46 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 33. 



collect this jingle as long as I can recollect any- 

 thing. It formed several stanzas (five or six at 

 least), and had its own tune. There was some- 

 thing peculiarly attractive and humorous to the 

 unformed ear and mind in the ballad, (for as a 

 ballad it was sung,) as I was wont to hear it. I 

 can therefore personally vouch for its antiquity 

 being half a century. But, beyond this, I must 

 add, that my early days being spent in a remote 

 provincial village (high up the Severn), and the 

 ballad, as I shall call it, being universally linown, I 

 cannot help inferring that it is of considerable 

 antiquity. Anything of then recent date could 

 hardly be both generally known and universally 

 popular in such a district and amongst such a 

 people. Whether it had a local origin there or 

 not, it would be difficult to say ; but I never heard 

 it spoken of as having any special application to 

 local persons or affairs. Of course there are only 

 two ways of accounting for its popularity, — either 

 its application, or its jingle of words and tune. If 

 I may venture a "guess," it would be, that it had 

 originally a political application, in some perioil 

 when all men's minds were turned to some one 

 great politico-religious question ; and this, not un- 

 likely, the period of the Cavaliers and Roundheads. 

 We know how rife this Icind of warfare was in that 

 ffreat strusiile. Or asrain, it misrht be as old as 

 the Reformation itself, and have a reference to 

 Henry the Eighth and Anna Boleyn. 



" The frog he would a-wooing go, 

 Whether his mother would let him or no," 



would not inaptly represent the " wide-mouthed 

 waddling frog" Henry — "mother church," — and 

 the " gleesome Anna" would be the " merry 

 mouse in the mill." It may be worth the while of 

 gentlemen conversant with the ballad literature 

 and political squibs of both the periods here indi- 

 cated, to notice any traces in other squibs and 

 ballads of the same imagery that is employed in 

 this. It would also be desirable, if possible, to get 

 a complete copy of these verses. My own memory 

 can only supply a part, or rather disjointed parts : 

 but I think it probable that it may be easily ob- 

 tained by persons resident in the counties border- 

 ing on North Wales, especially in Shropshire or 

 Herefordshire, and perhaps in Cheshire or Staf- 

 fordshire. 



I should not have thought of troubling you with 

 my own reminiscences as an answer to an anti- 

 quarian question, but for the fact that even these 

 go further back than any information that has been 

 sent you. T. S. D. 



Shooter's Hill, June 7. 



Cavell (Vol. i,, p. 473.). — To "cast cavells," 

 I. e. to cast lots, is in constant every-day use in 

 Northumberland. The Teutonic derivation given 

 is correct. W. 



To endeavour Ourselves. — The Homilies. — 

 Perhaps your correspondents G. P. (Vol. i., p. 125.) 

 and C. I. R. (Vol. i., p. 285.) may, from the fol- 

 lowing passages, conclude that "ourselves" is the 

 object of the verb " endeavour." 



" He did this to this intent, ' that the whole clergy, 

 in the mean space, might apply themselves to prayer, 

 not doubting but that all his loving subjects would 

 occupy themselves to God's honour, and so endeavour 

 themselves that they may be more ready,'" &c. &c — 

 Heylin, Hist, of the Reform, from an Act passed in 

 Edward VI.'s Reign, 1548. 



" Let us endeavour ourselves, both inwardly in our 

 hearts, and also outwardly with our bodies, diligently 

 to exercise this godly exercise of fasting." — Homily 

 on Fasting (end). 



" Only show yourselves thankful in your lives, de- 

 termine with yourselves to refuse and avoid all such 

 things in your conversation as should offend his eyes of 

 mercy. Endeavour yourselves that way to rise up 

 again, which way ye fell into the well or pit of sin." — • 

 Horn, on the Resur. (near the end). 



" From henceforth let us endeavour ourselves to 

 walk in a new life." — Ham. of Repentance, Pt. 2. (end). 



There are many other similar passages in the 

 " Homilies." I have also noticed the following in 

 Latimer's Sermons : — 



" The devil, with no less diligence, endeavoureth 

 himself to let and stop our prayers." — Vol. i. p. 329. 

 Parker Soc. edit. 



" Every patron, when he doth not diligently en- 

 deavour himself to place a good and godly man in his 

 benefice, shall make answer before God." — Vol. ii. 

 p. 28. 



" Let them endeavour themselves." [I have forgot- 

 ten the reference in this case, but it is in vol. i.] 



" How much, then, should we endeavour ourselves 

 to make ready towards this day, when it shall not be 

 a money matter, but a soul matter." (ii. p. 62.) 



As I am engaged on a work on the " Homilies," 

 I should feel very grateful for any allusions to 

 them in writers between 1600 and 1650, and for 

 any notices of their being read in churches during 

 that period. Can any of your readers inform me 

 where the fullest account may be found of the 

 state of preaching in England prior to the Re- 

 formation ? Thomas Cox. 



Preston, May 25. 1850. 



Three Dukes (Vol. ii., p. 9.). — The verses them- 

 selves called them "three bastard dukes;" but 

 the only bastard duke I can find at that time was 

 the Duke of Monmouth ; all the other creations of 

 the king's bastards were subsequent to that date. 

 And even if, by poetical licence or courtly antici- 

 pation, they could be called dukes, they were all 

 too young to have any share in such a fray. I 

 must further observe, that Evelyn's Diary is silent 

 as to anv such events, though he is, about that 

 time, justly indignant at the immoralities of the 



