The pretended blood of Christ drew to Ashridge many persons of all ranks, greatly to the enrichment of the society. “But,” Speed tells us, “when the sunne-shine of the Gospell had pierced thorow such cloudes of darkenesse, it was perceiued apparantly to be onely hony clarified and coloured with Saffron, as was openly shewed at Paules Crosse by the Bishop of Rochester, the twentie foure of Februarie, and yeare of Christ 1538.” _A Prospect of The Most Famous Parts of the World_, 1631, (in _Buck._ p. 43). v. 1466. _Fraxinus in clivo, &c._] “As to the name _Ashridge_” says Kennett, “it is no doubt from a hill set with Ashes; the old word was _Aescrugge, Rugge_, as after _Ridge_, signifying a hill or steep place, and the Ashen-tree being first _Aesc_, as after _Ashche_, &c.” _Parochial Antiquities_, p. 302. ed. 1695. v. 1470. _The Nacyoun of Folys_] Most probably _The Boke of Three Fooles_, in vol. i. 199. v. 1471. _Apollo that whirllid vp his chare_] Concerning the piece, of which these were the initial words, a particular notice will be found in _The Account of Skelton and his Writings_: _chare_, i. e. chariot; compare the first of the two lines, which in the old eds. and some MSS. of Chaucer stand as the commencement of a third part of _The Squieres Tale_; “_Apollo whirleth vp his chare_ so hie.” _Workes_, fol. 25. ed. 1602. and the opening of _The Floure and the Leafe_; “When that _Phebus his chaire_ of gold so hie Had _whirled_ vp the sterye sky aloft.” _Id._ fol. 344. See also _Poems_ by C. Duke of Orleans, _MS. Harl._ 682. fol. 47. v. 1472. _snurre_] i. e. snort. Page 420. v. 1475. _mell_] i. e. meddle. v. 1477. _stode_] i. e. stood. v. 1478. _Suppleyng_] i. e. Supplicating. v. 1480. _bokis ... rase_] i. e. books ... erase. v. 1483. _rin_] i. e. run. v. 1487. _take it in gre_] i. e. take it kindly: see note, p. 95. v. 68. v. 1490. _ragman rollis_] The collection of deeds in which the Scottish nobility and gentry were compelled to subscribe allegiance to Edward I. of England in 1296, and which were more particularly recorded in four large rolls of parchment, &c., was known by the name of _Ragman’s Roll_: but what has been written on the origin of this expression appears to be so unsatisfactory that I shall merely refer the reader to Cowel’s _Law Dictionary_, &c., ed. 1727, in v., Jamieson’s _Et. Dict. of Scot. Lang._ in v., Nares’s _Gloss._ in v., Gloss. to _The Towneley Myst._ in v., and Todd’s _Johnson’s Dict._ in v. _Rigmarole_. v. 1491. _lenger_] i. e. longer. v. 1495. _Counforte_] i. e. Comfort. v. 1498. _Diodorus Siculus of my translacyon_ _Out of fresshe Latine, &c._] —_fresshe_, i. e. elegant: see note, p. 302. v. 39. This translation from the Latin of Poggio is mentioned with praise in Caxton’s Preface to _The Boke of Eneydos_, &c. 1490, and is still preserved in MS. among Parker’s Collection, in Corpus Ch. College, Cambridge: see _Account of Skelton and his Writings_, and _Appendix_ ii.