52 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 34. 



band, several children, and others), is to the effect 

 that a considerable interval invariably elapses 

 between the first semblance of death, and what 

 she considers to be the departure of the soul. 



About five minutes after the time when death, 

 to all outward appearance, has taken place, " the 

 last breath," as she describes, may be seen to issue 

 with a vapour, or " steam," out of the mouth of 

 the departed. 



The statement reminds me of Webster's argu- 

 ment, in his Display of supposed Witchcraft, chap, 

 xvi., where, writing of the bleeding of corpses in 

 presence of their murderers, he observes : 



" If we physically consider the union of the soul 

 with the body by the mediation of the spirit, then we 

 cannot rationally conceive that the soul doth utterly 

 forsake that union, until by putrefaction, tending to an 

 absolute mutation, it is forced to bid farewell to its 

 beloved tabernacle ; for its not operating ad extra to 

 our senses, doth not necessarily infer its total absence. 

 And it may be, that there is more in that of AbeVs blood 

 crying unto the Lord from the (/round, in a physical 

 sense, than is commonly conceived," &c. 



Sir Kenelm Digby (I think I remember) has 

 also made some curious remarks on this subject, 

 in his observations on the Religio Medici of Sir 

 T. Brown. J. Sansom. 



Easter Eggs. — The custom of dyeing eggs at 

 Easter (alluded to. Vol. i., pp. 244. and 397.) 

 prevails in different parts of Cumberland, and is 

 observed in this city probably more specially 

 than in any other part of England. On Easter 

 Monday and Tuesday the inhabitants assemble 

 in certain adjacent meadows, the children all 

 provided with stores of hard-boiled eggs, coloured 

 or ornamented in various ways, — some being 

 dyed an even colour with logwood, cochineal, 

 &c.; others stained (often in a rather elegant 

 manner) by being boiled in shreds of parti-coloured 

 ribbons ; and others, again, covered with gilding. 

 These they tumble about upon the grass until they 

 break, when they finish off by eating them. These 

 they call pace-egg&, being no doubt a corruption 

 for pasche. 



This custom is mentioned by Brande as existing 

 among the modern Greeks; but I believe it wifl 

 be found more or less in almost all parts of Ch-is- 

 tendom. 



_ \ observed when in Syria during Easter quan- 

 tities of eggs similarly dyed ; but it did not occur 

 to me at the time to inquire whether the practice 

 was connected with the season, and whether it was 

 not confined to the native Christians, 



Information upon this point, and also upon the 

 general origin of this ancient custom, would be in- 

 teresting. A SUBSCKIBER. 



Carlisle, June 3. 1850, 



May Marriages (Vol. i., p. 467.). — This super- 

 stition is one of those which have descended to 



Christianity from Pagan observances, and which 

 the people have adopted without knowing the 

 cause, or being able to assign a reason. Carmelli 

 tells us that it still prevailed in Italy in 1750.* 

 It was evidently of long standing in Ovid's time, 

 as it had passed then into a proverb among the 

 people ; nearly two centuries afterwards Plutarch 

 (^Qucest. Rom. 86.) puts the question: Aio t.' toD 

 Malov fiiji'hi- oi/K &yoyTai yvi'cuKas, which he makes a 

 vain endeavour to answer satisfactorily. He as- 

 signs three reasons : Jirsi, because May being be- 

 tween April and June, and April being consecrated 

 to Venus, and June to Juno, those deities held 

 propitious to marriage were not to be slighted. 

 The Greeks were not less observant of fitting 

 seasons and the propitiation of the yafi^xioi SkIo. 

 Secondly, on account of the great expiatory cele- 

 bration of the Lemuria, when women abstained 

 from the bath and the careful cosmetic decoration 

 of their persons so necessary as a prelude to mar- 

 riage rites. Thirdly, as some say, because May 

 was the month of old men, Majus a Majoribus, and 

 therefore June, being thought to be the month of 

 the you!ig, Junius a Junioribus, was to be preferred. 

 The Romans, however, held other seasons and 

 days unpropitious to matrimony, as the days in 

 February when the Parentalia were celebrate<l, &c. 

 June was the favourite month ; but no marriage 

 was celebrated without an augury being first con- 

 sulted and its auspices proved favourable {Val. 

 Max. lib. ii. c. 1.). It would be well if some such 

 superstitions observance among us could serve as 

 a check to ill-advised and ill-timed marriages ; and 

 I would certainly advise all prudent females to 

 continue to think that 

 " The girls are all stark naught that wed in May." 



S. W. Singer. 

 Mickleham, June 12. 



" Trash " or " Sh-iker." — Many hundreds of 

 persons there are in these districts who place im- 

 plicit credence in the reality of the appearance of 

 a death sign, locally termed trash or skriker. It 

 has the appearance of a large black dog, with long 

 shaggy hair, and, as the natives express it, " eyes 

 as big as saucers.'" The first name is given to it 

 from the peculiar noise made by its feet when pass- 

 ing along, resembling that of a heavy shoe in a 

 miry road. The second ai)pellation is in allusion 

 to the sound of its voice when heard by those 

 parties who are unable to see the appearance itself. 

 According to the statements of parlies who have 

 seen the trash frequently, it makes its appearance 

 to some member of that family from which death 

 will shortly select his victim ; and, at other times, 

 to some very intimate acquaintance. Should any 

 one be so courageous as to follow the appearance, 

 it usually makes its retreat with its eyes fronting 



* Storia di Vari Costumi, t. ii. p. 221. 



