length and danger, knowing withal the King's severity; the pagan answered not, but told him at their next meeting he would give him ampler satisfaction, and entreated him for a sight of Sir Robert's testimonial letter of credence signed by his King, Shah Abbas, in Ispahan. He bid him look upon it, and tell him if it had the image of a counterfeit. The malicious favourite thought it had, but, being uncertain, craved it to show the King, which he did (if we may give credit to an enemy and an infidel) two days after." He told Sir Dormer Cotton that the Shah had burnt the letters in a rage, denied them for true, and wished that Sir Robert Shirley would leave the kingdom. Not one of the gentlemen of the embassy believed this to have any truth in it. It was very unlike the conduct of a prince of the character of Shah Abbas. "For my own part," says Herbert, "I am verily persuaded the King's seals and firmans were true, and that either Mahomed Aly Beg juggled with him (for we had but his word for all we knew, and never more came into the presence of the King), or he might forge other letters to show the King; else why kept he them two days without delivery? or he might have slandered Shah Abbas to say he burnt them." What made it a perfectly clear case to them was, the King himself having, on the first hearing of the story, at once admitted that an injury had been done to Sir Robert by Nogdi Beg. Sir Robert Shirley meanwhile was deeply grieved and affected by this strange and most unlooked-for treatment, and so much did he take it to heart that he fell sick of a fever and died. He was buried, for want of a fitter place, at the door of his own house at Cashin *-that house which had been the sure and safe asylum for Christians of all nations, for he was long the channel through which their complaints were made known to Abbas.t But the malice and hatred of his enemy did not even end with the life of the man who had been his victim. His faithful and loving Theresia had watched and comforted her lord through his illness, and at the time when he "In lesse than a fortnight after our entering Cashyn he gave this miserable and fickle world an ultimum vale, in his great climacterick; and (wanting a fitter place of burial) we entombed him under the threshold of his owne house, in this citie, without much ceremonie. Ranck mee with those that honour him, and in that hee wants the guilded trophies and hieroglyphics of honour to illustrate his wretched sepulchre, (his vertue can out-brave those bubbles of vanitie; and till some will doe it better,) accept this ultima amoris expressio from him who so long travel'd with him, that so much honoured him. "After land sweats, and many a storm by sea, This hillock aged Sherley's rest must be. He well had viewed armes, men, and fashions strange, In divers lands-desire so makes us range. But, turning course, whilst th' Persian tyrant he With well-dispatched charge hoped glad would be, See Fortune's scorn; under this door he lyes Who living had no place to rest his eyes With what sad thoughts man's mind long hopes do twine, Post exantlatos terræq; marisq; labores Parvula Sherleyum nunc tenet urna senem. Viventi nullus cui modo limis erate Quam deplorandus spes longas inchoat arsis Mens hominum; exemplo sed sine disce tuo." "Some Yeares Travels into divers parts of Asia and Afrique, by Thomas Herbert. Travels begun Anno 1626." Malcolm's Hist. of Persia, vol. i. was lying dead by her side, and she herself very weak from long illness, a plot was laid by the treacherous Mahomed to rob her of all that she possessed. He hired two men, one a Dutch painter who had been for twenty years in the Shah's service, and the other a Fleming, one Crole by name, to pretend that a debt was owing to them, and on this pretext they got a warrant to enter the house and seize the goods. Fortunately a faithful and honest gentleman of the name of Hedges had discovered the plot in time to warn the Lady Theresia. She was greatly astonished, knowing well that it was utterly false. Tearing up with her trembling hands a rich satin quilt, and hastily collecting her most precious jewels and valuables and a small cabinet, she committed the packet to his care. No sooner was he gone with his treasure than "the pagan sergeants" with John the Fleming entered her chamber, and carried away everything they could find of any value. They took vests, turbans, a rich Persian dagger, all the horses and camels, and other things. They made a narrow search after the jewels, for they knew well he had many, and, not finding any, "mad, angry, and ashamed, they departed unsatisfied." The faithful Hedges, when the storm