“’And Jesus said unto Peter, What aileth thee? and Peter
    answered, Lord, I have toothache.  And the Lord healed him.’”

    “P. Well, but Dame Grey, I think I know my Bible, and I don’t
    find any such verse in it.”

    “Dame.  Yes, your reverence, that is just the charm. It’s in
    the Bible, but you can’t find it!”

No. 2.  To avert sickness from a family, hang up a sickle, or iron implement, at the bed head.

No. 3.  Should a death happen in a house at night, and there be a hive or hives of bees in the garden, go out and wake them up at once, otherwise the whole hive or swarm will die.

I hope your Folk Lore is not confined to the fading memorials of a past age.  The present superstitions are really much more interesting and valuable to be gathered together; and I am sure your pages would be very well employed in recording these for a future generation.  I would {294} suggest, in all humility, that it would be really useful, for the rulers of our Church and State, to know how far such a superstition as the following prevails among the peasantry: 

That, if a dying person sees “glory,” or a bright light, at or near the time of their dissolution, such a vision is a sure sign of their salvation, whatever may have been their former life, or their repentance.

D. Sholbus.

Superstitions in North of England.—­I find some curious popular superstitions prevalent in the north of England some three centuries ago recorded in the Proceedings before the Special Commissioners for Ecclesiastical Causes appointed by Queen Elizabeth.  Thus: 

    “Anthony Haggen presented for medicioning children with miniting
    a hammer as a smythe of kynde.”

Again

    “John Watson presented for burying a quick dogg and a quick
    cowe.”

And

    “Agnes, the wyf of John Wyse, als Winkam John Wyse, presented to
    be a medicioner for the waffc of an yll wynde, and for the
    fayryes.”

Some of your readers may perhaps explain what these were.  It is clear that they were superstitious practices of sufficient prevalence and influence on the popular mind to call for the interference of the queen’s commissioners.

A.B.

Decking Churches with Yew on Easter Day.—­In the village of Berkely near Frome, Somerset, and on the borders of Wiltshire, the church is decorated on Easter Sunday with yew, evidently as an emblem of the Resurrection.  Flowers in churches on that day are common, but I believe the use of yew to be unusual.

W. Durrant Cooper.