"Let us sing in joyful measures,

Let us spend in harmless pleasures,
This, the natal day of Jesus,

From our sins and woes who frees us."

Such is this curious relic of the piety of the Middle Ages. It was a compendium, in fact, of the Evidences of Christianity, and, though not such as Paley or Whately would have approved for severity of logic in our own day, must have served the same purpose, with the additional advantage of dramatic effect to render it impressive.

Whether or not the dramatic element has been to

too great an extent abandoned in the services of the Church of England, is a question we need not concern ourselves with here, but it certainly had its value as a medium of instruction in the period when it was most flourishing. In the words of M. Didron (Iconographie Chrétienne, vii.) "L'art graphique et l'art dramatique étaient le livre de ceux qui ne savaient pas lire." And there is force in the criticism of M. Maguin (Origines du Théâtre Moderne, i. xviii.), that the offices of religion are themselves really of a dramatic character. JOB J. BARDWELL WORKARD, M.A.

FOLK LORE.

THE GRASSHopper and CRICKET.-There is a belief in Ireland that the cricket, which is to be found in all houses in rural districts, and small towns and villages adjoining, during the winter, is the grasshopper from the summer fields. Whether this be correct or not, the following would seem to favour the notion:- Both insects are much alike in appearance, but different in colour. The dusky brown or ash hue of the cricket, is caused by its proximity to the fire, which in most houses consists of peat. It is stated that, on the approach of winter, the grasshopper emigrates to the houses to spend the winter, after enjoying the summer sun and verdure of the grassy fields. The chirruping, or song, of both insects, taking their different habitations into account, may be said to resemble each other in no small degree. Crickets are held in respect by the inhabitants of

the earliest civilisation seem to have travelled GENII, JIN, GENIUS, YIN.*.

from the farthest East.

Hence in the Indo

Germanic † languages, we find words which have apparently been derived from sources scarcely yet which signifies a powerful being, forming a link, recognised. For example, the Persian word jin, and endowed with a longevity just short of imas it were, between man and the angels and devils, mortality, may possibly be derived from the Chihordes that bordered on that ancient region of nese yin, "a man"; for to the minds of the savage knowledge and power, its inhabitants must have seemed something more than human. In fact, in oriental romance, the Genii are frequently represented as connected with that distant empire.

If, as is generally supposed, the Chinese, at an extremely remote period, possessed the knowledge of gunpowder, the fulminating Jins of Eastern fable are easily accounted for; while their superior knowledge of the secrets of nature; their irreligion, and their cruelty, in connection with human weaknesses, are quite reconcilable with the effect which that powerful, peculiar, and exclusive people must have produced on their ignorant and superstitious neighbours.

The length of days of the Genii also corresponds with the fabulous longevity of the earliest sovereigns of China; and their capacity for telegraphic rapidity of communication may have originated in the early knowledge of writing and even printing possessed by the Chinese. The analogy might be still further carried out, if necessary. SP.

FRENCH FOLK LORE. A French man and woman were engaged to be married. The former

The Chinese for Genii is Se-ën. A man is Jin or Yin. The Chinese words Yan or Jan, and Foo jan, a woman, are suggestive (vide S. jani, H. Nani (grandmother) &c., &c., also, Miu, a cat; Keaou, the mythical dragon peculiar to meadows and marshes.

This distinction is introduced to simplify the following remarks.

the woman sued him for breach of promise before the court of New Amsterdam, as the city of New York was called in 1656, when possessed by the Dutch; and this case is recorded. One of the reasons the man assigned for his refusal was, that the woman "is capable, or able, to kill any man who happens to know her, as she hath a white lung" (vermits un witte longh heeft). Though the record is in Dutch, that being the language of the country where they sojourned at the time, I infer that the superstition was French, the parties in the suit having been natives of France.

E. B. O'C.

"Clemeny, Clemeny, God be wi' you,
Christmas comes but once a ye-ar;
When it comes, it will soon be gone,
Give me an apple, and I'll be gone."

Does this custom still prevail? for I speak of fifty years ago; and has it been in use_in_other parts of England? F. C. H.

To the record of Clemmening Customs may be added the following:- The bakers of Cambridge hold an annual supper on St. Clement's Day, which supper is called "the Bakers' Clem." Their last celebration was (for convenience' sake) held on Saturday evening, Nov. 21, 1863.

CUTHBERT BEDE.

