Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/491

 11 8. V. MAY 25, 1912.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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some fine MSS. which I sa\v in the Royal Library t- Madrid. I found the same three passages erased in a MS. in the Barberini Library in Rome. T also once observed, in a beautiful MS. on vellum of Petrarch in Lord Vernon's Library, that three sonnets were obliterated, obviously from a similar motive. . . .The Decree of the Spanish Inquisition referred to will be found in the ' Index Librorum Prohibitorum et Expurgatorum,' Geneva, 1619 (reprinted from that published at Madrid, 1614)."

Dean Plumptre apparently quotes a later edition of the ' Index,' for he observes on xix. 100 :

" The whole passage that follows was suppressed by the Spanish Inquisition (Sotomayor, ' Index Libror. Prohib.,' p. 321, Madrid, 1667)."

Comment on these literary vandalisms i& needless. J. B. McGovEBx.

A RUSTIC CALENDAR. VICTORIA AND ALBEBT MUSEUM, ROOM 132.

(See ante, pp. 261, 285, 321, 363, 384.) FINALLY, the December davs marked on the calendar are the following:

Dale.

Object.

Significance. Remarks.

Dec.

2

Sleigh ..

A reminder that the roads and lakes are now in a state suitable for sleigh- ing.

4

Tower

St. Barbara

Virgin and martyr. Imprisoned in a tower.

Crosier and snake ring.

St. Nicholas

Bishop of Myra. Died 1342.

8+

Crown and bunch of flowers, also drinking vessel.

The Immaculate Concep- tion of the Virgin.

A reminder to prepare the ale for Christmas.

Invented 1389.

13 + 21

Scissors. .

Hand and drinking-horn

St. Lucy, and a reminder to prepare clothes for Christmas. St. Thomas

Virgin. Martyred 304. Apostle.

23 +

Infant and two horn.--.

Christmas Day

26+

Five stones

St. Stephen

Proto-martyr. Stoned 33.

27 +

Eagle and two horns.

St. John

Apostle and Evangelist.

28+

Sword and horn.

Childermas, or Innocents' Day.

The determination of the country in which the original of this calendar was made is not very difficult. The first glance shows that it must have been Sweden. Norway, or | Denmark. The absence of symbols for j St. Knur La ward (7 Jan.), St. Magnus (16 April;, and St. Sunniva (8 July), saints of especial interest to Norwegians, suggests that Norway may be struck out. The only Norwegian saint commemorated is St. Olaf. who was exceedingly popular in all three countries. As for Denmark, the only Danish saint represented is King Knut (10 July), and even this may be set off against the omission of Knut Laward (7 Jan.). The Swedish saints commemo-

rated without any doubt are St. Henry (19 Jan.). St. Sigfrid (loFeb.). St. Erik (18 May), St. Eskil (12 June), and St. Birgitta (7 Oct.). It seems very probable, therefore, that Sweden is the country of the original.

There are several features on the calendar which enable the date of the original to be inferred with different degrees of accuracy. In the first place, it need not be thought that the runic characters indicate great antiquity ; for calendars of this class have been found which bear conclusive evidence that they were made after the introduction of the New Style calendar that is to say,, five centuries or so after runes, properly speaking, were obsolete.