"BERKELEY
LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OP
CALIFORNIA
FREDERICK HALL. M R.C.S
EX BIBLIOTHECA
CAR. I. TABORI S.
bo 6
THE
ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM,
OR, PORTFOLIO OF
ORIGINS AND INVENTIONS ;
RELATING TO
LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND j NAMES, TRADES, PROFESSIONS;
GOVERNMENT;
ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE;
DRAMA, MUSIC, PAINTING, AND
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES ;
ARTICLES OF DRESS, &c.
TITLES, DIGNITIES, &c. ;
PARLIAMENT, LAWS, &c. ;
UNIVERSITIES AND RELIGIOUS
SECTS?
EPITHETS AND PHRASES;
REMARKABLE CUSTOMS;
GAMES, FIELD SPORTS;
SEASONS, MONTHS, AND DAYS OF THE WEEK;
REMARKABLE LOCALITIES, &c. &c.
BY WILLIAM PULLEYN,
THE THIRD EDITION, REVISED AND IMPROVED,
BY MERTON A. THOMS.
LONDON :
WILLIAM TEGG AND CO., 85, QUEEN STKEET,
CHEAPSIDE.
1853.
M'CORQUODALE A.VD CO., PRINTERS, LOXDO>
WORKS, NEWTOX.
P SI-
MS 3
INIBODUCTION,
To collect into a focus a series of Origins and Etymologies that
lay scattered through various publications, ancient and modern,
to place within the reach of all what hitherto could only be pro-
cured by the few, to instruct the rising generation, to amuse
the curious of all ages, and to save trouble to the antiquary,
a mass of interesting and instructive matter has been concen-
trated within the small compass of this volume ; and which the
Compiler unhesitatingly submits to the public, with the convic-
tion, that should it be found below their praise, it will, never-
theless, remain undeserving of their censure.
233
PEEFACE TO THE TfflED EDITION.
THE title-page of this volume explains with sufficient distinct-
ness the object with which it was originally undertaken. This
was to collect into one body notices of the most remarkable
Origins, Inventions, Localities, Titles, Dignities, Etymologies,
Epithets, and Colloquial Phrases, &c. ; and to give such accounts
of them as were to be found in the best writers on these different
subjects.
That such a Compendium of Amusing Knowledge was wanted,
has been proved by the sale of two large editions. A Third
being now called for, advantage has been taken of that circum-
stance to correct those numerous trifling errors which were
scarcely to be avoided in the first impressions of a work consisting
of so vast a number of minute facts and dates ; and although it
cannot be hoped that the present edition is entirely free from
such small blemishes, it is believed that, by the correction of
many of them, and by the addition of much new and interesting
matter, it appears with increased claims to the favourable con-
sideration of the Public.
VI PREFACE.
In my endeavours to give the work this improved character, I
have been greatly assisted by my Father, Mr. WILLIAM J. THOMS,
and by Mr. YEOWELL ; and among the most pleasant parts of
my task is making this public acknowledgment of their kind
and valuable assistance.
MEETON A. THOMS.
25, HOLTWELL STREET, MILLBAXK,
1853.
TABLE OF CONTENTS TO THE CHAPTEES,
PACK
Origin and Progress of Language, Literature, Architecture, Painting, Sculp-
ture, Music, Engraving, Government, &c 1
Commerce, use of Money, Coins, Banking System, Internal Navigation, &c. 45
Discoveries and Inventions 55
Rise and Progress of the Stage, Origin of various Popular Plays, Songs, &c. 84
Universities, Colleges, Schools, Public Libraries, Religious Sects, Nicene
Creed, Inquisition, &c 97
Parliaments, Magna Charta, Trial by Jury, Feudal Laws, Public Courts of
the Kingdom, Origin of Tithes, &c 110
Titles, Dignities, Orders and Insignia, Heralds, and Origin of various Royal
and Noble Families 132
Literal Signification of the Principal Male and Female Christian Names... 161
Ancient and Modern Games, Field Sports, and other Amusements 165
Remarkable Customs, Popular Observances 177
Time and its Divisions Era, Months, Weeks, Days, &c 217
Agriculture, Horticulture, Vegetables, Fruits, Plants, Flowers, Beverages, &c. 234
Luxuries, Articles of Dress, Trades, Professions and Companies, Public-
house Signs, &c 25S
Public Buildings, Inns of Court, Wards, Churches, Streets, and Localities
of London and Westminster 278
Etymons of various Countries, Islands, Seas, Towns, Provinces, Remarkable
Places,&c 328
Epithets and Popular Phrases 361
Witchcraft, Superstition, Surgery, Craniology, &c 405
Etymons of various Peculiar Words and Terms 417
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Page
Abchurch Lane 299
Ablutions of the Romans on the
first of April 205
Abyssinia 329
Acantha 239
Actors, making a trade of their
profession 90
Actress, First English c 92
Acts of Parliament 123
Addle Street 299
Adelphi 299
Adermanbury 299
Adieu 417
Admirable Crichton ... ... 376
Admiral... 138
Adore 417
Affirmation of the Quakers ... 123
Agriculture, its progress ... 234
Air Balloons 64
Alban's (St.) Family 159
Alderman 146
Aldermanbury 299
Aldersgate Street 299
Aldersgate Ward ... ... 288
Aldgate Ward 287
Ale 248
Alehouse Licences 123
Algebra 51
Algernon 157
Alkali 417
All Hallows Barking 294
AU Hallows Staining 294
All Saints' Day 225
All Souls 226
All the Russias 329
Alligator 418
Allodial 417
Almanacs 48
Alnwick, Freedom of 189
Alphabet 7
Alphage (Saint) 295
Alum 73
Amazon ... ... ... ... 417
Ambassador 142
Amen Corner 300
America... ... ... ... 328
American War 130
Anatomical Wax Figures ... 414
Page
Anatomy, Law of ... ... 414
Anchors ... ... ... ... 59
Andrew (Saint) Hubbard ... 294
Andrew (Saint, Order of) ... 150
Andrew (Saint) Undershaft ... 299
Andrew (Saint) Wardrobe ... 294
Angel 418
Another for Hector 381
Anthony Pig 364
Apothecary 263
April ..: 218
April Fool 372
Apron 418
Arab 418
Archery ... ... ... ... 167
Arches Court ... 127
Architecture ... ... ... 19
Architecture, Five Orders of ... 20
Arithmetical Figures ... ... 51
Army, English standing ... 120
Arrow-Root 244
Artichoke 418
Arundel 329
Arundelian Tables, Oxford ... 101
Ascension Day, Perambulating
Parishes on 193
Ash Wednesday 234
Ass 362
Assassin 362
Asses, Feast of 197
Astley's Prize Wherry ... 209
Athens 328
Atlantic Ocean 328
Attorney 262
Auctions 123
Augean Stable 415
August 220
" Auld Robin Gray" 96
Authors 19
Azores, or Western Islands ... 328
Bachelor 419
Backgammon ... ... ... 167
Bag of Nails 273
Bailiff 363
Bakewell, or Blackwell Hall ... 285
Balliol College 98
Balloons... 64
Vlll
CONTENTS.
Page
332
286
54
53
55
368
Baltimore
Bancroft's Almshouses
Bank of England
Banking System, origin of
Banks, Savings'
Bankrupt
Banshee 407
Bantams 419
Banyan Day 400
Baptism 181
Barber 266
Barber's Pole 266
Barbican 300
Barge Yard, Bucklersbury ... 302
Barley, Beer, Barme 248
Barn esbury Park 331
Barometer ... ... ... 62
Baron 137
Baronet 138
Baronets of Ireland 138
Baronets of Nova-Scotia ... 138
Barrows, or Cairns 356
Bartholomew Fair 206
Bartlett's Buildings 300
Baskets '.. 66
Bassishaw Ward 290
Bastinado 69
Bath ... 330
Bath, Order of the 150
Battle Bridge 330
Battle Stairs 301
Bayonet 420
Bear and Ragged Staff ... 272
Bear-baiting .'.. 170
Bear Gardens ... ... ... 87
Bears and Bulls 371
Beds 255
Beef-eater 365
Beer, or Barme 248
Beever 419
Beggars' Opera ... ... 91
Bell, Book, and Candle, Swear-
ing by 201
Bellerophon 419
Bellman 148
Bells 71
Bell Savage ... 275
Bell System of Education ... 107
Benedict (St.) vulgarly called
Bennet Fink 296
Benefit of Clergy 114
Benevolence ... ... ... 420
Bennet (St.) Sherehog ... 296
Bennet's (St.) Grass church ... 296
Bermondsey Street 302
Bermudas 332
Berwick upon Tweed 331
Page
Beverage 419
Bevis Marks 301
Bible, and its History 13
Bible and Missionary Societies 106
Bible, History of the 13
Bible, Origin of the Translation
of, into English 14
Bibles 13
Biddenden Cakes
Bigot
Billingsgate Ward
Bills of Mortality
Birdcage Walk
Bird in the Hand's worth Two
in the Bush
Bishop of Osnaburg ...
Bishop's Crosier
Bishopsgate Ward
Biter's Bit
Black Bartholomew ...
Black Doll at Rag-Shops
Blackfriars
Blackman Street, Borough
Black Prince
Blankets
Bleaching
Blenheim
182
366
288
217
302
393
146
108
288
392
232
275
301
300
145
256
72
330
Blood 420
410
301
277
128
51
101
261
420
276
68
159
300
197
286
18
11
7
Blood, circulation of the
Bloomsbury
Blossoms Inn ...
Board of Green Cloth
Board Wages
Bodleian Library
Bog- Yew of Ireland ...
Boh!
Bolt in Tun
Bombs ...
Bonaparte and Napoleon
Bond Street
Bone-fires
Bonner's Fields...
Bookbinding
Book, The first
Books, Dedications to ...
Books, origin of, and various
matters connected with them
Boots and Shoes
Boroughs
5
253
114
Bother 420
Bouquets Judges' 217
Bourbon, Family of 158
Bourbons as kings of Spain ... 141
Bow Lane 300
Bog Yew (Irish) 261
Brace, King's Bench ... ... -72
Bramber, Rape of 347
CONTENTS.
IX
Brazen Nose
Brazils
Page
100
332
Bread and Butter
Bread Street Ward
Bride Cakes
Bridewell
Bridge and Tower Wards
Bridge House Estates
253
289
184
301
290
282
66
Brighton
Britain, Christianity in
Broad Street Ward
Broad Wall
Broker
330
109
290
300
367
Brook Market
Brother Jonathan
Brownies
Buckingham House
Bucklersbury
Budget
301
367
408
302
300
132
Bugg-a-bo!
Buildings, ancient
Bull and Mouth
Bull and Tun ...
Bull-baiting in England
Bull, The Pope's
Bumper
Burlesque
Butchers, exempted from serv-
ing on Juries
Butler
372
22
276
276
170
13
421
4
113
265
Cabal Council
Cabbages
Cabs, or Cabriolets
Caesar, or Czar ...
Cairns or'Barrows
Caius and Gonvile College ...
Calico Printing
Calligraphy, or the Art of
Writing
Camarill
Cambrics
Cambridge
Canals
119
243
259
143
356
99
72
83
373
74
332
66
Candidate
Candlemas Day
Candles
Candlewick Ward
Cannons
Cannon Street ...
Canonbury
Canterbury
Capability Brown
Caps
423
226
83
289
68
306
333
332
376
256
Capuchin
Caravan
423
421
Page
Cardinal, the title 142
Cards, playing ... ... ... 165
Carling Sunday 233
Carlton House 304
Carnaby Market 304
Carol 426
Cartoons 37
Carving at Table by Ladies ... 195
Castle-Baynard Ward ... 289
"Castle of Otranto" 96
Catherine and Petruehio ... 95
Catherine Wheel 277
Catholic Church 103
Cats 171
Cat's Paw 368
Cecil 158
Celery 244
Chancery, Court of ... ... 126
Chain Shot 68
Chancellor 139
Chandos Portrait of Shak-
speare, origin and progress of 38
Chanting in Cathedrals ... 202
Charing Cross 305
Charity Schools 107
Charles Martel 158
Charles the First's Statue ... 305
Charter House 284
Cheapside 303
Cheap Ward 287
Chequers at Public Houses ... 275
Cherries 236
Chess 1C6
Chester, Principality of ... 128
Chicory 251
Chiltern Hundreds 122
Chimes 194
Chimneys & Chimneysweepers 78
Christ-Crosse A 398
Christianity in Britain ... 109
Christian names explained ... 161
Christmas 421
Christmas Boxes 183
Chronological Table of Ancient
and Modern Structures ... 22
Churching of Women ... 179
Churchyards and Interments... 216
Cinque Ports, Lord Warden
of the 148
Circulating Libraries 9
Citron 409
Civilisation 421
Clare Hall 99
Clare Market 304
Clarence, Duke of 144
Clement's Inn 201
Clergy, benefit of 114
CONTENTS.
Pag
Clergy, Charity for the relief of
Poor Widows and Sons of
the 326
Clerkenwell 30
Clifford's Inn 29L
Cloacina 42
Clocks, Electrical 7(
Clocks, Watches, &c 7(
Coach 422
Coaches 258
Coaches, Sailing .. ... 62
Coal Harbour Lane .. ... 305
Coal Hole Tavern 276
Coal, origin of .. ... 8]
Coals in London .. ... 82
Cobblers of Flanders, Arms
of the 204
Cock and Bull story 395
Cockfighting 174
Coffee and Coffee-houses ... 251
Coin 48
Coin Factors 267
Coin of Dort 203
Coins of Edward VI 49
Coldstream Guards ... ... 422
Coleman Street 304
Coleman Street Ward ... 290
Collar of S. S 151
Colombia 333
Commerce, origin of 45
Common Pleas 126
Commons, House of ... ... 110
Compass, Mariner's 66
Concerts ... ... ... 41
Conduit Street 303
Confining Juries from Meat and
Drink 113
Confirmation ... ... ... 179
Congreve Rockets 68
Constantinople 333
Constellation 423
Coram Street 303
Cordwainer 265
Cordwainers' Ward 290
Cornfactors 267
Cornhill 303
Cornwall, Duke of 146
Coronations in England, origin
of, with an account of their
Customs 153
Corporations ... ... ... 115
Corps 423
Corpus Christi College ... 99
Corsica 333
Cossack 422
Costermonger ... ... . . 265
Cottonian Library 101
Counsellors' Fees
Courting on Saturday Night ...
Court of Chancery
Covent Garden ...
Coventry Street
Coward ...
Cowslip ...
Coxcomb
Cranbourne Alley
Craniology ... ... ...
Crescent as a symbol
Crests
Crighton, (Admirable)
Cripplegate
Cripplegate Ward
Crispin's Day
Critic
Crocus ...
Crosby Square
Cross and Pile, or Head and Tail
Cross |x* as a mark
Cross Buns
Cross, invention of the
Crown pieces ...
Crowns, origin and history of
Crutched Friars
Currants
Curse of Scotland
Curtain Road
Curtain theatre
Cutpurse
Daisy
Damask Rose ...
Damask Weaving
Dancing...
Dauphin of France
)avis' Straits
)ays of Week
)ead Sea
)eath Watch
)ecember
)e Courcy Privilege ...
dedication to Books ...
)efensor Fidei v .
Delf, or Delft
Denis (Saint) Patron Saint of
France 135
Dennet 260
)entist 265
Deodand 424
)evonshire Square 307
)iamond cut Diamond ... 395
Mamonds ... ... ... 52
>ieu et mon Droit 142
Dignities and Titles 135
CONTENTS.
XI
Dining with Duke Humphrey
Dinners, original
Dionis (Saint) Back Church ...
Diorama
Page
380
190
297
64
Dissection
410
217
Doctors Commons
Dog and Duck Tavern
Dog-days
Doggett's Coat and Badge ...
Dogs
127
276
229
209
171
Domesday Book
Domestic Telegraph ...
Dominant, origin of in music...
Dort, Coin of
Dowgate Ward
Downs .. .
15
60
40
203
289
334
D'Oyleys
Drama in England, its rise ...
Dramatic Censorship
Drawing for King and Queen
Drinking healths
Druid
261
86
89
184
180
424
Drunk as David's Sow
DruryLane
Dryden's celebrated Ode
Duchy of Lancaster Court ...
Duck and Drake
Duelling
Duke
397
307
95
128
176
177
136
Duke's Place
Dulwich College
Dun, demanding payment
Durham, Palatinate of
Earl
307
101
363
344
137
Earl Marshal
Earthenware and Porcelain,
origin of
East-Cheap
Easter
East India Company ...
Eastward Hoe
Echo
137
26
307
202
55
97
424
Edge Tools, manufacture of . .
Edinburgh
Edmund's Bury
Edward VI., Coins of
Election Ribbons
Electrical Clocks
Electricity
Electric Printing Telegraph ..
Electric Telegraphs ...
Ember Week ...
Emperor
England
England and St George
55
335
335
49
193
70
81
60
59
229
140
334
388
Page
English Language 2
English Language in Courts of
Law, and Legislative pro-
ceedings ... ... ... 122
Engraving, origin and progress
of 32
Epithets 361
Epochs and Eras 414
Epping Hunt 196
Escurial of Spain 336
Esculapius, Sons of 416
Esquire ... ... ... ... 138
Eton Montem 201
Etruscan Vases ... ... ... 29
Europe ... 335
Evergreens and Mistletoe at
Christmas 179
Exchequer Bills 124
Exchequer Court 126
Excise Duty 120
Exeter Change 307
Exeter College 98
Exeter Hall, Strand 308
Fairs, origin of 206
Families, noble, origin of ... 160
Fandango 169
Fans 257
Farringdon Wards 288
February 218
Fenchurch Street 309
Fetter Lane 308
Feudal Laws < 115
Figures in Arithmetic ... 51
Filberts 236
Finsbury Square 308
Finis 425
Fish and Ring, Stepney Church-
yard 185
Fishing with Nets in England 67
Fish Street Hill 309
Fitz-Roy 156
Fives and Fives' Courts ... 168
Flamstead House 336
Flannel Shirts 255
Fleet Street 309
Fleur-de-Lis on the Mariner's
Compass ... ... ... 66
Fludyer Street 308
Flying Horse 272
Forest and Game Laws ... 115
Forks 57
Fools 93
Foster Lane 308
Foot-ball 175
Fore Street 309
Foundling Hospital 286
Xll
CONTENTS.
Fountains
France, War with
Franking Letters ... .. t
Freedom of Aln wick
French Revolutionary Calendar
Fret-work, derivation of the
term in Architecture
Friendly Islands
Fruits Native . ...
Page
69
129
131
189
221
25
336
235
Goose on Michaelmas Day ...
Gordian Knot
Government and Society, ori-
gin of
Gowk and Cuckoo
Grace at Meat ...
Gracechurch Street
Grampian Hills
Grapes
Mi
415
4
370
191
310
336
238
Fruits in England
Furnival's Inn
Galvanism
Gal way (Tribes of)
Game Laws
Gaming
Gammon of Bacon at Easter ...
Gardening, Ornamental, in
England
Garlic Hill
Garrick's first Playbill
Garter Order of the ...
237
292
79
378
115
173
196
238
311
91
150
Grasshopper, Royal Exchange
Grave Morris ...
Gray's Inn
Great Wardrobe Street
Green Cloth, Board of
Green Park
Greenwich
Grenadier
Gresham College
Grey Hair
Grinning like a Cheshire Cat
Grocer
Gro<>-
284
272
291
310
128
310
337
426
284
413
396
264
250
Gas
80
Guildhall
125
Gazette
426
426
Geho'
426
Guineas when first coined ...
49
Gentleman
George (St.) as Patron Saint of
England
George's (St.) Fields .,.
Gerard's Hall
Gerard Street ...
Germany
Giltspur Street
Gin
425
135
327
285
310
337
310
250
Gule of August
Guillotine
Gunpowder
Gunpowder Plot
Gutta Percha
Guy's Head
Guy's Hospital
Haberdashers
230
68
67
118
77
274
286
269
Gins
426
Hackney ... ... ...
312
Gipsy
426
Hackney Coaches
259
Give him a Bone to pick
Give us a Toast
399
397
Hag-bush Lane
Uao'O'is
337
427
Giving Quarter
Giving the Lie
Glass, origin of making
Glass Windows
Globe Theatre
Gloves
188
178
27
28
88
254
Hair-powder
Hammer-cloth ..
Hammock ..
Hand-festing ..
Hang on Jerry ..
Harlequin
257
262
428
181
384
93
Goat and Compasses ...
God bless you, to the Sneezer
God save the King
Goes of Liquor
Gold Coin in England, origin of
Golden Age
Golden Fleece
Golden Square
Goldsmiths' Year Marks
Goodman's Fields
Good old Times
Good Wine needs no Bush ...
Goodwin Sands
273
380
94
198
49
414
278
310
268
309
378
379
336
Harmony Settlement, North
America
Harvest Moon ...
Hastings
Hat and Tun
Hats and Caps
Hatton Garden
Haversack
Hawking
Healths, on drinking ..
Hearses
Hector's Cloak ...
Hellespont
339
415
338
272
256
311
427
171
180
216
382
339
CONTENTS.
Xlll
He is gone to Pot
He may pay too Dear for his
Whistle
Heraldry
Heralds
Heralds' College
Hermaphrodite
Herne's Oak
Hicks' Hall
Highbury Barn
Hindostan
Hoaxing ...
Hob and Nob
Hob-nails, Counting of
Hobson's Choice
Hock
Hocus-pocus
Holborn ...
Holland's (Lady) Mob
Holly
Hollyhock
Holy Alliance
Holy Island
Holy rood House
Holywell Street
Honesty ...
Honeymoon
Honour ...
Hook or by Crook
Hoop, game of the
Hopping
Hops
Horatii and Curiatii ...
Horn Fair
Horse Power
Horsleydown
Horoscope
Host
Houndsditch
House Leek
House of Commons
Howling at Irish Funerals ...
Humbug
Hummums
Hungerford Stairs Market ...
Hurly-burly
Husting
Huxter ...
Hyde Park
Page
396
385
132
133
133
428
338
285
337
339
197
428
197
379
250
427
311
207
242
241
119
311
427
178
427
379
175
176
248
141
207
63
312
61
427
311
409
110
191
391
271
311
429
428
266
311
145
Ich Dien, " I Serve"
I'll set vou down in my Black
Book 399
Innocents' Day 228
Inns of Court 290
Inquisition ... ... ... 109
Insurance on Ships 51
Interest on Money
Interments and Churchyards
Internal Navigation in England
I Pledge you
Irish Society of the Corporation
of London
Iron first discovered ...
Isle of Dogs
Isle of Man
Islington
Italian Opera
It is a dirty Bird that befouls its
own Nest
It's an ill Wind that blows no
one any Good
Ivory (Vegetable)
Jack Ketch
Jack of Newbury
James's (St.) Palace
James's (St.) Park
Janizary
Page
50
216
52
382
324
56
312
340
312
43
385
390
245
368
378
322
320
429
January 218
Jennies, spinning ... ... 64
Jesuits 102
Jewin Street 312
Joan, Pope 166
Jonathan 367
John Audley ... .. ... 375
John Doe and Richard Roe ... 374
John of Gaunt 158
John o'Groat's House 273
John's (St.) Gate 320
John (St.) the Evangelist's Day 226
Journeyman 371
Judges' Bouquets 217
Julian, the Apostate 148
July 219
June 219
Juries, Exemption of Surgeons
and Butchers from serving on 113
Jurors, confining from meat
and drink 113
Jury, Trial by 112
Justice 429
Juvenile Amusements, Origin
and Antiquity of various ... 175
Kaleidoscope ... 65
Katherine's, St. Collegiate Col-
lege of 293
Katherine (St.) Cree 297
Keel 430
Kent 340
King 136
King and Queen, drawing for 184
Kings and Queens of England 444
XIV
CONTENTS.
King's Bench 126
King of the Romans 141
King's College, London ... 100
King's Cock-crower ... ... 148
King's Speech ... Ill
Kingston 340
Kissing the Pope's Foot ... 182
Klocke, i. e., Clock, or Bell ... 430
Knighthood 148
Knights Hospitallers 149
Knight-rider Street 313
Knights Templars 149
Knives ... ... . ... 57
Labour and Money in early
times ... ... .-. 50
Lack-a-Daisy ... ... ... 430
Lac of Rupees 52
Ladies appearing at Court ... 191
Lady 430
Lady Day 226
Lady in the Straw 398
Lambeth 314
Lamb's Conduit Street 313
Lamb's Wool 431
Lammas Day 228
Lamp Black 79
Lancasterian System of Educa-
tion ... ' 108
Land Tax in England 121
Langbourne Ward 289
Language, English ... ... 2
Language, origin of 1
Lanthorns 64
Lark-hall Tavern 278
Lass of Richmond Hill . . 96
Lawns, Cambrics, Starching . . 74
Law of Shipwreck 198
Lawrence Poultney Lane . . 314
Law Sunday 231
Lawyers' Patron ... . . 394
Leadenhall Street 313
Leeds, Duke of 159
Libraries, Circulating ... . . 9
Library 431
Lie, giving the 178
Light-houses 80
Lily 241
Limehouse 314
Lime Street Ward 290
Lincoln College 99
Lincoln's Inn ... ... 291
Lion Sermon 199
Lion's Head Fountains .. 69
Literary Degrees, origin of ... 416
Literati 431
Little Britain . . 313
Page
Liver Complaints in India ... 413
Liveries 255
Liverymen 431
Lloyds' Coffee-house 284
Lollard 105
Lombard Street 314
London 278
London Arms . 205
London Bridge . 279
London Cries . ... ... 189
London Wall 313
Long Acre . 313
Lord Mayor . ... ... 147
Lord Mayor of London, pre-
sented to the Chancellor ... 197
Lord Mayor's Day 188
Dord Mayor's Show 188
Lord Warden of the Cinque
Ports 148
Loriner ... ... ... ... 271
Lothbury 314
Lotteries 130
Low Sunday 231
Ludgate Street 313
Lullaby 432
Lunatic 366
Luncheon 432
Magellan, Straits of 351
Magna Charta Ill
Mahometan 105
Mahogany, its use in England 260
Maidstone 342
Mail Coaches 117
Mameluke 432
Man 433
Man of Straw 365
Mantua-maker ... ... ... 265
Maps and Sea Charts ... ... 77
Marbles 176
March . 218
Margaret, (St.) Pattens ... 297
Mariner's Compass 66
Mark Lane ... 315
Marquis ... ... ... ... 137
Marriage by Proxy 187
Marseilles 341
Marshalsea Court 127
Martel, Charles 158
Martin's (St.) Little Summer... 225
Martin (St.) Orgar 296
Martin's (St.) Outwich 297
Mary-le-bone 315
Mary (St.) Aldermary 297
Mary (St.) at Hill 298
Mary (St.) Axe 315
Mary (St.) Bothaw 298
CONTENTS.
Mary (St.) Cole Church
Mary (St.) Le Bow
Mary (St.) Matfellon ..
Mary (St.) Mounthaunt
Mary (St.) Overie
Mary (St.) Somerset ..
Mary (St.) Woolnooth,.
Masquerades
Massachusetts
Matrimony
Maundy Thursday
Mauritius
Mausoleum
May
May Day
May Fair
May-poles
Maze Pond, South wark
Meal Tub Plot
Measures, liquid and dry
Mediatised Princes
Mediterranean ...
Men Milliners ...
Men of Kent
Mercers' Company
Merchant Tailors' Company ...
Mermaid
Merryandrew
Merrvandrew ...
Merry as a Greek
Merry in the Hall when Beards
wag all
Merry Wakefield
Merton College
Methodism
Mews
Michaelmas Day, &c
Michael (St.) Bassishaw
Michael's (St.) Querne
Middlesex
Military Uniforms
Milk Street
Millbank
Milliner ...
Milton's Paradise Lost
Mince Pies
Mind your P's and Q's...
Minories
Minster ...
Mint, Borough ...
Mirrors
Miser
Missionary Societies ...
Mistletoe, Use of, at Christmas
Money, interest on
Money, placed in the Mouths
of the Dead ..
Page
298
293
295
298
296
298
293
190
341
432
226
341
432
218
222
208
200
315
119
47
155
342
264
374
270
270
407
94
395
395
389
399
98
106
316
224
298
299
342
255
315
316
265
10
184
397
314
433
316
256
362
106
179
50
185
Page
Money, origin of Use of ... 45
Monk well Street 314
Monmouth Street 314
Month 218
Montmartre 341
Moornelds 315
Moravians ... ... ... 106
Morris Dance 167
Most Christian King 143
Mourning 215
Munchausen (Baron) 376
Marseilles 341
Mushroom 433
Music 39
Music, Letters in 40
Music, origin of dividing into
Bars 40
Music, origin of the Dominant 40
My Lord 369
Myrmidon 362
Names, Literal Signification of
the Principal Male and Fe-
male Christian 161
Names of Places or Persons ... 357
Names, Roman ... ... 156
Nantz, Edict of 108
Napoleon, origin of the name 159
Narcissus 239
National Debt 131
Native Fruits in England ... 235
Native Oysters 252
Naval Salute to the English
Flag 123
Navigation, Internal,in England 52
Needles 58
Negus 251
Nero Fiddled while Rome was
burning 383
Ne sutor ultra crepidam ... 391
Never look a gift horse in the
Mouth
Newcastle Salmon
Newgate
Newinerton Butts
New River
Newspapers
New- Year's Gifts
Nicene Creed ...
Nickname
Nicolas (Saint) Cole Abbey ..
Nicolas (Saint) Olaves
Nightcaps
Nightly Watch
Nine Tailors make a Man
Noble Families, origin of Va-
rious 160
399
252
316
316
281
12
186
107
433
293
295
254
196
XVI
CONTENTS.
Page
No Great Shakes 400
None Such House 276
Northumberland ... ... 342
Notation 40
Not fit to hold a Candle to him 389
Nova Scotia Baronets ... 138
November ... 220
October
Old and New Style
Old Bailey
Old Jewry
Old Rowley
Old Sarum
Olympian Games
derivation of
220
122
317
317
375
348
177
259
43
84
41
98
190
Omnibus
Opera, Italian
Oratorios
Organs
Oriel College ..
Original Dinners
Ornamental Gardening in Eng-
land 238
Osnaburg, Bishop of 146
Ostler * 265
Ottoman Empire 343
Outlawry 195
Oxford 343
O Yes! O Yes! O Yes! ... 388
Pacific Ocean 345
Painter (Boat's) 262
Painting, the Schools of ... 34
Painting, origin and progress of 31
Palatinate of Durham 344
Palestine 345
Palladium 415
Pall Mall 318
Palm Sunday 232
Pamphlets and Tracts, origin of 8
Pancakes 184
Pancake day 233
Pancras (Saint) 295
Panic 434
Panorama 64
Pantaloon 94
Pantaloons ... ... ... 255
Pantomime ... ... ... 93
Paper 15
Paradise Lost (Milton's) ... 10
Parapet Walls to Houses ... 25
Parchment ... ... ... 77
Paris Garden playhouse ... 88
Parliament 110
Parliament, Acts of 123
Parliamentary Speeches, Re-
porting of 132
Page
Parnassian Spring 416
Parson 434
Passing Bell 194
Passion Flower ... ... 241
Paternoster Row .., ... 317
Paul's (St.) Cathedral, &c., ... 292
Pauper 266
Paving of London ... ... 279
Pawnbrokers' Balls 53
Pay a Ship's side 392
Peckham Fair 208
Pedlar 266
Pedlar's Acre 317
Peeping Tom of Coventry ... 377
Peerdom 134
Peerless Pool 344
Peg too low, a 383
Pembroke College, Cambridge 99
Pembroke College, Oxford ... 99
Pennsylvania 343
Penny Post 117
Perambulating Parishes on
Ascension Day 193
Percv 157
Perela Chaise 343
Perjury 434
Persia 343
Peter Pence 196
Peter (Saint) ad Vincula ... 294
Peter (Saint) Le Poor 294
Petersburgh 343
Petty France 317
Philpot Lane 318
Piano-fortes ... ... ... 42
Piccadilly 318
Pickett Street 317
Pic-nick 434
Pie Poudre, Court of 129
Pin Money 186
Pins 57
Plantagenet 156
Playing Cards 165
Playhouses in London ... 87
Plays, religious ... ... 85
Pledging in drinking ... 382
Ploughing 235
Plough Monday 227
Poet Laureate 148
Poetry, origin of ... ... 10
Poland 345
Poltroon 3G6
Poor Laws and Poor Houses ... 125
Pope, alias Bishop of Rome ... 141
Pope Joan 166
Pope's Bull 13
Pope's Foot, kissing the ... 182
Pope's Name, changing of the 108
CONTENTS.
XV11
Page
Popish Plot 118
Poplar 319
Porcelain ... ... ... 435
Porcelain, origin of 26
Porter, or Carrier 266
Porter and Entire 249
Portland Vase 28
Portpool Lane 318
Portsoken Ward 289
Port Wine 250
Post Offices 117
Posts 121
Potatoes 242
Pot- waller 435
Poultry 318
Prerogative Court 127
Pressing for the Navy 121
Prince of Wales 136
Principality of Chester ... 128
Printing ... ... ... 16
Promethean Fire ... ... 414
Proof of the Pudding is in the
Eating 394
Property Tax 121
Protestants 104
Proxv, Marriage by ... ... 187
Prussia 343
Prussian Blue 79
Public-house Signs ... ... 271
Public Theatres in Rome ... 86
Punch 92
Punch liquor 250
Puritan 435
Put a Beggar on Horseback and
he'll ride to the Devil ... 396
Pye Corner 318
Quakers 106
Quakers, Affirmation of the ... 123
Quarter Day 227
Queenhithe Ward 287
Quoits 175
Eace 435
Rackets, Game of 168
Radcliffe Library 101
Radical 436
Radishes 244
Raisins 237
Rape of Bramber 347
Razors ... ... ... ... 57
Receipts, stamp duty on ... 117
Rathbone Place 319
Reculvers 345
Red and White Cross Streets 319
Red Bull playhouse 87
Red Herrings 253
Page
Red Sea 347
Regent's Park 319
Religious Plays 85
Rent 51
Reporting of Parliamentary
Speeches 132
Restaurateur 267
Restoration Day 232
Revolutionary Calendar ... 221
Ribald 364
Ribston Pippin 236
Richmond 347
Riding Stang 210
Riding the Black Lad ... 209
Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire ... 346
Rights and Lefts 254
Ringleader 436
Roast Pig 211
Rob Peter to Pay Paul ... 400
Rogation Sunday ... ... 231
Roman Names 156
Romans, King of the 141
Rome 347
Rome, Public Theatres in ... 86
Rosary 436
Rosemary 241
Roundhead 361
Rowland for an Oliver ... 387
Royal Academy 325
Royal Exchange 282
Royal Society 326
Royal Titles 145
Rule Britannia... 95
Rump Parliament 123
Rupees, Lac of ... ... ... 52
Rye-house Plot 118
Sadler's Wells 350
Saffron Hill 320
Sailing Coaches 62
Saints, Translation of 233
Salads 242
Sal ique Law in France ... 203
Salters' Hall 285
Savings' Bank ... ... ... 55
Savoy 321
Saws 58
Sceptic 438
Sceptre ... ,.. ... ... 153
Sclavonia 350
Scotland (Curse of) 378
Scots Corporation 326
Sculpture, origin & progress of 29
Sea charts 77
Secretary of State 147
Sedan Chairs 260
See-saw 177
XV111
CONTENTS.
