Charles King MA, once a Student of Christ Church, gave the
Museum three gems, two oriental jaspers, octagonal in shape,
with the image of a water carrier; and one chalcedony with four
skillfully carved figures of Mars, Mercury, Ceres and Cupid.
Ibid, nos. 154, 519.
Consolidated catalogue of 1695: The Book of the Vice-Chancellor (MacGregor, ed.)417 Imp. Alexander pius Aug. Caput Alexandri laureat. Mars ultor, Mars gradiens, dextra hastam sinistra scutum. Ar.Severus Alexander. Head of Severus Alexander wreathed in laurel; Mars the Avenger walking, in his right hand a spear and in his left hand a shield.
Consolidated catalogue of 1695: The Book of the Vice-Chancellor (MacGregor, ed.)431 Imp. Constantinus P.F. Aug. Caput Constant. laureat. T F Marti Patri Conservatori. Mars gradiens dextra hastam, sinistra clypeum. Ær.Constantine. Head of Constantius wreathed in laurel; Mars walking with a spear in his left hand and a shield in his right.
Consolidated catalogue of 1695: The Book of the Vice-Chancellor (MacGregor, ed.)882 Henricus 4 Franc. et Navar. Rex. Christianiss. In reverso Mars prosternens Centaurũdextra Coronamradiat. porrigentem cum hac inscript. Martis cedunt hæc signa Planetæ. Ær. deplumbat.Henry IV, King of France and Navarre. On the reverse Mars throwing a centaur to the ground and holding out a radiate crown in his right hand.
MS Book of the dean of Christ Church (MacGregor, ed.)519 Quatuor figuræ in Chalcedonio lapide insculptæ quarum prima parvulum quendam exhibet, secunda fæminam cornucopiæ gestantem, tertia ... 4ta militem quendam hastatum et galeatum. Donavit Rev. V. Dñs Carolus King ædis Christi Alumnus. Four figures engraved in chalcedony, of which the first represents some small person, the second a woman holding a horn of plenty in her right hand, the third ... and the fourth Mars or, in any event, a soldier with a spear and helmet. Given by the Revd Charles King, Student of Christ Church.
No. 26Head of Jupiterbehind it a Thunder bolt.Reverse a Mars
gradiens, his Helmet on,
otherwise naked; upon his
left arm his shield, in his right Hand his spear in an
asserting Posture.ΜΑΜΕRΡΤΙΝΩΝBargravepw gr 6 : 7
No. 28Head I believe of Mars in an Helmet.a Victory
crowning a Trophy erected, a starr over itInscription qu? CITIAΩΝ can it be
setinωνSΗΤΤΙΩΝBargravepw : gr 7 : 1 : ¼
171Head of AlexanderIMP.
ALEXANDER PIVS AVGReverse Mars
marching forwards in his Right Hand his spear on his
left arm his shield.S.CMARS. VLTOR.Bargrave
223Head of TacitusIMP. C. M. CL.
TACITVS AVG.Reverse Mars
in Armour stepping forwards his shield & spear in
his left Hand & on his Arm, holding out with his
Right Hand an olive Branch.MARTI
PACIF[short line]
S.
Casaubon
Inventarie of the Gabions, in M. George his Cabinet (1638)
The Inventarie of the Gabions,
inM. Georgehis Cabinet.
