436 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 210. 



some other pliilantliropic individual ; if such there 

 be, let them repair to our Metropolitan Cathedral 

 on the day of tlie annual assemblage of the Lon- 

 don charity children : and if, on contemplating 

 the spectacle which will there meet their eye, 

 they do not think it an object of interest to dis- 

 cover who, as Dr. Kennett says, " first cast in the 

 salt at the fountain-head to heal the ivaters, and 

 broke the ground that was before barren," I pity 

 them. 



In concocting this Note, I have had before me 

 the following : 



1. Lysons's Environs of London, 1795, where 

 will be found a short notice of Blake. The author, 

 following Gough, makes my subject a madman, 

 and says his scheme " failed after laying out 

 5000Z. upon it." 



2. Sermon pi'eached for Charity-scTiooh, by 

 Dr. Kennett, 1706, 



3. Sermons of Dr. Smalridge and T. Ytdden, 

 1710 and 1728. These divines give the prece- 

 dence to Westminster School, " erected 1688." 



4. Wod7-ow's Letters, edited by Dr. M'Crie, 

 3 vols., Edin. 1843. 



5 . Pietas Ilallensis : or an Abstract of the 

 Marvellous Footsteps of Divine Providence, in 

 the building of a very large Hospital, or rather 

 a Spacious College, for Charitable and Excellent 

 Uses ; and in the maintaining of many Orphans, 

 and other Poor People therein at Glaucha, near 

 Halle in Prussia, related by the Rev. A. H. 

 Franck, 3 parts, 12mo., London, 1707-16. Let 

 the curious reader compare this with Blake's book. 



J. O. 



FOLK LOBE. 



Legends of the County Clare. — About nine 

 miles westward from the town of Ennis, in the 

 midst of some of the wildest scenery in Ireland, 

 lies the small but very beautiful Lake of Inchiquin, 

 famous throughout the neighbouring country for 

 its red trout, and for being in winter the haunt of 

 almost all the various kinds of waterfowl, includ- 

 ing the wild swan, that are to be found in Ireland, 

 while the woods that border one of its sides are 

 amply stocked with woodcocks. At one extremity 

 of the lake are the ruins of the Castle of Inchiquin, 

 part of which is built on a rock projecting into the 

 lake, there about one hundred feet deep, and this 

 legend is related of the old castle : — Once upon 

 a time, the chieftain of the Quins, whose strong- 

 hold it was, found in one of the caves (many of 

 ■which are in the limestone hills that surround the 

 lake) a lady of great beauty, fast asleep. While 

 gazing on her in rapt admiration she awoke, and, 

 according to the customs of the Heroic Age, soon 

 consented to become his bride, merely stipulating 

 that no one bearing the name of O'Brien should 



be allowed to enter the castle gate : this being 

 agreed to, the wedding was celebrated with all 

 due pomp, and in process of time one lovely boy 

 blessed their union. Among the other rejoicings 

 at the birth of an heir to the chief of the clan, a 

 grand hunting-match took place, and the chase 

 having terminated near the castle, the chieftain, 

 as in duty bound, requested the assembled nobles 

 to partake of his hospitality. To this a ready assent 

 was given, and tlie chiefs were ushered into the 

 great hall with all becoming state ; and then for 

 the first time did their host discover that one 

 bearing the forbidden name was among them. 

 The banquet was served, and now the absence of 

 the lady of the castle .alone delayed the on- 

 slaught on the good things spread before them. 

 Surprised and half afraid at her absence, her hus- 

 band sought her chamber : on entering, he saw 

 her sitting pensively with her child at the window 

 which overlooked the lake; raising her head as he 

 approached, he saw she was weeping, and as he 

 advanced towards her Avith words of apology for 

 having broken his promise, she sprang througfi 

 the window with her child into the lake. The 

 wretched man rushed forward with a cry of 

 horror : for one moment he saw her gliding over 

 the waters, now fearfully disturbed, chaunting a 

 wild dirge, and then, with a mingled look of grief 

 and reproach, she disappeared for ever ! And the 

 castle and the lordship, with many a broad acre 

 besides, passed from the Quins, and are now the 

 property of the O'Briens to this day ; and while 

 the rest of the castle is little better than a heap 

 of ruins, the fatal window still remains nearly as 

 perfect as when the lady sprang through it, an 

 irrefragable proof of the truth of the legend in 

 the eyes of the peasantry. 



Frajjcis Robekt Davies. 



Tlie Seven Whisperers. — I have been informed 

 by an old and trustworthy servant that about 

 twenty years ago, as he was v/alking one clear 

 starlight night with two other persons, they heard, 

 for the space of several minutes, high up in the 

 air, beautiful sounds like music, which gradually 

 died away towards the north, lie spoke of it as 

 an occurrence not very uncommon, and said it was 

 always called " The SevenWhisperers." On inquiry 

 I found the name well known amongst the poorer 

 classes. 



Is it not an electrical phenomenon ? 



Metaouq. 



Essex. 



ITALIAN-ENGLISH, GERMAN-ENGLISH, AND THE 

 REFUGEE STYLE. 



(Vol. vii., p. 149.) 

 Every one has admired the odd bits of Italian- 

 English which " N. & Q." lately published, a true 



