APRIL 27. 1850.] 
the vending of such buns at the barbarous sport of 
“throwing at the cock” on Shrove Tuesday. The 
cock is still commonly ealled a cockerell in E. 
Anglia. Perhaps Mr. Wodderspoon will say whe- 
ther the buns of the present day are fashioned in 
any particular manner, or whether any “the oldest 
inhabitant” has any recollection of their being 
differently fashioned or at all impressed. What, 
too, are the “ stillyard buns” of Cotgrave? Are 
they tea-cakes? The apartment in which tea was 
formerly made was called the séi//-room. 
BuriEnsis. 
Divination by the Bible and Key.—This super- 
stition is very prevalent amongst the peasantry 
of this and adjoining parishes. When any article | 
is suspected to have been stolen, a Bible is pro- 
cured, and opened at the Ist chap. of Ruth: the 
stock of a street-door key is then laid on the 16th 
verse of the above chapter, the handle protruding | 
from the edge of the Bible ; and the key is secured 
in this position by a string, bound tightly round 
the book. The person who works the charm then 
places his two middle fingers under the handle of 
the key, and this keeps the Bible suspended. He 
then repeats in succession the names of the par- | 
ties suspected of the theft ; repeating at each name 
a portion of the verse on which the key is placed, 
commencing, “ Whither thou goest, I will go,” &e. 
When the name of the guilty party is pronounced, 
the key turns off the fingers, the Bible falls to the 
ground, and the guilt of the party is determined. 
The belief of some of the more ignorant of the 
lower orders in this charm is unbounded. JI have | 
seen it practised in other counties, the key being | 
laid over the 5th verse of the 19th chap. of Pro- 
verbs, instead of the 1st chap. of Ruth. 
Davin STEVENS. | 
Godalming, April 11. 1850. 
{In Brand’s Popular Antiquities (ed. Ellis.), vol. iii. | 
188-9, it is stated that the key is placed upon the 50th 
Psalm. ] 
Weather Proverb.— Weather proverbs are 
among the most curious portions of popular lite- 
rature. That foul or fair weather is betokened 
according as the rainbow is seen in the morning or 
evening, is recorded in the following German 
“saw,” which is nearly identical with our well- 
known English proverb : — 
Regenbogen am Morgen 
Macht dem Schafer sorgen ; 
Regenbogen am Abend 
Ist dem Schafer labend. 
In Mr. Akerman’s recently published volume 
ealled Spring Tide, a pleasant intermixture of 
fly-fishing and philology, we have a Wiltshire ver- 
sion of this proverb, curious for its old Saxon 
Janguage and its comparatively modern allusion to 
a “ great coat” in the third and sixth lines, which 
must be interpolations. 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
413 
“The Rainbow in th’ marnin’ 
Gies the Shepherd warnin’ 
To car’ his girt ewoat on his back 
The Rainbow at night 
Is the Shepherd’s delight, 
For then no girt ewoat will he lack.” 
No one, we believe, has yet remarked the phi- 
| losophy of this saying ; namely, that in the morn- 
| ing the rainbow is seen in the clouds in the west, 
the quarter from which we get most rain, and of 
course, in the evening, in the opposite quarter of 
the heavens. Wit11aM J. THoms. 
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 
1. A pleasant Dialogue between a Soldier of 
Barwicke and an English Chaplain; wherein are 
largely handled such reasons as are brought in for 
maintenance of Popish Traditions in our English 
Church. 8vo. circa 1581. 
This work is frequently attributed to Barnaby 
Rich ; but from Bancrott’s Dangerous Positions, 
p- 42., the author is ascertained to have been 
Antoony GILpy. 
2. The Trumpet of Fame; or, Sir Francis 
Drake’s and Sir John Hawkins’ Farewell: with 
an encouragement to all Sailors and Souldiers that 
are minded to go in this worthie enterprise, &c. 
12mo. London, by T. Creede, 1595. 
This poetical tract is of the greatest rarity, and 
was unknown to Ames, Herbert, Warton, and 
Ritson. A MS. note, in a contemporary hand, 
says the author was one Henry Roserrs, whose 
initials are appended to the work. 
3. The Mastive, or Young Whelpe of the Olde 
Dogge. Epigrams and Satyrs, by H.P. 4to. 
London, by T. Creede, circa 1600. 
As an Epigram in this collection also appears 
in Henry Peacnam’s: Minerva Britanna, with a 
slight variation ; it is fair to surmise that he was 
the author of this very rare volume, in preference 
to Henry Parrott. 
4, Pasquil’s Jests, mixed with Mother Bunch’s 
Merriments. Whereunto is added a dozen of 
Gulles. Pretty and pleasant to drive away the 
tediousnesse of a winter’s evening. 4to. 1608. 
In the British Bibliographer, vol. i.. may be 
seen an account of the edition of 1609, with 
extracts from it, and a statement that “an earlier 
edition is without the Gulls.” The present copy 
(which passed through my hands some years ago), 
although earlier, has the Gulls. 
5. Holie Historie of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ’s Nativitie, Life, Actes, Miracles, 
Doctrine, Death, Passion, Resurrection, and As- 
cension. Gathered into English Meeter, and pub- 
lished to withdraw all vajne wits from all unsa- 
verie and wicked rimes and fables, &c. 12mo. 
London, by R. Field, 1594. 
Ames and Herbert say this book was written 
by Henry Holland; but the author's name 