Page
Selkirk Arms ... 205
Semper Eadem ... ... 146
Senator ... ... ... ... 438
Send him to Coventry .. 390
September .. 220
Sepulchre (Saint) 295
Sergeants' Coif 255
Servites, Order of 103
Seven Oaks 349
Sevendroog Castle 349
Shad well 322
Shakspeare, Chandos portrait of 38
Shamming Abraham ... ... 383
Shamrock, the Irish Badge of
Honour 192
Shaving Brushes 267
She is in her Willows 398
Sherborne Lane 320
Sheriff 147
Sherry 250
Ships of War 65
Shillings first coined 49
Ships, insurance of .. ... 51
Shipwreck, law of .. ... 198
Shoes and Boots * 253
Shooters' Hill 349
Shoreditch ... 319
Shrove or Pancake Tuesday ... 233
Shuttlecock 176
Sicilian Vespers 232
Side Saddles 260
Sign Painting 37
Signs of public-houses ... 271
Silk Trade 74
Simon, the Tanner of Joppa ... 272
Singing-bread 438
Si Quis 438
Sir 139
Skaiting 170
Skinflint 375
Skinner Street 319
Skipping 176
Slave Trade 120
Sleep on it 388
Sloane Street 319
Smallpox 412
Smithfield 320
Smoking and taking Snuff ... 191
Soap ... 73
Society, origin of 4
Soho Square 319
Soldiers doing duty at the The-
atres Royal ..." 89
Somerset House 321
Sorbonne College ... ... 98
Sots' Hole 349
Sound as a Roach . 382
Page
South Sea Bubble 120
South wark 350
Sovereigns, a coin 49
Spectacles 61
Spencean System of Education 108
Spencers ... ... ... 257
Spinning Jennies 64
Spinster 361
Spitalfields 321
Spital Sermon 109
Spitting 409
Spread Eagle 276
S. S., Collar of 151
Stages, Original, in England... 90
Stalking Horse 370
Stamp Duty on Receipts ... 117
Standing Army in England ... 120
Stanhope 260
Staple's Inn 291
Star Chamber 128
Starching 74
Stathe 439
Stationers 263
Statuary 31
Statues, Royal Exchange ... 283
Stays 257
St. Cloud 349
Steam-engine ... ... ... 63
Steel Yard 320
Stentorian Lungs 415
Stephen's (St.) Day 229
Stepney 322
Stereotyping 18
Sterling 51
Steyne at Brighton 351
St. Helena 340
Stilton Cheese 252
Stockings, Weaving 76
Stone, origin of Building with,
in England 25
Stonehenge ... , 348
Stourbridge Fair 209
Straits of Magellan 351
Strand 321
Structures, Chronological Table
of Ancient and Modern ... 22
St. Swithin's Day 386
Stuart ... 157
Stupid as a Goose 380
Style, old and new 122
Sugar 245
Summer ... ... ... ... 217
Sunday Schools 107
Sun-dial 69
Surgeon 267
Surgeons, exempted from serv-
ing on Juries 113
CONTENTS.
XIX
Page
439
Page
... 373
437
Tortoise Shell
... 261
Swan theatre
88
173
Tottenham Court Road
Tourniquet
... 323
... 59
Swan with two Necks
Swearing on the Gospel ...
Swithin's Day
Sydney Sussex College
Tailor . .
272
123
386
99
262
Tower, Royal ...
Tracts, origin of
Tragedy
Translation of Saints ...
Transportation
Tread Mill
... 322
8
... 84
... 233
... 123
... 69
260
Trial bv Jury
... 112
Tansev puddings on Easter Day
Tarpeian Rock
Tarrin o< and Featherin" 1
202
353
198
Troubadours
Trumpets
Tulips
... 44
... 41
... 240
440
277
Tea
Telegraph, Electric
Telegraph, domestic
Telegraph, printing ...
Telegraphs
Telescopes
Teller of the Exchequer
246
59
60
60
59
61
147
Tunbridge
Tunbridge Wells
Turn-coat
Turnnikes
Twelfth Cakes
Twelfth Day
... 357
... 352
... 366
... 129
... 184
... 227
323
Temple Bar
Term ... . .
322
440
Type-founding ...
... 17
Tetter-totter or See-saw
Thaivie's Inn ...
Thames
177
291
280
Universities
University College, London
University of London
... 97
... 100
100
Theatres in London
Theatres in Rome
Theatrical Benefits
Theatrical stages
Theobald's Road
They are sworn Brothers
Thistle, Order of the
Thistle, the Scottish
Thomas' (St.) Day
Those who live in Glass Houses
88
86
97
90
323
380
150
192
229
Under the Rose
Vaccination
Valentine and Orson ...
Vase, the Etruscan
Vase, the Portland
Vegetable Fungi
Vegetable Ivory
Veluti in Speculum ...
Venice
... 388
... 413
... 274
... 29
... 28
... 244
... 245
... 97
353
should be careful how they
throw Stones ... ... ...
391
Vicar of Bray ...
Villain
... 372
... 371
Threadneedle Street
Three Legs
323
277
Vintry Ward
Violet
... 288
... 240
Throgmorton Street ..
323
Virginia
353
Throwing a Tub to the Whale
Time Measure Barometer
Times newspaper
394
62
17
Viscount
Vitus's (St.) Dance
Volume
... 137
... 412
441
Tinker
264
Tin-plate, Manufacture of ...
Tithes, origin of
Titles and Dignities ...
71
124
135
Wadham College
Wages, board
Waits
... 100
... 51
441
Toady ...
440
Walbrook
324
Tobacco
Tokenhouse Yard
Tomb-stone
Tooley Street
247
323
440
323
Wales, Prince of
Walking-sticks
Waller's Plot
Walloon
... 136
... 260
... 118
... 441
Tools, manufacturing of
Top
55
176
Wai worth
Wapentake
... 324
443
Topographical Rhymes
400
Wardmote
... 442
CONTENTS.
Page
Wardrobe (Great) Street ... 310
Wards 287
While the Grass gro
Steed starves
Whipping of Apple-trc
Whispering Gallery
Whist, Game of
White
Whitechapel ..
Whoohe!
Wife
Wigs
Wilkes and Fortv-nve
Wills ...
Wilsonian Fund
Windfall
Wine
Page
ws the
... 384
es ... 201
... 293
... 165
... 442
... 324
... 441
... 442
... 257
... 387
... 214
... 326
... 443
442
War, Ships of ...
Warwick Lane
Watches
65
324
70
Watchmen, origin of
Water Carriage
Water Ordeal .
Water Pipes
Watling Street .
Weald of Kent .
Weaving
Weaving Stockings
Wedding Finger emb
of matrimonial unio
Week
196
65
... 409
282
324
353
75
76
lematical
n ... 186
91S
Winnowing Machines
Winter ...
... 64
... 218
Weeping Willows 241
Weights and Measures in Eng-
land, origin of ... ... 47
Wellington, or Wellesley Fa-
mily . 160
Witch
4-4.9
Witches and Witchcraft ... 405
Women's Blacks 258
Woodstock 353
Woollen Manufacture 76
Woolsacks in the House of
Lords 119
Writing, the art of 83
Yankee! 366
We'll not carry Coals 390
Welsh Leek as a Badge of
Honour 192
Westminster ... 354
What's the difference between
a Horse Chestnut and a
Chestnut Horse 381
When Rogues fall out Honest
Men come by their own ... 392
When the Steed's stolen shut
the Stable Door 384
Whiffler 441
Yeoman . ...
.. 263
York
355
Yorkshire Bite
Your humble Servant .
Zuider Sea
... 371
... 383
... 356
Whigs and Tories 373
THE
ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, ARCHITECTURE,
PAINTING, SCULPTURE, MUSIC, ENGRAYING,
GOVERNMENT, &c.
ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE.
IF we suppose, says BLAIR, a period before any words were in-
vented or known, it is clear that men could have no other method
of communicating to others what they felt, than by the cries of
passion, accompanied with such motions and gestures as were
further expressive of passion ; for these are the only signs which
Nature teaches to all men, and which are understood by all.
One who saw another going into a place where he himself had
been frightened, or exposed to danger, and who sought to warn
his neighbour of that danger, could contrive no other way of
doing so, than by uttering those cries, and making those gestures,
which are the signs of fear ; just as two men at this day, would
endeavour to make themselves understood by each other, who
should be thrown together on a desolate island, ignorant of each
other's language. Those exclamations, therefore, which by gram-
marians are called interjections, uttered in a strong and impas-
sioned manner, were beyond doubt the first elements or beginning
of speech.
Interjections would be followed by names of objects, or noun*;
these by names of actions, or verbs; these by qualities of nouns
and actions, as adjectives and adverbs; and these would be suc-
cessively followed by prepositions, pronouns, articles, and con-
junctions.
When more enlarged communication became necessary, and
names began to be assigned to objects, in what manner can we
suppose men to have proceeded in this assignation of names, or
invention of words 1 Undoubtedly, by imitating as much as
they could the nature of the object which they named, by the
B
2 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
sound of the name which they gave to it. "Whenever objects
were to be named, in which sound, noise, or motion, were con-
cerned, the imitation by words was abundantly obvious. Nothing
was more natural than to imitate by the sound of the voice, the
quality of the sound or noise which any external object made,
and to form its name accordingly. Thus in all language we find
a multitude of words that are evidently constructed upon this
principle. A certain bird is termed a cuckoo, from the sound
which it emits; when one sort of wind is said to whistle, and
another to roar ; when a serpent is said to hiss, &fly to buzz, and
falling timber to crash; when a stream is said to flow, and hail to
rattle; the analogy between the word and the thing signified is
plainly discernible.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
The English language, or rather, the ancient language of
Britain, says the Encyclopedist, or Circle of the Sciences, is gene-
rally allowed to have been the same with the Gaulic, or French,
(this island, in all probability, having been first peopled from
Gallia,) as both Caesar and Tacitus affirm, and prove by many
strong and conclusive arguments, as by their religion, manners,
customs, and the nearness of their situation. But now we have
very small remains of the ancient British tongue, except in "Wales,
the Islands and Highlands of Scotland, part of Ireland, and some
provinces of France ; which will not appear strange, when the
following historical events, elucidating the rise and progress of
the English language, are taken into consideration.
Julius Caesar, some time before the birth of our Saviour, made
a descent upon Britain, though he may be said rather to have
discovered than conquered it;* but about the year of Christ
forty-five, in the time of Claudius, Aulus Plautius was sent over
with some Roman forces, by whom two kings of the Britons,
Codigunus and Caractacus, were both overcome in battle ; where-
upon a Roman colony was planted at Maiden, in Essex, and the
southern parts of the island were reduced to the form of a Roman
province ; after that, the island was conquered as far North as
the Firths of Dumbarton and Edinburgh, by Agricola, in the
time of Domitian ; whereupon a great number of the Britons, in
the conquered part of the island, retired to the "West part, called
Wales, carrying their language with them.
The greatest part of Britain being thus become a Roman
province, the Roman legions, who resided in Britain for above
200 years, undoubtedly disseminated the Latin tongue ; and the
* It has been proved by astronomical demonstration, that Caesar arrived
for the first time in front of the cliffs of Dover, on the 23rd of August,
B.C. 55, at ten in the morning, and finally effected his landing at three
o'clock of the same day, in the Downs, eight miles from Dover, between
the South Foreland and Deal.
THE ETTMOLOG1CAL COMPENDIUM. 3
people being afterwards governed by laws written in Latin, must
necessarily make a mixture of languages. This seems to have
been the first mutation the language of Britain suffered.
Thus the British tongue continued, for some time, mixed with
the provincial Latin, till the Eoman legions being called home,
the Scots and Picts took the opportunity to attack and harass
England ; upon which, King Vortigern, about the year 440,
called the Saxons to his assistance, who came over with several
of their neighbours, and having repulsed the Scots and Picts,
were rewarded for their services with the Isle of Thanet, and the
whole county of Kent ; but growing too powerful, and not being
contented with their allotment, .dispossessed the inhabitants of
all the country on this side of the Severn; thus the British
tongue was in a great measure destroyed, and the Saxon intro-
duced in its stead. What the Saxon tongue was, long before the
conquest, about the year 700, we may observe in the most ancient
manuscripts of that language, which is a gloss on the Evangelists,
by Bishop Edfrid, in which the three first articles on the Lord's
Prayer run thus :
. " Uren Fader thic arth in heofnas, sic gehalgud thin noma, so
cymeth thin ric. Sic thin willa sue is heofnas, and in eortho," &c.
In the beginning of the ninth century the Danes invaded
England, and getting a footing in the eastern and northern parts
of the country, their power gradually increased, and they became
sole masters of it in 200 years. By this means, the ancient
British gained a tincture of the Danish language ; but their
government, being of no long continuance, did not make so great
an alteration in the Anglo-Saxon as the next revolution, when
the whole land, A.D. 1067, was subdued by William the
Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, in France ; for the Normans, as
a monument of their conquest, endeavoured to make their
language as generally received as their commands, and thereby
rendered the British language an entire medley.
About the year 900, the Lord's Prayer in the ancient Anglo-
Saxon ran thus :
" Thu ure Fader the eart on heofenum, si thin nama gehalgod ;
cume thin rice si thin willa on eorthon swa, swa on heofenum," &c.
It will now clearly be seen, that the English Language had its
origin in a compound of others.
" Great, verily," says Camden, " was the glory of our tongue
before the Norman Conquest, in this, that the old English could
express, most aptly, all the conceptions of the mind in their own
tongue, without borrowing from any."
That the English language, although of an heterogeneous origin,
possesses more poetical capabilities than any other at the present
day, there can be no question. Dr. Johnson says, in speaking of
languages, " the Spanish for love, the French for gallantry, the
Italian for music, and the English for poetry"
4 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
BURLESQUE.
F. Vavassor mentions, in his book De Ludicra Dictione, that
burlesque was altogether unknown to the ancients ; but others
are of a different opinion. We even find that one Raintovious,
in the time of Ptolemy Lagus, turned the serious subject of
tragedy into ridicule, which is, perhaps, a better plea for the
antiquity of farce than of burlesque. The Italians seem to have
the justest claim to the invention of burlesque ; the first of this
kind was Bernid, who was followed by Lalli, Caporali, &c. From
Italy it passed into France, and became there so much the mode,
that in 1649, there appeared a book under the title of " The
Passion of our Saviour," in burlesque verse. From thence it
passed into England, where some have excelled therein, especially
Butler in his Hudibras.
ON THE ORIGIN OF GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY.
The distinction between the origin of Government and the
origin of Political Society, is thus defined in Cooper's Letters on
the Irish Nation, 1799 : '
From the writings of Aristotle, w^e are taught to consider the
origin of Government not as a work of art, or of intellect, much
less as the result of contract ; but as the consequence of a natural
instinctive impulse towards comfort, convenience, and security.
Government was not made, created, or covenanted; but arose
out of human nature. Laws, indeed, which were afterwards
added, are artificial aids and contrivances to prop and support
government. They thwart, control, and subject the passions of
individuals, in order to prevent their injuring society. But the
origin of political society is totally distinct. It was dictated by
nature, and cherished by a conviction and sensation of its utility.
The same principle of general convenience, which for the well-
being of mankind necessarily gave rise to government, still holds
it together, and must ever continue to do so. Utility is thus the
moral principle upon which the obedience of citizens and the
protection of magistrates rests. It was Nature which established
the subordination of servant and master, of family to father, and
of wife to husband. These three branches of domestic economy
are the germ of all government. Principium Urbis et quasi
Seminarium Reipublicce. " The British Government," says
Montesquieu, " is one of the wisest in Europe, because there is a
body which examines it perpetually, and which is perpetually
examining itself ; and its errors are of such a nature as never to
be lasting, and are frequently useful, by rousing the attention.
In a word (he adds), a free government, that is to say, one for
ever in motion, cannot support itself, unless its own laws are
capable of correcting the abuses of it." The benevolent Hanway
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 5
says, " Government originates from the love of order. Watered
by police it grows up to maturity, and, in the course of time,
spreads a luxuriant comfort and security. Cut oif its branches,
and the mere trunk, however strong it may appear, can afford no
shelter." Police, being one of the means by which an improved
state of society is produced and preserved, is defined by Mr.
Colquhoun to be, " a new science ; the properties of which
consist not in the judicial powers which lead to punishment, and
which belong to magistrates alone ; but in the prevention and
detection of crimes, and in those other functions which relate to
internal regulations for the well ordering and comfort of civil
society." " Again," says he, " to effect this purpose, inestimable
in a national point of view, and benevolent . and humane to all
whose vices and enormities it tends to restrain; a police must be
resorted to upon the broad scale of general prevention, mild in its
operations, effective in its results ; having justice and humanity
for its basis, and the general security of the state and individuals
for its ultimate object."
ORIGIN OF BOOKS, AND VARIOUS OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED
WITH THEM.
Several sorts of materials were used formerly in making
records ; plates of lead and copper, tlie barks of trees, bricks,
stone, and wood, were the first materials employed to engrave
such things upon as men were willing to have transmitted to
posterity. Josephus speaks of two columns, the one of stone, the
other of brick, on which the children of Seth wrote their inven-
tions and astronomical discoveries. Perphyrius makes mention
of some pillars, preserved in Crete, on which the ceremonies,
practised by the Corybantes in their sacrifices, were recorded.
Hesio&s Works \fere originally written upon tables of lead, and
deposited in the temple of the muses, in Bceotia.
The Ten Commandments delivered to Moses were written upon
stone ; and Solon's Laws upon wooden planks. Tables of wood,
box, and ivory, were common among the ancients ; when of
wood, they were frequently covered with wax, that people might
write upon them with more ease, or blot out what they had
written. The leaves of the palm-tree were afterwards used
instead of wooden planks, and the finest and thinnest part of the
bark of such trees as the lime, the ash, the maple, and the elm ;
hence is derived the word liber, which signifies the inner bark
of the trees ; and as these barks were rolled up, in order to be
removed with greater ease, these rolls were called volumen, a
volume ; a name afterwards given to the like rolls of paper or
parchment.*
* The name is derived from the Latin volvo, to roll up, the ancient
manner of making up books, as we find in Cicero's time the libraries con-
sisted wholly of such rolls.
6 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Thus we find books were first written on stones, witness the
Decalogue given to Moses ; then on the parts of plants, as leaves
chiefly of the palm-tree ; the rind and barks, especially the tilia,
or phylleria, and the Egyptian papyrus. By degrees wax, then
leather, were introduced, especially the skins of goats and sheep,
of which at length parchment was prepared ; then lead came into
use ; also linen, silk, horn, and lastly, paper itself. The first books
were in the form of blocks and tables; but as flexible matter
came to be wrote on, they found it more convenient to make their
books in the form of rolls ; these were composed of several sheets,
fastened to each other, and rolled upon a stick, or umbilicus, the
whole making a kind of column or cylinder, which was to be
managed by the umbilicus as a handle, it being reputed a crime
(as we are told) to take hold of the roll itself.
The outside of the volume w T as called frons; the ends of the
umbilicus, cornua (horns,) which were usually carved, and adorned
with silver, ivory, or even gold and precious stones ; the title was
struck on the outside, and the whole volume, when extended,
might make a yard and a half wide, and fifty long. The form,
or internal arrangement of books, has also undergone many varie-
ties; at first the letters were only divided into lines, then into
separate words, which by degrees were noted with accents, into
periods, paragraphs, chapters, and other divisions. In some
countries, as among the Orientals, the lines began from the right
and ran leftward ; in others, as the northern and western nations,
from left to right ; others, as the Greeks, followed both directions,
alternately going in the one, and returning in the other, called
Boustrophedon ; in most countries the lines run from one side to
the other ; in some, particularly the Chinese, from top to bottom.
Again, in some the page is entire and uniform ; in others, divided
into columns ; in others, distinguished into texfs and notes, either
marginal or at the bottom ; usually it is furnished with signa-
tures and catch-words ; sometimes also with a register, to dis-
cover whether the book is complete. To these are added
summaries, or side-notes, and the embellishments, as in old books,
of red, gold, or initial letters; they had likewise, as with the
moderns, their head-pieces, tail-pieces, effigies, schemes, maps, and
the like. There were also certain formulas at the beginnings
and endings of books ; the one to exhort the reader to be coura-
geous, and proceed to the following books ; the others were con-
clusions, often guarded with imprecations against such as should
falsify them. Of the earlier books we have nothing that is clear
on that subject. The Books of Moses are doubtless the oldest
books now extant. Of profane books, the oldest extant are
Homer's Poems, which were so even in the time of Sextus Em-
piricus ; though we find mention in Greek writers of seventy
others prior to Homer, as Hermes, Orpheus, Daphne, Horus,
Linus, Musaeus, Palamedes, Zoroaster, &c., but of the greater
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 7
part of these there is not the least fragment remaining ; and of
others, the pieces which go under their names are generally held
by the learned to be supposititious. Hardouin goes farther,
charging all the ancient books, beth Greek and Latin, except
Cicero, Pliny, Virgil's Georgics, Horace's Satires and Epistles,
Herodotus, and Homer, to be spurious, and forged in the 13th
century by a club of persons, under the direction of one Severus
Archontius. Among the Greeks it is to be observed, the oldest
books were in verse, which was prior to prose. Herodotus's His-
tory is the oldest book extant of the prosaic kind.
To books we are indebted, as one of the chief instruments of
acquiring knowledge ; they are the repositories of the law, and
vehicles of learning of every kind ; our religion itself is founded
in books, and without them, says Bartholin, " God is silent, Jus-
tice dormant, Physic at a stand, Philosophy lame, Letters dumb,
and all things involved in Cimmerian darkness."
The eulogia which have been bestowed upon books are infinite ;
they are represented as the refuge of truth, which is banished out
of conversation; as standing counsellors or preachers, always at
hand, and always disinterested ; having this advantage over all
instructions, that they are ready to repeat their lesson as often
as we please. Books supply the want of masters, and even, in
some measure, the want of genius and invention, and can raise
the dullest persons who have memory above the level of the
greatest geniuses, if destitute of their help. Perhaps their highest
glory is the affection borne them by the greatest men of all ages.
Cato, the elder Pliny, the Emperor Julian, and others, are oil
record for their great devotion to books ; the last has perpe-
tuated his passion by some Greek Epigrams in their praise.
THE ALPHABET.
Alphabet is the name given to the series of letters used in dif-
ferent countries at different times. The term is borrowed from
the Greek language, in which Alpha, Beta, are the first two let-
ters ; or, if we go a step fatther back, we should derive the words
from the Hebrew, which gives to the corresponding letters the
names Aleph, Beth. Thus, the formation of the word is pre-
cisely analogous to that of our familiar expression, the A, B, C.
DEDICATIONS TO BOOKS.
Dedications to Books were first introduced in the time of Mae-
cenas, A.D. 1 7 ; practised for the purpose of obtaining money in
16 JO.*
* A very curious chapter on dedications is to be found in D'Israeli's
Curiosities of Literature, p. 122.
8 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ON THE ORIGIN OF PAMPHLETS AND TRACTS,
How many subjects owe their birth to a Pamphlet, which, but
for the temptation it affords to the expression of temporary feel-
ings, and trivial discussion (to which local or personal prejudices
may have given importance,) would have died a natural death, or
have been smothered in the attempt to perpetuate them, under
the more repulsive garb of even the most tiny volume 1 Pamphlets
are like essences, combining in a narrow compass all the pungency
of the subject of which they treat; where the declamation and
violence of the writer are admired while sparingly used, but
would be tedious, if not disagreeable, if spread over a wider field.
They may be called a species of missile weapons, easily discharged
against an adversary ; not the less dangerous because they are
light, and generally bearing a portion of that fire and spirit to
which they owed their existence. Every controversy is preceded
by them ; like the skirmishers of modern warfare, they are the
irregular auxiliaries of literature, which, though not formally
enlisted in its service, may, like wandering guerillas, yet do fear-
ful execution. " From pamphlets," says the Icon Libellorum,
" may be learned the genius of the age, the debates of the learned,
the follies of the ignorant, the views of government, the over-
eights of the statesman. They furnish beaux with their airs,
coquets with their charms ; pamphlets are as modish ornaments to
a gentleman's toilet, or to gentlemen's pockets ; they are chat to
the talkative, stories for nurses, toys for children, fans for misses,
poverty to their authors, gain to the lucky, fatal to the unlucky."
There have been many conjectures respecting the origin of the
word Pamphlet; but of all the words that have been suggested,
those which express a small book consisting of a few leaves of
paper secured together and not bound, are probably the most
plausibly ingenious, as well as the nearest to the sense and sound
of the word itself. For example : Par un filet, held by a thread
(Dr. Johnson ;) Palme feuittet, a leaf to be held in the hand (Dr.
Pegge ;) Papelon, Spanish, from papel; papaleta, signifying both
a bill and a pamphlet (Dr. Webster.) , It occurs in a Latinised
form so early as to be familiarly mentioned in a work entitled
Philobiblon; or a treatise concerning the love of Books, written
in the fourteenth century by Richard de Bury, bishop of Durham.
" If, indeed," says the author of that curious work, " we formerly
desired to possess vessels of gold and silver, or stately horses, or
to collect together no small sums of money; we now revere
books and not pounds, and volumes more than florins, and we
prefer little panflets before noble palfreys."
Most books were originally published in the pamphlet form.
The Scriptures were supposed to have been written in this manner
at first, in distinct sheets, or rolls, as they were affixed by the
command of Heaven to the doors of the Temple, or Tabernacle.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
The same may probably be asserted of the mode of divulging the
warnings of the minor prophets, from the different occasions
which were the subjects of their predictions, and the smallness of
their contents. The Heathen writings were generally published
the same way, and for that reason were called Centores, and were
frequently recited separately. Amongst all fabulous writers the
Jewish Rabbins occupy the first place ; and the pamphlets, or
small treatises, preserving their traditions, collected in their
Talmud, and originally published at Venice, amounted to no less
than fourteen volumes in folio. Next to them in the rank of
fiction, and of magnitude, may be classed the " Legends of the
Saints," published by the Jesuits in 1673, and amounting, in the
beginning of the last century, to fifty folio volumes, all of which
were originally of pamphlet sizes.
Political pamphlets were little known in England till the reign
of Philip and Mary, Caxton having, in the reign of Henry VI.
introduced the " Mysterie of Prynting." In 1649, it was ordained,
" That the author of every seditious pamphlet, or libel, shall be
fined Ten Pounds, or suffer forty days' imprisonment. The printer
Five Pounds, and his printing-press broken," as being the head
and front of his offending. " No printing-presses to be allowed
except in London, or the two Universities ; no books to be landed
in any other port than London ; and to be viewed by the Master
and Warden of the Company of Stationers !" and such was the
origin of the incalculably prolific case of Pamphlets.
The terms Tract and Pamphlet, though differing considerably
as to age, have always possessed nearly the same signification,
namely, that of a short composition. The term Tract is even still
conventionally understood to imply a work somewhat larger and
on a more serious subject than the Pamphlet; since it was fre-
quently connected with divinity or religious controversy, in which
the meaning of the original word is decidedly to be traced. The
Latin ^racta^'whence it is derived, is a treatise on any subject
drawn out and methodised. Hence, says Hoffman, the discussions
and discourses delivered by the ancient philosophers, sophists,
and rhetoricians, juri-consults, and others of similar classes, were
called by the word tractare; and hence also the Christian Fathers
are every where designated Tractatores, as being those who ex-
plained the word of God by speech or writing. Sermons were thus
entitled Tractatus with singular propriety. Hence, too, in modem
times, we have Tracts for the Times, or short theological treatises,
and the writers of them curiously enough nicknamed Tractarians
or Tractatores.
CIRCULATING LIBRARIES.
These valuable repositories of literature are not of modern
invention. The first collections consisted of religious works
alone, and were lent out gratuitously.
10 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Pamphilus was a Presbyter of Caesarea, and lived A.D. 294
In this distinguished person were united the philosopher and the
Christian. Born of a* very eminent family, and large fortune, he
might have aspired to the highest honours of this world ; but, on
the contrary, he withdrew himself from those nattering pro-
spects, and spent his whole life in acts of the most disinterested
benevolence.
His unfeigned regard and veneration for the Scriptures were
as remarkable as his unwearied application in whatever he under-
took. Being a great encourager of learning and piety, he not
only lent books to read (especially copies of the Scriptures,) but
when he found persons well disposed, made them presents of his
manuscripts, some of which were transcribed with the greatest
accuracy by his own hand. He founded a library at Csesarea,
which, according to Isidore of Seville, contained 30,000 volumes.
This collection seems to have been formed merely for the good
and use of the church. Another author also authenticates the
existence of this library ; and St. Jerome particularly mentions
his collecting books for the purpose of lending them to read ; and
Dr. A, Clarke remarks, " this is, if I mistake not, the first notice
we have of a circulating library." The benefits to be derived from
a good circulating library are too numerous, as well as obvious,
to need any comment.
ORIGIN OF POETRY IN GENERAL.
History informs us Poetry began with shepherds, whose god
was Pan; having from their many leisure and abstracted hours
(while tending their flocks) a fit opportunity for such a pursuit.
Hence, they first composed couplets, next verses, and these they
perfected themselves in, and sung, while following their daily
occupations. Thence came the Bacchanalian rites, and their
sacrifice to their gods of a He Goat, which took their rise, we
are told, from Bacchus, who one day, whilst entering his vineyard,
discovered an animal of that species in the act of destroying a
favourite vine, which in his rage he instantly killed. In these
ceremonies, the hinds of that day smeared their faces with the
lees of wine, and acted and sung various verses expressly com-
posed for the occasion.
These were the first actors and song-smiths, and their successors
have done honour and credit to the invention.
" JEschylus and Thespis taught the age
What good, what profit, did commend
commend the stage.'
MILTON'S PARADISE LOST.
John Milton, son of John and Sarah Milton, was born December
9th, 1608, in Bread Street, London. He was educated at Saint
Paul's School, under Alexander Gill. He entered at Christ's
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 11
College, Cambridge, in 1624. Milton possessed a fine figure, and,
when a young man, was extremely handsome. In one of his
wanderings when in Italy, being of a very pensive cast, he sat
himself down under a tree, and commenced reading, but soon
fell asleep. During his slumber two females, who were observed
at a distance by two of his companions, stopped on coming near
to him ; and one of them wrote on a slip of paper the following
lines, which she laid on his breast, and with her companion im-
mediately disappeared :
" Occhi, Stelle mortali,
Ministri de miei mali,
Se chiusi irfuccedite,
Apperti che farete?"
which may be translated " Beautiful eyes, mortal stars, authors
of my misfortunes! if you wound me being closed, what would
ye do if open 1 " It is said that Milton was so sensitive on the
subject, that he roamed over half of Europe in search of the fair
charmer, but in vain; and which induced him to write that
sublime poem, and from the circumstance that had occurred to
him, entitled it " Paradise Lost." It has been proved by Dr.
Einibault, in a recent number of Notes and Queries, that this
piece of Eomance first appeared in a newspaper, the General
Evening Post, of 1769. The scene, however, is there laid in Eng-
land. The story is given by the Eev. H. J. Todd, in Some
Account of the Life and Writings of John Milton, 1826, p. 30, who
adds the following note : " This narrative is not singular : an
exact and older counterpart may be found, as the late J. C.
"Walker pointed out to me, in the Preface to Poesies de
Marguerite Eleanore Clotilde depuis Madame de Surville,
Poete Fransois du XV. Siecle : Paris, 1803. The Anecdote has
been elegantly versified in the original Sonnets, &c., of Anna
Seward." Milton died November the 8th, 1674. and was buried
in the Chancel of St. Giles' Church, Cripplegate. He was
Latin Secretary to Cromwell.
THE FIRST BOOK.
According to chronologists, the First Book is supposed to have
been written in Job's time. Thirty thousand books were burnt
by order of Leo, in 761. A very large estate was given for one
book on Cosmography, by king Alfred.* Books were sold from
10 to ,30 each in 1400. The first printed book was the vul-
gate edition of the Bible, in 1462 ; the second was Cicero de
Officiis, 1466 ; Cornelius Nepos, published at Mioscow, was the
first classical book printed in Eussia, April 29, 1762. In the
* This statement, which is founded on Robertson, is not to be depended
on. See, on the subject of the price of Books, Dr. Maitland's "Dark Ayes"
chap. v.
12 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
year 1471, when Louis XI. borrowed the works of Rasis, the
Arabian physician, from the Faculty of Medicine in Paris, he
not only deposited in pledge a quantity of plate, but was obliged
to give the surety of a nobleman for their restoration. When
any person made a present of a book to a church or monastery,
the only libraries during several ages, it was deemed a donative
of such value that he offered it at the altar, pro remedio anima
suce, in order to obtain forgiveness of sins.
NEWSPAPERS.
Before Newspapers were introduced, such as were desirous of
procuring information on political subjects, engaged writers ot
News Letters, who forwarded the occurrences of the day to their
employers.
Periodical Newspapers first came into general use in England
during the wars of the usurper Cromwell ; they were used to
disseminate among the people sentiments of loyalty or rebellion,
according as their authors were disposed. We seem to have
been obliged to the Italians for the idea ; and perhaps it was
their gazettas, from gazerra, a magpie, or chatterer, which have
given a name to these papers. Honest Peter Heylin, in the
preface to his Cosmography, mentions, that " the affairs of each
town, or war, were better presented to the reader in the Weekly
News Books?'' It was long supposed that the origin of periodical
Literature in this country, was to be traced to the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, when England being threatened with a formidable
invasion from Spain, the wise and prudent Burleigh projected
" The English Mercuric," printed in the year 1588, with the design
of conveying correct information to the people during the con-
tinuance of the boasted Spanish Armada in the Channel. It
has however been shown by Mr. Watts, of the British Museum,
that the copy of the " English Mercuric," dated July 28th, 1588, in
that Library, owes its existence to the ingenuity of the noble
author of The Athenian Letters. The first weekly paper was
published by Nathaniel Butler, in August, 1622, entitled, " The
certain news of this present week," and within a few years other
journals were started, but they did not become numerous until
the time of the civil wars.
In a Leicester journal for 1750, about which time the paper
was established, so great was the dearth of News matter at that
period, that the editor was compelled to have recourse to the
Bible to " help him out ;" and actually extracted the First Chapter
of Genesis, and so continued the extracts in the succeeding
numbers as far as the Tenth Chapter of Exodus !
The journal above alluded to was then printed in London, and
sent down to Leicester for publication !
Newspapers were first stamped in 1713.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 13
THE POPE'S BULL.
This name, which is now applied exclusively to instruments
issuing out of the Roman Chancery, is derived from the seala
which were appended to them being formerly of gold Bullion.
Bulls were not originally confined to the popes alone, but were
also issued by emperors, princes, bishops, and great men, who,
till the thirteenth century, sometimes affixed seals of metal, as
well as of wax, to edicts, charters, and other instruments, though
they were equally called Bulls, whether they were sealed with
one or the other. The popes continue to the present day to affix
metal or lead seals to their bulls, and only when they wish to
bestow any peculiar marks of grace and favour on sovereigas or
princes, are seals of Bullion or gold affixed. The bull of pope
Clement VII., conferring the title of Defender of the Faith on
Henry the Eighth, had a seal of gold affixed to it. Bulls con-
taining matter of grace and favour, were suspended by strings
of red and yellow silk ; but denunciatory and punitive bulls
were hung by hempen cords.
BIBLES.
In the reign of Edward the First, the price of a fairly written
Bible was twenty-seven pounds. The hire of a labourer was but
three-halfpence a day. The purchase of a copy would, of course,
have taken such a person the earning of fifteen years and three
months of constant labour. It will be seen from a preceding
article, that the first printed book was a vulgate edition of the
Bible, in 1462. The British and Foreign Bible Society contri-
buted to the Great Exhibition specimens of 165 books, in different
languages, from the 170 versions of the Holy Scriptures, either
in whole or in part, which have been published directly or
indirectly by the Society, and of which 118 are from translations
never before printed ; and of which more than twenty-four
millions of copies have been circulated since its institution in
1804.
THE BIBLE AND ITS HISTORY.
The Bible history commenced 430 years B. c. The Septuagint
version was made in 284 ; .first divided into chapters, 1253. The
first English edition was in 1536 ; the first authorized edition in
England was in 1539 ; the second translation was ordered to be
read in churches, 1549; the present translation finished, Septem-
ber, 1611 ; permitted by the pope to be translated into all the
languages of the Catholic states, February 28th, 1759; the fol-
lowing is a dissection of the Old and New Testament :
14 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM,
In the Old Testament. In the New. Total.
Books - - - - 39 27 66
Chapters - - - 920 260 1,189
Verses - - - 23,214 7,959 31,173
Words - - - 592,493 181,253 773,746
Letters - - - 2,728,100 838,380 3,566,480
The Apocrypha has 183 chapters, 6,081 verses, and 125,185
words. The middle chapter, and the least in the Bible, is the
117th Psalm; the middle verse is the 8th of 118th Psalm; the
middle line is the 2nd Book of the Chronicles, 4th chapter, and
16th verse; the word and occurs in the Old Testament 35,535
times ; the same word in the New Testament occurs 10,684 times ;
the word Jehovah occurs 6,855 times.
Old Testament. The middle Book is Proverbs; the middle
chapter, the 29th of Job ; the middle verse is the 2nd Book of
Chronicles, 20th chapter, and 18th verse ; the least verse is the
1st Book of Chronicles, 1st chapter, and 1st verse.
New Testament. The middle is the Thessalonians 2nd; the mid-
dle chapter is between the 13th and 14th of the Romans ; the
middle verse is the 17th of the 17th chapter of the Acts; the
least verse is the 35th of the llth chapter of the Gospel by Saint
John.
The 21st verse of the 7th chapter of Ezra has all the letters of
the alphabet in it.
The 19th chapter of the 2nd Book of Kings, and the 37th chapter
of Isaiah, are alike.
The Book of Esther has 10 chapters, but neither ihe words
Lord nor God in it.
