nt of our Cambrian
antiquary. The Rev. Benjamin Mardon's paper, printed in the _Journal of the
British Archaeological Association for 1849_, is another and more recent
instance of the way in which such errors as this may become perpetuated.
Another writer (Palmer) conjectures her to have been the daughter of
Minshull of Manchester; but this also has been proved to be entirely
destitute of foundation.

The truth of the matter is (and I am indebted to Mr. Fitchett Marsh's clear
and succinct dissertation in the _Miscellany_ of the Chetham Society for
the information), the poet's widow was daughter of Mr. Randle Minshull, of
Wistaston in the county of Chester, whose great-great-grandfather, a
younger son of Minshull of Minshull, settled on a small estate there in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, and so founded the house of Minshull of
Wistaston. Milton was introduced to his Cheshire wife by his friend Dr.
Paget; and {13} it was by his advice that the author of _Paradise Lost_
once more entered into the bonds of wedlock. Mr. Marsh, to clear up all
doubt upon the subject, and having previously established the identity of
the family, examined the parish register at Wistaston, and there found that
"Elizabeth, the daughter of Randolph Mynshull, was baptized the 30th day of
December, 1638;" so that, if baptized shortly after birth, she must have
been about twenty-six years old when united to Milton in 1664, and about
eighty-nine at her death, which occurred in 1727.

V. M., and all others who desire farther enlightenment on the subject, will
do well to refer to the volume before mentioned, which forms the
twenty-fourth of the series published by the Chetham Society.

T. HUGHES.

Chester.

* * * * *

BOOKS OF EMBLEMS--JACOB BEHMEN.

(Vol. vii., pp. 469. 579.)

Perhaps you will allow poor old Jacob Behmen, the inspired cobbler of
Gorlitz, a niche in your temple of writers of emblems. I think he is
legitimately entitled to that distinction. His works are nearly all couched
in emblems; and, besides his own figures, his principles were pictorially
illustrated by his disciple William Law (the author of _The Way to Divine
Knowledge_, _The Serious Call_, &c.), in some seventeen simple, and four
compound emblematic drawings. Of these the most remarkable, and in fact the
most intelligible, are three compound emblems representing the Creation,
Apostasy, and Redemption of Man. Every phase of each stage in