room for the attendants of the second class, whose office was to answer the king's bell. The pleasure which Ferdinand, even from his infancy, always found in the company of the lowest and most vulgar of the royal household, made him so often frequent this place, that at last it became the general rendezvous of his friends. Here assembled a swarm of ambitious intriguers, monks, spies, inquisitors, sycophant military, and various other vagabonds. These were the elements with which the secret society, called by some "The anchor of the faith and of the king," began their labours. MEN OF KENT. It is recorded when Harold, or rather England, was invaded by William, a portion of the inhabitants of Kent went out to meet him, covered with oak boughs, in order to deceive him as to their numbers. They were headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Upon arriving at Hastings, which was just at the crisis of the battle, they only agreed to lay down their arms on condition that their ancient privileges of Gavel-kind law, and the exemption of tithes, was secured to them. This William readily granted, foreseeing that men who fought for their ancient privileges and liberties, were far more dangerous opponents than those who merely fought for their pay. On reference to Hasted's History of Kent, the boundary lines which distinguish the men of Kent from the Kentish men, will be seen. The principal features of the Law of Gavel-kind is, that on a person dying intestate, the property is equally divided among the children; likewise, that a person is of age to convey property at sixteen, and his receipt also is valid. JOHN DOE AND RICHARD ROE. These worthies, formerly so well known to those unfortunate wights who incur the serving of a certain process, derived their consequence from the custom, to find two sureties on arresting a man, who were bound over in heavy penalties, that the Pursuer should prove the justice and the legality of his claim; otherwise, that the pursued should receive indemnity from the parties thus bound over. This good old custom, however, in process of time, degenerated into the mere nominal recognizances or sureties of "John Doe and Richard Roe," and from which have arisen all those false arrests and false imprisonments which have so long disgraced our criminal courts. In 1724, a Frenchman of the name of Louissart Houssart, was tried at the Old Bailey for the murder of his wife, and acquitted, but detained in custody on a charge of bigamy. An appeal was brought against him by the brother of the deceased, and he was brought to a second trial, when some new evidence being pro It is duced, he was found guilty, and afterwards executed. remarkable, that in this case the prisoner made some objections to the plea, which were referred to the jury, who decided against him on them all. One of the prisoner's objections was, that "there were no such persons as John Doe and Richard Roe," who are mentioned as pledges in the appeal; but a witness deposed, that there were two such persons living in Middlesex, one a weaver and the other a soldier. However, on the 24th October, 1852, these two celebrated characters ceased legally to exist any longer. By the Act 15th and 16th Vict. cap. 76, sect. 168, it is enacted, that "instead of the present proceeding by ejectment, a writ shall be issued, directed to the persons by name in possession of the property claimed, which property shall be described in the writ with reasonable certainty." JOHN AUDLEY. When theatric performers intend to abridge an act or play, they are accustomed to say, "We will John Audley it!" It originated thus: In the year 1749, Shuter was master of a droll at Bartholomew fair, and it was his mode to lengthen the exhibition until a sufficient number of persons were gathered at the door to fill the house. This event was signified by a fellow popping his head in at the gallery door and bellowing out "John Audley," as if in act of inquiry, though the intention was to let Shuter know that a fresh audience were in high expectation below. The consequence of this notification was, that the entertainments were immediately concluded, and the gates of the booth thrown open for a new auditory. OLD ROWLEY. This was the nickname of Charles II., who was famous for his amours. Old Rowley was a famous stallion in his Majesty's stud. George I. had also his nickname, viz., the Turnip Hoer: it is said, when his Majesty first came to England, he talked of turning St. James's park into a turnip ground. The old Jacobites and old Whigs used to annoy each other by the singing of two songs, the one was Old Rowley, and the other the Turnip Hoer; the former a lampoon upon Charles II. for his royal amours; and the latter upon George I. for his princely economy. SKINFLINT. "The antiquity of certain proverbs is among the most striking singularities in the annals of the human mind. Abdalmalek, one of the khaliffs of the race of Ommiades, was surnamed Raschal Hegiarah, that is, 'the skinner of a flint;' and to this day wẹ call an avaricious man a Skinflint."-Universal Magazine, 1796.. BARON MUNCHAUSEN! It is generally believed (says the "New Monthly Magazine") that Munch-Hausen is only a nom de guerre. Such, however, is not the fact. Baron Munch-Hausen was a Hanoverian nobleman, and even so late as five-and-forty years ago he was alive and lying. It is true that the Travels published as his, though not by him, were intended as a satire or parody on the travels of the famous Baron de Tott; but Munch-Hausen was really in the habit of relating the adventures, now sanctioned by the authority of his mendacious name, as having positively occurred to him; and from the frequency of the repetition of the same stories, without the slightest variation even in their most minute points, he at length believed the narratives he had himself invented, and delivered them with as much sang-froid as if they had described nothing but so many probable events. There was nothing of the fanfaron, or braggart, in his manner; on the contrary, he was distinguished by the peculiar modesty of his manner and demeanour. CAPABILITY BROWN. Launcelot Brown, called " Capability Brown," from his constant usage of the term, as well as for his genius for making sterile grounds fruitful, and naked and unseeming, beautiful and enchanting. He was employed by Lord