Dec. 3. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



535 



the space I would require. Instead, therefore, I 

 send you an illustration of a single simile, as it is 

 short, and not the least curious in the lot : 



" All vertuous women, like tortoises, carry their house 

 on their heads, and their chappel in their heart, and 

 their danger in their eye, and tlieir souls in their hands, 

 and God in all their actions." — Life of Christ, Part I. 

 s. ii. 4. 



" Phidias made the statue of Venus at Elis with one 

 foot upon the shell of a tortoise, to signify two great 

 duties of a virtuous woman, which are to keep home 

 and be silent." — Human Prudence, by W. De Britaine, 

 12th edit. : Dublin, 1726, 12mo., p. 134. 



" Vertuous women should keep house ; and 'twas 

 ■well performed and ordered by the Greeks : 



' . . . mulier ne qua in publicum 

 Spectandam se sine arbitro prasbeat viro : ' 



Which made Phidias, belike, at Elis paint Venus 

 treading on a tortoise : a symbole of women's silence 

 and housekeeping ... I know not what philosopher he 

 was, that would have women come but thrice abroad 

 all their time, to be baptized, married, and buried ; but 

 he was too straitlaced. " — Burton's ^«a^ Mel., part iii. 

 sec. 3. mem. 4. subs. 2. 



" Apelles us'd to paint a good housewife upon a snayl ; 

 which intimated that slie should be as slow from gad- 

 ding abroad, and when she went she shold carry her 

 house upon her back : that is, she shold make all sure 

 at home. Now, to a good housewife, her house shold 

 be as the sphere to a star (I do not mean a wandring 

 star), wherin she shold twinckle as a star in its orb." 

 — Howell's Parhj of Beasts : Lond. 1660, p. 58. 



The last passage reminds us of the fine lines of 

 Donne (addressed to both sexes) : 



"Be then thine own home, and in thyself dwell ; 

 Inn anywhere ; 

 And seeing the snail, which everywhere doth roam, 

 Carrying his own home still, still is at home. 

 Follow (for he is easy-paced) this snail : 

 Be thine own palace, or the world's thy jail." 



ElKIONNACH. 



WEATHER RULES. 



(Yol. vii., pp. 373. 522. 599. 627.) 



J. A., Jun., being desirous of forming a list of 

 weatlier rules, I send the following, in the hope 

 that they may be acceptable to him, and interest- 

 ing to those of your readers who have never met 

 ■with the old collection from which they are taken. 



English. 

 In April, Dove's-flood is worth a king's good. 

 Winter thunder, a summer's wonder. 

 March dust is worth a king's ransom. 

 A cold May and a windy, makes a fat barn and 

 findy. 



Spanish. 



April and May, the keys of the year. 



A cold April, much bread and little wine. 



A year of snow, a year of plenty. 



A red morning, wind or rain. 



The moon with a circle brings water in her beak. 



Bearded frost, forerunner of snow. 



Neither give credit to a clear winter nor cloudjr 



spring. 

 Clouds above, water below. 



When the moon is in tlie wane do not sow anything. 

 A red sun has water in his eye. 

 Ked clouds in the east, rain the next day. 

 An eastern wind carrieth water in his hand. 

 A March sun sticks like a lock of wool. 

 When there is a spring in winter, and a winter ia 



spring, the year is never good. 

 When it rains in August, it rains wine or honey. 

 The circle of the moon never filled a pond, but the 



circle of the sun wets a shepherd. 

 Italian. 

 Like a March sun, which heats but doth not melt- 

 Dearth under water, bread under snow. 

 Young and old must go warm at Martlemas. 

 When the cock drinks in summer, it will rain a 



little after. 

 As Mars hasteneth all the humours feel it. 

 In August, neither ask for olives, chesnuts, nor 



acorns. 

 January commits the fault, and May bears the- 



blame. 

 A year of snow, a year of plenty. 



French. 



When it thunders in March, we may cry Alas I 



A dry year never beggars the master. 



An evening red, and a morning grey, m.akes a pil- 

 grim sing. 



January or February do fill or empty the granary. 



A dry March, a snowy February, a moist Aprils 

 and a dry May, presage a good year. 



To St. Valentine the spring is a neighbour. 



At St. Martin's winter is in his way. 



A cold January, a feverish February, a dusty 

 March, a weeping April, a windy May, presage 

 a good year and gay. W. Winthrojp..- 



Malta. 



OCCASIONAL FORMS OF PRAYER. 



I now send you a list of Occasional Forms of" 

 Prayer in my own possession, in the hope that the 

 example may be followed by other individuals. 



A Fourme to be used in Common Prayer twise a 

 Weke, and also an Order of Publique Fast to be 

 used every Wednesday, &c. during this time of 

 Mortalitie, &c. London, 1563. 



This was the first published occasional form of the 

 reign of Elizabeth. 



