Notes:—Page
"The Shepherd of Banbury's Weather-Rules," by W. B. Rye[373]
Notes on several misunderstood Words, by the Rev. W. R. Arrowsmith[375]
Lord Coke[376]
Shakspeare Correspondence, by C. Mansfield Ingleby, &c.[377]
Minor Notes:—Alleged Cure for Hydrophobia—Epitaph at Mickleton—Charade attributed to Sheridan— Suggested Reprint of Hearne—Suggestions of Books worthy of being reprinted—Epigram all the Way from Belgium—Derivation of "Canada"—Railway Signals —A Centenarian Trading Vessel[379]
Queries:—
Bishop Ken[380]
Minor Queries:—Canute's Reproof to his Courtiers —The Sign of the Cross in the Greek Church—Rev. Richard Midgley, Vicar of Rochdale, temp. Eliz.— Huet's Navigations of Solomon—Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1781—Tree of the Thousand Images—De Burgh Family—Witchcraft Sermons at Huntingdon— Consort—Creole—Shearman Family—Traitors' Ford —"Your most obedient humble Servant"—Version of a Proverb—Ellis Walker—"The Northerne Castle" —Prayer-Book in French—"Navita Erythræum," &c. —Edmund Burke—Plan of London—Minchin[380]
Minor Queries with Answers:—Leapor's "Unhappy Father"—Meaning of "the Litten" or "Litton" —St. James' Market House[382]
Replies:—
Grub Street Journal, by James Crossley[383]
Stone Pillar Worship[383]
Autographs in Books[384]
Grindle[384]
Roger Outlawe, by Dr. J. H. Todd, &c.[385]
Prospectus to Cibber's "Lives of the Poets," by James Crossley [386]
Pic-nic, by John Anthony, M.D., and Henry H. Breen[387]
Peter Sterry and Jeremiah White, by James Crossley[388]
Photographic Notes and Queries:—Colouring Collodion Portraits—On some Points in the Collodion Process—Economical Iodizing Process[388]
Replies to Minor Queries:—Bishop Juxon's Account of Vendible Books in England—Dutensiana—Vicars-Apostolic —Tombstone in Churchyard—"Her face is like," &c.—Annuellarius—Ship's Painter—True Blue —"Quod fuit esse"—Subterranean Bells—Spontaneous Combustion—Muffs worn by Gentlemen— Crescent—The Author of "The Family Journal"— Parochial Libraries—Sidney as a Christian Name— "Rather"—Lady High Sheriff—Nugget—Epigrams —Editions of the Prayer-Book—Portrait of Pope— Passage in Coleridge—Lowbell—Burn at Croydon[390]
Miscellaneous:—
Notes on Books, &c. [394]
Books and Odd Volumes wanted[394]
Notices to Correspondents[394]
Advertisements[395]

[Notes.]

"THE SHEPHERD OF BANBURY'S WEATHER-RULES."

The Shepherd of Banbury's Rules to judge of the Changes of the Weather, first printed in 1670, was long a favourite book with the country gentleman, the farmer, and the peasant. They were accustomed to regard it with the consideration and confidence which were due to the authority of so experienced a master of the art of prognostication, and dismissing every sceptical thought, received his maxims with the same implicit faith as led them to believe that if their cat chanced to wash her face, rainy weather would be the certain and inevitable result. Moreover, this valuable little manual instructed them how to keep their horses, sheep, and oxen sound, and prescribed cures for them when distempered. No wonder, then, if it has passed through many editions. Yet it has been invariably stated that The Banbury Shepherd in fact had no existence; was purely an imaginary creation; and that the work which passes under his name, "John Claridge," was written by Dr. John Campbell, the Scottish historian, who died in 1775. The statements made in connexion with this book are curious enough; and it is with a view of placing the matter in a clear and correct light that I now trouble you with a Note, which will, I hope, tend to restore to this poor weather-wise old shepherd his long-lost rank and station among the rural authors of England.

I believe that the source of the error is to be traced to the second edition of the Biographia Britannica, in a memoir of Dr. Campbell by Kippis, in which, when enumerating the works of the learned Doctor, Kippis says, "He was also the author of The Shepherd of Banbury's Rules,—a favourite pamphlet with the common people." We next find the book down to Campbell as the "author" in Watt's Bibliotheca Britannica, which is copied both by Chalmers and Lowndes. And so the error has been perpetuated, even up to the time of the publication of a meritorious History of Banbury, by the late Mr. Alfred Beesley, in 1841. This writer thus speaks of the work:

"The far-famed shepherd of Banbury is only an apocryphal personage. In 1744 there was published The Shepherd of Banbury's Rules to judge of the Changes of the Weather, grounded on forty Years' Experience. To which is added, a rational Account of the Causes of such Alterations, the Nature of Wind, Rain, Snow, &c., on the Principles of the Newtonian Philosophy. By John Claridge. London: printed for W. Bickerton, in the Temple Exchange, Fleet Street. Price 1s. The work attracted a large share of public attention, and deserved it. A second edition appeared in 1748.... It is stated in Kippis's Biographia Britannica that, the real author was Dr. John Campbell, a Scotchman."

In 1770 there appeared An Essay on the Weather, with Remarks on "The Shepherd of Banbury's Rules, &c.": by John Mills, Esq., F.R.S. Mr. Mills observes:

"Who the shepherd of Banbury was, we know not; nor indeed have we any proof that the rules called his were penned by a real shepherd. Both these points are, however, immaterial; their truth is their best voucher.... Mr. Claridge published them in the year 1744, since which time they are become very scarce, having long been out of print."

Now all these blundering attempts at annihilating the poor shepherd may, I think, be accounted for by neither of the above-mentioned writers having a knowledge of the original edition, published in 1670, of the real shepherd's book (the title of which I will presently give), which any one may see in the British Museum library. It has on the title-page a slight disfigurement of name, viz. John Clearidge; but it is Claridge in the Preface. The truth is, that Dr. John Campbell re-published the book in 1744, but without affixing his own name, or giving any information of its author or of previous editions. The part, however, which he bore in this edition is explained by the latter portion of the title already given; and still more clearly in the Preface. We find authorities added, to give weight to the shepherd's remarks; and likewise additional rules in relation to the weather, derived from the common sayings and proverbs of the country people, and from old English books of husbandry. It may, in short, be called a clever scientific commentary on the shepherd's observations. After what has been stated, your readers will not be surprised to learn that one edition of the work appears in Watt's very inaccurate book under Claridge, another under Clearidge, and a third under Campbell. I will now speak of the original work: it is a small octavo volume of thirty-two pages, rudely printed, with an amusing Preface "To the Reader," in which the shepherd dwells with much satisfaction on his peculiar vaticinating talents. As this Preface has been omitted in all subsequent editions, and as the book itself is extremely scarce, I conceive that a reprint of it in your pages may be acceptable to your Folk-lore readers. The "Rules" are interlarded with scraps of poetry, somewhat after the manner of old Tusser, and bear the unmistakeable impress of a "plain, unlettered Muse." The author concludes his work with a poetical address "to the antiquity and honour of shepheards." The title is rather a droll one, and is as follows: