day, when his wife was out, curiosity overcame his prudence, and he anointed his eye, without any noticeable effect; but after a while, when walking through Long Horsley Fair, he met the male fairy and accosted him. He started back in amazement at the recognition; but instantly guessing the truth, blew on the eyes of the cottager, and instantly blinded him. The child was never more seen. Another tale relates that a messenger having visited a country midwife or howdie requested her professional assistance in a case where so much secrecy was required that she must be conducted to and from the destined place, blindfolded: she at first hesitated, but her scruples were overcome by a handsome present, the promise of a future reward, and assurance of perfect personal safety. She then submitted to the required condition, mounted behind the messenger on a fleet charger, and was carried forward in an unaccountable manner. The journey was not of long continuance, the steed halted, she dismounted, and was conducted into a cottage where the bandage was removed from her eyes; everthing appeared neat and comfortable. She was shewn the woman "in the straw" and performed her office, but when ready to dress the babe, an old woman, (who, according to the narration appears to have been the nurse) put a box of ointment into her hand, requiring her to anoint the child all over with it, but to be careful that it did not touch her own person; she prudently complied, though wondering at the motive: whilst this operation was going on, she felt an itching in one of her eyes, and in an unguarded moment, rubbed it with a finger which had touched the mysterious ointment. And now a new scene forced itself upon her astonished vision, and she saw everything in a different light: instead of the neat cottage, she perceived the large overhanging branches of an ancient oak, whose hollow and moss-grown trunk she had before mistaken for the fire place, glow worms supplied the place of lamps, and, in short, she found herself in the abode of a family of faries, with faries was she surrounded, and one of their number reposed on her lap. She however, retained her self possession, finished her task, and was conducted homeward in the same manner as she was brought. So far all went well, and the howdie might have carried the secret to her grave, but in after time, on a market day, (in what town the legend saith not) forgetful of her former caution, she saw the old nurse among the country women, gliding about from one basket to another, passing a little wooden scraper along the rolls of butter, and carefully collecting the particles thus purloined, into a vessel hung by her side: after a mutual but silent recognition, the nurse addressed her thus:-" Which eye do you see me with." "With this," innocently answered the other; no sooner had she spoken, than a puff from the withering breath of her unearthly companion extinguished the ill-fated orb for ever, and the hag instantly vanished. Another version says, the Doctor is presented with a box of eye salve by his conductor, on using it he sees a splendid portico in the side of a steep hill, through this he is shewn into the faries' hall in the interior of the mountain: he performs his office, and on coming out receives a second box, he rubs one eye, and with it sees the hill in its natural shape; then thinking to cheat the devil, feigns to rub the other, and gallops off: afterwards he sees the fairy's husband stealing corn in the market, when similar consequences befal him as those which occurred unto the woman. At Chathill Farm, a few miles north of Alnwick, is a fairy ring around which the children of the vicinity delight to gambol. They have a superstition that if they run more than nine times around it, some evil will befal them. Consequently, impelled by a sort of obstinacy and that unaccountable temerity and curiosity, not confined to babes, but possessed by children of larger growth, venturing even to the brink of ruin, they run around the circle with impunity the appointed number of times, but cannot be induced to overstep the bounds they have assigned. In the sweet precincts of the solitude of Brinkburn, the villagers point out a shady green spot as covering the graves of the tiny people, and truly a more suitable place could not have been devised as the scene of so purely poetic a belief. A widow and her son, a little boy, lived together in a cottage in or near the village of Rothley, Northumberland. One winter evening, the child refused to go to bed with his mother, as he wished to sit up for a while longer, "for," said he "I am not sleepy." The mother, finding remonstrance in vain, at last told him that if he sat up by himself, the faries would most certainly come and take him away. The boy laughed as his mother went to bed, leaving him sitting by the fire he had not been there long, watching the fire and enjoying its cheerful warmth, till a beautiful little figure, about the size of a child's doll, descended the chimney, and alighted on the hearth! The little fellow was somewhat startled at first, but its prepossessing smile as it paced to and fro before him, soon overcame his fears, and he enquired familiarly "What do they ca' thou?" "Ainsel" answered the little thing haughtily, at the same time retorting the question, "And what do they ca' thou?" My ainsel" answered the boy; and they commenced playing together like two children newly acquainted. Their gambols continued quite innocently until the fire began to grow dim; the boy then took up the poker to stir it, when a hot cinder accidentally fell upon the foot of his playmate, her tiny voice was instantly raised to a most terrific roar, and the boy had scarcely time to crouch into the bed behind his mother, before the 66 voice of the old fairy mother was heard shouting "Who's done it? Who's done it?" "Oh! it was my ainsel!" answered the daughter. "Why then," said the mother, as she kicked her up the chimney, "What's all the noise for, there's nyen to blame." Among the romantic thickets, the projecting rocks, and the deep whirling pools of the sequestered ravine of Whittle dean, near Ovingham, Northumberland, spots are still pointed out by the neighbouring villagers, as the favourite retreats of harmless fairies and weeping lovers. Of one of these latter the old people of Warden relate a curious story and although it may not exactly relate to the subjects under consideration, it possesses many points of similarity, and its introduction may therefore be pardoned. A young woman, who died of love, was buried in Warden church-yard, when a singular and uncommon species of yellow flower, similar to that of the mustard, grew on her grave; and what is still more remarkable, it never again appeared after the season in which the broken-hearted nymph was laid beneath the verdant sod. As a termination to these scraps, we append one of those more purely poetical beliefs, which are now very rarely to be met with. On the north side of Cheviot, in the midst of its green slopes and heathy solitudes, there is a chasm, called the "Hen Hole." This cleft is so deep and so narrow that the rays of the sun can never be said to illumine even its rugged sides, and as might be expected, there is frequently to be seen therein, a snow egg at Midsummer. In the days of old, a party of hunters were chasing a roe upon the green hills of Cheviot, when they heard issuing from this chasm, the sweetest music they had ever heard, and forgetting the roe which scoured away unheeded, they were impelled to enter, and could never again find their way out. G. B. R. MIRACLE. RAND informs us that in the chronicle of Mailros there is a marvellous story of a rich burgess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who labouring under an extreme weakness that had almost deprived him of motion, was warned in his sleep to visit the foot of Simon de Montford, a relic in high estimation, and kept at that time in Alnwick abbey, and which afforded him, the same authority adds, a miraculous relief. This foot, which was said to be supernaturally preserved, was enclosed in a shoe of silver. King Aldfred's Poem. FROM THE "DUBLIN PENNY JOURNAL" OF SEPTEMBER 15, 1832. TRANSLATION OF A POEM COMPOSED IN THE IRISH LANGUAGE, BY ALDFRED KING OF NORTHUMBERLAND, DURING HIS EXILE IN IRELAND, ABOUT THE YEAR A. D. 685. HE original poem, of which the following is a strictly literal translation, and now for the first time presented to the public, is attributed to Aldfred, King of the Northumbrian Saxons, and is said to be written during his exile in Ireland, where he was known by the name of Flann Fion. This prince was the illegitimate son of Oswy, King of Northumberland, on whose death he was violently persecuted by his brother, and obliged to retire into Ireland, where according to Bede in his Life of St. Cuthbert, he devoted his time to study "lectioni operam dabat." This was about the year 685. See Lynch's Cambrensus Eversus, p. 128, and Dr. O'Connor in the Annals of Ulster, p. 129, where O'Connor says that his grandfather had a copy of this poem "in a very obscure character." The present is translated from a copy in the hand writing of the late Edward O'Reilly, transcribed from a very old vellum MS. in the library of William Monck Mason, esq. It is published in Mr. Hardiman's Irish Minstrelsy, vol. ii. p. 372, but not translated.-Dublin Journal. I found gold and silver, I found honey and wheat, I found affection with the people of God, I found in Armagh the splendid I found in each great church Whether internal, on shore or island, I found the lay monks Of alms, the active advocates- I found in Munster without prohibition In every species of poetry well skilled- I found in Conact, famed for justice In this territory of Croghan of heroes. I found in the country of Connall," Fierce men of fair complexion, 1 Caithre, the plural of Cathair a city; in Welsh Cair. Usher derives the word from the Hebrew, and says it forms the first part of CARTHAGE and CAIRO. [Carlisle has the same derivation.] 2 Sruithe, learned men. The sruithe were men in religious orders. 3 [Sanctuary.] 4 Aitche, prostitution. [The poet by using this term, seems to imply that in the copies of the scriptures then in use in Ireland, no alterations had been made, for the purpose of supporting any particular doctrine.] 5 Croghan was the royal palace of Connaught. 6 Tirconnell. |