As pointed by Lad. Arany, the plot of this tale is, with the exception of the happy ending, essentially the same as in BÜrger's beautiful poem, "Leonore," in which the bridegroom's ghost repeats three times the question—

to which the girl each time replies—

Arany mentions a Dutch and a Norwegian version of the same tale. Cf. Grimm, vol. iii. p. 75.

It cannot be supposed that the good PalÓcz folk have read BÜrger, either in the original or in translation. They only read two kinds of literature, the prayer-book and politics. Pap relates an incident that is characteristic. He had to superintend some farm-work; and, in order to while away the time, was reading a book, which made an old PalÓcz remark that he would go straight to heaven if he read his prayer-book all day, as he did.

Cf. The old ballad quoted in Old Ballad Lore. Folk-Lore Record, 1879, pp. 111, 112.

Page 279. The charm given by the witch is one of the innumerable superstitions of a like class. Vide Magyar Folk-Tales. Notes and Queries, 6th s. ix. pp. 501 and 502.

Finska FornminnesforËningens Tidskrift v. p. 106, "FolkstrÖ och plÄgseder i Mellersta Österbotten," and Notes and Queries, 6th s. x. p. 404, and ib. 6th s. xi. p. 22. Cf. "The churchyard mould," in McGregor, Folk-Lore of the North-East of Scotland, p. 216.

Page 280. The ghostly horsemen recalls a strange story an old woman (nearly 80) told me some time ago, and which it is averred happened in Lincolnshire. One fine frosty night, as the Winterton carrier was going along the road, he met a pale man on horseback, who said, "It's a hard winter, and there's going to be a hard time: twenty years' disease amongst vegetables, twenty years' disease amongst cattle, and twenty years' disease amongst men, and this will happen as surely as you have a dead man in your cart." The carrier angrily declared that there was no dead man in his cart. "But there is," said the horseman. Then the carrier went and looked, and found that a man he had taken up to give a ride was dead. Turning round he found the horseman had disappeared. The potato disease, cattle disease, and cholera followed, said the old dame. This pale horseman is said to have ridden through the county, and I have heard of him at various places.