by the hands of the common hangman, and that the magistrates of
Edinburgh should see it carried into effect at eleven o'clock on the
following day."

Will any correspondent of yours furnish me with some notice of Dr. Drake,
the author, and also explain the ground of offence upon which his book was
condemned? I confess to be unable to discover anything to offend; neither,
as it seems, could Mr. Surtees, for he says:

"I quote Drake's _Historia Anglo-Scotica_, 1703, a book which, for what
reason I never could discover, was ordered to be burned by the common
hangman."--_History of Durham_, vol. iv. p. 55. note _l_.

Any notices of books which have been signalised by being subjected to
similar condemnation, would much interest me, and perhaps others of your
readers.

BALLIOLENSIS.

[The ground of offence for burning the _Historia Anglo-Scotica_ is
stated in _The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. xi. p. 66.,
viz.: "Ordered, that a book published by the title of _Historia
Anglo-Scotica_, by James Drake, M.D., and dedicated to Sir Edward
Symour containing many false and injurious reflections upon the
sovereignty and independence of this crown and nation, be burnt by the
hand of the common hangman at the mercat Cross of Edinburgh, at eleven
o'clock to-morrow (July 1, 1703), and the magistrates of Edinburgh
appointed to see the order punctually executed." It would appear from
the dedication prefixed to this work, that Drake merely pretended to
edit it, for he says, that "upon a diligent revisal, in order, if
possible, to discover the name of the author, and the age of his
writing, he found that it was written in, or at least not finished
till, the time of Charles I." But he says nothing more of the MS., nor
how it came into his hands. A notice of Dr. Drake is given in
Chalmers's _Biographical Dictionary_, and in the preface to _The
Memorial of the Church of England_, edit. 1711, which was also burnt by
the common hangman in 1705. See "N. & Q.," Vol. iii., p. 519.]

_Captain George Cusack._--It appears by an affidavit made by a Mr. Thomas
Nugent in the year 1674, and now of record in the Exchequer Record Office,
Dublin, that--

"He, being on or about the 20th of September preceding in London, was
by one Mr. Patrick Dowdall desired to goe along with him to see one
George Cusack, then in prison there for sever