Cobham in improving the grounds at Stowe, and afterwards at Richmond, Blenheim, Luton, Wimbledon, &c. He successfully exploded the old, stiff, unnatural Dutch style of gardening, and introduced an improved fashion that prevailed for nearly half a century. His works discover a highly cultivated taste, and have commanded the admiration both of Englishmen and foreigners. He associated familiarly with many of his noble and opulent employers, and realized a handsome fortune. In 1759, he was appointed head gardener to King George II., at Hampton Court. In 1770, he served the office of High Sheriff for the counties of Huntingdon and Cambridge; and died suddenly in Hertford Street, May-fair, February 6, 1783. ADMIRABLE CRICHTON. This most extraordinary man derived his appellation from his numerous and wonderful endowments. He lived in the time of James I. He spoke fluently every known language; he was versed in every science, and skilled in every accomplishment. He challenged to disputation the whole College of Cardinals, and almost every public and learned body in Europe, and bore off the palm! The Duke of Mantua was his patron, and appointed him preceptor to his son, who, envious of his merits, waylaid (with some others) and mortally wounded him. He, however, as well as the other assassins, paid with their lives the forfeit of their temerity, Crichton killing every one of them. PEEPING TOM OF COVENTRY. Peeping Tom, a person of nearly as much notoriety as the Countess Godiva, and an auxiliary in the drama under that denomination, derives his importance from the following historical circumstance. In the early part of the reign of Edward the Confessor, Leofric, the fifth Earl of Mercia, and his countess Godiva, sister to Thorold, sheriff of Lincolnshire, founded a monastery on the ruins of St. Osburg's nunnery for an abbot and twenty-four monks of the Benedictine order. This monastery was so liberally endowed by Leofric, that it surpassed all others in the county in splendour and magnificence; so that Malmsbury relates, that it was enriched and beautified with so much gold and silver, that the walls seemed too narrow to contain it; insomuch that Rob de Limesie, bishop of this diocese in the time of king William Rufus, scraped from one beam that supported the shrines five hundred marks of silver. With the foundation of its monastic structure commenced the prosperity of Coventry; but it seems the city had yet to complain of the grievance of excessive tolls, which Leofric, as lord of the town, levied; and concerning the manner in which they were relieved from it, is told a romantic tale, which Dugdale thus relates: The Countess Godiva, bearing an extraordinary affection to this place, often and earnestly besought her husband, that for the love of God, and the blessed Virgin, he would free it from that grievous servitude whereunto it was subject; but he, rebuking her for importuning him in a matter so inconsistent with his profit, commanded that she should thenceforth forbear to move therein; yet she, out of her womanish pertinacity, continued to solicit him; insomuch that he told her, if she would ride on horseback, naked, from one end of the town to the other, in the sight of all the people, he would grant her request. Whereunto she answered, But will you give me leave so to do? And he replying yes, the noble lady upon an appointed day got on horseback, naked, with her hair loose, so that it covered all her body but her legs, and thus performing the journey, returned with joy to her husband, who therefore granted to the inhabitants a charter of freedom, which immunity I rather conceive to have been a kind of manumission from some such servile tenure, whereby they then held what they had under this great earl, than only a freedom from all manner of toll, except horses, as Knighton affirms. It is said by Rapin, that the countess, previous to her riding, commanded all persons to keep within doors, and from their windows, on pain of death; but, notwithstanding this severe penalty, there was one person who could not forbear giving a look, out of curiosity; but it cost him his life. From this circumstance, reader, originated the familiar epithet of "Peeping Tom of Coventry." A figure, commemorative of the peeper, has long been preserved there, and is now inserted in the niche of a new house, communicating with the High Street. JACK OF NEWBURY. This title was given to John Winchcomb, who was in the time of Henry VIII. the greatest clothier in England. He kept one hundred looms in his own house at Newbury, and armed and clothed at his own expense one hundred of his men, to march in the expedition against the Scots at Flodden Field. THE TRIBES OF GALWAY, The “Tribes of Galway” is an expression first used by Cromwell's forces, as a term of reproach against the natives of the town, for their singular friendship and attachment to each other during the time of their troubles and persecutions; but which the latter afterwards adopted as an honorable mark of distinction between themselves and their cruel oppressors. These tribes or families, who colonised Galway in the thirteenth century, were thirteen in number, according to the following distich: 66 "Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, Deane, Darcy, Lynch, : See Hardman's History of Galway, pp. 6-20, 4to, 1820, which contains a plate of the armorial ensigns of these ancient families. CURSE OF SCOTLAND. The nine of diamonds, being termed the "Curse of Scotland," originates from a Scotch member, whose family arms is the nine of diamonds, voting for the introduction of the Malt Tax into Scotland. Another version states, that the nine of diamonds is called the "Curse of Scotland" because it is the great winning card at Comette, which was a game introduced into Scotland by the French attendants of Mary of Lorraine, queen of James V., to the ruin of many Scotch families. GOOD OLD TIMES. It has been supposed by many, that this phrase is of uncertain date, and that it has been made use of, as it were, from time immemorial. In Godwin's History of the Commonwealth, however, we are informed, that it first came into use at that period. The cant and hypocrisy of the day became so disgusting, that twothirds of the nation began to wish in their hearts, however cautious they were with their tongues, for the restoration of the |