body was found cast ashore at the back of the Isle of Wight. Besides the inscription given above there is one on a flagstone where Mrs. Cook lies buried in "the middle aisle" of the church.

No monument or inscription belonging to the family is to be found in the church or churchyard of Marton, in Cleveland, where Capt. Cook was born, so I am informed by the vicar, who, however, reminds me that a school building has been erected to his memory in or near the village, where there is a portrait of him, and that a pillar with an inscription has been set up on a neighbouring hill. S. ARNOTT, Emman. Coll. Gunnersbury, W.

"DUTCH COURAGE." (See 6th S. iii. 289, 458, 498.)-A passage from the London and Country Brewer,' published in 1738, which is quoted in "The Streets of London' (1861, p. 53), by J. T. Smith, contains a statement which appears to explain sufficiently how the artificial courage, supposed to be gained by taking a glass of spirits, acquired its popular name of "Dutch courage.' We are told that in the days of Charles II. :—

"Very merry, and very mad, and very drunken the people were; and grew more and more so every day. As to the materials, beer and ale were considerable articles; they went a great way in the work at first, but which had not been long in use, came into play. The were far from being sufficient, and then strong waters, occasion was this: In the Dutch wars, it had been observed that the captain of the Hollander's men-of-war, when they were about to engage with our ships, usually set a hogshead of brandy abroach afore the mast, and bid the men drink sustick that they might fight lustick; and our poor seamen felt the force of the brandy to their cost. We were not long behind them; but suddenly after the war we began to abound in strong-water shops." J. F. MANSERGH.

Liverpool.

"THREE TONS OF OLD AND MODERN BOOKS." -The sale of books "per ton" and "per cwt." is such a curiosity of literature as to deserve a place in 'N. & Q.' The name and address need not be advertised gratis, but the offer is too curious to be lost:

"Shippers, Foreign Agents, and British Consuls must read this. I have about three Tons of Old and Modern Books, comprising Theology, Travels, History, Biography, Novels, Tales &c., also a large quantity of Magazines, such as Blackwood, Cornhill, Quiver, Sunday at Home, Chambers's Journal, Quarterly, Edinburgh, Contemporary, and other Reviews &c. The whole of the Books (except the Magazines and Reviews) are bound, and all in good second-hand order, though of course old calf-bound books are more or less rubbed in the binding. In order to effect a clearance I offer this lot at 15s. per Cwt., or One Ton for £12. This price includes cost of packing securely in bales to travel any distance with perfect safety. Any person in any part of the World, can, by mailing an order to me direct, for all or part of the above have all the delights of rummaging over an old Bookstall, and who knows what treasures he may light upon?"

ESTE.

SHELLEY.-Shelley seems to have written some remarkable lines which have not been generally remarked upon. In the preface to 'Prometheus' he wrote "Let the punishment......have been sufficient." In the 'Cenci,' Act III. sc. i., Giacomo is made to observe "There is a holier judge than me." However, Shelley wrote " averse from." W. F. WALler.

JESSE FOOT, THE YOUNGER (1780-1850), SURGEON.-It may serve a useful purpose to note, as an addition to the account of him appearing in the 'Dictionary of National Biography,' vol. xix. p. 368, that he married, in the parish church of Paddington, co. Middlesex, on October 4, 1819, Miss Foot, of Dean Street, Soho, a lady who was presumably his cousin.

17, Hilldrop Crescent, N.

DANIEL HIPWELL.

STONE, COURT FOOL, TEMP. JAMES I.-In his 'History of Court Fools' Dr. Doran noted that the only record of one named Stone having occupied that position in the reign of James I. was contained in an anecdote related of him by Selden in his 'Table Talk,' on the occasion of his receiving a whipping for an ill-timed jest. The following extract, taken from a letter (Sir Dudley Carleton to Mr. Winwood), dated March 10, 1604, printed in Winwood's 'Memorials' (1725), vol. ii. p. 52,

corroborates Selden's statement as to the office held by Stone, and, singularly enough, records another whipping he had to undergo :

"There was great Execution done lately upon Stone the Fool, who was well whipt in Bridewell for a blasphemous Speech, That there went sixty Fools into Spaine, besides my Lord Admiral and his two Sons. But he is gives his Lordship the Praise of a very pittifull Lord.” now at Liberty again, and for that unexpected Release,

The date serves to show that he was the predecessor of Archie Armstrong.

Salterton, Devon.

T. N. BRUSHFIELD, M.D.

Bless the God that made us all.

"If so-and-so [naming the person that he turned th sieve before as he stood in turn before each one in the room stole this money, turn sieve."

When opposite one woman the sieve did turn nearly round in the hands of the person who held it. This woman taught the village school and she was paid by the people at the hall and lived in the house (this is fifty years ago). Such was the prejudice against her after this, that she left the village, and, dying about four months after, confessed to stealing the money.

The same old man was out in America for some time, and he told me that his elder brother, who was with him, repeatedly used the divining rod to miles round sent for him to point out places to sink find water, and with such success that people for wells in. C. S.

EXPULSION OF THE JEWS, A.D. 1290.-The Jews of England temp. Edward I. evidently anticipated and were prepared for the blow that awaited them, and swiftly got rid of their houses and other possessions, converting them into hard cash. This, in a measure, will account for the smallness of the amount derived from forfeitures by the Exchequer at the period of their expulsion.

The Record Office contains a small roll of one membrane giving particulars of the sale of these Jewish houses. It is headed: "Compotus Hugonis de Kendale, clerici regis, de denariis receptis pro domibus, redditibus et tenementis quæ fuerunt Judæorum per Angliam per ipsum Hugonem venditis. Qui ad hoc fuit assignatus per breve Regis patens quæ data est apud Asherugge xxvii die Decembr. anno xix."