On the south side of the chancel of Conington Church, Hunts., stands a handsome, massive, and elaborately-carved oaken chair, which has been traditionally known as the very seat from which the unfortunate Mary Stuart rose to submit her neck to the executioner. The chair was probably brought from Fotheringay, and placed in Conington Church as a sacred relic, by Sir Robt. Cotton, who built Conington Castle partly with the materials of Fotheringay, and who (according to Gough, in his additions to Camden's Britannia, vol. ii., "Iceni," ed. 1789) "brought from there the whole room where Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded." By this, perhaps, is meant, the deeply-recessed arcade that now forms the two exterior sides of the ground-floor of Conington Castle; which arcade, doubtless, was on the interior walls of Fotheringay, the windows being above it: the principal window being supposed to be that which now forms the staircase window of the Talbot Inn, Oundle. Modern windows have been placed within the eleven divisions of the arcade at Conington Castle.

In speaking of Conington Church, Gough says (see Additions to Camden) that "Lord Coleraine saw a chair of an Abbot of Peterborough in this church, 1743," which must have been the chair now under notice. The nature of its decorations shows it to have been a chair used for religious purposes; and the six principal figures that adorn it, are made to face at right angles with the chair; so that when it was placed on the south side of the altar, the faces of the figures would be turned towards the east.

A full description of the chair may not be without its interest to the readers of "N. & Q.," since (as far as I am aware) it has never yet received more than a passing notice from the historian; and if it indeed be a relic of Mary Stuart—as there seems good reason to believe—it deserves more attention (in these days of minute detail) than it has hitherto obtained.

The top of the chair is battlemented, and flanked by the two side-pieces which terminate in pediments supporting figures. Both figures are seated on low chairs of a massive ecclesiastical character. The right-hand figure (which is headless) holds an open volume, and is apparelled in chasuble and alb. The left-hand figure is seated on a more highly-decorated seat, wears a crown, and is bearded; is vested in chasuble, alb, and dalmatic; and, though the hands are deficient, evidently did not, like the other figure, bear an open volume. Both figures face to the east. The upper part of the back of the chair is filled in with a pointed arch, cusped, and highly ornamented; the arcs being divided into smaller cusps, which terminate (as do the larger) with leaves and trefoils carved with great richness. In the spandrels of the cusps are birds with outspread wings, bearing labels. Those on the left appear to be eagles; those on the right have long bills, and may be intended for pelicans. The large right-hand spandrel of the arch contains a figure of the Virgin Mary, crowned as "the Queen of Heaven," clad in long flowing drapery, with her hands upraised, apparently in benediction, and her hair loose and streaming. Near to her is her emblem, the pot of lilies; the pot being much decorated, the lilies five in number. It stands upon a label, whose folds fill up the rest of the spandrel. The left-hand large spandrel contains the figure of an angel feathered to the elbow and knee, his wings outspread, and a label proceeding from one hand. The arms of the chair are divided into two parts. The first part terminates in a graceful curve, supporting a figure: the second part is continued with a curve, carried on into the wings of a figure kneeling upon one knee: the intervals are filled up with open Gothic work. The four figures on the arms are all angels, whose wings are made to rest upon, or join into, the curved form of the chair-arm. They all face to the east, and are clad in loose drapery; the folds of which (as in the cases of the other figures) are carved with great minuteness, and disposed with much knowledge of artistic effect. The upper left-hand figure holds a trumpet; that on the right a stringed instrument, which neither resembles the Grecian, Roman, Jewish, or Egyptian lyre, but has precisely the same form as the modern "banjo" of the negroes. Of the two angels on the lower divisions of the arm, the one on the right bears a legend, and the one on the left appears to have done the same, but the arms have been broken off. These legends may have been illuminated with texts of Scripture, &c. The sides of the chair are recessed, and filled in with a species of Gothic tracery that is apparently of later date than the rest. The front of the chair is panelled, and the foot is decorated with quatrefoils in high relief.

