2°^ S. X. Nov. 10. '60.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES, 



363 



« Sir, 



" Trin. Coll., Cambridge, 

 Nov. 20th, 1807. 



Si 



O 



" I am happy to hear every thing goes on so well, 

 andlpresume you will soon commence, thoughlara 

 still of opinion the first Edition had better be en- 

 tirely sold, before you risk the printing of a second. 

 As Crosby recommends fine-wove foolscap, let it 

 be used, and I will order a design in London for 

 a plate : my own portrait would perhaps be best, 

 but as that would take up so long a time in com- 

 pleting, we will substitute probably a view of 

 Harrow or Newstead in its stead. 



" You will omit the poems mentioned below : — 

 Stanzas on a View of Harrow, 

 To a Quaker, 

 The First Kiss of Love, 

 College Examinations, 

 Lines to the Rev. J. T. Beecher. 

 " To be inserted, not exactly in the same place, 

 but in different parts of the volume, I will send 

 you five poems never yet published : two of toler- 

 able length, at least much longer than any of the 

 above, which are ordered to be omitted. 



" Mention in your answer when you would like 

 to receive the manuscript, that they may be set. 

 By the bye, I must have the proofs of the Manu- 

 scripts sent to Cambridge as they occur : the 

 proofs from the printed copy you can manage with 

 Care, if Mr. Beecher will assist you. Attend to 

 the list of Errata^ that we may not have a second 

 Edition of them also. The preface we have done 

 with, perhaps I may send an Advertisement; a 

 dedication shall be forthcoming in due Season. 

 You will send a proof of the first Sheet for In- 

 spection, and soon too, for I am about to set out 

 for London ; if I remain there any time I shall 

 apprise you where to send the Manuscript Proofs. 

 Do you think the others will be sold before the 

 next are ready — what says Crosby? Remember 

 I have advised you not to risk it a second time, 

 and it is not too late to retract. However, you 

 must abide by your own discretion, 



" &c. &c. 



" Btron. 

 " P. S. You will print from the Copy I sent 

 you with the alterations, pray attend to them, and 

 be careful of mistakes. In my last, I gave you 

 directions concerning the Title-page and Mot- 

 toes." 



" Dorant's Hotel. February 11th, 1808. 

 " Mr. Ridge, 

 *" Something has occurred which will make con- 

 siderable alteration in my new volume. You 

 must go hack, and cut out the whole poem, of 

 ' Childish Recollections.^ Of course you will be 

 surprised at this, and perhaps displeased, but it 

 must be done. I cannot help its detaining you a 

 month longer, but there will be enough in the 

 volume without it ; and as I am now reconciled to 



Dr. Butler, I cannot allow my Satire to appear 

 against him, nor can I alter that part relating to 

 him without spoiling the whole. 



" Will, therefore, omit the whole poem. Send 

 me an immediate answer to this Letter, but obey 

 the directions. It is better that my Reputation 

 should suffer as a poet by the omission, than as a 

 man of honour by the Insertion, 



" &c. &c. 



" Btrox. 

 " Mr. Ridge, 



Newark." 



St. Swithin. 



FOLK LORE. 



Leckhampton Custom. — During the last week 

 a curious custom was exhibited in this village by 

 what is called a " rough band." About 10 o'clock 

 in the evening a large number of boys, with ket- 

 tjes and the effigy of a woman, paraded the road 

 leading to the pound, with a noisy clattering of 

 pots and pans. I took some trouble to learn the 

 reason, and heard that, on the preceding even- 

 ing, a man had been locked out of his house by 

 his harsh-tempered spouse. The youth of the 

 village accordingly took the law into their hands, 

 and, as custom directed, dressed out an image 

 of a woman, which they conducted with this 

 solemn pomp to the pound, where it was, for a 

 short time, imprisoned. It was then taken before 

 the woman's cottage and burned with rustic 

 honours. Can any reader of " N. & Q." give me 

 any history of this custom? H. S. K. B, 



The Christmas Tree. — The other day, on 

 looking into '■'■ Dansh Ordbog, o. s. v. af C. Molbech 

 Anden, forogede og forbedrede Udgave, Kjoben- 

 havn, 1859," I was surprised to find that the 

 author speaks of this as "Ny Skik og nyt Ord" 

 (a new custom and a new word). Before reading 

 the above I was under the impression that, though 

 the Christmas tree was introduced into this coun- 

 try from Germany, that still the Germans had 

 copied the custom from the Danes. I believe it 

 has somewhere in " N. & Q." been hinted that 

 this custom has a traditional reference to the 

 Ash Yggdrasill, which forms part of the sublime 

 mythology of our Scandinavian forefathers, but 

 Molbech's assertion seems strongly to militate 

 against that opinion. I should feel greatly obliged 

 to your friends in the North of Europe if they 

 would inform me when this custom was begun in 

 Scandinavia. If the custom be new in Scandi- 

 navia, from whom was it derived ? 



Edwin Armistbad. 



Leeds. 



Charm tor Toothache. — On asking a boy 

 (in a country village in Berks), who had the 

 toothache, what he had done for it, he produced 



