_Play of "The Spaniards in Peru."--John Heywood._--Who was the author of _The Cruelty of the Spaniards in Peru, expresst by Instrumentall and Vocall Musick, and by Art of Perspective in Scenes_, &c., said to have been represented in the Cock Pit, in Drury Lane, at three in the afternoon punctually, 1658? Thus it stands in Jacob, but is not mentioned by Langbaine. The author of the _British Theatre_, however, mentions a remarkable circumstance in regard to it, which is, that Oliver Cromwell, who had prohibited all theatrical representations, not only allowed this piece to be performed, but even himself actually read and approved of it. Also, what are the exact dates of the birth and death of John Heywood, in Henry VIII.'s time? JAMES F. HASKINS. [Sir William Davenant was the author of _The Spaniards in Peru_, which was subsequently incorporated in his piece, _Playhouse to be Let_. See his _Works_, fol. 1673, p. 103.; also Genest's _Account of the English Stage_, vol. i. p. 38.] _Selion._--I have frequently met with the word "selion" in deeds relating to property in various parts of the Isle of Axholme, co. Lincoln. The term is used in the description of property; for instance, "All that _selion_ piece or parcel of land situate, &c." It does not signify any particular quantity, for I have known it applied to fields of all sizes, from five acres down to a quarter of an acre. Will some of your numerous correspondents furnish an explanation of the word, and from whence derived? L. L. L. North Lincolnshire. [Selion of land, or _selio terræ_, is derived from the French _seillon_, a ridge of land, or ground arising between two furrows, and contains no certain quantity, but sometimes more or less. Therefore Crompton says, that a selion of land cannot be in demand, because it is a thing uncertain.] Replies. PROPHECIES OF NOSTRADAMUS. (Vol. iv., pp. 86. 140.)