374 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 181 



The Shepherd of Banbury^ s Rules to judge of the Changes 

 of the Weather, grounded on forty Years Experience. To 

 which is added, a rational Account of the Causes of such 

 Alterations, the Nature of Wind, Rain, Snow, §'c., on the 

 Principles of the Newtonian Philosophy. By John 

 Claridge. London : printed for W. Bickerton, in the 

 Temple Exchange, Fleet Street. Price Is. The work 

 attracted a large share of public attention, and deserved 

 it. A second edition appeared in 1748. . . . Tt is 

 stated in Kippis's Biographia Britannica that] the real 

 author was Dr. John Campbell, a Scotchman." 



In 1 770 there appeared An Essay on the Weather, 

 with Remarks on " The Shepherd of Banbury s 

 Rules, 8rc. :" by John Mills, Esq., F.R.S. Mr. 

 Mills observes : 



" Who the shepherd of Banbury was, we know not ; 

 nor indeed have we any proof that the rules called his 

 were penned by a real shepherd. Both these points 

 are, however, immaterial ; their truth is their best 



voucher Mr. Claridge published them in 



the year 1744, since which time they are become very 

 scarce, having long been out of print." 



Now all these blundering attempts at annihilat- 

 ing the poor shepherd may, I think, be accounted 

 for by neither of the above-mentioned writers 

 having a knowledge of the original edition, pub- 

 lished in 1670, of the real shepherd's book (the title 

 of which I will presently give), which any one may 

 see in the British Museum library. It has on the 

 title-page a slight disfigurement of name, viz. John 

 Clearidge ; but it is Claridge in the Preface. The 

 truth is, that Dr. John Campbell re-published the 

 book in 1744, but without affixing his own name, 

 or giving any information of its author or of pre- 

 vious editions. The part, however, which he bore 

 in this edition is explained by the latter portion of 

 the title already given ; and still more clearly in 

 the Preface. We find authorities added, to give 

 weight to the shepherd's remarks ; and likewise 

 additional rules in relation to the weather, derived 

 from the common sayings and proverbs of the 

 country people, and from old English books of 

 husbandry. It may, in short, be called a clever 

 scientific commentary on the shepherd's observa- 

 tions. After what has been stated, your readers 

 will not be surprised to learn that one edition of 

 the work appears in Watt's very inaccurate book 

 under Ci-aridge, another under Cleakidge, and 

 a third under Campbell. I will now spenk of the 

 Original work : it is a small octavo volume of 

 thirty-two pages, rudely printed, with an amusing 

 Preface " To the Reader," in which the shepherd 

 dwells with much satisfaction on his peculiar vati- 

 cinating talents. As this Preface has been omitted 

 in all subsequent editions, and as the book itself is 

 extremely scarce, I conceive that a reprint of it in 

 your pages may be acceptable to your Folk-lore 

 readers. The " Rules" are interlarded with scraps 

 of poetry, somewhat after the manner of old Tusser, 

 and bear the unmistakeable impress of a " plain, 



unlettered Muse." The author concludes his work 

 with a poetical address " to the antiquity and 

 honour of shepheards." The title is rather a droll 

 one, and is as follows : 



" The Shepheard's Legacy ; or John Clearidge his 

 forty Years' Experience of the Weather: being an ex- 

 cellent Treatise, wherein is shewed the Knowledge of 

 the Weather. First, by the Rising and Setting of the 

 Sun. 2. How the Weather is known by the Moon. 

 3. By the Stars. 4. By the Clouds. .5. By the 

 Mists, 6. By the Rainbow. 7. And especially by the 

 Winds. Whereby the Weather may be exactly known 

 from Time to Time ; which Observation was never 

 heretofore published by any Author. 8. Also, how to 

 keep your Sheep sound when they be sound. 9. And 

 how to cure them if they be rotten. 10. Is shewed 

 the Antiquity and Honour of Shepheards. With some 

 certain and assured Cures for thy Horse, Cow, and 

 Sheep. 



An Almanack is out at twelve months day, 



My Legacy it doth endure for aye. 



But take you notice, though 'tis but a hint, 



It far excels some books of greater print. 



London : printed and are to be sold by John Han- 

 cock, Junior, at the Three Bibles in Popes-head Ally, 

 next Cornhill, 1670." ' 



In the Preface he tells us that — 



" Having been iraportun'd by sundry friends (some 

 of them being worthy persons) to make publique for 

 their further benefit what they have found by expe- 

 rience to be useful for themselves and others, I could 

 not deny their requests ; but was willing to satisfie 

 them, as also my own self, to do others good as well as 

 myself; lest I should hide my talent in a napkin, and 

 my skill be rak'd up with me in the dust. Therefore 

 I have left it to posterity, that they may have the fruit 

 when the old tree is dead and rotten. And because I 

 would not be tedious, I shall descend to some few par- 

 ticular instances of my skill and foreknowledge of the 

 weather, and I shall have done. 



"First, in the year 1665, at the 1st of January, I 

 told several credible persons that the then frost would 

 hold till March, tliat men could not plow, and so it 

 came to pass directly. 



« 2. I also told them that present March, that it 

 would be a very dry summer, which likewise came to 

 pass. 



" 3. The same year, in November, I told them it 

 would be a very open winter, which also came to pass, 

 although at that time it was a great snow: but it 

 lasted not a week, 



" 4. In the year 1666, I told them that year in 

 March, that it would be a very dry spring ; which also 

 came to pass. 



"5, In the year 1667, certaine shepheards ask'd my 

 councel whether they might venture their sheep any 

 more in the Low-fields? I told them they might 

 safely venture them till August next; and they sped 

 very well, without any loss. 



" 6. I told them, in the beginning of September the 

 same year, that it would be a south-west wind for two 



