240 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 175. 



was seized oh, both for the purpose of driving 

 away the evil one or forcing him to appear : all 

 edged tools, or angular forms, gave complete mas- 

 tery over him. Therefore, the best method of 

 obtaining sight of the otherwise invisible spirits of 

 the air, is by putting the head beneath the legs, the 

 human fork or angle — the true Greek chele — as it 

 is also used by Saxo-Grammaticus in a dialogue 

 between Bearco and Ruta, to see Odin riding on 

 the whirlwind : 



" Bearco. At nunc lUe ubi sit qui vulgo dicitur 

 Othin 

 Armipotens, uno semper contentus ocello ; 

 Die mihi Ruta, precor, usquam si conspicis ilium ? 



Ruta. Adde oculum proprius et nostras prospice chelas, 

 Ante sacraturus victrici lamina signo, 

 Si vis presentem tuto cognoscere Martem. 



Bearco. Sic potero horrendum Frigas spectare 

 maritum," &c. 



So boys in the north put their heads between 

 their legs to see the devil looking over Lincoln : 

 and I am indebted to a mention of my Shahspeare's 

 Puck and his Folk-lore in the Maidstone Journal 

 for the proof that this belief still exists in Ireland 

 from an anecdote told by Curran, who, in the 

 absence of a Wahrwolf on which to try its efficacy, 

 would prove it on a large mastifi" by walking back- 

 wai'ds to it in this posture, "while the animal 

 made such a grip at the poor barrister's hinder 

 region, that Curran was unable to sit with any 

 gratification to himself for some weeks afterwards." 



Permit me to refer such readers as are curious 

 to know more on this subject, to the above work, 

 p. 73. But if you still can find room for a con- 

 tinental proof of the efficacy of a pair of shears as 

 a very powerful chele, not only for driving away 

 Satan, but altogether banishing him from earth, 

 allow me to adduce from a most exce-Went col- 

 lection of tales, Traditions of the Bavarian Ter- 

 ritories {Sagenbuch der Baierischen Lands)., just 

 published by Herr A. Schoppner, under the aus- 

 pices of the ex-king, the following tale. No. 757, 

 " Die Scharfe Scheere" (The Sharp Scissors) : 



" Outside the parish church of Miinnerstadt, you see 

 a gravestone with a pair of shears sculptured on it. He 

 ■who rests under it was a pious tailor, who was often 

 disturbed by the Devil in his devotions. The latter 

 appeared to him frequently, and whispered him to 

 throw plenty of cabbage into his hell (a technical 

 German term for its receptacle, I know not if usual 

 amongst the English gentle craft), and otherwise played 

 him many insidious pranks. Our tired Schneider com- 

 plained of the evil to a pious hermit, who advised him, 

 the next time the Prince of Darkness made his appear- 

 ance, to take the shears and cut off his tail. The tailor 

 resolved to follow his advice ; and, on the next visit- 

 ation, he lopped the tail clean from his body. The 

 Devil halloed out murder ! went oflf", and ever after- 

 wards left the tailor in peace. But the shears re- 

 mained a long time as an heirloom in the family, and 

 their form was sculptured on his tombstone in remem- 



brance. Since then, the Devil walks through Miinner- 

 stadt without a posterial adornment, and therefore not 

 now recognisable; which is the reason that many people 

 assert that there is no longer any Devil." 



Well might Herrick, in his Hesperides, inculcate : 



" Hang up hooks and shears to scare 

 Hence the hag that rides the mare." 



William Bell, Phil. Doc. 

 17. Gower Place. 



(Vol. iv., p. 152. ; Vol. vi., pp. 518. &c.) 



Will you accept a French elucidation of the 

 etymon of this word, which has sorely puzzled 

 your correspondents? What saith the Encyclo- 

 pedie des Gens du Monde, tom. xix. (1843) : 



"Pique Nique. — Expression empruntee de 1' An- 

 glais, ou elle est form^e de pick, clioisir, et iiick, instant 

 precis, et signifie choix judicieux oii tout se rencontre 

 bien. On se sert aussi en Franfais de cette locution 

 pour designer uu repas oii chacun paie son ecot, ou 

 bien auquel chacun contribue en fournissant un dea 

 plats." 



The word is in Menage (Dictionnaire etymolo' 

 gique, folio, 1694) : 



" PiQUENiQUE. — Nous disons fairs un repas a pique- 

 nique, pour dire faire un repas oii chacun paye son ecot: 

 ce que les Flamans disent, parte hetal, chacun sa part, 

 Ce mot n'est pas ancien dans notre langue ; et il est 

 inconnu dans la plupart de nos provinces." 



Picnics were known and practised in the reign 

 of James I. An amusing description of one is 

 given in a letter from Sir Philip Mainwaring, 

 dated Nov. 22, 1618. The knight is writing to 

 Lord Arundel from Newmarket : 



" The Prince his birth-day hathe beene solemnised 

 heare by those few Marquises and Lords which found 

 themselves heare, and to supplie the want of the Lords, 

 Knights and Squires were admitted to a consultation, 

 wherein it was resolved that such a number should 

 meete at Gamiges, and bring every man his dish of 

 meate. It was left to their own choyces what to bring r 

 some strove to be substantial!, some curios, and some 

 extravagant. Sir George Goring's invention bore away 

 the bell ; and that was foure huge brawny piggs, pipe- 

 ing hott, bitted and harnised with ropes of sarsiges, all 

 tyde to a monstrous bag-pudding." 



And on the 28th of the same month, Mr. Cham- 

 berlain wrote to Sir Dudley Carleton : 



" We hear nothing from Newmarket, but that they 

 devise all the means they can to make themselves 

 merry ; as of late there was a feast appointed at a farm- 

 house not far off, whither every man should bring his 

 dish. The king brought a great chine of beef, the 

 Marquis of Hamilton four pigs incircled with sausages, 

 the Earl of Southampton two turkies, another six 

 partridges, and one a whole tray full of buttered eggs ; 



