Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/427

 ii s. x. NOV. 28, i9i4.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

421

LOXDOX, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 191.',.

CONTENTS. No. 257.

NOTES : The Purchasing of Dreams, 421 The Rev. Joh Kempthorne, 422 Notes on Words for the ' X. E. D. 424-The Cost of War-The Flooding of Nieuport Si John Gilbert's Illustrations Vanishing Uity Landmark The Regent's Fleet in the Serpentine, 426 Famil Portraits mentioned in Wills Shakespeariana : " Halloo ing," 427.

QTERIES : " Pogrom "Browne and Angell Families Roupell and Thackeray, 427 Author Wanted Udimore Sussex Motto : "So ho ho dea ne" A Legendary Air boat^Baptism of Clovis The Font at Termonde John Lewis, Dean of Ossory Biographical Information Wanted, 428 Mr. Asqnith ana ihe City of London School" Yardland " Moyle Wills Napthine Surnain Stewart or Stuart "O si sic omnes" Henry Meyer Engraver Mary Churchman" Bobs "Author of Quota tion Wanted, 429.

REPLIES :- Jane Austen and Columella, 429 -Dido's Pur chase of Land " Daud "=George, 430 Heart-Burial Regent Circus, 431 Author Wanted Old Etonians- Inscription on Brass at Queen's College, Oxford Olc Westminsters: Edmund Lewis Richard Lluellyn ^ "Trawn Chaer," 432 Memorial to Spurgeon Complete Versions Wanted "We" or "I" in Authorship, 433 The Height of St. Paul's Poets' Gallery, Fleet Street 434 Holy Thursday Groom of the Stole Cardiff News papers Words in Lodge's ' Wits Miserie' "Cordwainer," 435 Chatsworth Latin Jingles Sir Thomas Bernard Francis E. Paget "Cambo Brittanicus" "Boches," 436 -Dene Holes, 437.

NOTES ON BOOKS : ' George the Third and Charles Fox ' ' The Registers of Newchurch in Rossendale ' ' The Antiquary.'

Booksellers' Catalogues. OBITUARY :-J. T. Herbert Baily. Notices to Correspondents.

THE PURCHASING OF DREAMS.

SOME old-fashioned Japanese still hold that dreams can be " bought " or " sold," that is, one's fortune foreshadowed in his dream is capable of being transferred to another person should the latter only adequately requite the former before it comes true. Nay, 'people formerly believed such transfer of a future luck could be artfully executed with- iout any recompense or notice to its original dreamer. These superstitions are well illus- trated in Mr. (I. Ishibashi's ' Dream,' Tokyo, 1907, pp. 171-3, with the following tales .riven in substance :

" In years gone by there was in the province of Bizen a sub-provincial governor's son, by name Hiki no Makihito [authentically, Kibi no Makibi, A.I> 093-775]., Once he had a dream, visited a 'emale oneirocritic, and had it interpreted by In i . .vhcn the first son of the lord-governor of the pro- "ince came to see her, and after detailing what ho

had recently dreamed asked her opinion thereof. She pronounced his dream as exceedingly favour- able, and an indication of his becoming a great minister of state. Therefore she warned him never to make it known to others, which made him go home extremely delighted. X<>\\- .\r;iki- hito, issuing out of the room, wherein he had been eavesdropping to this conversation, pressed her with this request : ' Assist me to seize this lord- ling's dream, since it is commonly said dreams can be seized by application of a certain formula.' As his earnest entreaty moved her completely, she instructed him to call on her anew, and then re- count to her the noble youth's dream, carefully imitating all his miens and words. This mimesis he performed with a consummate skill, which was fully responded to by the woman's punctilious repetition of her verdict. Many years after, the emperor made Makihito a great minister of state, in which oflice he did so vastly contribute to the education and refinement of the nation that his renown abides ever ineffaceable in Japanese history, whereas the scion of the local grandee, whose auspicious dream he had seised so cunningly, dreamed away all his lifelong days without meeting any promotion whatsoever." ' Uji Shiii Alono- gatari,' written about the eleventh century, torn. xiii.

" The whiles Masako [one of the most energetic female politicians of Japan, A.D. 1157-1225] was yet dwelling with Tokimasa her father, one day she was addressed by her younger sister thus : ' Last night I dreamed that I ascended Mount Fuji, and behold there was not a bit of cloud or mist about it, while its foot abounded with beautiful cherry and peach blooms. Will you tell me what this presages ? ' At once Masako under- stood the dream to be a very propitious one, but, feigning her disapproval of it, she succeeded in persuading her sister to exchange it for her best attire. The dream so strategically purchased she esteemed as sacred as her joss ; she used to pray to it with the offering of lights and wine. At that time it happened that Yoritoino [the founder of military feudalism, A.D. 1147-99] was staying in Tokimasa's estates. He was intending to court lis second daughter, whose personal charms he had icard to beggar all descriptions. But just when le was about sending her his letter of love-making, t suddenly came to his mind that so extraordinary i beauty was more than his match, whence he >egan to think of her elder sister as his fittest companion. Consequently he wooed and es- >oused Masako, who thus became eventually the nost influential woman of all military families of icr time." ' Kohon Soga Monogatari,' writt< 11 . A.D. 1300.

According to a local tradition recorded by Ir. Nakayama in Zeitschrift fur Japanische 'folks- und Landeskunde, vol. ii. p. 432, ^okyo, 1914, this second daughter of Toki-

nasa was Tokiko by name. She parted with er priceless dream for a mirror of her elder

sisters, quite ignorant of what disastrous hange of destiny should ensue therefrom, ndeed, she was married to a powerful local

ruler, but, falsely accused of conjugal infi- elity, she was killed by her husband in an xcessively cruel manner.