fire be burning brightly, he will bring good news; but if the contrary, bad. If after you poke the fire it burns up brightly, your sweetheart is in a good temper; but should it not improve he is in a bad one. A coal popping out of the fire is either a cradle or coffin, or a purse. It is allowed to cool and then examined to find out the shape; if pronounced to be a purse, it is shaken close to the ear, when should it jingle it is said to contain money. I once saw this done in a school by its mistress.
"Ladies' trees," small branches of dried seaweed, are sometimes hang up in chimneys to protect houses from fire; or a Passover biscuit is suspended by a string from a nail in the wall for the same purpose.
A bright spark on a candle foretells a letter, but if pointed out it never arrives.
There are so many unlucky omens in Cornwall that to believe in them all would make life miserable, and to enumerate them would fill a volume. The major part of them too are silly and not worth transcribing; three or four of them as examples will I am quite sure amply suffice.
"If you sing afore bite,
You'll cry before night."
"It is unlucky to sing carols before Christmas;" also, "To scat[1] hands before Christmas," i.e., beat them for warmth.
"It is unluckly to pour out water or any other liquor back-handed."
"It is unlucky to lend, or say thank you for a pin." And
"If you see a pin, and pass it by,
You'll want a pin before jou die."
"It is unlucky to mend your clothes on you, for then you will never grow rich."
It is unlucky to wear a hole in the bottom of a shoe for,
"A hole in the sole,
You'll live to spend whole."
And with this distich, I will at last conclude this already, I am afraid, much too long a work.
- ↑ Scat, to slap.
