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Such an establishment was then an ordinary appendage of court etiquette; it was as indispensable as a foreign orchestra, or a regiment of grenadiers, to any German prince and their imitators in our own times.

His most Christian Majesty, how ever, was not so very Turkish as to permit the superintendence to one of his own sex, as we find from the royal expenditure of his household at the commencement of the sixteenth century.t

"A Olive Sainte, dame des filles de joye suivant la cour du roy‡, 90 livres par lettres données a Watteville le 12. May 1535, pour lui aider, et auxdites filles a vivre et supporter les depenses qu'il leur convient faire a suivre ordinairement la cour. Alius, an. 1539.A Cecile Viefville, dame des filles de joye suivant la cour, 90 livres, par lettres du 6. Janv. 1538, tant pour elle, que pour les autres femmes, et filles de sa vacation, a departir entr'elles pour leur droit, du 1. jour de May dernier passé, qui étoit dû a cause du bouquet qu'elles presenterent au roy ledit jour, que pour leurs estrains, du 1. Janvier; ainsi qu'il est accoustume de faire de tout temps. Eadem occurrunt annis

1540, 41, 42, 44, 46."

The old adage in papal times, "Judai vel meretrices," was not always equally vilifying. Carpentier remarks, Que (se. meretrices) hic uti infames habentur, de comitatu regio fuerunt, pensionibus etiam donisque dotatæ."§

It is noticed in Borthwick's Remarks on British Antiquities, but more fully in Madoxe's Baronia Anglica, p. 242, note, where the office is proved to have existed as far back as the time of Henry II.

+ Comput. ærarii Reg. ap. Carpentier, voce. Meretricialis, Vestis.

Hence the origin of courtezan, now only used in a restricted and bad sense.

§ Selden, quoth Lord Lyttelton, (Life of Henry II. vol. iv. p. 50), would not have admitted among the grand sergeantries Warblington's office," of the meanest and most dishonourable nature; and he is angry with Madox for having so classed it!This is a good illustration of Chalmer's remark, (Cal. vol. i. 626), that this lord's "notions and language are altogether modern.” dependently of other consideratio

In

be stated, that Blount, in his Tenures, has quoted an old deed, where it is expressly said to be held by grand serjeantry."

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The said John Warblington must have been as versatile and expansive as Mercury; for he not only performed the more familiar duties of this delicate charge, but also the high legal office of coroner within the liberties of the palace-was clerk of the market to the household, or purveyor-general thereof-broke condemned felons upon the wheel-exercised the duties of a gauger, and enforced the observance of his self-regulated standard of weights and measures.

*

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The etymology, then, of the excellent Selden would appear not to be altogether conclusive; and Wachtert would seem to be more fortunate, in seducing the term from mer, mar," major vel princeps, and schalk, as before, a servant, i. e. officer of any kind-thus making it to signify any considerable officer or superintendent, or, according to Jameson (who seems rather to incline to this deduction), upper servant, or steward—not necessarily of the crown alone; a much more extended signification, and one which accounts for the term having characterised so many various and heterogeneous employments.

I have forgot to allude to the more ordinary sense, indicative of high military command, either as exercised by the marshal of Scotland over the royal guards, previous to the union, or by field marshals, or marshals of armies, personages familiar to all. An office of a similar nature,-to compare small things with great,-would appear formerly to have been common in the Highlands of Scotland, as we learn from the following amusing description in an ancient MS. History of the Name of Mackenzie, composed before the year 1667, by John Mackenzie of Applecross, extant in the Advocates' Library.

"Alexander M'Kenzie of Coull was a natural son of Collin, the 12 laird of Kintail, gotten wyt Marie M'Ken

"Johannes de Warblington, coronator mariscalciæ ac clericus mercati hospitii regis ad placitum.

"Idem tenet in feodo serjantiam essendi marescalli meretricum in hospitio, et dismembrandi malefactores adjudicatos, et mensurandi galones et bussellos." Rot. Pat. 22, Ed. III.

