LIBRARY OF OLD AUTHORS. 313 



that is, one of the men ! — or a discretion, that is, one 

 of the discretions ! — or a justice, that is, one of the 

 quorum ! We trust Mr. Halliwell may never have the 

 editing of Bob Acres's imprecations. " Odd's triggers ! " 

 he would say, "that is, as odd as, or as strange as, triggers." 

 Vol. III. p. 77, "the vote-killing mandrake." Mr. 

 Halliwell's note is, " vote-kitting. — ' Voice-killing,' ed. 

 1613. It may well be doubted whether either be the 

 correct reading.' 1 He then gives a familiar citation from 

 Browne's " Vulgar Errors." " Vote-killing " may be a mere 

 misprint for " note-killing," but " voice-killing" is certain- 

 ly the better reading. Either, however, makes sense. Al- 

 though Sir Thomas Browne does not allude to the dead- 

 ly property of the mandrake's shriek, yet Mr. Halliwell, 

 who has edited Shakespeare, might have remembered 

 the 



" Would curses kill, as doth the mandrake's groan." 



(Second Part of Henry VI., Act III. Scene 2.) 



and the notes thereon in the variorum edition. In Ja- 

 cob Grimm's " Deutsche My thologie," (Vol. II. p. 1154,) 

 under the word Alraun, may be found a full account of 

 the superstitions concerning the mandrake. " When it 

 is dug up, it groans and shrieks so dreadfully that the dig- 

 ger will surely die. One must, therefore, before sunrise 

 on a Friday, having first stopped one's ears with wax or 

 cotton-wool, take with him an entirely black dog without 

 a white hair on him, make the sign of the cross three 

 times over the alraun, and dig about it till the root 

 holds only by thin fibres. Then tie these by a string to 

 the tail of the dog, show him a piece of bread, and run 

 away as fast as possible. The dog runs eagerly after 

 the bread, pulls up the root, and falls stricken dead by 

 its groan of pain.'' 



These, we believe, are the only instances in which Mr. 

 Halliwell has ventured to give any opinion upon the 

 14 