The 26th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, is generally con-
sidered as the finest piece of reading extant. Chronology, or
Historians Companion.
ORIGIN OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE INTO ENGLISH.
Wickliffe, who exercised the right of private judgment in Eng-
land a century and a half before Luther taught it as a principle
in Germany, may be said to have been the first dissenter from
the church of Rome.
After a life wonderfully preserved from the unsparing cruelty
of ecclesiastical power, by the protection of Edward III., his me-
mory was affectionately revered, and, as printing had not been
discovered, his writings were scarce, and earnestly sought. He
may be said to have been the first who translated the New Tes-
tament into English ; and a splendid edition of the translation
made by Wickliffe and his followers, has just been published by
the University of Oxford, in four quarto volumes, under the
editorship of Sir Frederick Madden and the Rev. J. Forshall.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM, 15
DOMESDAY BOOK.
How many read of Domesday Book without knowing what it
is, or inquiring into what it means; let us then inform them
that it is a valuable record of antiquity, in which the estates of
this kingdom are registered, begun in 1080, by order of William
the Conqueror, and compiled in less than six years, written on
380 double pages of vellum, in one hand; and it is, without doubt,
the most important and interesting document possessed by any
nation in Europe ; it is also remarkable, that on searching this
book, we find such a similarity in the orthography of names of
towns upwards of seven centuries ago, and the present period :
for instance, the following towns in Sussex.
Bristelmetune ----- Brighthelmstone
"Wordinges _____ Worthing 1
Prestetune ----- Preston
It was called Domesday Book, because it was intended to carry
down to the latest posterity, circumstances and events of former
times. That it has thus far given an earnest of its deserving the
title, all historians agree. Such, reader, is the celebrated Domes-
day Book, one of those records so peculiar to the land of the
venerable Bede and the immortal Newton.
Domesday Book has been printed by the government, in four
folio volumes; and a most valuable introduction to it by Sir
Henry Ellis, has been separately printed in 2 vols. octavo.
PAPER.
This useful article was invented in China, when the art of mak-
ing sheets of paper from the bark of trees, from bamboo, old rags,
silk, hemp, or cotton, reduced to pulp, dates from the commence-
ment of the second century of the Christian era. Before the
invention of paper, the papyrus was in general use among EUJ-O-
pean nations ; the use of this, however, ceased about the ninth
century, and was supplanted by the cotton paper, made in the
east. The introduction of paper-making in France, dates from
the fourteenth eentury ; in England, its manufacture was much
later. From some verses printed in a book by Wynkyn de
Worde, in 1496, entitled Bartholomceus de Proprietatibus rerum,
it appears that the paper had been made for it by John Tate,
jun., at his mill in Steveuage, Hertfordshire. In 1558, Queen
Elizabeth granted to her jeweller, John Speilman, the right to
erect a paper-mill at Dartford. So late as the middle of the last
century, only common wrapping-paper was manufactured in
Great Britain. It was not until 1770, that the celebrated J.
Whatman, established fine paper-making at Maidstone, in Kent,
after his return from the continent, where he had worked as a
16 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
journeyman. In 1803, Mr. Bryan Donkin produced a self-acting
machine for continuous paper, which he erected at Frogmore, in
Hertfordshire; and in 1804, he put up the second machine at
Two Waters. In 1809, Mr. Dickinson invented another method
of making endless paper; since which time various patents have
been taken out for improvements in parts of the machinery, or for
other machinery to be applied in various stages of the process.
Wire marks, or water marks, as they are called, were formerly
applied to paper to distinguish it. On the paper used by Caxton
and the other early printers, these marks consisted of an ox head
and star, a collared dog's head, a crown, a shield, a jug, &c. A head
with a fool's-cap and bell, gave name to the paper called foolscap ;
and post paper seems to have derived its name from the mark
of a horn, which was formerly carried by the postman, and blown
to announce his arrival. The annual value of paper manufac-
tured in this country is said to be two millions sterling.
PRINTING.
The press is the most important instrument of civilisation. It
is by the aid of printing that different nations have imparted to
each other their thoughts and their feelings, and have thus received
a combined existence. In every age, and in all countries, printing
denotes the state of civilization, of which books are the reflex,
and the history of the human mind is written in bibliography.
The origin of the art is involved in obscurity, there being no clue
by which it can be clearly traced, yet it is doubtless of very early
date : some authors maintain that printing was practised during
the building of Babylon. Some have supposed that the know-
ledge of the art was originally obtained from the Chinese. Hence
we find that Abdalla's Chinese History notices the wooden tablets
engraven to print entire pages on one side of the leaf, and after-
wards practised by Coster and other block-printers in the Low
Countries. Four names have appeared in the controversy
respecting the invention of printing : John Gutenberg of Stras-
burg ; John Fust (or Faust) of Mayence ; Peter Schoeffer of
Gernsheim ; and Lawrence Coster of Haarlem. It is supposed
that Caxton brought the art of printing into England in 1474,
and that this date is indicated in the centre of his device. Stow
says, that he first exercised his business in an old chapel near
the entrance of the Abbey; but a very curious placard in Mr.
Douce's library at Oxford, shows that he printed in the Almonry.
The two largest collections from Caxton's press, are those in the
British Museum, and in Earl Spencer's library at Althorpe. Soon
after the first origin of movable types, the art of printing had
attained a great degree of perfection, and it was not till the
second half of the last century, that owing to the efforts of Ibarra
in Spain ; of Baskerville and of Bulmer in England ; of the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 17
Foulises and the Kuddimans in Scotland ; of Bodini in Italy ; and
of the Didot family in Paris, any real progress can be pointed out.
As a striking proof of the present improved state of the
typographic art, we need only point to THE TIMES newspaper,
which prints 35,000 copies every day ; but on the day following
the Duke of Wellington's funeral (viz. Nov. 19, 1852) 70,000 copies
were printed, being 15,000 more than had ever been printed of
any one number before. The 70,OJO copies were printed off in
six hours and a quarter by their wonderful machine. In London,
the centre of the printing and book business, there were in 1851,
3000 men and 1500 boys employed as Compositors, besides 800
men and 350 boys at press. Nearly 3000 works (including new
editions) are published yearly, of the value of ,450,000 : 230
monthly and quarterly magazines produce .500,000 yearly.
The stamp-duty on newspapers in 1845, was .327,682 ; in 1850,
sixty-five millions and three-quarters of penny stamps, and eleven
millions and three-quarters of halfpenny stamps, were used by
159 London and 222 English provincial newspapers. Seven
millions and three-quarters of penny stamps, and half a million
of halfpenny stamps, by 110 Scottish papers. Six millions and
three quarters of penny, and half a million of halfpenny stamps,
by 102 Irish papers.
TYPE-FOUNDING.
Type-founding was an improvement upon the Chinese engraved
blocks. With these forms, or blocks, they could print nothing
else, because the letters could not be transposed. Guttenberg,
however, assisted by John Fust, or Faust, discovered the means
of cutting the forms of all the letters of the alphabet, which they
called matrices, from which again they cast characters in copper
or tin, of sufficient hardness to resist the required pressure.
Faust's son-in-law, Schoeffer, adopted the more easy method of
casting the types, which, with various improvements, has been
continued to the present time. At the commencement of the
eighteenth century, native talent was at so low an ebb, that nearly
all the types used in London were imported from Holland. Wil-
liam Caslon, however, has the honour of removing this stigma
upon English ingenuity, and of establishing the first foundery for
British types.
The most important operation of a type-foundery is the forma-
tion of the punches, which are well-tempered pieces of steel. The
face of the punch exactly resembles that of the finished type : the
letter being reversed, and in high relief. The punch being
hardened, it is then struck into a piece of copper, which receives
the impression from the end of the punch, and forms a mould
(called the matrix) for the face of the type, by which an expert
workman will cast 500 letters in an hour. At the close of the
last century, the Younger Fourmier, a punch-cutter and type-
c
18 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
founder, caused some improvements to be made in this art ; and
M. Fermin Didot of Paris, who engraved the types used by his
father for his beautiful publications, exerted himself for the pur-
pose of imparting to types of all descriptions the highest degree
of elegance. Mr. Whittingham of Chiswick first re-introduced
the old letters of Garamond and Jenson, and has been followed
by many of the London printers, so true it is " there is nothing
new in this world except that which is old."
STEREOTYPING.
This is one of the means for making fac-similes in type-metal
of pages of types, woodcuts, &c., about the eighth of an inch thick,
and, to keep the plates of a volume of one uniform thickness, each
plate is turned in a lathe. The process is as follows : When the
form of type is ready, the face of it is oiled with a brush, then
burnt plaster of Paris (gypsum), mixed with water to the consis-
tence of cream, is poured upon it ; this matrix is then dried in an
oven, and afterwards secured in a frame, and immersed in a
caldron of melted metal. The plate thus produced, is then passed
to the picker, who remoVes any superfluous metal. The first
attempt at stereotyping was made by Samuel Luchtmans, who
obtained plates by a process of clichage. About 1700, Yalleyre
printed in Paris some almanacs which he had obtained by
casting. In 1 725, Mr. William Ged, a goldsmith in Edinburgh,
printed an edition of Sallust from plates ; and in 1784, M. Hoff-
man, of Alsace, France, succeeded in obtaining stereotype plates
from moulds of clay mixed with gelatine. But all the previous
methods were superseded by the present process, invented by
Lord Stanhope in 1800. Numerous attempts have since been
made to substitute for plaster moulds the employment of sheets
of paper with whiting placed between them ; but the results
appear inferior to the plaster moulds. For vignettes, casts of
bitumen answer very well, and stereotype plates of bitumen give
good results.
BOOKBINDING.
Splendour in the binding of books is a taste which dates back
from remote times. These magnificent covers with their rich
bindings were executed for the greater part by jewellers, who
enriched them with reliefs in gold, silver, steel, and ivory ; with
precious stones, enamels, and other decorations. The ancient
rolls were fastened together, either in the centre or from the end,
by means of a boss, upon which the most cunning and curious art
was frequently lavished. Velvet seems to have been the favourite
covering for books at an early period. Calf leather came into
use about the same time as vellum, during the fifteenth century.
At the beginning of the next century, all the skill of the work-
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 19
man was lavished in ornamenting the sides, the backs being plain,
and even without a lettering. From that period till the com-
mencement of the present, very little improvement was made
in bookbinding ; but of late years the production of books has so
greatly exceeded that of any former period, and caused the appli-
cation of so much machinery, that bookbinding may fairly be
said to have become a manufacturing business. Books, hand-
somely bound, gilt, lettered, embossed, and otherwise ornamented,
no longer depend upon individual skill ; but are produced, with
extraordinary rapidity, by the aid of machinery. Thus, many of
the principal London houses can put 1000 volumes in cloth, gilt,
in six hours, provided the covers be previously got ready, and
this can be done in less than two days !
AUTHORS.
" Hard is the task a letter'd fame to raise,
And poor, alas ! the recompense it pays."
La Bruydre, many years ago, observed, that " 'tis as much a
trade to make a book as a clock ;" Jest un metier que defaire un
livre, comme defaire une pendide. But, since his day, many vast
improvements have been made. Solomon said, that " of making
many books there is no end ;" and Seneca complained, that, "as
the Romans had more than enough of other things, so they had
also of books and book-making. But Solomon and Seneca lived
in an age when books were considered as a luxury, and not a
necessary of life. The case is now altered ; and though, perhaps, -
as Doctor Johnson observed, " no man gets a bellyful of know-
ledge," every one has a mouthful.
ARCHITECTURE.
When mankind had no other shelter from the dews of night,
or the burning sun of noon-day, but what could be derived from
the trees of the forest, how anxious must they have been to im-
prove their condition, and how solicitous to discover some mode
of fortifying their miserable huts against the vicissitudes of the
season ! It is therefore not unlikely, that baked clay, in the
form of bricks, was made use of for this important purpose, in an
early state of society. This application of clay is, indeed, known
to have been very ancient.
The Tower of Babel, 2247 years before Christ, was built with
bricks ; and when the Children of Israel sojourned in Egypt, 600
years afterwards, their taskmasters employed them chiefly in
this kind of manufactory. Exodus i. 13, 14 ; v. 6, 19.
Architecture may be said, however, to be in a measure coeval
with the creation, that is, in its rude state. In the Sacred Scrip-
tures we are told, that Cain, the second man, and the first born
of human beings, " builded a city, and called the name of the
city, after the name of his son, Enoch." Whether this city con*.
20 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
sisted of a series of huts, constructed of branches and twigs of
trees, like the wigwams of the American Indians, or of tents
made by covering a pole with the skins of animals, we know not.
Vitruvius, a celebrated architect in the age of Augustus, who
wrote more than eighteen centuries ago, considered that men
took their idea of huts from bird-nests, and constructed them of
a conic figure ; but finding this form inconvenient, on account of
its inclined sides, gave them afterwards a cubical form. Four
large upright beams, on which were placed four horizontally, he
considers the ground-work of the building, the intervals being
filled with branches interwoven, and covered with clay. The
Egyptians, who, according to Scripture, were the first makers
of bricks, gave an impetus to the improvement of architecture ;
next the Romans, and then the Greeks ; then
" Palaces and lofty domes arose,
These for devotion, and for pleasure those."
In the Grecian style, less wealth, but more taste prevailed, and
where, indeed, architecture may be said to have been cradled,
since it is to the Greeks that we owe its true proportions, as ex-
emplified in the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian Orders, which we
derive from them. The Greek term for architect is p;c' TEXTa "'
which we find employed by Herodotus in the same sense as the
word. architect now is ; he informs us that Khcecus a Samian was
the architecton or architect of the great Temple of Samos. We
thus learn from positive testimony, that before the great buildings
of Athens were erected, the term Architect, and the profession
of an Architect, were distinctly, recognised among the Greeks.
FIVE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE.
The Greeks are entitled to the honour of having first com-
bined elegance and symmetry with utility and convenience in
building ; and by them and the Komans were the Five Orders,
into which architecture is generally divided, carried to perfec-
tion. These orders, as Mr. Alison, in his " Principles of Taste,"
well observes, "have different characters from several causes,
and chiefly from the different quantity of matter in their entabla-
tures. The Tuscan is distinguished by its severity ; the Doric
by its simplicity ; the Ionic by its elegance ; the Corinthian and
Composite by their lightness and gaiety. To these characters
their several ornaments are suited with consummate taste.
Change these ornaments; give to the Tuscan the Corinthian
Capital, or to the Corinthian the Tuscan, and every person would
feel not only a disappointment from this unexpected composition,
but a sentiment also of impropriety, from the appropriation of a
grave or sober ornament to a subject of splendour, and of a rich
or gaudy ornament to a subject of severity."
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 21
The Tuscan Order had its name and origin in Tuscany, first
inhabited by n colony from Lydia, whence it is likely the order
is but the simplified Doric. On account of its strong and mas-
sive proportions, it is called the Eustic Order, and is chiefly used
in edifices of that character, composed of few parts, devoid of
ornament, and capable of supporting the heaviest weights. The
Tuscan Order will always live where strength and solidity are
required. The Etruscan architecture is nearly allied to the
Grecian, but possesses an inferior degree of elegance. The Trajan
Column at Eome, of this order, is less remarkable for the beauty
of its proportions, than the admirable pillar with which it is de-
corated.
DORIC.
The Doric Order, so called from Dorus, who built a magnificent
temple in the city of Argos, and dedicated it to Juno, is grave,
robust, and of masculine appearance, whence it is figuratively
termed the Herculean Order. The Doric possesses nearly the
character for strength as the Tuscan, but is enlivened with orna-
ments in the frize and capital. In various ancient remains of
this order, the proportions of the columns are different.
Ion, who built a temple to Apollo in Asia, taking his idea from
the structure of man, gave six times the diameter of the base for
the height of the column. Of this order is the Temple of The-
seus, at Athens, built ten years after the battle of Marathon, and
at this day almost entire.
IONIC.
The Ionic Order derived its origin from the people of Ionia.
The column is more slender than the Doric, but more graceful.
Its ornaments are elegant, and in a style between the richness of
the Corinthian and the plainness of the Tuscan, simple, graceful,
and majestic ; whence it has been compared to a female, rather
decently than richly decorated. When Hermogenes built the
Temple of Bacchus at Teos, he rejected the Doric after the mar-
bles had been prepared, and in its stead adopted the Ionic. The
Temple of Diana at Ephesus, of Apollo at Miletus, and of the
Delphic Oracle, were of this order.
CORIXTHIAX.
This is the finest of all the orders, and was first adopted at
Corinth, from whence it derives its name. Scamozzi calls it the
Virginal Order, expressive of the delicacy, tenderness, and beauty
of the whole composition. The most perfect model of the Corin-
thian Order, is generally allowed to be in the three columns in
the Campo Vacciuo at Eome, the remains of the Temple of Ju-
pitor Stator.
The leaves of a species of Acanthus, (says an ingenious caterer
of the literary world,) accidentally growing round a basket covered
22 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
with a tile, gave occasion to the capital of this beautiful order in
architecture : an Athenian old woman happened to place a basket,
with a tile laid over it, which covered the root of an Acanthus ;
that plant shooting up the following spring, encompassed the
Basket all around, till, meeting with the tile, it curled back in a
kind of scroll. Caliimachus, an ingenious sculptor, passing by,
took the hint, and instantly executed a capital on this plan, re-
presenting the tile by the Abacus, the leaves by the Volutes, and
the basket by the vase or body of the capital. Abacus is the up-
permost member of a column, serving as a kind of crowning both
to the capital and the whole column. Vitruvius, and others after
him, who gave the history of the orders, tells us, the Abacus was
originally intended to represent a square tile over an urn, or
rather, over a basket.
COMPOSITE.
The Composite Order was invented by the Eomans, and par-
takes of the Ionic and Corinthian Orders, but principally of the
latter, particularly in the leaves of the capitals. This order
shows, that the Greeks had in the four original orders exhausted
all the principles of grandeur, and that, to frame a fifth, they
must necessarily combine the former.
GOTHIC.
The Gothic style of architecture is that in which the pointed
arch applied in various ways, becomes a leading characteristic of
the edifice. England, France, and Germany, respectively claim,
the invention of the Gothic ; but all that can be safely asserted is,
that it sprang up about the close of the twelfth century through-
out the principal part of Europe. Gothic architecture has of late
years excited much attention. The best work on the subject is
Parker's Glossary.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF ANCIENT AND MODERN STRUCTURES, &c.
B. Christ
2247. The Tower of Babel, built by Noah's Posterity in the Plains of
Shinar.
1718. Sparta built.
1575. Pyramids of Egypt built.
1556. Cecrops founds Athens.
1546. Scamander, from Crete, founds Troy, which was burned by the
Greeks on the llth of June, 1184.
1252. The city of Tyre built.
1233. Carthage founded by a colony of Tyrians.
1176. Salamis, in Cyprus, built by Teucer.
1152. Ascanius builds the City of Alba Longa.
1141. The Temple of Ephesus destroyed by the Amazons.
1124. Thebes built by the Bosotians.
1012. Solomon begins the Temple of Jerusalem ; 974, plundered by Sesac,
king of Egypt; 586, destroyed by fire; 515, rebuilt; 170, plun-
dered by Antiochus; 19, rebuilt by Herod. A. D. 70, Jerusalem
destroyed; 130, rebuilt, and a temple dedicated to Jupiter; 1023,'
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM, 23
B. Christ.
the temple plundered by the Caliph of Egypt ; 1031, began to b
rebuilt by Romanus; 1187, Jerusalem finally destroyed by Saladin.
902. Solomon's Palace finished.
986. Samas and Utica built.
974. Jerusalem taken, and the temple plundered by Sesac, king of Egypt.
869. The City of Carthage supposed to be built by Dido ; destroyed by
P. Scipio, 146; rebuilt by order of the Roman seuate, 123.
801. Capua, in Campania, built.
753. Rome built ; plundered by Alaric, A. D. 410.
732. Syracuse supposed to be built about this time by a Colony of Corin-
thians, under Archias.
708. Ecbatana built by Dejoces.
707. The Parthians, on being expelled from Sparta, build Tarentum.
703. Corcyra built by the Corinthians.
6-58. Byzantium built about this time by a Colony of Argives.
630. Cyrene built by Battus, who begins that kingdom.
549. The Temple of Apollo, at Delphos, destroyed by Pisistratidse.
539. Marseilles built by the Phocaeans.
493. The Athenians built the Port of Piraeus.
450. Temple of Minerva at Athens built.
434. Apollo's Temple at Delphos built ; burnt down 362.
351. The Sidonians, being besieged by the Persian army, burn their city.
The monument of Mausolus erected.
315. Cassander rebuilds Thebes, and founds Cassandria.
312. Appian way to Rome made.
304. Antioch, Edessa, Laodicea, &c., founded by Seleucus. Antioch
destroyed by the king of Persia, A. D. 540; rebuilt, 542. The City
of Antioch destroyed by an earthquake, 580.
291. Seleucus builds and peoples about forty new cities in Asia.
283. The college and library of Alexandria founded.
267. A canal made by Ptolemy from the Nile to the Red Sea.
83. Sylla destroys tne Roman capital; 69 B. c. rebuilt; A. D. 80, destroyed
by fire; it was again rebuilt, and destroyed by lightning, A. D. 188.:
55. Pompey builds a stone theatre for public amusements ; destroyed by
fire, A. D. 21.
50. Dover Castle built.
27.- The Pantheon at Rome built ; destroyed by fire, A. D. 80.
19. The aqueducts at Rome constructed by Agrippa.
10. The city of Caesarea built by Herod; destroyed by an earthquake,
A. D. 128.
A. D.
18. Tiberius built by Herod.
50. London built about -this time by the Romans.
56. Rotterdam built about this time.
70. Jerusalem destroyed by Titus.
79. Herculaneum and Pompeii destroyed by an eruption of Mount
Vesuvius.
80. Titus builds the hot baths and amphitheatre at Rome.
114. Trajan erects his column at Rome.
121. A wall built by Adrian between Carlisle and Newcastle.
130. Adrian rebuilds Jerusalem, and erects a temple to Jupiter.
134. TJrbicus's wall built between Edinburgh and the Firth of Clyde.
209. Severus builds his wall across Britain.
260. The Temple of Diana burnt.
274. The Temple of the Sun built at Rome.
306. London Wall built
24 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
A. D.
452. The city of Venice founded about this time.
575. The first monastery founded in Bavaria.
604. St. Paul's church founded by Ethelbert, king of Kent.
611. Westminster Abbey founded by Sibert, king of the East Saxons.
Henry the Seventh's Chapel built in 1504; complete repair of,
begun 1818.
644. Cambridge University, or rather an academic institution, founded by
Sigebert, king of East Anglia; the present University appears to
have been founded in 915.
692. Carisbrook Castle built ; rebuilt, 1G10.
744. Monastery of Fulda, in Germany, founded.
762. Bagdad built by Almansor.
829. St. Mark's at Venice built.
886. Alfred founds the University of Oxford.
895. The monastery of Clune founded.
950. Edinburgh Castle built.
1078. Tower of London built.
1120. Kenilworth Castle built. i
1132. Fountain's Abbey built.
1156. The City of Moscow founded.
1176. London Bridge begun; finished 1209.
1369. Bastile at Paris begun ; finished 1383 ; destroyed July 14, 1789.
1588. The Rialto at Venice begun ; finished 1591.
1662. The Royal Society established.
1675. St. Paul's Cathedral begun ; finished 1710.
1732. Bank of Englatid built; enlarged 1771, 1783, 1789; part of the front
rebuilt, 1824-5.
17389. Westminster Bridge begun; finished 1746.
1760. Blackfriars' Bridge begun ; finished 1770.
1811. Waterloo Bridge begun; finished and opened June 18, 1817.
1814. Southwark (iron) Bridge begun ; finished 1819.
1824. New London Bridge begun ; opened August 1st, 1831.
1824. New Post-Office begun; opened Sept. 3, 1829.
1824. National Gallery first opened on May 10th.
1825. Buckingham Palace commenced: completed July 13, 1837.
1825. Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, opened.
1825. First stone laid of New London Bridge: opened August 1, 1831.
1825. Thames Tunnel commenced: opened March 25, 1843.
1826. Last lottery on October 18th.
1827. Hammersmith Suspension Bridge opened on October 6th.
1827. London University commenced; opened October 1, 1828.
1827. Carlton House demolished.
1828. New Corn Exchange opened on June 24th.
1828. St. Katherine's Docks opened.
1829. Colosseum, Regent's Park, opened.
1829. King's College, Strand, commenced; completed 1831.
1829. New Police commenced duty on Sept. 29th.
1830. Omnibuses, by Shillibeer, first ran between Paddington and the Bank.
1831. Exeter Hall opened.
1832. Kensal Green, the first cemetery, opened.
1833. Hungerford Market re-opened.
1834. House of Parliament burnt, Oct. 16th.
1835. First stone of the City of London School laid.
1836. Greenwich Railway opened, Dec. 14th.
1837. Accession of Queen Victoria, June 20th.
1838. Royal Exchange burnt down.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 25
A.D.
1841. The Tower of London on fire, Oct. 30th.
1842. First stone of the New Royal Exchange laid; opened by the Queen
on Sept. 28, 1844.
1843. Nelson's statue placed on the Column in Trafalgar Square.
1844. King William IV's statue erected in the City.
1845. Hungerford Suspension Bridge opened.
1846. Wyatt's Wellington Statue erected in Hyde Park corner.
1847. New House of Lords opened.
1849. Olympic Theatre burnt down.
1849. New Coal Exchange opened.
1849. Portland Breakwater commenced.
1850. New House of Commons completed.
1851. Palace of Glass for the Great Exhibition.
1851. Battersea Suspension Bridge commenced.
1852. New Crystal Palace at Sydenham commenced, August 5th.
PARAPET WALLS TO HOUSES.
Parapet walls, it would appear, have a scriptural origin. In
support of which, the following text in Deuteronomy may be
quoted : " When thou buildest a new house, then shalt thou
make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon
thy house, if any man fall from thence."
ORIGIN OF BUILDING WITH STONE IN ENGLAND.
Building with stone was first introduced by one Bennet, a
monk, in 670 ; building with brick was first introduced by the
Romans into their provinces, and introduced by the Earl of
Arundel in 1600, at which time the houses of London were
chiefly built of wood.
DERIVATION OF THE TERM FRET-WORK IN ARCHITECTURE.
The compound word fret-work, as applied to architecture, is de-
rived from the Saxon word /rattan, signifying fishes' teeth. But
its most distinguishing characteristics are small clustered pillars
and pointed arches, formed by the segments of two intersecting
circles. This style was of Arabian origin, introduced into Europe
by the Crusaders, or those who made pilgrimages to the Holy
Land. In the reign of Henry III. many of the old buildings
were pulled down, to give place to new ones of this model.
The Cathedral of Salisbury was begun early in this reign, and
finished in 1258. It is one of the finest productions of ancient
architecture in this island, and is completely and truly Gothic.
Gothic is a general term for that kind of architecture formerly
used iii England and on the Continent, but the ancient buildings
in this country are divided into Saxon, Norman, and Saracenic.
26 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ORIGIN OF EARTHENWARE AND PORCELAIN.
The origin of Earthenware and Porcelain may probably be
ascribed to accident. It is very possible that the peculiar
changes which clay experiences on being burnt in the fire, may
have afforded to some of the early inhabitants of the world, the
first hints for applying the earth to a variety of useful purposes.
The making of bricks was one, as noticed in a preceding article.
It was probably not long after the employment of clay in making
bricks, that mankind learnt the art of using it in various other
ways, and acquired methods of moulding it into vessels of capacity,
and utensils for culinary purposes. Accordingly, the most
ancient writers we have mention earthen vessels,* and they
speak of them as if they had been in use from time immemorial.
It appears also, that considerable pains were taken in tempering
the clay for these purposes, for we read that this process was
performed by treading it with the naked feet.t
From a passage in Juvenal, who wrote in the first century of
the Christian era, it seems that earthenware was then made in
great plenty in Egypt.
" Hac ssevit rabie imbelle et inutile vulgus,
P&rv\i\a,fictilibus solitum dare vela phaselis,
Et brevibus picta3 remis incumbere testae." f
In China and Japan, common earthenware, and porcelain of
excellent quality, was made long before the commencement of
the Christian sera.
" First China's sons with early art elate,
Formed the gay Teapot, and the pictured Plate,
Saw with illumined brow and dazzled eyes
In the red stove vitrescent colours rise ; |j
Speck'd her tall beakers with enamell'd stars,
Her monster-josses and gigantic jars;
. * " But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken." Levit.
vi. 28." And the priest shall take water in an earthen vessel." Numb. v..
17. " Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in
pieces like a potter's vessel." Psalm ii. 9.
f And he shall come upon princes as upon mortar, and as a potter
treadeth clay. Isaiah xli. 25.
I Juven. Sat. xv. ver. 126128.
" who drive with little sail
Their earthen boat before the summer gale,
Or through the tranquil water's easy swell
Work Ijhe short paddles of their painted shell."
HODSON'S Juv. 4to. London, 1807, p. 288.
|1 " No colour is distinguishable in the redhot kiln of the potter but the
red itself, till the workman introduces a small piece of dry wood ; which,
bv producing a light flame, renders all the other colours visible in a
moment." Darwin.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM/ 27
Smear'd her huge dragons with metallic hues,
"With golden purples, and cobaltic blues ;
Bade on wide hills her Porcelain castles glare,
And glazed pagodas tremble in the air."
That Earthenware and Porcelain were not uncommon in Europe
during the first century of the Christian sera, is evident from the
discoveries that were made in the excavations of those cities
which were destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius, in the first
year of the reign of the emperor Titus. The Romans introduced
it into Britain ; and in the locality where the Staffordshire Pot-
teries are established, were found, on sinking pits, very evident
remains of Roman Potteries, and at a considerable depth below
the present surface of the land.
It is supposed also, that one of the principal Roman Potteries
was on a small island (now sunk) at the mouth of the Thames,
from the numerous fragments of Roman earthen utensils which
the fishermen often find entangled in their nets.
Holland has long been famous for the common yellow earthen-
ware, called Del/, which name it originally received from the place:
of its manufacture, viz., the town of Delft. In closing this article
it may be observed, that England is now pre-eminent in the
manufacture of an article, which doubtless, from the commence-
ment of the world, must have engaged the attention of its inha-
bitants, from its utility for all the general purposes of household
economy, as well as for the medium of conveying down to poste-
rity the progress of the arts and sciences.
ORIGIN OF MAKING GLASS.
Among the various productions of art, there is, perhaps, none
so truly surprising, when we consider the materials from which
it is formed, as that of glass.
It is the only instance, says Parkes, in his Chemical Essays,
that I recollect of a substance perfectly transparent, being pro-
duced by the union of two dissimilar and entirely opake bodies.
Many of the ancients who wrote on glass, seem, however, to have
known nothing of its real nature. Agricola, lib. xii. de metattis,
calls it a concrete juice ; Vincent Belluascensis, lib. xi., calls it a
stone ; and Fallopius classes it with the middle minerals.
Different opinions have been held respecting the etymology of
the word glass. Some have derived the word from its resemblance
to ice (glades), while others suppose it to be derived from glastum,
the English woad, a vegetable which is employed in dying blue ;
glass having generally a tinge of blue in its appearance.*
The date of this elegant and useful invention is involved in
great obscurity. According to Pliny, the first vessels of glass
were made in the city of Sidon ; but Loysel asserts that the
* "Art of Glass," by H. Blancourt.
28 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
glass-works of the Phoenicians were in high renown more than
3,000 years ago, and that they had merely depots for the sale of
their glass at Sidon and at Tyre. The Egyptians, however, lay
claim to having first made it, and say that they were instructed
in the art by the great Hermes.
Pliny attributes the invention of glass entirely to chance, and
relates that it was first made in Syria by some mariners who
were driven on shore on the banks of the river Belus ; and who,
having occasion to make large fires on the sands, burnt the kali
which abounded on that shore ; and that the alkali of the plant,
uniting with a portion of the sand on which the fire stood,
produced the first stream of melted glass that had ever been
observed.*
It is said that glass-houses were erected in Britain before it
was visited by the Romans. This may have been the case, as
the Phoenicians had traded with the island long before the Romans
took possession of it : it was to the latter, however, we were
indebted for that progress which gave the impetus to that supe-
riority in the art which we possess above all other nations.
GLASS WINDOWS.
It is very uncertain when glass was first employed for the
transmission of light and other optical purposes, or how long any
of the nations of Europe have enjoyed the benefit of glass win-
dows. Parkes says, the best buildings in Herculaueum had
windows made with a sort of transparent talc. Our oldest
English historian, Bede, says, that in the seventh century it was
not known how to make window glass in England ; and that in
the year 674, the abbot Benedict sent for artists from abroad to
glaze the church and monastery of Wearmouth, in the county of
Durham. These men probably came from Venice ; for the first
glass that was manufactured in Europe was made there. We
learn also from Bede, that the agents of the abbot brought seve-
ral glass-makers with them when they returned, who not only
performed the work required by Benedict, but instructed the
English in the art of making window glass for themselves, also
glass for lamps, and other uses.
THE PORTLAND VASE.
The famed Portland Vase, which we read and hear spoken of
as a beautiful piece of antiquity, was discovered about the middle
of the sixteenth century, inclosed in a marble Sarcophagus within
a sepulchral chamber, under the eminence called the Monte del
Grano, about two miles and a half from Rome, on the road to
Frascati. This sepulchral chamber appears to have been the
* Pliny, lib. v. cap. 19.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 29
tomb of the Emperor Alexander Severus, and of his mother Julia
Mammgea, and the vase was no doubt a cinerary urn belonging
to the sepulchre. It remained in the Palace of the Barbarini
family for more than two centuries, after which it became the
property of Sir William Hamilton, from whom it passed to the
Duchess of Portland. In 1810, it was deposited in the British
Museum by the Duke of Portland. In February, 1845, a young
man, a visiter at the museum, wilfully broke the vase into several
pieces by throwing a stone at it. The fragments of the vase were
afterwards joined together, and the work restored far more
successfully than could have been anticipated. The vase is formed
of dark blue glass, relieved by figures and devices in white enamel.
It is about ten inches in height.
THE ETRUSCAN VASES.
" Etruria ! next beneath thy magic hands
Glides the quick wheel, the plastic clay expands ;
Nerved with fine touch, thy fingers (as it turns)
Mark the nice bounds of vases, ewers, and urns ;
Hound each fair form in lines immortal trace
Uncopied beauty, and ideal grace."
The Etruscans, who were probably a colony from Phoenicia, are
noted by the early writers for their excellence in the manufacture
of porcelain. The art of painting vases in the manner of the
Etruscans has been lost for ages, and this is supposed, by the
author of the Dissertations on Sir William Hamilton's Museum,
to have happened in the time of Pliny. The honour of the
recovery of this long lost art has been given to the late Mr.
Wedgwood, and the term Etruscan Vase has thus been con-
tinued to the present day.
ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF SCULPTURE.
Although no remains of Hebrew sculpture are known, they
had attained to a considerable proficiency in some of the most
difficult processes of the art, as early as the time of Moses. The
setting up of the molten calf, and the making of the brazen serpent,
are evidences of this. The earliest recorded names of sculptors
are in the Old Testament. Bezaleel the son of Uri, of the tribe
of Judah ; and Aholiab the son of Ahasimach, of the tribe of
Dan. (Exod. xxxv.) They were the artists appointed to make
the ornaments of the tabernacle, and their date is therefore about
fifteen hundred years before the Christian era. Sculpture derived
its lustre and perfection from Greece, where Pericles and a mul-
titude of other excellent sculptors laboured, in emulation of each
other, to render sculpture honourable, by an infinite number of
works, which have been, and will be, the admiration of all ages.