OFf uncouth formes, and wondrous
shapes,Like Peacoks, and like Indian apes,Like Leopards, and beasts spoted,Of clubs curiously knoted,Of wondrous workmanships, and rare,Like Eagles flying in the air,Like Centaurs, Maremaids in the Seas,Like Dolphins, and like honie bees,Some carv'd in timber, some in stone,Of the wonder of Albion;Which this close cabine doth include;Some portends ill, some presage good:What sprite Dædalian hath forth brought them,Yee Gods assist, I thinke yee wrought them,Your influences did conspireThis comelie cabine to attire.Neptune gave first his awfull trident,And Pan the hornes gave of a bident,Triton his trumpet of a buckie[*]DOST: The shell of a whelk or other mollusc,Propin'd[*]to offer, as a gift to him, was large and luckie:Mars gave the glistring sword and dagger,Wherewith some time he wont to swagger,Cyclopean armour of Achilles,Fair Venus purtrayed by Apelles,The valiant Hectors weightie spear,Wherewith he fought the Trojan war,The fatall sword and seven fold shieldOf Ajax, who could never yeeld:Yea more the great Herculean clubBrusde Hydra in the Lernè dub[*]Scots: to consign, condemn.Hote Vulcan with his crooked heeleBestow'd on him a tempred steele,Cyclophes were the brethren Allans,Who swore they swet more then ten gallonsIn framing it upon their forge,And tempring it for MasterGeorge:But Æsculapius taught the lessonHow he should us'd in goodly fashion,And bad extinguis't in his ale,When that he thought it pure and stale[*]Scots: chiefly of ale: having stood for a time and become clear, free from lees, ready for drinkingWith a pugill[*]measurement: a large pinch of polypodium[*]extract of the fern genus:And Ceres brought a manufodium[*]Parkinson: a nonce formation, perhaps macaronic (manu, ‘by hand’ + fodium, ‘food’? ‘dug up’?); bread is conventionally the gift of Ceres (Ovid, Met. 11.145, 13.639):And will'd him tost it at his fireAnd of such bread never to tyre;Then Podalirius did concludeThat for his melt was soverainge good.Gold hair'd Apollo did bestowHis mightie-sounding silver bow,With musick instruments great store,His harp, his cithar[*] OED: Any of various plucked stringed instruments similar in form to, or believed to have derived from, the cithara (citing Adamson), and mandore[*] OED: A large early form of mandolin (citing Adamson),His peircing arrowes and his quiver:But Cupid shot him through the liverAnd set him all up in à flame,To follow à Peneïan Dame:But being once repudiatDid lurk within this Cabinet,And there with many a sigh and groane,Fierce Cupids wrong he did bemoane,But this deep passion to rebetVenus bestow'd her Amulet,The firie flame for to beare downe,Cold lactuce and pupuleum;And thenceforth will'd the poplar treeTo him should consecrated be.With twentie thousand pretious things,Mercurius gave his staffe and wings:And more this Cabine to decore,Of curious staffs he gave fourescore,Of clubs and cudgels contortized:Some plaine worke, others crispe and frized,Like Satyrs, dragons, flying fowles,Like fishes, serpents, cats, and owles,Like winged-horses, strange Chimaeraes,Like Unicorns and fierce Pantheraes,So livelike that a man would doubt,If art or nature brought them out.The monstrous branched great hart-horne,Which on Acteon's front was borne:On which doth hing his velvet knapsca[*]Scots: A kind of close-fitting metal defensive headpiece, a metal skull-cap, commonly worn under a bonnet or other fabric covering (DSL). Parkinson: Writing to his father-in-law Andrew Simson, James Carmichael recalled how, in 1560, as schoolmaster of Perth, Simson led the forces of reform ‘with the reade knapska’ (Wodrow Misc., pages 441–2, qtd in Durkan, 132)..A scimitare cut like an haksaw[*]i.e. hacksaw. OED: A saw with a narrow fine-toothed blade set in a frame, used esp. for
cutting metal, citing Adamson,Great bukies[*]DOST: The shell of a whelk or other mollusc, partans[*]DOST: crab, toes of lapstares,Oster shells, ensignes for tapsters,Gadie[*]Gaudy beeds and crystall glasses,Stones, and ornaments for lasses,Garlands made of summer flowres,Propin'd him by his paramoürs,With many other pretious thing,Which all upon its branches hing:So that it doth excell but scorneThe wealthie Amaltheanhorne[*]Amalthea ("tender goddess"), nursed and nurtured Zeus. In some versions she suckled him in the form of a female goat, and in others, she is a nymph who gives Zeus milk from a goat. In both cases, Zeus broke off one of the goat horns, which became the cornucopia, or horn of plenty (Leeming, The Oxford Companion to World Mythology). .This Cabine containes what you wish,No place his ornaments doth misse,For there is such varietie,Looking breeds no sacietie.In one nooke stands Loquhabrian axes[*]DOST: Lochaber-ax(e), n. A variety of long-handled battle-axe, described as having a single elongated blade, appar. originating in the
Highland district of Lochaber.