During the sleep of indifferentism which fell upon the church towards the close of the past century, all interest attaching to the chair seems to have been forgotten; and, after a lapse of years, it was discovered by the late Mr. Heathcote, of Conington Castle, in a room of the belfry of the church, where it had been thrust aside with other things as useless lumber, and daubed with the whitewash and paint of the generations of workmen who had cleansed their brushes on its broad surface. Mr. Heathcote, with a praiseworthy regard for a relic of so much interest, resolved to replace the chair in the position it had formerly occupied in the chancel of the church: but before this could be done, it was necessary to repair the ill usage which the chair had received, and to restore it, as much as possible, to its original condition. It was accordingly confided to trustworthy and skilful hands; the old ornamental portions were replaced, and the chair was in every way restored strictly in accordance with its original design. It is now in a good state of repair, and will probably remain for many ages a mute memorial of that tragic scene in which it once played its part.

And, could we imagine the Dryad that watched over its forest-birth had filled its oaken frame with speech and feeling: or that a greater Power had put a voice into its shape, and caused the beam out of its timber to cry out against the cruel death-scene in the banquet-hall of Fotheringay, we might almost suppose it to have denounced the English Queen in the words of the Prophet Habakkuk (ii. 10, 11.):

"Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it."

And, so long as that chair remains in the church of Conington, and the stones of the banquet-hall of Fotheringay form a portion of its castle, so long shall that cry go up to heaven, and tell the hapless doom of Mary Stuart!

Cuthbert Bede, B.A.

INEDITED LETTER OF WARREN HASTINGS.

The subjoined letter, believed to be unpublished, is so characteristic of the energy and decision of the great governor-general of India, that I think it worth recording in your publication. It appears to be written and signed by him immediately after, as when it came into my possession the bright sand then in use was adherent more or less to the whole document. Sir Philip Francis and the other signature are in a different ink, and were so awkwardly in their place, that it would indicate that those signatures were previously obtained.

H. W. D.

"To Capt. Robinson, Commander of the Morning Star.

(Secret Department.)

"You are hereby commanded to proceed down the River with this Tide, to seize all the French pilot vessels and pilots which you may be able to find, and bring them up to Calcutta.

"A pilot will be sent on board you by the Master Attendant, who will furnish you with orders to him to point to you such pilot vessels as may be in the service of the French nation.

"In the execution of this service the utmost secrecy is to be observed.

MEDIÆVAL EMBLEMS OF THE PASSION.

The venerable Priory Church of Great Malvern contains a series of these emblems, among which are some I have never before met with; and as they may be interesting to some of your readers, I have made a note of them. They have evidently been moved from some other part of the church to their present position in St. Anne's Chapel, and as a few of the more usual emblems are wanting, the series has probably been more complete than it is now. The date of the glass is the latter half of the fifteenth century, and consists of a series of demi-angels, each bearing a shield, upon which these emblems are depicted.

On the first are two heads, representing Judas kissing his Master, the head of the Saviour being surrounded by the usual cruciform nimbus.

2. The reed, here drawn as a bulrush with flag leaves, crossed by a mace.

3. The lantern.

4. Christ blindfolded; represented symbolically as having a thin muslin bandage over His eyes, which are seen through it and depicted wide open, as if not at all affected by it.

5. Two hands issuing from the dexter side of the shield, as if in the act of buffeting; from the sinister side issues one hand pulling a beard or lock of hair.

