Notes and Queries, Number 74, March 29, 1851 | Page 9

"Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"--the earthen fragments thus turned to dishonour being called "Paul's pitchers."
Any more probable conjecture as to the origin or meaning of this custom, or any account of its occurring elsewhere, will greatly oblige
F. M. (a Subscriber).
Disinterment for Heresy.--A remarkable instance of disinterment on account of heresy is stated to have occurred a little before the Reformation, in the case of one Tracy, who was publicly accused in convocation of having expressed heretical tenets in his will; and, having been found guilty, a commission was issued to dig up his body, which was accordingly done. I shall be much obliged to any of your readers who will favour me with the date and particulars of this case.
ARUN.
"Just Notions," &c.--At the end of the Introduction of The Christian Instructed in the Principles of Religion, by W. Reading, Lond. 1717, occur the following lines: (Query, whether original, or, if not, from whence quoted?)--
"Just notions will into good actions grow, And to our reason we our virtues owe; False judgments are the unhappy source of ill, And blinded error draws the passive will. To know our God, and know ourselves, is all We can true happiness or wisdom call."
U. Q.
Pursuits of Literature.--How came the author of the Pursuits of Literature to be known? I have before me the 11th edition (1801); and in the Preface to the fourth and last dialogue, the author declares that "neither my name nor situation in life will ever be revealed." He does not pretend to be the sole depository of his own secret; but he says again:
"My secret will be for ever preserved, I know, under every change of fortune or of political tenets, while honour, and virtue, and religion, and friendly affection, and erudition, and the principles of a gentleman have binding force and authority upon minds so cultivated and dignified. When they fall, I am contented to fall with them."
Nevertheless, the author of the Pursuits of Literature is known. How is this?
S. T. D.
Satirical Medal.--I possess a medal whose history I should be glad to know. It is apparently of silver, though not ringing as such, and about an inch and a quarter in diameter. On the obverse are two figures in the long-waisted, full-skirted coats, cavalier hats, and full-bottomed wigs of, I presume, Louis XIV.'s time. Both wear swords; one, exhibiting the most developed wig of the two, offers a snuff-box, from which the other has accepted a pinch, and fillips it into his companion's eyes. The legend is "Faites-vous cela pour m'affronter?"
The mitigated heroism of this query seems to be noted on the reverse, which presents a man digging in the ground, an operation in which he must be somewhat hampered by a lantern in his left hand; superfluous one would deem (but for the authority of Diogenes), as the sun is shining above his head in full splendour. The digger's opinion, that the two combined are not more than the case requires, is conveyed in the legend,--
"Je cherche du courage pour mon maistre."
The finding was curious. On cutting down an ash-tree in the neighbourhood of Linton, Cambridgeshire, in 1818, a knob on its trunk was lopped off, and this medal discovered in its core! It was probably the cause of the excrescence, having been, perhaps, thrust under the bark to escape the danger of its apparently political allusion. The Linton carrier purchased it for half-a-crown, and from him it passed in 1820 into hands whence it devolved to me.
Is anything known of this medal, or are any other specimens of it extant? I pretend to no numismatic skill, but to an unlearned mind it would seem to contain allusion to the insult which Charles II. and his government were supposed to submit to from Louis XIV.; to be, in fact, a sort of metallic HB.
Some friend, I forget who, pronounced the workmanship Dutch, which would, I think, favour the above theory. The figures are in bold and prominent relief, but to a certain degree rounded by wear, having been evidently carried in the pocket for a considerable time.
G. W. W.
Matthew's Mediterranean Passage.--I should be thankful for any information as to where the following work could be seen, and also respecting the nature of its contents.
"Somerset.--Matthew's Mediterranean Passage by water from London to Bristol, &c., and from Lynne to Yarmouthe. Very rare, 4to. 1670."
The above is quoted from Thos. Thorpe's Cat., part iii., 1832, p. 169., no. 7473.
MERCURII.
Inscription on an Oak Board.--I have an old oak board, on which are carved the following lines in raised capital letters of an antique form, with lozenges between the words:--
"IF . YOV . WOVLD . KNOW . MY . NAME . OR . WHO . I