her sympathy was not extended, have unsparingly shorn her name of its just proportion, and " "gibbetted her memory to the derision of all future time."-R. White's MSS. Fair 'Mabel' of Wallington. W HEN we were silly sisters seven, sisters [we] were so fair, Five of us were brave knights wives, and died in child-bed fair, Up then spake fair If ever she came in Make no vows fair 6 Mabel,' marry wou'd she nane, man's bed the same gate wad she gang. Mabel,' for fear they broken be, Here's been the knight of Wallington asking good will of thee. Here's been the knight [of Wallington], mother, asking good-will of me; Within three-quarters of a year you may come bury me. When she came to Wallington, and into Wallington-hall, Give my love to my brother William, Ralph, and John; Your daughter Mabel' orders me, as you sit in a chair of stone, She bids her keep her maidenhead, besure make much on't, 6 God save you, dear son, Lord may your keeper be! Four and twenty ladies letting the tears down fall: Her daughter had a scope into her chest, and into her chin, Come take the rings off my finger, the skin it is [so] white, Tho' the cradle it be full spread up, the bride-bed is left bare. THE DEATH OF CLAVERING. N Stanton township in the parish of LongHorseley, Northumberland, the remains of a stone cross are yet to be seen, of which the Rev. John Hodgson, in his history of the county, thus briefly makes mention: "On the Lime kiln flats about a quarter of a mile north of the village a stone cross still stands in a field on the east side of the way, which the tradition of the neighbourhood says was set up in memory of a gentleman of the name of Clavering being slain on the spot in an encounter with a party of Scots." In the ensuing verses this unfortunate person is presumed to have been a member of the house of Callally, a matter which the pedigree of that family might perhaps throw some light on. The best apology perhaps that can be offered for them, is that they have in some respects followed the model of a very beautiful ballad, however slight may be their resemblance. The ballad alluded to may be found in "Percy's Reliques." described The Braes of Yarrow.' as OURN! Mourn! Callally for the gentle Clavering, Pla-ce-bo's at Brinckburn the holy monck's shall sing Cut off in all his sins,-unhouseled and unshriven. Woe's the day Callally! that thus the youth should die, Most cheerful was the morn, ay, bright, bright, was the morn, Stark were then his wounds, and his long, his dark brown hair Gash'd was the face that had been fairest of the fair; His true love-pereless maid, how did she woeful weep, ANECDOTES. A person of the name of Collins, who lived at Kilmerston, near Wooler, in Northumberland, had a tame otter (Lutra Vulgaris), which followed him whereever he went. He frequently took it to fish in the river, and when satiated it never failed to return to him. One day, in the absence of Collins, the otter, being taken out to fish by his son, instead of returning as usual, refused to come at the accustomed call, and was lost. The father tried every means in his power to recover the animal; and, after several days search, being near the place where his son had lost it, and calling it by name, to his inexpressible joy it came creeping to his feet, and shewed many marks of affection and attachment.-Bewick. Some years since, at a bull baiting in the north of England, when the barbarous practice of bull baiting was very common, a young man, confident of the spirit of his bull dog, laid a wager that he would at seperate times, cut off all the animal's feet, and that he would continue to attack the bull after each amputation. The experiment was tried, and the brutal wretch won his wager.-Ent. Nat. A Jay (Garrulus glandarius) kept by a person in the north of England, had learned at the approach of cattle to set a cur dog upon them, by whistling and calling him by his name. One winter during a severe frost the dog was by this means excited to attack a cow that was big with calf, when the poor animal fell on the ice, and was much hurt. The Jay was complained of as a nuisance, and its owner was obliged to destroy it.-Ibid. OUR LADY'S WELLS. Of auncient time there was a springing well, SPENSER. EAR Longwitton-hall, Northumberland, there is an agreeable walk for nearly a mile, by a woody dingle, called the Deneburn, a lovely and romantic spot, sheltered on all sides by the steep and well wooded banks of the Hart. In an adjacent wood, are three wells, called by the people of the neighbourhood Our Lady's Wells, and The Holy-wells. They are all chalebyate, contain sulphur and alumine, and were formerly in high reputation through the neighbourhood for their "very virtuous" qualities. That farthest to the east is called the Eye well, on account of its beneficial effects in cases of inflammation of the eyes, and flux of the lachrymal humour. It has a very antient inscription, in four lines, in the rock immediately above it; but many of the letters have been purposely defaced, and to me it seemed illegible. Great concourses of people from all parts, also used to assemble here in the memory of old people "Midsummer Sunday and the Sunday following" and amuse themselves with leaping, eating gingerbread brought for sale to the spot, and drinking the waters of the wells. A tremendous dragon too, that could make itself invisible, formerly guarded these fountains, till the famous knight, Guy earl of Warwick, wandering in quest of chivalrous employment, came this way and waged battle with the monster. With words that could not be disobeyed, the winged serpent was commanded from his den, and to keep his natural and visible form; but as often as the knight wounded him, and his strength from loss of blood began to fail, he glided back, dipt his tail into the well, on U |