,And in another nooke the glaxe[*]glaxe OED, glaik, n., sense 3, ‘A child’s toy or puzzle’, citing W. Gregor’s note on Dunbar’s use of glaiks (65.497): ‘I have seen a toy called ‘the glaykis’ which was composed of several pieces of notched wood fitted into each other in such a manner that they can be separated only in one way.’ is.Heere lyes a book they call the dennet,There lyes the head of old Brown Kennet,[*]A Kennet is a small hunting dog (DOST). Possibly the name of a “defunct” hunting dog, whose head was preserved in some way.Here lyes a turkasse[*]Turkis. Scots: a pair of smith's pincers, and a hammer,There lyes a Greek and Latine Grammer,Heere hings an auncient mantua bannet[*]i.e. bonnet. OED: A hat or cap of a kind traditionally worn by men and boys; esp. a soft,
round, brimless cap resembling a beret; a tam-o'-shanter. Now chiefly
Scottish.,There hings a Robin and a Iannet,[*]DOST cited Adamson but can provide no definitionUpon a cord that's strangularA buffet stoole[*]OED: A low stool; a footstool. Now only Scottish and northern dialect. In
the 15th cent. described as a three-legged stool sexangular:A foole muting in his owne hand;[*]
lines 105-108. Parkinson: The earthy image is dispelled with an allusion to Proverbs 27.22; raising and suppressing interest in bodily functions is characteristic of ‘M. George’, as in the outcomes of his account of a horn-blowing competition, XXI.61–76.Soft, soft my Muse, sound not this sand,What ever matter come athorter[*]Athwart,Touch not I pray the iron morter.His cougs,[*]A wooden vessel made of hooped staves (DOSL) his dishes, and his caps[*]A wooden bowl or dish (DOST).,A Totum,[*]Parkinson: a four-sided disk with a letter transcribed on each side: T totum, A aufer, D depone and N nihil. The disk was spun like a top, the player’s fortune being decided by the letter uppermost when the disk fell’ (DOST).
and some bairnes taps[*]A child's spinning-top (DOST, citing Adamson);A gadareilie,[*]Parkinson: not in DOST or OED. Related to gaud, ‘a plaything, toy … a gewgaw’ (OED, gaud, n.2, sense 2)? Or DOST, gade, n1, sense 3, ‘A bar of wood’? See DOST, (rele,) reil(l, n., sense 1b, ‘A reel on to which cord or rope may be wound up in a controlled manner …’; or sense 2, ‘A whirling or turning motion; an action that communicates such motion; a roll or stagger.’
and a whisle,A trumpe, an Abercome mussell,[*]Could be either a mussel or a muzzle (both senses in the DOST)His hats, his hoods, his bels, his bones,His allay bowles, and curling stones,The sacred games to celebrat,Which to the Gods are consecrat.And more, this cabine to adorne,Diana gave her hunting horne,And that there should be no defect,God Momus gift did not inlake[*]inlaik, v. to be deficient; to come or run short; to be wanting or missing (DOST):Only * * *,[*]Parkinson: possibly Eris, giver of the golden apple of discord that led to the Judgement of Paris and hence the Trojan War
was to blameWho would bestow nothing for shame;This Cabine was so cram'd with storeShe could not enter at the doore.This prettie want for to supplieA privie parlour,[*]An apartment in a monastery set aside for conversation (DOST)
stands neere byIn which there is in order plac'tPhœbus with the nine Muses grac't,In compasse, siting like a crown.This is the place of great renown:Heere all good learning is inschrynd,And all grave wisedome is confin'd,Clio with stories ancient times,Melpomené with Tragick lines,Wanton Thalia's comedies,Euterpe's sweetest harmonies,Terpsichore's heart-moving cithar,Lovely Erato's numbring meeter,Caliope's heroick songs,Vranias heavenly motions;Polymnia in various musickPaints all with flowres of Rhetorick,Amidst sits Phœbus laureat,Crown'd with the whole Pierian State.Here's Galene and Hippocrates,Divine Plato and Socrates,Th' Arabian skill and exccellence,The Greek and Romane eloquence,With manie worthie worke and storieWithin this place inaccessorie.These models, in this Cabine plac'd,Are with the world's whole wonders grac'd:What curious art or nature framd,What monster hath beene taught or tamd,What Polycletus in his time,What Archimedes rich ingine,Who taught the Art of menadrie[*]The sub-discipline of mechanics pertaining to machines that leverage force, such as cranes and pulleys. See Jessica Wolfe, Humanism, Machinery, and Renaissance Literature (CUP, 2004), p. 59.The Syracusan synedrie.What Gods or mortals did forth bringIt in this cabinet doth hing,Whose famous relicts are all flowr'd,And all with precious pouldar stowr'd:And richly deckt with curious hingers,Wrought by Arachne's nimble fingers.This is his store-house and his treasure,This is his Paradise of pleasure,This is the Arcenall of Gods,Of all the world this is the oddes:This is the place Apollo chuses,This is the residence of Muses:And to conclude all this in one,This is the RomainePantheon.
