[The supposition that Lady Packington was the author of _The Whole Duty
of Man_, arose from a copy of it in her handwriting having been found
at Westwood after her death. (Aubrey's _Letters_, vol. ii. p. 125.) But
the strongest evidence in favour of Lady Packington is the following
note: "Oct. 13, 1698. Mr. Thomas Caulton, Vicar of Worksop, in
Nottinghamshire, in the presence of William Thornton, Esq., and his
lady, Mrs. Heathcote, Mrs. Ashe, Mrs. Caulton, and John Hewit, Rector
of Harthill, declared the words following: 'Nov. 5, 1689. At
Shire-Oaks, Mrs. Eyre took me up into her chamber after dinner, and
told me that her daughter Moyser, of Beverley, was dead. Among other
things concerning the private affairs of the family, she told me who
was the author of _The Whole Duty of Man_, at the same time pulling out
of a private drawer a MS. tied together, and stitched in 8vo., which
she declared was the original copy written by Lady Packington her
mother, who disowned ever having written the other books imputed to be
by the same author, excepting _The Decay of Christian Piety_. She
added, too, that it had been perused in MS. by Dr. Covel, Master of
Trinity College, Cambridge, Dr. Stamford, Prebendary of York, and Mr.
Banks, Rector of the Great Church at Hull.' Mr. Caulton declared this
upon his death-bed, two days before his decease. W. T. and J. H." This
is quoted from the Rev. W. B. Hawkins's Introduction to Pickering's
edition of 1842; and a similar account, with unimportant variations, is
given in "N. & Q.," Vol. ii. p. 292.: see also Vol. v., p. 229., and
Vol. vi., p. 537.]
{565}
_"It rained cats and dogs and little pitchforks."_--_Helter-skelter._--What
can be the origin of this saying? I can imagine that rain may descend with
such sharpness and violence as to cause as much destruction as a shower of
"pitchforks" would; but if any of your readers can tell me why heavy rain
should be likened to "cats and dogs," I shall be truly obliged. Many years
ago I saw a most cleverly drawn woodcut, of a party of travellers
encountering this imaginary shower; some of the animals were descending
helter-skelter from the clouds; others wreaking their vengeance on the
amazed wayfarers, while the "pitchforks" were running into the bodies of
the terrified party, while they were in vain attempting to run out of the
way of those which were threatening to fall upon their heads, and thus
striking them to the ground. So strange an idea must have had some peculiar
origin.--Can you or your readers say what it is?