30 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
The most eminent sculptors were Phidias, Lysippus, Praxiteles^
Myron, Seopas, and Polycletes. The Egyptians were famous for
their colossal statues, by whom they are generally supposed to
have been invented. Their first monuments recorded of this
nature were erected in honour of Mreris, king of Egypt, another
in honour of his queen, and both were placed upon two thrones,
supported by two pyramids, which were raised 300 feet high, in
the middle of the lake Mreris ; so that, notwithstanding the pro-
digious circumference of this lake, these two statues were con-
spicuous from its banks. The most eminent of this kind was the
Colossus of Ehodes, made in honour of Apollo by Chares,, the
.disciple of Lysippus, who spent twelve years in making it ; and
after it had stood 1300 years, it was thrown down by an earth-
quake. The dimensions of this statue are differently stated ; but
all accounts admit of the fact, that one of its feet stood on one side
of the mouth of the harbour, and the other on the opposite side,
so that ships under sail passed between its legs. Some of the
moderns have doubted whether there was such a statue at Rhodes
as the Colossus above described, and, indeed, the extravagant
dimensions ascribed to it would tempt one to doubt the truth of
the relation ; but being mentioned by so many writers of reputa-
tion, it is most probable that there was at Rhodes an image of a
prodigious size, dedicated to the Sun, though the hyperbolical or
figurative expressions used by some writers concerning it may
have given occasion to others to magnify its dimensions consider-
ably beyond the truth. The Chinese were also famous in this
respect. The monstrous Colossus at Maco is reckoned among the
rarities of that country. It is one of their principal idols or deities,
is all of gilt copper, and is seated in a chair 70 feet high. No less
than fifteen men, they say, can stand conveniently on its head ;
and its other parts being proportionable, one may from thence
form a judgment of its enormous bulk. What Diodorns says of
the tomb of Osymandes is remarkable. It was built, says he, of
stones, various coloured, and divided into many large apartments ;
the greater part filled with colossal statues of men and beasts.
In one part, the history and exploits of Osymandes was engraved
on the walls ; in another part was seen an infinite number of
statues representing an audience attentive to the decisions of a
full Senate ; in the midst stood the judge ; at his feet was placed
the volume containing the laws of Egypt, and round his neck
was suspended, by a string, the Image of Truth with its eyes shut.
TURNING, which is a branch of sculpture, seems to have been
of very ancient invention. Some, indeed, to do honour to the age,
will have it brought to perfection by the moderns ; but if wh.it
Pliny, and some other ancient authors relate, be true, that the
ancients turned these precious vases, enriched with figures and
ornaments in relievo, which we still see in the cabinets of the
.curious, it must be owned (however great the excellence of our
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 31
own sculptures) that all that has been added in these ages makes
but poor amends for what we lost of the manner of turning of
the ancients.
STATUARY is likewise a branch of sculpture, and is one of those
arts wherein the ancients have surpassed the moderns ; insomuch,
that it was much more popular, and more cultivated among the
former than the latter. .Phidias, we are told, was the greatest
statuary among the ancients, and Michael Angelo undoubtedly
among the moderns.
ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF PAINTING.
The invention of painting, is generally attributed to the Egyp-
tians, at least as far as the four principal colours. The knowledge
they had of chemistry seems to make this opinion certain ; besides,
the paintings still to be seen among the old remains of the
Egyptian buildings, which have so long resisted the injuries of
time, and which still retain a fresh and lively colouring, seem to
put the matter beyond dispute.
Painting, although the accurate virtuoso cannot trace it so high,
was (according to Andrews) much used in the eleventh and twelfth
centuries to decorate churches by the Anglo-Normans.
The monk Gervese celebrates the beautiful paintings in the
cathedral of Canterbury, built by Archbishop Lanfranc in the
eleventh century ; and Stubbs praises the pictured ornaments in
the church of St. John, at Beverley, which were of a still earlier
date. Peter of Blois satirically lashes the barons of his age (that
of Henry II.) for causing both their shields and saddles to be
painted with beautiful representations of combats, that they might
satiate their eyes with the prospect of what they were too das-
tardly to engage in. The illumination of books was a branch of
miniature painting much followed by the monks, and with great
success. The materials which these holy artists employed were
so durable, that their missals still dazzle our eyes with the bright-
ness of their colours and the splendour of their gilding. Dr.
Heylin says, the art of painting in oil was, till lately, universally
attributed to John Van Eyk, a native of Maeseyk, who first mixed
colours With linseed and walnut oil, in 1410; butHessing, a Ger-
man writer, has found in Theophilus, who lived in the eleventh
century, a passage plainly mentioning the mixture of all kinds of
colours with oil, for the purpose of painting wood-work. One
author, however, contends, that Theophilus had no other idea than
that of colouring over in oil, doors, windows, and other objects
exposed to the weather, in order to make the colour durable.
It is certain, says he, that Cimabue, the restorer of painting in
Italy in the thirteenth century, knew nothing of the art. Apollo-
dorus, a native of Athens, carried painting to great perfection,
and discovered the secret of representing to the life, and in their
greatest beauty, the various objects of nature, not only by the
32 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
correctness of his design, but principally by the perfection of the
colours, and the proper distribution of shades and lights. Zeuxis,
the pupil of Apollodorus, carried the art much further than his
master. Parrhasius, a native of Ephesus, was the rival of Zeuxis ;
and to them succeeded Apelles of Cos ; Aristides, the Theban ;
and Protogenes, the Rhodian ; who carried the art of painting to
the greatest perfection it ever arrived. These and others, are
mentioned by Pliny as the most celebrated painters of antiquity.
To them succeeded the modern school, among whom may be named
a Guido, a Titian, a Rubens, a Raphael, a Rembrandt, an II
Spagnoletto Ribera,* an Albert Durer, an Holbein, &c., and a
long list of others, down to the period of a Reynolds, a David, a
Lawrence, and a West.
ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF ENGRAVING.
It was about the year 1460 that engraving and etching on cop-
per was invented. Sir Robert Strange is so interesting on this
most secure depositary for after ages of whatever is truly great,
elegant, or beautiful, as to deserve ample notice :
" No sooner had this art appeared," observes our author, " than
it attracted general attention. All the great painters adopted it,
with a view of multiplying their works, and of transmitting them
with greater certainty to posterity. Albert Durer and Andrea
Mantegna, two of the greatest painters of that age, practised the
art of engraving, and have left us a variety of elegant composi-
tions. These early productions of the art drew, by their novelty
and excellence, the admiration of all Italy. Raphael himself, that
prince of painters, was particularly charmed with the works of
Albert Durer, and, in return for some prints he had received from
him, sent him a present of his own portrait, painted by himself.
" Marc Antonio, who, by studying Albert Durer's works, had
improved the art of engraving, was among the first who carried it
to Rome, when the genius of the divine Raphael presided over the
Roman school. Those who are conversant in the fine arts, know
how much this painter encouraged engraving in Marc Antonio,
his ingenious pupil ; examine that engraver's works and you will
find evident proofs of it, so much does he breathe, in his finest
prints, the spirit of his sublime author. Other painters of the
Roman school, as well as Parmegiano, Salvator Rosa, &c., have
transmitted to us many fine compositions in this art.
" The Bolognese school furnishes more recent examples. Anni-
bale, and Agostino, although two of the greatest painters Italy
ever produced, exercised the art of engraving in preference to that of
painting, and have thereby established to themselves, and secured
to others, a reputation to the latest posterity. Guido, Guercino,
Simon Cantarini da Pesaro, the Siranis, &c., have all of them left
* See " Origin of Sign-painting in England."
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 33
us many elegant prints, which are so many striking proofs of their
having cultivated the art of engraving.
" To see it still in a higher degree of perfection, let us examine
it when the school of Rubens presided in Flanders. Here we
shall find that this great painter was no less intent upon cul-
tivating this art than that of painting, conscious that by this
means he not only diffused his reputation, but secured it to suc-
ceeding generations. Bolswert, Pontius, "Vosterman, &c., were the
companions of his and Vandyck's leisure hours. They esteemed
one another, they lived together as friends and equals, and, to use
the words of a late ingenious writer Sous leurs heureuses mains
le cuivre dement or; ' Under their hands copper became gold.'
The works of those engravers, which are now sold at the price of
pictures, are evident proofs of the state of the arts in those days.
" What numberless examples, too, have not Rembrandt, Berg-
ham, Ostade, and others of the Dutch masters, left us of their
desire to cultivate engravings 1 Have not the works of the former,
which are now sold at most amazing prices, transmitted a reputa-
tion both to himself and to his country, which time can never
obliterate ? The Bloemarts. the Vischers, and others, were cer-
tainly ornaments to the age in which they lived.
" During the reign of Lewis the Fourteenth, what a number of
great artists appeared in this profession, and did honour to France!
The names of Gerard, Andran, Edelink, Poilly, &c., will be lasting
ornaments to that kingdom. That magnificent prince frequently
amused himself in this way; and so charmed was he with the
works of the ingenious Edelink, that he conferred upon him the
honour of knighthood. It has been owing solely to the honourable
rank given to this art by the Royal Academy of Painting at Paris,
that it has been cherished and cultivated to such a degree of
excellence, that for a century past Paris has been the depositary
of the finest productions in this way ; and these have been the
source of incredible riches to France.
" Let us, in the last place, follow thia art into Great Britain :
Queen Anne, whose reign has been generally called the Augustan
age of this country, was desirous of transmitting to posterity the
Cartoons * of Raphael, which had been purchased by her grand-
father, Charles the First. "With this view she sent for Dorigny,
the engraver, as this art was then but little cultivated in Bri-
tain.
" The reception he met with from the queen is well known.
She honoured him with an apartment in the royal palace of
Hampton Court, visited him from time to time, countenanced
him on all occasions, and was the patroness of his undertaking.
After her death, king George the First imitated .the example of
Anne ; and upon Dorigny having completed his engravings, not
only made him a very considerable present, but conferred upon
* See derivation of Cartoon.
34 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
him the honour of knighthood. From the departure of this artist,
who executed a work which will reflect lasting honour on Bri-
tain, the art of engraving again relapsed into its former obscurity,
till towards the middle of this (18th) century, when it was revived
afresh by the introduction of other foreigners, together with the
successful endeavours of several ingenious natives of these king-
doms,"
THE SCHOOLS OF PAINTING.
A School, in the fine arts, denominates a certain class of artists,
who have made it their particular study to imitate the produc-
tions of some great master.
The school of Florence is remarkable for greatness, and a gran-
deur of design, bordering on the gigantic. The art of painting
was revived in Florence about the year 1240, by Cimabue, who
transplanted the few remaining vestiges of the art from a Greek
artist to his own country. The works of Cimabue, though in the
ordinary style, received the applause of his fellow-citizens, and
in a short time the art of painting became so considerable in
Florence, that the academy of St. Luke was founded, in which,
however, no painters wer5 educated until the year 1350. Andrew
Castagna was the first Florentine artist who painted in oil.
Michael Angelo, and Leonardo da Vinci, contemporary painters,
were esteemed the glory of the Florentine school. M. Angelo
surpassed Leonardo in grandeur, while Leonardo was superior
to him in the finer parts of the art. Leonardo, full of sensibility,
was fond of expressing the sweet affections of the soul ; but M.
Angelo, not born to experience the softer passions, sought only
to strike the imagination with terror, by the boldness and force
of his conceptions. Michael Angelo was placed at the head of
the school to which lie belonged, and died in the year 1563,
aged 89.
The school of Rome was formed by Grecian artists, who came
from their own country to settle with the Romans. By them the
art was handed down to the moderns, who derived all their
knowledge from studying the Greek models.
This school is celebrated for grandeur of style, exquisite form,
and beautiful expression. In the year 1483, Raphael Sanzio di
Urbino was at the head of the Roman school. He excelled in
representing philosophers, saints, virgins, and apostles. Although
he had studied the works of Michael Angelo and Leonardo da
"Vinci, he avoided servilely imitating them. He adopted a me-
dium between the exquisite pathos of Leonardo, and the fire of
Angelo, and never advanced a step beyond the modesty of nature.
This painter died at the early age of thirty-seven years. It is a
very remarkable coincidence, that Raphael was born on a Good
Friday, and died on a Good Friday ! The celebrated Cartoons
would alone immortalize him. They will be noticed by and bye.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 35
The "Venetian school was founded by Giorgione and Titian,
scholars of Giovanni Bellini, who had studied the works of Do-
nienichino. A beautiful mixture of colours was the grand object
of the Venetians in their painting. Titian, or Tiziano Vecelli,
having never studied the ancients, supplied the deficiencies in
his education by servilely copying the objects of nature, by
which practice he obtained a perfect knowledge of colouring a
knowledge never acquired by the artists of the Florentine and
Roman schools. This painter was born in the year 1480, and
died in 1576.
The Lombard school was founded by Antonio Allegri, more
generally known by the name of Corregio. The characteristics
of this school are a beautiful combination of colours, an elegant
taste for design, and a charming mellowness of pencil.
The Caracci, Lodovico, Augustin, and Annibale, formed what
is usually termed the second Lombard school. They established
an academy at Bologna, called VAcademia deglia Desiderosi, in
which was taught drawing, perspective, and anatomy. Lectures
were also given in the various branches of the art, which were
regularly delivered, until Annibale received an invitation from
Cardinal Farnese to paint at Rome. The paintings of the Ca-
racci, from the resemblance of their manner, are very often con-
founded together; it ought, however, to be mentioned, that
competent judges of painting may easily discover the different
styles adopted by the three painters.
The French school has been so fluctuating, that it is almost
difficult to ascertain who was its principal founder. Miniature
painting was nourished in France at a very remote period, and
the French artists in this branch of the art, were held in high
estimation by the Italians. Painting languished in France
after the death of Francis I., until the reign of Louis XIIL, at
which time it was revived by James Blanchard, who had been
educated in the Venetian school. But Blanchard, though a good
painter, had no hand in forming the French school. Poussin was
a careful and correct imitator of nature; but he educated no
pupils, and consequently did not found the French school. To
the abilities of Vouet, perhaps, the French are indebted for the
first formation of their school ; but afterwards were still more
indebted to the brilliant talents of Le Brun, who was the fashion-
able painter of the age in which he lived. Excepting Le Brun,
Eustace la Sueur, Poussin, and Claude Lorraine, the French
artists possessed little to recommend their works, in which inele-
gance and a certain stiffness of expression might invariably be
found. The Count de Caylus reformed the bad taste of his coun-
trymen, by directing their attention to the models of Greece and
Rome.
It is needless to inform the intelligent reader, that the French
capital is adorned with those invaluable works of art, which for-
36 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
merly created so much emulation at Florence, Borne, Turin, and
Naples. A similar collection is now formed in this country, The
National Gallery^ which will in time, we hope, eclipse even that
of our French neighbours.
Germany has not had the honour of forming a regular school
of painting. Mengs, Deitrich, Albert Durer, and Holbein, were
Germans, and the most celebrated artists that country has pro-
duced. A few solitary artists, however, will not form a school.
The Flemish school is remarkable for great brilliancy of colour-
ing, a nobleness of conception, and the magic of the c/iiaro obscuro.
Oil painting was discovered, or at least practised, first in Flan-
ders, by John Van Eyck, who died in 1441, aged seventy-one.
Peter Paul Rubens was unquestionably the founder of the
Flemish school. This person was not only an admirable painter ;
he was endowed with many excellent qualities, and esteemed a
skilful politician. He was ambassador from the Spanish king to
Charles I., from whom he received the honour of knighthood.
Rubens equally excelled in painting historical subjects, portraits,
fruit, flowers, landscapes, and animals. The historical pictures
of this master do not possess that sweetness of expression so pre-
valent in the works of Eaphael ; his principal merit lay in colour-
ing, though he never equalled the productions of Titian. Sir
P. P. Rubens was born at Antwerp in the year 1577, and died
in 1640.
The Dutch school may be considered as distinct from all others.
The divine expression of Raphael, and the fire of Michael Angelo,
are entirely disregarded by the Dutch, who have adopted a man-
ner of painting practised alone within the precincts of their own
country. Their favourite subjects are the vulgar games of the
rudest peasantry, boors drinking and smoking, faithful repre-
sentations of smiths' workshops, with all the minutice to be found
therein, and the depredations of banditti. If we view one of
these subjects, painted by Teniers the younger, we may be sure
to find it a perfect chef dSceuvre. This artist possessed very pro-
lific talents, and was beyond doubt the best painter of the man-
ners of the peasantry in the Low Countries. Lucas de Leydeu,
who lived in the fifteenth century, is generally considered as the
patriarch of the Dutch school. Van Been, Vander Hilst, Cor-
nelius Poelemburg, Rembrandt, John de Laer, Van Ostade, Gerard
Douw, Metzu, Meris, Cuyp, Wouvermans, Berghem, Vandervelde,
and Van Huysum, were educated in the Dutch school, and have
produced most admirable specimens of the art of painting.
The English school did not exist until the Royal Academy in
London was established in 1766. We had, however, many excel-
lent painters long before that period, whose productions rank
with those of the great Italian masters. Holbein, though a Ger-
man, executed mosfc of his celebrated works in this country. He
was much encouraged by Henry VIII., and painted portraits of
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 37
most of the English nobility. He died at his house in Whitehall,
in the year 1554, and was buried with much solemnity. In the
reign of James I., Cornelius Jansens arrived in England from
Holland, and painted the king and nobility ; but his talents being
soon after eclipsed by Vandyke, he returned to his own country.
Sir Anthony Vandyke received the first rudiments of the art
from Vanbalen of Antwerp ; but afterwards became the pupil of
Kubens, under whose excellent guidance he made such rapid
progress in the art, that a portrait he painted of his master's
wife, even at that period, is ranked among the best of his pro-
ductions. Leaving Eubens, he made the tour of Italy, and at
his return to Antwerp, was invited to England by Charles I., by
whom he was knighted. He married the beautiful daughter of
Lord Kuthven, Earl of Gowrie. Sir Joshua Eeynolds, the great
founder of the English school, was born at Plymton, near Ply-
mouth, on the 16th of July, 1723, and was the pupil of Hudson.
In the year 1750, he went to Kome, where he remained two
years prosecuting his studies. At his return to his own country,
he received that patronage which was due to his extraordinary
talents. Sir Joshua died in London, at the age of sixty-nine, and
was buried in St. Paul's cathedral with great funeral pomp.
THE CARTOONS.
These celebrated paintings are so called from the Italian word
cartone, a kind of pasteboard on which they are painted. "While
Kaphael was in the employ of Leo the Tenth, his holiness em-
ployed this distinguished painter to make designs of the Acts of
the Apostles, for the purpose of having them copied on tapestry.
As soon as these tapestries were completed, the Cartoons remained
neglected at Brussels, till they were purchased by Eubens for
Charles the First of England, and in a dilapidated state (for they
had been cut to pieces to facilitate the work of the weavers) they
were brought to England. In the reign of William the Third,
the pieces were put together in a most careful manner, and a
gallery was built at Hampton Court for their reception, where,
after one or two removes, they are now finally deposited.
SIGN PAINTING.
Sign Painting is of very ancient date, and, by some, is supposed
to have its origin prior to any other painting. Many of the
first masters were sign painters, for instance Ribera, or II Spa-
gnoletto,* was a sign painter, and in Cumberland's life of him we
are told, that a Cardinal, one day passing in his coach, observed
a tattered figure employed in painting a board, affixed to the
outside of one of the ordinary houses in the streets of Home.
* The little Spaniard.
38 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
The youth and wretchedness of the spectacle engaged his pity,
and the singular attention with which he pursued his work at-
tracted his curiosity. It was II Spagnoletto, in the act of earning
his bread, of which his appearance made it evident he was abso-
lutely in want.
He then proceeds to state, that the Cardinal, after some pre-
liminary conversation, took him home in his coach, and ordered
him apartments in his palace, where he pursued those studies
that rendered him afterwards so eminent.
Signs and sign painting were first introduced into England in
the reign of Edward the Third, from France. London afterwards
became famous for its signs, every shopkeeper or dealer having
one ; indeed, extravagant sums were laid out on this then requi-
site decoration. They were not then affixed to the house, but
were placed on posts, or hung thereon on hinges, on the edge
of the footpath.
" Old London's signs did creek, creek, creek,
For every gust of wind did make them speake."
We are told, that in the reign of Richard the Second, a lord
mayor of London imported not "cashmeres and laces," but women,
from Flanders, and kept stew-houses, where the dainty and
squeamish were to deal in. this kind of merchandise ; and further,
that Henry the Seventh also granted his licence to twelve bor-
dillos or stews, having signs painted on their walls, .to distinguish
them and invite the passenger.
ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE CHANDOS PORTRAIT OF SHAKSPEARE.
It was first in the possession of Sir "William Davenant, who
died insolvent, and afterwards of John Owen, his principal
creditor. After his death, Betterton, the actor, bought it.
Betterton made no will, and died very indigent ; he had a large
collection of portraits of actors, which were bought at the sale of
his goods by Bullfinch the printseller, who sold them to one Mr.
Sykes. The portrait of Shakspeare was purchased by Mrs. Barry,
the actress, who sold it afterwards, for forty guineas, to Mr. B.
Kech. Mr. Nicol of Colney Hatch, Middlesex, marrying the
heiress of the Kech family, this picture devolved to him. By
the marriage of the Duke of Chandos with the daughter of Mr.
Nicol, it became his Grace's property, and by the marriage of
the Duke of Buckingham into the Chandos family, for some time
it adorned the collection at Stowe. And at the sale of the Stowe
collection it was purchased by the Earl of Ellesmere, who kindly
permitted it to be engraved by Mr. Cousens for the Shakspeare
Society. A History of this interesting Picture is in course of
preparation by that able and indefatigable Shakspearian scholar,
Mr. J. Payne Collier.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 39
MUSIC.
" All Nature's full of thee : the summer bower
Respondeth to the songster's morning lay;
The bee his concert keeps from flower to flower,
As forth'he sallies on his honied way;
Brook calls to brook, as down the hills they stray;
The isles resound with song, from shore to shore ;
Whilst ' viewless minstrels' on the wings that play,
Consorted strains in liquid measures, pour
To thunder's deep-toned voice, or ocean's sullen roar."
The River Derwent.
The origin of music is lost in the mazes of antiquity ; and all
hypotheses on the subject are very little better than mere con-
jecture. The practice of this science being universal in all ages
and countries, it is absurd to attribute its invention to any one
man, or any particular nation ; yet, as no people can carry back
their researches into antiquity to so early a period as the
Egyptians, modern writers seldom attempt to trace the history
of music beyond their era.
Apollodorus gives us an account of the origin of music in that
country, which we must, perhaps, 'only regard as a fanciful idea
of the writer, though it is not altogether improbable. He ascribes
the origin of the art, and the invention of the lyre, to the Hermes,
or Mercury of the Egyptians, surnamed Trismegistus, or Thrice
Illustrious ; and who was, according to Newton, the secretary of
Osiris.
The Nile having overflowed its banks at the periodical period
for the rise of that wonderful river, on its subsidence to its usual
level, several dead animals were left on the shores, and among
the rest a tortoise ; the flesh of which being dried and wasted in
the sun, nothing remained in the shell but nerves and cartilages,
and their being tightened and contracted by the drying heat,
became sonorous. Mercury, walking along the banks of the
river, happened to strike his foot against this shell, and was so
pleased with the sound produced, that the idea of the lyre
suggested itself to his imagination. The first instrument he
constructed was in the form of a tortoise, and was strung with
the sinews of dried animals.
It is probable that vocal music was practised, or at least that
the ancients were acquainted with the difference in the tones of
the human voice, and its capabilities for harmony, before instru-
ments were thought of; and the latter, without doubt, owed
their origin to the observation of effects flowing from natural
causes. Thus Dioclorus, Lucretius, and other authors, attribute
the invention of wind instruments to observations made of the
whistling of the wind in reeds, and in the pipes of other plants.
The different tones of sounding strings must have been observed
Very early, and thus have given birth to stringed instruments :
40 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
whilst instruments of percussion, such as tabors or drums,
probably originated from the sonorous ringing of hollow bodies
when struck.
In the first conception all these instruments were rude and im-
perfect, and would afford little pleasure to the musician of the
present day. Indeed, in the first effort, we can fancy the inventors
themselves amazed at the effect produced, and starting with
surprise or fright,
" E'en at the sound themselves had made."
The progress of improvement, however, was soon visible : and
there cannot be a doubt, but that the music of the ancients was
of a very high order.
NOTATION.
The invention of Notation, and of musical characters, is ol
ancient date, being generally ascribed to Terpander, a celebrated
poet and musician of Greece, who nourished about the 27th
Olympiad, or 671 years before Christ. Previously, music being
entirely traditional, must t have depended much on the memory
and taste of the performer.
LETTERS IN MUSIC.
Gregory the Great (as he is commonly called), about the year
600, substituted the Eoman letters ABC, &c., as the names of
notes, in lieu of the more complicated Greek ones ; by which the
study of the science was greatly simplified. See Dr. Burney's
History of Music.
ORIGIN OF DIVIDING MUSIC INTO BARS.
In the 16th century, music began to be considered part of
a polite education. In a collection called Queen Elizabeth's
Virginal Book, some very difficult pieces of that era are pre-
served, several of which are by Tallis and Bird, two eminent
composers of English sacred music. The English musicians of
this period were equal to any of those on the continent ; and it
is difficult to say whether the Italian, German, or French schools,
deserve the preference. At the beginning of this century, the
mode of dividing music into bars appears to have been first used.
ORIGIN OF THE DOMINANT IN MUSIC.
The 16th century is remarkable for many improvements in the
theory and practice of music, which have led to the present high
state of the art. In 1590, a schoolmaster of Lombardy (Charles
Monte verde) invented the harmony of the dominant; he was
also the first who ventured to use the seventh and the ninth of
the dominant, openly and without preparation ; he likewise em-
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 41
ployed the minor fifth as a consonance, which had always before
been used as a dissonance. The same professor introduced the
double dissonances, and diminished and altered chords. About
the same time L'Viadana de Lodi conceived the idea of giving to
the instrumental bass a different, melody from that of the vocal,
to which it had previously strictly adhered. He also invented
the figured or thorough bass.
CONCERTS.
The first regular series of Concerts in England was instituted
in the year 1710, under the title of " The Academy of Ancient
Music," and continued to exist upwards of eighty years. In
1776, the Concert of Ancient Music was established in London,
chiefly at the suggestion of the Earl of Sandwich. An institu-
tion intended to preserve the solid and valuable productions of
the old masters from oblivion, and of which Mr. Joah Bates was
for many years the sole conductor.
In the year 1813, the " Philharmonic Society" was established
in London, with a view chiefly to the cultivation of instrumental
music. In 1834, a Concert was founded under the name of " The
Society of British Musicians;" and another in 1833, called a
" Vocal Society," consisting of thirty professional members, who
gave six Concerts at the Hanover Square Eooms, consisting
almost entirely of vocal music, ancient and modern, of every
school.
TRUMPETS.
The invention of the Trumpet has been ascribed to the Tyrrhe-
nians ; but others, with greater probability, to the Egyptians,
from whom it might have been transmitted to the Israelites. It
is usually made of brass, sometimes of silver, iron, tin, and even
wood. Moses made two of silver, to be used by the priests
(Numb, x.) ; and Solomon made two hundred like those of Moses
(Josephus, lib. viii.), which shows the antiquity of this instru-
ment. Among the Eomans, there were various instruments of
the Trumpet kind, as the tuba, cornua, buccina, and lituus. The
tuba, or long trumpet, called by the Hebrews "The Trumpet
of the Jubilee," may be seen in several pieces of ancient sculpture
at Eome, particularly on the arch of Titus, or Trajan's pillar,
and in a basso-relievo at the Capitol, representing the triumph
of Marcus Aurelius. In England, they were sounded before
Offa, king of Mercia, A.D. 790.
ORGANS.
The origin of the Organ is obscure. We read of ancient hy-
draulic and pneumatic Organs, but the water must have been
the moving power only, to impel the wind into the pipes. Of
42 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
this kind is the representation of a tree, with birds upon it, de-
scribed by Gerbert, (De Cantu et Musica Sacra, vol. ii. plate xxviii.)
The Chronicle of Albericus adds to the singing of the birds be-
fore Constantine, " the roaring of enormous gilded artificial
lions," (See Gerbert, vol. ii. p. 151.) That such birds can be made,
is certain, from Maillardet's beautiful little artificial bird, which
started up out of a gold snuff-box, fluttered its wings, and sang
with a pipe so clear and loud, as to fill a large room. In later
times, the term Organ, in a musical sense, came to signify only
the instrument now known under that name. Before the tenth
century, Organs were common in England. St. Dunstan gave
one to the abbey of Malmesbury in the reign of Edgar. Elfeg,
bishop of Winchester, obtained one for his cathedral in 951,
which was the largest then known. This is alluded to by Mason
the poet :
" Twelve pair of bellows, ranged in stated row,
Are join'd above, and fourteen more below.
Those the full force of seventy men require,
Who ceaseless toil, and plenteously perspire:
Each aiding each,, till all the wind be prest
In the close confines of th' incumbent chest,
On which four hundred pipes in order rise,
To bellow forth that blast the chest supplies."
PIANO-FORTES.
About three centuries back, there were in use two kinds of
instruments with key-boards, namely, the Clavitkerium, of a
square shape, having strings of cat-gut, which were vibrated by
bits of hard leather, operated on by the- inner end of the key;
and the Clavecin, resembling the grand piano, having strings
vibrated by plectrums of quill or hard leather. These instru-
ments continued in use till Marius, in 1716, presented to the
Academy of Sciences at Paris a Clavecin, whose strings were
vibrated with hammers, instead of pleetrums. Two years after,
Christoforo, at Florence, introduced some further improvements.
In 1772, Sebastian Erard made the first Piano in France; arid
in the following year Stodart patented in London a combination
of the harpsichord and grand piano. In 1786, Gieb took out a
patent for what is called the grasshopper action, which is still
used for square pianos, in the dampers of which improvements
were patented in 1794 and 1798, by Southwell. In 1809, Thorn
and Allen patented compensation metallic tubes, which were
adopted by Stodart in the grand piano. Broadwood, Collard,
Kirkman, Stewart, and Wornuni, have contributed to the im-
provement of this instrument.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 43
ITALIAN OPERA.
To the close of the 16th, and the beginning of the 17th centu-
ries, the invention of the recitative, or recited music, which gave
to the lyric drama a peculiar language and construction, is
ascribed.
Mr. Burgh, in \\isAnecdotes of Music, gives the following account
of the origin of this species of composition : " Persons of taste
and letters in Tuscany, being dissatisfied with every former at-
tempt at perfecting dramatic poetry and exhibitions, determined
to unite the best Lyric Poet with the best Musician of their time.
Three Florentine noblemen, therefore, Giovanni Bardi, Count of
"Vernio, Petro Strozzi, and Jacobi Corsi, all enlightened lovers
of the fine arts, selected Ottavio Einuccini and Jacobo Peri, their
countrymen, to write and set to music the drama of Dafne, which
was performed in the house of Signior Corsi, in 1597, with great
applause ; and this seems the true era, whence we may date the
Opera, or Drama, wholly set to music, and in which the dialogue
was neither sung in measure, nor declaimed without music, but
recited in simple musical notes, which amounted not to singing,
and yet was different from the usual mode of speaking." After
this successful experiment, Rinuceini wrote Eurydice and Ariana,
two other similar dramas.
In the same year, Emilio del Cavaliere composed the music to
an opera called Ariadne, at Rome ; and the friends of this com-
poser, and of Peri, respectively lay claim to the honour of the
invention of recitative for each of these artistes. The Eurydice
of Peri was, however, the first piece of the kind performed in
public; its representation taking place at the theatre, Florence,
in 1600, on the occasion of the marriage of Henry IV. of France
with Mary de Medicis ; and Pietro del Velle, a Eoman knight,
an amateur musician, who, in 1640, published an able historical
disquisition on the science, expressly says, the first dramatic
action * ever represented at Rome, was performed at the Carnival
of 1606, on his cart, or movable stage ; when five voices, or five
instruments, the exact number an ambulent cart would contain,
were employed. Thus, it seems the first secular drama in mo-
dern Rome, like the first tragedy in ancient Greece, was exhibited
in a cart !
The Italian Opera has undoubtedly given a great impulse to
English dramatic music. The first of this species of composition
which was performed in England, was Arsinoe, in 1705. An
English version, set to music by Thomas Clayton, one of the
royal band, in the reign of William and Mary, was then pre-
sented.
The translation was bad, and the music execrable ; yet this
drama was performed twenty-four times in the first, and eleven
in the second year.
* Of course, the secular drama is here meant.
4 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
THE TROUBADOURS.
" When the cloth was ta'en away,
Minstrels straight began to play,
And while Harps and Viols join,
Raptured Bards, in strains divine,
Loud the trembling arches rung
With the noble deeds we sung."
In the eleventh century, the Troubadours made their appear-
ance in Provence. They were the founders of modern versifica-
tion ; frequently singing their own songs to the melody of their
own harps ; and when they were not able to do the latter, min-
strels accompanied them, who recited the lays the Troubadour
composed. Though in every country wherever there is a language,
there is poetry, and wherever there is poetry, there is music ;
and in our own in particular, singing to the harp appears to have
been early and successfully cultivated, yet the melodies were
purely traditional ; and the most ancient melodies extant, that
have been set to a modern language, are those which are pre-
served in the Vatican Library, to the songs of the Troubadours,
written in the ancient dialect of Provence. In the 12th, 13th,
and part of the 14th centuries, the minstrels, bards, or jongleurs,
the descendants of the Troubadours, occupied a conspicuous
station in society. In our own country there were king's min-
strels and queen's minstrels, who enjoyed a high degree of favour
and protection.
Yet, in some of the satires of the times, we find them abused
under the names of chantier, fableeir, jangleeirs, and menestre ;
whilst their art is called janglerie, and they are said to be Anti-
Christ perverting the age by their merry jangles. Piers Plough-
man, an ancient satirist, also accuses the minstrels of debauching
the minds of the people, and of being tutors of idleness and the
devil's discourse ; and that they did imbibe some of the general
licentiousness which, at the era of the Conquest, and for some
time before, and some time after, overspread all England, is not
unlikely. But for several reigns they were favoured by the
noble and the fair, and protected by royal authority. In their
baronial mansions, on all occasions of high and solemn feasts, the
observances of chivalry and the charms of music were united.
In the reign of Henry III. we find one Henry de Auranches,
a Frenchman, dignified with the title of Master Henry, the versi-
fier : which appellation, Mr. Warton observes, perhaps implies a
character different from the royal minstrel, or joculator. In
1249, and in 1251, we find orders on the treasurer to pay this
Master Henry one hundred shillings, probably a year's stipend ;
and in the same reign, forty shillings and a pipe of wine were
given to Richard, the king's harper, and a pipe of wine to Bea-
trice, his wife. In time, a gross degeneracy appears to have
characterised the once-famed order of minstrels : the sounder
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 45
part of society pursued them with prohibitions and invectives,
till they were at last driven from the more respectable walks of
life to the lower orders. Their irregularities became the more
rude and offensive, till their order expired amid the general
contempt of an improving nation. Turner's History of England,
vol. i. p. 432.
The history of the Troubadours and the Provencal Poets has
formed the subjects of many valuable publications of late years.
Jn France, M. Kaynouard has published not only a selection of
their best writings under the title of Choix des Poesies des Trou-
badours, but also a Glossary of the Language in which they are
written. M. Fauriel has also published in three vols. 8vo, His-
toire de la Poesie Provenqale. While in Germany, an accomplished
M. Dier has given to the world both an Essay on their Poetry,
and a volume on the lives and writings of the most distinguished
Troubadours. Of the German Troubadours, or Minnesingers, the
late Mr. Edgar Taylor published an interesting account in his
Lays of the Minnesingers ; and in 1838, Professor von der Hagen
of Berlin, published a collection of their writings under the title
of Deutsche Liederdichter des 12, 13, and 14 Jahrhunderts.
COMMERCE, USE OF MONET, COINS, BANKING SYSTEM, INTERNAL
NAVIGATION, &c.
ORIGIN OF COMMERCE, AND USE OF MONEY.
The few wants of men in the first state of society, were supplied
by barter in its rudest form. In barter the rational considera-
tion is, what is wanted by the one, and what can be spared by
the other. But savages are not always so clear-sighted. A
sarage who wants a knife will give for it any thing that is less
useful to him at the time, without considering his future wants.
But mankind improve by degrees, attending to what is wanted
on the one side, and to what can be spared on the other.
Barter, in its original form, proved miserably deficient when
men and their wants multiplied. That sort of commerce could
not be carried on at a distance ; and even among neighbours
it does not always happen, that the one can spare what the other
wants ; it was necessary, therefore, that some commodity should
be found in general estimation, that would be gladly accepted in
exchange for every other, and which should be neither bulky,
expensive in keeping, nor consumable by time. Gold and Silver
46 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
are metals that possess these properties in an eminent degree ;
and are also divisible into small parts, convenient to be given for
goods of small value.
Gold and silver, when first introduced into commerce, were
bartered like other commodities, by bulk merely; but shortly,
instead of being given loosely by bulk, every portion was weighed
in scales, but weight was no security against mixing base metals
with gold and silver. To prevent that fraud pieces of gold and
silver are impressed with a public stamp, vouching both the purity
and the quantity ; and such pieces are called Coin.
This was an improvement in commerce, and at first probably
deemed complete. It was not foreseen, that these metals wear by
much handling in the course of circulation, and consequently, that
in time the public stamp is reduced to be a voucher of the purity
only, not of the quantity. This embarrassment was remedied by
the use of paper-money; and paper money is attended with
another advantage, that of preventing the loss of much gold and
silver by wearing.
