Compiler of the _Emblems of Saints_.

_Blackguard_ (Vol. vii., p. 77. Vol. viii., p. 414.).--Many contributions
towards the history of this word have appeared in the pages of "N. & Q."
May I forward another instance of its being in early use, although not
altogether in its modern acceptation?

A copy of a medical work in my possession (a 12mo., printed in 1622, and in
the original binding) has fly-leaves from some _printed_ book, as is often
the case in volumes of that date. These fly-leaves seem to be part of some
descriptive sketches of different classes of society, published towards the
early part of the seventeenth century; and some of your readers may be able
to identify the work from my description of these of sheets. No. 14. is
headed "An unworthy Judge;" 16. "An unworthy Knight and Souldier;" 17. "A
worthy Gentleman;" 18. "An unworthy Gentleman," &c. At p 13., No. 27.,
occurs "A Bawde of the Blacke Guard," with her description in about sixteen
lines. She is said to be "well verst in the black art, to accommodate them
of the black guard: a weesel-look't gossip she is in all places, where herr
mirth is a bawdy tale," and so on.

Judging from these fly-leaves, the work from which they have been taken
appears to have been an octavo or small quarto. "Finis" stands on the
reverse of the leaf whence my extract is copied.

JAYDEE.

Another instance of the use of the word _black-guard_, in the sense given
to it in "N. & Q." (Vol. ii., pp. 170. 285.), is to be found in Burton's
_Anatomy of Melancholy_, part i. sect. 2., "A Digression of the Nature of
Spirits, bad Angels, or Devils, &c.," in a passage, part of which is given
as a quotation. "Generally they far excel men in worth, as a man the
meanest worme;" though some of then are "inferior to those of their own
rank in worth, as the _black-guard_ of a prince's court, and to men again,
as some degenerate, base, rational creatures are excelled of brute beasts."
The edition of Burton I quote from is 1652.

C. DE D.

"Augustus Caesar on a time, as he was passing through Rome, and saw
certain strange women lulling apes and whelps in their arms: 'What!'
said he; 'have the women of these countries none other children?' So
may I say unto you [Dr. Cole], that make so much of Gerson, Driedo,
Royard, and Tapper: Have the learned men of your side none other
doctors? For, alas! these that ye allege are scarcely worthy to be
allowed amongst the _bl