[1] We should not be doing justice either to our own feelings or to the kindness and liberality of our able and most influential contemporary, if we did not take this opportunity of acknowledging not only his kindness upon the present occasion, but also the encouragement which The Athenæum has taken every opportunity of affording to "NOTES AND QUERIES."—ED. N. & Q.
Fishermen's superstitions.
—A friend recently informed me that at Preston Pans the two following superstitious observances exist among the fishermen of that place. If, on their way to their boats, they meet a pig, they at once turn back and defer their embarkation. The event is an omen that bodes ill for their fishery.
It is a favourite custom to set sail on the Sunday for the fishing grounds. A clergyman of the town is said to pray against their sabbath-breaking; and to prevent any injury accruing from his prayers, the fishermen make a small image of rags, and burn it on the top of their chimneys.
U.
THE AUTHOR OF HUDIBRAS AT LUDLOW CASTLE.
So little is known of Butler,—his life, as his biographers have given it to us, is made up of so very few anecdotes and dates,—that I have thought any Note which contained a fact about him, would be an acceptable addition to "N. & Q." (I shall value your space, you see, in future contributions). The following entries are copied from Lord Carbery's Account of the Expense incurred in making Ludlow Castle habitable after Clarendon's "Great Rebellion" (query, Civil War); and the entries are valuable as specifying the period of Butler's services as steward of Ludlow Castle, and the nature of the services performed by the great wit:—
"For sundry supplyes of furniture paid for by Mr. Samuell Butler, late Steward, from January, 1661, to January, 1662, ixli. ijs. vd., and more by him paid to sundry Brasiers, Pewterers, and Coopers, vjli. vijs. iijd. In both
xvli. ixs. viijd.
"For sundry other supplyes of furniture paid for by Mr. Edward Lloyd the succeeding Steward, from January, 1662, to January, 1667