When gold or silver, in bull ion, was exchanged with other com-
modities, such commerce .passed under the common name of
barter, or permutation : when current coin was exchanged, such
commerce was termed the buying and selling ; and the money
exchanged was termed the price of goods.
The Pho3iiicians were the earliest people who are recorded to
have devoted themselves to commerce. It seems they performed
long voyages, and established colonies in remote countries, like
the moderns. The Greeks and Komans were not insensible of
the value of commerce, and they pursued it at different periods
with eagerness and success. The Venetians, from the year 900 to
1500, enjoyed a monopoly of the produce of the East, and thereby
became a wealthy and powerful people. The Genoese proved
their rivals ; but certain free towns of Germany, called Hanse
Towns, afterwards disputed with the Italians the palm of com-
merce. The Portuguese, on discovering a new route to India, by
the Cape of Good Hope, became for a time a considerable com-
mercial people; but the Dutch drove them from their India
possessions, and for a century carried on half the trade of the
world. The English, however, have taken the lead of all other
nations ; and by means of their invincible fleets, their free con-
stitution, their domestic agriculture and manufactures, and their
valuable colonies in every sea, they have nearly engrossed the
commerce of the world to themselves.
Money as a medium of commerce is first mentioned in Genesis
xxiii., when Abraham purchased a field as a sepulchre for
Sarah, A.M. 2139. Money, which is sometimes said to have been
first made at Argos, 894 years B.C., increased eighteen times
in value from 1290 to 1789, and twelve times its value from 1530
to 1789. Silver has increased thirty times its value since the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 47
Norman Conquest ; viz, a pound in that age was three times the
quantity it is at present, and ten times its value in purchasing
any commodity.
ORIGIN OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES IN ENGLAND.
The origin of all weights and measures in England, was derived
from a corn of wheat, (vide Statutes of 51 Henry III., 31 Edward
I., 12 Henry Vll.) which enacted, that 32 of them, well dried and
gathered from the middle of the ear, were to make one penny-
weight ; but it was subsequently thought better to divide the
dwt, in 24 equal parts, called grains. All measures of capacity,
both liquid and dry, were at first taken from Troy-weight, and
several laws were passed in the reign of Henry III. enacting, that
8 Ibs. Troy of wheat, taken from the middle of the ear, and well
dried, should make one gallon of "Wine measure. The standard
"Wine Gallon, which was kept sealed at Guildhall, was generally
reckoned to contain 231 cubic inches ; but Dr. Wybard, in his
Tectometry, having asserted that it did not contain more than
224 or 225 cubic inches, an experiment was made, May 25th,
1688, to ascertain the fact. The Commissioners of Excise caused
a vessel to be made in form of a parallelopipedon, each side of its
base was 4 inches, and its depth 14 inches, so that its just content
was 224. In presence of the Lord Mayor, the Commissioners of
the Excise, the Rev. Mr. Flamstead (Astronomer-Eoyal), Mr.
Halley, and several other eminent mathematicians, this vessel
was very exactly filled with water, and being carefully emptied
into the Standard Wine Gallon, did so accurately fill it, that all
present were fully convinced it contained only 224 cubic inches.
However, it was not thought convenient to alter the supposed
content of 231, and accordingly the error continued until the
recent introduction of the new Imperial Gallon. The old Beer or
Ale Gallon of 282 cubic inches, was intended to bear the same
proportion to Avoirdupois-weight as the Wine did to Troy ; for
it was founded by several nice experiments, that the 1 Ib. Avoirdu-
pois was equal to 14 oz. 11 dwts. 15^ grs. Troy; being very near
14 oz. and six tenths. Hence 12: 231 :: 14-6 to 281,05, and by a
trial of the Standard Ale Quart, kept in the Exchequer, (12
Charles II.), it was found to contain just 70^ cubic inches, and
consequently the gallon = 70^ X 4 = 282. The old Dry or Corn
Gallon was originally meant to bear a mean (or nearly so)
between the Wine and Beer Gallon; it was, previous to 1697,
computed to hold 272^ cubic inches ; but a statute made in that
year enacted, the Winchester Bushel should be round, with a
plain and even bottom, 18 inches throughout, and 8 inches deep ;
consequently, it contained 215,042 cubic inches for the old legal
Corn Gallon. Weights and measures were invented 869 B.C. ; fixed
to a standard in England, 1257 ; regulated, 1492 ; equalized, 1826.
48 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ALMANACS.
Almanacs are said to have originated with the Northern
Nations, who formerly used to engrave, or cut upon square
sticks about a foot in breadth, the courses of the moon of the
whole year ; whereby they could tell when the new moons and
changes should appear, as also their festival days ; and this they
called an Al-mon-aght, that is to say, all must heed. The more
correct etymology is, however, unquestionably from the Arabic al,
the article, and mana or mana/i to count.
They were first published by Martin Ilkus, at Ludain Poland,
in 1470 ; compiled by Muller, in their present form, 1473 ; the
Stationers' Company of London claimed an exclusive right to
publish them till 1779 ; and a million annually at one time are
said to have been sold. For some curious particulars of the
contents of the earlier almanacs, see the Companion to the
Almanac for 1829.
COIN.
At the Conquest, the little coined silver that we had, bore the
same countenance with that which had been current in the days
of our Saxon kings ; for the Conqueror's penny is of the same
size as them, presenting his head full-faced, a cross in his right
hand, and a sceptre in his left, inscribed Willem Rex Anglo. On
the reverse, an arms fleiree, with four sceptres quarterly, the
inscription Jesthn on Herefor. Stowe says, the conqueror, as he
appeared on his coins, wanted a beard, and quotes William of
Malmesbury to prove that the Normans never wore any ; he
also mentions, that some of the conqueror's coins had Le Rey
Wilam inscribed on them, though all that are now attributed to
him have either the simple style of Rex, or with the addition of
An or Angolo. It is presumed that the coinage of money in this
fashion, was one of the improvements which the Norman court
received from our Edward the Confessor, who by their own
writers is acknowledged to have taught them a great many
English customs. All great sums were paid at this time by
weight ; thus, the monks of Ely paid the king 700 marks ; and
Edgar Atheling's allowance was a pound of silver daily (1074).
The purveyances were even changed into money, and the sheriff
collected them in the following proportions. Instead of
Bread for 100 men, one shilling 1 .
One pasture-fed ox, one shilling.
A ram, or sheep, four pence.
Provender for 20 horses, four pence.
But when these little contributions were thus gathered, the
collectors still paid the gross sums into the exchequer by weight.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 49
ORIGIN OF GOLD COIN IN ENGLAND.
The first gold coins on record were struck by Henry III., A.D.
1257, and were called gold pennies, weighing as much as two
silver pence, and passing for twenty-pence. The next gold
coinage was that of tlie florin (from Florence) in 1354. called also
abroad the guelder, or golden piece. Of the old gold standard,
the principal coins were nobles, of 6s. 8d. value ; half and quarter,
or farthing nobles, as they were called ; marks, of 13s. 4d. value ;
angels of 10s., and sovereigns of 20s. each.
Guineas were first coined in the reign of Charles II., and were
thus named, because the gold was brought from Guinea.
Shillings were first coined in England, in the reign of Henry
VII., in the year 1501. Crowns and Half Crowns in 1552. Tlie
first legal copper coin was made in the reign of James I., in 1609,
prior to which private leaden tokens were in general circulation.
Penny pieces, and Twopenny, of copper, were 1 first coined in
England, 1794.
COINS OF EDWARD VI.
The following is the description of the current money of that
reign. King Edward's Silver Crown-piece, coined at York. It
had the king's figure at full length, on horseback, in full armour,
crowned, and holding a drawn sword at his heart. The horse
is adorned with large embroidered trappings, with a plume of
feathers on the head, and the date under him. The Mint mark
is y, and it is circumscribed with these words : EDWARD vi. D.G.
AGL., FRA. z. HIBR. REX. The reverse like that of the shilling.
The Sovereign, struck in the sixth year of his reign, had the
profile figure of his majesty in armour, crowned, holding a drawn
sword in his right hand, and the orb in his left. The Mint
marked a tun over the royal head, circumscribed with these
words : EDWARD vi. E. G. AGL. FRAN. z. HIB. REX. The reverse
had the arms crowned, and the like supporters as his father, with
E. R. on the pedestal, and the following motto : JHS, AVTEM,
TRANS1ENS PER, MEDIUM, ILLORY, IBAT.
The base shilling of Edward VI., coined at York. The Mint
mark y, the head in profile, crowned with the legend, EDWARD
vi. D. G. AGL. FRA. z. HIB. REX. On the reverse, TIMOR, DOMINI,
FONS VITE, M.D.XL1X.
The Half-Sovereign, coined in his third year. It has the king's
bust in armour, bareheaded, circumscribed SCUTUM FIDEI PROTEGIT
EUM a rose between each word, and a rose the Mint mark. On
the reverse the arms in a shield, crowned, between the initial
letters E. R., with the title circumscribed as above.
The fine Shilling of Edward VI. It bore the king's bust, full-
faced, crowned, and in his parliamentary robes, with a chain of
the order. On one side of the head is a large double rose, and
60 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
on the other the figures xn., denoting the value, with the title,
as above, in old English characters. The Mint mark y, N. B.
This is the first English coin on which we see the Collar of the
Order of the Garter.
The Sixpence of his third year, of the York Mint. The Mint
mark y. On the obverse is the king's bust in armour, crowned,-
and labelled with the regal title. On the reverse are the royal
arms in an oval shield, garnished and crowned, with the motto,
SCUTUM, FIDEI, PROTEGIT, BUM.
The Noble was also in use in this reign, as an appropriate
attendant on the Sovereign.
INTEREST OF MONEY
Was 2c?. per week for 20s. in 1260 ; 45 per cent., 1307 ; the
first law in England for establishing interest of money at 10 per
cent, was in 1546. The pious subjects of Edward VI. repealed
this law as unlawful and most impious ; but it was restored in
queen Elizabeth's time. In those days the monarchs could not
borrow without the collateral security of the metropolis. Interest
was reduced from 10 to 8 per cent., 1624 ; reduced.by the Rump
parliament to 6 per cent., and confirmed at the Restoration ; to
5 per cent., 1714 ; from 4 to 3 per cent., 1750. Interest of the
National Debt reduced, 1749, 1823.
VALUE OF LABOUR AND MONEY IN EARLY TIMES.
In the year 1352, in the 25th of Edward III., wages paid to
haymakers was Id. per day ; a mower of meadows, '3d. or 5d. an
acre ; reapers of corn, first week in August 2o?., in the second 3d.
per day, and so on till the end of August, without meat, drink,
or other allowance, finding their own tools. For thrashing a
quarter of wheat or rye, 2^o?. ; a quarter of barley, beans, peas,
or oats, \^d. A master carpenter, 3d. a day ; other masons 3d.,
and servants, l^d. Tilers 3d., and their knaves l^d. Thatchers,
3d. per day, and their knaves, l^d. Plasterers, and other workers
of mud walls, and their knaves in like manner, without meat or
drink, and this from Easter till Michaelmas ; and from that time
less, according to the direction of the justices.
About the year 900, king Alfred left to each of his daughters
100 in money. In 1221, Joan, eldest daughter to king John,
upon her marriage with Alexander, king of Scotland, had a
dowry of 1000. In 1278, Edward I. gave his daughter Joan,
contracted to the son of the king of the Romans, 10,000 marks
sterling, and this to be returned in case the prince died before
her. In 1314, Elizabeth, wife of Robert Bruce, king of Scotland,
being imprisoned in England, was allowed for herself and family,
20s. per week. In 1330, Joan of Oxford, nurse to the Black
Prince, had a pension of 10 per annum; and Maud Plumpton,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 51
a rocker, had 10 marks. In 1402, the salary of the Lord Chief
Justice of the King's Bench, was 40. In 1408, the Lord Chief
Justice of the Common Pleas, had 55 marks per annum. In
1545, the former had an addition of 30 to his salary, and the
other justices of .20.
STERLING.
Origin of the term as applied to money.
In the time of Eichard I., money coined in the East part of
Germany came in special request in England, on account of its
purity, and was called Easterling Money, as all the inhabitants
of those parts were called Easterlings ; and soon after some of
these people, skilled in coining, were sent for to London, to bring
the coin to perfection, which was soon called Sterling, from East-
erling. King Edward I. established a certain standard for the
silver coin of England ; but no gold was coined until the reign of
Edward III., who in the year 1320 caused several pieces to be
coined, called Florences, because they were coined by Florentines.
Afterwards he coined Nobles, then Eose Nobles, current at
6s. 8d., Half Nobles at 3s. 4d., called Halfpennies of gold ; and
Quarters at Is. 8d., called Farthings of gold. The succeeding
kings coined Eose Nobles, and Double Eose Nobles, Great Sove-
reigns, and Half Henry Nobles, Angels, and Shillings.-- James I.
coined Unites, Double Crowns, and Britannia Coins, Shillings,
and Sixpences. Charles II. converted most of the ancient gold
coins into guineas.
BOARD WAGES.
Board Wages first commenced in England with king Charles I.'s
servants, in 1629.
INSURANCE OF SHIPS, &c.
Insurance on ships and merchandise, Suetonius conjectures, was
contrived by Claudius in 43. Insurance on shipping began in
England, in 1560. Insurance offices in London, 1696.
RENT
"VYas first made payable in money, instead of kind, in 1136.
FIGURES IN ARITHMETIC
Were introduced into Europe from Arabia, 991, and into Eno--
land in 1253.
ALGEBRA
Was first introduced into Europe in 1300, and became in
general use in 1590. Numerical algebra was invented in 950,
and first known in Europe in 1494; letters were first used in
algebra in 1590.
52 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
LAC OF RUPEES.
A Rupee is an Indian coin of silver, of 2s. 3d. and 25. 6cf., and
a lac signifies nothing more than a certain amount, say about
12,500 sterling.
DIAMONDS.
Diamonds were first cut and polished at Bruges, in 1489. Dia-
mond mines discovered at Golconda, 1584; atCoulour, 1640; and
at Brazil in 1730.
The weight of diamonds is estimated in carats, 150 of which
are equal to one ounce Troy. The average price of rough dia-
monds is about 2 per carat.
According to this estimate, a wrought diamond, three carats, is
worth 72, and one of 100 carats, 80,000. The largest diamond
probably ever heard of, is one mentioned by Tavernier, who saw
it in the possession of the Great Mogul. It was about as big as
a hen's egg, and weighed 900 carats in the rough. The largest
diamond ever brought to Europe, is one now in the possession of
the sovereign of Russia. It weighs 195 carats, and was long
employed as the eye of. a Braminical idol. A French soldier
discovered the value of the gem, and changed his religion, wor-
shipping at the altar of the god, that he might deprive him of
his splendid eye. At length he succeeded in substituting a piece
of glass for the diamond, and again became a good Christian !
After passing through several hands, the empress Catherine at
length fixed it in the possession of the Russian crown, giving for
it 90,000, and a perpetual annuity of 1000. It is cut in the
rose form, and is the size of a pigeon's egg. One of the most
beautiful is the Pitt Diamond, which is a brilliant, and weighs
rather more than 136 carats. It was brought from India by a
gentleman of the name of Pitt, and purchased by the Duke of
Orleans, who placed it in the Crown of France, where it still
remains. The celebrated Pigot Diamond is in the possession of
Rundell and Co.
INTERNAL NAVIGATION IN ENGLAND.
It was so late as the year 1720, when inland navigation com-
menced in England, by the deepening of the rivers Mersey and
Irwell. The carrying trade between Manchester and Liverpool,
was then performed principally by gangs of pack-horses. The
owners of these horses of course alleged, that their rights would
be invaded, and their profits diminished, by the new navigation;
though whether they presented petitions to parliament, complain-
ing of the infringement, and praying that the proprietors might
not be allowed to proceed (continues the Leeds Mercury), is more
than we can say ; but supposing this had been done, and that
parliament in ita wisdom had determined to protect the vested
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 53
interests of these ancient carriers from invasion ; and allowing
further, that the intercourse between Manchester and Liverpool
had continued to increase till it had obtained its present magni-
tude of 1000 tons a day, the consequence would have been, that
the inhabitants of Lancashire would have had to maintain upon
the road alone Forty Thousand Pack-horses, which would, when
in marching order, have formed a continuous line, in close array,
of upwards of eighty miles.
PAWNBROKERS' BALLS.
The three balls, as a Pawnbroker's Sign, dates its origin from
the Lombards, the great money-lenders, who came from Lom-
bardy and settled here. The greatest of these traders in money
were the celebrated, and eventually princely house of the Medici
of Florence. They bore pills on their shield (and those pills, as
usual then, were gilded,) in allusion to the professional origin
from whence they had derived the name of Medici ; and their
agents in England and other countries put their armorial bear-
ings over their doors as their sign, and the reputation of tha,t
house induced others to put up the same sign.
It has been wittily remarked, that the Three Balls intimate,
that it is two to one against your redeeming what you pledge !
ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE BANKING SYSTEM.
The Trapezitse of the Greeks, and Argentarii or Nummularii
of the Romans, were persons who lent money upon usury, kept
the accounts of other usurers, and exchanged worn for new money,
for a profit, but did not deal in cheques, drafts, &c.
Beckmann, however, says, that they did pay money by a bill,
which process, was termed prce-scribere and rescribere, and the
assignment or draft attributia, and dealt besides in exchanges
and discounts. Philip the Fair, in 1304, ordered a bank to be
held upon the great bridge of Paris ; and they had booths and
tables before church doors, &c., called mensce combiatorum (our
Scriptural Tables of the Money Changers), stands at fairs for
changing money, &c. They were obliged to give security in pro-
perty, and were formed into guilds. * We had had a set of them
called Caursini, from the family Caursini at Florence, it being
agreed that, however divided, they should take the name of that
family, penes quam summa mercatura erat. All the Italian mer-
chants who practised usury, were called Lombards; hence our
Lombard Street.-^
The draft of one banker upon another, and the cheque, occur
in Eymer. The deposit of money to be let out at interest, is a
practice of the Eoman Argentarii, who exercised their trade in
* See article on Guild. f See article on Lombard Street.
54 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
the Forum, under the inspection of the town magistrate ; and
when they ceased to show themselves, their bankruptcy was de-
clared by these words,/oro cessit. Fosbroke's Encyclopaedia.
Such is the ancient history of bankers ; with regard to modern
times, Pennant says, regular banking by private people resulted
in 1643, from the calamity of the time, when the seditious spirit
was incited by the acts of the parliamentary leaders. The mer-
chants and tradesmen, who before trusted their cash to their
servants and apprentices, found that no longer safe, neither did
they dare to leave it in the Mints at the Tower, by reason of the
distresses of majesty itself, which before was a place of public de-
posit. In the year 1645, they first placed their cash in the hands
of goldsmiths, who began publicly to exercise both professions.
Even in my days, continues Pennant, were several eminent
bankers who kept the goldsmith's shop, but they were more fre-
quently separated. The first regular banker was Mr. Francis
Child, goldsmith, who began business soon after the Restoration.
He was the father of the profession, a person of large fortune,
and most respectable character. He married between the years
1665 and 1675, Martha,, only daughter of Robert Blanchard,
citizen and goldsmith, by whom he had twelve children. Mr.
Child was afterwards knighted. He lived in Fleet Street, where
the shop still continues in a state of the highest respectability.
Mr. Granger, in his Biographical History, mentions Mr. Child as
successor to the shop of Alderman Backwel, a banker in the time
of Charles II., noted for his integrity, abilities, and industry, who
was ruined by the shutting up of the Exchequer, in 1672. His
books were placed in the hands of Mr. Child, and still remain in
the family. The next ancient shop was that possessed by Messrs.
Snowe and Benne, a few doors to the west of Mr. Child's, who
were goldsmiths of consequence in the latter part of the same
reign. Mr. Gay celebrates the predecessor of these gentlemen,
for his sagacity in escaping the ruins of the fatal year 1720. in
his Epistle to Mr. Thomas Snow, goldsmith, near Temple Bar.
To the west of Temple Bar, the only one was that of Messrs.
Middletonand Campbell, goldsmiths, who flourished in 1622, and
is now continued with great credit by Mr. Coutts. From thence
to the extremity of the western end of the town, there was none
till the year 1756, when the respectable name of Backwel rose
again, conjoined to those of Darel, Hart, and Croft, who with
great reputation opened their shop in Pall Mall.
BANK OF ENGLAND.
This national bank was first established in 1694, in the reign
of William and Mary. It was projected by one Paterson, and
its original capital was 1,200,000. The style of the firm is The
Governor and Company of the Bank of England.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 65
SAVINGS' BANKS.
The origin of these valuable institutions has been attributed
to the Rev. Joseph Smith of Wendover, who, in 1799, circulated
proposals to the inhabitants of his parish, to receive from Two-
pence upwards, every Sunday evening during the summer months,
and to repay at Christmas the amount of the deposit, with the
addition of one-third as a bounty. The next institution was
established in 1804, at Tottenham, in Middlesex, by Mrs. Priscilla
Wakefield ; and from that period the system has gradually risen
to its existing importance.
EAST INDIA COMPANY.
The East India Company of England was first established in
1600 ; their stock then consisting of 72,000, when they fitted
out four ships ; and, meeting with success, they have continued
ever since ; India Stock sold from 360 to 500 per cent., 1683 ; a
new company was established, 1698 ; the old one re-established,
and the two united, 1700; agreed to give government 400,000
per annum, for four years, on condition that they might continue
unmolested, 1769; in great confusion, and applied to parliament
for assistance, 1773; judges sent from England to administer the
laws there, by the government, April 2nd, 1774; Board of Con-
trol instituted, 1784; Charter renewed, 1813. Some alterations
in the constitution and administration of the* Company were
effected by the Act 3 and 4 William IV., c. 85, which passed
28th August, 1833.
DISCOVERIES AND INVENTIONS.
MANUFACTURE OF EDGE TOOLS.
Parkes, in his Essay on Edge Tools, says the history of the
invention of edge tools is involved in much obscurity. The mate-
rials employed by the ancients for making them were various ;
but the metal in general use in modern times, and among civilized
nations, for the fabrication of such instruments, is iron, though
this metal varies in its nature, and is differently prepared ac-
cording to the purposes to which the instrument or weapon is
applicable.
Although iron was known before the deluge, yet there is reason
to believe that the method of making it was afterwards lost.
Tubal Cain, who lived nearly 4000 years before the commence-
56 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ment of the Christian era, was "an instructor of every artificer
in brass and iron;"* and we are told that Abraham took a
knife to slay his son Isaac, t In these early times mention is also
made of shears, and of shearing of sheep ; and yet many of the
ancient nations knew nothing of iron, but used stones, flints, the
horns and bones of various animals, the bones and shells of fish,
reeds, and thorns, for every purpose in which the moderns now
use edge tools of iron and steel.
Hesiod, who probably lived a thousand years before the time
of Christ, says plainly, that the ploughshare was made with a
species of very hard oak ; and from his manner of describing the
ploughs that were then employed, there is no reason to suppose
that any iron was used in constructing them. The following is
Elton's translation of the passage :
" If hill or field supply an ilex bough,
Of bending figure like the downward plough,
Bear it away ; this durable remains,
"While thy strong steers in ridges clear the plains ;
If Avith firm nails thy artists join the whole,
Affix the share-beam, and adapt the pole."
Though the Britons had some iron when they were first invaded
by the Romans, yet, as Caesar observes, " they had it only in small
quantities, hardly sufficient for home consumption, and none to
spare for exportation." But after the Romans had been some
time settled in this island, this most useful metal became very
plentiful, and made a part of the British exports.
On the arrival of the Saxons in Great Britain, our ancestors
were still in a low state of civilisation. One of their laws enacts,
that no man should undertake to guide a plough who could not
make one ; and that the cords with which it is drawn should be
formed of twisted willows. ||
From this period edge tools gradually made their appearance,
but centuries elapsed, even in Britain, or England as it is now
called, before they were brought to any kind of perfection. We
read but little of swords in the beginning of the 15th century,
though no doubt they were then in use, since there is the evidence
of Geoffrey Chaucer, who died only two years before the memo-
rable battle of Hamilton was fought, that Sheffield was, even then,
famous for its cutlery :
" A dagger hanging at his belt he had,
Made of an ancient sword's wellvtempered blade ;
He wore a Sheffield whittle in his hose. "
Chronology informs us, iron was first discovered by the burning
of Mount Ida, 1406 B. c. In England by the Romans, soon after
the landing of Julius Caesar. First discovered in America, in
* Genesis iv. 22. f Ibid. xxii. 10. * Tbid. xxxviii. 12, 13.
H Leges Wallicae, p. 283. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
T.IIE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 57
Virginia, 1715. First cast in England, at Blackstead, Sussex,
1544.
KNIVES.
It is difficult to ascertain the date of the introduction of every
kind of cutting or pointed instruments ; but when the utility and
convenience of these domestic implements were once experienced,
there can be no doubt that the practice of using them quickly
became very general, and that manufactories of knives and other
edge tools were consequently soon established in various parts
of the kingdom. Table knives were first made in London in the
year 1563, by one Thomas Matthews of Fleet Bridge. They
were probably not in use in the time of Chaucer.
FORKS.
Neither the Greeks nor the Romans have any name for forks ;
they were not used by the ancients ; they used the ligula, similar
to our spoons. Formerly, persons of rank kept in their houses a
carver. The Chinese use no forks, but have small sticks of ivory,
of very beautiful workmanship, inlaid with gold and silver. The
use of forks was first known in Italy towards the end of the
fifteenth century, but at that time they were not very common.
In France, at the end of the sixteenth century, even at Court,
they were entirely new. Coryate, the traveller, is said to be the
first person who used forks in England, on which account, says
Beckmann, he was called, by way of joke, furcifer. In many
parts of Spain at present, forks are rarities.
Among the Scotch Highlanders, knives have been introduced
at table only since the revolution. Before that period every man
had a knife of his own, as a companion to his dirk or dagger.
The men cut the meat for the women into small morsels, who
then put them into their mouths with their fingers.
The use of forks at table, was at first considered as a superfluous
luxury; and therefore they were forbidden to convents, as was
the case in regard to the congregation of St. Maur.
RAZORS.
The term Eazor, as applied to the instrument that we shave
with, is supposed to be derived from the word raze,to cut or pull
down, to leave nothing standing. Razors are mentioned by
Homer. Before English manufactures excelled in cutlery, Fos-
broke says, razors were imported from Palermo in Italy, or rather
Sicily.
PIXS.
The pin was not known in England till towards the middle or
latter end of the reign of Henry VIII. j the ladies until then
58 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
using ribbons, loops, skewers made of wood, of brass, silver, or
gold. At first the pin was so ill made, that in the 34th year of
the king, parliament enacted that none should be sold unless
they be " double-headed, and have the headdes soudered faste to
the shanke of the pynne," &c. But this interference had such an
influence on the manufacture, that the public could obtain no
supply until the obnoxious act was repealed. On referring to
the statute book, the act of repeal, which passed in the 37th year
of the same reign, contains the following clauses, which tends to
shew how cautious the legislature ought to be not to interfere
with any manufactory which they do not perfectly understand.
The act of repeal having recited the former act, it then goes on
to say, " At which tyme the pynners playnly promised to serve
the kynge's liege people wel and sufficiently, and at a reasonable
price. And for as much sens the makyng of the saide act there
hath ben scarcitee of pynnes within this realme that the kynge's
liege people have not ben wel nor competetly served of such
pynnes nor ar like to be served nor the pynners of this realme
{as it doeth nowe manifestly appere) be hable to serve the people
of this realme accordyng to their saied promise. In consideracion
whereof it maie please the kyng, &c., that it maie be adjudged
and demed from hensforth frustrated and nihilated and to be
repealed for ever." Stat. Henrici Octavi, xxxvii. cap. 13. The
consumption of the whole nation is now, 1831, estimated at six-
teen millions of pins per day.
NEEDLES.
The Cambrian inhabitants of Britain sewed together for gar-
ments the skins of animals, while they used as needles small bones
offish or animals, rudely sharpened at one end ; and needles just
of the same sort were used by the natives of the Sandwich
islands when Captain Cook first visited them. Stowe says, that
needles were first sold in Cheapside in the reign of Queen Mary,
and then they were made by a Spanish negro, who refused to
discover the secret of his art. It will be recollected, that many
Spanish artisans came over to England on the marriage of Philip
the Second with the said princess. So that we may fairly sup-
pose the needle to be of Spanish origin. Needles were first
manufactured in England 1566, by Elias Grouse, a German.
SAWS, &c.
The invention of this instrument is ascribed to the nephew of
Daedalus, who, as they say, having accidentally met with the jaw
of a serpent, which he used with success to divide a small piece
of wood, thus acquired the first idea of such an implement, and
soon afterwards formed a metallic instrument in imitation of it.
It is also said, that from the saw originated the idea of the file.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 59
A saw-mill was first fitted up in London in 1633, but after-
wards demolished, that it might not deprive the poor of employ.
TOURNIQUET,
This instrument, used by surgeons to benumb the limb prior
to amputation, was invented by one Morell, at the siege of
Besan9on, in 1674.
Petit, of France, invented the Screw Tourniquet in 1718.
ANCHORS.
The data of the invention of the anchor is somewhat obscure.
The first anchors, however, were not made of iron, but of stone,
and sometimes of wood. These latter were loaded with lead.
Several writers relate that the Phoenicians, in their first voyages
into Spain, having amassed more silver than their ships could
contain, took the lead from their anchors, and supplied its place
with silver. Goguet's Origin of Laws, &c., vol. i. p. 292.
TELEGRAPHS
Were first invented, 1687 ; put into practice by the French in
1794; by the English, January 28, 1796. In 1816, it was deter-
mined to change the Admiralty Telegraphs into Semaphores.
They consisted of an upright post, with moveable arms. This kind
of Telegraph continued to be used at the Government Stations
till the introduction of the
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.
The idea of applying electricity to the purposes of telegraphic
communication, is said to have originated with Mr. James Bain,
an ingenious mechanic, to whom, by a recent legal decision, a
handsome remuneration is to be paid out of the funds of the
Electric Telegraph Company.
It is chiefly, however, to the joint labours of Messrs. W. F.
Cooke and Professor Wheatstone, that Electric Telegraphs owe
their practical application. The first was laid down upon the
London and Black wall Railway ; the second from London to
West Drayton ; the third (in 1849) from London to Gosport, and by
means of this surprising agency, an instantaneous communication
is now made between London and Paris. This invention was
patented in 1837. When Faraday obtained the converse of elec-
tro-magnetism, by induced electricity from magnets in motion,
he originated magneto-electricity, and it is possible that its suc-
cessful application to the purposes of the Electric Telegraph, will
supersede the use of the present galvanic electricity.
The Electric Telegraph is now marching apace over continental
60 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Europe, and so complete is the magic network of its intellectual
nerves, that for all purposes of communication it may be said
that there is no longer any British Channel. From the moun-
tain cities of Transylvania, to the marshes of Pomerania, there is
scarcely a town of any literary or commercial importance not
connected by the metallic pulses terminating at Charing Cross.
The Baltic, the Black Sea, the Bay of Biscay, are all now brought
into immediate contact with each other. A word may be shot
by lightning from the Gulf of Venice to the Irish Sea. Holland
has now been brought, as it were, into the human family ; and
Amsterdam, Haarlem, the Hague, Leyden, Kotterdain, and
Breda, are but as links in the great chain of European confra-
ternity.
ELECTRIC PRINTING TELEGRAPH.
Mr. J. Brett has invented an Electric Printing Telegraph,
which consists of two parts, called the communicator, or key-
board, and the printing machine ; the former is supposed to be at
the station from which intelligence is to be transmitted, and the
latter, the place to which it is to be sent. The machinery is
propelled chiefly by the power of weights, or by ordinary clock-
springs. The motion of the printing-machine is regulated by ths
galvanic current, by means of an escapement, and which requires
much less power than is necessary to impel the machinery ; thus
both the advantage of the instantaneous action of the current, and
the greater power of the weights, combine to accomplish the
work for which this machine is designed. By the use of Mr.
Brett's Telegraph, communications are made in any language,
and printed upon paper with considerable rapidity and precision ;
the paper and ink are self-supplying, and sufficient may be
placed in the apparatus of both to last for some time. It is cal-
culated that the letters may be printed at a greater speed than
a well-practised person could write them, and that a clerk, after
some experience, might manipulate upon the finger key-board
upwards of 150 letters per minute.
DOMESTIC TELEGRAPH.
The mechanical Domestic Telegraph consists of an arrange-
ment of tubes, formed of gutta percha, and supplied with metallic
and other mouth pieces, to which a whistle is attached. By blow-
ing into the tube, the whistle is sounded in a remote apartment,
and the message can then be delivered with scarcely any elevation
of the voice through the tube, which transmits sound in a remark-
able manner. Mr. Whishaw of John Street, Adelphi, contribute. I
a Telekouphonon, or Speaking Telegraph, to the Great Exhibi-
tion. (See Official Descriptive Catalogue, vol. i. p. 454.) Mr.
BurJett of Clapham, has also invented another Domestic Tele-
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM,' 61
graph, requiring only one bell for any number of rooms. All the
rooms being numbered, wires are brought to corresponding num-
bers on this machine, so that, when the wire of any room is
agitated, the bell will ring, and the indicator will point out the
number of the room on the dial where attention is required.
TELESCOPES.
The precise period of the invention of the Telescope is unkno^
Roger Bacon, before the end of the thirteenth century, had
:nown.
no
doubt conceived the instrument, though there is no proof that
his conception was carried into practice. About 1590, two Dutch
opticians, Zachariah Jans (or Jansen,) and Hans Lapprey, con-
structed Telescopes. The first on record, however, who appears
to have carried his theoretical notions into effect, is Leonard
Digges, as we learn from the second edition of his Pantometria,
published by his son in 1591. It was while Galileo was living
at Venice, A. D. 1609, that he heard of its discovery, and imme-
diately applied himself to make such improvements, so as to
render this instrument available for the purposes of astronomy.
In 1655, Huygens, in conjunction with his brother Constantine,
applied himself to the manufacture of this noble instrument.
Since his time, improvements have been made in it by James
Gregory, Sir Isaac Newton, Dr. Hooke, Herschel, and the Earl
of Rosse.
HOROSCOPE.
This word, in astrology, is the degree or point of the heavens
rising above the eastern point of the horizon at any given time,
when a prediction is to be made of a future event, as, the fortune
of a person then born, the success of a design then laid, the
weather, and so on. The word is composed of i^a, hour, and
CTXETT TOfA.a.1, I consider. Such was at one time the infatu-
ation concerning horoscopes, that Albertus Magnus, Cardan, and
others, are said to have had the temerity to draw that of Jesus
Christ.
HOROSCOPE is also used for a scheme or figure of the twelve
houses or signs of the Zodiac, in which is marked the disposition
of the heavens for any given time. Thus we say, to draw a
horoscope, to construct a horoscope, and the like. Calculating a,
nativity, is when the life and fortune of a person are the subject
of the prediction.
SPECTACLES.
Dr. Johnson expressed his surprise that the inventor of spec-
tacles was regarded with indifference, and had found no biogra-
pher to celebrate his deeds. Most authorities give the latter
62 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
part of the thirteenth century as the period of their invention,
popular opinion has pronounced in favour of Alexander de Spina,
a native of Piaa, who died in the year 1313. In the Italian Dic-
tionary, Delia Crusca, under the head of " Occhiale," or Spectacles,
it is stated that Friar Jordan de Rivalto tells his audience, in a
sermon published in 1305, that " it is not twenty years since the
art of making spectacles was found out, and is indeed one of the
best and most necessary inventions in the world." This would
place the invention in the year 1 285. On the other hand, Dominic
Maria Manni, an eminent Italian writer, attributes the invention
to Sal vino Armati, who flourished about 1345 (See his Treatise,
Degli Occhiali da JVaso, inventati da Salvino Armati, 4to. 1738.)
On the authority of various passages in the writings of Friar
Bacon, Mr. Molyneux is of opinion that he was acquainted with
the use of spectacles ; and when Bacon (Opus Majus) says, that
" this instrument (a plano-convex glass, or large segment of a
sphere) is useful to old men, and to those who have weak eyes ;
for they may see the smallest letters sufficiently magnified," we
may conclude that the particular way of assisting decayed sight
was known to him. It is quite certain that they were known
and used about the time of liis death, A.D. 1292.