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zie, daughter to Rorie M'Kenzie of Davoch-maluack. His first patrimonie was his sword and bow, quherewith he did such worthie service, that he conqueist first the love of his chieffe and broyer, the lard of Kintail, wyt the love of all his countreymen, so as his broyer made choise of him to be his mareschall of all his armie in all ye wares he had wyt Glengarrie and M'Leod of the Lewis. He commanded sexscore of the prettiest men that ware in his broyer's armie, and especiallie the Clanwurchie were under his command, quho served him as under officers to discharge the dutie of marischall. His dutie wes, that in ye armies marching to ye enemies land, he should still guard the riar; and as the armie rested in ther camp, he still went in expeditiones to bring them hership* and provision, quhilk herschips were distributed as he liked, with the consent of the superior. His own pert of the hership was ilk cow quhose ear wes longer then hir horn, ilk black cow that had not a white spott in her bodie, ilk white cow that had not a black spott in her bodie, and ilk horse that wes wyt in three years; and his under officers had all the hedes of all the cowes that were killed in the camp. But sometimes he destributed his part of the herships amongst the best deshervin of the shouldiers, quhilk made the shouldiers so desperat quich were under his command, that they resolved ayer to die or be victorious quhenever they ingadged. He had power to fine all the shouldiers that did not goe right in their cloathes and armes, and wytall to decern all the contravershies; quhilk place he managed so fortunatlie, that he was sent in all expeditiounes, and in everie expeditioune he was victorious. His good service gott him the reall affectioune of his broyer, so that his broyer, in his death-bed, left him his own sword, quhilk was the gretest merit a kinsman could haive, to haive the sword of such a brave conqueror, as a testimonie of faithfull service."

The situation appears to have been lucrative; for he adds, " Ane estate from his broyer he needed not; ffor befor his broyer's death, by his oune prudent managment of ye benefit of

Seld.

"Herschip, Heirschip, Heiriscip, the act of plundering, devastation.-Booty, prey, &c." Jamieson.

ye impleyment he had, and of quhatever fell to his hand, he conqueist to himself a resonable estate, quhilk he dailie augmented during the rest of his worthie dayes. He married to his first wife Annabel M'Kenzie, daughter to Murdo M'Kenzie of Fairburn, and relich," &c. &c. &c.

The place was not hereditary; at least the historian, himself a male descendant and grandson of the marshal, does not affirm that it was ever again held by any of his kindred.

(To be continued.)

ACCOUNT OF MR RUTHVEN'S IMPROV
ED PRINTING PRESS.

As one of the objects of this Magazine
is to disseminate usef I knowledge, we
cannot attain the end in view with
better effect than by giving some ac-
count of a most important improve-
ment in the mechanical part of print-
ing, by Mr John Ruthven, printer, of
this place. This very ingenious me-
chanician, having diligently studied his
profession for upwards of twenty years,
observed that there were numerous de-
fects in the construction of the print-
ing presses commonly employed, the
principle of which is unaltered from
the time of the invention of printing.
The excessive and dangerous labour
occasioned to the workmen, and the
very imperfect adaptation of the press
to many purposes, were the most ob-
vious defects; to remedy which, by
any improvement of the original ma-
chine, Mr Ruthven found, after dili-
gent study, to be quite impracticable;

he therefore resolved on attempting something new; and, after much labour, he has succeeded in producing not only a highly useful press, but in giving a most beautiful application of a combination of levers, for the production of parallel motion, with a degree of power hitherto unequalled.

For the better understanding of the account we propose to give, it will be well to premise a few observations on the printing-press commonly used.

The screw has hitherto been the power employed to produce pressure, while the types were placed on a moveable carriage, which was moved, after the ink had been applied, under the surface for pressing. In consequence e power has always been liteu-he radius of the lever which moves the screw being confined. It is also a consequence, that not more

Th

than one half of a large sheet could be printed at one descent of the screw. A most serious evil results from this, especially in printing duodecimo, because the pressure necessarily is applied twice to the centre pages of each sheet, while it is applied only once to the other pages. To these disadvantages may be added, the difficulty of ascertaining and regulating the degree of pressure; the irregularity of the motion of the lever; the severe labour, and excessive exertion of the workman; the nice accuracy in placing the types under the centre;-there being no difference, in point of trouble and labour, in printing a card and a folio; -and the necessity for placing small work always in the same spot, which necessarily wears out one part sooner than the others. In obviating these defects, Mr Ruthven has completely succeeded;-and after giving some account of the construction of the new printing press, we shall point out the superior excellencies of it as briefly as possible.

The general appearance of the large press is well represented in fig. 1.; of which fig. 2. is a complete section. In this press the types are placed on a stationary coffin or tablet, P; the paper is

put on in the usual manner on the tympan, a, (fig.1.) and secured by the frisket, b. On turning over the tympans thus arranged, the platen, N (fig. 2.)-supported by the wheels, QQ,-is drawn over the coffin by the handle, U, till the lower parts of the screw bolts, MM, be fully secured in the clutches, LL (fig. 2.); the lever or handle, A, is then turned over in the front of the press till stopped, when it will be nearly in a horizontal position. It is then restored to its original situation, the platen pushed back, the tympans raised, and the printing is completed. The mode in which this movement is produced is concealed by the check, R."

