sheep strayed into the forest, and they went out to seek it. They sought and sought in every direction, one going this way and one that, and the third in another. Whilst they were seeking, a witch came up to the woman and changed her into a black sheep, taking the woman's form herself. The witch then began to cry, "Old man! old man! I have found the sheep!" The old man thought it was his wife, and so he went home with the old witch, rejoicing that the lost sheep was found.

When they got home the old witch said, "Now, my little old man, you must kill that sheep, lest it get lost a second time." The old man, who was a very kind and obliging sort of man, only said, "All right"; but when the daughter heard that she rushed off to the sheep-fold and cried, "Mother, they're coming to kill you"; and the black sheep answered, "If they do kill me do not eat any of my flesh, but collect my bones and bury them in the field."

Then they came and killed the sheep, and the old witch made soup of its flesh and gave it to the daughter to eat; but she remembered her mother's warning and ate none of it, but carried the bones out and buried them in a field. From the spot where she placed them there grew up a strong and beautiful birch tree.* After some time the witch had a daughter, and then she began to ill-use and torment the man's daughter in every way. It so happened at that time that the king made a great feast in his castle, and invited all

He called high, he called low,

He called rich, he called poor; and said, "Fetch hither the maim and the blind." The invitation at last came to the man's house. Then said the witch, "You go on with my daughter, and I will give your daughter a little work to do, so that she may not find the time long." So the man took the witch's daughter and went to the palace; but the witch broke down the fireplace and threw a bushel of wheat among the stones, and said to the man's daughter, "If you don't gather all that corn up and put it in its place and build the fireplace up again by the evening I will eat you up."+

land, from Karesuanto. See also Hyltén Cavallius, 'Svenska Folk Sagor,'Den lilla Guld-skon '; Deutsche Volksmärchen,' bearbeitet von F. Hoffmann, Dresden, 1846, 'Aschenbrödel,' p. 73; Grimm, Nos. 21, 65, and 130, and notes Amongst the numberless variants other than above I may mention the Magyar The Three Princesses, Cinder Jack,' and 'The Widower and his Daughter.' It is interesting to note that I heard a nurse tell, a few years ago in Holderness, a very similar tale to that under consideration. Cf. also the well-known Cinderella stories. Cf. the golden reed which grows out of the navel of the witch's daughter in this story infra.

For difficult tasks which hero or heroine must perform see Magyar stories 'Handsome Paul, Cinder Jack, The King and the Devil,' 'Fisher Joe,' &c. (the English text of these stories will be found in a work on Magyar folk-tales published by the Folk-lore Society, and now in the press); vide Vadrózsák,' by

The old witch then went away and joined the others, and the girl remained at home. She tried to pick up the corn, but she soon saw it was impossible, and went in her sorrow to the birch that grew over her mother's grave; there she wept bitterly-wept because her mother lay dead in the cold grave and could no longer help her wretched daughter. While the poor girl eat weeping she heard her mother's voice from the grave saying, Daughter! why are you weeping?" "The witch has broken down the fireplace and thrown a bushel of wheat among the stones, and bade me put all in order by the evening," replied the girl; "and that is why I weep, mother." Weep not," said the mother, "but take a twig from my branches and sweep over the stones with it, and the corn and stones will at once fly back to their places." The girl did as she was commanded, and swept over the stones with the birch twig; and lo! the corn flew into its place and the stones all jumped into their places. The girl then went back to the birch and laid the twig on her mother's grave. Her mother then told her to bathe herself on one side of the birch, to wash herself on the other, and to dress on the third side. This the girl did, and she became so beautiful that her equal was not to be found in the whole world. She also found there beautiful clothes and a splendid horse, whose hairs were alternately gold and silver. The girl dressed, mounted the horse, and rode off to the king's palace. When she arrived the king's son came up, fastened her horse to a pillar, and led her to the palace. There she stayed the whole time by the side of the king's son, and all the people stared at her and wondered who she was and from what castle so beautiful a young girl could be; but no one knew anything about her. They then went to the table, and she sat at the head of the table on the right hand of the king's son; but the witch's daughter had to sit under the table and gnaw her bits of bone. The king's son didn't

