Ecclesfield Vicarage, March 16, 1850.
_Norfolk-Weather-Rhyme_.
"First comes David, then comes Chad,
And then comes Winneral as though he was mad,
White or black,
Or old house thack."
The first two lines of this weather proverb may be found in Hone's
_Every-Day Book_, and in Denham's _Proverbs and Popular Sayings
relating to the Seasons_ (edited for the Percy Society): but St.
Winwaloe, whose anniversary falls on the 3rd of March, is there called
"Winnold," and not, as in our bit of genuine Norfolk, _Winneral_.
Those versions also want the explanation, that at this time there will
be either snow, rain, or wind; which latter is intended by the "old
house thack," or thatch.
_Medical Charms used in Ireland--Charm for Toothache_.--It is a
singular fact, that the charm for toothache stated (No. 19. p. 293.)
to be prevalent in the south-eastern counties of England, is also used
by the lower orders in the county of Kilkenny, and perhaps other parts
of Ireland. I have often heard the charm: it commences, "Peter sat
upon a stone; Jesus said, 'What aileth thee, Peter?'" and so on, as
in the English form.
_To cure Warts_, the following charm is used:--A wedding-ring is
procured, and the wart touched or pricked with a gooseberry thorn
through the ring.
_To cure Epilepsy_, take three drops of sow's milk.
_To cure Blisters_ in a cow's mouth, cut the blisters; then slit the
upper part of the tail, insert a clove of garlic, and tie a piece of
_red cloth_ round the wound.
_To cure the Murrain in Cows_.--This disease is supposed to be
caused by the cow having been stung about the mouth while feeding, in
consequence of contact with some of the larger larvæ of the moth (as
of the Death's-head Sphynx, &c.), which have a soft fleshy horn on
their tails, erroneously believed to be a sting. If a farmer is so
lucky as to procure one of these rare larvæ, he is to bore a hole in
an _ash tree_, and plug up the unlucky caterpillar alive in it. The
leaves of that ash tree will, from thenceforth, be a specific against
the disease.
The universal prevalence of the superstition concerning the ash is
extremely curious.