"Mary, mother, well thou be!
Mary, mother, think on me;
Sweete Lady, maiden clean,
Shield me from ill, shame, and teen;
Shield me, Lady, from villainy
And from all wicked company!"
Speculum Christiani.
Here is a little story I found one day among the legends of the
Cornish Saints, like a chip in porridge. If you love simplicity, I
think it may amuse you.
Lovey Bussow was wife of Daniel Bussow, a tin-streamer of Gwithian
Parish. He had brought her from Camborne, and her neighbours agreed
that there was little amiss with the woman if you overlooked her
being a bit weak in the head. They set her down as "not exactly."
At the end of a year she brought her husband a fine boy. It happened
that the child was born just about the time of year the tin-merchants
visited St. Michael's Mount; and the father--who streamed in a small
way, and had no beast of burden but his donkey, or "naggur"--had to
load up panniers and drive his tin down to the shore-market with the
rest, which for him meant an absence of three weeks, or a fortnight
at the least.
So Daniel kissed his wife and took his leave; and the neighbours, who
came to visit her as soon as he was out of the way, all told her the
same story--that until the child was safely baptised it behoved her
to be very careful and keep her door shut for fear of the Piskies.
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