TIME MEASURE BAROMETER
Was introduced by Scipio Nasica, 159 ; King Alfred's time-
keeper was six large wax tapers, each 12 inches long; as they
burnt unequally, owing to the wind, he invented a lanthorn, made
of wood, and then scraped plates of ox-horns, glass being a great
rarity, (887.) The ancients had three sorts of time measures;
hour glasses, sun dials, and a vessel full of water with a hole in
its bottom.
SAILING COACHES.
We have heard much of propelling coaches by steam, but it
appears from the following article, that sailing coaches, or coaches
propelled along by the wind, were known to our neighbours long
ago. They were invented by Simon Sterinius, a Fleming.
" Purposing to visit Grotius (saith Gassendus,) Peireskius went
to Scheveling, that he might satisfy himself of the carriage and
swiftness of a coach, a few years before invented, and made up
with that artifice, that with expanded sails it would fly upon the
shore as a ship upon the sea. He had formerly heard that Count
Maurice, a little after his victory at Newport, had put himself
thereinto, together with Francis Mendoza, his prisoner, on pur-
pose to make trial thereof; and that within two hours they
arrived at Putten, which is distant from Scheveling fourteen
leagues, or two and forty miles. He had, therefore, a mind to
make the experiment of it himself, and he would often tell us
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 63
with what admiration he was seized, when he wns carried with a
quick wind, and yet perceived it not, the coach's motion being
equally quick."
STEAM ENGINES.
"We have often heard of the utility of steam being derived
from its effect on the lid of the tea-kettle ; be that as it may, it
was first employed to produce motion by Brancas, a philosopher
at Eome, about the year 1628. But the first real steam engine
for raising water, is described in a small pamphlet, published in
the reign of Charles the Second, in the year 1663, entitled, " A
Century of the Names and Scantlings of the Marquis of Wor-
cester's Inventions, written in the year 1655." No use was made
of this invaluable hint until Captain Savary, in 1698, obtained a
patent for an engine which operated both by the expansive and
condensive force of steam, to be employed in drawing mines,
serving towns with water, and for working all sorts of mills.
Thomas Newcomen, ironmonger, and John Cowley, glazier, of
Dartmouth, obtained a patent in 1 705 for improvements made in
the steam engine, and in which Captain Savary was admitted to
participate. But it was reserved for James Watt, a mathematical
instrument maker at Glasgow, to bring the steam engine to
perfection. He obtained a patent for his great invention of per-
forming condensation in a separate vessel from the cylinder.
Many inventions have, since that time, been made by him for
effecting a saving and better application of steam. Watt often
acknowledged, that his first ideas on this subject were acquired
by his attendance on Dr. Black's Chemical Lectures, and from
his consideration of latent heat, and the expansibility of steam.
The name of George Dodd deserves a prominent place in the
history of steam engines, as being the first to undertake a con-
siderable voyage by sea in a steam vessel. The boat was built
on the Clyde by Messrs. Wood, and was launched in 1813, under
the name of the Glasgow, but subsequently called the Thames.
HORSE'S POWER.
This term, used as the name of a measure of power, is an ex-
pression which had its origin in convenience. In its first appli-
cation no great nicety was necessary ; but as the value of
mechanical power became better understood, an exact measure,
nearly coinciding with the power of a horse, and uniformity in
the practice of engineers, became desirable. Mr. Watt has fixed
the elementary horse power at l,920,0001b. raised one foot per
hour, or 32,0001b. raised one foot per minute, or 533 raised one
foot per second. Mr. Watt further assigned a proportion for the
low-pressure steam engine, equivalent to a horse's power, which
is 55 times the square of the diameter of the cylinder, in inches,
64 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
multiplied by the velocity of the piston, six feet per minute, and
the product divided by 32,000, the result is the number of
horse's power. The advantage of steam power is apparent ; the
horse can work at that rate only eight hours ; the engine may
be kept at work as long as wanted.
WINNOWING MACHINES.
These very useful machines were a Chinese invention, brought
to Europe by the Dutch, and first made in Scotland by Eodgers,
near Hawick, in 1733, from whence they were soon after brought
into Northumberland, where they were first used in England.
SPINNING JENNIES.
The Spinning Jenny, to which this country owes so much of
its commercial greatness, was originally invented by Hargreaves
in 1767, but ultimately improved by Richard Arkwright, a bar-
ber, but who afterwards became an eminent manufacturer, and
ultimately Sir Richard Arkwright, Bart.
The term Jenny, was derived from his wife, whose name was
Jane, but whom he used to address by the familiar name of
Jenny ; thinking, no doubt, as the latter had been very prolific
(which was the case), that his new invention would be equally
so, under a similar appellation. The result justified such a con-
clusion.
AIR BALLOONS.
As balloon ascensions seem quite the rage, it may not be amiss
to state, that Mr. Lunardi accompanied by a cat, a dog, and a pigeon,
ascended in one from the Artillery Ground, Moorfields (the first
attempt of the kind in England), September 15, 1784. For some
account of the recent improvements in aerial machines, see the
Reports of the Juries of the Great Exhibition, p. 309.
LANTHORNS
"Were first used in England by king Alfred, in 890, as is
noticed in Asser's Life of Alfred. See also John xviii. 3.
DIORAMA., PANORAMA, &c.
Diorama is from the Greek, and means to " see through," and
is a mode of painting and scenic exhibition of recent invention
by two French artists, Daguerre and Bouton. It possesses
some advantages over the Panorama, in being equally suitable
for architectural and interior views as for landscape. The
Panorama is neither more nor less than a large picture, the
Diorama is a transparency, and the Cosmorama and Poecilorama
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 65
a couple of galanta shows for grown up ladies and gentlemen.
The Diorama in the Regent's Park, London, was first opened in
1823, and was erected after the plans of Messrs. Morgan and
Pugin. The Diorama at Berlin, executed by Carl Gropius, an
eminent scene painter, is somewhat on the same plan.
KALEIDOSCOPE.
This ever-varying optical instrument derives its name from
xxo? beautiful, aiL? a form, and a-xoireto to see. The novelty was so
enchanting, that opticians could not manufacture kaleidoscopes
fast enough to meet the universal desire for seeing the delightful
and ever-varying combinations presented by each turn of the
magical cylinder. It was invented by Dr. Brewster, to whom,
had its exclusive formation been ensured, it must have produced
a handsome fortune in a single year. Unhappily, that gentleman
was deprived of his just reward by fraudful anticipation.
WATER CARRIAGE.
Floats, or rafts, are believed by most authors to have been the
first kind of water carriage. To these succeeded canoes, made
of one large tree excavated, to secure its freight from being
wetted or washed away.
" Then first on seas the hollow alder swam."
As uncultivated natives wanted proper tools for sawing large
trees into planks, the most ancient vessels or boats in several
countries were made of osiers, and the flexible branches of trees
interwoven as close as possible, and covered with skins. The
sea which flows between Britain and Ireland, says Csesar, is so
unquiet and stormy, that it is only navigable in summer, when
the people of these countries pass and repass it in small boats
made of wattles, and covered carefully with the hides of oxen.
SHIPS OF WAR.
The art of ship-building was first invented by the Egyptians ;
the first ship (probably a galley) being brought from Egypt by
Darius, 1485 B.C. The first ship of 800 tons was built in Eng-
land, 1509. The first double-decked one built in England was of
1000 tons burthen, by order of Henry VII. : she had three masts,
carried 80 guns, measured 138 feet in length and 36 in breadth ;
it cost 14,000, and was called the Grsat Harry. Down to the
year 1545, the " Great Harry" was the only ship of that description
in the British Fleet. She was accidentally burnt at Woolwich in
her sixty-fifth year ; before this, 24 gun-ships were the largest in
our navy. Port-holes, and other improvements, were first
F
66 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
invented by Descharges, a French builder at Brest, in the reign
BASKETS.
Baskets were first made by the ancient Britons, who exported
vast quantities of them. Julius Caesar particularly alludes to
them in his Commentaries.
MARINER'S COMPASS.
The Mariner's Compass was invented by Flavio Gioia, or
Goya, a Neapolitan, and from which period we may date the
general intercourse among nations. It was discovered early in
the fourteenth century.
FLEUR-DE-LIS ON THE MARINER'S COMPASS.
Those who have seen the mariner's compass, or indeed a drawing
of it, must have observed the fleur-de-lis at the point of the
needle. From this circumstance the French have laid claim to
the discovery ; but it is much more probable that the figure is an
ornamental cross, which originated in the devotion of an ignorant
and superstitious age to the mere symbol.
BRIDGES.
Bridges were originally called Bows. Stow says, at Stratford
by Bow is a bridge, the first that was built of stone in England.
It was built by orders of queen Matilda, relict of Henry I., over
the river Lea, and called Stratford Bow from its arch, which was
a piece of architecture then probably new to the British nation.
It was built in 1087. It is related that queen Matilda, being
closely pursued by her enemies, forded the river Lea below Old
Ford, on which occasion, the waters being much out, some of her
faVourite attendants were drowned, and which afflicted her so
much, that afterwards she caused the bridge above alluded to, to
be built over the said place. The oldest bridge now existing in
England, is the triangular bridge at Croyland in Lincolnshire,
which is said to have been erected about A. D. 860. The oldest
suspension bridge is believed to have been the Winch Chain
Bridge, suspended over the Tees, supposed to have been erected
about 1741.
CANALS.
The first canal in England, with locks and sluices, was made
A.D. 1563, near the city of Exeter. The inventor was John Trew
of Glamorgan. In 1755, an act was passed for constructing one
eleven miles long from the mouth of Sankey Brook, in the river
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 67
Mersey, to Gerard's Bridge and St. Helens. The aggregate
length of the navigable canals of England exceeds 2,200 miles.
FISHING WITH NETS IN ENGLAND.
The means of supplying life with necessaries, was but imper-
fectly known and cultivated. The poor pagans of Sussex, though
starving for want of food, knew not how to catch any fish except
eels, until Bishop Wilfred (who in 678 took shelter in that dis-
trict) instructed them in the use of nets. He took 300 at a
draught, and thus, supplying the bodily wants of his catechumens,
rendered their minds tractable to his doctrines, and easily
accomplished their conversion.
GUNPOWDER.
Gunpowder was known in the Eastern world long before its
discovery took place in Europe. It is a curious fact, that upon
our discovery of China we found that nation possessed of gun-
powder, a composition which could not have been made without
a considerable knowledge of chemistry. Tt has been said that it
was used in China as early as the year 85, and that the know-
ledge of it was conveyed to us from the Arabs, on the return of
the Crusaders to Europe ; that the Arabs made use of it at the
siege of Mecca in 690 ; and that they derived it from the Indians.
The discovery of the manufacture of this death-dealing combus-
tible in Europe, is by some attributed to Berthold Schwartz, a
German chemist and monk, who, happening to triturate some
sulphur, nitre, and charcoal, in a mortar, was surprised and alarmed
at an unexpected explosion, which blew off the head of his mor-
tar to a considerable distance. The probability however is, that
this was a second discovery of the same thing, for the first inti-
mation that was given of it was considerably before, by that
great philosopher, Eoger Bacon, in his posthumous treatise,
entitled, De Nulliate Magice, published in 1316. " You may,"
says he, " raise thunder and lightning at pleasure, by only taking
sulphur, nitre, and charcoal, which singly have no effect, but
mixed together, and confined in a close place, cause a noise and
explosion greater than a clap of thunder."
Gunpowder was first made use of in warfare, in Europe, by the
English at the battle of Cressy, in the year 1345, when, for the
first time, three pieces of field ordnance, or cannon,* were fii-st
used. It was afterwards used by the Venetians at the siege of
Genoa, and from that period was adopted by every power in
Europe. It consists of a very intimate mixture of nitre, or nitrate
of potash, charcoal, and sulphur : the proportions are 75 nitre,
15 charcoal, and 10 sulphur.
* The first cannons were made of trees bored, and bound with iron hoops,
Stone balls were used till the reign of Henry VIII.
68 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Before the introduction of gunpowder, however, an highly in-
flammable compound called Greek fire was in use; and this,
having the property of burning under water, could not easily be
extinguished ; consequently, it did surprising execution. In the
12th century, the emperors of Constantinople used to send quan-
tities of this dreadful combustible to princes in friendship with
them, as the most valuable present they could give them, and the
greatest mark of their favour. It was considered so important
an article of offence, that the use of it was continued long after
the introduction of gunpowder.
CANNONS.
Cannons were first used at the battle of Cressy, in the year
1345 ; they were, however, of a small kind. Great guns were
first used in England at the siege of Berwick, in 1405. Muskets
were not invented till the year 1521. Cannons were first made
of wood, bound with iron. The earliest cannon-balls were of
stone. Brass cannons first cast in England by John Owen, 1535.
Iron cannons first cast, 1543, in Sussex.
BOMBS.
Bombs were first invented in 1388, by a man at Yenlo. Some
attribute them to Galen, bishop of Munster. They were first
thrown upon the town of Watchtendonck, in Guelderland, in the
year 1580.
CHAIN SHOT.
This destructive missile was invented by De Wit in the year
1666, and was first used by the Dutch on the 1st of June the same
year, when the Dutch fleet engaged the Duke of Albemarle's
squadron in the Downs ; it was a drawn battle.
CONGREVE ROCKETS.
The death-dealing rockets thus denominated, receive their
name from General Sir W. Congreve, the inventor of them.
GUILLOTINE.
The guillotine takes its name from one Dr. Guillotin, who first
introduced it into France, where it was adopted as an instrument
for inflicting capital punishment by a Decree of the 20th of March,
1792. It is an instrument for beheading, constructed on the same
principle as the guillotine that was anciently used in Scotland, and
was called a MAIDEN ; it was introduced by the Regent, James
Earl of Morton, who, it seems, had met with it in his travels, and
who, by a singular coincidence, was the first person whose head
it severed.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 69
" This mighty Earl (Morton), for the pleasure of the place, and
the salubrity of the air, designed here a noble recess and retire-
ment from worldly business, but was prevented by his unfortu-
nate and inexorable death, three years after, anno 1581, being
accused, condemned, and executed by the MAIDEN, at the Cross of
Edinbro', as art and part of the murder of King Henry, Earl of
Darnley, father of James VI., which fatal instrument, at least the
pattern thereof, . the cruel Regent had brought from abroad to
behead the Laird of Pennecuik of that ilk, who notwithstanding
died in his bed, and the Earl was the first that handselled this
unfortunate Maiden." Pennecuik Dusc. Tweedal.
LION'S HEAD FOUNTAINS.
Fountains are not so prevalent now as they were wont to be.
Formerly almost every leading street in London, and almost
every town in the country, had its conduit or fountain, from
whence
" the grateful fluid fell."
They were generally adorned with the lion's head, which the
ancients introduced, because the inundation of the Nile happened
during the progress of the sun in Leo.
BASTINADO.
Tarquin the Proud invented, says St. Isidore, the bastinado and
other punishments, and, adds he, he deserved exile. Bastinado, or
more correctly, Bastouata, is derived from the Italian bastone, a
stick, bastonare, to beat with a stick. It is called bamboo in
China, and knout in Russia.
THE TREAD MILL.
A recent invention for giving useful employment to persons
imprisoned for crime. Its usual form, is that of a cylindrical
wheel, of about 5feet diameter and 16feet long. The circumference
is furnished with 24 equidistant steps, on which the prisoners are
made to work on the mill. All mounting the first step together,
their weight sets the wheel in motion, bringing down the step
trod upon, when they tread up to the next, which descends in the
same manner, and so on producing a continuous rotatory motion,
which may be applied as the moving force in turning any sort of
machinery.
SUN-DIAL.
"Why has it, says Elia, almost every where vanished ? If its
business use be superseded by more elaborate inventions, its moral
uses, its beauty, might have pleaded for its continuance. It spoke
70 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
of moderate labours, of pleasures not protracted after, sunset, of
temperance, and good hours. It was the primitive clock, the
horologe of the first world. Adam could scarce have missed it
in Paradise. It was the measure appropriate for sweet plants
and flowers to spring by ; for the birds to apportion their silver
warblings by ; for flocks to pasture and be led to fold by. The
shepherd carved it out quaintly in the sun, and, turning philoso-
pher by the very occupation, provided it with mottoes more
touching than tombstones.
The first sun-dial is said to have been set up at Rome by L.
Papirius Cursor, A.U. 447 (B.C. 301), and the next near the
rostra, by M. Valerius Mesela, the consul, who brought it from
Catania in Sicily, in the first Punic war, A.U. 481. ScipioNasica
first measured time at Rome by water, or clepsydrse, which
served by night as well as by day, A.U. 595.
CLOCKS, WATCHES, &c.
Clock-making was brought into this country from the Nether-
lands. About the year 1368, that patriotic and wise prince,
Edward the Third, invited over to this country John Uninam,
"William Uninam, and John Lutuyt, of Delft, and granted them
his royal protection to exercise their trade of clock-making in any
part of his kingdom, without molestation. Rymer's - Feeder a,^ vol.
vi. p. 590.
Pocket watches were first brought to England from Germany
.in 1577 ; and the manufacture of them commenced a few years
afterwards.
According to Eginhard, secretary to Charlemagne, the first
clock seen in Europe was sent to his master by Abdalla, king of
Persia. A geographical clock, showing the difference "of mean
time in all the capitals of Europe, from a design by B. di Ber-
nardis, was contributed to the Great Exhibition ; see Official and
Descriptive Catalogue, vol. iii. p. 1015.
ELECTRICAL CLOCKS.
A most successful experiment was made at the Great Exhi bi-
tion in 1851, of workingthree large dials by electricity, not merely
as a means of connection with one large clock driven by a weight
in the usual way, but by using electricity as the motive power.
The following extract from a letter from Mr. Finlaison, of
Loughton Hall, appeared in the Polytechnic Review : " Mr. Bain
has succeeded to admiration in working electric clocks by the
currents of the earth. He set up a small clock in my drawing-
room, the pendulum of which is in the hall, and both instruments
in a voltaic circuit as follows : On the N.E. side of my house
two zinc plates, a foot square, are sunk in a hole, and suspended
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 71
to a wire : this is passed through the house, to the pendulum
first, and then to the clock. On the S.E. side of the house, at a
distance of about forty yards, a hole was dug four feet deep, and
two sacks of common coke buried in it : among the coke another
wire was secured, and passed in at the drawing-room window
and joined to the former wire at the clock. The ball of the pen-
dulum weighs nine pounds, but it was moved energetically, and
has ever since continued to do so with the self-same energy. The
time is to perfection, and the cost of the motive power was only
7s. 6d. There are but three little wheels in the clock, and neither
weights nor springs ; so there is nothing to be wound up."
BELLS.
Bells of a small size are undoubtedly very ancient. Small
gold bells are mentioned in Exodus as ornaments worn upon the
hem of the High Priest's robe. The large bells now used in
Churches, are said to have been invented by Paulinus, bishop of
Nola in Campania, about the year 400. They were probably in-
troduced into England very soon after their invention, and are
first mentioned by Bede about the close of the seventh century.
Such bells were consecrated, and often received the names of
persons. The great bell cast in 1845 for York Minster, the
heaviest in the United Kingdom, weighs upwards of 12 tons, or
about 27,000 Ibs.
MANUFACTURE OF TIN-PLATE.
Formerly, says Parkes in his Chemical Essays, none of the
English workers in iron or tin had any knowledge whatever of
the methods by which this useful article could be produced ; our
ancestors, from time immemorial, having supplied themselves
with it from Bohemia and Saxony. The establishment of this
manufacture in those districts, was doubtless owing to their
vicinity to the tin mines in the circle of Ersgebirge, which, next
to those of Cornwall, are the largest in Europe. The ore which
is found there is not the tin pyrites, but the mineral called tin
stone.
From the time of the invention of tin-plate to the end of the
seventeenth century, not only England, but also the whole of
Europe, depended upon the manufactures of Bohemia and Saxony
for their supply. However, about the year 1665, Mr. Andrew
Yarranton, encouraged by some persons of property, undertook
to go over to Saxony to acquire a knowledge of the art : and on
his return, several parcels of tin-plate were made of a superior
quality to those which we had been accustomed to import from
Saxony ; but owing to some unfortunate and unforeseen circum-
stances, which are all detailed by Mr. Yarranton in his very
valuable publication, the manufactory was not at that time
72 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
(although some few years after), established in any part of Great
Britain. Such was the origin of the tin-plate manufactory in
England, where, at this day, it is in greater perfection than in
any other country in Europe. -
BLEACHING.
Flax and hemp were employed in the fabrication of cloth many
years ago, and in those early times such cloth was highly es-
teemed ; it must therefore, long before that period, have been
discovered that these fabrics were improved in colour by ex-
posure to the action of the atmosphere. The effect of hot water in
whitening brown linen, would also soon arrest the attention of
mankind ; and when it became a practice with the early inhabi-
tants of Asia to employ certain earths and alkaline plants in the
operations of washing and scouring their garments, the whitening,
as well as the detersive properties of these vegetables, could not
fail to be observed, and, by degrees, would naturally occasion the
introduction of regular processes for bleaching ; and that this art
was practised very early, is, I think, says Parkes, evident from
the great progress which it had made in the beginning of the
Christian era.
That the ancients had learnt some method of rendering their
linen extremely white, may be supposed from many remarks
which are interspersed among their writings. Homer speaks of
the garments of his countrywomen, in a way that leaves no
doubt of their being clothed, occasionally at least, in white vest-
ments.
" Each gushing fount a marble cistern fills,
Whose polish'd bed receives the falling rills,
Where Trojan dames, ere yet alarm'd by Greece,
Wash'd their fair garments in the days of peace."
Modern bleaching, however, originated with the Dutch, whose
linens were the most esteemed of any in Europe.
CALICO PRINTING.
The coat above alluded to was probably of cotton or linen ; at
any rate, we are informed, that more than 3000 years ago, a
shrewd matron tied a scarlet thread round the hand of one of
Tamar's children ;* and Homer, who flourished 900 years B.C.,
speaks of the variegated cloths of Sidon as very magnificent pro-
ductions, f
An historian who wrote more than 400 years before the Chris-
tian era, when describing the nations which inhabited Caucasus,
a mountain extending throughout the regions of Georgia and
Armenia, affirms, that by means of vegetables ground and diluted
with water, these people adorned their cloth with the figures of
* Genesis xxxviii. 8. t Iliad, lib. vi. line 289.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 73
various animals, and that the dyes were permanent which were
thus obtained.
Strabo, the Greek philosopher, who was contemporary with
our Saviour, relates that the Indians wore flowered linens, and
that India abounded with drugs, roots, and colouring substances,
from which some very beautiful dyes were produced ; and we
know that the inhabitants of India used a purple and scarlet
dye, resembling cochineal in colour, and in the manner of its
production.
Tyre, and other parts of Syria, have long been famed also for
using purple and scarlet dye. The Tyrian dye has been noticed
in song, poetry, and prose ; and the late Lord Erskine wittily
alludes to it in his epigram, on the Sergeants of the Common.
Pleas :
" Their purple garments come from Tyre,
Their arguments go to it ! "
Thus it will appear, that the origin of calico-printing may be
traced to the earlier ages, but to whom the invention belongs is
lost in the mazes of obscurity.
It does not appear that calico-printing was introduced into
this country earlier than the reign of Elizabeth, when an act was
passed to restrain the use of logwood in dyeing, on account of the
fugitive nature of its colour.*
SOAP.
The first notice we have of soap is by one of the Hebrew pro-
phets " Though thou wash thee with nitre and take much sonp,
yet thine iniquity is marked before me." Jeremiah ii. 22. The
term soap occurs repeatedly in the Old Testament, but Beck-
mann has proved, in his Treatise on Soap, that the Hebrew word
Borith, which has been rendered soap, rather means alkali. ^Etius,
who flourished about the end of the fifth century, and was the
first Christian medical writer, speaks of a black soap ; and Paulus
^Egineta, a Greek physician, who lived in the early part of the
seventh century, says he^made an extemporaneous soap from oil
and the burned dregs of wine. It would be difficult to trace the
onward progress of soap-making, step by step ; but it is certain
that the boiling of soap flourished in the seventeenth century,
from the directions of that date for its preparation.
ALUM.
The first alum manufactured in England was in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth, at Gisborough in Yorkshire, by one Thomas
Chaloner, an ancestor of Kobert Chaloner, Esq.
* In the time of Elizabeth, the nature of logwood was not understood ;
but now it has many important uses, and, when properly employed, is one
of the most valuable articles used in dyeing.
74 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
LAWNS, CAMBRICS, AND STARCHING.
Shortly after the introduction of coaches, the knowledge and
wear of lawns and cambrics were introduced by the Dutch mer-
chants, who retailed those articles in ells, yards, &c., for there
was not one housekeeper among forty durst buy a whole piece ;
and when the queen (Elizabeth) had ruffs made thereof, for her
own princely wearing (for until then the kings and queens of
England wore fine Holland in ruffs), there was none in England
could tell how to starch them ; but the queen made special means
for some women that could starch, and Guilham's wife was the
first starcher the queen had, and himself was the first coachman.
Soon after this, the art of starching was first publicly taught
in London by a Flemish woman, called Mistress Dinghen Vander
Place ; her usual price for teaching the art itself being four or
five pounds, and twenty shillings additional for showing how to
seethe the starch. At this period, the making of lawn ruffs was
regarded by the populace as so strange and finical, that there-
upon rose a general scoff and bywords, "that shortly they
would make ruffs of spider'.s web."
THE SILK TRADE.
The ancients were but little acquainted with the use and
manufacture of silk ; they took it for the work of a sort of spider
or beetle, who spun it out of its entrails, and wound it with its
feet about the little branches of trees. It was in the Isle of Cos
that the art of manufacturing it was first invented ; and Pamphila,
daughter of Platis, is honoured as the inveiitress. The discovery
was not long unknown to the Romans. Silk was brought from
Serica, where the worm was a native. They could not believe
so fine a thread was the production of a worm it was a scarce
commodity among them for many ages ; it was even sold weight
for weight with gold, insomuch that Vopiscus tells us, the Em-
peror Aurelian, who died A.D. 275, refused the Empress, his wife,
a suit of silk, which she solicited of him with much earnestness,
merely on account of its dearness ; but at the present period,
through the industry and enterprise of man, the produce of this
tender worm (which a thoughtless individual would crush beneath
his feet), serves to decorate the humble individual as well as the
mighty monarch.
Heliogabulus is said to be the first person who wore holoseri-
cum, i.e., a garment made all of silk. The Greeks of Alexander's
army are said to have been the first who brought wrought silk
from Persia into Greece, about 323 years before Christ : but its
manufacture was confined to Berytus and Tyre, and from thence
it was dispersed over the west. At length two monks, coming
from the Indies to Constantinople in 555, brought with them
great quantities of silkworms, with instructions for the hatching
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 75
of their eggs, rearing, and feeding the worms, &c. Upon this,
manufactures were set up at Athens, Thebes, and Corinth. It
was brought to France a little before the time of Francis I., who
brought it to Touraine. It appears there was a company of silk
women in England so early as the year 1455 ; but these were
probably employed in needle works of silk and thread. Italy
supplied England and all other parts with the broad manufactufe
till 1489. In 1620, the broad silk manufacture was introduced
into this country ; and in 1661, the company of silk- throwsters
employed above 40,000 persons. The revocation of the edict of
Nantes, in 1685, contributed in a great degree to promote the
silk manufacture in this country, as did also the silk throwing
machine, erected at Derby in 1719, which contained 26,586 wheels ;
one waller-wheel moved the whole, and in a day and night it
worked 318,504,960 yards of organized silk. Within about a
century the secret has been found in France of procuring and
preparing silk from the webs of spiders. The silk, however,
from the spider is both inferior in strength and lustre.
WEAVING.
The vestments of the early inhabitants of the world discovered
neither art nor industry. They made use of such as nature
presented, and needed the least preparation. Some nations covered
themselves with the bark of trees, others with leaves or bulrushes,
rudely interwoven. The skins of animals were also universally
used as garments, worn without preparation, and iu the same
state as they came from the bodies of the animals.*
In process of time recourse was had to the wool of animals,t and
this led to the further discovery of the art of uniting the separate
parts into one continued thread, by means of the spindle ; and
this would consequently lead to the next step, the invention of
weaving, which, according to Democritus, who flourished 400
years before Christ, arose from the art of the spider, who guides
and manages the threads by the weight of her own body.
That the invention of weaving was long prior to the time of
Democritus, appears from the sacred writings. J This is evident
also from the answer which Abraham gave to the king of Sodom :
"I will not," said he, " take from a thread of the woof, even to a
shoe latchet, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abraham rich."
" Inventress of the woof, fair Lina flings
The flying shuttle through the dancing strings,
Inlays the broider'd weft with flowery dyes,
Quick beat the reeds, the pedals fall and rise ;
Slow from the beam the lengths of warp unwind,
And dance and nod the massy weights behind."
* Lucretius, lib. vi. verse 1011. f Genesis xxxi. 19, and xxxviii. 12, 14.
J Ibid xiv. 23.
76 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Chronology informs us, linen was first made in England 1253.
" Now began the luxurious to wear linen, but the generality
woollen shirts." Table linen very scarce in England, in 1386. A
company of linen weavers, however, came over from the Nether-
lands in that year, after which it became more abundant.
WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE.
To the bigotry of Spain, may be attributed the chief cause of
our manufacturing greatness. The persecuted artisans came
hither in flocks, and set up their looms under Edward VI. The
reign of Mary impeded their settlement, her government acting
vmcler the influence of Philip II. of Spain, her husband, and the
oppressor of the artisans. Elizabeth encouraged their return.
But it was to the gibbets and wheels of the duke of Alva, that
England is the most indebted. Scared by his inhumanity (his
object being to make the authority of Philip as absolute in Flan-
ders as in Spain, and to introduce the Inquisition), the Flemish
manufacturers fled hither in shoals, and were received with hos-
pitality. They repaid this polite kindness, by peopling the
decayed streets of Canterbury, Norwich, Sandwich, Colchester,
Maidstone, Spitalfields, and many other towns, with many active
and industrious weavers, dyers, cloth-workers, linen-makers, silk-
throwers, &c. They also taught the making of bays (baize), and
other stuffs.
It is worthy of remark, also, that from a herd of sheep, tran-
sported from the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire, to Castile,
in 1464, descended the sheep which produces the fine wool of
Spain, so much in repute.
The celebrated bishop Blaise invented the art of wool-combing,
and thereby greatly improved the cloth manufacture. At Brad-
ford, in Yorkshire, the wool-combers, &c., celebrate his nativity
by processions with music, dancing, and festivity.
WEAVING STOCKINGS.
The stocking loom was first invented, about the year 1590, by
the Eev. William Lee, of St. John's College, Cambridge. This
gentleman being desirous of bringing the machine into general
use, and unable to procure any remuneration from the govern-
ment of his own country, he went over to Rouen, in Normandy,
where some spirited individuals undertook to introduce him to
the French minister, who gladly afforded him protection and
patronage. He had previously applied to queen Elizabeth ; and
it must appear not a little extraordinary, that this monarch should
have refused him her support, when it is recollected what patron-
age she afforded to Daniel Houghsetter, and to many other
foreigners, whom she had invited from different places on the
continent of Europe, to instruct her subjects in useful arts, and
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 77
in the establishment of new manufactures. He died, however, in
France, before his loom was made there ; and the art was not
long since in no part of the world but England. Oliver the
Protector made an act, that it should be felony to transport the .
engine. This information I took, says Aubrey, from a weaver
in Pearpool Lane, in 1656. Elizabeth, in the third year of her
reign, received a present of a pair of black silk knit stockings, and
from that time never wore cloth hose.
DAMASK WEAVING.
The name which this art .bears shows the place of its origin,
or at least the place where it has been practised in the greatest
perfection, viz. the city of Damascus, in Syria ; though M. Feli-
bien attributes the perfection of the art to his countryman,
Cursinet, who wrought under the reign of king Henry IV.
Damaskeening is partly Mosaic work, partly engraving, and
partly carving : as Mosaic work, it consists of pieces inlaid ; as
engraving, the metal is indented or cut in creux ; and as carving,
gold and silver are wrought therein in relievo.
PARCHMENT.
This article, of so much utility, was invented by Eumenes II.
king of Pergamus, B.C. 198, in consequence of the prohibition of
the export of papyrus from Egypt, by Ptolemy Epiphanes. The
name Pergamena has been thought to prove its invention at that
place. It was anciently called membrana, which is the word
used in the Greek Testament, 2 Tim. iv. 13.
MAPS AND SEA CHARTS
Were first brought into England by Bartholomew Columbus,
to illustrate his brother's theory respecting a western continent,
in 1489.
GUTTA PERCHA.
Gutta Percha (pronounced pertsha) possesses as great an in-
destructibility by means of chemical agents as caoutchouc. It
has an intermediate consistence between that of leather and wood ;
it is capable of being softened by heat, and of regaining its
primitive consistence on cooling. *The Isonandra gutta, belong-
ing to the natural order Sapotaceos, is the only tree which yields
gutta percha. It grows scarcely any where except in certain
parts of the Malayan Archipelago, and up to the present time
has been almost exclusively obtained from Singapore. It was
first brought into England in the days of Tradescant, and was
then call Mazer wood, and subsequently it was brought from
China under the name of India rubber. In 1843, Doctors
78 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
D'Almeida and W. Montgomery drew particular attention to it,
together with its singular properties, its easy manipulations, and
the uses for which the Malays employed it. In 1845 the impor-
tation was only 20,600 Ibs ; but in 1848 it had increased to above
3,000,000 Ibs.
CHIMNEYS AND CHIMNEY-SWEEPERS.
The oldest certain account of chimneys occurs in the year 1347 ;
when at Venice a great number were thrown down by an earth-
quake. De Gataris says, in his History of Padua, that Francesco
de Carraro, Lord of Padua, came to Rome in 1368, and finding
no chimneys in the inn where he lodged, because at that time fire
used to be kindled in a hole in the middle of the floor, with an
aperture in the roof for the escape of the smoke), he caused two
chimneys, like those which had been long used at Padua, to be
constructed and arched by masons and carpenters r whom he had
brought with him. Over these chimneys, the first ever seen in
Eome, he affixed his arms to record the event.
It is uncertain at what period chimneys were first introduced
into England , some have gone so far as to say, that they were
known and nsed here as far back as 1300, but they do not sub-
stantiate what they write. Holinshed, who wrote in the reign
of queen Elizabeth, informs us there were few chimneys, even in
capital towns : the fire was laid to the wall, and the smoke
issued at the roof, or door, or window. As the general class of
houses at that period did not exceed one story high, where the
chimney did tower above the house, it was not a very difficult
matter to cleanse it : very few chimneys however did, as they
terminated with the roof or gable, consequently they were easily
kept clean.
A long broom, or brush, was first used for the purpose, such
as we see in churches and other public buildings, and as the
chimneys were built quite straight, it answered the purpose ex-
ceedingly well. Of course the party mounted the roof and swept
downwards. On the accession of James I. to the English crown,
the Scotch fashion of building houses, three and four stories high,
was first introduced ; and it was about this period that climbing
boys were first employed for the cleansing of chimneys. The
little sweepers, however, for the last half century have become
objects of particular care with the legislature. Since the Act
4 and 5 Will. IV., no child who is under ten years of age can be
apprenticed to a chimney-sweeper. Various methods, too. have
recently been projected for cleansing chimneys by mechanical
means, of which the most successful was that by Mr. George
Smart. The principal parts of the machine are a brush, some
hollow tubes which fasten into each other by means of brass
sockets, and a cord for connecting the whole together.
May Day, is commonly called Chimney-Sweepers' Day. It was
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 79
on this day that their late excellent friend, Mrs. Montague,*
entertained them at her house in Portman Square ; she gave
them roast beef and plum pudding, and a shilling each, and they
danced after their dinner. In London, May Day still remains
the great festival of the sweeps, who are frequently accompanied
with Jack-in-the-Green, and his usual group of grotesque atten-
dants.
PRUSSIAN BLUE.
This colour was accidentally discovered about the beginning of
last century, by a chemist of Berlin, in 1740, who, having succes-
sively thrown upon the ground several liquors from his labora-
tory, was much surprised to see it suddenly stained with a
beautiful blue colour.
Recollecting what liquors he had thrown out, and observing
the same effects from a similar mixture, he afterwards prepared it
for the use of the painters. From the place (Berlin) where it
was discovered, being the capital of Prussia, it received the name
of Prussian Blue.
LAMP BLACK.
Lamp Black, or Lamb Black, as it is usually called, is the soot
of oil ; it is made by burning a number of lamps in a confined
place, from whence no part of the fumes can escape, and the soot
formed against the top and sides of the room is swept together
and collected. In England it is manufactured at the turpentine
houses, from the dregs of the resinous matters prepared there,
which are set on fire under a chimney, or other place made for
the purpose, lined with sheep-skins,t &c., to receive the soot.
