68 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2»<i S. VI. 134., July 24. '58, 



day in England, we can well believe that it was 

 very pure two centuries ago. Beyond being a 

 gipsy, it is impossible to say what Bunyan's pedi- 

 gree really was. His grandfather might have 

 been an ordinary native, even of fair birth, who, in 

 a thoughtless moment, might have " gone off with 

 the gipsies ; " or his ancestor, on the native side 

 of the house, might have been one of the " many 

 English loiterers " who joined the gipsies on their 

 arrival in England when they were "esteemed 

 and had in great admiration ; " or he might have 

 been such a " foreigner tinker " as is alluded to in 

 the Spanish gipsy edicts, and in the act of Queen 

 'Elizabeth, in which mention is made of "stran- 

 gers" being with the gipsies. Tlie last is ex- 

 tremely probable, as the name Bunyan would 

 almost seem to be of foreign origin. It is there- 

 fore possible that there was not a drop of English 

 blood in Bunyan's veins, .iltliough England is en- 

 titled to the credit of the formation of his character. 

 Tinker is a gipsy word according to Jamieson's 

 Scottish Dictionary ; the verb tink means to " rivet, 

 including the idea of the noise made in the opera- 

 tion of riveting, a gipsy irord." 



Bunyan says in bis Grace Abounding : — 



"After I had been thus ybr some considerable time, ano- 

 ther thought came into mv mind ; and that was whether 

 ice (his family and relations) were of the Israelites or no? 

 For tinding in the Scriptures that they were once the pe- 

 culiar people of God, thought J, if I were one of this race 

 (how significant is the expression !) mv soul must needs 

 be happy. Now again I found within me a great longing 

 to be resolved about this question, but could not tell hoiv I 

 should ; at last J asked my father of it, who told me ive 

 (his father included) were not." 



How strange it is that the world should attempt 

 to degrade the immortal pilgrim from being this 

 great original into being the offscourings of all 

 JEuglaml ! Doescaste exist nowhere butin India? 



New York. 



Folk Lore at Lichfield. — The efBgy at the E. 

 side of the S. transept is said to be that of one 

 of two brothers, who, being worsted in a mutual 

 trial of skill in building the western spires, took 

 a stone and leaped down and destroyed himself. 



The Bowercoss Hill is said to have been the 

 site of a battle between three kings of old, who 

 slew each other, the latest survivor being king 

 of Lichfield, and so remaining for a time master j 

 of the field. 1\L\ckenzie Walcott, M. A. 



eauerteiS. 



INEDITED LETTERS BT MR. MORGAN. 



These letters were found among the papers of 

 the family of Willoughby of Peyhembury, Devon, 

 which became extinct aboutthe middle of the seven- 

 teenth century. The copy appears to be a cotem- 



pof ary one. I send it to " N". & Q." in hopes 

 that some of your readers may perhaps be able 

 to throw some light on the now mysterious, but 



• evidently melancholy, circumstances to which 

 they allude. In Lysons' Devonshire, p. 45-3., men- 

 tion is made of a family of Morgan, which was for 

 fifteen descents possessed of an estate (Morgan's 

 Hayes) in the parish of Southleigh, which was in 

 the immediate neighbourhood of the Willoughby's 

 property. W. C. Treveltan. 



j Wallington. 



" Comfort yourself, my mother, the Holy Ghost be your 

 comfort ; your son dieth not, but sleepeth till the Lord 

 j .Jesus Christ revive him ; such rest in Christ is life, and 

 such life shall last long. I go to sleep before you, but we 

 shall wake together, and after such waking then shall we 

 sleep no more. Then fare .... night or day shall last 

 i for ever. That book is true that hath .ill this, therefore 

 fear not, my mother ; the peace of that Christ and His 

 grace overshadow you and yours, and for His mercy's sake 

 serve God, fear God, love God, and teach your children 

 this. Trust me, that time is lost in which we do not 

 this : I used my time so ill that now my time is gone. 

 Whoso abuseth his time shall have his time cut off. 

 Warn you ray brethren this, I praj', and bless them all. 

 The loss of me is not great to you that have many 

 others, and to me the loss is less, since I go to that Christ. 

 I thank Him, that in taking away my time He hath yet 

 given me time to love Him, to know Him, to trust in 

 Him : I say he hath given nie time, yea, and time I have 

 had to serve Him, but a slothful servant was I. Howbeit, I 

 trust in his mercy that he will not call me to reckoning, 

 and, therefore, if anybody hath to account to me, I forgive 

 him in the witness of Christ, freely. Bless you, my sis- 

 ters ; I beseech God to bless them. Bless and forgive the 

 widow, I beseech you, nn- mother, even in these last 

 words that ever I shall use to you : you are the root of 

 her, and she is a reed subject to many winds: if she forsake 

 her root, there is great danger these times will make her 

 wither. I do remember to you mj- youngest brother: 

 if 3'ou love me, be good unto him : the rest may do well 

 enough. It grieveth me to have done to John Carne 

 that wron^ that I once did : I pray you, mother, and desire 

 my brother to be good to him in that case for which he 

 sued. I beseech God to prosper you ever, and my Father 

 ' Sturton, — a most loving father to all yours. I doubt 

 I not I have your blessing. Pray for me and forgive me, 

 ! your lost sou in this world, whom I trust you shall find 

 ' in Heaven. « John Morgan." 



' " Even he whom thou hast holpen forth to death, salute 

 ' thee. The Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Grace 

 [ and Mercy be with thee and all thy children ! Take 

 the counsel of him which loveth thee now no more with 

 natural love ; for thou hast quenched it, hut with a Chris- 

 tian love which thou canst not quench. First, serve God 

 thyself, and bring up thy children in His fear. The fear 

 of God is a bridle to the disordered nature. Be charitable 

 and hate nobody, for conceived malice poisoneth the heart 

 and soul. Kever lift up thy plumes again. Trust me, 

 this world is vain. Comfort thy heart and live for thy 

 children's sake. Their father, I think, would not have 

 died for thee; woe to those babes if you were gone. 

 Trust not these friends of thy husband's side : at last they 

 may chance to hate thee for me. Thou hast the best na- 

 tured mother alive. I have ^vritten that she may love 

 thee, yet thou art a simple woman in an open field. 

 Trust thine own root, unless thou perish. He is not in 

 case now to lie that write thee these, therefore believe him. 

 The Lord Jesus Christ bless thee and thine. Forgive 