János Kríza, and Népdalok és Mondák,' by János Erdélyi. See also Finnish tale Ei-niin-mita (Just Nothing'), 'Satuja ja Tarinoita,' ii. 53; Maan, Meren, Kulkija Laiwa (The Ship that can Sail on Land and Sea '), ib., ii, 22; and 'Seppo Ilmarisen Kosinta' ('Smith Ilmarinen's Courtship'), ib., i. 1; and ib., ii. 2, 29, and 33; also the Lapp stories Bondesönnen," Bæivekongen,' Gutten som tjente hos Kongen,' and 'Ruobba,'' Jætten og. Fanden,' in Friis; 'Malagasy Isilakòlona,' Folklore Journal, 1884, p. 130; Verhandlungen der gelehrten Estnischen Gesellschaft zu Dorpat, zweiter Band, drittes Heft, p. 76. Der Dankbare Fürstensohn'; Woycicki, Polnische Volksagen,' 'Die Flucht'; Hylten Cavallius och Steffens, 'Svenska Folk Sagor," Hafs- Firum'; 'Samlade Smärre Berättelser' af C. F. Ridderstad, Linköping, 1849, Agnete lille Dei'; Stokes, Indian Fairy Tales, The Rájá's Son,' pp. 163 and 180; Temple, Legends of the Punjab,'' Raja Rasâlû,' p. 43; Thorpe, Yule-tide Stories,' 'Svend's Exploits,' p. 353; Geldart, Folk-lore of Modern Greece,' The Snake, the Dog, and the Cat, p. 44; Folk-lore Journal, 1884, p. 13; Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology,' i. 38; Ralston, Russian Folk-tales,' 'The Water King,' p. 126.

know any one was under the table, but thought it was a dog, and kicked her with his foot so that her hand broke off. Then the man's daughter wished to leave, but the king's son had caused the door handle to be tarred; and so the girl's ring stuck in the tar and she had not time to go back and fetch it, but rushed out, jumped on her horse, and sprang over the castle wall. When she got home she laid her beautiful clothes under the birch and left them there, together with her horse, and then went home and sat down on the hearth. Soon the man and his wife came home, and the witch said to the girl, "Ah! you poor miserable thing, sitting there and knowing nothing of how the people have enjoyed themselves at the palace. The king's son carried my daughter in his arms, but by accident he dropped her, and so broke her arm." The girl knew all about it, but sat silent as if she knew nothing. Next day the king's command came again that all were to go to the castle. "Get up, old man, and dress yourself," said the witch; "the king's son again invites you to the feast. Take my daughter with you, and I will give the other girl a little work to do lest she should find the time long." The man did so; and the witch again broke down the fireplace and threw a bushel of linseed among the stones, bidding the man's daughter to put all in order by evening.

The poor girl began to weep, and went to the birch. There she bathed as before, and found more splendid clothes and a finer horse than before. So she took a twig from the birch and swept over the stones with it, and lo! the linseed went back to its measure and the stones jumped into their places. The girl then set off for the king's palace. The king's son met her, tied her horse to a pillar, and led her to the festal hall. There she sat by his side as she had done the day before, but the witch's daughter sat under the table and gnawed her bone. Then the king's son, not knowing that any one was under the table, kicked out again and broke off one of her feet. When the man's daughter rose to go home the king's son ordered the doorposts to be tarred. There the girl's gold hair-band stuck and she hadn't time to take it, but swung herself on to her horse and sprang over the castle walls. She left her horse and her beautiful clothes by the birch, and said, "O mother! my golden hair-band is at the palace, for some one had tarred the door-posts, and it stuck in the tar." "Don't trouble about that," said the mother; "I will give you a better one in its place." The girl then hastened home, and when the man and his wife returned from the palace she was sitting on the hearth. "Poor thing!" said the witch, "not to have seen what we have seen at the king's palace. The king's son carried my daughter from room to room, but by accident he let her fall and broke her leg." The man's daughter said nothing, but sat in silence on the hearth.

