If any of your readers can inform me of another copy of the above ballad, especially unmodernised (the versification must have suffered in the frequent reprints) and in black-letter of an early date, they will do me a favour. At present I am unable to decide whether it was founded upon Greene's novel, Shakspeare's play, or upon some independent, possibly foreign, narrative. I am by no means satisfied that Greene's novel was not a translation, and we know that he was skilful in Italian, Spanish, and French. J. PAYNE COLLIER. I cannot find the particular Number of NOTES AND QUERIES, but unless I am greatly mistaken, in one of them, a correspondent gave praise (I am the last to say it was not deserved) to DR. MAGINN for suggesting that _miching mallecho_, in _Hamlet_, Act III. Sc. 2., was from the Spanish _mucho malhecho_. I never heard of DR. MAGINN's opinion until I saw it in your pages; but if you happen to be able to refer to the Shakspeare I superintended through the press in 1843, vol. vii. p 271., note 9., you will see that I propose the Spanish word _malhecho_ as the origin of "mallecho." I did not think this point worth notice at the time, and I doubt whether it is worth notice now. If you leave out this postscript, as you are at perfect liberty to do, I shall conclude that you are of my opinion. J.P.C. [The passage to which our valued correspondent refers is in our Second Volume, p. 358., where J.M.B. points out that the suggestion of a writer in the _Quarterly Review_ for March 1850, that Shakspeare's _miching mallecho_ was a mere misprint of the Spanish words _mucho malhecho_, had been anticipated by DR. MAGINN. It now appears that he had also been anticipated by MR. COLLIER.] * * * * * CROSSING RIVERS ON SKINS. The mode of crossing a river on skins, mentioned by Layard (_Nineveh and its Remains_, 5th edition, vol. i. p. 129., vol. ii. p. 381.) is also referred to in the works of the following ancient writers. I quote _Facciolati Lexicon Totius Latinitatis_, in vocibus _Uter_ et _Utricularius_. [Edit. _Furlanetto_, 4to.] "Frequens fuit apud veteres utrium usus ad flumina trananda, _Liv._ 21. 27. Hispani, sine ulla mole, in utres vestimentis conjectis, ipsi cetris suppositis incubantes, flumen tranavere, _Caes._ B.G. i. 48. Lusitani, peritique earum regionum cetrati citerioris Hispaniae, consectabantur, quibus erat proclive transnare flumen, quod consuetudo eorum omnium est, ut sine utribus ad exercitum non eant, (Cf. _Herzog._, qui longam huic loco adnotationem adscripsit), _Curt._ 7. 5. Utres quam plurimos stramentis refertos dividit; his incubantes transnavere amnem, _Plin._ 6. 29. 35. Arabes Ascitae appellati, quoniam bubulos utres binos sternentes ponte piraticam exercent, _h.e._ utribus junctis tabulas instar pontis sternentes. Adde _Front. Strat._ 3. 13., et _Ammian._ 30. 1. _med._"