CHILTERN CUSTOMS: EGG HOPPING.-There is a sport widely practised by the boys in this part of these hills, which they call "Egg Hopping":

At the commencement of summer the lads forage the woods in quest of birds' eggs. These, when they have found, they place on the road at distances apart in proportion to the rarity or abundance of the species of egg. The Hopper is then blindfolded, and he endeavours to break as many as he can in a certain number of jumps. I cannot find the practice mentioned any where, nor can I glean whence it originated. Yet the universality of the game, and the existence of various superstitions, as raising the devil by repeating the Lord's Prayer backwards, combined with their refusal to part with the eggs for money, would warrant a supposition that some superstition is connected in some way with it. I should be glad to learn if the custom exists anywhere else, and if any reason is known for its performance.

JNO. BURHAM SAFFORD.

THE CHIEFTAIN AND HIS FOOL. (Western Highland Legends, hitherto unpublished.) The following legends are thoroughly genuine, and were collected for me by a dweller in Cantire, Argyleshire, who noted them down from the oral recitation of the Gaelic-speaking tale-tellers, and then translated them for my especial benefit. They have not yet appeared in print; and I communicate them to the Christmas Number of "N. & Q." with the hope that they may prove appropriate to its pages, and acceptable to its readers. Other legends from the same interesting locality were contributed by me to the Christmas Numbers of this journal for '61 and '62; and Highland Home in Cantire, from the pen of upwards of fifty appeared in Glencreggan; or a CUTHBERT BEDE.

I. MACKINLAY AND THE LAIRD OF LARGIE.

It was at the close of the sixteenth century, when James VI. of Scotland had banished Angus Mac Donald, Laird of Largie, Cantire, and had given his possessions to Argyll, that there arose a deadly feud between the Campbells and Macdonalds. At this period, a man named Mackinlay, who had reached to middle-age, lived at a short distance from the Laird's house, with his wife and a grown-up family of strong young men. The sons were somewhat wild, and did not always behave themselves so well as might have father much uneasiness, as he did not like to hear been expected,-a circumstance that caused their the just complaints of Largie and the neighbours. But Mackinlay was a favourite with the Laird, who, on his account, was disposed to overlook the faults of his sons.

It was on a New Year's Day, when the young men had gone away to their sports, that Mackinlay and his wife contented themselves at home, feasting on a shoulder of mutton. Now, the transparent shoulder-blade of a sheep has always been superstitiously used in Cantire; for, in its faintlytraced lines and marks, future events are supposed to be indicated to those who have the skill to "read" them. And, in addition to "reading the bone," the Western Highland fortune-tellers were accustomed to exercise their arts by "reading dreams," by cup-tossing, and by "reading the palm."

When Mackinlay and his wife had ended their New Year's dinner by eating the last bit of mutton from the shoulder-blade, Mackinlay began to Read the Bone. And, when he had passed some time in so doing, his wife asked him what he saw in it? but as he did not give her a satisfactory answer, she said to him angrily, " Throw it from you to the dog!" As he was doing so he said, "If we shall see the end of this year together,

we shall see many years afterwards; but I see a calamity coming this way." By this time, the Laird had walked into Mackinlay's house, bidding him a good New Year. Mackinlay was afraid that his sons had committed some misdemeanour, and was prepared to take their excuse; but the Laird said that such was not the reason for his visit, but, that his friends in Islay were robbed and murdered by the Campbells; and that, as he was going over to avenge his friends, he wished Mackinlay to accompany him.

Mackinlay made answer, "You have seen the day when I was of some use; but now my limbs are growing stiff. But take my sons with you; they are young and strong; and they will aid you better than I can." "I have seen your strong arm," said the Laird, "and I will yet trust more to it than to all your sons' sinews." So Mackinlay went with the Laird; and a boat was prepared, and the Laird collected all those whom he thought best worthy of trust; and they left the shore of Largie to cross the Channel to Islay. They tried to land about the middle of the island; but the wind blew from the south, and the current was strong, and they were driven up to the Sound of Islay, where lay Mac Callain's war ship. Mac Callain saw the Laird's boat, and, well knowing that he was coming to fight the Campbells, he gave him chase with his swift-sailing vessel, well-manned with soldiers, and apprehended the Laird at Eilein-mor-maialiairmie, an island off the shore of Knabdale. There he hanged the Laird, with Mackinlay, and all his men; and then went to Largie, burning and killing the people throughout that district. There he apprehended the sons of Mackinlay, and hung them all, save one, who chanced to be sick. Him he took with him to Inverary, where he clapped him in prison till he should get well, when he intended to bring him forth and hang him.

