July 5. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



This is a better fate than kings, 

 hence jentle peace and love doth flow, 

 for fancy is the rate of things ; 

 I'ain pleased, because I think it so. 

 for a hart that is nobly true, 

 all the world's arts can n'er subdue." 



This poem immediately follows the one in 

 which Toddington in Bedfordshire (which the 

 Duke spells, probably as then pronounced, Te- 

 dingtori) is referred to. 



17. Prayers after the confession of sins, and the sense 

 of pardon obtained. — pp. 108 — 125. 



These prayers breathe a spirit of the most hum- 

 ble and ardent ])iety ; and if composed by the 

 Duke himself, exhibit the weakness of his character 

 in a more fovourable light than the remainder of 

 the volume. One paragraph is striking : — 



" Mercy, mercy, good Lord ! I aske not of thee 

 any longer the things of this world; neither power, nor 

 honours, nor riches, nor pleasures. No, my God, dis- 

 pose of them to whom thou pleasest, so that thou 

 givest me mercy." 



18. " The Batteryes that can be made at Flushing 

 to keep ships from coming in." — pp. 127, 12S. 



19. " Traite de la guere ou Politique militaire." — 

 pp. 130—132. 



20. " The Rode that is to be taken from Bruxels to 

 Diren, the Pri. of Orange's house." — p. 133. 



21. " The Road from Bruxells to Sousdyck, the 

 Prince of Orange his hous." — p. 134. 



22. " The way that I tooke from Diren, when I went 

 for England, Nov. the 10. 84." — p. 135. 



23. " The way that I took when I came from England, 

 December the lOth. 84." — p. 137. 



24. " Tlie way that I took the first day of Jan. n. St. 

 [168|] from Bruxells to the Hague." — p. 139. 



25. Similar memoranda from 1 1th to 14th March, 

 lt>85, between Antwerp and Dort. — p. 141. 



25. The addresses of various persons in Holland, Lon- 

 don, Paris, and elsewhere, to whom letters were to 

 bs written, 1635. — pp. 142. 147 — 155. 



27. " Tlie footway from Trogou to Amsterdani." — 

 p. 143. 



28. An obscure memorandum, as follows: — "1683^ 

 Munday th.c 5th of November. H. W. had T. — 

 The 9tb of November, Poupe. — The 16th of 

 November, Poupe." — p. 15f). 



29. Value of duckatons, pistols, and gilders. — lb. 



30. Note of the route from London to Tedington. — 

 p. I 57. 



Although this volume is not of the same his- 

 torical value as the Diary mentioned by Welwood, 

 yet it is a curious and interesting relic of the un- 

 fortunate man who possessed it, and whose want 

 of education, su[)crstition, and frivolity are so 

 prominently displayed ia its pages. As to its 

 recent history, Dr. Anster states that it was pur- 

 chased at a book-stall in Paris, in 1827, by an 

 Irish divinity student ; the same, probably, who 



has written his name at p. 90. : " John Barrette, 

 Irish College, Paris, Dec. 31, 18.37." — The same 

 person has made a memorandum in pencil, at p. L, 

 which has subsequently been partially rubbed out, 

 and, as far as now legible, is as follows : — 



" This Book was found in of the English 



College in Paris, among other MSS. deposited there 

 by James II." 



An earlier htmd has scribbled a list of the con- 

 tents at the commencement, with the signature 

 " S. Rutter." If King James deposited this 

 volume in the College at Paris, in all probability 

 the others found on the person of the Duke of 

 Monmouth accompanied it, and may one day or 

 other tarn up as unexpectedly as the present book 

 has done. F. Madden. 



British Museum, June 27. 



FOLK LORE. 



Stanton Dreiv and its Tradition. — At the little 

 village of Stanton Drew, in the county of Somer- 

 set, east of the road between Bristol and Wells, 

 stands a well-known Druidical monument, which, 

 in the opinion of Dr. Stukeley, was more ancient 

 than that at Abury. It consists (according to a 

 recent writer) of four groups of stones, forming 

 (or, rather, having formed when complete) two 

 circles; and two other figures, one an ellipse. 

 Although the largest stones are much inferior in 

 their dimensions to those at Stonehenge and 

 Abury, they are by no means contemptible ; some 

 of them being nine feet in height and twenty-two 

 feet in girth. There is a curious tradition very pre- 

 valent amongst the country people, respecting the 

 origin of these remains, which they designate the 

 " Evil Wedding," for the following good and sub- 

 stantial reasons : — ISIany hundred years ago (on 

 a Saturday evening), a newly married couple, with 

 their relatives and friends, met on the spot now 

 covered by these ruins,^to celebrate their nuptials. 

 Here they feasted and danced right merrily, until 

 the clock tolled the hour of midnight, when the 

 piper (a pious man) refused to play any longer : 

 this was much against the wish of the guests, and 

 so exasperated the bride (who was fond of danc- 

 ing), that she swore with an oath, she would not 

 be'^baulked in her enjoyment by a beggarly piper, 

 but would find a substitute, if she went to h-U to 

 fetch one. She had scarcely uttered the words, 

 when a venerable old man, with a long beard, 

 made his appearance, and having listened to their 

 recpiest, prutTered his services, which were right 

 uladly accepted. The old gentleman (who was 

 no other than the Arch-fiend himself) having taken 

 the seat vacated by the godly piix^r, commenced 

 playing aslo^v and solemn air, which on the guests 

 remonstrating he changed into one more lively and 

 rapid. 'J'he company now began to dance, but 