was past, restored to the Lady Theresia all her jewels "of double value now," observes Herbert, "for I do not think her fortune would otherwise have made up fifty pounds,-a small revenue for so deserving a lady." This beautiful but now most unhappy lady is never spoken of but with respect and admiration. Herbert calls her "the thrice worthy and undaunted Lady Theresia, his faithful wife ;" and adds, "Her faith was ever Christian, her parents so and noble, her country Circassia." And old Fuller speaks of her as being "very valiant, a quality considerable in that sex in those countries." Herbert hints that she ended her days at Rome. Perhaps she might retire to a convent; but nothing more is mentioned of her afterwards. Sir Dormer Cotton died soon after Sir Robert Shirley, "after some discontents, and fourteen days' sickness ...on the 23rd of July, 1628. They obtained a dormitory for his body among the Armenian Christians who resided there... And," adds Sir Thomas Herbert, "after a month's stay in Cashin, where we left buried our two ambassadors, the King sent each of us two long coats or vests of cloth of gold in sign of favour; and, after much attendance upon Mahomed Aly Beg, we got licence to depart, with letters for our safer travel. He delivered to us withal a letter to our gracious King from the King of Persia, sewed up in a piece of cloth-of-gold, fastened with a silk string, after their fashion." Such, briefly given, is a sketch of "the romantic lives of the three brothers," in which "the lofty and courageous spirit of noble ancestry shone forth." The last Shirley of Wiston was a great sufferer for his loyalty to Charles I. and adherence to the royal cause. Wiston passed into other hands. An old saying still records the effect this had on its former master, "Shirley of Preston Died for the loss of Wiston." At the Restoration, Charles II. conferred a baronetcy on the family, in token of gratitude for its services, but only two Shirleys lived to enjoy the honour. Both the male branch and baronetcy became extinct, and the name has, I believe, ceased to exist in Sussex. MR. URBAN, I HAVE been kindly reminded by my friend Mr. WILLEMENT that I post-dated in some degree, in my note on the royal badge of the Ostrich Feather (Oct. p. 384), the period at which the three feathers appear first combined in what is now called the Prince of Wales's Plume. He points out to me that they are so joined in the Stall-plate of Edward, afterwards Edward the Fifth, in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and on the monument of Arthur, eldest son of King Henry VII. in Worcester Cathedral. Mr. Willement long since suggested, in his "Heraldic Notices of Canterbury Cathedral," (p. 47, note,) that the badge of the Feather will most probably be found to bear a genealogical reference; and, as all the children of King Edward the Third appear to have used it, it may have been derived from their mother Philippa. With respect to the Black Prince's epitaph, whilst censuring the general inaccuracy of former copies, I ought to have stated that it was carefully printed in Stothard's "Monumental Effigies."+ I must also do an older author, John Weever, the justice to say that in his Funeral Monuments" he has given an accurate version of the Black Prince's epitaph, in rhymes resembling mine; and sometimes still closer to the original, as My beauty great is all quite gone; This gives, I believe, the true import of the last line, "En moi n'a si verite non," which in modern French would be "En moi il n'y a rien que la verité." For the latter couplet, then, in my version might be substituted this, My house is very strait and low, Nothing but truth is in me now. In line 14 of the French the words Per fond were engraved in error for *The only inaccuracies I detect are, sisme for sissme in the prose; and est for este in line 21. On my part I find I have omitted the & between daquitanie and Gales. It is, perhaps, doubtful how far either copy is perfectly accurate in compounding words, the original itself being sometimes uncertain. The article on the Black Prince, it may be remarked, was the only one which Mr. Stothard wrote and printed himself. The other descriptions were prepared, many years after his death, by his brotherin-law Mr. Kempe. Profond, which is given in the copy inserted in the Prince's will,--for the words of this poetical epitaph formed a part of his testamentary injunctions. (See Nichols's Royal and Noble Wills, and Nicolas's Testamenta Vetusta.) In line 23 the word celestien was perhaps substituted by the engraver for celestieu, which would be another form of celestiel. I ought, adopting the technical