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VIII. That no man waite at the table without a trencher in his hand, except it be vpon some good cause, on paine of Id.

IX. That no man appointed to wait at my table bee absent at ineale, without reasonable cause, on paine of ld.

X. If anie man breake a glasse, hee shall answer the price thereof out of his wages and if it bee not known who breake it, the butler shall pay for it, on paine of 12d.

XI. The table must be couered halfe an houer before 11 at dinner, and 6 at supper, or before, on paine of 2d.

at

XII. That meate be readie 11 or before at dinner, and 6, or before, at supper, on paine of 6d.

XIII. That none bee absent, without leave or good cause, the whole day, or anie part of it, on paine of

4d.

XIV. That no man strike his fellow, on paine of losse of seruice; nor reuile or threaten, or provoke one another to strike on paine of 12d.

XV. That no man come to the kitchen without reasonable cause, on paine of Id. and the cook likewise to forfiet Id.

XVI. That none toy with the maids, on paine of 4d.

XVII. That no man weare foule shirt on Sundaie, nor broken hose or shooes, or douplett without buttons, on paine of Id.

XVIII. That when anie stranger goeth hence, the chamber be dressed vp againe within 4 houes after, on paine of Id.

XIX. That the hall be made cleane euery daie, by eight in the winter, and seaun in the summer, on paine of him that should doe it ld.

XX. That the court-gate bee shut each meale, and not opened during dinner and supper, without just cause, on paine the porter to forfiet for euery tyme ld.

XXI. That all stayrs in the house, and other rooms that need shall require, bee made cleane on Frydaie after dinner, on paine of forfeyture

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Yea, I did hope, that thou would'st live, and rank thyself among The wise, and eloquent, and just!— it was an idle dream;

The brightness of a sunset cloud, the musick of a song

The lightning of our antumn-sky, the bubble on the stream!

No! I shall hear thy voice no more; but I am calm and still;

I have no heart for weeping now-my harp is wet and dull!

I try to sweep its cords for thee-they echo not my will,

I cannot even dream of thee-my poor heart is too full.

I call thee from the grave, my friend; thou comest not to tell,

The deep, deep mystery of thy home, the unsunned hollow ground. Thou coms't not, wilt thou ever come? to breathe to me farewell!

I stop and listen now, to catch one whisper of the sound.

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Old Scaleits, a grave digger,who was buried near the spot where it is hung up. He died July 2d. 1594, aged 98-Under the picture are the following lines:

"You see Old Scaleit's picture stand on hie,

But at your feet there doth his body lie. His Gravestone doth his age and deathtime show,

His office by these tokens you may know. Second to none for strength and sturdie *limbe,

A scare-babe mighty voice, with visage grim.

He had interr'd two Queens within this place,

And this Town's householders, in his lives space,

Twice over; but at length his own turn

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ROMAN PENS, or Stiles, as they were called, were used for the purpose of writing upon oak-tables covered with wax, called Cerate Tabula; or upon bark, ivory, parchment, linen, stone, or lead. I once saw one at Bullock's Museum (since sold by public auction); it was of metal, and had at one end a piece of rubber or sponge of some kind;-the point serving to write with, and the other to efface that which was not approved of. These stiles being made of metal, assassinations were frequently committed with them, which caused a proclamation to be issued, prohibiting their use, and directing that bove ones should be used instead.

G. DRAGO.

DELIVERANCE.

Angels and Ministers of grace defend us From murders and from winds tremen

dous,

From horrid dreams and dreadful fires, From hypocrites and slanderous liars,And from the ills they may intend us, We pray and hope you will defend us!

G. DRAGO.

QUEER CUSTOMS.*- -In May 1824 a spectacle of an extraordinary description was presented in the neighbourhood, of Alnwick. About four miles from that town there is a pond known by the name of the Freemen's Well; through which it has been customary for the freemen to pass from time immemorial before they can obtain their freedom. This is considered so indispensable, that no exemption is permitted, and without passing this ordeal the freedom would not be conferred. The pond is prepared by proper officers in such a manner as to give the greatest possible annoyance to the persons who are to pass through it. Great dykes or mounds are erected in different parts, so that the candidate for his freedom is at one

forth that before any candidate could obtain the freedom of Alnwick, he should not only wade through this pond, but plant a holly tree at the door of his house on the same day, and this custom is still scrupulously observed. On the occasion to which we have just alluded, no less than 13 individuals went through the necessary formalities. (Tyne Mercury, May 1824.)

OYSTERS.-In the year 1824, about 90.000 tubs of oysters were taken from beds discovered off the town of ferent grounds of Feversham, Colches Shoreham, and conveyed to the dif ter, Milton, &c. where they were laid down to fatten. This operation gave employment to the crews of upwards of 300 vessels during the season.(Compare Nic-Nac, vol. i, p. 3.)

moment seen at the top of one of
them only up to his knees, and the
next instant is precipitated into a
gulf below, in which he frequently
plunges completely over head. The
water is purposely rendered so mud-
dy that it is impossible to see where
these dykes are situated, or by any
precaution to avoid them. Those
aspiring to the honour of the freedom
of Alnwick, are dressed in white
stockings, white pantaloons, and
white caps. After they have "reached
the point proposed," they are suffering.c
ed to put on their usual clothes, and
obliged to join in a procession and
ride for several miles round the
boundaries of the freemen's property

a measure which is not a mere formality for parade, but absolutely indispensable, since if they omit visiting any part of their property, it is claim ed by his Grace the Duke of Northum berland, whose steward follows the procession to note if any such omission occurs. The origin of the practice of travelling through the pond in the manner we have described, is explained by a tradition. It is said that King John was once nearly drowned upon the spot where this pond is situated, and saved his life by clinging to a holly tree; and that he determined in consequence, thence

Compare p. 95, of this Volume.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

MARIA'S Return" shall be inserted, but the writer must brook a little farther delay.-Pangloss,on" New Companies," has penned a very pleasant article, but the subject is stale, and we prefer devot

our columns to topics of less transitory interest: the paper is left for him as desired. Want of novelty militates also against our acceptance of Vito's "Parody, "though 'tis by no means devoid of ingenuity; We have not yet found leisure to peruse with much attention the poems forwarded by Al. plus, but, judging from the impression which a hasty glance at them has made, we shall not deny them a place. We cannot deny our vanity the pleasure of quoting the P. S. of his letter.“ It is, 1 assure you (says he) with pride that while Death stalks triumphant amid I behold your little work still survive, its cotemporaries:"-Let him not fear; we shall weather many a winter's storm yet.

LONDON--Printed and Published by T. Wallis Camden Town; and also Published by C. Harris, Bow Street, Covent Garden, by whom Communications for the Editor are received: Dunbar, Wych Street Drury Lane; and Archer, Berwick Street, Soho.

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