Next morning the witch roused the man and said, "Get up; the king's son invites us to the palace." So the man got up, and the witch gave him her daughter, saying, " Take her with you, and I will give the other girl some work to do, so that she may not feel lonely while we are away." Then, as before, the witch broke the fireplace down and poured a bowl of milk over the stones, and said, 66 If the milk is not in its bowl and the stones in their places by evening it will go ill with you." The girl went to the birch again, set all in order, and then rode off to the king's palace. This time the king's son stood waiting for her. When she came he led her and stayed beside her all the day. But the witch's daughter sat under the table, and while there had her eye kicked out. Every one wondered where the beautiful girl came from; but no one knew. This time the king's son had the threshold tarred, and as the girl went out her gold shoe stuck in the tar, and she was obliged to leave it. When she got home she said to her mother, "O mother! my shoe is at the palace." "Never mind that," said the mother; you shall have a better one when you need it." Soon the witch came home and said to her, "O you poor wretched one! not to see what we saw at the palace. The king's son carried my daughter from room to room, but by accident he let her fall and put her eye out; but you sit here and know nothing." "How can I know anything," said the girl, "when I have to work at the hearth all day?"

The king's son again made a great feast at the palace and invited everybody to it, as he wished to find out to whom the ring, the golden hair-band, and the gold shoe belonged. The witch also got ready to go, and made her daughter a foot out of a battril, a new hand out of a baker's peel, and a new eye of horse-dung, and then set off with her to the palace.

When all the people had assembled the king's son said that whomever the ring, the hair-band, and the shoe fitted she should be his bride. Every one tried, but no one was successful. "The man's daughter has not yet tried," said the king's son; "bring her also." So the girl was brought to the palace, and the king's son handed her the ring, the hair-band, and the gold shoe to try; but the witch came up and said, "Do not let her touch them, she will dirty them in the ashes; give them to me, and I will try them on my daughter." The king's son gave her the ring, and she chipped pieces off her daughter's finger till the ring fitted her; and in the same way the witch would not allow the man's daughter to touch the hair-band or the shoe, but chipped pieces off her daughter's head and feet till they fitted. The king's son then had to take her for his bride, and he followed her to the man's house as he was ashamed to be married to such a bride at the palace. Yet after some time he thought he had better take her home, and was

just about to set off when the man's daughter came down from the top of the stove and pretended to pass by to the cow-house. As she passed she said, Noble prince, don't take away my gold and silver." The king's son then recognized her, and took her with him as well as the witch's daughter, and set off for the palace. When they had gone some distance they came to a river, into which the king's son tumbled the witch's daughter, and she became a bridge. The king's son and the man's daughter then passed over it, and went to the birch, where they got many precious gifts-three waggons full of gold, twice as much silver, and a splendid horse; the birch then vanished so that not even the place where it stood could be seen. The king's son and his bride then rode on to the palace. After some time the king's son's wife had a son, and this was told to the witch, who still thought it was her daughter who lived at the palace, and so she set off to take a godmother's gift to the child. When she came to the river she saw the bridge that spanned it, and a golden reed growing on it which had grown from her daughter's navel. This she thought would do for a present to her daughter's son, and was going to cut it when she heard a voice that said, "O, mother, don't cut me!" "You are there, then," said the witch. "Yes," replied the daughter, "I was pushed in here and so became a bridge." The witch then took the bridge to pieces, and her daughter came to life again. They then hastened off together to the palace. There the witch obtained permission to see the young mother, and changed her into a reindeer, putting her own daughter in her place. But the child began to cry, and the witch's daughter had no milk to give it. The child was then taken to another room, and they all tried to soothe it, but in vain; it cried and wailed without ceasing. "What's the matter with the child that it is so restless?" thought the king's son, and went to the fortune-teller to

ask for advice.

