Jan. 25. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



59 



'= All dewile an diissem Dage, 

 ]\Iit yuwer alien beliage, 

 Under den hellen Himmel klar, 

 Ein fry Feld-gericht openbar ; 

 Geheget bysc lechten Sonnenshik 

 Mit niicliterm Mund kommen herin, 

 De toel ock is gesettet reclit, 

 Dat malit befunden uprecht, 

 So sprecket Reclit ane With und Wonne 

 Up KlageundAntwort, weic, schientdie Sonne." 



I must refer to J[orant, to Beckwith, or Sir F. 

 Palgrave, for the details of the ceremony of the 

 AVardstaif, which it slioidd appear was observed at 

 least as late as the reign of Queen Elizabeth, but 

 in Movant's time it had long been neglected. In 

 the hope that some of your antiquarian corre- 

 spondents may be enabled to throw more light on 

 this very curious custom, I will merely add, that 

 Moraut suggests that it is possible some elucida- 

 tion of it might be found "in the Evidence House 

 in Hatfield Church, where (he says) are a great 

 number of writings relating to the priory and lord- 

 ship." S. W. SiNGEE. 



Jan. 11. 1851. 



BALLAD ASCRIBED TO SIB C. IIAXBURr 

 WILLIAMS. 



Being engaged on a collection of fugitive pieces 

 by wits of the last century, yet imprinted, I wish 

 to take the opinion of your valuable correspon- 

 dents as to the authorship of the enclosed piece. 

 It has been jwinted out to me iu an album, dated 

 at the beginning Feb. 14th, 1743; it occurs 

 towards the end of the volume (which is nearly 

 filled), without date, and signed C. H. Williams. 



It is evidently not autograph, being in the hand 

 which mainly pervades the book. Had Sir C. H. 

 Williams been a baronet at the time, his title 

 would doubtless have been attached to his name. 

 I wish to know, first, at what date Sir C. H. 

 Williams was born, became a baronet, and died? 

 Secondly, is there any internal evidence of style 

 that tlie ballad is by his hand ? Thirdly, is there 

 any clue as to who the fair and cruel I.iucy may 

 have been ? And lastly, whether any of your 

 correspondents have seen the thing in print before? 



G. H. Barker. 



Whitwell, Yorksliirc. 



I. 



" Lips like cherries crimson-juicy, 

 Cheeks like peach's downy shades, 

 Has my Lucy — lovely Lucy ! 

 Loveliest of lady's maids ! ! ! 



ir. 



" Eyes like violet's dcw-bespnngled, 

 Sofily fringed deep liquid eyes ! 

 Pools where Cupid might have angled 

 Aad expected fisli to rise. 



III. 



*' Cupid angling ? — what the deuce ! he 

 Must not fish in Lticy's eye ! 

 Cupid leave alone my Lucy — 

 You have other fish to fry ! ! ! 



IV. 



"But with patience unavailing — 



Angling dangling late and soon — 

 Weeping, still I go a waiting, 

 And harp on without harpoon. 



V. 



" Kerchief, towel, duster, rubber, 

 Cannot wipe my weeping dry — 

 Whul'mg, still I lose my blubber, 

 Catching wails from Lucy's eye. 



VI. 



" Blubber — wax and spermaceti — 

 Swealing taper — trickling tear ! 

 Writing of a mournful ditty 

 To my lovely Lucy dear. 



VII. 



"Pouring tears from eyelids sluicy, 

 While the waning flamelet fades, 

 All for Lucy — lovely Lucy, 

 Loveliest of lady's maids. 



" C. H. Williams." 



[The foregoing ballad does not appear in the edition 

 of the works of Sir C. Ilanbury Williams (3 vols. 8vo. 

 1822), from the preface to whicli it appears that he was 

 born in 1709, installed a Knight of tlie Bath in 1746, 

 and died on the 2nd November, 1759.] 



Minor «auciic^. 



JSooA called Tartiuire. — William Wallace in Lon- 

 don. — 1. Is there 3.x\y one of your correspondents, 

 learned or unlearned, who can oblige me with any 

 account of a printed book called Turtuare ? Its 

 date would be early in the sixteenth century, if 

 not before this. 



2. After William AVallace had been surprised 

 and taken, he was brought to London, and lodged, 

 it is said, in a part of what is now known as Fen- 

 church Sti-eet. There is a reader and correspond- 

 ent of yours, who, I am assured, can point out the 

 site of this house, or whatever it was. AVill he 

 kindly assist arcliasological inquirers, by informing 

 us whereabouts it stood? AV. (1.) 



Ohcism. — Can any of your readers give me some 

 information about obcism? lam anxious to know 

 whether it is iu itself a religion, or merely a rite 

 practised in some religion in Africa, and imported 

 thence to the West Indies (where, I am told, it is 

 rapidly gaining ground again) ; and whether the 

 obeixt obtains tlie immense power he is said to 

 possess over his brother negroes by any acquired 

 art, or simply by working upon the more super- 



