Notes and Queries, Number 40, August 3, 1850

Furr'd with fine fashioun."

Robert Henryson's Garment of Good Ladies. See Ellis' Spec. of Early Eng. Poets, i. 362.

    J.F.M.

FOLK LORE

High Spirits considered a Sign of impending Calamity or Death (Vol. ii., p. 84.).—

"Westmoreland. Health to my lord, and gentile cousin, Mowbray.

Mowbray. You wish me health in very happy season;
For I am, on the sudden, something ill.

Archbishop of York. Against ill chances, men are ever merry;
But heaviness foreruns the good event.

West. Therefore be merry, cos; since sudden sorrow
Serves to say thus,—Some good thing comes to-morrow.

Arch. Believe me, I am passing light in spirit.

Mow. So much the worse, if your own rule be true."

Second Part of King Henry IV., Act iv. Sc. 2.

In the last act of Romeo and Juliet, Sc. 1, Romeo comes on, saying,—

"If I may trust the flattering eye of sleep,
My dreams presage some joyful news at hand:
My bosom's lord sits lightly on his throne;
And, all this day, an unacustom'd spirit
Lifts me above the ground with cheerful thoughts."

Immediately a messenger comes in to announce Juliet's death.

In Act iii. Sc. 2., of King Richard III., Hastings is represented as rising in the morning in unusually high spirits. This idea runs through the whole scene, which is too long for extraction. Before dinner-time he is beheaded.

    X.Z.

Norfolk Popular Rhymes.—On looking over an old newspaper, I stumbled on the following rhymes, which are there stated to be prevalent in the district in which these parishes are situated, viz. between Norwich and Yarmouth:—

"Halvergate hares, Reedham rats,
Southwood swine, and Cantley cats;
Acle asses, Moulton mules,
Beighton bears, and Freethorpe fools."

They seem to proceed simply on the alliterative principle mentioned by J.M.B. (Vol. i., p. 475.) as common to many popular proverbs, &c. Two others I subjoin from my own recollection, which differ in this particular:—

"Blickling flats, Aylsham fliers,
Marsham peewits, and Hevingham liars."

These are four villages on the road between Norwich and Cromer. A third couplet alludes merely to the situation of a group of villages near the sea-coast,—

"Gimingham, Trimingham, Knapton, and Trunch,
Northrepps and Southrepps, hang all in a bunch."

    E.S.T.
Throwing Salt over the Shoulder.—This custom I have frequently observed, of taking a pinch of salt without any remark, and flinging it over the shoulder. I should be glad to know its origin.

    E.S.T.

Charming for Warts.—In Vol. i., p. 19., a correspondent asks if the custom of "charming for warts" prevails in England.

A year or two ago I was staying in Somersetshire, and having a wart myself, was persuaded to have it "charmed." The village-charmer was summoned; he first cut off a slip of elder-tree, and made a notch in it for every wart. He then rubbed the elder against each, strictly enjoining me to think no more about it, as if I looked often at the warts the charm would fail.

In about a week the warts had altogether disappeared, to the delight of the operator.

    N.A.B.

NOTES ON COLLEGE SALTING; TURKISH SPY; DR. DEE; FROM "LETTERS FROM THE BODLEIAN, &c." 2 VOLS. 1813

Having been lately reading through this interesting collection, I have "noted" some references to subjects which have been discussed in your columns.

1. College Salting. Salt at Eton Montem (Vol. i., pp. 261. 306. 321. 384. 390. 492.).—I am not quite clear as to the connection between these two subjects: but an identity of origin is not improbable. A letter from Mr. Byrom to Aubrey, "On the Custom of Salting at Eton," Nov. 15. 1693, is in vol. ii. p. 167.:

"I could send you a long answer to your queries, but have not the confidence to do it; for all that I can say was only heard from others when I was at school at Eton, and if I should depend upon that, perhaps I should make too bold with truth. 'Twas then commonly said that the college held some lands by the custom of salting; but having never since examined it, I know not how to account for it. One would think, at first view, considering the foundation was designed for a nursery of the Christian religion, and has not been in being much above 250 years, that it is not likely any remains of the Gentiles, relating to their sacrifices, should in so public a manner be suffered in it; however, I cannot but own with those that understand anything of antiquity, that the Christians very early assumed some rites of the heathens; and probably it might be done with this design,—that the nations, seeing a religion which in its outward shape was something like their own, might be the sooner pursuaded to embrace it. To be free, sir, with you, I am apt to believe, for the honour of that society of which I was once an unworthy member, that the annual custom of salting alludes to that saying of our Saviour to His disciples, 'Ye are the salt of the earth;' for as salt draws up all that matter that tends to putrefaction, so it is a symbol of our doing the like in a spiritual state, by taking away all natural corruption.... If this will not please, why may it not denote that wit and knowledge by which boys dedicated to learning ought to distinguish themselves. You know what sal sometimes signifies among the best Roman authors: Publius Scipio omnes sale facetiisque superabat, Cic.; and Terent, Qui habet salem qui in te est."

The Editor has a note on this letter:—

"There have been various conjectures relative to the origin of this custom. Some have supposed that it arose from an ancient practice among the friars of selling consecrated salt and others, with more probability, from the ceremony of the bairn or boy-bishop, as it is said to have been formerly a part of the Montem-celebration for prayers to be read by a boy dressed in the clerical habit."

A letter from Dr. Tanner to Mr. Hearne on Barne or Boy-bishops, is in vol. i., p. 302.

2. The Turkish Spy (Vol. i., p. 324.; vol. ii., p. 12.).—The letter or the authorship of this work quoted by DR. RIMBAULT from the Bodleian MSS., is printed in vol. i. p. 233.; and I observe that DR. R. has incorporated in his communication the Editor's note on the passage.

3. Dr. Dee (Vol. i., pp. 216. 284.).—A letter about Dr. Dee from Mr. Ballard to T. Hearne occurs in vol. ii. p. 89. It does not throw light on the question of why Dr. Dee left Manchester College? There are also notes for a life of Dee among Aubrey's Lives, appended to these Letters (vol. ii. p. 310.) Both letters and notes refer to original sources of information for Dee's Life.

    CH.

MINOR NOTES

Alarm.—A man is indicted for striking at the Queen, with intent (among other things) to alarm her Majesty. It turns out that the very judge has forgotten the legal (which is also the military) meaning of the word. An alarm is originally the signal to arm: Query, Is it not formed from the cry à l'arme, which in modern times is aux armes? The judge said that from the courage of her family, most likely the Queen was not alarmed, meaning, not frightened. But the illegal intent to alarm merely means the intent to make another think that it is necessary to take measures of defence or protection. When an alarm is sounded, the soldier who is not alarmed is the one who would be held to be frightened.

    M.

Taking a Wife on Trial.—The following note was made upon reading The Historical and Genealogical Account of the Clan of Maclean, by a Seneachie, published by Smith, Elder, and Co., London, 1838. It may be thought worthy of a corner amongst the Notes on Folk Lore, which form so curious and entertaining a portion of the "NOTES AND QUERIES."

In the beginning of the year 1608 a commission, consisting of the Archbishop of Glasgow, the Bishop of the Isles (Andrew Knox), Andrew Stewart, Lord Ochiltree, and Sir James Hay of Kingask, proceeded to the Isles with power to summon the chiefs to a conference, for the purpose of intimating to them the measures in contemplation by the government. A meeting for this purpose was held at Aross Castle, one of the seats of Maclean, in Mull, at which the principal barons and heads of houses attended.