"Sarcastic Sawney, full of spite and hate, On modest Franklin poured his venal prate; The calm philosopher without reply Withdrew--and gave his country liberty." The lines were repeated to me by the late Francis Maseres, Esq., Cursitor Baron of the Court of Exchequer. W. S. Richmond, Surrey. _Plenius and his Lyrichord._--May I hope to ascertain, through the medium of your journal, where to look for information on the subject of the "lyrichord of Plenius," referred to in Rees' _Encyclopædia_, art. "Basse Fondamentale," as having been "tuned by weights instead of tension?" The point left in doubt by this, is whether a single weight was substituted for tension, or whether the different notes in the musical scale were produced by altering the weight according to the rules for that purpose. Was Plenius an ancient, a Middle-Age man, or was he _Herr Plen_, who latinized his name, as was the fashion a century or two ago? T. _Epigram on Burnet._--A friend of mine across the Atlantic wishes to ask, whether any one knows where the following epigram, which he remembers in MS. in an old folio copy of Burnet's _History_, comes from:-- "If Heaven is pleas'd when sinners cease to sin, If Hell is pleas'd when sinners enter in, If men are pleas'd at parting with a knave, Then all are pleas'd--for Burnet's in his grave." C. B. _Dutch Chronicle of the World._--Will any of your readers oblige me with information respecting a Dutch work, professing to be an historical chronicle of the world from the creation to the time in which it was printed, which was in the days of _Merian_, the celebrated engraver, father to the naturalist Madame Merian, who was also an artist of some repute. The work I allude to was illustrated by numerous spirited engravings (supposed to have been executed on _pewter_), and of which I possess several hundred, which had been cut out of the letter-press which surrounded the prints, and bought at a stall in London many years back. I question whether there is a copy of the work to be found in England, except it be in the British Museum. JOHN FENTON. "_Arborei foetus alibi, atque injussa virescunt Gramina_" (_Virgil G._ I. 55.).--Amongst my school reminiscences, I retain very distinctly the remembrance of the surprise we felt in the sixth form, when we were desired by our revered and excellent master to construe the above words as follows: "'Arborei foetus,' _flourish unbidden in one situation, grass in another_." Or, more literally: "'Arborei foetus,' _flourish unbidden in situations different from those in which grass (flourishes unbidden)_." I well remember too, that some of us, while we admired the ingenuity, ventured to doubt the correctness of the translation. Will some of your learned correspondents kindly favour me with their opinions? W. S.