Feb. 26. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



201 



Primrosen. — The early appearance of primroses 

 this year induces me to trouble you with some 

 East-Anglian folk lore concerning them, premising 

 that here the word still forms its plural in en. 



At Cockfield, Suffolk, there are none, nor, it is 

 said, do they thrive when planted ; though they are 

 numerous in all the surrounding villages, which do 

 not apparently differ from Cockfield in soil. 



The village legend says that here, too, they once 

 were plentiful, but when Cockfield was depopu- 

 lated by the plague, they also caught the infection 

 and died, nor have they flourished since that time. 



In East Norfolk some old women are still found 

 who believe that if a less number of primrosen 

 than thirteen be brought into a house on the first 

 -occasion of bringing any in, so many eggs only will 

 each hen or goose hatch that season. When re- 

 cently admitted into deacon's orders, my gravity 

 was sorely tried by being called on to settle a 

 quarrel between two old women, arising from one 

 of them having given one primrose to her neigh- 

 bour's child, for the purpose of making her hens 

 Latch but one chicken out of each set of eggs. 

 And it was seriously maintained that the charm 

 iad been successful. 



Since then I have heard that it only has an in- 

 fluence over geese. Perhaps this may account in 

 some measure for the belief. In early seasons, 

 persons are induced to carry in specimens of the 

 iirst spring flowers that they find. In such seasons, 

 too, fowls lay early, and perhaps do not sufficiently 

 protect their eggs. The ungenial weather which 

 too frequently succeeds spoils the eggs, and the 

 effect is attributed to the " primrosen " of course ; 

 the cases where a few flowers are brought in, and 

 the fowls have numerous broods, remain unnoticed. 



E.G.E. 



Harvest 'Home So7ig, sung in some Parts of 

 Surrey. — 



" We have plough'd, 



We have sow'd, 



We have reap'd, 



We have mow'd ; 



Ne'er a load 



Overthrow'd — 



Harvest Home ! " 



E. W. R 



Bath. 



INEDITED POEM ON CHAUCEK. 



I lately bought a black-letter Chaucer (1561), 

 In which I find MS. notes by two or three writers. 

 One is in rather a crabbed handwriting, and 

 dates from 1574. I must own to being unable to 

 decypher this gentleman's notes to my satisfaction; 

 but the writing of another is clear and distinct. 

 There are a few emendations on the "Rime of 

 Sire Thopas," and the following " Eulogium 

 €haucerj." I do not know whether it has ap- 



peared anywhere in print before; and as my 

 reading in the British poets is too limited for me 

 to say anything about its author, I should be glad 

 if you or any one of your correspondents would 

 inform me who the lines are by : — 



Eulogium Chaucerj. 

 Geffrye Chaucer, the worthiest flower 

 Of English Poetrie in all the Bower. 

 So as w"^ hym we maye compare 

 W' Italy for Poet rare. 

 Dant, nor Boccace, nor Petracqu fyne, 

 But Chaucer he w*'' them may syng. 

 W*"" woords so fitt and sense so deepe. 

 His matters all he can so riepe. 

 The Muses nyne, I thynck their teats 

 To his sweete lypps did sweetly reatch. 

 As Plato, in his cradle Nest, 

 Is saied of Bees to haue bene blest. 

 So as, by Nature, noe man can, 

 W'^'out rare guyst, prove such a man. 

 The rare euents that haue bene sence, 

 O how they call for his defence ! 

 Though many one hath done his parte, 

 Yett he alone had toucht the harte. 

 Sith he then is so peereles fownd, 

 For hym left bee the Laurell crowne, 

 And all the Birds of pleasaunt laye. 

 Therein left them both syng and playe, 

 As itt weare ioygnyng all there noats, 

 W"" his sweet music and records. 

 O that, as nowe he sounds w'** penn, 

 His lyvely voice myght sownd agayne. 

 But Natures debt we must pay all, 

 And soe he hath, and soe we shall. 

 Though for his other parts of grace 

 Chaucer will live and shewe his face. 



T. A. S. 



M'max §,atts, 



"Le Balafre." — I was surprised to see that Mis3 

 Strickland, in the three volumes published of the 

 Lives of the Queens of Scotland, always ascribes 

 this well-known sobriquet to Francis, second Duke 

 of Guise, instead of his son Henry, third duke. 

 This is a mistake which I should have thought the 

 merest tyro in history could not have committed 

 about persons of so much note, and affords another 

 instance of what Messrs. Macaulay and Alison had 

 already exemplified, that writers of the most pro- 

 found research will often err as to matters which 

 lie, as it were, on the very surface. 



J. S. Wabden. 



Macphersons "Ossian.'' — It would appear as if 

 Macpherson had picked up his information about 

 British history in the pages of a kindred spirit, 

 Geoffrey of Monmouth, for certainly he could 

 have found in no other writer that Caracalla and 

 Carausius were cotemporaries. J. S. Warden. 



