2°<i S. V. 130,, Junk 26. '58.1 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



511 



husband who is a snuff-box maker," commenced a 

 suit in Doctors' Commons to set aside the will ; 

 The Bee ceased to appear (with No. CXVIIL, on 

 Saturday, June 14, 1734), and Budgell being 

 greatly reduced in circumstances by the numer- 

 ous law-suits in which he was involved, returned 

 to the bar, and for some time attended in the 

 courts of law ; but finding himself incapable of 

 making any progress, and being distressed to the 

 utmost, on May 4, 1737, he took a boat at Somer- 

 set-stairs, after filling his pockets with stones, and 

 ordei'ed the waterman to row "below bridge;" 

 and while the boat was shooting London Bridge 

 he threw himself into the river, and perished im- 

 mediately. He had about him when taken out a 

 bank bill of 70/., another of 50Z., and a note of 

 Sir Francis Child for 201. Upon his bureau was 

 found a slip of paper, on which was written 



" What Cato did, and Addison approv'd, 

 Cannot be wrong ; " 



which, however, as far as respects Addison's ap- 

 proval, was a mere delusion of his own brain. 



S. N. M. 



THE CONVERSION OF A dUAKER. 



The original of the following letter is now 

 pinned to one of the pages of a MS. preserved in 

 the Diocesan Registry of Cork : the registrar at 

 the time appears to have had some reason fer soli- 

 citing this information, which we cannot now di- 

 vine. It may be the people of Tenby have some 

 tradition of this singular occurrence. 



« 8ber 12, 1688. 



" I cant be particular in answering y"" desire, because I 

 have not aboute me the notes I took in writeing from the 

 mouths of the persons who told me in Tenby, on Tuesday 

 the 28*'' of August last, that a fFew weekes before an 

 Eminent Quaker, who was ten' to Squire Jones of Coid- 

 more in the County of Cardigan, was upon a sight & 

 sense of God's sigaall Judgments on his estate, att his re- 

 quest received into y'coiTiunion of the church of England. 

 The want of my papers will suffer me onely to give you 

 the relation imperfectly, as not dareing to write more then 

 I certainly well remember was told me; first by the two 

 neeces of Madame Lewis the elder, who had it from the 

 mouth of their s'd ante Lewis, & afterwards confirmed by 

 Mr. Poole, a clergyman & schoolemaster in Tenby; & 

 lastly, I had it from the mouth of my Lady Barlow, wife 

 to S"' John Barlow. John Webb of Corke was by when 

 my Lad}' Barlow told it me, as her Ladpp. had it from y^ 

 Quaker's mouth since his conversion. The Quaker often 

 disturbed the minister of the Parish in time of Divine 

 Service & Sermon : as I well remember part of his scur- 

 rility was the calling the minister a teacher of lyes, &c. 

 The minister forbad the Congregation offering the Quaker 

 any violence, but leave him to }"= Judgem' of God. His 

 dwelling house burnt to y^ ground ; a Poore woman 

 bound over for some words, but clear'd upon y° proof of 

 her being 30 miles from y« place. The Parish contributed 

 60?. toward the rebuilding the house. In the mean time 

 his neighbour's house to W^'' he retir'd was burnt ; his 

 (the Quaker's) wife att distance saw a fire like a spirall 



circle fall on j-« neighbour's house, of w'^ she warn'd her 

 husband & presst his repentance, w<=h he slighted. His 

 barn to which he then retir'd \\^s burnt. Then the fFern, 

 straw, & hay on 3'* coiTion (none entertaining him) ; & 

 lastly, a dunghill burnt under him. His Conscience was 

 rouz'd. As Madame Lewis & the minister came out of 

 Church they saw y« Quaker; Madame Lewis supposed he 

 came for more Relief, w"** she oppos'd, the minister press- 

 ing further Charity. The Quaker approch'd, fell on his 

 knees, & begged the minister & congregations return to 

 Church, that he may heare Divine Service, and have the 

 benefitt of their prayers. The Congregation doubled; 

 this done, he declared he was comforted by it, & tiio' his 

 prejudice to the Church of England was such, that att 

 the rouzeing his Conscience he sought Reliefe among Dis- 

 senters ; but finding noe satisfaction, att last came there, 

 & upon that he begg'd the minister to receive him into 

 Coluunion, w<='» done the minister certified the Bpp. of S' 

 David's, his ordinary, who believed it not. The minister 

 went in person; the same lastly \_sic'\ the Quaker went 

 to y« Bpp. Upon that the Bpp. said such a thing in the 

 Church of Ronie would passe f^a Miracle, 



^' Yo' humble Serv', 

 " J. L. 

 " This relacon I had from M' John Lowe, and am satis • 

 fied it is true. 



" RicHD. Sampson, D.R." 



Richard Sampson was Deputy -registrar of the 

 Diocese of Cork and Ross for many years ; his 

 son, the Rev. Edw. Sampson, was the first who 

 celebrated divine service in St. Paul's church, 

 Cork, Oct. 9, 1726. R- C. 



DIFFICULTIES OF CHAUCER. 



1. '■^ Farewel feldefare." — This expression oc- 

 curs twice, viz. in the Troilus and Cress. (3. 861.), 

 and the Romaunt of the Rose (5513.). On refer- 

 ring to the context in both these places no one 

 can doubt, I think, for a moment as to the mean- 

 ing intended to be conveyed by it. It seems clear 

 that it is a sarcastic farewell to one who is quite 

 ready with his assistance in time of prosperity, or 

 when it is not much needed, but fails when the 

 hour of difficulty arrives. 



The origin of the expression becomes more in- 

 telligible when we examine the word feldefare as 

 a pure Ang.-Sax. term. The common bird of 

 passage which we call "fieldfare," and the country 

 people " veldifer" and " veldibird," has nothitig to 

 do with our word field., as most people perhaps 

 imagine, but derives its Ang-Sax. name from its 

 peculiar habits : feala-for or fela-far, i. e. some- 

 thing that is restless and always on the move ; from 

 feala or/eZa, much Qas feala-feald, manifold) ; and 

 faran, to go a journey (whence our word fare), 

 faru, fcsr., for, a journey. 



Therefore the expression, " farewel feldefare,^' 

 resolves \tse\^ mto farewell fickle bird! 



2. '■^ Fortenid cre.se." — This is explained by Skin- 

 ner, and, as 1 think, correctly. The word fortenid 

 seems to be the Ang.-Sax. fortend, set on fire : 

 from tendon, to tind (a word still in use), to set 



