as near as he could guess, within twenty paces, they all, immediately, disappeared, though he had never taken his eye off them from the first moment he beheld them ; nor was there any place where they could so suddenly retreat, it being an open field, without hedge or bush, and, as is said before, broad day.

Another instance, which might serve to strengthen the credit of the last, was told to Waldron by a person who had the reputation of the utmost integrity. This man, being desirous of disposing of a horse he had, at that time, no great occasion for, and riding him to market for that purpose, was accosted, in passing over the mountains, by a little man in a plain dress, who asked him if he would sell his horse. 'Tis the design I am going on, replied the person who told the story on which the other desired to know the price. Eight pounds, said he. No, resumed the purchaser, I will give no more than seven; which if you will take, here is your money. The owner, thinking he had bid pretty fair, agreed with him, and, the money being told out, the one dismounted, and the other got on the back of the horse, which he had no sooner done, than both beast and rider sunk into the earth, immediately, leaving the person who had made the bargain in the utmost terror and confusion. As soon as he had a little recovered himself, he went directly to the parson of the parish, and related what had passed, desiring he would give his opinion whether he ought to make use of the money he had received, or not to which he replied, that as he had made a fair bargain, and no way circumvented, nor endeavoured to circumvent the buyer, he saw no reason to believe, in case it was an evil spirit, it could have any power over him. On this assurance, he went home well satisfied, and nothing afterward happened to give him any disquiet concerning this affair.

An English gentleman, the particular friend of our author, to whom he told the story, was about passing over Duglasbridge before it was broken down; but, the tide being high, he was obliged to take the river; having an excellent horse under him, and one accustomed to swim. As he was in the middle of it, he heard, or imagined he heard, the finest symphony, he would not say in the world, for nothing human ever came up to it. The horse was no less sensible of the harmony than himself, and kept in an immoveable posture all the time it lasted; which, he said, could not be less than three quarters of an hour, according to the most exact calculation he could make, when he arrived at the end of his little journey, and found how long he had been coming. He, who before laughed at all the stories told of fairies, now became a convert, and believed as much as ever a Manks-man of them all.1

XXXIX. THE PORRIDGE-POT.

[From Aubrey's "Natural History and Antiquities of the County of Surrey," vol. iii., p. 366.]

In the vestry here [Trensham Church], on the North side of the chancel, is an extraordinary great kettle or caldron, which the inhabitants say, by tradition, was brought hither by the fairies, time out of mind, from Borough-hill,

1 Waldron, p. 73. A little beyond a hole in the earth, just at the foot of a mountain, about a league and a half from Barool, which they call The Devils den, "is a small lake, in the midst of which is a huge stone, on which, formerly, stood a cross: round this lake the fairies are said to celebrate the obsequies of any good person; and I have heard many people, and those of a considerable share of understanding too, protest, that, in passing that way, they have been saluted with the sound of such musick, as could proceed from no earthly instruments.”p. 137.

about a mile from hence. To this place if any one went to borrow a yoke of oxen, money, &c., he might have it for a year or longer, so he kept his word to return it. There is a cave, where some have fancied to hear musick. On this Boroughhill (in the same parish) is a great stone lying along, of the length of about six feet. They went to this stone, and knocked at it, and declared what they would borrow, and when they would repay, and a voice would answer, when they should come, and that they should find what they desir'd to borrow at that stone. This caldron, with the trivet, was borrow'd here after the manner aforesaid, but not return'd according to promise; and, though the caldron was afterwards carried to the stone, it could not be received, and ever since that time, no borrowing there.

ADDITIONAL NOTES.

Page 1, line 1. Romance of Launfal.] I had no opportunity of collating this romance in proof, but believe that the terminal contractions will be found to be accurately given. The MS. itself is occasionally uncertain and inaccurate in this respect, as indeed are most MSS. of the same period.

Page 24, line 21. Lodlokest.] That is, most loathly. In Syr Gawayne, p. 99, we have the following line,

"In the lyknes of Lucyfere, layeth este in helle."

as printed by Sir F. Madden; but, as this does not make very good sense, I should propose to read lathetheste, another form of the word just mentioned, and which exactly suits the context of the whole passage.

Page 131, line 10. Sops in wine.] That is, pinks. See a long article in Nares's Glossary, in v.

Page 245, line 23. Fairy king, from that tree skip.] To these lines I must plead guilty, but the other translations from Randolph are taken from an article on fairies in Leigh Hunt's "London Journal."

Page 266, line 4. As the stormy windes did blow.] A curious coincidence with a well-known line in a celebrated modern song.