"It's not your wifet who nurses the child," said the woman, "for she runs in the wood

I heard a curious story, bearing on this common folk-lore incident, about a church near Hitchin the other day. An old lady is reported to have said, "If there is a God let six ash trees grow out of my grave after I am dead." "Now," said my informant, "six large ash trees grow out of her grave, and have lifted or torn asunder the stones that her tomb is built of, and encircle, or even embed in themselves, the railing round it."

Buske

†The changed bride occurs in Magyar tales, e. g., The Three Oranges' (Erdélyi, ii. 4), The Widower and his Daughter,' and 'The Two Orphans'; Gerle, 'Volksmärchen der Böhmen,' Prag, 1819. Die Goldene Ente'; Asbjornsen and Moe, Norske Folkeeventyr,' broden'; Grimm, Nos. 89, 135, and 198; Kletke, 'Märchensaal aller Völker,' Berlin, 1845, i. 167, 'Rosette'; Friis, Lappiske Eventyr,' No. 4; Steere, Swahili Tales,' p. 398; and Denton, Serbian Folklore,' p. 191.

changed to a reindeer, and you have got the witch's daughter in her place."

"How can I get my wife back?" asked the king's son. "Give me the child," said the fortune-teller, "and I will go into the woods with the cows to-morrow, and while there I will gather leaves; perhaps the child will be quiet there."

The king's son then took the fortune-teller with him to the palace and gave the child to her; but when the witch saw that she tried to prevent it, and said, "Why are you sending your child into the wood?" But the king's son ordered the fortune-teller to take the child, saying that it would probably be quiet there; and so the witch was compelled to let it go.

When they got to the wood the fortune-teller saw a herd of reindeer feeding in a swampy place, and she sang to them :

Reindeer! reindeer! feeding in the swamp,
Come, and take care of your child.

Come, and see the child you have borne:

For the witch's daughter has neither food nor drink, And cannot quiet its cries !*

Then came a reindeer out of the flock and suckled the child, and took care of it all that day; and in the evening the reindeer gave the child to the fortune-teller and said, "Bring the child again tomorrow and the day after to-morrow, for after that I must go far away with the rest of the herd."

Next day the fortune-teller went to the palace to fetch the child, and the witch tried to prevent her; but the king's son said, "Let it go to the wood again, that it may be quiet again to-night as it was last night." So the fortune-teller put the child on her back and went into the woods and the child and tended it all day, and it became so sang as before. Then came the reindeer and suckled strong and beautiful that its like was not to be found in the whole world. In the evening, when whether the reindeer could not by any means be the fortune-teller came home, the king's son asked changed to a woman again. "We'll try," said the

old woman. "Come with me to the woods in the morning, and if the reindeer takes off its skin burn it up." Next day they went to the wood, and when the reindeer came to the child the fortuneteller said, "So you are going away to-morrow, and so I will never see you again; let me comb your hair before you go." The child's mother then took off her skin, and let the fortune-teller comb her hair. Just then the king's son seized the skin and burned it. "I smell burning," said the mother, and looking round saw the king's son. "Alas! alas! why did you do that? Now, naked," said the child's mother, and changed herpoor wretched one that I am, I am quite self first into a tuft of flax, then into a battril, and

* N. & Q.,' 7th S. ii. 105, Haccis ædne,' Friis, No. 4; and Merestä, nouisija Neito' (The Maid who rose out of the Sea'),'Satuja ja Tarinoita,' i., No. 8.

next into a spinning-wheel; but the king's son at once destroyed each of them, and so she became a woman again, and said, "Why do you do so? Do you wish the witch to kill me?" "Don't fear that," said the king's son; "she will never be able to hurt you again." And they all went to the palace. The king's son then ordered the witch's daughter to be burnt, and ever after lived happily with his lovely bride. W. HENRY JONES.

able.

"The names of the Commanders of the Fleet. Duke Albacyne, Duke Endiefisk, Duke Dadon, Marquess Dedall, Don Mitchell, Don Mashedula, Don Jugg, Don Dike Delay, Don Egmundu, with other Dons.