Inventarie of the Gabions, in M. George his Cabinet (1638)These trenches be (Gall answering, did reply)Where these two armies Scots and Danes did lyIncamped, and these heaps the trophae's be,Rear'd in memoriall of that victorie,Admir'd unlook't for, conquest in that day,Be th'only vertue of a Hynds-man, Hay,And his two sons, from whence immortall praiseHe gain'd, and glory of his name did raise18To all succeeding ages; as is saidOf Briareus an hundreth hands who had,Wherewith he fought, or rather as we seeA valiant Sampson, whose activitieWith his asse-bone kills thousands, or a ShangarWith his oxe-goad kills hundreths in his anger:Even so, this war-like wight with oxens yoakBeats squadrons down by his undaunted stroke,And did regain the victorie, neere lost,Vnto the Scots, by his new gathered hostOf fearfull fleers, in a wofull plight,By his incouragements infusing mightInto their nerves, new spirits in their arters,To make them fight in bloud unto the garters,Against their hatefull foes, who for to beDid fight, more than for price or victorie.Such cruelties their bloudie hearts possestTo have old quarrells on us Scots redrest,For utterly quail'd Pights, and for their ownArmies by us so often overthrown.This worthie chieftains happie enterpriseWhich sav'd this countrie from the tyranniesOf cruell Danes, and his two Mars-like sonsDo for all ages wear the quernall crowns,Like Thrasibulus; ever bluming bayesDo adde much splendour to these worthie Hayes.
Inventarie of the Gabions, in M. George his Cabinet (1638)THusThus as wee did behold the Salmond sporting,Wee spyed some Countrie clowns to us resorting,
Countrie clowns half asses.Who striken were with suddain admirationTo see us graithed in such antique fashion,Their stairing eyes grew blinde, their tongues were dumb,A chilling cold their senses did benumme.Said we, What moves you Ghosts to look so griesly?They scarcely muttering, answered, and not wisely,26Oft have we heard of such strange wights as yee,But to this time we did them never see,If yee be men or not, scarce can we tell,Yee looke like men, yet none such heere do dwell.Then said good Gall, Monsier, these fellowes stupid,
Gall was a tale & goodly man, M. George a bonnie little man.Doubtlesse take me for Mars, and you for Cupid;Therefore let us be gone, we will not tarie,Yon clownes will swear that they have seene the FarieWhen they come home at night, and by the fireWill tell such uncouth tales, all will admire,Both man and wife, the laddes and all the lasses,For be yee sure such clownes are verie asses.
Inventarie of the Gabions, in M. George his Cabinet (1638)I leave to speak vvhat Hollinshed hath toldOf Cunidag, vvas Britaine king of old,The time Vzziah was of Iuda king,And Ieroboam did ov'r Israel reigne,Ere Rome a citie was yeers fourtie five,Ere sons of Rhea did for masterie strive,Hovv that this Heathen built three cels of stone,To Mercurie at Bongor built he one,His vvay for to direct: then to ApolloAt Cornuel another did he hallovv,For favourable response: the third to Mars,Where Perth novv stands, for to assist his wars.
Inventarie of the Gabions, in M. George his Cabinet (1638)Thus fortified, lest that they should neglectDue honour to their gods, they did erectTo Mars a temple, rather did restoreThe temple built by Cunidag before:For time on all things worketh demolition,And heathen men maintaine like superstition.Then did this valiant chiftaine name the riverIn Italies remembrance Neo-Tiber.Which afterwards it kept for many a day,How long I know not, now its called Tay.Likewise an house of mightie stone he framed,From whence our Castell-gavell, as yet is named.And, if Domitian had not cald him home,I think he should have built another Rome.
