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of the Parliamentarian side. His son sat in Parliament, but died in France before the Earl, and without children, in 1641.

Sir John Potts, of Mannington in Norfolk, having been previously knighted, was created a Baronet in 1641. He died in 1673 (see his epitaph in Blomefield's Norfolk, 1805, vi. 465.)

NO. CXL. A LEGAL BULL.

A controversie being at Bury Assizes, about wintering of cattell, before Baron Trevers, then Judge upon the Bench, and the demand being extreame high, "Why, Friend," sayes he, "this is most unreasonable; I wonder thou art not asham'd, for I myself have knowne a beast winter'd one whole summer for a noble." "That was a Bull, my Lord, I beleeve," sayes the fellow; at which ridiculous expression of the judge, and slye retorted jeere of the countryman, the whole court fell into a most profuse laughter.

L'Estrange, No. 597. Mr. Ferrar.

Sir Joseph Trevor, knight, the perpetrator of the legal blunder recorded in this anecdote, was appointed a Baron of the Exchequer on the 10th May 1625.

NO. CXLI.-A GOOD SERMON BAD IN ITS EFFECTS.

A minister, having preached a very long sermon, as his custom was, some hours after ask't a gentleman his approbation of it; he replyed 7 that," "Twas very good, but that it had spoyled a goose worth two of it." L'Estrange, No. 605.

END OF PART THE FIRST.

ANECDOTES AND TRADITIONS.

PART II.

NO. CXLII. DANCING IN CHURCHES AT CHRISTMAS.

Captn Potter (born in the north of Yorkshire) sayes that in the country churches, at Christmas, in the Holy-daies after Prayers, they will dance in the Church, and as they doe dance they cry, [or sing,]

"Yole, Yole, Yole, &c."

Aubrey, 101 ro.

The practice of dancing in churches, which prevailed among the early Christians, has been by some writers supposed to be an imitation of similar proceedings in Pagan times. The late Mr. Douce, who was of this opinion, quotes in his "Dance of Death," p. 6, a decree of a council held under Pope Eugenius II. in the ninth century, in which the custom is thus noticed: "Ut Sacerdotes admoneant viros ac mulieres, qui festis diebus ad ecclesiam occurrunt, ne ballando et turpia verba decantando choros teneant ac ducunt, similitudinem Paganorum peragendo." (Leg. Antiq. iii. 84.)

But may not this practice have arisen among the Jews? We know that David danced before the Ark, 2 Samuel vi. 14; and Eisenmenger, in his "Entdecktes Judenthum,” p. i. s. 46, tells us, that it is a rabbinical tradition, that at the marriage of Adam and Eve in Paradise, the Creator and the Angels danced, having the Sun, Moon, and Stars, als dem Frauenzimmer, as partners!

A work on the subject of "The Religious Dances of the Early Christians," which I have not been able to consult, but which bears a very high character, I mean, "M. C. H. Brömel's Fest-Tanzen der Ersten Christen. Jena, 1705," would probably throw great light upon this point.

NO. CXLIII.-THE YULE LOG.

In the west riding of Yorkshire on Xmass Eve, at night, they bring in a large Yule-log, or Xmass block, and set it on fire, and lap their Christmas ale, and sing,

"Yule, Yule,

A pack of new cards and a Xmass stool."

Aubrey, 101 ro. W. K.

The learned Dr. Jacob Grimm, in his " Deutsche Mythologie," 117, quotes from the "Mémoires de l'Académie Celtique," notices of a similar custom which prevails at Commercy en Lorraine :

"Le 24 Décembre vers les six heures du soir, chaque famille met à son feu une énorme buche appelée Souche de Noel. On defend aux enfans de s'y asseoir, parceque, leur dit on, ils y attraperaient la gale. Notez, qu'il est d'usage dans presque tout le pais, de mettre le bois au foyer dans toute sa longeur, qui est d'environ 4 pieds et de l'y faire brûler par un bout."

A somewhat similar practice obtains at Bonneval :

"La veille de Noel, avant la messe de minuit, on place dans la cheminée de l'appartement le plus habité une buche, la plus grosse que l'on puisse rencontrer, et qui soit dans le cas de resister pendant trois jours dans le foyer. C'est ce que lui a fait donner le nom de tréfué, tréfoué, trois feux."

