616 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 217. 



LiNcoLNSHiRK — Stamford. 



•'Doctrinae studiiini, quod nunc viget ad vada Boum, 

 Tempore venture celebrabitur ad vada Saxi." 

 " Science that now o'er Oxford sheds her ray, 

 Shall bless fair Stamford at some future day." 



Wiltshire— 5aZ/s&Mry Cathedral. 



" As many days as in one year there be, 

 So many windows in this church you see. 

 As many marble pillars here appear. 

 As there are hours through the fleeting year. 

 f As many gates as moons one here does view 



Strange tale to tell, yet not more strange than true." 



Chippenham — On a Stone. 



" Hither extendeth Maud Heath's gift. 

 For where I stand is Chippenham clift." 



SvKVi'B.t— Market House, Farnham. 



_** You who do like me, give money to end me. 

 You who dislike me, give as much to mend me." 



Wafting — Sutton. 



" Beastly 'Oking — pretty Sutton, 

 Filthy foxglove — bach'lors button." 



*''Oking was — Guildford is — Godalming shall be." 

 Somersetshire. 

 " Stanton Drew, 

 A mile from Pensford — another from Chew." 



Pembrokeshire. 



" Once to Rome thy steps Incline, 



But visit twice St. David's shrine." 

 " When Percelty weareth a hat. 

 All Pembrokeshire shall weet of that." 



J. Ebfi-. 

 Bolt Court. 



ZiEGGNDS or THE CO. CLARE : FUKNVICOTJIL (fINGAl) 

 AND THE GIANT. 



Once upon a time, a Scottish giant who had 

 heard of Fuenvicouil's fame, determined to come 

 and see which of them was the stronger. Now 

 Fuenvicouil was informed by his tliumb of the 

 giant's intentions, and also that on the present oc- 

 casion matters would not turn out much to his 

 advantage if they fought: so as he did not feel 

 the_ least bit " blue-mowlded for the want of a 

 batin'," like Neal Malone, he was at a loss what to 

 do. Oonagh, his wife, saw his distress, and soon 

 contrived to find out the cause of it ; and having 

 done so, she assured him that if he would leave 

 things to her management, and stricflv obey her 

 directions, she would ma*Ke the giant return home 

 faster than he came. Fuenvicouil promised obe- 

 dience ; and, as no time was to be lost, Oonagh 

 commenced her preparations. She first baked 

 two or three large cakes of bread, taking care to 

 put the griddle (the iron plate used in Ireland 



and Scotland for baking bread on) into the largest. 

 She then put several gallons of milk down to boil, 

 and made whey of it ; and carefully collected the 

 curd into a mass, which she laid aside. She then 

 proceeded to dress up Fuenvicouil as a baby ; and 

 having put a cap on his head, tucked him up ia 

 the cradle, chargmg him on no account to speak, 

 but to carefully obey any signs she might make to 

 him. The preparations were only just completed, 

 when the giant arrived, and, striding into the 

 house, demanded to see Fuenvicouil. Oonagh 

 received him politely ; said she could not tell any 

 more than the child in the cradle, where her hus- 

 band then was ; but requested the giant to sit 

 down and rest, till Fuenvicouil came in. She then 

 placed bread and whey before him till some better 

 refreshments could be got ready, taking care to 

 give him the cake with the griddle in it, and serv- 

 ing the whey in a vessel that held two or three 

 gallons. The giant was a little surprised at the 

 quantity of the lunch set before him, and proceeded 

 to break a piece off the cake, but in vain ; he then 

 tried to bite it, with as little success : and as to 

 swallowing the ocean of whey set before him, it 

 was out of the question ; so he said he was not 

 hungry, and would wait. He then asked Oonagh 

 what was the favourite feat of strength her husband 

 prided himself upon. She could not indeed par- 

 ticularise any one, but said that sometimes Fuen- 

 vicouil amused himself with squeezing water out 

 of that stone there, pointing to a rock lying near 

 the door. The giant immediately took it up ; and 

 squeezed it till the blood started from his fingers, 

 but made no impression on the rock. Oonagh 

 laughed at his discomfiture, and said a child could 

 do that, handing at the same time the lump of 

 curds to "the baby." Fuenvicouil, who had been 

 attentively listening to all that was going on, gave 

 the curd a squeeze, and some drops of whey fell 

 from it. Oonagh, in apparently great delight, 

 kissed and hugged her "dear baby ;" and break- 

 ing a bit off one of the cakes she had prepared, 

 began to coax the "child" to eat a little bit and 

 get strong. The giant amazed, asked, could that 

 child eat such hard bread ? And Oonagh per- 

 suaded him to put his finger into the child's mouth, 

 "just to feel his teeth ;" and as soon as Fuenvi- 

 couil got the giant's finger in his mouth, he bit it 

 off. 'J'his was more than the giant could stand ; 

 and seeing that a child in the cradle was so strong, 

 he was convinced that the sooner he decamped 

 before Fuenvicouil's return the better; so he 

 hastened from the house, while Oonagh in vain 

 pressed him to remain, and never stopped till he 

 returned to his own place, very happy at having 

 escaped a meeting •with Fuenvicouil. 



Frances Egbert Davies. 