Inventarie of the Gabions, in M. George his Cabinet (1638)But all these monuments were worne awayEre did King WilliamPerths foundation lay,Only Mars temple stood upon that greene,And th'house built by Agricola was seene,And some characters cunningly incisdeWith Iulius Agricola imprisdeIn solid marmor, and some print was found,Where camped had an armie, and the groundWhere there had beene a bridge: all which did yeeldOccasion to King William for to beild,After old Bertha's overthrow, that citie,These ancient walls, and famous bridge; ah pitieIf they were as! But what doth not the rageOf men demolish and consuming age?For good King William seeing where had beeneOf old a passage, forthwith did ordaine37A mightie bridge of squaired stone to be.These famous wals and fusies which we see,Perth his chief strength to make, and seat of powerDid with most ample priviledge indue her.These be the first memorials of a bridge,Good Monsier, that we truely can alledge.Thus spake good Gall and I did much rejoiceTo heare him these antiquities disclose;Which I remembring now, of force must cry,Gall, sweetest Gall, what ailed thee to die?
Inventarie of the Gabions, in M. George his Cabinet (1638)These are the wals, Monsier, as I have shown,Which often have beene built, ofttimes down thrownWith stratagems of war, fame hath renownd them,And if not Mars, yet martiall men did found them.But now, good Monsier, needs none more at allThem to destroy: they of themselves will fall.46So said good Gall, and humbly begged leaveFor that offence so rashly he did give.Oh! if he were on life to say much more,For so he was disposde some times to roare.
Inventarie of the Gabions, in M. George his Cabinet (1638)Then did we talk of citie toiles and cares,Thrice happie counting him shuns these affaires,And with us have delight these fields to hauntSome pastorall or sonnet sweet to chant.66And view from far th'ambitions of this age,Turning the helmes of states, and in their rageMake shipwrake of the same on shelfs and sands,Running be lawles lawes and hard commands,And often drown themselves in flouds of woes,As many shipwraks of this kinde well showes.We passe our time upon the forked mountain,And drink the cristall waters of the fountain.Dig'd by the winged horse; we sing the treesThe cornes, and flocks, and labours of the bees;Of sheepheard lads, and lasses homelie love,And some time straine our oaten pipe aboveThat mean: we sing of Hero and LeanderYea Mars, all cled in steel; and Alexander.But Cynthius us pulling by the earDid warning give, to keep a lower air,But keep what air we will, who can well sayThat he himself preserve from shipwrake may?In stormie seas, while as the ship doth reeleOf publick state, the meanest boy may feeleShipwrack, as well as he the helme who guides,When seas do rage with winds and contrare tides.Which: ah too true I found, upon an ore
He speaketh of Gowriesconspiracie.Not long ago, while as I swim'd to shore,Witnesse my drenshed cloaths, as you did see,Which I to Neptune gave in votarieAnd signe of safetie. Answered Master Gall,Monsier, your table hung on Neptunes wallDid all your losse so livelie point to me,That I did mourne, poore soul, when I did see.67But you may know in stormes, thus goeth the mater,No fish doth sip in troubled seas clean water.Courage therefore, that cloud is overgone,Therefore as we were wont, let us sing on.For in this morning sounded in mine earThe sweetest musick ever I did hearIn all my life, good Master Gall, quod IYou to awake, I sung so merrielie.Monsier, quoth he, I pray thee ease my spleane,And let me heare that Musick once againe.With Hay the day now dawnes, then up I got,And did advance my voice to Elaes note,I did so sweetlie flat and sharply sing,While I made all the rocks with Echoes ring.
Inventarie of the Gabions, in M. George his Cabinet (1638)WHatWhat blooming banks sweet Earne, or fairest Tay,Or Amond doth embrace; these many a dayWe haunted; where our pleasant pastoralsVVe sweetly sung, and merrie madrigals:Sometimes bold Mars, and sometimes Venus fair,And sometimes Phoebus love we did declare;Sometimes on pleasant plaines, sometimes on mountains,And sometimes sweetlie sung beside the fountains.
Hunting tower of old, called Luthren