Oct. 18. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



291 



serving of our esteem, as his learning is of our 

 veneration. Pekegrinds. 



POETICAX COINCIDENCES. 



Sheridayi, 



In tlie account wliich Moore has given, in his 

 Life of Sheridan, of the writings left unfinished 

 by that celebrated orator and dramatist, he 

 states : 



" There also remain among liis papers three acts of 

 a drama without a name, written evidently In haste, 

 and with scarcely any correction." 



From this production he gives the following 

 verses, to which lie has appended the note I have 

 placed immediately after them : — 



" Oh yield, fair lids, the treasures of my heart. 



Release those beams, that make this mansion 

 bright ; 

 From her snreet sense. Slumber ! tho' sweet thou 

 art. 

 Begone, and give the air she breathes in light. 



" Or while, oh Sleep, thou dost those glances hide. 

 Let rosy slumber still around lier play. 

 Sweet as the cherub Innocence enjoy'd. 



When in thy lap, new-born, in smiles he lay. 



" And thou, oh Dream, that com'st her sleep to cheer, 

 Oh take my shape, and play a lover's part ; 

 Kiss her from me, and whisper in her ear. 



Till her eyes shine, 'tis night within my heart." 



" I have taken the liberty here of supplying a few 

 rhymes and words that are wanting in the original 

 copy of the song. The last line of all runs thus in the 

 manuscript : — 



' Till her eye shines, I live in darkest night,' 

 which not rhyming as it ought, I have ventured to alter 

 as above." 



Now the following sonnet, which occurs in the 

 third book of Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia^ is evi- 

 dently the source from whence Sheridan drew his 

 inspiration, the concluding line in both poems 

 being the same. Had Moore given Sheridan's 

 witliout alteration, the resemblance would in all 

 probability be found much closer : — 



" Lock up, faire liddes, the treasure of my heart. 

 Preserve those beames, this ages onely light: 

 To her sweet sence, sweet slecpe some ease iin])art, 

 Her sence too weake to beare her spirits might. 



" And wliile, O Sleepe, thou closest up her sight, 



(Her sight wherv; Love did forge his fairest dart) 

 O liarboiir all her parts in easefull plight : 



Let no strange dreaine make lier faire body start. 



" But yet, O dreanie, if thou wilt not depart 



In this rare subject from tliy connnon right: 

 But wilt thy selfe in such a scate delight, 



" Then take my shape, and play a lover's part : 

 Kisse her from me, and say unto her sprite, 

 Till her eyes shine, I live in darkest night." 



The edition I quote from is that " Printed by 

 W. S. for Simon Waterson, London, 1627." I 

 may add, that I wrote to Moore as far back as 

 1824 to point out this singular coincidence; but 

 although the communication was (-ourteously ac- 

 knowledged, I do not believe the circumstance has 

 been noticed in any subsec^uent edition of Sheri- 

 dan's memoirs. T. C. Smith. 



FOLK LORE. 



Medical Use of Pigeons (Vol. iv., p. 228.). — 

 In my copy of ilr. Alford's very unsatisfactory 

 edition of Donne, I find noted (in addition to 

 K.T.'s cjuotation from The Life of Mrs. Godolphin) 

 references to Pepys's Diary., October 19, 1663, 

 and January 21, 1G67-8, and the following from 

 Jer. Taylois ed. lIcber,vol. xii. p. 290. : " We cut 

 living pigeons in halves, and apply them to the 

 feet of men in fevers." J. C. R. 



Michaelmas Goose — St. Martins Coch. — In 

 the county of Kilkenny, and indeed all through 

 the S.E. counties of Ireland, the " IMichaelmas 

 Goose" is still had in honour. " St. Martin's 

 Bird" (see p. 230. antii) is, however, the cock, 

 whose hlood is shed in honour of that saint at 

 Martinmas, Nov. 11. The same superstition does 

 not apply, that I am aware of, to the Michaelmas 

 Goose, which is merely looked on as a dish cus- 

 tomary on that day, with such as can afford it, 

 and always accompanied by a melange of vege- 

 tables (potatos, parsnips, cabbage, and onions) 

 mashed together, with butter, and forming a dish 

 termed Kailcannon. The idea is far different 

 as to St. Martin's Cock, the blood of which is 

 always shed saci-ifcialli/ in honour of the Saint. 

 Query, 1. The territorial extent of the latter 

 custom ? And, 2. What pagan deity has trans- 

 ferred his honours to St. Martin of Tours. 



James Graves. 



Kilkenny. 



Surrey Folk Lore. — A " wise woman " has 

 lately made her appearance not far from Reigate 

 in Surrey. One of the farmers' wives there, on 

 being scalded the otlier day, sent to the old dame, 

 who sent back a curious doggrel, which the good 

 woman was to repeat at stated times. At the end 

 of a week the scahl got well, and the good woman 

 told us that ^he knew there was no harm in the 

 charm, for " she had heard say as how it was some 

 verse from the Bible." 



When in a little shop the other day, in the same 

 part of the ccjinUry, one vilhige dame was speaking 

 of the death of some neighbour, when another said, 

 that she hoped "tliev had been and told the bees." 



In tiie same neighbourhood I was told a so- 

 vereign cure for the goitre was to form the sign of 

 the cross on the neck with the hand of a corjise. 



M. M. P. 



