May 1. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



413 



Welsh family, the "Jones' of Mudd6," whose fore- 

 father had married the " Spirit of the Van Pool." 



" She left her children behind her, who became 

 famous as doctors. Jones was their name, and they 

 lived at a place called Muddfi. In them was said to 

 bave originated the tradition of the seventh son, or 

 Septimus, being born for the healing art ; as for many 

 generations seven sons were regularly born in each 

 family, the seventh of whom became the doctor, and 

 wonderful in his profession. It is said, even now, that 

 the Jones' of Muddfi are, or were until very recently, 

 clever doctors." 



I have heard this tradition of the Jones' of 

 Muddfi corroborated by a Welsh friend. H. G. T. 

 Launceston. 



FOLIC LOBE. 



Game-feathers protracting the Agony of Death. 

 — In a recent Number this singular superstition 

 was stated to be prevalent in Sussex. In the ad- 

 joining county of Surrey the notion appears to be 

 deeply rooted in the minds of the lower classes. A 

 friend, residing in my parish (Betchworth), has 

 given me several examples, which have fallen 

 under his notice during the past winter. 



" I was calling, a few weeks since, upon an old 

 man whom I had left the previous day apparently 

 in a dying state. At the door I met an old neigh- 

 bour, and inquired if he was still living. ' Yes, 

 Sir,' she said ; ' we think he must change his bed.' 

 * Change his bed ! ' I replied. ' What do you 

 mean ? ' ' Why, Sir, we think he can't pass away 

 while he lies in that bed. The neighbours think 

 there must be game-feathers in the bed.' ' Game- 

 feathers ! what do you mean ? ' ' Why, Sir, it is 

 always thought a poor soul can't pass away if he 

 is lying on game-feathers.' ' Oh,' I said, ' there is 

 nothing in that ; that is not the reason of his lin- 

 gering on.' ' No, Sir,' she replied, ' I think so too, 

 for I know the bed well. I was at the making of 

 it, and the feathers were well picked over.' 



" Not long after I looked in upon another aged 

 man, who had been confined to his bed upwards of 

 four months, gently dropping into his grave with- 

 out any other apparent complaint than old age. 

 He was a tine, hearty old man, with a constitution 

 which kept him lingering on beyond expectation. 

 ' Well,' I said, ' how are you this morning ? ' ' Oh, 

 Sir, I have had a sad night. I hoped, when you 

 left me, I should drop asleep and never wake more 

 in this world.' ' Yes, poor fellow,' said his sister, 

 who stood by his bedside, ' he does not seem able 

 to die ; we think we must move him to another 

 bed.' 'Another bed! Why so?' ' Why, he does 

 not seem able to die, and we think there must be 

 wild feathers in his bed.' The old man evidently 

 thought with his sister, that his bed had something 

 to do with the protraction of his life. He died, 

 however, at length without being moved. It is 



needless to remark, that the superstition would no 

 doubt have been confirmed, and the flickering 

 lamp of life might have been extinguished a few 

 hours sooner, had they carried into effect their 

 proposal to drag him from one bed to another, or 

 to lay him upon the floor. The woman who helped 

 to lay out the corpse came to see me, and I took 

 the occasion to ask if she knew the belief, that a 

 person could not die whilst lying upon game-fea- 

 thers. She assured me that she knew it to be the 

 case, and that in two Instances, when she had at- 

 tended persons who could not die, they had taken 

 them out of their beds, and they had expired im- 

 mediately. I found all expostulation in vain ; no 

 argument could shake so strong a conviction, and 

 I have no doubt that this strange notion is exten- 

 sively entertained by the peasantry in these southern 

 counties." 



I have since been informed that a similar belief 

 exists in Cheshire, in regard to pigeons' feathers. 



In the part of Surrey where I reside another 

 popular belief still lingers, noticed elsewhere by 

 writers on superstitions of this nature. On the 

 decease of the head of a family, where bees are 

 kept, some person forthwith goes to the hives and 

 informs the bees of the event. Without this pre- 

 caution, it is affirmed that they would speedily 

 desert the hives. Albert Way. 



Charm for Ague. — Looking over some family 

 papers lately, I found the following charm to cure 

 the ague in an old diary ; the date on the paper 

 is 1751. In compliance with your motto I send it 

 to you. 



''Charm to cure the Ague. 



" When Jesus saw y" cross, whereon his body should 

 be crucified, his body shook, and y« Jewes asked him 

 had he the Ague ? he answered and said, ' Whosoever 

 keepeth this in mind or writing shall not be troubled 

 with Fever or Ague;' so. Lord, help thy servant trust- 

 ing in thee. Then say the Lord's prayer. 



" This is to be read before it is folded, then knotted^ ' 

 and not opened after." 



Pebedub, 



Old Shoes throivnfor Luck (Vol. ii., p. 196.). — 

 I may be allowed to quote, from Tennyson's Lyri- 

 cal Monologue — 



" For this thou shalt from all things seek. 

 Marrow of mirth and laughter ; 

 And wheresoe'er thou move, good luck 

 Shall throw her old shoe after." 



W. Fbaseb.- 



Folk Lore of the Kacouss People. — In Black- 

 wood, January, 1 852, mention is made, in a review 

 of a French Folk Lore book, of the Kacouss, a 

 sort of Breton parias formerly excluded from the 

 society of Christians, and rejected even by the 

 church, which permitted them to attend Divine 

 service only at the door of the temple under the 

 hells. What does this under the bells mean ; and is 



