- Anciently, when long-buried bodies were found undecayed in the grave, a species of sanctity was attributed to them.
- Some chimneys of ancient halls used to be swept by having a culverin fired up them.
- At Leith, in 1711, a glass bottle was blown of the capacity of two English bushels.
- The buff and blue of the Union were adopted by Fox and the Whig party in England. The Prince of Wales wore them.
- In 1621, a Mr. Copinger left a certain charity, an almhouse, of which four poor persons were to partake, after the death of his eldest son and his wife. It was a tenement and yard. The parson, headboroughs, and his five other sons were to appoint the persons. At the time specified, however, all but one of his sons were dead; and he was in such poor circumstances that he obtained the benefit of the charity for himself, as one of the four.
- A town clerk arranges the publishments that are given in, according to his own judgment.
- To make a story from Robert Raikes seeing dirty children at play, in the streets of London, and inquiring of a woman about them. She tells him that on Sundays, when they were not employed, they were a great deal worse, making the streets like hell; playing at church, etc. He was therefore induced to employ women at a shilling to teach them on Sundays, and thus Sunday-schools were established.
- To represent the different departments of the United States government by village functionaries. The War Department by watchmen, the law by constables, the merchants by a variety store, etc.
- At the accession of Bloody Mary, a man, coming into a house, sounded three times with his mouth, as with a trumpet, and then made proclamation to the family. A bonfire was built, and little children were made to carry wood to it, that they might remember the circumstance in old age. Meat and drink were provided at the bonfires.
- To describe a boyish combat with snowballs, and the victorious leader to have a statue of snow erected to him. A satire on ambition and fame to be made out of this idea. It might be a child’s story.
Notations from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s American Note-Books
Biblioklept 