ks._--Mr. Gomme, in his interesting Introduction, points out
several indications of considerable antiquity for the legend, various
expressions in the Pepysian Chap-book ("in the marsh of the Isle of
Ely," "good ground"), indicating that it could trace back to the
sixteenth century. On the other hand, there is evidence of local
tradition persisting from that time onward till the present day (Weaver,
_Funerall Monuments_, 1631, pp. 866-7; Spelman, _Icenia_, 1640, p. 138;
Dugdale, _Imbanking_, 1662 (ed. 1772, p. 244); Blomefield, _Norfolk_,
1808, ix., pp. 79, 80). These refer to a sepulchral monument in Tylney
churchyard which had figured on a stone coffin an axle-tree and
cart-wheel. The name in these versions of the legend is given as
Hickifric, and he is there represented as a village Hampden who
withstood the tyranny of the local lord of the manor. Mr. Gomme is
inclined to believe, I understand him, that there is a certain amount of
evidence for Tom Hickathrift being a historic personality round whom
some of the Scandinavian mythical exploits have gathered. I must refer
to his admirable Introduction for the ingenious line of reasoning on
which he bases these conclusions. Under any circumstances no English
child's library of folk-tales can be considered complete that does not
present a version of Mr. Hickathrift's exploits.

LIII. THE HEDLEY KOW

_Source._--Told to Mrs. Balfour by Mrs. M. of S. Northumberland. Mrs.
M.'s mother told the tale as having happened to a person she had known
when young: she had herself seen the Hedley Kow twice, once as a donkey
and once as a wisp of straw. "Kow" must not be confounded with the more
prosaic animal with a "C."

_Parallels._--There is a short reference to the Hedley Kow in Henderson,
_l.c._, first edition, pp. 234-5. Our story is shortly referred to thus:
"He would present himself to some old dame gathering sticks, in the
form of a truss of straw, which she would be sure to take up and carry
away. Then it would become so heavy that she would have to lay her
burden down, on which the straw would become 'quick,' rise upright and
shuffle away before her, till at last it vanished from her sight with a
laugh and shout." Some of Robin Goodfellow's pranks are similar to those
of the Hedley Kow. The old woman's content with the changes is similar
to that of "Mr. Vinegar." An ascending scale of changes has been studied
by Prof. Crane, _Italian Popular Tales_, p. 373.

LIV. GOBB