At that time, Argyll had a counsellor of the name of Macalriocgh, who told him, that, if he would leave alive one of the Mackinlays, he would be sure to take revenge for the death of his father. Just at the same time, a Dutch ship sailed to Inverary; and its Captain, coming on shore, challenged the Inverary men to a trial of strength in putting the stone: but the Captain could not get a man that would hold to him. Argyll was angered at this, and asked his counsellor what they would do to wipe away the affront that the Dutch Captain had put upon them. Macalriocgh answered, that he thought, if young Mackinlay had not been sick, he would have been the Captain's master. Argyll said, that if young Mackinlay would beat the Dutchman, he would get his life with him.

So it was agreed to this; and they went to Mackinlay's prison and told him what was proposed; and the young man said that he would

face the Sea Captain. And, on a day, they had their trial of strength; and Mackinlay put the stone the furthest, and beat the Captain. The Captain looked upon him with admiration, and asked him if he would go to sea with him, promising, if he would do so, that he would make him a gentleman.

Then Macalriocgh said to Argyll, "If he comes back a gentleman, he will have the means to avenge his father's death. It were best to hang the whelp, and make an end of the family." Argyll took his counsellor's advice, and young Mackinlay was hung forthwith. And thus it was that the family of Mackinlay was exterminated; and the calamity came to pass that Mackinlay had foreseen when he read the bone on New Year's Day.

II. THE CHIEFTAIN AND HIS FOOL.

In olden times the Highland chiefs and landed proprietors were wont to amuse themselves by retaining in their service Poets, Musicians, and Jesters; and oftentimes the Fool was the wisest as well as the wittiest of them all.

There was a chieftain in Cantire who had a Fool to whom the people came for advice. Now there was a young man who wished to get himself married; but he had three ladies in view, and he did not know which of them he should choose. So he came to the Fool for advice. And when he came, he found the Fool riding on a large spar or branch of a tree, in the same way that a little boy rides on his father's staff.

"What do you want here?” said the Fool. "I want your advice," replied the young man ; "for I want to get myself married." "To whom?" asked the Fool.

"To a rich widow," replied the young man. "I do not like to hear prayers for the souls of the departed," said the Fool. And the young man understood him to mean, that if he married the rich widow, and she should become displeased at any time, she would fall to speaking of her deceased husband; and the young man thought that he should not like to hear his wife praising another above himself. So he determined to dismiss the rich widow from his thoughts.

Then the Fool came capering round on his stick; and the young man said, "I am going to get myself married."

"To whom?" asked the Fool.

"To a learned lady," replied the young man. "Take care my horse does not give you a kick!" said the Fool, as he went galloping away on his stick. And the young man understood that the Fool did not approve of his second proposal; and he himself would not wish to be thought an ignorant fellow by his wife. So he dismissed the learned lady from his thoughts.

Again the Fool took his round, leaping and lashing his wooden horse; and the young man said, "I want to get myself married."

"To whom?" asked the Fool.

"To a servant girl," replied the young man. "Oh!" said the Fool; "alike to alike." So the young man understood that the Fool approved his choice; and he thanked him for his advice, and went home and married the servant girl. And a very good wife she made him.

There is another tale told of this same Fool. He was amusing himself at the side of the river, when a gentleman rode up, on the opposite side, and called to him to show him the safest ford across the water. The Fool asked him whither he was bound; and the gentleman told him, naming the Fool's master. The Fool inquired of the gentleman if he intended to make any stay with his master; and the gentleman replied, Yes, he did, for he had not seen the Chief for a long time. Now, the Fool knew that his master was ill prepared to receive any guest; so he thought that it would be doing him a kindness to prevent this gentleman from going to his house. Therefore, when the gentleman a second time asked him to show him the safest ford, the Fool directed him to the very deepest spot in the river. Accordingly, when the gentleman rode into the river, he had not proceeded far from the bank when down plumped the rider and his horse over head and ears in the water. They would have been drowned to a surety, had not some people chanced to come by at the moment, and with some difficulty they rescued the gentleman. He was no sooner safe on the bank than he ran up to the Fool to give him a lashing.

66

Why did you lead me to such a deep place ?"

he said.

