"Then was fulfilled the prophecy which was found written in ancient characters on tablets of stone, near a vill of the King of England, which is called 'Here,' and which King Henry gave to William Fitz-Stephen. Here the said William built a new house on a pinnacle, on which he placed the figure of a stag, which is supposed to have been done that the said prophecy might be fulfilled, which was to the following effect:
'Whan thu seches in Here hert yreret.
Than sulen Engles in three be ydeled.
That han sal into Yrland altolate waie,
That other into Puille mid prude bi seue,
The thridde into Airhahen herd alle wreken drechegen.'"
This is evidently full of typographical errors, and may be more correctly set forth in the English edition of 1596, which I have not at hand. I therefore wish for information on these points:
1. What is the correct version of this prophecy, and where may it be found?
2. What place is meant by "Here?"
I need hardly say that I have no difficulty as to the first two lines: "When you see a hart reared (erected) in Here, then shall England be divided into three parts."
J. H. V.
A Skating Problem.—The motto of your paper is, "When found, make a note of it." Here then is one for you.
In several of my skating excursions I have observed, and noted it to others, that ice of just sufficient strength to bear any one in skates standing upon it, will instantly break if tried by the same person without having skates on. I don't know if any of your readers have made the same discovery: if so, can they explain the cause? If, on the contrary, any are incredulous enough to doubt the fact, I would recommend them to test the truth of my statement by a personal trial, before they pass a hasty judgment of the subject.
A Skater.
"Rap and rend for."—In Dryden's Prologue to The Disappointment, or the Mother in Fashion, we find these lines: