404 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 82. 



Si <)uis me prendat, et ascendat, 

 Velocius aura rapio, 

 Per prata, monies, vada, fontes, 

 Kiisumque toUo, ho, ho, ho 1 



" Cum juvenes convivio 

 Admiscent se puellulis, 

 Ignotus vinum haurio 

 Et impleor bellariis ; 

 Tunc sterto, strepo, et dum crepo, 

 Lucernam flatu adventillo, 

 Ha?c basiatur ; hicquis? clamatur, 

 Cachinnans reddo, ho, ho, ho 1 



" Si quando cum consorte larva 

 In circulum tripudio, 

 Et observemur nos per arva 

 Acutiori oculo ; 

 Et si spectator eloquatur 

 Nee OS obhasiet digito, 

 Nocte terremus et torquemus 

 Uugue spectris, ho, ho, ho ! 



" Post incubiginam Merlinum 

 Noctiirni feci ludicra, 

 Et combibonem me Robbinum 

 Vocent ob jocularia, 

 Me daemones, me lemures, 

 Me novite tenebrio, 

 Decantant me veneficaB ; 

 Vale I Valete 1 ho, ho, ho ! " 



FOLK liOBE. 



DEVONSHIRE FOLK LORE. 



1. Storms from Conjuring. — A common Devon- 

 shire remark on the rising of a storm is, " Ah ! 

 there is a conjuring going on somewhere." The 

 folh)wing illustration was told me by an old in- 

 habitant of this parish. In the parish of St. 

 Mary Taw is a spot called " Steven's grave," 

 from a suicide said to have been buried there 

 His spirit proving troublesome to the neighbour- 

 hood, was laid by a former cui-ate one Sunday 

 after afternoon service. A man who accompanied 

 the clergyman on the way was told by him to 

 make haste home, as a storm was coming. The 

 man hurried away home ; but though the after- 

 noon had previously been very fine, he had 

 scarcely reached his door before a violent thun- 

 storm came to verify the clergyman's words. 



2. The Heath- hounds. — The hndende heer are 

 sometimes heard near Dartmoor, and are known 

 by the appellation of " Heath-hounds." Thev 

 were heard in the parish of St. Mary Tavy several 

 years ago by an old man called Koger Burn : he 

 was working in the fields, when he suddeidy heard 

 the baying of the hounds, the shouts and horn of 

 the huntsman, and the smacking of his whip. This 

 last point the old man quoted as at once settling 

 the question. " How could I be mistaken ? why 

 I heard the very smacking of his whip." 



3. Cock scares the Fiend. — Mr. N. was a Devon- 

 shire squire who had been so unfortunate as to 

 sell his soul to the devil, with the condition thiit 

 after his funeral the fiend should take possession 

 of his skin. He had also persuaded a neighbour 

 to undertake to be present on the occasion of the 

 flaying. On the death of Mr. N., this man went 

 in a state of great alarm to the parson of the 

 parish, and asked his advice. By him he was told 

 to fulfil his engagement, but he must be sure and 

 carry a cock into the church with him. On the 

 night after the funeral, the man proceeded to the 

 church armed with the cock ; and, as an additicmal 

 security, took up his position in the parson's pew. 

 At twelve o'clock the devil arrived, opened the 

 grave, took the corpse from the coffin and flayed 

 it. When the operation was ctmcluded, he held 

 the skin up before him, and remarked : " Well ! 

 'twas not worth coming for after all, for it is all 

 full of holes ! " As he said this, the cock crew ; 

 whereupon the fiend, turning round to the man, 

 exclaimed : " If it had not been for the bird you 

 have got there under your arm, I would have 

 your skin too."" But, thanks to the cock, the man 

 got home safe again. 



4. Cramnere Pool. — CranmerePool, in the centre 

 of Dartmoor, is a great penal settlement for lefrae- 

 tory spirits. Many of the former inhabitants of 

 this parish are still there expiating their ghostly 

 pranks. An old farmer was so troublesome to his 

 survivors as to require seven clergymen to secure 

 bin). By their means, however, he was trans- 

 formed into a colt ; and a servant boy was directed 

 to take him to Cranmere Pool. On ariiving at 

 the brink of the pool, he was to take off the halter, 

 and return instantly without looking round. 

 Curiosity proving too powerful, he turned his 

 head to see what was going on, when he beheld 

 the colt plunge into the lake in the form of a ball 

 of fire. Before doing so, however, he gave the 

 lad a parting salute in the form of a kick, which 

 knocked out one of his eyes. J. M. (4.) 



St. Mary Tavy, May 5. 1851. 



St. Uncumber and the offering of Oats (Vol. ii., 

 pp. 286. 342. 381.).— A further illustration of this 

 custom is found in the legend of St. Rhadegund, 

 or at least in the metrical version of it, which is 

 commonly ascribed to Henry Bradshaw. A copy 

 of this very scarce poem, from the press of Pynson, 

 is preserved in the library of Jesus College, Cam- 

 bridge. We there read as follows : 



" Among all myracles after our intelligence 



Which Radegunde shewed by her huuiilite, 

 One is moost vsuall had in experience 



Among the common people noted with hert fre 

 By offrTxjng of otes after iheyr degre 



At her holy aulters where myracles in siglit 

 Dayly haue be done by grace day and nyght. 