66

Truly," was the reply, "I am but a poor Fool, and how was I to know that the place was so deep? for are not the legs of your honour's horse far longer than the legs of my master's goose, who hath crossed this place in safety over and over again ? "

So the gentleman laughed; and, instead of giving the Fool a lashing, he gave him a piece of money and told him to lead the way to his master's house, and to bear in mind that he rode a horse and not a goose.

There is yet another tale told of this same Fool.

He was once sent, together with another laird's Fool, to gather shellfish, or "Maórach." Their masters had laid a bet which of the two Fools was the more foolish; and so, to try them, they left a piece of gold by the side of the road along which the Fools would have to pass; and then, concealing themselves behind a bush, waited to see which of the two Fools would pick up the piece of gold. When they came to it, the other Fool

said, "See! there is gold!" but the chief's Foo! replied, "When we are gathering gold, let us gather it; but, when we are sent for Maórach, let us go for it." So they both went their way for the shellfish; and hence arose the proverbWhatever we are doing, let us do it.

66

But this Chief's Fool was always very ready with his answer. One day he met two young gentlemen, who had found a horse-shoe on the road, which they showed to him, saying, "See here! we have got a horse-shoe!" Now, what a fine thing is learning!" said the Fool. "You learned gentlemen can tell this at once to be the shoe of a horse; but I, who am but a poor fool, could not for my life tell but that it might be the shoe of a mare.'

"Among Swift's works, we find a jeu d'esprit, entitled The Wonder of all the Wonders that the World ever Wondered at,' and purporting to be an advertisement of a conjuror. There is an amusing one of the same kind by a very humorous German writer, George Christopher Lichtenberg, which, as his works are not much known here, is perhaps worth translating. The occasion on which it was written was the following. In the year 1777, a celebrated conjuror of those days arrived at Göttingen. Lichtenberg, for some reason or other, did not

wish him to exhibit there; and, accordingly, before the

other had time even to announce his arrival, he wrote this advertisement, in his name, and had it printed and posted over the town. The whole was the work of one night. The result was, that the real Simon Pure decamped next morning without beat of drum, and never appeared in Göttingen again. Lichtenberg had spent some time in England, and understood the language perfectly, so that he may have seen Swift's paper. Still, even granting that he took the hint from him, it must be allowed he has improved on it not a little, and displayed not only more delicacy, which indeed was easy enough, but more

wit also.

"The admirers of supernatural Physics are hereby informed that the far-famed Magician, Philadelphus Philadelphia (the same that is mentioned by Cardanus, in his book De Natura Supernaturali, where he is styled "The envied of Heaven and Hell,") arrived here a few

days ago by the mail, although it would have been just as easy for him to come through the air, seeing that he is the person who, in the year 1482, in the public market at Venice, threw a ball of cord into the clouds, and climbe upon it into the air till he got out of sight. On the 9th of January, of the present year, he will commence at the Merchant's-Hall, publico-privately, to exhibit his one dollar tricks, and continue weekly to improve them, till he comes to his 500 guinea tricks; amongst which last

are some which,' without boasting, excel the wonderful itself, nay are, as one may say, absolutelytimpossible.

66 6

He has had the honor of performing with the greatest possible approbation before all the potentates, high and low, of the four quarters of the world; and even in the fifth, a few weeks ago, before her Majesty, Queen Oberea, at Otaheite.

"He is to be seen every day, except on Mondays and Thursdays, when he is employed in clearing the heads of the honorable members of the Congress of his countrymen at Philadelphia; and at all hours, except from 11 to 12 in the forenoon, when he is engaged at Constantinople; and from 12 to 1, when he is at his dinner.

"The following are some of his common one dollar tricks; and they are selected, not as being the best of them, but as they can be described in the fewest words :

"1. Without leaving the room, he takes the weathercock off St. James's church, and sets it on St. John's, and vice versa. After a few minutes he puts them back again in their proper places. N.B. All this without a magnet, by mere sleight of hand.

2. He takes two ladies, and sets them on their heads on a table, with their legs up: he then gives them a blow, and they immediately begin to spin like tops with incredible velocity, without breach either of their headdress by the pressure, or of decorum by the falling of their petticoats, to the very great satisfaction of all pre3. He takes three ounces of the best arsenic, boils it in a gallon of milk, and gives it to the ladies to drink. As soon as they begin to get sick, he gives them two or three spoonfuls of melted lead, and they go away in high spirits.

sent.