Among the traditions of Denmark, recorded by Thiele in his " Danske Folkesagn," 3 Sam. s. 102, is the following: "When people at Christmas Eve sit together at table and wish to know who among them will die before the next Christmas, some one goes out quietly and peeps in at the window, and whoever is seen to sit at table without a head will die in the coming year." And from Thiele's note we learn that at Anspach it was believed that, when at Christmas or New Year's Day the tree which had been brought in was lighted, any one had but to look at the shadows of those present to learn who would die in the course of the next year, for their shadows would be seen headless.

NO. CXLIV,-DRESSING THE HOUSE WITH IVY.

In several parts of Oxfordshire, particularly at Lanton, it is the custom for the maid servant to ask the man for Ivy to dress the House, and if the man denies or neglects to fetch in Ivy, the maid steals away a pair of his breeches and nails them up to the gate in the yard, or highway. Aubrey, 101 ro. W. K.

CAMD. SOC. 5.

M

The subject of decorating churches and houses with ivy at Christmas, is fully described in Brand's Popular Antiquities, i. 404, of Sir Henry Ellis's excellent edition of that book, and which is the only one referred to in the course of the present work. This notice affords us a curious recognition of the principle of tit for tat, the man having refused the maid her suit, she takes her revenge upon his breeches !

NO. CXLV.-THE LOVING CUP.

At Danby Wisk, in the north riding of Yorkshire, it is the custom for the parishioners, after receiving the Sacrament, to goe from church directly to the ale-house, and there drink together, as a testimony of charity and friendship.-Ex ore W. Lester, Armig.

Aubrey, 101 ro. W. K.

This practice, which is so perfectly in unison with the character of a simple-minded people, is clearly allied to one still existing, we mean the drinking from the "Loving Cup," a ceremony which is yet observed by several of the City Companies when the Courts dine in their halls; though, perhaps, more immediately to the Agape, which were, says Aubrey, in this same MS. fo. 121, v. "Certain Love Feasts used in the primitive Church, where all the congregation met and feasted together after they had received the communion, and those that were rich, brought for themselves and the poore, and all eate together for the increase of mutual love, and for the rich to show their love and charity to the poore."

In Grimm's Deutsche Mythologie, 36-38, we have much curious information upon the custom (of pagan origin, but which Christianity never succeeded in out-rooting,) of “ Minnetrinken," drinking to the love, or rather memory, of the absent. But the passage is too long to translate, and will not very well admit of curtailment.

NO. CXLVI.-JANUARY WEATHER.

There is a Proverb in Welsh of great antiquity,

Haf hyd gatan

Gaiaf hyd Fay. i. e.

If it be somerly weather till the Kalends of January, it will be winterly weather till the Kalends of May. They look upon this as an oracle.

There is a more modern version of this Proverb in Ray's Collection.

If Janiveer Calends be summerly gay,

Aubrey, 102 vo.

'T will be winterly weather till the Calends of May."

NO. CXLVII.-FEBRUARY SOWLEGROVE.

The shepherds and vulgar people in South Wilts call Februarie "Sowlegrove," and have this proverb of it, viz. "Soulegrove si lew" -February is seldome warme-sil pro seld-seldome.

Aubrey, 102 vo.

In Forster's Perennial Calendar, where we are told "Februeer doth cut and shear," are many proverbial expressions, which show,

"“hail, rain, and snow,

Are now expected and esteemed no woe."

But neither in Forster, nor in any other writer on the subject, do I find February designated as Sowlegrove, which is, however, clearly of Saxon origin, Sol monað being the name given to February in the Menologia.

NO. CXLVIII.-EATING LEEKS IN MARCH.

The vulgar in the west of England doe call the moneth of March Lide-a proverbial Rhythm,

"Eate Leekes in Lide, and Ramsins in May,

And all the year after Physitians may play."

Aubrey, 159.

The custom of wearing Leeks in March has been so frequently discussed, that here it need only be referred to; but we do not know that there exists any other mention of the wholesomeness of eating them in Lide, as March is here styled, from the Anglo-Saxon name of this month, hlyd-monað, or loud month, from hlyd tumultus.—(See Lye and Manning, sub voce, and Menol. 71.) Neither are we aware of any other record of Ramsons, i. e. Garlick, being more particularly salutary in May than in any other month. We have in fo. 159 of this same MS. another proverbial recipe, which we believe to be new. "Goode to eat Briars in the Sere Month (August). I believe the word Sere comes from Sirius-in the month of the great Dog," says Aubrey.

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In Herefordshire, and parts of the marshes of Wales, the Tabor and Pipe were exceedingly common. Many beggars beg'd with it, and the peasants danced to it in the churchyard on holydays and holyday-eves. The Tabor is derived from the Sistrum of the Romans, who had it from

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