358 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 207. 



And the latter across the Atlantic : 



" The minister's daughter of New York, 

 Hey with the rose and the Lindie, O, 

 Has fa'en in love wi' her father's clerk, 

 A' by the green burn sidie, O." 



A Warwickshire version, on the contrary, places 

 the scene on our own " native leas : " 

 " There was a lady lived on lea. 

 All alone, alone O, 

 Down the greenwood side went she, 

 Down the greenwood side, O. 



" She set her foot all on a thorn *, 

 Down the greenwood side, O, 

 There she had two babies born, 

 All alone, alone O. 



" O she had nothing to lap them in. 

 All alone, alone O, 

 But a white appurn and that was thin, 

 Down the greenwood side, O," &c. 



Here there are no less than four versions of the 

 same ballad, each differing materially from the 

 other, but all bearing unmistakeable marks of a 

 common origin. It would be interesting to know 

 the process by which this was managed. 



C. Clifton Bahby. 



COMET SCPERSTITIOSS IN 1853- 



From the 1 9th of August to the present time 

 that brilliant comet, which was first seen by M. 

 Klinkerfues, at Gottingen, on the 10th of June 

 last, has been distinctly visible here, and among 

 the ignorant classes its appearance has caused no 

 little alarm. The reason of this we shall briefly 

 explain. 



During the past fifty-five years the Maltese 

 have grievously suffered on three different occa- 

 sions; firstly, by the revolution of 1798, which 

 was followed by the plague in 1813; and lastly, by 

 the cholera in 1837. In these visitations, all of 

 which are in the recollection of the oldest inhabit- 

 ants, thirty thousand persons are supposed to have 

 perished. 



Mindful as these aged people are of these sad 

 bereavements, and declaring as they do that they 

 were all preceded by some " curious signs " in the 

 heavens which foretold their approach, men's 

 minds have become excited, and, reason as one 

 may, still the impression now existing that some 

 fatal harm is shortly to follow will not be removed. 



A few of the inhabitants, more terrified than 

 their neighbours, have fancied the comet's tail to 

 be a fiery sword, and therefore predict a general 

 war in Europe, and consequent fall of the Ottoman 

 Empire. But as this statement is evidently 



* In one of the Scottish ballads the same idea is 

 more prettily expressed " leaned until a brier. " 



erroneous, we still live in great hopes, notwith- 

 standing all previous predictions and " curious 

 signs," that the comet will pass away without 

 bringing in its train any grievous calamity. 



By the following exti-acts, taken from some 

 leading journals of the day, it will be seen that the 

 Maltese are not alone in entertaining a supersti- 

 tious dread of a comet's appearance. The Ameri- 

 cans, Prussians, Spaniards, and Turks come in 

 the same list, which perhaps may be increased by 

 your correspondents : 



" The Madrid journals announce that the appear- 

 ance of the comet has excited great alarm in that city, 

 as it is considered a symptom of divine wrath, and a 

 presage of war, pestilence, and affliction for humanity." 

 — Vide Galignani's Messenger of August SI, 1853. 



" The entire appearance (of the comet) is brilliant 

 and dazzling ; and while it engrosses the attention and 

 investigation of the scientific, it excites the alarm of 

 the superstitious, who, as in ancient times, regard it as 

 the concomitant of pestilence and the herald of war." — 

 Vide New York correspondence of The Sun, Aug. 24, 

 1853. 



" The splendid comet now visible after sun-set on 

 the western horizon, has attracted the attention of every 

 body here. The public impression is, that this celestial 

 phenomenon is to be considered as a sign of war ; and 

 their astrologers, to whom appeal is made for an inter- 

 pretation, make the most absurd declarations : and I 

 have been laughed at by very intelligent Turks, when 

 I ventured to persuade them that great Nature's laws 

 do not care about troubles here below." — Vide Turkish 

 correspondence of Ttie Herald, Aug. 25, 1853. 



" The comet which has lately been visible has served 

 a priest not far from Warsaw with materials for a very 

 curious sermon. After having summoned his congre- 

 gation together, although it was neither Sunday nor 

 festival, and shown them the comet, he informed them 

 that this was the same star that had appeared to the 

 Magi at the birth of our Saviour, and that it was only 

 visible now in the Russian empire. Its appearance on 

 this occasion was to intimate to the Russian eagle, 

 that the time was now come for it to spread out its 

 wings, and embrace all mankind in one orthodox 

 and sanctifying church. He showed them the star 

 now standing immediately over Constantinople, and 

 explained that the dull light of the nucleus indi- 

 cated its sorrow at the delay of the Russian army in 

 proceeding to its destination." — Vide Berlin corre- 

 spondence of Tlie Times. 



w. w. 



Malta. 



THE OLD ENGLISH WORD " BELIKE. 



The word helike, much used by old writers, but 

 now almost obsolete, even among the poor, seems 

 to have been but very imperfectly understood — 

 as far as regards its original meaning and deriv- 

 ation. Most persons understand it to be equiva- 

 lent, or nearly so, to vei-tj likMy, in all likelihood, 

 perhaps, or, ironically, forsooth ; and in that 