4. He takes a hatchet, and knocks a gentleman on the head with it, so that he falls dead on the floor. When there, he gives a second blow, whereupon the gentleman immediately gets up as well as ever, and generally asks what music that was.

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5. He draws three or four ladies' teeth, makes the company shake them well together in a bag, and then puts them into a little cannon, which he fires at the aforesaid ladies' heads, and they find their teeth white and sound in their places again.

"6. A metaphysical trick, otherwise commonly called nav metaphysica, whereby he shows that a thing can actually be and not be at the same time. It requires great preparation and cost, and is shown so low as a dollar, solely in honour of the University.

"7. He takes all the watches, rings, and other ornaments of the company, and even money if they wish, and gives every one a receipt for his property. He then puts them all in a trunk, and brings them off to Cassel. În a week after, each person tears his receipt, and that moment finds whatever he gave in his hands again. He has made a great deal of money by this trick.

"N.B. During this week, he performs in the top room at the Merchant's-Hall; but after that, up in the air over

the pump in the market-place; for whoever does not pay, EIRIONNACH.

will not see." "

Minor Notes.

REMOVING OIL-STAINS FROM Books.-The following directions for removing oil-stains from books seems to me worthy of reservation in the pages of "N. & Q." :

"The remedy is sulphuric ether. If the stains are extensive, I am in the habit of rolling up each leaf

and inserting it into a wide-mouthed bottle half full of ether, and shaking it gently up and down for a minute. On its removal, the stains will be found to have disappeared. The ether rapidly evaporates from the paper, and a single washing in cold water is all that is afterwards required.

"While I recommend sulphuric ether especially, it is useful to know that it is not alone in possession of the power of removing oily stains. Mineral naphtha and benzoline possess with it the property of dissolving oils, fixed and volatile, tallow, lard, wax, and other substances of this class. Naphtha is an excellent solvent, and much cheaper than sulphuric ether; but unless it is exceedingly pure, it is apt to tint the paper. Your other correspondent Papyrongos,' by the use of ether, will be enabled at all times to detect a doctored paper mark or date."-Le Bibliophile Illustré for Sept. 1861, p. 27. J. C. LINDSAY.

St. Paul, Minnesota.

"STIR-UP" SUNDAY.-This name is given by school-girls and boys to the 25th Sunday after Trinity, from the opening words of the Collect for the day. It is a bit of semi folk-lore that has not yet been recorded in these pages; and may now serve as an excuse for the quotation of the following introduction to the noble Stirring-up letter of S. G. O. in The Times for Nov. 25 : —

"Stir-up' Sunday is a day associated in the minds of many of our fellow-creatures with feelings peculiar to itself. The school sons and daughters of the well-to-do in the world hail this collect of the Church as a pleasant witness to the fact that the weeks of the passing halfyear are drawing to a close, the day for home is rapidly approaching. By Stir-up' Sunday the drapers of country towns provide the exhibition of blankets and flannels, ready against the demand for clothing clubs, tempting to those who now meditate warming gifts to the poor and the cold. Parish clerks seek the order of the churchwardens for coals for the church stove, always lit after Stir-up' Sunday. Sunday-school children, itching with early chilblains, repeat this collect as, in their minds, a proclamation that winter is come, just as they hail the cry of the cuckoo with childish glee as the voice that says winter is gone. The wealthy now finally settle the programme for Christmas; who will be the guests, and what is to be done in preparation for the holydays of the juveniles. Every newspaper now puts forth its advertisements of the fashions for the coming winter; especially about Stir-up' Sunday do those gentlemen who have to sell cheap, under money difficulty or being ordered to a warm climate,' the beautiful, scarcely worn fur cloaks and rugs, put forth their bait to wealthy seekers of defence against winter's cold.

Sunday a peculiar and most seasonable feature of intel"Of late years I have observed that about Stir-up' ligence' and argument developes itself in The Times. However interesting the current political events of the day may be, whatever the demand upon space, from the law courts at home, from foreign action of national interest to ourselves, from the correspondence of writers who are exponents of valuable opinions on any of the great controverted questions of the hour, room is found most liberally for those who, acting in harmony with the petition of the beautiful Stir-up collect, seek to point out the good works' by which the charitable may offer to the Deity acceptable fruits of Christian, charitable deeds." CUTHBERT BEDE.