FAKENHAM GHOST 
 
 
  Fakenham     Ghost   (The).  An  old 
woman, walking to Fakenham, had to 
cross the churchyard after nightfall. She 
heard a short, quick step behind, and 
looking round saw what she fancied to be 
a four-footed monster. On she ran, faster 
and faster, and on came the pattering 
footfalls behind. She gained the church- 
yard gate and pushed it open, but, ah! 
"the monster" also passed through. Every 
moment she expected it would leap upon 
her back. She reached her cottage door 
and fainted. Out came her husband with 
a lantern, saw the "sprite," which was no 
other than the foal of a donkey, that had 
strayed into the park and followed the 
ancient dame to her cottage door. 
  And many a laugh went through the vale. 
    And some conviction, too; 
  Each thought some other goblin tale 
    Perhaps was just as true. 
    R. Bloomfield, The Fakenham Ghost (a fact). 
 
  Falcon.   Wm. Morris tells us that 
whoso watched a certain falcon for seven 
days and seven nights without sleeping, 
should have his first wish granted by a 
fay. A certain king accomplished the 
watching, and wished to have the fay's 
love. His wish was granted, but it prov- 
ed   his  ruin.-The   Earthly Paradise 
("July") 
 
  Falconer (Mr.), laird of Balmawhapple, 
 
 
a friend of the old baron of Bradwardine. 
-Sir W, Scott, Waverley (time, George 
II.). 
 
  Falconer (Major), brother of Lady Both- 
well.-Sir W. Scott, Aunt Margaret's 
Mirror (time, William III.). 
 
  Falconer (Edmund), the nom de plume of 
Edmund O'Rourke, author of Extremes or 
Men of the day (a comedy, 1859). 
 
  Falie'ro (Marino), the doge of Venice, 
an old man who married a young wife 
named Angioli'na (3 syl.). At a banquet, 
Michel Steno, a young patrician, grossly 
insulted some of the ladies, and was, by 
the order of the doge, turned out of the 
house. In revenge, Steno placarded the 
doge's chair with some scurrilous verses 
upon the young dogaressa, and Faliero re- 
ferred the matter to "the Forty." The 
council sentenced Steno to two months' 
imprisonment, and the doge deemed this 
punishment so inadequate to the offence, 
that he looked upon it as a personal in- 
sult, and headed a conspiracy to cut off, 
root and branch, the whole Venetian nobil- 
ity. The project being discovered, Faliero 
was put to death (1355), at the age of 76, 
and his picture removed from the gallery 
of his brother doges.-Byron, Marino 
Faliero. 
 
 
FALIERO 
 
 
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