gallant, Fram: turnes about very soberly, and sayes, "Good people, be quiet, and let the gentleman alone, for hee's a very sociable and sweetnatur'd man; and I'le be bound hee shall keepe you company within one twelve-month." L'Estrange, No. 581. Sir W. Spring.

Framlingham Gawdy, esq. of West Herling, Norfolk, was born in 1589, the son of Sir Bassingbourn Gawdy, by Anne, daughter of Sir Charles Framlingham, of Debenham. He was in ward to Sir Robert Knowles, and married Lettice, daughter and coheir of Sir Robert. He was Sheriff of Norfolk in 1627, and died in 1654; leaving William Framlingham Gawdy, esq. his son and heir, who was created a Baronet in 1663.-(Blomefield's Norfolk, 1805, i. 306.)

NO. CXXXVIII.-WORSTED A CRUEL STUFF.

A greate zelote for the Cause, would not allow the Parliament's army to be beaten in a certaine fight, but confest he did beleeve they might be worsted. To which linsy-wolsey expression, a merry Cavaleere reply'd, "Take heede of that, for worsted is a cruell peece of stuffe.” L'Estrange, No. 587. Anonym.

Archdeacon Nares, in his Glossary, has remarked, that "crewel, a kind of fine worsted, chiefly used for working and embroidering," was a word which " often occasioned puns, from its resemblance to the adjective cruel; " and refers to the note on "cruel garters," in the Variorum Shakspeare, Lear, act ii. sc. 4.

NO. CXXXIX.-A MOST PROPER SIMILE.

Fra: Russell, at an ordinarie with some of his brethren of Westminster, where much discourse was about the Presbyterian and Independent wayes in religion, borrowed some bold metaphore or allegorie about horse-racing (in which he was well verst), either in the heates or dieting his horse. "Well sayd, Francke," sayes Sir J. Potts, "thy simile is most proper; for thou hast ee'ne as much religion as thy horse." L'Estrange, No. 588. Sir W. Spring.

"Francke Russell" seems to be Francis Lord Russell, son and heir apparent of Francis the fourth Earl of Bedford, who is well known in the history of the times as a zealous leader

of the Parliamentarian side. His son sat in Parliament, but died in France before the Earl, and without children, in 1641.

Sir John Potts, of Mannington in Norfolk, having been previously knighted, was created a Baronet in 1641. He died in 1673 (see his epitaph in Blomefield's Norfolk, 1805, vi. 465.)

NO. CXL.-A LEGAL BULL.

A controversie being at Bury Assizes, about wintering of cattell, before Baron Trevers, then Judge upon the Bench, and the demand being extreame high, "Why, Friend," sayes he, "this is most unreasonable; I wonder thou art not asham'd, for I myself have knowne a beast winter'd one whole summer for a noble." "That was a Bull, my Lord, I beleeve," sayes the fellow; at which ridiculous expression of the judge, and slye retorted jeere of the countryman, the whole court fell into a most profuse laughter.

L'Estrange, No. 597. Mr. Ferrar.

Sir Joseph Trevor, knight, the perpetrator of the legal blunder recorded in this anecdote, was appointed a Baron of the Exchequer on the 10th May 1625.

NO. CXLI.-A GOOD SERMON BAD IN ITS EFFECTS.

A minister, having preached a very long sermon, as his custom was, some hours after ask't a gentleman his approbation of it; he replyed that," "Twas very good, but that it had spoyled a goose worth two of it." L'Estrange, No. 605.

END OF PART THE FIRST.

ANECDOTES AND TRADITIONS.

PART II.

NO. CXLII.-DANCING IN CHURCHES AT CHRISTMAS.

Capta Potter (born in the north of Yorkshire) sayes that in the country churches, at Christmas, in the Holy-daies after Prayers, they will dance in the Church, and as they doe dance they cry, [or sing,]

"Yole, Yole, Yole, &c."

Aubrey, 101 ro.

The practice of dancing in churches, which prevailed among the early Christians, has been by some writers supposed to be an imitation of similar proceedings in Pagan times. The late Mr. Douce, who was of this opinion, quotes in his "Dance of Death," p. 6, a decree of a council held under Pope Eugenius II. in the ninth century, in which the custom is thus noticed: "Ut Sacerdotes admoneant viros ac mulieres, qui festis diebus ad ecclesiam occurrunt, ne ballando et turpia verba decantando choros teneant ac ducunt, similitudinem Paganorum peragendo." (Leg. Antiq. iii. 84.)