6. The spear of Longinus, with drops of blood and water trickling from it, crossed by the reed and the sponge.

7. The cock that warned St. Peter.

8. The crown of thorns.

9. The cross.

10. The falchion of St. Peter crossed by another mace.

11. The seamless vest.

12. The hammer between two nails only.

13. The purse of Judas overflowing with money, represented as a merchant's gypciere.

14. The ladder.

15. Two scourges or flagelli crossing each other.

16. The sacred monogram, I.H.C.

17. The five wounds.

18. St. Veronica, with the napkin outspread impressed with the sacred head.

19. An impudent repulsive head in the act of spitting.

20. The lower portion of the pillar entwined with the cord.

To this Note I wish to add a Query. Have any of your correspondents ever met with, in similar representations, the instruments I have described as maces in shields 2. and 10.? The first has a round termination, with three triangular-shaped spikes issuing from it, one at the end, and one on each side of the ball; the second has a pointed oval, or egg-shaped end, and is quite studded with spikes, not triangular, but straight like the teeth of a woolcomb; they evidently refer to the "weapons" mentioned in St. John xviii. 3., and I am not aware of the existence of any similar types. I may also state that those mentioned on shields 1. 4. 5. and 19. are by no means usual.

While on this subject I will add a list of the other emblems I have met with not included in this series, and shall be glad to receive from any of your readers any additions to it.

The ear of Malchus; the two swords which they showed the Lord when He said "It is enough;" the three dice; the pincers; the thirty pieces of silver; the pitcher of water which our Saviour used when He washed His disciples' feet; the towel, generally represented hanging from a ring, with which He wiped them; the fire at which St. Peter warmed himself, and the three spice-boxes for embalming. I shall also be glad to hear if the representation of two nails only instead of the usual number of three, occurs in any other instance.

Norris Deck.

Great Malvern.

BOOKSELLING IN CALCUTTA.

Looking over your Queries this morning, my attention was drawn to that now in course of elucidation in your pages—the origin of the phrase "Sending a man to Coventry." I am not about to offer any explanation thereof, but simply to chronicle in your columns, more for the amusement than the edification of your readers, a reminiscence of an eccentric application of a passage in Shakspeare bearing upon this popular dislike to Coventry.

Any of your readers who may have visited the capital of British India will recollect the native kitaub-wallahs, or booksellers, who drive a good trade in the streets of Calcutta by thrusting their second-hand literature into the palanquins of the passers, and their pertinacity and success in fixing master with a bargain. For the information of the untravelled, I may further remark that these flying bibliopoles draw their supplies from the daily auctions arising out of the migratory habits or the mortality to which the residents in that city are subject; and it would somewhat astonish our Sothebys and Putticks to see the extent of these sales of literary property, and derange their tympanums to hear the clamorous competition among the aforesaid half-naked dealers for lots not catalogued with their bibliographical precision. The books thus purchased, I may further observe, are subject to the overhaul of the better-informed of the tribe before they make their appearance in the streets; when deficiencies are made good, bindings vamped, and lettering attempted: finally, they are placed in the hands of the hawkers, when the following peculiarities are detectable:—where a title or last leaf may have been wanting, these Calcutta editions occasionally display a prophane book with a sacred title; or a pious treatise, for the sake of the word "Finis," made complete by affixing the last leaf of Tristram Shandy or the Devil on Two Sticks! Less intelligent jobbers will open their book, and, finding the first word "Preface," clap it incontinently in gilt letters on the back! I leave the imagination of the reader to fill up the cross-readings which would likely result from such practices, and revert to my anecdote, which I had almost lost sight of.

Some twenty years ago, then, the dingy tribes were startled, and the auctioneer gratified by the appearance of a new face in the bidders' box—a brisk little European, who contested every lot, aiming, apparently, at a monopoly in the second-hand book trade. Shortly thereafter, this individual, having located himself in a commanding position, came forth in the daily papers as a candidate for public favour; and, in allusion to the reformation he contemplated, and his sovereign contempt for his black brethren, headed his address, to the no small amusement of the lieges, in the Falstoffian vein:

This joke was no doubt thrown away upon his Hindoo and Mussulman rivals, but, alas for the reformer! he little knew the cold indifference of the Anglo-Indian about such matters, and, as might have been expected, he failed in establishing himself in business, and ultimately fell a victim to the climate. Of the previous history of this one, among ten thousand, who have left their bones in the land of cholera, I know nothing beyond the fact that he was a son of Thomas Holcroft, a dramatist of repute in his day.

