two ravens (' making an hideouse and unusuall noyse. ')

horsemouth would like to share with you this murder story from myddle written down in about 1701 by the reverend gough which displays the preternatural intelligence of ravens.

‘There was one Thomas Elks, of Knockin, who had an elder brother, who married and had one son, and soone after died and his wife abo, and left the child very yong. The grandmother was gardian to the child.. This grandmother was mother unto Thomas Elks, and was soe indulgent of him, that shee loved him best of any of her children ; and by supplying him with money to feed his extravagances, shee undid him. But when shee was gon poore, and could not supply him, hee con- sidered that this child stood in his way beetween him and the estate, and therefore contrived to remove him: and to that end hee hired a poore boy, of Knockin, to entice the child into the come feilds to gather flowers.

 The corn was then att highest Thomas Elks mett the two children in in the feilds ; sent the poore boy home, and took the child in his armes into the lower end of the feild where hee had provided a pale of water, and putting the child's head into the pale of water hee stifled him to death, and left him in the corn. Att evening, the child was missing, and much inquiry made for him. The poore boy tould how his umcle had hired him to entice the child into the corn feilds, and there tooke him away in his arms. The people suspected that the child was murdered, and searched the come feild. They found the child, wheather buryed or not or wheather hee intended to bury him that night, I know not. Elks fled, and tooke the -roade directly for London. (I thinke hee was a journeyman shoemaker.) The neighbours had intelligence which way hee went, and sent two men to pursue him, who followed him almost to London ; and as they were passing on the roade neare Mimmes, in Hertfordshire, they saw two ravens sitt upon a cocke of hay, pulling the hay with theire beaks, and making an hideouse and unusuall noyse. Upon this, the two men alighted, from theire horses and went over to see what the matter was, and there they found Tom Elks fast asleep in the cocke of hay, and apprehended him, who beeing tormented with the horror of a guilty conscience, confessed that these two ravens had followed him continually from the time that hee did the fact. Hee was brought backe to Shrewsbury, and there tryed, condemned, and hanged on a Gibbet, on Knockin Heath.’

horsemouth has survived the week and is now worrying about how origen can be a church father but not a saint. he will faff about the flatlike an old person until he gets too bored and then he will go for a walk.