where he proves that there 'conspicillo' could not signify a paire of spectacles, as we now use it: for then he could not have kenned her at a distance. I remember he told me 'tis that which the French call vidette, a hole to peepe out at.—Vide <Hier.> Sirturus de Perspicillis, a thin 4to: Mr. Edmund Wyld has it, scil. a rarity.—MS. Aubr. 6, fol. 11.
Gunnes. The Almanack chronologie tells us (1680)—'Since the invention of gunnes'—by ..., a monke of ..., in Germany—'270 yeares,' scil. in the reigne of <Henry IV>, anno 1410. Philip de Commines tells us that in his time, when Charles 8 went into Italy, the country-people flocked mightily to see the great gunnes shott off, which was the first time they came in use: but musquetts and fowling-peeces came not to perfection long after. Memorandum:—in the Princes' Chamber at the House of Lords[1315], scil. the roome where the king does retire, are very old hangings, viz. of Edward the Fourth's time, in which is described the invention and use of gunnes. The muskets there are only a long tube stop't at one end, with a touch-hole, and fitted to a long staff. This gun one holds on a rest and aimes; and then another comes with a lighted match in a stick and gives fire, so that 'twas the worke of two men then to manage one piece. Till the late warres refined locksmiths' worke, I remember when I was boy the firelocks were very bungling to what they now are. And in queen Elizabeth's time they used calivers, of which I remember many in gentlemen's halls before the civill wars (for then the soldiers converted them into carbines). The stock was like a wooden basting-ladle, and it had a match-lock, and was not much longer then a carbine.
'Cualibre' in French signifies the bore of a gun, or the size of the bore; and (thence) also the size capacity or fashion of any such thing—Cotgrave's Dictionary.—MS. Aubr. 6, fol. 11.
<Printing.> Memorandum, in the librarie of Francis Bernard, M.D., in London, behind Sepulcher's church, is Tulie's Offices ('tis printed Tulii) in 4to, printed at Mentz by <Johann> Fust, 1466.—The sayd Dr. sayes that he hath seen Saint Hierome on the Creed, printed at Oxford, 1467[1316].—Memorandum, Mr. ... Morris of Llansilly in Denbighshire hath a manuscript Bible in Welsh 1500[1317] years old. It was found at the dissolution of the monasteries in an old wall which parted the monastery from the Bishop's Palace[1318] at Hereford, lap't-up in lead, and the inscription on it doeth testifie the antiquitie of it. 'Tis thought 'twas hid and layd-up there when the great difference, and troubles, was between the Welsh monkes and those of Austin the monke:—from Mr. Middleton, <of> Denbighshire, merchant in London. Quaere Mr. Meredith Lloyd de hoc: there may be something of trueth to be pickt out in this storie.—MS. Aubr. 6, fol. 11.
Catafalconi is the magnificent contrivance for kings' and princes' and generalls' effigies to lie in state in some eminent church for some weekes, e.g. King James Ist; Robert, earle of Essex; generall Monke, duke of Albemarle. It takes its name from 'Falconi,' which signifies in Italian 'an eagle.'—Memorandum at the solemne funeralls of the Roman emperors they had an eagle to fly away from the rogus when it tooke fire.—MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 3.
<Stained glass in Oxford.> When I came to Oxford, crucifixes were common in the glasse windowes in the studies' windowes[1319]; and in the chamber windowes were canonized saints (e.g. in my chamber window, St. Gregorie the great, and another, broken), and scutcheons with[1320] the pillar, the whip, the dice, and the cock. But after 1647 they were all broken—'downe went Dagon!' Now no vestigia to be found.—MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 3.
Mr. Fabian Philips sayes the winter 1625 before the plague was such a mild winter as this[1321]: quod N.B.—MS. Aubr. 8, a slip at fol. 6.
Quaere Dick Brocas, prisoner in King's Bench, pro legier booke of Bradstock abbey.—MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 6v.