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Everybody that has heard of Solvamhall Castle, and of the quaint customs
and ceremonies that obtained there in the olden times, is familiar with
the fact that Sir Hugh de Fortibus was a lover of all kinds of puzzles
and enigmas. Sir Robert de Riddlesdale himself declared on one occasion,
"By the bones of Saint Jingo, this Sir Hugh hath a sharp wit. Certes, I
wot not the riddle that he may not rede withal." It is, therefore, a
source of particular satisfaction that the recent discovery of some
ancient rolls and documents relating mainly to the family of De Fortibus
enables me to place before my readers a few of the posers that racked
people's brains in the good old days. The selection has been made to suit
all tastes, and while the majority will be found sufficiently easy to
interest those who like a puzzle that _is_ a puzzle, but well within the
scope of all, two that I have included may perhaps be found worthy of
engaging the attention of the more advanced student of these things.