MR. KINGSLEY records a superstition of the Cornish miners, which I have not
seen noted elsewhere. In reply to the question, "What are the _Knockers_?"
Tregarva answers:
"They are _the ghosts_, the miners hold, _of the Old Jews that
crucified our Lord, and were sent for slaves by the Roman emperors to
work the mines_: and we find their old smelting-houses, which we call
_Jews' houses_, and their blocks of the bottom of the great bogs, which
we call _Jews' tin_: and then, a town among us, too, which we call
_Market Jew_, but the old name was _Marazion_, that means the
Bitterness of Zion, they tell me; and bitter work it was for them no
doubt, poor souls! We used to break into the old shafts and adits which
they had made, and find old stags-horn pickaxes, that crumbled to
pieces when we brought them to grass. And they say that if a man will
listen of a still night about those old shafts, he may hear the ghosts
of them at working, knocking, and picking, as clear as if there was a
man at work in the next level."--_Yeast; a Problem_: Lond. 1851, p.
255.
Miners, as a class, are peculiarly susceptible of impressions of the unseen
world, and the superstitions entertained by them in different parts of the
world would form a curious volume. Is there any work on Cornish folk lore
which alludes to this superstition respecting the Jews? It would be
useless, I dare say, to consult Carew, or Borlase; besides, I have not them
by me.
Apropos to Cornish matters, a dictionary with a very tempting title was
advertised for publication two or three years ago:
"Geslevar Cernewac, a Dictionary of the Cornish Dialect of the Cymraeg
or ancient British Language, in which the words are elucidated by
numerous examples from the Cornish works now remaining, with
translations in English: and the synonyms in Welsh, Armoric, Irish,
Gaelic, and Manx, so as to form a Celtic Lexicon. By the Rev. Robert
Williams, M.A., Oxon., to be published in one vol. 4to. price 31s. 6d."
When shall we see this desirable lexicon? I was reminded of it the other
day by hearing of the subscriptions on foot for the publication of the
great Irish dictionary, which the eminent Irish scholars Messrs. O'Donovan
and Curry have had in hand for many years.