Bartholinus informs us, that the Danish women, before they put the new-born infant into the cradle, place there, or over the door, as amulets, to prevent the evil spirits from hurting the child, garlic, salt, bread, and steel, or some cutting instrument made of that metal. Something like this obtained in England. Gregory, in his Posthuma, p. 97, mentions "an ordinarie superstition of the old wives, who dare not intrust a childe in a cradle by itself alone without a candle." This he attributes to their fear of night-hags.

In Scotland, children dying unbaptised (called Tarans) were supposed to wander in woods and solitudes, lamenting their hard fate, and were said to be often seen. In the North of England it is thought very unlucky to go over their graves. It is vulgarly called going over "unchristened ground." In the Gentle Shepherd, Bauldy describing Mause as a witch, says of her:

"At midnight hours o'er the kirk-yard she raves,

And howks unchristen'd weans out of their graves."

In the Highlands of Scotland, as Mr. Pennant informs us, children are watched till the christening is over, lest they should be stolen or changed by the fairies. To this notion Shakespeare alludes when he makes King Henry the Fourth, speaking of Hotspur in comparison with his own profligate son, say as follows:

"O that it could be prov'd

That some night-tripping fairy had exchang'd,
In cradle-clothes, our children where they lay,
And call'd mine Percy, his Plantagenet!
Then would I have his Harry, and he mine."

1 In his Century of rare Anatomical Histories, p. 19, "Mulierculæ superstitiosæ nostrates statim antequam infantem nuper natum in cunis reponunt, huic Caprimulgo (a spirit so called that is supposed to hurt infants) occurrunt allio, sale, pane et chalybe, vel instrumento incisorio ex chalybe, sive in cunis posito, sive supra ostium." We read also in Bartholinus's treatise de Puerperio Veterum, p. 157, "Pueris, sive ante lustrationem sive post, dormientibus Caprimulgus insidiatur et Lilith, item sagæ seu stryges variis fascinis, quæ vel allio, vel alysso, vel re turpi in collo ex annulo appensa abiguntur. Res illa turpis non Satyri fuit species, sed Priapi. Fascinus erat res turpicula e collo pueris appensa, teste Varrone." Lib. vi.

Spenser has the like thought:

"From thence a fairy thee unweeting reft

There as thou slep'st in tender swadling band,

And her base elfin brood there for thee left:

Such men do changelings call, so chang'd by fairy theft."

It was thought that fairies could only change their weakly and starveling elves for the more robust offspring of men, before baptism, whence the above custom in the Highlands. One of the methods of discovering whether a child belongs to the fairies or not, is printed in a book entitled, A Pleasant Treatise of Witchcraft. See Grose's Account.

The word changeling, in its modern acceptation, implies one almost an idiot, evincing what was once the popular creed on this subject; for as all the fairy children were a little backward of their tongue, and seemingly idiots, therefore stunted and idiotical children were supposed changelings. This superstition has not escaped the learned Moresin: "Papatus credit albatas mulieres, et id genus larvas, pueros integros auferre, aliosque suggerere monstruosos, et debiles multis partibus; aut ad baptisterium cum aliis commutare, aut ad templi introitum." Papatus, p. 139.

Pennant, in his History of Whiteford, &c. p. 5, speaking of "the Fairy Oak," of which also he exhibits a portrait, relates this curious circumstance respecting it: "In this very century, a poor cottager, who lived near the spot, had a child who grew uncommonly peevish; the parents attributed this to the fairies, and imagined that it was a changeling. They took the child, put it in a cradle, and left it all night beneath the tree, in hopes that the tylwydd tèg, or fairy family, or the fairy folk, would restore their own before morning. When morning came, they found the child perfectly quiet, so went away with it, quite confirmed in their belief."

Waldron, in his description of the Isle of Man (Works, 1731, p. 128), tells us: "The old story of infants being changed in their cradles is here in such credit, that mothers are in continual terror at the thoughts of it. I was prevailed upon myself to go and see a child, who, they told me, was one of these changelings, and indeed must own was not a little surprised as well as shocked at the sight. Nothing under heaven could have a more beautiful face; but though between five and six years old, and seemingly healthy, he was so far

from being able to walk or stand, that he could not so much as move any one joint: his limbs were vastly long for his age, but smaller than an infant's of six months: his complexion was perfectly delicate, and he had the finest hair in the world: he never spoke nor cryed, eat scarce any thing, and was very seldom seen to smile; but if any one called him a fairy-elf he would frown, and fix his eyes so earnestly on those who said it, as if he would look them through. His mother, or at least his supposed mother, being very poor, frequently went out a chairing, and left him a whole day together: the neighbours, out of curiosity, have often looked in at the window to see how he behaved when alone, which, whenever they did, they were sure to find him laughing, and in the utmost delight. This made them judge that he was not without company more pleasing to him than any mortal's could be; and what made this conjecture seem the more reasonable, was, that if he were left ever so dirty, the woman at her return saw him with a clean face, and his hair combed with the utmost exactness and nicety." He mentions (ibid. p. 132,) "Another woman, who, being great with child, and expecting every moment the good hour, as she lay awake one night in her bed, she saw seven or eight little women come into her chamber, one of whom had an infant in her arms. They were followed by a man of the same size, in the habit of a minister." A mock christening ensued, and "they baptized the infant by the name of Joan, which made her know she was pregnant of a girl, as it proved a few days after, when she was delivered."

It appears anciently to have been customary to give a large entertainment at the churching, and previous to that at the christening.'

Harrison, in his Description of Britain, in Holinshed's Chronicles, complains of the excessive feasting, as well at other festive meetings, as at " Purifications of women."

In

See Dr. Whitaker's History of Craven, p. 220, where Master John Norton "gate leave of my old lord to have half a stagg for his wife's churching" on which he observes in a note, "Hence it appears that thanksgivings after child-birth were antiently celebrated with feasting." For this custom I have a still older authority: "In duobus hogsheveds vini albi empt. apud Ebor. erga Purificationem Dominæ, tam post partum Magistri mei nuper de Clifford, quam post partum Magistri mei nunc de Clifford, lxvis. viijd." Compotus Tho. Dom. Clifford ao 15 Hen. VI. or

the Pleasant Historie of Thomas of Reading, 1632, we read: "Sutton's wife, of Salisbury, which had lately bin delivered of a sonne, against her going to church prepared great cheare: at what time Simon's wife, of Southampton, came thither, and so did divers others of the clothiers wives, onely to make merry at this churching feast." In the Batchellor's Banquet, 1677, the lady is introduced telling her husband: "You willed me (I was sent for) to go to Mistress M. churching, and when I came thither I found great cheer, and no small company of wives ;" and the lady is asked: "If I had ever a new gown to be churched in." Among Shipman's Poems, 1683, is one dated 1667, and entitled, "The Churching Feast,-to Sir Clifford Clifton, for a fat doe," p. 123.

The poem entitled Julia's Churching, or Purification, however, in Herrick's Hesperides, p. 339, makes no mention of the churching entertainment:

"Put on thy holy fillitings and so

To th' temple with the sober midwife go.
Attended thus (in a most solemn wise)

By those who serve the child-bed misteries,

Burn first thine incense; next, when as thou see'st
The candid stole thrown o'er the pious priest,
With reverend curtsies come, and to him bring
Thy free (and not decurted) offering.

All rites well ended, with faire auspice come
(As to the breaking of a bride-cake) home,
Where ceremonious Hymen shall for thee
Provide a second epithalamie."

In the first volume of Proclamations, in the archives of the Society of Antiquaries of London, p. 134, is preserved an original one, printed in black letter, and dated the 16th of November, 30 Henry VIII. in which, among many "laudable ceremonies and rytes" enjoined to be retained, is the following: "Ceremonies used at purification of women delivered of chylde, and offerynge of theyr crysomes."

In a most rare book, entitled 'A Parte of a Register, contayninge sundrie memorable matters, written by divers godly and learned in our time, which stande for and desire reformation of our Church, in discipline and ceremonies, accordinge to the pure worde of God and the lawe of our lande,' 4to. said by Dr. Bancroft to have been printed at Edinburgh by Robert Waldegrave (who printed most of the Puritan books

and libels in the latter end of Queen Elizabeth's reign), p. 64, in a list of " grosse poyntes of Poperie, evident to all men,' is enumerated the following: "The Churching of women with this psalme, that the sunne and moone shall not burne them:" as is ibid. p. 63, "The offeringe of the woman at hir Churching."

Lupton, in his first book of Notable Things, ed. 1660, p. 49, says: "If a man be the first that a woman meets after she comes out of the church, when she is newly churched, it signifies that her next child will be a boy; if she meet a woman, then a wench is likely to be her next child. This is credibly reported to me to be true."

In Sir John Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland, xxi. 147, parish of Monquhitter, it is said: "It was most unhappy for a woman, after bringing forth a child, to offer a visit, or for her neighbours to receive it, till she had been duly churched. How strongly did this enforce gratitude to the Supreme Being for a safe delivery! On the day when such a woman was churched, every family, favoured with a call, were bound to set meat and drink before her: and when they omitted to do so, they and theirs were to be loaded with her hunger. What was this, but an obligation on all who had it in their power to do the needful to prevent a feeble woman from fainting for want?"

CHRISTENING CUSTOMS.

THE learned Dr. Moresin informs us of a remarkable custom, which he himself was an eye-witness of in Scotland: they take, says he, on their return from church, the newly-baptised infant, and vibrate it three or four times gently over a flame, saying, and repeating it thrice, "Let the flame consume thee now or never. Borlase, from Martin's Western Islands, p. 117,

"Atque hodie recens baptizatos infantes (ut vidi fieri ab anicula in Scotia olim qui sui papatus reliquias saperet) statim atque domum redierint in limine oblatis eduliis bene venire dicunt, statimque importatos, anicula, sive obstetrix fuerit, fasciis involutos accipit, et per flammam ter quaterve leniter vibrant, verbis his additis, Jam te flamma, si unquam, absumat, terque verba repetunt.' Papatus, p. 72.