J. O.

FOLK LORE.

Subterranean Bells (Vol. vii., p. 128.).—The tower and nave of Tunstall Church, Norfolk, are in ruins; the chancel alone being used for divine service. The village tradition says, that this calamity was caused by fire; and that the parson and churchwardens quarreled for the possession of the bells which were uninjured. During their altercation, the arch-fiend walked off with the subjects of dispute; but being pursued, and overtaken by the parson—who began to exorcise in Latin—he made a way through the earth to his appointed dwelling-place, taking them with him. The spot where this took place is now a boggy pool of water, called Hell Hole; and an adjoining clump of alder-trees is called Hell Carr. In summer time, a succession of bubbles—doubtless caused by marsh gas—keep constantly appearing on the surface. Those who believe in the tradition, find in this circumstance a strong confirmation. For, as it is the entrance to the bottomless pit, the bells must be descending still; and the bubbles would necessarily be caused by bells sinking in water.

In the adjoining village of Halvergate, on the largest bell, is the following inscription:

I suppose this must be "audita Johannes," but the inscription certainly is avita.

On the second bell:

On the third bell, founder's name, and date 1653,—a solitary instance, I imagine, of an addition made to a peal of bells during the Puritan triumph of the Great Rebellion.

E. G. R.

Fisherty Brow, near Kirkby Lonsdale, supplies such an instance as J. J. S. inquires after. There is a sort of natural hollow scooped out there, where a church, parson, and all the people, were swallowed up ages since; and any one who doubts it, may put his ear to the ground on a Sunday morning and hear the bells ring!

P. P.

Old Weather Proverb.—The old monkish Latin rhyme is very plainly verified this year:

February 2nd was a most brilliant day here, where I live, not twenty miles from London: the ground is now covered with snow, and the frost very sharp.

C— S. T. P.

W—— Rectory, Feb. 12.

Primrosen.—The early appearance of primroses this year induces me to trouble you with some East-Anglian folk lore concerning them, premising that here the word still forms its plural in en.

At Cockfield, Suffolk, there are none, nor, it is said, do they thrive when planted; though they are numerous in all the surrounding villages, which do not apparently differ from Cockfield in soil.

The village legend says that here, too, they once were plentiful, but when Cockfield was depopulated by the plague, they also caught the infection and died, nor have they flourished since that time.

In East Norfolk some old women are still found who believe that if a less number of primrosen than thirteen be brought into a house on the first occasion of bringing any in, so many eggs only will each hen or goose hatch that season. When recently admitted into deacon's orders, my gravity was sorely tried by being called on to settle a quarrel between two old women, arising from one of them having given one primrose to her neighbour's child, for the purpose of making her hens hatch but one chicken out of each set of eggs. And it was seriously maintained that the charm had been successful.

Since then I have heard that it only has an influence over geese. Perhaps this may account in some measure for the belief. In early seasons, persons are induced to carry in specimens of the first spring flowers that they find. In such seasons, too, fowls lay early, and perhaps do not sufficiently protect their eggs. The ungenial weather which too frequently succeeds spoils the eggs, and the effect is attributed to the "primrosen" of course; the cases where a few flowers are brought in, and the fowls have numerous broods, remain unnoticed.

E. G. R.

Harvest Home Song, sung in some Parts of Surrey.—

R. W. F.

Bath.

INEDITED POEM ON CHAUCER.

I lately bought a black-letter Chaucer (1561), in which I find MS. notes by two or three writers. One is in rather a crabbed handwriting, and dates from 1574. I must own to being unable to decipher this gentleman's notes to my satisfaction; but the writing of another is clear and distinct. There are a few emendations on the "Rime of Sire Thopas," and the following "Eulogium Chaucerj." I do not know whether it has appeared anywhere in print before; and as my reading in the British poets is too limited for me to say anything about its author, I should be glad if you or any one of your correspondents would inform me who the lines are by:—

T. A. S.