The

The action which takes place in the above-described process will be best understood by a reference to, and examination of, the section, fig. 2. The platen is in this represented in its proper situation over the types. parts of the external structure have been already sufficiently explained; it only remains to point out those which are exposed in the section. Beneath the tablet, P, and immediately behind the check, R, are the levers, Í I, having their fulcra at K K; to which are attached the clutches, LL, communicating as above mentioned with MM;

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the motion to which is given by the bolt, H, forming a point of union between the levers, II. When their ends are depressed by means of the crank, EGF, which is moved by the handle, A, communicating to the crank, BC, and the connecting rod, D, the platen or upper surface, N, is forcibly drawn down upon the types.

To maintain the relative position of the several levers, the balance-weight, S, is applied. TTT is the frame-work supporting the whole of the machinery. Such is as minute an account of Mr Ruthven's printing press as is necessary for general information. It is here proper to state some of the points of superiority which it has, very decidedly, over all other contrivances of the same kind. These may be very briefly detailed, as we have already pointed out the most glaring defects

which first solicited Mr Ruthven's attention.-1st, In the new patent press the types remain stationary. 2d, The platen is the size of the whole sheet. 3d, Time is saved by its being brought over from the side. 4th, There is nearly half an inch between the tympans and the platen while passing over the types, by which all blurring is avoided. 5th, Any degree of pressure (from an ounce to twenty tons) may be correctly and uniformly given at pleasure. 6th, The platen being drawn down by the two ends, and the resistance sustained against the under surface of the tablet, affords the most complete and uniform security to all the parts; while, contrary to every other example known to us of the application of pressure, the frame is wholly independent of, and unaffected by, the force employed. 7th, As com

plete parallelism between the two surfaces (viz, of the platen and coffin) is maintained by means of the two screws, O O, so a small piece of work may be done at either end without a supporting block at the opposite extremity. 8th, This press being entirely unattached, requires no levelling or staying; and one for demy royal requires a space of only forty-two inches square, 9th, The motions of the pressmen, though less severe, are sufficiently si milar to enable him, in the course of one or two hours, to work with equal facility as at the common press. 10th, The principles above described are equally applicable to presses of all sizes. Fig. 3. represents one of the size of a cubic foot, which is capable of printing off an octavo page with greater celerity than a larger press, and may be work ed on a common table without being fixed. The advantages of foolscappresses of this construction will be found very important.

An ingenious application of the principles of this press has been made to copying manuscripts; for that purpose (although it may with perfect effect be done with the small printing presses) Mr Ruthven bas contrived the press represented in fig. 4. which is made without the printing apparatus, and having, instead of the clutches, permanent pillars to connect the upper surface with the levers. The paral lelism of the two surfaces is regulated by two graduated scales and indices at each end, as may be seen in the annexed figure.

We are persuaded, that when, in addition to the excellencies already described, the extreme simplicity of the new patent press, and its little liability to derangement, are taken into consideration, it will in a short time supersede every other printing machinery that has hitherto been in use.

M.

ACCOUNT OF THE METHOD OF EN-
GRAVING ON STONE.

MR EDITOR,

THE increasing taste for the fine arts in this great literary capital, and the pretty eager attention now paid to them by the public in general, inspire a hope that you will allot a place in your Magazine for so interesting a department of polite and useful knowledge.

Nothing can be more conducive to the promotion of the arts than publicity, which may be greatly accelerated through the medium of your publication, by the admission of discussions on the works of ancient and modern artists, explanations of their mødes of representation, or descriptions of the implements or apparatus used by them for that purpose. To those desirous of information, you may thus furnish facilities of acquiring it; and to those willing to communicate the result of their experience, a reputable and easy channel to publicity. To the inexperienced, nothing is more discourag ing than the difficulty with which practical information is to be obtained, with regard to the composition or management of the substances or implements to be employed in the arts in general.

With this view, and trusting to a coincidence of opinion on your part, I beg leave to request the insertion of the following article on LITHOGRAPHY, or the art of engraving on stone, which I hope may be the means of calling forth other communications, either on the practice or criticism of the fine arts.

This art has been long and successfully practised on the Continent, and we believe Germany has the honour It was introduced of its invention. into this country by a person of the name of Andrè about fifteen years ago, who attempted the publication of a periodical work, containing specimens of it by some of the most eminent artists in London, but which has It was also used been discontinued. in the Quarter-Master General's office, for the purpose of printing military plans, &c. In this country, however, it has never reached that state of perfection to which it has arrived on the Continent, as may be seen by a comparison of the works of Spix on craniology (in the college library), Albert Durer's Missal, and the Bavarian Flora; all of which are printed at Munich, and also the Flora Monacensis, and the last number of the Journal des Scavans; and these also furnish a proof of what may yet be done in the detail of this extraordinary invention.

The great advantages which this art possesses over every other kind of engraving, are, first, that any person who can draw, can also execute the

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