hy our Rubric should be
silent on this head, does not appear quite clear, though I find in
Wheatley (_On the Book of Common Prayer_, chap. vi. sec. vi.) that which
seems to me to be a very sufficient reason, if not for the sitting
during the Lessons, certainly for the standing during the reading of the
Gospel, and sitting during the Epistle:--

"In St. Augustine's time the people always stood when the
lessons were read, to show their reverence to God's holy word:
but afterwards, when this was thought too great a burden, they
were allowed to sit down at the lessons, and were only obliged
to _stand_ at the reading of the Gospel; which always contains
something that Our Lord did speak, or suffered in His own
person. By which gesture they showed they had a greater respect
to the Son of God himself than they had to any other inspired
person, though speaking the word of God, and by God's
authority."

WALTER MONTAGUE

_Aerostation, Works on_ (Vol. ii., p. 199.).--To the numerous list of
works on Aerostation which will no doubt be communicated to you in
answer to the inquiry of C.B.M., I beg to add the following small
contribution:--

"Saggio Aereonautico di Giuseppe Donini Tifernate," 8vo. pp. 92. With
four large folding Plates. Firenze 1819.

Signor Donini also published in 1823 (in Citta di Castello per il
Donati) the following pamphlet:--

"Circolare Areonautico (sic) Guiseppe Dolini d Citta di Castello a tutti
i dotti, e ricchi nazionali, stranieri. 8vo." pp. 16. Oxford.

J.M.

_Aerostation._--Your correspondent C.B.M. (Vol. ii., p. 199.) will find
some curious matter of _aerostation_ in poor Colonel Maceroni's
_Autobiography_, 2 vols. 8vo.

W.C.

_Pole Money_ (Vol. ii., p. 231.).--The "pole money" alluded to in the
extracts given by T.N.I., was doubtless the poll tax, which was revived
in the reign of Charles II. Every one {286} knows that at an earlier
period of our history it gave rise to Wat Tyler's insurrection. The tax
was reimposed several times during the reign of William III. and it
appears from a statement of the Lords in a conference which took place
with the Commons on the subject in the first of William's reign, that
the tax, previously to that time, was last imposed in the 29th of
Charles II.

C. ROSS.

_Wormwood Wine_ (Vol. ii., p. 242.).--If, as MR. SINGER supposes,
"Eisell was absynthites, or wormwood wine, a nauseously bitter
medicament th