"With these the Archduke is to make with great force and to be you all of this while, who is reported to have a shipp thought to be cannon proof for his admirall.

"This cometh with the Archduke Mavordly Spinola the Younger, the Earle of Tuscan, and the Earl of Aquila, with 30,000 horses, to be transported in flat bottoms boates. The second son of the Duke of Saxony is Admiral of ye Spanish Navy; Sir Rob. Dudley ViceAdmirall; Sir Griffin Marsham and Sir Guy Stanley, Collonels of Regiments. Also there is one Nevill, who counts himself Earl of Westmoreland, who hath a great command.

"The names of the citties that hath sent in shipps. From Aveires 20, from Valentia 20, from Lisbon 40, from Foome [Fiume] 50, from Cadiz and Marquez 20, from St. Levastius 20, from Naples 40, from Barcelona 70; in toto, 280. There have arrived lately at Lisbon 30 armed elephants from ; but for what purpose is not yet known.

"A coppie of a l're from Malligo, for this place is greater p'parason for Warr, the like hath not been in Spain, from whence the King is to have 1,000 tuns of wine and vineger, and likewise there is provided 1,000 barrells of small shott, 10,000 lintalls of powder, 60,000 broaches or basketts of pynes (pysonoes), with an incredible number of spades, shovells, scoopes, mattocks, and all other provisions for victualls, and also wild.

"There is also exported for this expedition from Dunkirke and other places in the Netherlands under the W. LOVELL.

King of Spain's dominions, 80 shipps."

"SETTING THE THAMES ON FIRE."-This proverbial expression has, from its first appearance in 1865 (3rd S. vii. 239), been an object of interest to readers of ' N. & Q. Unfortunately, while philologists were busy in hunting out the origin of the saying, "a red herring" was drawn across the track in the shape of temse, a sieve. PROF. SKEAT very pertinently asked (6th S. viii. 476), "Where can we find 'to set the temse on fire' in an old book?" I hope we shall hear no more of this. north-country word. In 1846 I was in Dublin, and in conversation with my old friend Mr. (since Sir W. R.) Wilde, about a certain over-rated man, he said, "Ah! he'll never set the Liffey on fire." It seems that in other parts of the world also wellknown rivers are alluded to just as we allude to the Thames. MR. SALA (4th S. v. 101) suggested that the phrase had originated in a poem by the third Lord Thurlow, published in 1814. I cannot give any very early quotation, but at least I can give one of 1776. In Foote's 'Trip to Calais,' Act III., Lappelle says, in his broken FrenchEnglish, "Matt. Minnikin, my lady, an honest burgoise, that lives dans the cité, wo'n't set fire to the Thames, though he lives near the bridge."

J. DIXON.

7th S. vi. 6.)-Was Lord Harrington influenced in MISS FOOTE, COUNTESS OF HARRINGTON. (See making Miss Foote his countess by any desire to offer reparation for an affront given by the previous Lady Harrington to the audience of Drury Lane Theatre and to Garrick when in the zenith of his fame? The incident, though probably a mere coincidence, is sufficiently curious to deserve rescue from the ephemeral pages of a defunct print, and to call for preservation in connexion with my recent note. I send the original cutting :"A Card from the Audience of Drury Lane Theatre to Lady Harrington.

"The Audience of Friday Night last, present every Thing, but their Respects, to Lady Harrington; they be seech her Ladyship, the next Time she is pleased to come late to the Play, that she will not think herself intitled to disturb their Entertainment by a Kind of a snuffling Gabble to the Persons about her, which will the next Time receive a more general Disapprobation than it did last Friday. Nothing but the Beauty and Innocence which were in her Ladyship's Company, and Mr. Garrick's being upon the Stage, could have prevented the Audience from returning her Insult in another Manner. "A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. K., &c. &c. &c." W. J. FITZPATRICK.

Dublin.

297, 393.)-The following translation from the 'THE SURGEON'S COMMENT.' (See 6th S. x. 226, German, containing the same idea as 'The Surgeon's Comment,' may be found in an article on