388 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 54. 



a fact we loam from the Proceedings of the Ar- 

 chcBological Institute, namely, that at the meeting on 

 the 5rh Nov. 1847, the Rev. James Bulwer, of 

 Aylsham, Norfolk, sent a series of drawings ex- 

 hibiting the curious painted decorations of the 

 rood screen in Cawston Church, Norfolk, amongst 

 which appears the singular saintly personage bear- 

 ing a boot, from which issues a demon. An in- 

 scription beneath the figures gives the name 

 " Magister Johannes Schorn," It is much to be 

 regretted that fuller details of this painting have 

 not been preserved in the Journal of the Institute. 

 The earliest mention oi Master John Schorne is in 

 the indenture for roofing St. George's Chapel at 

 Windsor, dated 5 th June, 21 Henry VII. (1506), 

 printed in the Reliquiae Antiques, vol, ii. p. 115., 

 where it is covenanted 



" That the creastes, corses, beastes, above on the out- 

 sides of Maister John Shorne's Chappell, bee done and 

 wrought according to the other creastes, and comprised 

 within the said bargayne." 



William J. Thoms. 



COERIGENDA OF PRINTER S ERRORS. 



In my note on Conjectural Emendation (Vol. ii., 

 p. 322.), your printer, in general so very correct, 

 has by a fortunate accident strengthened my ar- 

 gument, by adding one letter, and taking away 

 another. Should my note be in existence, you will 

 find that I wrote distinctly and correctly Mr. 

 Field's preenomen Barron, and not Baron. And I 

 have too much respect for my old favourite, honest 

 George Wither, to have written Withers, a mis- 

 nomer never used but by his adversaries, who cer- 

 tainly did speak of him as " one Withers." I 

 should not have thought it necessary to notice 

 these insignificant errata, but for the purpose of 

 showing Printei-'s errors do and will occur, and 

 that Shakspeare's text may often be amended by 

 their correction. You will recollect honest 

 George's punning inscription round his juvenile 

 portrait : 



" I GROW AND Wither both together." 



PeRIERGUS BlBLIOPHILUS. 



rOLK-LORE or WALES. 



No. 3. Meddygon Myddoai. — On the heights 

 of the Black Mountains, in Caermarthenshire, 

 lies a dark-watered lake, known by the name of 

 Lyn y Van Vach. As might be predicated, from 

 the wild grandeur of its situation, as well as from 

 the ever-changing hues which it takes from the 

 mountain shadows, many a superstition — gloomy 

 or beautiful — is connected with its history. 

 Amongst these may be reckoned the legend of 

 the Meddygon Myddvai, or " surgeons of Mydd- 

 vai." Tradition affirm.s that " once upon a time " 



a man who dwelt in the parish of Myddvai led 

 his lambs to graze on the borders of this lake ; 

 a proceeding which he was induced to repeat in 

 consequence of his visits being celebrated by the 

 appearance of three most beautiful nymphs, who, 

 rising from the waters of the lake, frequently came 

 on sliore, and wandered about amongst his flock. 

 On his endeavouring, however, to catch or retain 

 these nymphs, they fled to the lake and sank into 

 its depths, singing — 



" Cras dy fara, 



Anhawdd ein dala !" 



which may be rendered [eater of] " hard baked 

 bread, it is difficult to retain us!" Difficulties, 

 however, but increased the determination of the 

 shepherd ; and day after day he watched beside 

 the haimted lake, until at length his perseverance 

 was rewarded by the discovery of a substance re- 

 sembling unbaked bread, whicii floated on the 

 water : this he fished up and ate, and on the fol- 

 lowing day he succeeded in capturing the nymphs : 

 on which he requested one of them to become his 

 wife ; to this she consented, on condition that he 

 should be able to distinguish her from her sisters 

 on the following day. This was no easy task, as 

 the nymphs bore the most striking resemblance to 

 each other ; but the lover noticed some trifling 

 peculiarity in the dress of his choice, by means of 

 which he identified her. She then assured him 

 that she would be to him as good a wife as any 

 earthly maiden could be, until he should stvike her 

 three times without a cause. This was deemed by 

 the shepherd an impossible contingency, and he 

 led his bride in triumph from the mountain ; fol- 

 lowed by seven cows, two oxen, and one bull, 

 which she had summoned from the waters of the 

 lake to enrich her future home. 



Many years passed happily on, and three smil- 

 ing children — afterwards the " surgeons of Mydd- 

 vai" — blessed the shepherd and his Undine-like 

 bride ; but at length, on requesting her to go to 

 the field and catch his horse, she re[)lied ihat she 

 would do so presently : when striking her arm 

 three times he exclaimed, Dos, dos, dus ; Go, go, 

 go. Tills was more than a free dweller in the 

 waters could brook ; so calling her ten head of 

 cattle to follow her, she fled to the lake, and once 

 more plunged beneath its waters. 



Such is tlie legend ; of which reason vainly ex- 

 presses its disbelief, as long as the eye of faith can 

 discern physical proofs of its truth in the deep 

 furrow which, crossing the mountain in detached 

 portions, terminates abruptly in the lake ; for it 

 seems that when the two oxen were summoned by 

 their mistress, they were ploughing in the field; 

 and at their departure, they carried the plough 

 with them, and dragged it into the lake. 



The nynqjh once more appeared upon the earth ; 

 for as her sons grew to manhood, she met them 