But may not this practice have arisen among the Jews? We know that David danced before the Ark, 2 Samuel vi. 14; and Eisenmenger, in his "Entdecktes Judenthum,” p. i. s. 46, tells us, that it is a rabbinical tradition, that at the marriage of Adam and Eve in Paradise, the Creator and the Angels danced, having the Sun, Moon, and Stars, als dem Frauenzimmer, as partners!

A work on the subject of "The Religious Dances of the Early Christians," which I have not been able to consult, but which bears a very high character, I mean, "M. C. H. Brömel's Fest-Tanzen der Ersten Christen. Jena, 1705," would probably throw great light upon this point.

NO. CXLIII.-THE YULE LOG.

In the west riding of Yorkshire on Xmass Eve, at night, they bring in a large Yule-log, or Xmass block, and set it on fire, and lap their Christmas ale, and sing,

"Yule, Yule,

A pack of new cards and a Xmass stool."

Aubrey, 101 ro. W. K.

The learned Dr. Jacob Grimm, in his " Deutsche Mythologie," 117, quotes from the "Mémoires de l'Académie Celtique," notices of a similar custom which prevails at Commercy en Lorraine :

"Le 24 Décembre vers les six heures du soir, chaque famille met à son feu une énorme buche appelée Souche de Noel. On defend aux enfans de s'y asseoir, parceque, leur dit on, ils y attraperaient la gale. Notez, qu'il est d'usage dans presque tout le pais, de mettre le bois au foyer dans toute sa longeur, qui est d'environ 4 pieds et de l'y faire brûler par un bout."

A somewhat similar practice obtains at Bonneval :

"La veille de Noel, avant la messe de minuit, on place dans la cheminée de l'appartement le plus habité une buche, la plus grosse que l'on puisse rencontrer, et qui soit dans le cas de resister pendant trois jours dans le foyer. C'est ce que lui a fait donner le nom de tréfué, tréfoué, trois feux."

Among the traditions of Denmark, recorded by Thiele in his "Danske Folkesagn," 3 Sam. s. 102, is the following: "When people at Christmas Eve sit together at table and wish to know who among them will die before the next Christmas, some one goes out quietly and peeps in at the window, and whoever is seen to sit at table without a head will die in the coming year." And from Thiele's note we learn that at Anspach it was believed that, when at Christmas or New Year's Day the tree which had been brought in was lighted, any one had but to look at the shadows of those present to learn who would die in the course of the next year, for their shadows would be seen headless.

NO. CXLIV.-DRESSING THE HOUSE WITH IVY.

In several parts of Oxfordshire, particularly at Lanton, it is the custom for the maid servant to ask the man for Ivy to dress the House, and if the man denies or neglects to fetch in Ivy, the maid steals away a pair of his breeches and nails them up to the gate in the yard, or highway. Aubrey, 101 ro. W. K.

CAMD. SOC. 5.

M

The subject of decorating churches and houses with ivy at Christmas, is fully described in Brand's Popular Antiquities, i. 404, of Sir Henry Ellis's excellent edition of that book, and which is the only one referred to in the course of the present work. This notice affords us a curious recognition of the principle of tit for tat, the man having refused the maid her suit, she takes her revenge upon his breeches !

NO. CXLV. THE LOVING CUP.

At Danby Wisk, in the north riding of Yorkshire, it is the custom for the parishioners, after receiving the Sacrament, to goe from church directly to the ale-house, and there drink together, as a testimony of charity and friendship.-Ex ore W. Lester, Armig.

Aubrey, 101 ro. W. K.

This practice, which is so perfectly in unison with the character of a simple-minded people, is clearly allied to one still existing, we mean the drinking from the " Loving Cup," a ceremony which is yet observed by several of the City Companies when the Courts dine in their halls; though, perhaps, more immediately to the Agape, which were, says Aubrey, in this same MS. fo. 121, v. "Certain Love Feasts used in the primitive Church, where all the congregation met and feasted together after they had received the communion, and those that were rich, brought for themselves and the poore, and all eate together for the increase of mutual love, and for the rich to show their love and charity to the poore."

In Grimm's Deutsche Mythologie, 36-38, we have much curious information upon the custom (of pagan origin, but which Christianity never succeeded in out-rooting,) of “ Minnetrinken," drinking to the love, or rather memory, of the absent. But the passage is too long to translate, and will not very well admit of curtailment.

NO. CXLVI.-JANUARY WEATHER.

There is a Proverb in Welsh of great antiquity,

Haf hyd gatan

Gaiaf hyd Fay. i. e.

If it be somerly weather till the Kalends of January, it will be winterly weather till the Kalends of May. They look upon this as an oracle.

There is a more modern version of this Proverb in Ray's Collection.

"If Janiveer Calends be summerly gay,

Aubrey, 102 vo.

'T will be winterly weather till the Calends of May."