GALVANISM.
The discovery of the effects of electricity on animals, states the
Eloge de Galvani, took place, at the time, from something like
accident. The wife of Galvani, at that time Professor of Anatomy
in the University of Bologna, being in a declining state of health,
employed as a restorative, according to the custom of the country,
a soup made of frogs. A number of these animals, ready skinned
for the purpose of cooking, were lying, with that comfortable
negligence common both to French and Italians (which allows
them, without repugnance, to do every thing in every place that
is at the moment most convenient), in the professor's laboratory,
near an electric machine ; it being probably the intention of the
lady to cook them there. While the machine was in action, an
attendant happened to touch with the point of the scalpel the
* A young Montague -was once kidnapped and sold to a sweep, but
afterwards recovered. Ed.
f Probably Zamfc-skins, from whence it may have been called lamb-black.
80 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
crural nerve of one of the frogs, that was not far from the
prime conductor, when the limbs were thrown into strong con-
vulsions. This experiment was performed in the absence of the
professor, but it was noticed by the lady, who was much
struck by the appearance, and communicated it to her husband.
He repeated the experiment, varied it in different ways, and
perceived that the convulsions only took place when a spark
was drawn from the prime conductor, while the nerve was at
the same time touched with a substance which was a conductor
of electricity.
GAS.
The existence and inflammability of coal gas have been known
for nearly 200 years. In 1659, Thomas Shirley correctly at-
tributed the exhalations from the burning well of Wigan in
Lancashire to the Coal beds which lie under that part of the
country; and soon after Dr. Clayton, influenced by the rea-
soning of Shirley, actually made Coal-gas, and detailed the
result of his labours to the Hon. Robert Boyle, who died in
1691. In the year 1733, Sir James Lowther communicated to
the Eoyal Society, a curious notice of a spontaneous evolution
of gas at a colliery belonging to him near Whitehaven. But
the application of gas to the purposes of economical illumina-
tion is of much more recent date, and the merit of introducing
it is principally due to Mr. Murdoch. In 1792, he first tried
it in Cornwall; and in 1798, established an apparatus upon a
more extended scale at Boulton and Watt's foundery at Bir-
mingham ; and it was there that the first public display of gas-
lights was made in 1802, upon the occasion of the rejoicing for
peace. These, however, were but imperfect trials, when com-
pared with that made in 1805 at Messrs Phillips and Lee's
cotton mills at Manchester, and upon the results of which all
subsequent procedures, with regard to gas-lighting, have been
founded.
LIGHT-HOUSES.
The most celebrated Light-House of ancient times was that
erected about B.C. 283, in the Reign of Ptolomseus Philadel-
phus, on the Island of Pharos, opposite to Alexandria. The use
of mirrors for reflecting light-houses in England, is of very re-
cent date; and, although the idea was not suggested by the
falling of an apple, nor the dissection of a frog, it owes its origin to
a circumstance almost as trivial, which is as follows : At a meet-
ing of a society of mathematicians at Liverpool, one of the
members proposed to lay a wager, that he would read a para-
graph of a newspaper at ten yards' distance with the light of a
ikrthing candle. The wager was laid, and the proposer covered
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 81
;he inside of a wooden dish with pieces of looking-glass, fastened
in with glazier's putty, placed his reflector behind the candle, and
won the wage^. One of the company marked this experiment
with a philosophic eye. This was Captain Hutchinson, the
iockmaster. With him originated those ^Reflecting Light-Houses
it Liverpool, which were erected in 1763.
ELECTRICITY.
The first idea given of Electricity was by two globes of brim-
stone, in 1467 ; electric stroke discovered at Leyden, 1746 ; first
known it would fire spirits, 1756 ; that of the Aurora Borealis
and of lightning, in 1769.
ORIGIN OF COAL.
Geologists have given great scope to their inventive faculties,
in endeavouring to determine the sources and origin of coal ; but
every thing tends to show its vegetable origin, and specimens of
a regular succession of wood, little changed, and ending with
coal, in which all organic traces are lost, have occurred. And
even in the most perfect coal some relic is often found, some trace
of vegetable texture, some fibrous remain, that clearly announced
its ligneous origin. In the leaves that appear in bovey-coal, for
instance, resin and extractive matter have been found, and also a
substance uniting the properties of resin and bitumen ; and the
same substance has been found in the principal coal-field of
Staffordshire. Perhaps, therefore, antediluvian timber and peat-
bog may have been the parents of our coal-strata ; but then, it
will be asked, how has this mighty change been effected ? Is it
merely by aqueous agency, a kind of decay and rotting-down of
the wood; or has fire been called into action, torrefying the
vegetable matter, and the pressure under which it has operated,
preventing the escape of volatile matter, caused the formation of
bitumen 1 And are those reservoirs of compressed carburetted
hydrogen, from which blowers result, to be ascribed to such a
mode of formation ! Panoramic Miscellany.
On the authority of chronology, this useful and necessary
mineral was first discovered near Newcastle, in the year 1234.
Another writer says : Those invaluable black diamonds, called
Coals, seem to have been known to the ancient Greeks. Theo-
phrastus, the scholar of Aristotle, about two thousand years ago,
in describing lithanthrax, or the stone coal, says : Those fossil sub-
stances that are called coals, and are broken for use, are earthy ;
they kindle, however, and burn like wood coals.
The primeval Britons were indisputably acquainted with this
fuel, which, according to Pennant, they called Glo. The Anglo-
82 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Saxons called it Col; the Dutch, Kole; the Danes, Kul; the Irish,
Ougal; and the Cornish, Kolan.
>
COALS IN LONDON,
Stowe says, coals were first used in London in the reign of Ed-
ward I., and the smoke was supposed to corrupt the air so much,
that he forbade the use of them by proclamation. These procla-
mations are noticed in Prynne's Animadversions on the Fourth
Part of Sir Edward Coke's Institutes, p. 182, where it is said,
that " in the latter part of the reign of Edward I., when brewers,
dyers, and other artificers using great fires, began to use sea-coals
instead of dry wood and charcoal, in and near the city of London,
the prelates, nobles, commons, and other people of the realm,
resorting thither to parliaments, and upon other occasions, with
the inhabitants of the city, Southwark, Wapping, and East
Smithfield, complained thereof twice, one after another, to the
king as a public nuisance, corrupting the air with its stink and
smoke, to the great prejudice and detriment of their health.
Whereupon the king first-prohibited the burning of sea-coal by
his proclamation ; which being disobeyed by many for their
private lucre, the king upon their second complaint issued a
commission of Oyer and Terminer to inquire of all such who
burned sea-coals against his proclamation within the city, or
parts adjoining to it, and to punish them for their first offence
by great fines and ransoms ; and for the second offence to
demolish their furnaces, kilns wherein they burnt sea-coals, and
to see his proclamation strictly observed for times to come, as
the Record of 35 Edw. I. informs us."
Charles II., son of Charles the Martyr, king of Great Britain,
France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, a most gracious
prince, commiserating the deplorable state of things, whilst the
ruins were yet smoking provided for the comfort of his citizens,
and the ornament of his city ; remitted their taxes, and referred
the petitions of the magistrates and inhabitants to the parlia-
ment ; who immediately passed an act, that public works should
be restored to greater beauty, with public money, to be raised by
an imposition on coals; that churches, and the cathedral of St.
Paul's, should be rebuilt from their foundations, with all
magnificence ; that the bridges, gates, and prisons should be new
made, the sewers eleansed, the streets made straight and regular,
such as were steep levelled, and those too narrow made wider, and
markets and shambles removed to separate places. They also
enacted, that every house should be built with party walls, and
all in front raised of an equal height, and those walls all of square
stone, or brick ; and that no man should delay building beyond
the space of seven years.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 83
CANDLES.
The origin of candles is obscure. Frequent mention is made
of them in the Scriptures ; but from the description of the
candlestick of gold made by Moses, it is more than probable that
the Hebrew expression translated " candle " really means lamp ;
for in Leviticus xxiv. 4, the Lord directs that Aaron shall order
the lamps upon the pure candlestick, and in verse 2 of the same
chapter, the fuel used in the lamps is shown to have been olive
oil. Wax was employed by the classical ancients for candles,
the wick being made of rope and leaves of the papyrus ; and such
candles were carried by children at marriages, and were used at
funerals. The Emperor Constantine, about the beginning of the
fourth century, caused the whole city of Constantinople to be
illuminated with lamps and wax-candles on Christmas Eve.
That wax-candles were not made in the Saxon period by regular
chandlers, as now, appears from the description of King Alfred's
device for marking the hours of the day by the consumption of
candles, six of which, lighted in succession, burned exactly
twenty-four hours. There can be no doubt, however, that the
occupation of the wax-chandler existed in England at a very
early period, as w T ell for the manufacture of tapers for religious
rites, as for the preserving of the bodies of important personages
in waxed cloths, which was called cering them.
CALLIGRAPHY, OR THE ART OF WRITING.
Writing, or the art of Calligraphy, is of uncertain data.
Hieroglyphics were the first characters used, and there is little
doubt but that we are indebted to the ancient Greeks for those
less doubtful characters which we now employ. The English,
French, and Italians, are considered to have cultivated this art
with more success than other nations. It has, however, been
stupidly considered as incompatible with the character of a
gentleman to write a good hand.
Dr. Parr used to observe, that he unfortunately accustomed
himself to write rapidly, but not well, and lamented the con-
sequences, as his MSS. were often returned as unintelligible. He
concludes his lamentation over his own bad writing, by remind-
ing those who deemed Calligraphy an accomplishment unworthy
of a scholar and a gentleman, that in the art of writing Mr. Fox
was eminently distinguished by the clearness and firmness, Mr.
Person by the correctness and elegance, and Sir Wm. Jones by
the ease, beauty, and variety of the characters they respectively
employed.
84 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE STAGE, ORIGIN OP VARIOUS POPULAR
ANTHEMS, PLAYS, SONGS, &c., &c.
TRAGEDY.
Tragedy, like other arts, was rude and imperfect in its
commencement. Among the Greeks, from whom our dramatic
entertainments are derived, the origin of this art was no other
than the song which was commonly sung at the festival of
Bacchus.
A goat was the sacrifice offered to that god. After the
sacrifice, the priests, and all the company attending, sung hymns
in honour of Bacchus ; and from the name of the victim rpayo?, a
goat, joined with wSi, a song, undoubtedly arose the word tragedy '.
" At first, the tragedy was void of art ;
A song where each man danced and sung his part,
And of god Bacchus roaring out the praise,
Sought a good vintage for their jolly days;
Then wine and joy were seen in each man's eyes,
And a fat goat was the best singer's prize.
Thespis was first, who, all besmear'd with lee,
Began this pleasure for posterity ;
And with his carted actors, and a song,
Amused the people as he pass'd along.
Next JEschylus the diff rent persons placed,
And with a better mask his players graced ;
Upon a theatre his verse express'd,
And show'd his hero with a buskin dress'd.
Then Sophocles, the genius of the age,
Increased the pornp and beauty of the stage ;
Engaged the chorus song in ev'ry part,
And polish'd rugged verse by rules of art." Dryden.
ORATORIOS.
The oratorio commenced with the fathers of the Oratory. In
order to draw youth to church, they had hymns, psalms, and
spiritual songs, or cantatas, sung either in chorus, or by a single
voice. These pieces were divided into two parts, the one per-
formed before the sermon, and the other after it. Sacred stories,
or events from Scripture, written in verse, and by way of
dialogue, were set to music, and the first part being performed,
the sermon succeeded, which the people were induced to stay and
hear, that they might be present at the performance of the
second part. The order has been recently revived in London
under the auspices of Father Newman and Mr. Faber.
The subjects in early times were the Good Samaritan, the Pro-
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 85
digal Son, Tobit with the Angel, his Father, and his "Wife, and
similar histories, which by the excellence of the composition, the
band of instruments, and the performance, brought the Oratory
into great repute ; hence this species of musical drama obtained
the general appellation of Oratorio, The Oratorio was intro-
duced into England in 1720, when Handel set " Esther" for the
Chapel of the Duke of Chaudos at Camions. This was, in the
year 1732, performed by the children of the Chapel Royal at the
King's Theatre. For a period of about a century, with few
interruptions, Oratorios were performed at one or other of the
London theatres on the Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent. Within
the last few years they have been performed almost weekly at
Exeter Hall.
RELIGIOUS PLAYS.
Apollinarius, who lived in the time of the emperor Julian,
wrote religious odes, and turned particular histories, and portions
of the Old and New Testament, into comedies and tragedies,
after the manner of Meiiander, Euripides, and Pindar. These
were called Mysteries, and were the first dramatic performances.
The first dramatic representation in Italy was a spiritual comedy,
performed at Padua, in 1243 ; and there was a company instituted
at Rome, in 1264, whose chief employment was to represent the
sufferings of Christ in Passion Week. The Rev. Mr. Croft, and
the Hon. Topham Beauclerc, collected a great number of these
Italian Plays or Mysteries ; and at the sale of their libraries, Dr.
Burney purchased many of the most ancient, which he speaks of
as being evidently much earlier than the discovery of printing,
from the gross manner in which the subjects are treated, the
coarseness of the dialogue, and the ridiculous situation into which
most sacred persons and things are thrown.
In 1313, Philip the Fair gave the most sumptuous entertain-
ment at Paris ever remembered in that city. Edward II. and
his queen Isabella crossed over from England with a large
retinue of nobility, and partook of the magnificent festivities.
The pomp and profusion of the banquetings, the variety of the
amusements, and the splendour of the costume, were unsurpassed.
On the occasion, Religious Plays were represented of the Glory
of the Blessed, and at other times with the Torments of the
Damned, and various other spectacles.
The Religious Guild, or fraternity of Corpus Christi, at York,
was obligeid annually to perform a Corpus Christi play. But
the more eminent performers of mysteries were the Society of
Parish Clerks of London. On the 18th, 19th, and 20th of July,
1390, they played Interludes at the Skinners' Well, as the usual
place of their performance, before king Richard II., his queen,
and their court ; and at the same place, in 1490, they played the
Creation of the World. The first trace of theatrical perform-
86 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ance, however, in this country, is recorded by Matthew Paris,
who wrote about 1240, and relates that Geoffrey, a learned
Norman, master of the school of the abbey of Dunstable, com-
posed the play of St. Catherine, which was acted by his scholars.
Geoffrey's performance took place in the year 1110, and he
borrowed copes from the sacrist of St. Albans to dress his
characters.
In the reign of Henry "VII., 1487, that king, in his castle at
"Winchester, was entertained on a Sunday, while at dinner, with
the performance of Christ's Descent into Hell ; and on the Feast
of St. Margaret, in 1511, the miracle play of the Holy Martyr St.
George was acted on a stage, in an open field at Bassingborne,
in Cambridgeshire, at which were a minstrel and three waits,
hired from Cambridge, with a property-man and a painter.
Thus, it appears that the earliest dramatic performances were
of a religious nature, and that the present drama, as will be seen
in another article, takes its data from the 16th century.
PUBLIC THEATRES IN ROME.
The first public theatre opened in Home, was in 1671 ; and in
1677, the Opera was established in Venice. In 1680, at Padua,
the opera of Berenice was performed, in a style which makes all
the processions and stage parapharnalia of modern times shrink
into insignificance.
RISE OF THE DRAMA IN ENGLAND.
William Fitzstephen, a monk of Canterbury, who wrote in the
reign of Henry II., and died in 1191, in speaking of the perform-
ances of the stage, says, " London, instead of common Interludes
belonging to the theatre, hath plays of a more holy subject ; re-
presentations of those miracles which the holy confessors wrought,
or of the sufferings wherein the glorious constancy of the martyrs
did appear." In the reign of Edward III., it was ordained by
the act of parliament, that the strollers should be whipt and
banished out of London, on account of the scandalous masque-
rades which they represented. By these masquerades we are to
understand, a species of entertainment similar to the performances
of the mummers ; of which some remains were to be met with,
so late as on Christmas Eve, 1817, in an obscure village in Cum-
berland, where there was a numerous party of them. Their
drama related to some historical subject, and several of the
speeches were in verse, and delivered in good emphasis. The
whole concluded with a battle, in which one of the heroes was
subdued; but the main character was a jester, who constantly
interrupted the heroics with his buffoonery, like the clown in the
tragedies of Calderon, the Spanish Shakspeare. The play of Hock
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 87
Tuesday, performed before queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth, was
in dumb-show, the actors not having had time to get their parts.
It represented, says Dr. Percy, in his Rdiques of Ancient Poetry,
after Laneham, the outrage and insupportable insolency of the
Danes, the grievous complaint of Huna, king Ethelred's chieftain
in wars; his counselling and contriving the plot to dispatch
them; concluding with conflicts (between Danish and English
warriors), and their final suppression, expressed in actions and
rhymes after their manner. One can hardly conceive a more
regular model of a complete tragedy. The drama in England,
undoubtedly arose much in the same way as it did in Greece.
The strollers, or vagrants, with their theatres in the yards of
inns, answer to the company and exhibitions of Thespis ; and the
improvements were gradual, till at last, to use the words of Sir
George Buck, who wrote in 1631, dramatic poesy is so lively
expressed and represented upon the public stages and the
theatres of this city (London), as Eorne, in the highest pitch of
her pomp and glory, never saw it better performed.
ANCIENT PLAYHOUSES AND BEAR-GARDENS, <fec., IN LONDON
AND SOUTHWARD
The most ancient playhouses, says an intelligent writer, i. e.,
those of London, were the Curtain in Shoreditch, and the Theatre
in Holy well Lane. In Stowe's Chronicle, p. 349, edit. 1598, occurs
a notice of -.both the Theatre and the Curtain: "And near unto
Holy well Priory are builded two public houses for the acting and
show of comedies, tragedies, and histories for recreation : where-
of one is called the Curtain, the other the Theatre, both stand-
ing on the south-west side towards the field."
In Birch's View of London, which is very rare, there i s a
representation of the Fortune Playhouse, with a flag before the
door;* it was situated between Whitecross Street and Golden
Lane. The original structure which stood here, was appointed
for the nursery of the children of king Henry VIII. The lease
was purchased by Edward Alleyn, Esq., founder of Dulwich
Hospital, and he formed it into a theatre, denominated The
Fortune, and finished it in 1599. In 1621, the whole building,
and the theatrical property, were destroyed by fire. After being
rebuilt, it was offered for sale in 1661, and then was of sufficient
space to afford twenty-three tenements and gardens, and a street,
now called Playhouse Yard; which is at present occupied by
dealers in old clothes.
The Red Bull Playhouse, stood on a spot of ground lately
called Red Bull Yard, near the upper end of St. John's Street,
Clerkenwell, and is traditionally said to have been the theatre
at which Shakspeare first held gentlemen's horses. In the civil
* A. necessary appendage at playhouses in former days.
88
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
wars it became celebrated for the representation of drolls ; and
Francis Kirkman, in 1672, published a collection of these pieces,
the frontispiece of which exhibits the inside of this theatre.
The Swan Theatre was the most westerly of the playhouses on
Bankside, and must have stood at no great distance from the
Surrey end of Blackfriars' Bridge. It was a large house, and
flourished only a few years, being suppressed at the commence-
ment of the civil wars. It is represented in the Antwerp View of
London, now in the possession of John Dent, Esq.
A little to the West of St. Mary Overie, in a place called
Globe Alley, stood, says Pennant, the Globe, immortalized by
having been the theatre on which Shakspeare first trod the stage,
but in no higher character than the Ghost, in his own play of
Hamlet. It appears to have been of an octagonal form, and is
said to have been covered with rushes. The door was very lately
standing. James I. granted a patent to Laurence Fletcher,
William Shakspeare, Eichard Burbage (the first performer of
Eichard the Third), Augustine Phillipes, John Hemmings, Hen-
rie Condell, William Sly, Eobert Armin, and Eichard Cowlie,
and others of His Majesty's Servants, to act here, or in any
other part of the kingdom. *
Near the water, on Bankside, stood Paris Garden, one of the
ancient playhouses. It seems to have been much frequented on
Sundays. This profanation was at length fully punished by the
dire accident which Heaven directed, and befell the spectators,
when the scaffolding suddenly fell, and multitudes of people
were suddenly killed or miserably maimed. The omen seems to
have been accepted ; for in the next century the manor of Paris
Garden was erected into a parish, and a church founded under
the name of Christ's.
The following is a list of the theatres erected between 1575
and 1600:
The Theatre 1575
The Curtain 1575
The Blackfriars 1576
The Whitefriars 1576
Newington Theatre 1580
The Rose 1585
The Hope 1585
Paris Garden 1583
The Globe 1594
The Swan 1595
The Fortune, Golden Lane ... 1599
In the early part of Shakspeare's acquaintance with the theatre,
the want of scenery seems to have been supplied by the simple
expedient of writing the names of the different places where
the scene was laid. The covering, or intended roof of the stage,
was anciently termed the heavens. Many of the companies of
the players were formerly so thin, that one person played two
or three parts ; and a battle, on which the fate of an empire was
supposed to depend, was decided by half a dozen combatrmts.
The person who spoke the prologue was ushered in by trumpets,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
and usually wore a long black velvet cloak, which is still retained
in the play of Hamlet, as exhibited before the king and court of
Denmark. Most, if not all, of Shakspeare's plays, were per-
formed either at the Globe, or at the theatre in Blackfriars,
which was a private playhouse, and usually performed by
candlelight. In the other theatres they commenced at one
o'clock in the afternoon, and the exhibition was usually finished
in two hours; and so late as 1667, they commenced at three
o'clock.
Scenes first made their appearance upon the English stage in
1662, at the opening of the Duke of York's Theatre in Lincoln's
Inn Fields, which was opened by Sir William Davenant with
one of his own plays, The Siege of Rhodes.
DRAMATIC CENSORSHIP.
Henry Fielding having ridiculed the ministry in his two plays
of Pasquin and the Historic Register, a piece called the Golden
Rump, which never was acted, never appeared in print, nor was
it ever known who was the author, was sent anonymously to Mr.
Henry Giffard, the manager of Goodman's Fields theatre, for
representation. In this piece the most unbounded abuse was
vented, not only against parliament, the council, and ministry,
but even against the person of the king himself. The honest
manager, free from design himself, suspecting none in others, but
imagining that a licence of this kind, if permitted to run to such
enormous lengths, would be attended with pernicious conse-
quences to his interest, quickly perceived the snare, and carried
the piece to the minister, with a view of consulting him upon it.
The latter commended highly his integrity in this step,
requested only the MS., 'but at the same time, that the mnn-
ager might be no loser by his zeal for the interests of his king
and country, ordered a gratuity equal to what he might have
expected from the profits of representation. The minister in-
stantly made use of the manuscript play, to introduce and pass a
bill in parliament for limiting the number of theatres, and sub-
mitting every dramatic piece to the inspection of the lord cham-
berlain, previous to its appearance on the stage.
SOLDIERS DOING DUTY AT THE THEATRES-ROYAL.
In the reign of George the Second, when Quin acted in Lin-
coln's Inn Fields theatre, it occurred one night, during the per-
formance of the Beggar's Opera, it being then a prevailing custom
to admit noblemen and gentlemen behind the scenes, that one of
them, a warm-tempered person, flushed with potent libations of
usquebaugh, in a very interesting scene of the opera, crossed the
stage, amidst the performers. Quin was behind the scenes, and
90 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
expostulated with the nobleman on the impropriety of his conduct.
The latter on this struck Quin in the face, who returned the blow.
This being witnessed by the nobleman's companions, they drew
their swords, and a general fight ensued. The police of the town
not being under such strict regulations as it is at present, nor by
any means so numerous and effective, the proprietors called in the
interference of the district watchmen, such characters as Dog-
berry, Verges, &c., and the noblemen were given in charge to
them. They were kept in custody all night, and examined the
next morning before the magistrates, and held to bail, when they
made restitution and were discharged. His Majesty, hearing of
the outrage, sent privately for a few of the ringleaders, whom he
lectured rather severely on their improper conduct ; and, to pre-
vent the occurrence of such an outrage, the king was pleased to
order that the guards should in future do duty every play night,
which custom has never been dispensed with since.
ACTORS MAKING A TRADE OF THEIR PROFESSION.
Actors, prior to the year 1578, were retainers to the court and
the nobility, and none had the privilege to act but such, except
the Company of Parish Clerks, in religious plays, &c. Stowe says,
speaking of the former, " This was at once a recreation, and used
therefore, now and then occasionally, but afterwards by abuse
became a trade and calling, and so remains to this day."
ORIGINAL THEATRICAL STAGES IN ENGLAND.
Most of our early dramatic pieces were performed in the yards
of inns, in which, in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, the
comedians, who then first united themselves in companies, erected
an occasional stage. The spectators viewed the performances
from galleries or corridors, which at that time generally ran
round the court-yards of inns; many of which may still yet be
seen in the city of London and the Borough, and some slight
remains of them exist in the Eagle Inn Yard, and the Falcon Inn
Yard, Cambridge. In the latter, there are remains on one side
of two tiers of railed galleries, of one tier at the opposite side, and
one tier at the end ; the stage, we may reasonably suppose, was
on the fourth side. The Falcon Inn ceases to exist there, but the
area still bears the name. There are slight vestiges of a gallery
of this nature at the Black Bear Inn Yard, Cambridge, where,
upon May 28, 1600, an interlude was performed, at which one
Domiuus Pepper was seen with an improper habit, having de-
formed long locks of an unseemly sight, and great breeches,
indecent for a graduate or scholar of orderly carriage : therefore,
the said Pepper was commanded to appear presently, and procure
his hair to be cut or powled; and which being done, the said
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 91
Pepper, returning to the consistory, was there suspended, ab
omni gradu suscepto et suscipiendo. In October 1812, an order
was made by St. John's and Trinity College, that every young
man, who appeared in hall or chapel in pantaloons or trousers,
should be considered as absent. Retrospective Review.
BEGGAR'S OPERA.
Attempts had been made, from time to time, to introduce musical
dramas upon the Italian model on the English stage; but the
scheme was not successfully brought to bear until the beginning
of the last century. The novelty, patronised by the royal family
and people of fashion, superseded the regular drama, and Shak-
speare and Jonson, with other worthies, were forgotten, until the
rage for music began to subside in a violent schism among the
patrons and the performers, when the contending parties, tired of
the war, and the perfidious lords and ladies withdrawing their
alliance, the Beggar's Opera by John Gay burst forth in 1727,
and the Italian opera was fairly, or as unfairly as many thought,
hunted down.
Bonancini, a celebrated Italian composer, was ungraciously
pitted against the great German, Handel. Cuzzoni and Faustina,
two rival syrens, set the fashionables at war. Lady Pembroke
headed one party, Lady Burlington the other. The wits enjoyed
the sport, and sided with none. Hence Swift's epigram :
" Strange that difference should be
'Twixt tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee."
It may be remarked here, that the first female who ever per-
formed Polly Peachum in the Beggar's Opera, viz. Miss Fenton,
afterwards became Duchess of Bolton.
GARRICK'S FIRST PLAY-BILL.
When Garrick quitted Ipswich, where he played a few nights
in a provincial company, he repaired to London ; but it appears
he was unable to get an engagement at any of the great houses.
He was then obliged to join the company in Goodman's Fields,
who, to avoid being sent to prison as rogues and vagabonds for
acting without a licence, presented plays to their audiences gratis,
charging them only for the concerts. Here it was that the British
Roscius, trembling with hope and fear, made his first bow as
Eichard the Third.
The following is the copy of the bill: Goodman's Fields,
October 19, 1741. At the Theatre in Goodman's Fields, this day,
will be performed, a Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Music,
divided into two parts. Tickets at Three, Two, and One Shilling.
Places for the Boxes to be taken at tlje Fleece Tavern, next
92 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
door to the Theatre. N.B. Between the two parts of the Concert
will be presented an historical Play, called the Life and Death of
King Richard the Third ; containing the distresses of King Henry
the Sixth ; the artful acquisition of the Crown by Richard ; the
Murder of young Edward the Fifth and his brother in the Tower;
the landing of the Earl of Richmond, and the Death of King
Richard in the memorable Battle of Bosworth-fi eld, being the last
that was fought between the houses of York and Lancaster ; with
other true historical passages. The part of King Richard by a
Gentleman (Garrick) who never appeared on any stage ; King
Henry, Mr. Giffard ; Richmond, by Mr. Marshall ; Prince Edward,
Miss Hippesley ; Duke of York, Miss Naylor, &c. ; with an
entertainment of dancing, &c. To which will be added, a Ballad
Opera in one act, called the Virgin Unmasked. Both of which
will be performed by persons gratis, for diversion. The Concert
to begin at Six o'Clock exactly."
FIRST ENGLISH ACTRESS.
The first woman who appeared on the English stage was a
Mrs. Coleman, who represented lanthe, in Davenant's Siege of
Rhodes. This was in 1656. Up to that period, men enacted
the women characters, dressed as such.
PUNCH.
It is very difficult to trace accurately the origin of any
character of this description ; the reader, therefore, must be
satisfied with an unconnected notice of it.
In some of the old mysteries, wherein, no doubt, some of our
readers are well read, the devil was the buffoon of the piece, and
used to indulge himself most freely in the gross indecencies
tolerated in the earlier ages. When those mysteries began to
be refined into moralities, the Vice gradually superseded the
former clown, if he may be so designated ; and at the commence-
ment of such a change, frequently shared the comic part of the
performance with him. The Vice was armed with a dagger of
lath, with which he was to belabour the devil, who sometimes,
however, at the conclusion of the piece, carried off the Vice with
him. Here we have something like the club wielded by Punch,
and the wand of Harlequin, at the present time, and a similar
finish of the Devil and Punch may be seen daily in our streets.
Thus much may be said of the origin of the character, and as
to which most writers agree. The term Punch is an abbrevia-
tion from the Italian policinello or punchinello, which signifies a
merry fool.
COXCOMB.
The fool, in the early drama, was frequently dressed in a
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 93
motley or parti-coloured coat, and each leg clad in different
coloured hose. A sort of hood covered his head, resembling a
monk's cowl : this was afterwards changed for a cap, each being
usually surmounted with the neck and head of a cock, or some-
times only the crest, or comb ; hence was derived the term
Coxcomb.
FOOLS.
The custom of keeping fools for the purpose of producing
amusement, ascends, as we are assured by the learned Fosbroke,
to the classical ages. In Britain they were retained at court till
the reign of Charles II., and in noblemen's families till perhaps
a somewhat later date. Even the dignitaries of the Church in
the middle ages kept fools to make them laugh or to laugh at
them. Nay, the grave David I. of Scotland, who built so many
churches and monasteries, had a jester. The Lord Mayor of
London also had his fool, one of whose regular jokes it was, at
the great annual feast, to leap, clothes and all, into a huge cus-
tard a jest which certainly could not be considered as deficient
in cream, however monotonous it would be apt to become from
repetition. In those days, moreover, fools were often retained at
taverns to keep the guests in good humour.
PANTOMIME.
Pantomime, or Pantomimic Mystery in its more extended sense,
was known to the Greek and Eoman stages, being introduced on
the latter by Pylades and Bathyllus, in the time of Augustus
Caesar. From that time to the present, different modifications
of this representation have taken place on the continent, and the
lofty scenes of ancient pantomime are degenerated to the bizarre
adventures of Harlequin, Pantaloon, and Merryandrew. The
first pantomime performed by grotesque characters in this country
was at Drury Lane Theatre, in the year 1702. It was composed
by Mr. Weaver, and called " The Tavern Bilkers." In 1717, the
first harlequinade was performed at the theatre in Lincoln's Inn
Fields, called " Harlequin Executed." It was composed by Mr.
Eich.
HARLEQUIN.
Writers differ as to the origin of the term Harlequin ; one
says, " There was a young Italian actor of eminence in this style
of character, came to Paris in the time of Henry III. of France,
and having been received into the house of the President, Achilles
de Harlai, his brother actors are said to have called him Harle-
quin, from the name of his master." Another says, "' There was
a knight called Harlequin, an extravagant dissipated man, who
spent his substance in the wars of Charles Martel against the
94 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Saracens, and afterwards lived by pillage." Tradition says, he
was saved from perdition in consequence of his services against
the infidels, but condemned for a certain time to appear nightly
on earth, with those of his lineage.
PANTALOON.
The old character of Zany was similar to our modern clown,
who now is generally the possessor of all the wit in the perform-
ance. The name of Pantaloon is said to be derived from the
watchword of the Venetians, pianta-leone ; if so (which is doubt-
ful), it must have been applied in derision of their fallen state,
as compared with their former splendour.
MERRYANDREW.
Some have derived the term Merryandrew from the time of
the Druids, an Drieu, i. e., Arch-Druid ; others, from the cele-
brated Andrew Borde, the writer and empiric. The Merry-
andrew used at fairs to wear a patched coat like the modern
Harlequin, and sometimes a hunch on his back. It has been
remarked, that the common people are apt to give some well-
known facetious personage the name of a favourite dish ; hence the
Jack-pudding of the English ; the Jean-potage of the French ; the
Macaroni of the Italians ; the Hans Wurst of the Germans, &c.
GOD SAVE THE KING.
The simplicity and grandeur of " God save the King," is uni-
versally admitted ; and much research has been bestowed in the
endeavour to ascertain its origin. One writer says, This popular
song was sung, as an anthem, at the Chapel Royal, in the reign
of James II. It is uncertain by whom the words were written,
but the music was composed by Dr. John Bull, belonging to the
choir of that chapel. It first became a popular song (with the
alteration of the name of our James to George), through the late
Dr. Arne, who set it in parts, and introduced it at one of the
London Theatres during the Irish rebellion in 1746, where it met
with unbounded applause, and has continued to be a favourite
national air from that period to the present time.
The general opinion is, that it was composed by Henry Carey,
as stated by W. Chappell in his National English, Airs. About
the year 1795, George Savile Carey asserted his father's claim to
the authorship of this song, and made a journey to Windsor,
hoping to obtain some pecuniary recompense from the king. His
claim was acquiesced in by Archdeacon Coxe, in his Anecdotes
of J. C. Smith; and by Mr. S. Jones in his Biographia Dramatica.
It was also proved, by concurrent testimonies, to have been
originally sung, " God save great James our King." Add to this,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 95
that all attempts to prove a copy before Carey's time have failed ;
moreover, it is admitted that he sang it in public (announcing
it as his own production) five years before the first publication ;
and his not claiming it, when it attained its great popularity in
1745, being explained by his having put an end to his existence
three years before, at the advanced age of eighty, and leaving
his son an infant.
RULE BRITANNIA.
The words of this celebrated national anthem, or song, were
taken from Thomson's " Masque of Alfred," and was composed
by Doctor Arne.
DRYDEN'S CELEBRATED ODE.
Dryden's Ode on the Power of Music is the most unrivalled
of his compositions. By that strange fatality which seems to
disqualify authors from judging of their own works, he does not
appear to have valued this piece, because he totally omits it in
the enumeration and criticism he has given of the rest, in his
preface to his works. " I shall add nothing to what I have
already said on this subject (says Dr. Warton in his Essays on
the Writings and Genius of Pope, vol. ii.), but only tell the occa-
sion and manner of writing it. Mr. St. John, afterwards Lord
Bolingbroke, happening to pay a morning visit to Dryden, whom
he always respected, found him in an unusual agitation of spirits,
even to a trembling. On enquiring the cause, ' I have been up
all night,' replied the old bard ; ' my musical friends made me
promise to write them an Ode for the Feast of St. Cecilia. I have
been so struck with the subject which occurred to me, that I
could not leave it till I had completed it, ; here it is, finished at
one sitting.' And immediately he showed him this Ode, which
places the British lyric poetry above that of any other nation.
This anecdote, as true as it is curious, was imparted by Lord
Bolingbroke to Pope, by Pope to Mr. Gilbert West, by him to
his ingenious friend (Richard Berenger, Esq.), who communicated
it to me. The rapidity, and yet the perspicuity of the thoughts,
the glow and expressiveness of the images, these certain marks
of the first sketch of a master, conspire to corroborate the truth
of the fact."
CATHERINE AND PETRUCHIO.
The play of Catherine and Petruchio, or the Taming of the
Shrew, was derived from an Italian tale, called Silverio and
Pizardo. See particulars, which would take up too much space
here, in New London Gleaner, vol. ii., 1809.
96 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
THE BALLAD, "AULD ROBIN GRAY."
