Nixon the Prophet (Vol. viii., p. 257.).—Mr. T. Hughes mentions Nixon "to have lived and prophesied in the reign of James I., at whose court, we are farther told, he was, in conformity with his own prediction, starved to death." I have an old and ragged edition, entitled The Life and Prophecies of the celebrated Robert Nixon, the Cheshire Prophet. The "life" professes to be prepared from materials collected in the neighbourhood of Vale Royal, on a farm near which, and rented by his father, Nixon was born—
"on Whitsunday, and was christened by the name of Robert in the year 1467, about the seventh year of Edward IV."
Among various matters it is mentioned,—
"What rendered Nixon the most noticed was, that the time when the battle of Bosworth Field was fought between King Richard III. and King Henry VII., he stopped his team on a sudden, and with his whip pointing from one land to the other, cried 'Now Richard! now Henry!' several times, till at last he said, 'Now Harry, get over that ditch and you gain the day!'"
This the plough-holder related; it afterwards proved to be true, and in consequence Robert was required to attend Henry VII.'s court, where he was "starved to death," owing to having been locked in a room and forgotten. The Bosworth Field prophecy, which has often been repeated, carries the time of Nixon's existence much before the period named by T. Hughes, namely, James I.'s reign.
A Hermit at Hampstead.
Parochial Libraries (Vol. viii., p. 62.).—There is an extensive, and rather valuable, library attached to St. Mary's Church, Bridgenorth, presented to and for the use of the parishioners, by Dean Stackhouse in 1750. It comprises some eight hundred volumes, chiefly divinity. There are two or three fine MSS. in the collection, one especially worthy of notice. A splendidly illuminated Latin MS., dated about 1460, engrossed upon vellum, and extending to three hundred leaves (C. 62. in the Catalogue). I noticed many fragments of early MSS. bound up with Hebrew and Latin editions of the Bible; and a portion of a remarkably fine missal, forming the dexter cover of a copy of Laertius de Vita Philosophica (4to. 1524). Surely a society may be formed, having for its object the rescuing, transcribing, and printing of those scarcely noticed fragments. Mr. Hales' plan appears perfectly feasible. I am convinced much interesting matter would be brought to light, if a little interest was excited on the subject.
R. C. Warde.
Kidderminster.
Over the porch of Nantwich Church is a small room, once the repository of the ecclesiastical records; but latterly (in consequence of the sacrilegious abstraction of those documents by an unknown hand) used for a library of theological works, placed there for the special behoof of the neighbouring clergy. The collection is but a small one; and is, I fear, not often troubled by those for whose use it was designed.