phrases of the time, to have described the engraver's work as "hatched and abated;" for such are terms applied to the like work in the contract for the magnificent monument in the Beauchamp Chapel at Warwick. With reference to another subject, that of "the Gorget," worn by the soldiers of the Duke of Clarence, (Oct. p. 375,) I have also to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. WILLEMENT. The figure or representation (in cloth, of course, as before mentioned,) of a Gorget was, in fact, the badge of the Duke of Clarence; and the use of it was continued by his grandson Henry Pole, Lord Montagu, as represented from that nobleman's standard, in the Excerpta Historica, p. 318, though the editor was not prepared to give its name or any explanation of it. The meaning of the passage in the Paston Letters therefore is, that the Duke of Clarence, to manifest his adherence to his brother King Edward, placed the White Rose of York above his own badge of the Gorget. Yours, &c. J. G. NICHOLS. SALE OF THE DUKE OF SUSSEX'S LIBRARY. THE Sale of the very large and valuable Library of H. R. H. the late Duke of Sussex, has occupied a large portion of the time of Messrs. Evans, in Pall Mall, during the late season. It was chiefly rich, as is well known, in biblical and theological literature; and some of its more important treasures have been described in the Bibliotheca Sussexiana, by T. J. Pettigrew, esq. F.R.S. and F.S.A. his Royal Highness's Librarian. The Sale closed with the Duke's collection of Manuscripts, which, in regard to Biblical MSS. was certainly a very fine and extensive one, having been the result of constantly collecting during twenty-five years,-probably the finest that was ever dispersed by auction. Of the most important volumes we now append an enumeration, together with the prices given and the names of the purchasers. As in the case of the Bright MSS. we have added the letters (B. M.) to those which were either purchased for the British Museum, or have been subsequently added to the national library. We believe that several of the lots purchased by Mr. Payne, have been since transferred to Sir Thomas Phillipps. Boone 15 O 9 9 36. Biblia Sacra Latina, of the 13th Century, with illuminated initials; size 8 inc. by 6. From Lord Strangford's Library 4to. 63. Ducale. Instructions from Nicolao Donato, Doge of Venice, 1596, with an illuminated frontispiece. Boone 68. A Persian work on the Wonders of the Creation, stated to be Cazwini's Ajayib ul makhluyat, but in reality by a later author, with miniatures, small folio Rodd (B. M.) 80. Exposition sur l'Apocalypse; a MS. of the 14th Century, illustrated with seventy paintings, and with illuminated capitals; size 10 inc. by 7 (Bibl. Sussex. i. 203.) Thorpe 81. Apocalypsis, Germanicè, cum Glossis: 14th Cent. on vellum, with fourteen illuminations the size of the page; size 14 inc. by 10 (Bibl. Sussex. i. 242). Rodd (B.M.) 90. Augustinus de Civitate Dei: 15th Cent. with miniatures, &c. 2 vols. 17 inc. by 12: from Mr. Williams's collection (Bibl. Sussex. i. 138, No. 70) Rodd (B. M.) 91. Augustinus de Civitate Dei: 15th Cent.* with illuminated title-page and initials; 16 inc. by 11 Rodd (B. M.) 94. Beda Expositiones in Evangelium S. Lucæ et Acta Apostolorum : the text in red, and commentary in black, with illuminated initials; 15th Cent. 15 inc. by 11. From the Meerman collection (Bibl. Sussex. i. 118, No. 47) Pickering 10 5 28 10 5 18 33 0 39 0 17 10 95. Biblia Sacra Hebraica, cum punctis: two volumes, in the German character. Written by Meyer the son of Rabbi Jacob the Scribe, in the year 5052 (A.D. 1292.) Formerly in the Meerman Library (Bibl. Sussex. i. pp. 8-12.) Duke of Hamilton 157 10 96. Bible Historiée: with 68 miniatures, 14th Cent. 19 inc. by 13 Rodd (B. M.) 9 5 97. La Bible Moralisée, translatée en François, with miniatures, 15th Cent. 11 inc. by 8. From the Towneley collection (Bibl. Sussex. i. 201.) Rodd (B. M.) 100. Biblia Sacra Hebraica, cum punctis: in 4 volumes: written in two columns, at Avignon, 1419, 10 inc. by 7 Sir Is. L. Goldsmid 101. Biblia Sacra Hebraica, cum punctis: in the Italian character, in three columns; A.D. 1493. 14 inc. by 11. (Bibl. Sussex. i. 12, No. 2) Rodd (B. M.) 102. Biblia Sacra Hebraica: in the Italian character, 1448, 9 inc. by 74. From the Williams collection, and said to have been taken out of the Vatican by Junot 104. Biblia Sacra Latina: of 14th Century, 10 inc. by 7. i. 71, No. 6) 105. Biblia Sacra Latina: of 13th Cent. 11 inc. by 7 i. 68, No. 1) 106. Biblia Sacra Latina: of 14th Cent. 11 inc. by 74. i. 71, No. 5) H. Bohn 20 0 107. Biblia Sacra Latina of 13th Century. 