oneliche falleþ to god, to witen of þinges þt arn to come," &c.

C. H.

St. Catharine's Hall, Cambridge.

A FUNERAL IN HAMBURGH.

MR. GATTY'S observations (Vol. iii., p. 499.) regarding the funeral of an Irish labourer, have reminded me that while on a visit some years ago to a brother in the city of Hamburgh, we one Sunday spent the day with a worthy pastor of a small village a few miles from that city, where we went early enough to attend morning service in the village church; and in the afternoon, while indulging with our pipes and coffee in an alcove in the pastor's garden, I observed a funeral approach the churchyard gate, and understanding that the ceremony was different to what I had been accustomed to, I laid down my pipe and walked into the churchyard to observe what passed, and my movement induced my brother and another or two to become spectators also. The funeral party having arranged themselves at the entrance, the ceremony commenced as follows. The parish clerk or verger walked first, having a lemon in one hand and a bunch of evergreen in the other; he was followed by six choristers or singing boys, then six men as bearers carrying the coffin, and after them the mourners and other attendants. As soon as the cavalcade moved off, the clerk or verger gave out a strophe of some psalm or hymn, which he and the boys chanted while moving round the churchyard; and thus chanting they followed a green path, which I discovered was kept close mown for the purpose; and I observed our worthy pastor had joined the cavalcade, though alone, and at some little distance from the mourners. I understood it was customary thus to move three times round, but being a very sultry afternoon, the party made two turns serve, when coming to the open grave the bearers let down the coffin into it, and then another strophe was chanted, which ended, the mourners took a last look at the coffin, and silently dropped their sprigs of evergreen upon it; the bearers then each took a spade, already provided for them, and quickly filled up the grave, and adjusted its form, when the funeral party returned silently home as they came. The pastor had now retreated again to the alcove in his garden, where we soon joined him, and he told me that as we had gone to witness the ceremony, it would have been thought disrespectful had he not also shown himself, though it did not appear that his attendance was necessary. The general practice here observed of the bearers filling up the grave, shows that the Irish labourers had some more general custom for their practice than MR. GATTY appears to be aware of.

W. S. HESLEDEN.

FOLK LORE.

The Baker's Daughter.

—Ophelia (Act IV. Sc. 5.) says that

This reminds me of a Welsh tradition concerning the female who refused a bit of dough from the oven to the Saviour "when He hungered," and was changed into Cassek gwenwyn, for לִילִית, lilish[TR: Lilith], lamia, strix, the night spectre, mara, or screech-owl.

G. M.

"Pray remember the Grotto" on St. James's Day (Vol. i., p. 5.).

—The interesting note with which MR. WILLIAM J. THOMS presented the firstborn of "NOTES AND QUERIES," may perhaps admit of a postscript, borrowed from one of Mr. Jerdan's well-deserving pupils, the Literary Gazette for 1822:

"I am inclined to believe that the illuminated grottos of oyster-shells for which the London children beg about the streets, are the representatives of some Catholic emblem which had its day, as a substitute for a more classical idol. I was struck in London with the similarity of the plea which the children of both countries urge in order to obtain a halfpenny. The 'It is but once a year, sir!' often reminded me of the

This to prove that I did remember the grotto.

* & ?

Manpadt House.

The King's Evil.

—One Mr. Bacon of Ferns, being an one-and-twentieth son born in wedlock, without a daughter intervening, has performed prodigious cures in the king's evil and scrofulous cases, by stroking the part with his hand. (The Gentleman's Magazine for December 1731, p. 543.)

* & ?

Bees.

—Being at a neighbour's house about a month ago, the conversation turned upon the death of a mutual acquaintance a short time prior to my visit. A venerable old lady present asked, with great earnestness of manner, "Whether Mr. R.'s bees had been informed of his death?" (Our friend R. had been a great bee-keeper.) No one appeared to be able to answer the old lady's question satisfactorily, whereat she was much concerned, and said, "Well, if the bees were not told of Mr. R's death they would leave their hives, and never return. Some people give them a piece of the funeral cake; I don't think that is absolutely necessary, but certainly it is better to tell them of the death." Being shortly afterwards in the neighbourhood of my deceased friend's residence, I went a little out of my way to inquire after the bees. Upon walking up the garden I saw the industrious little colony at full work. I learned, upon inquiring of the housekeeper, that the bees had been properly informed of Mr. R.'s death.

I was struck with the singularity of this specimen of folk-lore, and followed up the subject with further inquiries amongst my acquaintance. I found that in my own family, upon the death of my mother, some five-and-twenty years ago, the bees were duly informed of the event. A lady friend also told me, that twenty years ago, when she was at school, the father of her school-mistress died, and on that occasion the bees were made acquainted with his death, and regaled with some of the funeral cake.

I wish to know whether this custom prevails in any other, and what part of England, and to what extent?

L. L. L.

North Lincolnshire.

THE CAXTON COFFER.

Reflecting on the extreme rarity of the works which issued from the press of Caxton, the question arises, What number of copies was he accustomed to print? On that point, as it seems, we have only conjectures.

Maittaire assumes that the number was about 200; an opinion which I shall not controvert. Dibdin, however, inclines to think, with regard to The golden legend and other works of the same class, "that at least 400 copies were struck off;" and in support of this conjecture, cites the practice of Sweynheym and Pannartz, as proved by the memorial addressed in their behalf to Sixtus IV., by J. Andrea, bishop of Aleria, in 1472, which practice he thus states:—

"If we are to judge from the celebrated list of the number of copies of the different works printed by those indefatigable