"_Hoffman_," _a Tragedy by Chettle._--Can any correspondent of the "N. & Q." throw any light upon the source of the plot of _Hoffman, a Tragedy_, by Henry Chettle, 4to. 1631? The scene is laid at Dantzig in Prussia; the hero revenges his father's death, which was caused by the Duke of Lüneburg and other princes, by means of a red-hot iron crown placed on his head. He kills the son of the Duke of Lüneburg in the same manner, and assumes his character; is adopted by the Duke of Prussia, and avenges himself by the murder of the duke, and others of his father's judges; is finally discovered, and put to death by means of the iron crown. I have in vain searched the German chronicle of the period: from the geographical localities being well preserved, as well as the German names (a peculiarity in the old drama), the presumption is, that it has been taken from an historical source. Mention is made in Menzel's _History of Germany_, of a Count Jordan who suffered death by means of an iron crown; and in Goldsmith's _Traveller_, the line of-- "Luke's iron crown and Damon's bed of steel," is illustrated by a note in Bohn's edition of that author, of two brothers, George and Luke Leck, who had created a rebellion in Hungary, and of one of them suffering death in this manner; but neither of these two cases apply at all to the subject. H. B. L. _Inverted Commas._--When were inverted commas first introduced to indicate quotations in writing? S. W. RIX. _Quotations Wanted._--If the subjoined Queries could be inserted _early_, it would greatly oblige me. I want them for a work, of which the first proofs are now before me. I should be glad if any of the readers of "N. & Q." could refer me to the precise places from whence the following quotations are made:-- 1. "Qui vult plenè et sapidè Christi verba intelligere, oportet ut totam vitam suam Illi studeat conformare." 2. "Gaudium suum ob renascentes literas non sine metu exprimet, unus scrupulus habet animum meum, ne sub obtentu priscæ literaturæ caput erigere tentet paganismus.... Optarim frigidas istas argutias (humanæ eloquentiæ logicarumque subtilitatum) amputari prorsus, Christumque illum simplicem et purum restitui, penitusque humanis mentibus inseri." _Erasmus._ Query--where? 3. "Cujus vita despicitur, restat ut ejus prædicatio contemnatur." _S. Gregory._ W. D--N. _Deacons, a Phrase used by Foxe._--In the martyrology of John Foxe we read--