} Mr. URBAN,

A

Sept. 10.

from an antient MS. in possession of the Duke and Duchess of Northumber land, who, conceiving that so singular a curiosity might afford the same amusement and pleasure to others, which it hath given to themselves, have caused a small impression to be taken off, merely to bestow in presents to their friends."

The MS. was for some time lost; it. at last fell into the hands of Lord Dacre, who, on the solicitation of Lord Camden, restored it to its former owners. It is very curious, as a picture of antient manners, and as it contains a complete system of antient œconomics. At the end of the Preface is an account of this great Earl and his family. Among other instances of magnificence, we cannot but remark the number of Priests that were kept in household; not fewer thau eleven; at the head of whom presided a Doctor or Bachelor in Divinity, as Dean of the Chapel. This redundance of Clergymen must not be altogether attributed to the superstition of this Priest-ridden age; but to the superior intelligence of the men of that order, who seem to have been almost the only persons capable of exercising any office of skill or science; so that the Surveyor of my Lord's lands, his Secretary, the Clerk of his Foreign Expences, &c. were all Priests; notwithstanding which, the last officer was to make up his accompts on a Sunday.

Every particular branch of the Establishment is minutely noticed. It fills 463 pages, besides the 26 of Preface.

Page 6. Gascoigne Wine. " Item, to be payd to the said Richard Gouge and Thomas Percy, to make provision for x ton j hogisheds of Gascoigne Wine, for th' expensys of my house Wyne; v ton of Clarett Wyne; and ij for an hole yere; viz. iij ton of Rede tou and ij hogisheds of Whyte Wyne, &c. The hole somme xlixl."

The Claret Wine was what the Gascoines call at present Vin Clairet, being a pale red wine, as distinguished from the deeper red; and was the product of a district near Bourdeaux, called Graves, whence the English formerly fetched the wine they called Claret ; concerning which many found in the old Chronique de Borvery particular regulations may be deaux.

The

The Red Wine mentioned above was the coarse red wine, the growth of what they call the Palus, or deep, low, clayey countries, of which there is a great district near Bourdeaux, that still produces this sort of wine. The White Wine was probably what we now call Vin de Grave, or Priniac; both of them the produce of that country which was generally called Gascony by the English, who antiently applied this name to all that part of France which stretches away from the Loire to the Pyrenees.

P. 60. "Item, that the said Clerkis of the Brevements entre all the Taillis of the Furmunturs in the Jornall Booke in the Countynghous every day, furthwith after the Brede be delyverett to the Baker, and the Swache to the Pantler."

The Taillis of the Furniunturs (so it should have been printed) the Taill and Swatch are the tally, and its counterpart; "furniuntur," corrupt for furniantur, is the account of things baked, from the barbarous Latin word furniare, to bake; as

Brasianturs is the account of the liquors brewed, from the barbarous Latin brasiare, to brew; and as

Necanturs is the account of the slaughter-house, from the Latin ne

care.

Antiently all Household accounts were kept in Latin, as they still are in the Colleges in our Universities; and the above Latin words became a sort of technical terms for the heads of the several accounts.

P. 80. "Scamlynge days in Lent [Service for my Lorde and my Lady at Suppers upon Scamlynge days in Lent; viz. Mondays and Setterdais, with the namys of persons, &c.]" These are elsewhere called Scamblynge days, p. 85; and Seamlyngs, p. 57. Our present word scrumbling was antiently written scambling; so that scambling days in Lent were days when no regular meals were provided, but every one scrambled and shifted for himself as he could. So Shakspeare, Hen. V. Act 1. Scene 1. in the early editions, speaks of " the scambling and unquiet time," which modern Editors have altered to scrambling.

P. 85. The Ewery" was the office where the Ewers were kept. Our ancestors always washed before and after dinner, as they used no forks. This custom of washing in form out

of a silver ewer, is still kept up on solemn days in our Universities *. The use of Forks at table did not prevail in England till the reign of James 1. as we learn from a remarkable passage in Coryate. The Reader will laugh at the solemn manner in which this important discovery or innovation is related: "Here I will mention a thing that might have been spoken of before in discourse of the first Italian towne. I observed a custome in all those Italian cities and townes through the which I passed, that is not used in any other conntry that I saw in my travels; neither doe I think that any other nation of Christendome doth use it, but only Italy. The Italian, and also most strangers that are commorant in Italy, doe alwaie at their meales use a LITTLE FORKE when they cut their meat. For while with the knife which they hold in one hand they cut meate out of the dish, they fasten the Fork, which they hold in the other hand, upon the same dish; so that whatsoever he be that sitting in the company of any others at meales, should unadvisedly touch the dish of meate with his fingers, from which all the table doe cut, he will give occasion of offence unto the company, as having transgressed the lawes of good manners, in so much that for his error he shall be at the least brow-beaten, if not reprehended in wordes. This forme of feeding, I understand, is generally used in all places in Italy, their Forkes being for the most part made of yron, steele, and some of silver, but those are used only by gentlemen. The reason of this their curiosity is, because the Italian cannot by any meanes indure to have his diet touched with fingers, seing all mens fingers are not alike cleane. Here upon I my selfe thought good to imitate the Italian fashion by this forked cutting of meate, not only while I was in Italy, but also in Germany, and often-times in England, since I came home: being once quipped for that frequent using of my Forke, by a certain learned gentleman, a familiar friend of mine, Mr. Laurence Whitaker; who, in his merry humour, doubted not to call me at table FURCIFER, only for using a Forke at feeding, but for no other cause." Coryate's Crudities, pp. 90 91. 4to. Lond. 1611.

* And in the City of London. EDIT.

Yours, &c.

*

"The EMBASSAGE of Mr. EDMUND HOGAN, one of the Sworne Esquires of her Ma't's Person, from her Highnesse to MULLY ABDELMELECH, Emperour of MOROCCO, and King of FEs and Sus, in the Yeare 1577. Written by himselfe.

I Edmund Hogan, being appointed Embassadour from the Queens Ma'tie to the abovenamed Emperour and King Mully Abdelmelech, departed with my company and servants from London the 22d April, 1577, being imbarked in the good ship called the Gallion, of London, and arrived in Assafi, a port of Barbary, the 21st of May next following. Imediately I sent Leonell Egerton ashoare with my letters directed to John Williams, and John Bampton, who dispatched a trottero to Morocco to know the Kings pleasure for my repaire to the Court, which letters came to theire hands on the Thursday night. They with all speed gave the King understanding of it, who being glad thereof, speeded the next day certaine Captaines, with souldiers and tents, with other provision, to Azafi; so that upon Whitsunday at night, the said Captaines, with John Bampton, Robert Washborue, and Robert Lion, and the Kings Officers, came late to Azafi. In the meane time I remained aboard, and caused some of the goods to be discharged, for lightning of the ship; and I wrote in my letter that I would not lande 'till I knew the Kings pleasure. The 22th day, being Saturday, the Mark-speed arrived in the roade about two of the clock in the