11 8. V. MAY 25, 1912.] NOTES AND QUERIES.
403
some fine MSS. which I sa\v in the Royal Library
t- Madrid. I found the same three passages
erased in a MS. in the Barberini Library in Rome.
T also once observed, in a beautiful MS. on vellum
of Petrarch in Lord Vernon's Library, that three
sonnets were obliterated, obviously from a similar
motive. . . .The Decree of the Spanish Inquisition
referred to will be found in the ' Index Librorum
Prohibitorum et Expurgatorum,' Geneva, 1619
(reprinted from that published at Madrid, 1614)."
Dean Plumptre apparently quotes a later
edition of the ' Index,' for he observes on
xix. 100 :
" The whole passage that follows was suppressed by the Spanish Inquisition (Sotomayor, ' Index Libror. Prohib.,' p. 321, Madrid, 1667)."
Comment on these literary vandalisms i& needless. J. B. McGovEBx.
A RUSTIC CALENDAR.
VICTORIA AND ALBEBT MUSEUM, ROOM 132.
(See ante, pp. 261, 285, 321, 363, 384.) FINALLY, the December davs marked on the calendar are the following:
Dale.
Object.
Significance. Remarks.
Dec.
2
Sleigh ..
A reminder that the roads
and lakes are now in a
state suitable for sleigh-
ing.
4
Tower
St. Barbara
Virgin and martyr. Imprisoned in a tower.
Crosier and snake ring.
St. Nicholas
Bishop of Myra. Died 1342.
8+
Crown and
bunch of
flowers, also
drinking
vessel.
The Immaculate Concep-
tion of the Virgin.
A reminder to prepare the ale for Christmas.
Invented 1389.
13 +
21
Scissors . .
Hand and drinking-horn
St. Lucy, and a reminder to
prepare clothes for
Christmas.
St. Thomas
Virgin. Martyred 304.
Apostle.
23 +
Infant and two
horn.--.
Christmas Day
26+
Five stones
St. Stephen
Proto-martyr. Stoned 33.
27 +
Eagle and two
horns.
St. John
Apostle and Evangelist.
28+
Sword and horn.
Childermas, or Innocents'
Day.
The determination of the country in which
the original of this calendar was made is
not very difficult. The first glance shows
that it must have been Sweden. Norway, or |
Denmark. The absence of symbols for j
St. Knur La ward (7 Jan.), St. Magnus
(16 April;, and St. Sunniva (8 July), saints of
especial interest to Norwegians, suggests
that Norway may be struck out. The
only Norwegian saint commemorated is
St. Olaf. who was exceedingly popular in all
three countries. As for Denmark, the only
Danish saint represented is King Knut
(10 July), and even this may be set off
against the omission of Knut Laward
(7 Jan.). The Swedish saints commemo-
rated without any doubt are St. Henry
(19 Jan.). St. Sigfrid (loFeb.). St. Erik (18
May), St. Eskil (12 June), and St. Birgitta
(7 Oct.). It seems very probable, therefore,
that Sweden is the country of the original.
There are several features on the calendar which enable the date of the original to be inferred with different degrees of accuracy. In the first place, it need not be thought that the runic characters indicate great antiquity ; for calendars of this class have been found which bear conclusive evidence that they were made after the introduction of the New Style calendar that is to say,, five centuries or so after runes, properly speaking, were obsolete.
