s not is deepely amerced, if
the steward will. The title and entry of the same court is as
followeth, viz.:

'Curia de domino rege,
Dicta _sine lege_,
Tenta est ibidem,
Per ejusdem consuetudinem,
Ante ortum solis,
Luceat nisi polus,
Seneschallus solus,
Scribit nisi colis.
Clamat clam pro rege
In curia _sine lege_:
Et qui non cito venerit
Citius poenitebit:
Si venerit cum lumine
Errat in regimine.
Et dum sine lumine
Capti sunt in crimine,
Curia sine cura
Jurata de injuria
Tenta est die Mercuriae
prox. post festum S. Michaelis.'"

Weever, who mentions this custom, says, that he was informed that "this
servile attendance was imposed, at the first, upon certaine tenants of
divers mannors hereabouts, for conspiring in this place, at such an
unseasonable time, to raise a commotion."]

_Motto on old Damask._--Can your correspondents furnish an explanation of
the motto herewith sent? It is taken from some damask table napkins which
were bought many years back at Brussels; not at a shop in the ordinary way,
but privately, from the family to whom they belonged. I presume the larger
characters, if put together, will indicate the date of the event, whatever
that may be, which is referred to in the motto itself.

The motto is woven in the pattern of the damask, and consists of the
following words in uncials, the letters of unequal size, as subjoined:

"SIGNUM PACIS DATUR LORICAE."

the larger letters being IUMCIDULIC. If the U's are taken as two V's, and
written thus X, it gives the date MDCCLXIII. Perhaps this can be explained.

H.

[The chronogram above, which means "The signal of peace is given to the
warrior," relates to the peace proclaimed between England and France in
the year 1763. This event is noticed in the _Annual Register_, and in
most of our popular histories. Keightley says, "The overtures of France
for peace were readily listened to; and both parties being in earnest,
the preliminaries were readily settled at Fontainebleau (Nov. 3rd). In
spite of the declamation of Mr. Pitt and his party, they were approved
of by large majorities in both Houses of Parliament, and a treaty was
finally signed in Paris, Feb. 18, 1763." The napkins were probably a
gift, on the occasion, to some public functionary. For the cus