454 THE OLD GUERNSEY LAMP. 



in various parts of the kitchen, such as in the mantelpiece. 

 In very cold weather, when everyhody wanted to be ne;ir the 

 fire in the evenino-, a stand (tailed "le villiain " was used. 

 This was placed op|)()site the cc^ntre of the hearth and the 

 crasset hung to it. But as the clay floors were oftc^n inieven, 

 a light touch Avas sufficient to ])ush it over. 



When the crasset got upset, the oil was frequently scat- 

 tered over those sitting near, and as children were usually the 

 cause of the mischief by trying to pass under the light, they 

 usually got the full benefit of the oil, which sti-eamed down 

 their faces, mingling with their tears. The sudden darkness, 

 combined with the crying of the children and the grumblings 

 of the adults, who had to clean themselves 'and the youngsters, 

 helped to make many an evening very unpleasant. 



The crasset, like many other things, had its anecdotes 

 and superstitions attached to it. When hung uj) in the 

 evening those seated at the back had no light, and if they 

 complained, their consolation w^as " Le crasset s'tourne le 

 derriere es pus biaux " (the crasset turns its back to the 

 handsomest). When the light was dimmer than usual it was 

 said, " Le crasset ere qu' j'avon des tripes a not' soupa'i " (the 

 crasset thinks we are having tripe for supper), an allusion to 

 the difficulty experienced in cleaning tripe properly. 



The word crdstdic, literally the amount of oil required to 

 fill a crasset, has often been applied, especially by Metivier, 

 to a drink of cider or wine. The use of the word is probably 

 only fairly modern, and may have arisen under the following 

 circumstances. 



Some old people w^ho remembered the time when the 

 Russian soldiers were quartered in Guernsey have told me 

 that when these soldiers saw a light burning in a house they 

 were in the habit of entering it, and proceeding to the crasset 

 threw^ the wick on the floor and emptied the oil dow^n their 

 throats, leaving the house in darkness. From this it is quite 

 easy to understand the use of the word in its modern sense to 

 signify as much as a man could swallow at a gulp. 



There was a man at the Vale, it is said, whose wife was 

 famous for long fits of the sulks, during which time he could 

 not get a word out of her. So he thought he w^ould emulate 

 the Grecian philosopher of old and his lantern. He lit his 

 crasset in broad daylight, and on his knees began looking 

 about the kitchen as though he had lost something. He 

 looked under the "jonquiere" and under the dresser and in 

 all the dark places. His wife looked at him, and at last, 

 unable to restrain her curiosity, said, " Qui diatre que tu 



