Notes and Queries, Number 191, June 25, 1853 | Page 5

at least to my apprehension, in his opening paragraph, he seems
to insinuate a charge of forgery against MR. COLLIER. Finally, I can
tell him that he need not crow and clap his wings so much at his
emendation of the passage in Lear, for, if I mistake not, few indeed will
receive it. It may be nuts to him and MR. ARROWSMITH to know
that they have succeeded in driving my name out of the "N. & Q."
* * * * *
RED HAIR A REPROACH.
I do not know the why or the wherefore, but in every part of England I
have visited, there appears to be a deep-rooted prejudice in the eyes of
the million against people with red hair. Tradition, whether truly or not
must remain a mystery, assigns to Absalom's hair a reddish tinge; and
Judas, the traitorous disciple, is ever painted with locks of the same
unhappy colour. Shakspeare, too, seems to have been embued with the
like morbid feeling of distrust for those on whose hapless heads the
invidious mark appeared. In his play of As You Like It, he makes
Rosalind (who is pettishly complaining of her lover's tardiness coming
to her) say to Celia:
"Ros. His very hair is of the dissembling colour. Celia. Something
browner than Judas'."
It will be apparent from this quotation, that in England, at any rate, the
prejudice spoken of is not of very recent development; and that it has

not yet vanished before the intellectual progress of our race, will, I
think, be painfully evident to many a bearer of this unenviable
distinction. It seems to be generally supposed, by those who harbour
the doctrine, that red-headed people are dissemblers, deceitful, and, in
fact, not to be trusted like others whose hair is of a different colour; and
I may add, that I myself know persons who, on that account alone,
never admit into their service any whose hair is thus objectionable. In
Wales, pen coch (red head) is a term of reproach universally applied to
all who come under the category; and if such a wight should by any
chance involve himself in a scrape, it is the signal at once for a regular
tirade against all who have the misfortune to possess hair of the same
fiery colour.
I cannot bring myself to believe that there is any really valid foundation
for this prejudice; and certainly, if not, it were indeed a pity that the
superstitious feeling thus engendered is not at once and for ever
banished from the memory.
T. HUGHES.
* * * * *
EXTRACTS FROM NEWSPAPERS, 1714.
Daily Courant, Jan. 9, 1714:
"Rome, Dec. 16.--The famous painter, Carlo Maratta, died some days
ago, in the ninetieth year of his age."
The Post Boy, Jan. 12-14, 1714.--Old MSS. relating to Winchester.--In
the Post Boy, Jan. {617} 12-14, 1714, appears the following curious
advertisement:
"Winchester Antiquities, written by Mr. Trussell, Dr. Bettes, and Mr.
Butler of St. Edmund's Bury, in one of which manuscripts is the
Original of Cities; which manuscripts were never published. If the
person who hath either of them, and will communicate, or permit the
same to be copied or perused, he is earnestly desired to give notice

thereof to Mr. Mathew Imber, one of the aldermen of the city of
Winchester, in the county of Southampton, who is compleating the idea
or description of the ancient and present state of that ancient city, to be
speedily printed; together with a faithful collection of all the
memorable and useful things relating to the same city."
Gough, in his Topography, vol. i. p. 387., thus notices these MSS.:
"Wood says (Ath. Ox., vol. i. p. 448.) that Trussell the historian, who
was alderman of Winchester, continued to Bishop Curll's time, 1632,
an old MS. history of the see and bishops in the Cathedral library. He
also wrote A Description of the City of Winchester; with an Historical
Relation of divers memorable Occurrences touching the same, and
prefixed to it A Preamble of the Original of Cities in general. In a
catalogue of the famous Robert Smith's books, sold by auction, 1682,
No. 24. among the MSS. has this identical title, by J. Trussell, fol., and
was purchased for twelve shillings by a Mr. Rothwell, a frequent
purchaser at this sale. The Description, &c., written by Trussell about
1620, is now in the hands of John Duthy, Esq.; and from it large
extracts were made in The History and Antiquities of Winchester, 1773.
Bishop Nicolson guesses that it was too voluminous, and Bishop
Kennett that it was too imperfect to be published.
"The former mentions something on the same subject by Dr. Bettes,
whose book is still in MS.
"Dr. Butler, of St. Edmund's Bury, made observations on the ancient
monuments