198
NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. vm. ttot. e, MB.
the percentage of cases is lower in England
and English-speaking countries than in
others in which Protestantism is the preva-
lent religion. If this was always so, Blair's
assertion that we are in this matter " the
reproach of neighbouring states " is not
justifiable.
Blair has, by the way, another line once familiar, but now forgotten. Everybody remembers Campbell's
Like angels' visits, few and far between, but not many, I fancy, know its source in Blair's
Visits, Like those of angels, short and far between,
itself an echo from a still earlier poet.
C. C. B.
CALDECOTT'S ' THREE JOVIAL HUNTSMEN
(11 S. viii. 148). For some notes on this
see Palatine Note-Book, vol. i. pp. 11, 31,
and 197.
pp. 11, 3
R. S. B.
BALLAD OF " BOLDHANCI'EM " (11 S.
viii. 108). The fragments which remain in
the memory of MB. A. McDowALL belong
to an old ballad of which many variants
survive. The subject is treated by the late
Prof. Child in his monumental work, ' The
English and Scottish Popular Ballads,' under
the head of ' Lamkin ' (vol. ii. p. 320). The
story, in Prof. Child's words, is briefly this :
" The lord, having occasion to leave his family, fears mischief from the man whom he has wronged,* and enjoins his wife to keep the castle well fastened. Precautions are taken, but never- theless his enemy effects an entrance through some aperture that has not been secured, or by connivance with a nurse. Most of the servants are away. To get at the lady, Lamkin, as we may call him, by advice of the nurse, inflicts some hurt on the babe in the cradle, stabbing it, or ' nipping ' it, and its cries bring the mother down. The lady proffers large sums of gold to save her life, but Lamkin does not care for gold now. He gloats over his opportunity, and bids the nurse, or a maid-servant, or even one of the daughters of the house, to scour a silver basin to hold the lady's noble blood. The lord has a presentiment of calamity at home, and returning, finds his house red with the blood of his wife and child. Lamkin is hanged, or burned, or boiled in a pot full of lead. The nurse is burned, or hanged, or boiled in a caldron."
Prof. Child gives no fewer than twenty- one variants from printed or manuscript sources, in all of which the story is sub- stantially the same. The hero, if he deserves such a title, is generally called " Lamkin " or " Lammikin," but sometimes " Lambert Linkin," " Balinkin," " Lamer Linkin,"
- Most of the versions describe Lamkin as a
mason, who built the lord's castle, but never got paid for the work.
"Bold Lambkin," and "Bold Rankin.""
From this last to " Boldhang'em " is not a
far step. Copies of the ballad will be
found in the following accessible books :
Jamieson's ' Popular Ballads,' i. 176 ; White-
law's 'Book of Scottish Ballads,' p. 246;
Maidment's ' New Book of Old Ballads/
p. 73 ; Finlay's ' Scottish Ballads,' ii. 45 r
55 ; and Allingham's ' Ballad Book,' pp.
xxxiii, 297. A Northumbrian version will
be found in ' N. & Q.,' 2 S. ii. 324, and a
Northamptonshire one in 4 S. ii. 281. The
ballad seems to have travelled all over
England, Scotland, and Ireland, as, among
others, Mr. Child gives a Killarney version.
W. F. PRIDEAUX.
[MR. M. H. DODDS and MR. W. PERCY MERRICK also thanked for replies.]
HICKEY AND ALEXANDER, DRAUGHTSMEN TO LORD MACARTNEY'S CHINESE EM- BASSY, 1793 (11 S. viii. 125). I have here a series of water-colour drawings made on board the Lion, signed "T. H.," so it may be presumed these are by Mr. Thomas Hickey, " Portrait Painter," w T ho accom- panied Lord Macartney.
Your correspondent doubts if any one has ever seen a drawing by Hickey.
FRANCIS EDWARDS.
83, High Street, Marylebone, W.
STREET-NAMES (11 S. viii. 90, 158). To the short lists given at the above references- may be added Mr. G. M. Eraser's ' Aberdeen Street-Names : their History, Meaning, and Personal Association ' (Aberdeen, W. Smith & Sons). An interesting review of this appeared in The Athenaeum of 29 April, 1911, BENJ. WALKER.
Langstone, Erdington.
WARREN OF OTTERY ST. MARY, DEVON (11 S. viii. 148). In reply to R. E. B., I have for some time been engaged in making a transcript of the Registers of Ottery St. Mary, which are in course of publication by the Devon and Cornwall Record Society. The name Saunders occurs frequently in the seventeenth century, but I know nothing of this family. H. TAPLEY-SOPER.
Museum and Public Library, Exeter.
DOWNDERRY (11 S. vii. 168; viii. 32, 117, 158). W. S. B. H. is informed that the quotation is from Isaac Taylor's ' Words and Places,' second edition, revised and enlarged, p. 468 (Macmillan & Co., 1865). The words are : " From the Erse doire, an oak, we deduce the names of Derry Kildare." RICHD. WELFOED.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
