ow faine I woo'd,

Your Ladyship's in all humblenes

"WILLUM BAS."

The first Pastoral consists of thirty-seven stanzas; the second
of seventy-two; the third of forty-eight; each stanza of eight
ten-syllable verses, of which the first six rhyme alternately; the
last two are a couplet. There is a short argument, in verse, prefixed
to each poem. That of the first runs thus:--

"Anander lets Anetor wot
His love, his lady, and his lot."

of the second,--

"Anetor seeing, seemes to tell
The beauty of faire Muridell,
And in the end, he lets hir know
Anander's plaint, his love, his woe."

of the third,--

"Anander sick of love's disdaine
Doth change himself into a swaine;
While dos the youthful shepherd show him
His Muridellaes answer to him."

This notice of these elegies cannot fail to be highly interesting to
your correspondent on Basse and his works, and others of your readers
who feel an interest in recovering the lost works of our early poets.

W.H. GUNNER

Winchester, March 16. 1850.

* * * * *

FOLK LORE.

_Something else about "Salting."_--On the first occasion, after birth,
of any children being taken into a neighbour's house, the mistress
of the house always presents the babe with an egg, a little flour,
and some salt; and the nurse, to ensure good luck, gives the child
a taste of the pudding, which is forthwith compounded out of these
ingredients. This little "mystery" has occurred too often to be merely
accidental; indeed, all my poorer neighbours are familiarly acquainted
with the custom; and they tell me that money is often given in
addition at the houses of the rich.

What is the derivation of _cum grano salis_ as a hint of caution? Can
it come from the M.D.'s prescription; or is it the grain of Attic salt
or wit for which allowance has to be made in every well-told story?

A.G.

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 o