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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9*s.n.DEc.3i,'98.

se llamo asi y quanta tierra fue," parts of which have been effaced by a later hand. The eminent Spanish Academician Prof. D. Marcelino Menendez y Pelayo told me recently at Santander that he thought this part of the manuscript might be the work of a son of the well-known author Andres de Poga. It appears to belong to the seven- teenth century. On folio 7, verso, occur these words :

" Dizen algunos que Ybernia que es Yrlanda se poblo de Yberia. Lo que a esto podria dezir hes [sic] que mi padre tiene gran amistad con los Yrlandes [sic] y que cllos no sauen a otra parte el camino sino d sa causa y entre mncJios que e [sic] vistp en ella al obpo [== obispo] de Armacan que murio martir e miicha* veses ?e oy afirmar que se tenia por cosa muy cierta y aueriguada ser ellos descendientes de la gente Vizcaina que paso alia a poblar y qu [sic] esta opinion se tenia entre los nobles de aquella tierra y que los principales descendientes de los Viscainos primeros pobladores vsauan tener torres fuera de las villas mezcla [? muchox] de los quales auian perdido sn primer [sic] lengua y concorrucion de nmuhas echo [NIC] la que tienen y que aun aquella cntendia que con breuedad se perderia posque como estauan oppresos de los yngleses ponian gran eficacia en que ningun la ablasc [ttic] y que asi sino hes los muy catolicos e a hurtadillas no ablauan sinoyngles. Dionisio Alexandrine y Prisciano dicen que la isla de Ybernia fue poblada por un capitan Espafiol Hamado Ybero con grande compania que a ella 11-ibo."

It would seem from the words in italics that the writer had been in Ireland. Has any tradition of his visit been preserved there? Who might the martyr Bishop of Armagh have been whom he says that he saw there, and heard affirm that the Bis- cayans had left descendants in the island ?

PALAMEDES.

ROBERT BURNS'S PROPHECY. The enclosed is from a catalogue of books for 1 October,

Eublished by W. M. Murphy, Renshaw Street, iverpool, which will probably be interesting to your readers :

"Songs. Scottish Musical Museum, consisting of upwards of 600 songs with basses for the pianoforte, originally published by James Johnson, and now accompanied with copious notes and illustrations of the Lyric Poetry and Music of Scotland by William Stenhouse, with additional illustrations, Burns's facsimile letter, best edition, six volumes, cloth, rare, 21. 10s. 1839.

"'I will venture to prophesy that to future ages your publication will be the text-book and standard of Scottish song and music.' Burns. A prophecy already fulfilled!"

FREDERICK LAWRENCE TAVARE. 30, Rusholme Grove, Rusholme, Manchester.

RECOVERY OF A DROWNED BODY. Refer- ence is made, ante, p. 463, to a search for a drowned body by means of an apparatus of bread and quicksilver. Here are two other

ways of operating mentioned in ' La Petite Fadette ':

" Comme les enfants ecoutent volontiers toutes sortes d'histoires ! Landry avait ou'i dire a la Priche, oil le monde est notoirement credule et plus simple qu'i la Cosse, que la mere Fadet, au moyen d'une certaine graine qu'elle jetait sur 1'eau en disant des paroles, pouvait faire retrouver le corps d'une per- sonne noyee. La graine surnageait et coulait le long de 1'eau, et, Ik ou on la voyait s'arreter, on 4tait sur de retrouver le pauvre corps. II y en a beaucoup qui pensent que le pain benit a la meme vertu, et il n'est guere de mouhns ou on n'en conserve toujours <\ cet effet."-P. 64.

ST. SWITHIN.

A MONUMENT TO A FLEA. Mr. W. A. Paton, in his ' Picturesque Sicily ' (1898), describes an obelisk in La Villa Belmonte as bearing this inscription :

" The last residence of the affectionate flea, born in London from the quadrupedal family of terriers ; died in Palermo, 9th day of May, 1879." The motive of this piece of folly is un- explained. RICHARD H. THORNTON.

Portland, Oregon.

LAMPPOSTS IN FRONT OF CHIEF MAGIS- TRATES' HOUSES. The placing of lampposts in front of the houses of the chief magistrates of towns is an ancient custom. We find in Hey wood's 'English Traveller' that posts were so placed in front of sheriffs' houses. Reignald says :

What brave carv'd posts ; who knows but here In time, sir, you may keep your shrievaltie, And I be one o' th' berjants.

From sheriffs the practice extended to the houses of mayors and provosts. It has been suggested, with some probability, that the posts were at first intended for the affixing of proclamations which it was the duty of the sheriffs to publish. A. G. REID.

Auchterarder.

GATE : SIGN OF INN. Mr. Jackson Frow, of this town, informs me that he was born in an inn here known then as " The Gate." It had for its sign a small gate projecting from the front of the house, on the bars (we call them here ledges) of which was the following inscription :

This gate hangs well and hinders none ;

Refresh and pay, and then ride on.

Mr. Frow's forefathers, he tells me, had held it for four generations. After his father gave it up, " The Gate " was occupied by a person named Woodhall, who changed the sign to "The Waggon and Horses." After the accession of Her Majesty another change took place. It was called "The Queen's Head," the name it yet bears ; but I regret to say no pictured sign adorns its front,