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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io s. x. DEC. 26,
(Qimits.
WE must request correspondents desiring in- formation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries, in order that answers may be sent to them direct.
CHRISTMAS DAY AND LADY DAY. Why
do we celebrate the festival of the Nativity
on 25 December, and the festival of the
Annunciation on 25 March ? Which date
determined the other ? In the history of
the Church calendar which holy day pre-
ceded the other ? Was 25 December first
celebrated as the date of the Nativity, thus
becoming the starting-point from which
was reckoned the festival of the Annuncia-
tion ? or was the latter the starting-point
for reckoning the date of the Nativity ? To
this interesting question scholars give with
equal confidence opposite answers :
1. On the one hand, historical evidence is produced (for instance, in the ' Dictionary of Christian Antiquities ') that in the last quarter of the fourth century the festival of the Nativity was celebrated on 25 Decem- ber, taking the place of the Roman festival of the Brumalia or the Natalis Invicti [Solis], three centuries before there is any clear evidence of the celebration of the festival of the Annunciation.
2. On the other hand, it is maintained by many scholars (for instance, by the learned Bollandist Father Delehaye in his interesting little book ' Les Legendes Hagio- graphiques,' p. 204) that the Roman festival Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25 December, had nothing to do with the choice of that day for the feast of the Nativity. The date of this festival was determined by the date of the festival of the Annunciation, 25 March, which was also supposed to be the date of the death of our Lord. M. Delehaye maintains that this view, which makes the cycle of the festivals of the infancy of Christ to depend on the Easter festival, is certainly earlier and much more probable than the other, which rests only upon an ingenious rapprochement.
I wonder if any of the readers of ' N. & Q.' can contribute historical evidence upon a matter which at this season of the year cannot be said to be without interest.
A. L. MAYHEW.
Oxford.
MILTON : PORTRAIT AS A BOY. I have an engraving purporting to be a portrait of John Milton at the age of twelve, painted by F. Newenham, Esq., engraved by Henry
Cousins, and published by H. Graves & Co.,.
6, Pall Mall. The original picture is said
to be in the possession of the Provost of
Eton College. There is no date given. I
cannot suppose it genuine, as it bears no sort
of resemblance to the Janssen portrait
of Milton at ten years old, and I have never
seen it mentioned anywhere. Can any
correspondent inform me as to its origin ?
C. S. JERRAM.
' FOLKESTONE FIERY SERPENT.' What i& the origin of the above ballad ? I have a copy dated 1852, published by T. Rigden, Dover, the full title being :
The Folkestone Fiery Serpent ;
Together with the
Humours of the Dover Mayor ;
Being an Ancient Ballad full of Mystery
and Pleasant Conceit. Now first collected and printed from the various
MS. copies in the possession of the Inhabitants of the
South-East coast of Kent. With Notes by a " Wise Man of the East."
It consists of two cantos, comprising ninety- two verses, and begins :
Good luck befall our gracious King
And all his subjects bold ! The tale I 'm going now to sing Is true as e'er was told.
In Folkestone town some years ago,
As honest tales relate, A wond'rous animal arriv'd
That caus'd a great debate.
The ballad goes on to state that this " won- d'rous animal " settled in a field of wheat, and screamed until it made the cliff to echo far and nigh. The Mayor and jurats proceeded to the fray :
The sprat nets first around the field
They spread in proper row ; And then they shouted " Boat a-hoy ! "
To raise the fiery foe.
But the monster flew above the nets, and many plans for its destruction were put in execution without success. At last they sent for the advice and assistance of the Mayor of Dover. After much consultation They form'd a circle round the field ; First march'd the men with guns ; And when the Serpent they drew nigh, They all let fly at once,
and then ran helter-skelter into the town. Afterwards scouts were sent to see if the Serpent could be seen,
When low upon his back they saw
The enemy was laid : Tho' dead it seem'd, they trembling all
T' approach it were afraid.
Meanwhile they placed a cask over it, and, peeping through the bunghole, the Dover