19 inc. by Brockett's Library. (Bibl. Sussex. i. 74, No. 11) 108. Biblia Sacra Latina: in five large volumes, 20 inch. Cent. 109. Biblia Sacra Latina: of 14th Cent. 13 inc. by 91, i. 80, No. 14) 110. Biblia Sacra Latina 14th Cent. 14 inc. by 9. No. 13) 124. From Mr. 111. Biblia Sacra Latina: a French MS. of 15th Century, with 44 miniatures, and many hundred illuminated Capitals, 19 inc. by 13. (Bibl. Sussex. i. 86, No. 15) Rodd (B. M.) 23 10 In this MS. was this memorandum: "Iste Liber est Monasterii Sancti Matthiæ de Muriano, quem Ego Nicolaus Prior Mon. Seti Matthiæ de Muriano emi pro deto. Mon. precio Ducatorum novem auri, anno D. M.cccclxxij. ip'mque manu propria rubricavi et miniavi." This note, however, has no reference to the MS. in the volume, but is written on part of an index on paper, which belonged to some other copy of the same work, 112. Biblia Sacra Latina: 4 vols. executed in the Netherlands, 1419. Size 17 inc. by 124. (Bibl. Sussex. i. 91, No. 16) 113. Biblia Sacra Belgica, cum Historia Scholastica: 15th Century, with miniatures, 15 inc. by 11. (Bibl. H. Bohn 118. Breviarium Romanum, with miniatures and illuminated borders, 15th Cent. 13 inc. by 94. (Bibl. Sussex. i. 178.) £ 8. 13 0 11 11 Rodd (B. M.) 41 0 133. Evangelia IV. Armenicè: said to be written A.D. 1251, 54 inc. by 4. (Bibl. Sussex. i. 275) 10 15 Rodd (B.M.) 139. Holy Life of Abraham, with Prayers: in embossed binding, with 22 small circular drawings, covered with glass, 4 inc. by 24 Pickering 145. Horæ diurnæ, of the 14th Century, with 46 miniatures, 5 inc. by 4. Rodd (B. M.) 155. Ducale. Instructions of Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice, to Nicolao Mauroceno, Capitano of Vicenza, 1520. 4to. with illuminated frontispiece. Molteno 187. Hora Beatæ Virginis, cum aliis officiis. "This," says Mr. Pettigrew, "is the most exquisite of all the illuminated works I have seen :" it has seventeen large miniatures, and superb borders, initials, &c. 15th Century, 94 inc. by 64. Presented to the Duke of Sussex by John Webb, esq. (Bibl. Sussex. i. 185, No. 129.) Mr. Baker of Islington 25 0 11 5 8 15 235 0 200. Ciceronis Opera Varia Philosophica et Oratorica: illuminated, and with three miniatures, 134 inc. by 10 Payne 22 0 5 0 9 0 30 0 202. Chrysostomi Omelia, Græcè, 14th Cent. 114 inc. by 2 203. Chrysostomi Homiliæ super Evangelium S. Joannis, Latinè, 11 inc. by 84. Written by John Whetham, monk of Sheen in Surrey, in 1496 H. Bohn 215. Cronique ou Histoire Ancienne du Monde, 13th Cent. with paintings by Greek artists: 144 inc. by 10 Sir F. Madden (B. M.) 217. Croniques de France, appelées Croniques de S. Denys, depuis les Troiens jusqu'à la mort de Charles V. en 1380. With 40 miniatures. 16 inc. by 12 Rodd (B. M.) 226. Duns Scotus in Libros IV. Sententiarum, 4 vols. 15 Cent. Executed for Ferdinand King of Naples; from the Meerman collection, 11 inc. by 104. (Bibl. Sussex. i. 170, No. 117.) Rodd (B. M.) 105 0 231. Evangelica IV. Latina, of the 9th Cent. size 10 inc. by 7. Duke of Hamilton 241. Gratiani Decretum, cum Glossa, 2 vols. 14th Cent. with miniatures; 19 inc. by 12. Rodd (B. M.) 249. Historia del Vecchio Testamento: in the Venetian dialect, 14th Cent. with 519 miniatures. 13 inc. by 9. (Bibl. Sussex. i. 232.) Sir F. Madden (B. M.) 254. Memoires des Quatre Campagnes de sa Majesté (James the Second,) sous Vicomte Turenne, traduit sur l'original Anglois conservé dans le College des Ecossais à Paris. (At the end of the volume is the autograph of the Queen Mother, Maria, and of Secretary Caryll, dated 1704; in old French red morocco, with a Cardinal's arms on the sides.) Thorpe 267. Pentateuchus Hebraicus, sine punctis; a vellum roll 44 feet in length, 4 inc. in breadth 268. Another, 47 feet in length 280. Josephi Opera, Latinè. 13th Cent. 17 inc. by 13. a MS. formerly in the monastery of S. Maria de Camberone Rodd (B. M.) . 292. Liber Precum. Psalmi, Litaniæ, et Preces; dated 1524, with fine miniatures, and portrait of Sigismund King of Poland, kneeling before our Saviour; size, 6 inc. by 43. (This MS. descended from the royal family of Poland to the Princess Mary Clementine Sobieski, the wife of the first Pretender, and was procured from the effects of her son the Cardinal of York.) Sir F. Madden (B. M.) 294. Lyves and Dethes of the Martyres: 15th Cent. 7 inc. by 5 Egan 41 0 30 0 31 10 80 0 3 19 12 12 8 0 19 5 73 10 6 14 302. Memoirs of the Family of Charles O'Conor of Belanagare, with an historical introduction, 2 vols. 4to. and one 8vo. Rodd 313. Pentateuchus Hebraicus et Chaldaicus: 13th Cent. in the Spanish character, in three columns, with illuminations at the commencement of each GENT. MAG. VOL. XXI. |