HUNTING HARE AND WITCH. 71 



the origin of all the evil, and told him to return home, procure by some 

 means a drop of Nanny's (the witch's) blood, and steal a few drops of 

 holy water ; these had to be mixed in a cup of milk drawn from a red 

 cow and rubbed by him on the soles and calves of his lady-love, when 

 all would be well. This was a strongish order, and well-nigh staggered 



the young chap Firstly, how was he to procure a drop of Nanny's 



blood ? . . . . On making his trouble known to an old dame in the 

 village (Goathland), one Janet Haswell, she told him something he 

 already knew in part, i.e., that in a certain field a hare sat nightly, 

 which neither hound could catch nor man shoot ; this hare, declared 

 the old lady, was none other than Nanny herself. She further assured 

 him that if he melted some silver and made shot of it, he would be 

 able to hit the hare and perhaps he would be able to find some blades 

 of grass stained with blood. 



We are told that the young man succeeded in getting the 

 blades of grass, and that Nanny was confined to her bed 

 for some days. The same author tells us that the Guis- 

 borough witch, Peggy, or, to give her correct name, Jane 

 Grear, also turned herself into a hare, and stories are told 

 of how she led both fox-hounds and harriers on a bootless 

 run on more than one occasion, and so recently as 1820 was 

 she extant, and at this period the following lines, telling 

 of a chase after her, were written : — 



From the Applegarth (1) to Slapewath Beck. 



Without a rest in view all t'way ; 

 She took us round by t'alum works, (2) 

 To Aisdale Gate, but gat away. 



The hunters knocked up a certain " Tom " from his 

 bed, and together the party journeyed to the house of another 

 sportsman, named in the song " Jack," who, like a good 

 fellow, provided some refreshment, and joined them in 

 another hunt for this witched puss. Ere they had hunted 

 long, up she jumped, and took them : — 



From Scaling Dyke to Wauplej' (3) end, 

 Through Tommy's geese and Mary's stee, 



{ 1 ) Applegarth, a large field near Guisborough, at one time part of the 

 Abbey grounds. 



(2) The alum works outside Guisborough, near which alum was dis- 



covered in England by the then head of the Chaloner family, still 

 lords of the manor. 



(3) Waupley is near Liverton. 



