Hence, according to Malone's own account, the consideration by which he was led to the suggestion of "astres" was "the disagreeable recurrence of stars in the second line."

He did not perceive the analogy between aster and disaster, which renders a verbal antithesis of these two words so extremely probable with Shakspeare!—he did not apparently think of "asters" at all, although that word is so close to the text that it may be almost said to be identical with it; and, notwithstanding that "aster" had been so long familiarised in every English garden as to be literally under his nose, he must search out "astre" in obscure and contemptible ballads, in order that Shakspeare might be sanctioned in the use of it.

But it is absolutely incredible that any person to whom astre suggested itself should not also be reminded of aster. The conclusion therefore is almost unavoidable, that Malone and Steevens considered the latter word as too learned for poor Shakspeare's small acquirements. They would not trust him, even for a synonyme to star, unless under the patronage of John Southern!

At least such was the spirit in which too many of the commentators of that day presumed to treat Shakspeare,—him to whom, if to any mortal, his own beautiful language is applicable—

Let us be thankful we have fallen to better times.

It is only by the occurrence of such difficulties as the present, which, after remaining so long obscure, are at last only resolvable by presupposing in Shakspeare a depth of knowledge far exceeding that of his triflers, that his wonderful and almost mysterious attainments are beginning to be appreciated.

In the present case he must not only have known that the fundamental meaning of aster is a spot of light,[1] but he must also have taken into consideration the power of dis in producing an absolute reversal in the meaning of the word to which it may be prefixed. Thus, service is a benefit, disservice is an injury, while unservice (did such a word exist) would be a negative mean between the two extremes. Similarly, if aster signify a spot of light, a name singularly appropriate to a comet, disaster[2] must, by reversal, be a spot of darkness, and "disasters in the sun" no other than what we should call spots or maculæ upon his disk.

[1] Ἀστὴρ, ab ἄω, luceo.

[2] Ἀνάστερος, obscurus.

Can there remain a doubt, therefore, that Shakspeare intended the passage to read as follows, which, requiring neither addition nor alteration of the text as transmitted to us—saving one slight change of "as stars" into "asters,"—must be perfectly intelligible to every reader, especially if accompanied by the simple note of explanation which I subjoin to it:—

[3] Spots or blotches.

A. E. B.

Leeds.

FOLK LORE.

Salting a New-born Infant.

—In Ezekiel xvi. 4 we read, "In the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all." Salting seems to be spoken of as a regular part of the process which a new-born child underwent amongst the Jews in the days of Ezekiel. Can any one give me information on this point? Can the salt in baptism alluded to by SELEUCUS (Vol. iv., p. 163.) have any connexion with this passage?

ALFRED GATTY.

Lent Crocking.

—The children in this neighbourhood have a custom of going round to the different houses in the parish, on the Monday before Shrove Tuesday, generally by twos and threes, and chanting the following verses, by way of extracting from the inmates sundry contributions of eggs, flour, butter, halfpence, &c., to furnish out the Tuesday's feast:

The above is the most popular version, and the one indigenous to the place; but there is another set, which was introduced some few years ago by a late schoolmistress, who was a native of another part of the county, where her version was customary:

PHILIP HEDGELAND.

Bridestowe, Okehampton.

Devonshire Superstition respecting Still-born Children.

—One of the Commissioners of Devonport complaining last week that a charge of one shilling and sixpence should have been made upon the parish authorities for the grave and interment of a still-born child, said, "When I was a young man it was thought lucky to have a still-born child put into any open grave, as it was considered to be a sure passport to heaven for the next person buried there." Query, Is this prejudice still common?

R. R.

GOLDSMITH'S PAMPHLET ON THE COCK LANE GHOST.

Mr. Prior (Life of Goldsmith, vol. i. p. 387.) gives the copy of a receipt dated March 5, 1762, for three guineas paid by Newbery to Goldsmith for a pamphlet respecting the Cock Lane ghost, and suggests that a pamphlet advertised in