2»'» S. X. Deo. 18. '60.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



467 



Doctor. 

 "1 can cure the Aitch, the stitch, the palsy, and the 

 gout, 

 Pains within and pains without ; 

 Bring me an old woman that's been dead ten years. 

 And nine years in her grave, 

 If she can crack me one of my pills between her nose 



and chin, 

 I'll forfeit two thousand pounds if I don't bring her to 

 life again." 



[The doctor then administers to the 

 king, saying: — 

 " I'll give him a drop of my triple distill; 

 I'll warrant he'll soon fight again." 



[The king rises. 

 Enter Lord Grubb. 

 " In comes Lord Grubb, 

 On my shoulder I carry my club, 

 Under my chin my dripping pan, 

 Now don't you think I a handsome man." 

 (^Finale : Music and Dancing.) 



None but " N. & Q." can tell us what all this 

 " mummery" took its rise from. I can remember 

 it as an annual festival gradually degenerating 

 for twenty years past, and the oldest inhabitants 

 of Chiswick say, "It's nothing now to what ft used 

 to was." G. W. Septimus Piesse. 



1. Merton Place, Chiswick, W. 



THE KINGDOM OP GOLD. 



Perhaps the following amusing Fairy Tale, from Wolf's 

 Collection of German Popular Stories, may amuse some of 

 the younger readers of " N, & Q." this Christmas. If so 

 it is heartily at your service. W. H. P. 



There was once a rich man who had an only 

 son. When this youth was twenty years old, he 

 said to his father : " Father, I should like to 

 travel and see the world." The old man was 

 pleased at this ; gave his son a horse and carriage, 

 a servant, much money, and more good advice, 

 and sent him off on his travels. 



One evening he came to a great wood, and as it 

 was dark he lost his way. At length he reached 

 a small cottage : he went in, and found a woman 

 sitting by the fire, cooking her supper. 



" Can I stay the night here ? " he asked. 



" Certainly, and welcome," replied the woman ; 

 " sit down, and make yourself at home." 



This was just what the young man wanted ; he 

 ate and drank to his heart's pleasure, for he had had 

 nothing to eat the whole day, and he slept like a 

 prince till the sun was high in the heavens. Then 

 he rose, and looked out of window into the beau- 

 tiful green wood, and there he saw flocks of deer 

 and hares all round, and wild birds of all sorts 

 flew from tree to tree, and the larks and finches 

 and nightingales sang so beautifully, that he ex- 

 perienced a pleasure he had never felt before, and 

 determined not to leave the beautiful wood so 

 soon as he had intended. 



At breakfast the youth asked the woman to 

 whom the wood belonged. 



" It belongs to me," she answered. Then he 

 asked her if he might shoot there, for " shooting," 

 he said, " was his greatest pleasure." " That you 

 may," replied she, " as much as ever you like, but 

 take my advice and forego your shooting." 



But he made light of her good advice, and, seiz- 

 ing his gun, rushed out joyfully into the wood. Then 

 the woman called his servant, and said : "Be quick, 

 and follow your master, if you care to save him. 

 When^ you come to the open space in the wood, 

 you will see three white stags spring out before 

 you; your master must not shoot one of them, 

 but he may kill everything else which comes in 

 his way. You must not, however, let your mas- 

 ter know that I have told you this, else it will be 

 the worse for you." The servant thanked the 

 woman heartily for her advice, for he loved his 

 master above everything. 



The two had hardly gone a few hundred paces 

 through the wood when it became lighter and 

 lighter every minute, till they came to a large 

 meadow, where a tiny streamlet leapt merrily 

 over its bed of white pebbles. And the birds 

 sang, making the young man's heart leap with 

 joy. Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes, 

 and three magnificent snow-white stags with 

 noble antlers sprang out and ran right across the 

 meadow. The youth took aim ; but just as the 

 hammer fell, the faithful servant struck up his 

 gun, so that the shot lodged in a tree, and the 

 stags escaped unhurt. 



The young man questioned his servant closely 

 as to the reason of his doing this ; but he excused 

 himself by saying that a bee had stung his hand, 

 and that lie had unintentionally started. 



They went on, and our young friend shot all 

 sorts of game ; but his pleasure was spoilt, he 

 could not forget the three white stags. When 

 they came back to the little cottage, the woman 

 took the servant aside, and praised him for having , 

 saved his master's life. So great was her joy 

 that she produced most recherche dishes of all 

 kinds ; gave them wine from every imaginable 

 country ; and so the youth was happier even than 

 before. The next morning he again went out with 

 his gun into the woq^. 



Directly he was gone the woman said to the 

 servant : " Be quick, and follow your master ; 

 and when you come to the open place in the wood, 

 you will see three brown stags spring out, but 

 you must take care your master does not shoot 

 them, if you value his life ; and do not let him 

 know that I have told jou this, else it will be the 

 worse for you." 



The young man went in the same direction as 

 the day before, though his servant tried hard to 

 get him to gO another way. They soon reached 

 the beautiful meadow, with its merry streamlet 

 and its countless birds. Again there was -the 

 rustling in the bushes, and three brown stags 



