Page:Notes on the folk-lore of the northern counties of England and the borders.djvu/133

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Even ash, even ash, I pluck thee,

This night my true love for to see;

Neither in his rick nor in his rear,

But in the clothes he does every day wear.

Find even ash or four-leaved clover,

An’ you’ll see your true love before the day’s over.

A spider descending upon you from the roof is a token that you will soon have a legacy from a friend. Fuller, in his “Worthies,” refers to this belief: “When a spider is found upon our clothes, we use to say, some money is coming towards us. The moral is this. Those who imitate the industry of that contemptible creature may, by God’s blessing, weave themselves into wealth, and procure themselves a plentiful estate.” In Ireland the saying is as follows: If a spider be found running over the dress or shawl of a woman the garment will soon be replaced by a new one.

On the other hand, the sudden loss of hair is a prognostic of the loss of children, health, or property. He who hears a loud stroke upon the table, as if by a wand or club, or three successive strokes, or the noise as of a bullet dropped upon the table, is a doomed man himself, or will soon hear of the death of a friend. Or, again, if a man dream that his teeth fall out, he will hear next day of the death of a friend, while a dream of fire prognosticates sorrow and pain. If you dream of a wedding you will hear of a death; if you dream of water you will hear of sickness.

A list of little superstitions of the same kind, still extant in the county of Durham, has been supplied to me by a careful observer.

Put on your left stocking inside out, it is lucky. Put on the right one so, it is unlucky. A bright spark in the candle betokens the coming of a letter; if it drops on the first shake, the letter is already in the post. If you find your friend burning three candles you may hail him Lord Mayor of London next year. In Germany, on the other hand, they say if there are three candles alight in the room one of the party must be a bride, i.e. a betrothed maiden.