Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/230

 222

NOTES AND QUERIES. [9* s. vn. MARCH 23, 1901.

bonne.' On the 28th following she appeared as Charlotte in 'The Gamester' for J. V. Kemble's benefit, and on 16 April was the Seliina to his Bajazet in * Tamerlane.'

Apparently the stately John Philip played Gloster for the first time on any stage at Smock Alley on 24 April, when Miss Francis was the Lady Anne. On the 29th following she appeared as Miss Ogle in 'The Belles Stratagem,' and on 2 May as Louisa in Ihe Discovery.' Four nights later she was seen as Maria in * The School for Scandal.'

For production on 14 May, 1782, occur announcements of " a new comic opera, never yet performed, 'The Contract.' Before the overture an occasional prologue, spoken by Miss Francis." The whole was to conclude with 'Catharine and Petruchio,' the name parts by Kemble and Miss Francis. Evi- dence exists to show that Garrick's farce was subsequently performed with the leading characters so sustained, but grave doubts must be entertained as to the production at this time of 'The Contract.' Certain play- house announcements occur much later in the year, showing that the performance of the opera had been indefinitely postponed. It was the work of Robert Houlton, an English physician practising in Dublin. In Barker's ' Complete List of Plays,' 1803, 'The Contract' is given under 'Robert Houlton, M.B.,' as k ' acted at Dublin, 1783, not printed." A later entry under the same name runs " ' The Double Stratagem,' C.O., altered from 'The Contract.' Acted at Capel Street [Dublin], 1784, not printed."

With her performance at Smock Alley on 1C May, 1782, of Maria in Burgoy ne's musical comedy of ' The Maid of the Oaks,' my trace of Miss Francis ends. W. J. LAWRENCE.

ANIMALS IN PEOPLE'S INSIDES.

IT is astonishing to find to what an extent the belief in animals, other than recognized entozoa, living in people's insides prevails in some places. The following stories were all gravely related to my informants, as matters of fact about which there could be no doubt whatever, within twenty miles of Leeds.

1. A woman stated that her husband was " that afflicted with pains in the body," that they called in the doctor, who said that he could do nothing for him. They then asked if he would object to their consulting a London doctor, and the local doctor assented. When tho "London doctor" came he brought another with him. They would not look at the patient till they had received

two guineas. The wife said that they must have put something into his throat so that they could see right down into his body, for they said he had something "wick" in his inside, and it had as many hairs as we have on our heads. But they dare not " operate," for fear of the live thing making for the patient's throat and suffocating him. It was fairly quiet when he ate dripping and bread, but if he took anything else it would tap, tap, tap in his inside till they could almost hear it. Now and then it seemed to come all in a lump on his body. The lady to whom this experience was related said, " Could you not have squeezed the breath out of it 1 ?" The woman said they had tried many a time, but it was always too sharp for them. Some one suggested that the doctor might "clarify" (chloroform) the man, and then it would " happen " (perhaps) clarify the beast at the same time, in which case they could "operate" without risk of suffocation.

2. A young woman was ill, and the doctor said she had consumption. As he could not do her any good, they consulted a herbalist, who said she had no consumption about her. It was an " askard egg " that she had swallowed some time when drinking cold water. As long as it was an egg it did no harm, but as she grew it grew, and the herbalist said that she would never be well till she got rid of it. He advised that she should stand with her mouth open over a piece of roasting meat when it began to smell, and said that the askard would then come out to get at the meat. But as soon as this happened she was to shut her mouth directly, or the askard would "laup" back again. The askard did come out, and tried to run away ; but the mother and daughter pursued it, the one with the poker and the other with the tongs, and it looked " right wicked " at them. The narrator was firmly convinced of the truth of this story, having seen the askard in a bottle of spirits in the herbalist's window. It was impossible to convince her that the story could not be true, because she had seen the askard, and there was nothing more to be said. But her mother had often thrashed her, when she was a girl, for drinking cold water out of the pump.

3. There was a " traveller," who had " en- joyed very bad health " for two years. At last he cured himself by getting beastly drunk. He went to bed and vomited co- piously, afterwards falling asleep. On waking he found a live creature hopping about where he had been sick. Now, if he had only vomited in an ordinary way the thing would never have come up; but in this case the