The following extract from a letter, written to the late Thomas
Hamrnersley, Esq., by the Eev. Wm. Jervis, rector of Wrington,
in Somersetshire, in June 1812, has been handed to us. It shows
that the words of the ballad of Auld Bobiii Gray were written
by Lady Ann Lindsay, and that the music was composed by
"VVm. Jervis. A gentleman now residing in Edinburgh, and
intimately acquainted with the composer, can answer for the
authenticity of this letter :
My dear Sir Anxious as you have ever been for the sake of
right, as well as for the fair fame of your friends, you have more
than once solicited that I should publicly claim an offspring which,
for more than forty years, has been of uncertain origin. Nothing
could have induced me to undertake this at my time of life, but
the offer of your kind testimony to the genuineness of this my
early production, which an acquaintance with it in manuscript,
long before it surreptitiously found its way to the public eye,
enables you so convincingly to bear. As to the ballad or story,
you may remember that I received it from the Hon. Mr. Byron,
and understood it to have been written by Lady Ann Lindsay.
THE LASS OF RICHMOND HILL.
This celebrated song was composed by William Upton, who
published Poems on Several Occasions, 1788 ; and a Collection of
Songs sung at Vauxhall, 1798. It was long popularly ascribed
to the Prince Regent (George IV.)
THE POPULAR ROMANCE, CASTLE OF OTRANTO."
The ingenious author of this popular romance, in a letter to
Mr. Cole, now in the British Museum, gives the following ac-
count of its origin : " I waked one morning in the beginning of
last June from a dream, of which all I could recover was, that I
had thought myself in an ancient castle, and that on the upper-
most banister of a great staircase I saw a gigantic hand in
armour. In the evening I sat down, and began to write, without
knowing in the least what I intended to say or relate. The
work grew on my hands, and I grew fond of it, so that I was very
glad to think of any thing rather than politics. In short, I was
so engrossed with my tale, which I completed in less than two
months, that one evening I wrote from the time I had drank
tea (about six o'clock) till half an hour past one in the morning,
when my hands and fingers were so weary, that I could not hold
my pen to finish the sentence, but left Matilda and Isabella
talking in the middle of a paragraph."
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 97
EASTWARD HOE.
The title of " Eastward Hoe" was taken from the exclamations
of watermen plying for fares on the Thames. Of this the play of
"Eastward Hoe" furnishes some evidence; but with regard at
least to another play, " Westward Hoe," it is clearly shown by the
following quotation from George Peele's old historical play of
Edward the First, printed in 1593. The Queen is at Potter's (after-
wards called Queen's) Hithe, and the stage direction when she has
entered is
(Make a noise Westward, How!)
Queen. Woman, what noise is this I hear?
Potter's Wife. And like your Grace, it is the watermen that call for
passengers to go to Westward, How.
VELUTI IN SPECULUM.
The stage motto, Veluti in Speculum, or, As in a Mirror, was
first used in jbhe Theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the reign of
George I., about the same period when soldiers first mounted guard
at the Theatres-Royal.
THEATRICAL BENEFITS.
Mrs. Barry is recorded as the first performer, male or female,
who ever had what is now understood by the term, a benefit.
This privilege was procured for her through the influence of James
II., and she alone possessed it, until just before the commence-
ment of the 18th century. The poverty of the divided theatrical
companies then, induced the managers to employ this expedient
for paying their actors and actresses more directly out of the
pockets of the public; and it not unfrequently happened (at least
the performers made the accusation) that the patentees appropri-
ated to themselves ail the proceeds, under the pretext of house
expenses, and left the performers to their remedy.
UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, SCHOOLS, PUBLIC LIBRARIES, RELIGIOUS
SECTS, ORIGIN OF NICENE CREED, INQUISITION, &c.
UNIVERSITIES
Had their first rise in the 12th and 13th centuries. Those of
Paris and Bologna Salerno are said to be the first that were set on
foot ; but then they were on a different footing from the Univer-
sities among us. Our own Universities of Oxford and Cambridge
'98 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
seem entitled to the greatest antiquity of any in the world ; and
Balliol and Merton Colleges in Oxford, and St. Peter's in Cam-
bridge, all made Colleges in the 13th century, may be said to be
the lirst regular endowments of this kind in Europe. For though
University College in Cambridge had been a place for students
ever since the year 872, yet this, like many of the other ancient
Colleges beyond sea, and Leyden to this day, was no proper Col-
lege ; but the students, without any distinction of habit, lived in
citizens' houses, having only meeting-places to hear lectures and
disputes. In after times there were houses built for the students
to live in society, only each to be at his own charge, as in the inns
of court ; these at first were called inns, but now halls. At last
plentiful revenues were settled on several of these Halls, to main-
tain the students in diet, apparel,&c., andthese were called Colleges.
In the University of Oxford there are 2220 members of convo-
cation, and 4792 members on the boards. In the University of
Cambridge there are 1854 members of the senate, and 4866 mem-
bers on the boards, making a total of 9658 students on the boards
at both Universities. In 1748, there were 1500 members on the
Cambridge boards ; in 1813, there were 2805 ; in 1825, they had
increased to 4700; and in 1826, to 4866, as above stated. The
Universities of Scotland are four, St. Andrew's, Aberdeen, Edin-
burgh, and Glasgow. In Ireland there are two Universities,
that of Dublin, incorporated 1591, and Queen's, incorporated 1850.
BALLIOL COLLEGE
Was founded by John Balliol, or De Baliol, of Barnard Castle,
in the County of Durham, about the year 1268, and from whence
it derives the appellation of Balliol College.
ORIEL COLLEGE.
This College was founded by King Edward the Second in 1326.
SORBONNE COLLEGE.
Sorbon, or Sorbonne College, was the first and most considerable
of the University of Paris. It was founded in the reign of St.
Louis, 1252, by Robert Sorbonne, which name is sometimes given
to the whole University of Paris.
MERTON COLLEGE.
Merton College, in Oxford, derives its name from Walter de
Merton, Bishop of Eochester, who founded it in 1274.
EXETER COLLEGE.
Exeter College, in Oxford, so denominated from Walter Staple-
don, Bishop of Exeter, who founded it in 1314.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 99
CLARE HALL.
Clare Hall, in Cambridge, derives its name from Elizabeth,
Countess of Clare, who founded it in 1347. It was established on
the site of a former College called University Hall, founded in
1326, but destroyed by fire in 1343.
PEMBROKE COLLEGE.
Pembroke College, formerly called Pembroke Hall, in Cam-
bridge, receives its name from Mary de St. Paul, widow of Aymer
de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, who founded it in 1347.
PEMBROKE COLLEGE, OXFORD.
Pembroke College, Oxford, was founded in the early part of the
17th century on the site of Broadgate Hall, an ancient seminary
for students of the civil and canon law. It received its name of
Pembroke from William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, then Chan-
cellor of the University.
CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE.
Corpus Christi (vulgarly Benedict) College, in Cambridge, is
BO called in consequence of being founded by the brethren of the
Guild, or Society of Corpus Christi, and the brethren of the Guild
of the Blessed Virgin. Founded 1351.
CAIUS AND GONVILE COLLEGE.
Caius and Gonvile College, in Cambridge, takes its names from
its founder, Edmund Gonvile, rector of Tirrington and Rush-
worth, in Norfolk, who founded it in 1348, and Dr. John Caius,
who, in 1557 having rebuilt it, erected a Chapel, and endowed
three additional fellowships and 20 scholarships, obtained from
Queen Mary leave to be a co-founder, and to change the name
from Gonvile Hall to Gonvile and Caius College.
LINCOLN COLLEGE.
Lincoln College, in Oxford, founded by Eichard Fleming, Bishop
of Lincoln, and finished by Thomas Eotheram, his successor, 1427.
SYDNEY SUSSEX COLLEGE.
Sydney Sussex College, Cambridge, receives its cognomen liker
wise from its founder, Frances, daughter of Sir William Sydney^
and Countess-Dowager of Sussex, who died in the year 1589.
103 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
WADHAM COLLEGE.
Wadham College, in Oxford, derives its name from Nicholas
"Wadham, Esq., and Dame Dorothy, his wife, its founders. It was
founded in 161 2.
BRAZEN NOSE.
This College was founded by Wm. Smith, Bishop of Lincoln, and
finished by Wm. Sutton, Esq., in 1513. Various have been the
conjectures why it is called Brazen Nose College, but it is gene-
rally attributed to the circumstance of its founder going by that
nickname when at College, in consequence^ of the peculiar appear-
ance of his nose.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON.
This was projected in 1825, and the first stone was laid on
the 30th April, 1827, by the Duke of Sussex, and the institution
situated in Gower-street, St. Pancras, was opened for Students
in October, 1828. In November, 1836, it was incorporated by a
Eoyal Charter, 7 William IV. The government is vested in
live bodies: 1. General meetings of the Members. 2. The
Council. 3. The Senate. 4. The Faculty of Arts and Laws. 5.
The Faculty of Medicine. In 1834 an Hospital was opened in
connection with it, which cost about ,10,000, for the purpose
of affording the medical students clinical instruction. The num-
ber of students in 1852 was 186. Connected with it is a School
under the government of the Council. Students, in 1852, 289.
KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON.
This College is in the Strand, and was founded in 1828, on
the following fundamental principle: That every system of
general education ought to comprise instruction in the Chris-
tian religion. A charter was granted in 1829, which appoints the
Lord Chancellor and eight others as perpetual governors. The
corporation is designated as " The Governors and Proprietors of
King's College, London." It was opened for tuition in October,
1829. There is a School connected with it. The number of
Students, in 1851, was as follows : Department of. general
Literature, 111 ; Applied Sciences, 39 ; Medical, 196; Military,
11; College School, 449.
UNIVERSITY OF LONDON.
This University was created by charter of William IV ; but,
owing to a defect, a new one was granted by Queen Victoria,
December 5, 1837. It consists of a body of Fellows, including
a Chancellor and Vice Chancellor, who compose a Senate hold-
ing its sitting in Somerset House. The Senate, after examina-
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 101
tion, confers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts,
Bachelor of Laws, Doctor of Laws, Bachelor of Medicine, and
Doctor of Medicine. Both University and King's Colleges, as
well as other minor institutions, are empowered to issue certili-
cates to candidates for Degrees in Arts and Law at this Uni-
versity.
DULWICH COLLEGE.
This College, which is situated at the pleasant village of Dul-
wich, near London, was founded in the year 1619, by Edward
Alleyn, a player. The College was for the support and main-
tenance of one Master, one Warden, and four Fellows, three of
whom were to be ecclesiastics and the other a skilful organist;
also six poor men, six women, and twelve boys, to be educated in
good literature. He was a very eccentric character, and imposed
a condition in his will, that none should be eligible for a mas-
ter of the said College but those of the name of Alleyn or
Allen.
This College is famed for the Burgeoise Picture Gallery, left
to the public by the late Sir Francis Burgeoise, the eminent
painter, whose remains rest here in a mausoleum contiguous to
the gallery. The collection of paintings is very superior, and
among them are to be found those of the most eminent masters
particularly some of Murillo's masterpieces. Sir Francis died
January 8, 1811.
RADCLIFFE LIBRARY.
The celebrated library at Oxford, well known as the Radcliffe
Library, derives its name from Dr. John Radcliffe, who died
in 1714. He was an eminent physician, and left 40,000 to
the University of Oxford, for the augmenting their library, and
which circumstance gave it its present name.
COTTONIAN LIBRARY.
The Cottonian Library, in the British Museum, derives its name
from Sir Robert Cotton, who founded it. He died 1631.
BODLEIAN LIBRARY.
This far-famed public library is so called after its founder,
Sir Thomas Bodley, who was born 1544, and died 1612. The
library was founded in the 40th of Elizabeth, 1598.
ARUNDELIAN TABLES, OXFORD.
These tables are so called from having been purchased by Lord
Arundel,and by him given to the University of Oxford, in 1667.
102 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
They contain the chronology of ancient history, from 1582 to
355 B.C., and said to have been sculptured 264 B.C. They were
found in the Isle of Paros about 1610. The characters are Greek,
of which there are two translations.
JESUITS.
The Jesuits, or the Society of Jesus, derive their origin from
one Ignatius, who was born in the Castle of Loyola in 1495,
in Guipuscoa, a part of Biscay near the Pyrenees. He was
bred up in the court of Charles V., and was famed for hia
licentious vices and pleasures. He went into the army, and
served in the garrison of Pampeluna when besieged by the
French in 1521, where he was wounded in the left leg, and had
his right one broken.
Ribadeneira, in his Lives of the Saints, says, that St. Peter
appeared to Ignatius on the eve of his feast, and with a very
gracious aspect said, that he was come to cure him. From the
time of this visit, says this Chronicler of the Saints, Ignatius grew
much better, and not long after recovered his perfect health;
but as he was a spruce young gallant, desirous to appear in the
most neat and comely fashion, he caused the end of a bone which
stuck out under his knee, and did somewhat disfigure his leg, to
be cut off, that so his boot might sit more handsomely, as he him-
self told me, thinking it to be against his honour that such a
deformity should be in his leg : nor would he be bound while
the bone was sawed off.
Another biographer of Ignatius says, that although he was
restored to health, his right leg nevertheless remained shorter
than his left. Attired in the coarsest garb, he made a pilgri-
mage to Home ; for, as there is but one step between the ludicrous
and sublime, so Ignatius Loyola, or Ignatius of Loyola, was
transformed from the gay and debonair to the self-mortifying
saint. He soon met with those who were as enthusiastic as
himself; and having assembled ten of them at Borne in the year
1538, he proposed to substitute a new order, aiid for this pur-
pose applied to Pope Paul III., then reigning. The historian
Robertson says
" The pope, to whom Loyola had applied for the sanction of his
authority to confirm the institution, referred his petition to a
Committee of Cardinals. They represented the establishment to
be unnecessary, as well as dangerous, and Paul refused to grant
his approbation of it. At last Loyola removed all his scruples,
by an offer which it was impossible for any pope to resist. He
proposed that, besides the three vows of poverty, of chastity, and
of monastic obedience, which are common to all the orders of
regulars, the members of his society should take a further vow of
obedience to the Pope ; binding themselves to go whithersoever
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 103
he should command, for the service of religion, and without re-
quiring any thing from the holy see for their support. At a time
when the Papal authority had received such a shock by the revolt
of so many nations from the Eomish church ; at a time when every
part of the Popish system was attacked with so much violence
and success, the acquisition of a body of men thus peculiarly de-
voted to the See of Eome, and whom it might set in opposition
to all its enemies, was an object of the highest consequence. Paul,
instantly perceiving this, confirmed the institution of the Jesuits
by his bull, granted the most ample privileges to the members of
the society, and appointed Loyola to be the first General of the
order. This event hath fully justified Paul's discernment, in ex-
pecting such beneficial consequences to the See of Home from this
institution. In less than half a century the society obtained
establishments in every country that adhered to the Eoman Ca-
tholic church ; its power and wealth increased amazingly ; the
number of its members became great ; their character, as well as
accomplishments, became greater ; and the Jesuits were cele-
brated by the friends, and dreaded by the enemies of the Eomish
faith, as the most able and enterprising order in the church."
ORDER OF SERVITES.
A religious order of the church of Eome, founded about the
year 1233 by seven Florentine merchants, who, with the appro-
bation of the Bishop of Florence, renounced the world, and lived
together in religious community on Mount Senar, two leagues
from that city. It is said, that when they first appeared in the
black habit given them by the Bishop, the very children at the
breast cried out " See the Servants of the Virgin ! " and that this
miracle determined them to take no other name than "Servites,"
or "Servants of the Virgin." The order was reformed in 1593,
and continues to exist in Italy. There are also Nuns of this
order, who have several monasteries in Germany, Italy, and
Flanders.
THE CHURCH CATHOLIC.
The Church meaning by that term the Catholic or Universal
Church mentioned in the Creeds is that society instituted by
our Blessed Lord, and completed by his Apostles. Its prescrib-
ed form of admission is Baptism ; its constant badge of member-
ship is the sacrament of the Eucharist ; its officers are bishops
and priests, assisted by deacons.
The term Catholic was first applied to the Christian Church to
distinguish it from the Jewish; the latter being confined to a
single nation, the former being open to all who should seek ad-
mission into it by Holy Baptism. Hence the Christian Church
is general or universal. The first regularly organized Christian
104 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Church was formed at Jerusalem. When Churches were formed
afterwards at Samaria, Antioch, and other places, these were not
looked upon as entirely separate bodies, but as branches of the
one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. St. Paul says (1 Cor.
xii. 13), By one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body ; and
(Ephes. iv. 4), There is one Body and one Spirit. A Catholic Church
means a branch of this one great society, as the Church of England
is said to be a Catholic Church ; the Catholic Church includes all
the Churches in the world under their legitimate bishops. From
this may be seen the absurdity of calling the Papists Catholics.
The Romanists or Papists belong to a peculiar society, in which
errors have been added by a Synod at Trent to the orthodox faith.
But when we call them Catholics, we as much as call ourselves
heretics, we as much as admit them to be orthodox. And they
gladly avail themselves of this admission, on the part of some
ignorant Protestants, to hold up an argument against the Church
of England. Pacian being asked why Christians were called Ca-
tholics, answered, it was to distinguish them from heretics, and
added, " Christian is my name, and Catholic my surname."
PROTESTANTS.
The following circumstances gave birth to the name Protestants,
now given to such a large body of Christians.
In the year 1529, in a diet of the Princes of the Empire, held
at Spires, it was decreed by the majority, That in those places
where the Edict of Worms had been received, it would be lawful
for no one to change his religion; that in those places where the
new Lutheran religion was exercised, it should be maintained
until the meeting of a council, if the ancient, the Popish religion,
could not be restored without danger of disturbing the public
peace ; but that the mass should not be abolished, nor the Pa-
pists hindered from the free exercise of their religion, nor any one
of them be allowed to embrace Lutheranism ; that the Sacra-
mentarians should be banished the empire ; that the Anabaptists
should be punished with death ; and that no preacher should ex-
plain the Gospel in any other sense than what was approved by
the church. Six Princes of the empire entered their protest against
this decree. John, Elector of Saxony ; George, Margrave of
Brandenburgh ; Ernest and Francis, Dukes of Lunenburgh and
Brunswick ; Philip, Landgrave of Hesse ; and Wolfang, Prince of
Anhalt.
From this protest the followers of Luther first obtained the name
of Protestants, which was afterwards used as a general term to
denote all who protest against Popery. The word does not occur
in the liturgical formularies of the English Church, and is now
popularly used as a term of negation. Protestant is the negative,
Catholic the definite name of all orthodox Christians.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM/ 105*
LOLLAKD.
The term Lollard is derived from a Waldensian pastor, Walter
Lollard, who was burnt alive for these doctrines at Cologne in
1322. At the close of the fourteenth century it was given to
the followers of Wickliffe.
MAHOMETAN.
The Mahometan religion derives its name from Mahomet of
Mecca, who originally was nothing more than a private soldier.
He had many enemies even in his native place, from whence he
fled in 622 to Arabia. His followers compute their time from
this era, which in Arabic is called Negira, i. e., the Flight. The
Koran, commonly called the book of Allah, is a collection of all
those various fragments which the prophet, during the time of
his apostolic office, successively promulgated as so many revela-
tions from heaven.
METHODISM.
A writer* does Mr. "Whitfield the honour of being the first
author of Methodism, whom he also calls a fellow of Pembroke
College, in Oxford. Mr. Whitfield, however, was not concerned
in the first institution of Methodism, though he has since made
so shining a figure amongst them; for some years before he came
to the University, Mr. John Wesley, fellow of Lincoln College,
his brother Charles, a student of Christ Church, Mr. Clayton of
Brazen Nose, and two or three more young gentlemen, with very
laudable intention, agreed to spend two or three evenings together
in a week, in reading history or other entertaining books, instead
of drinking, which at that time was too much in vogue among
the young people of the University. The Sunday evenings they
appropriated to religious authors, which soon convinced 'them of
the great neglect of practical religion in that place, as well as in
other parts of the kingdom. In consequence of these convictions,
they formed themselves into a society, and raised a small fund for
charitable uses ; to relieve the necessitous, buy medicines for the
sick, and to disperse books amongst the ignorant. They agreed
also to go occasionally and visit the prisoners in the Castle, who
at that time were much neglected ; and that they might have
the more leisure for these charitable offices, without breaking in
too much upon the business of their Colleges, they were obliged
to fix stated hours for these employments, and their other reli-
gious exercises, to which they were directed by Mr. Nelson's
Practice of Devotion. This strict regularity and methodical con-
duct, after some time acquired them the name of Methodists;
though not without allusion probably to an ancient school of
physicians of that denomination.
* Historical Keview of the Transactions of Europe.
106 STHE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
MORAVIANS.
The founder of this religious society was Nicholas Lewes,
Count Zinzendorf, a native of Saxony, who died at Chelsea
in 1760. The Society was first instituted in Moravia, from
whence they derived their appellation. Their principal establish-
ment in England is in the neighbourhood of Bradford, in York-
shire.
QUAKERS.
The sect denominated Quakers first appeared in the year 1650,
in the reign of Charles II. ; they were founded by one Fox, who,
in 1665, after a series of persecutions, was confined in Scarborough
Castle. The year preceding, sixty Quakers were put on board
the ship Black Eagle, and exported to America. * Such was the
persecution this sect met with in the reign of their " good friend
Charles," as they denominated him, as will be seen from the fol-
lowing remarkable address which they presented to James II.,
on his accession to the throne: "We are come to testify our
Borrow for the death of our good friend Charles, and our joy at
thy being made our Governor. We are told thou art not of the
Church of England any more than we ; and therefore we hope,
thou will grant unto us the same liberty which thou allowest
thyself."
The derivation of the term Quaker is somewhat obscure ; but
as the Banters are thus denominated from their ranting, or
boisterous worship, so it may be fairly concluded that Quakers
received that appellation from the meekness of theirs; being,
during their worship, or supposed to be, in a state of fear and
trembling, or in other words, quaking for their offences.
BIBLE AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES.
The principal Societies which have for their exclusive object
the dispersion of the Scriptures, and the propagation of the
Christian religion are the following:
Founded.
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, ----- 1698
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, 1701
Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge, - 1709
Moravian Missions, ------------- 1731
Naval and Military Bible Society, __--_-_- 1780
"NVesleyan Missionary Society, --_-_--__ 1786
Baptist Missionary Society, '--_-----__ 1792
London Missionary Society, --__--_--_ 1795
Church Missionary Society, ---_--_-__ 1799
British and Foreign Bible Society, -------- 1804
Prayer Book and Homily Society, -------- 1812
* See Pennsylvania.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 107
NICENE CREED.
Manifold were the disputes of the Fathers of the Church, in
its earlier days, as to what portion of the Scriptures were, and
what were not, the word of God. Contention at last ran so high,
that their flocks began to think for themselves, and to hold simi-
lar disputations. The holy fathers, however, foreseeing that
shepherds would be nothing without flocks, agreed to end their
differences, by setting the matter at rest for ever. This Creed
was commenced by the Council of Nice, A.D. 325, and completed
by the second General Council of Constantinople, A.D. 381, where
the heads of the Church had been summoned to meet in Council,
in order to settle the knotty question. The result of their labours
was, the celebrated Creed, called the Nicene Creed, from the
place where the holy disputants had met.
SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
Robert Raikes, of Gloucester, was the originator of Sunday
Schools, and spent his life in acts of kindness and compassion ;
promoting education as a source of happiness to his fellow-beings,
and bestowing his exertions and bounty to benefit the helpless.
He died 5th April, 1811.
CHARITY SCHOOLS.
Charity Schools were first projected towards the close of the
seventeenth century. In 1685, there was one founded at High-
gate; and another in Zoar Street, Southwark, in 1687. The
oldest school which appears on the list of the Christian Knowledge
Society's Reports, is St. Ann's, Westminster, established in 1688 ;
and that known by the name of St. Margaret's Blue-Coat School,
was opened on Lady-day of the same year for fifty boys. The
first annual collected assemblage of Charity Schools was in 1704,
when 2000 children met together in St. Sepulchre's Church,
Snow-hill. Afterwards the anniversary took place in St. Bride's,
St. Sepulchre's, and Christ Church, Newgate Street. On the 2nd
May, 1 782, the schools were for the first time assembled in St.
Paul's Cathedral, where an amphitheatre was erected under the
dome. Dr. Porteus, bishop of London, preached the sermon.
Every year since it has continued to excite a more lively interest
to behold it ; and surely here is something to gratify the heart
that can feel, and something for foreigners to gaze at with
admiration.
BELL SYSTEM OF EDUCATION.
This national system of education originated with the Rev.
Dr. Bell of Madras, from whom it derives its appellation.
108 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
LANCASTERIAN SYSTEM.
So called from Joseph Lancaster, one of the Society of Friends.
This system differs very little, if any, from the Bell system. The
advocates of the latter (Bell) tax the former with piracy ; and the
former retaliate by saying, that the system, although originating
in a measure with Dr. Bell, would have lain dormant if it had
not been for Joseph Lancaster.
SPEXCEAN SYSTEM.
The Spencean System, so called from one Thomas Spence, a
political enthusiast, who devised and published a plan by which
the human kind could be provided with sustenance without
pauperism. He died October, 1814.
EDICT OF NANTZ.
To reconcile the Protestants to the abjuration of their religion,
Henry IV. of France, after his reduction of the league, issued
an Edict from Nautz in 1598, tolerating the Protestant religion,
throughout his kingdom.' This was revoked by Louis XIV.,
in 1685 ; by this bad policy, 50,000 French Protestants left France
and came to England, and there can be little doubt that their
representations of the cruelties perpetrated by the king of France,
tended to excite the suspicions of the English -against their own
Roman Catholic Sovereign, and in some degree accelerated the
advent of the Revolution of 1688.
BISHOP'S CROSIER.
Voltaire, in his Philosophical Dictionary, says, "As for augu-
ries, they perished with the Roman empire. Only the Bishops
have retained the original staff, called the Crosier, which was the
distinctive mark of the dignity of augur, so that the symbol of
falsehood has become the symbol of truth"
Let not institutions vaunt of the sacredness of their insignia,
for time and custom alternately defile and hallow all things
that which was emblematical of conclusive foresight from the
aspect of the entrails of a brute, is now the rod and guiding staff
to immortality. Tempora omnia mutant.
CHANGING OF THE POPE'S NAME.
The custom of altering the names of the Popes after their elec-
tion to the Popedom, was first introduced in the case of some
Cardinal being elected whose proper name meant swine-snout*
which, by general consent, being deemed unseemly for such a
dignity, was changed to Servius the Second.
* See Roman Names.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 109
CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN.
The early history of the British Church is obscure; and
although we learn from Tertulliaii and Origen, that Christianity
had extended thither by the third century, it is not easy to fix
the period at which regular churches were formed. It is certain,
however, that the British Church in the fourth century was
ruled by bishops, who regularly attended their sessions, and sub-
scribed their decrees and canons. Three names, Eborus of York,
Restitutus of London, and Adelphius of Caerleon-upon-Usk, with
the names of a priest and a deacon, are found appended to the
Council of Aries, celebrated in the year 314. So also they were
present at Nice in 325, at Sardica in 347, and at Bernini in 359.
These facts alone are, in themselves, sufficient proofs to establish
the validity of the Ancient Church of Britain the episcopal form
of her government and her entire constitution as a branch of
the Church of Christ, % at a period of nearly 250 years before the
arrival of Augustine, the missionary of Gregory the Great, A.D.
596.
INQUISITION.
The Inquisition, or Holy Office, as it is impiously termed, may
be traced to Pope Lucius, who at the Council of Yerona, in 1184,
ordered the bishops to procure information of all who were sus-
pected of heresy,"and if they could not effect this in person, they
were to enjoin it as a duty on their commissioners. In the
beginning of the 13th century this order was reinforced, and
the poor Albigenses and Waldenses severely felt its fury. Do-
minic, usually called St. Dominic, reduced this to practice, and
was, if not the first Inquisitor, yet the founder of that order to
which the management of the Inquisition was committed. In
1251, the Inquisition was established in Italy; in 1255, it was
extended to France. The horrors accompanying the practices of
this office, soon excited universal disgust in the best disposed
Romanists. It was established in Spain about the middle of the
13th centuiy. In 1484, the Supreme General Inquisition was
founded at Seville by Queen Isabella, with the aid of Cardinal
Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza. In Portugal, it was received about
1536. The gradual progress of knowledge checked the bloodshed
of this tribunal ; and it rarely, of late years, terrified the world
by displaying ranks of heretics led to the stake. The triumph
of humanity in the entire abolition of this most cruel depositary
of power, terrestrial and spiritual, was a prominent good arising
from the evils of the French revolution, but it was for the Spanish
Cortes to give the death-blow.
For farther information on the subject of the Inquisition, the
reader may refer to Prescott's Ferdinand and Isabella; Quart.
Rev., vol. iv. ; Llorentes' History of the Inquisition.
110 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
PARLIAMENTS, MAGNA CHARTA, TRIAL BY JURY, FEUDAL LAWS,
PUBLIC COURTS OF THE KINGDOM, ORIGIN OF
TITHES, PUBLIC PLOTS, &c.
PAPvLIAMEXT.
The etymology of the word Parliament is properly a French
or Norman word, signifying to speak the mind, and was origi-
nally spelt parle a ment. Parium la mentum, id est, a meeting of
the Peers to lament and complain to each other of the enormities
of the country, and thereon to provide for the same, is a definition
frequently to be met with in the old writers ; and, according to
Lord Coke, it is called Parliament from parler la ment, every
member speaking his mind for the general good of the common-
wealth. Barrington derives it from a compound of two Celtic
words, parly and ment, or mend. The ancient Parlemens of
France, were unlike the Parliaments of England. In France, the
Parlemens were courts of justice. All their edicts were ground-
ed on the ordinances of the king. When there was any opposi-
tion to those ordinances, the king went in person, and held
what is called a Lit de justice. He declared before them, that
the ordinance before them was his actual will, and ordered the
proper officer to register it. There was no mode of objecting to
the will of the king after a Lit de justice.
It was common with the kings of France to seize upon the
lands of their nobles, and make an ordinance of sequestration,
against which there was no remedy. The lands were annexed
to the crown.
Had the nobles of France defended their rights as the Barons
of England did, France would not have remained so long a
nation of slaves, The first Parliament in England was in 1116.
HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Although the first Parliament was in 1116, yet the House of
Commons, as now constituted, takes its date from the reign of
Henry III., May 14th, 1264. Earl Montfort, after defeating the
king's troops, called a Parliament at Winchester in the king's
name, which is shown by Dr. Brady to be the first wherein two
knights for each county and two burgesses for each borough were
summoned, and was the original of the House of Commons.
Members obliged to reside in the places they represented,
1413 ; Francis Eussell, son of the Earlof Bedford, was the first
peer's eldest son who sat in the House of Commons, 1549; that
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. Ill
remarkable for the epoch in which were first formed the parties
of court and country, June 16th, 1620; a peer elected, and sat as
a member of the House of Commons, 1649; the House of Com-
mons committed a Secretary of State to the Tower, November
18th, 1678; their Speaker refused by the king, 1679; bill passed
for triennial parliaments, November, 1694; the first British one
met, October 24th, 1707; triennial act repealed, May 1st, 1716;
act passed for septennial ones, 1716; their privilege of protection
from arrest for debts relinquished, 1770; the lord mayor and an
alderman of London committed to the Tower by the House
of Commons, 1771 ; Sir Francis Burdett committed to the
Tower by the House of Commons, on the motion of Sir Thomas
Lethbridge, April 9th, 1810. The Eeform bill passed in the
session of 1832.
The first mention of a Speaker of the House of Commons
occurs in the Parliament 51 Edward III. His duties are to act
entirely as the servant of the House which appoints him. He
takes the Chair, which he cannot do unless forty members are
present ; maintains order ; explains and informs on questions of
order or practice if he is referred to. He can neither speak nor
vote unless in the case of equality of votes, or in Committees of
the whole House, where, as soon as the chair is taken, he is
reduced to the footing of an ordinary Member.
THE KING'S SPEECH.
The first king's speech, as it is termed, was delivered by
Henry I., in the year 1107.
MAGNA CHARTA.
The "Great Charter" was signed by John on the 15th of
June, 1215, and confirmed by his successor, Henry III. It is
reported to have been chiefly drawn up by the Earl of Pembroke
and Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury. The ground
where John, accompanied by the pope's legate and other prelates
and followers, met the barons, was between Staiiies and Windsor,
at a place called Euunymede ; but better known in modern times
as Egham race-course, and which is still held in reverence as the
spot where the standard of freedom was first erected in England.
There, it is said, the barons appeared with a vast number of
knights and warriors, and both sides encamped apart, like open
enemies. The barons, in carrying their arms, would admit but
of few abatements; and the king's commissioners, as history
relates, being for the most part in their interests, few debates
ensued. The charter required of him was there signed by the
king and his barons, which continues in force to this day, and is
the famous bulwark of English liberty, which now goes by the
name of Magna Charta.
112 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM*
It is related that this very document was lost for near two
centuries, and was discovered at last by the celebrated Sir Robert
Cotton, who, on calling upon his tailor one day, discovered him
in the act of cutting up an old parchment deed, with a great
number of seals attached thereto. His curiosity was awakened,
and he examined it minutely, when he discovered that it was the
Great Charter, or Magna Charta of England ! He took posses-
sion of it, and, had it not been for this timely rescue, the palla-
dium of England's liberties would have been appropriated to the
unholy office of measuring his majesty's lieges for coats and
breeches. It is now deposited in the Cottonian Library, in the
British Museum.*
It is a curious circumstance, also, that out of twenty-sir barons
who signed Magna Charta, only three could write their names ;
the remainder merely signing, or having signed their marks
TRIAL BY JURY.
Some authors have endeavoured to trace the origin of juries
up as high as the Britons themselves, the first inhabitants of our
islands; but certain it is they were in use among the earlier
Saxon colonies, this institution being ascribed by Bishop Ni col-
son to "Woden himself, their great legislator and captain.
When the Normans came in, William, though commonly called
the Conqueror, was so far from abrogating this privilege of
juries, that, in the fourth year of his reign, he confirmed all king
Edward the Confessor's laws, and the ancient customs of the
kingdom, whereof this was an essential and most material part.
Afterwards, when the Great Charter, commonly called Magna
Charta, which is nothing else than a recital, confirmation, and
corroboration of our ancient English liberties, was made and put
under the Great Seal of England, in the 9th year of king Henry
III., A.D. 1225, then was this privilege of trials by juries in an
especial manner confirmed and established, as in the 14th chap-
ter : that r,o amercement shall be assessed, but by the oath of
good and honest men of the vicinage. And more fully in the
twenty-ninth chapter : no freeman shall be taken or imprisoned,
or be disseized of his freehold, or liberties, or free customs, or be
outlawed, or exiled, or any other way destroyed, nor shall we
pass upon him, or condemn him, but by lawful judgment of his
Peers.
This Grand Charter, having been confirmed by above thirty
Acts of Parliament, the said rights of juries thereby, and by con-
stant usage and common custom of England, which is the com-
mon law, are brought down to us as our undoubted birthright,
and are, in fact, the best inheritance of every Englishman.
In Stourhead Grounds, belonging to Sir Richard Hoare, Bart.,
* See Cottonian Library.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 113
is a tower erected in memoiy of Alfred the Great. Over the
entrance is the following inscription :
Alfred the Great,
A. D. 870, on this Summit
Erected his Standard
Against Danish Invaders.
To him we owe the Origin of Juries ,
The Establishment of a Militia,
The Creation of a Naval Force.
Alfred, the light of a benighted age,
Was a Philosopher and a Christian,
The Father of his People,
The founder of the English
Monarchy and Liberty.
CONFINING JURORS FROM MEAT AND DRINK.
An Italian author, in his Antiquities, plainly affirms, that this
regulation was framed for the purpose of avoiding the unsound
decrees consequent upon intoxication ; and Dr. Gilbert Stuart
very patiently and ingeniously affirms, in his Historical Disserta-
tion concerning the Antiquity of the British Constitution, p. 238,
that from the propensity of the older Britons to indulge ex-
cessively in eating and drinking, has proceeded the restriction
upon jurors and jurymen, to refrain from meat and drink, and to
be even held in custody, until they had agreed upon their verdict.
EXEMPTION OF SURGEONS AND BUTCHERS FROM SERVING ON JURIES.
The reason commonly assigned for the privilege of surgeons,
in being exempt from serving on juries is, that they are too con-
stantly in the habit of suppressing the human feelings. But this
is not the real cause of the privilege, as appears from the following
extract from Andrews' History of England : u In the same year
(i.e., 1513), the Corporation of Surgeons, consisting of twelve, a
number being then thought equal to the care of the metropolis,
petitioned parliament to be exempted from bearing arms, or
serving on juries and parish offices ; and their petition was
successful."
This, however, is not the case with the Knights of the Cleaver,
commonly yclept butchers. In M'Queen's Historical Records,
we find the following notice on the subject. During this session
(1661), Mr. Hyde brought in a bill to prohibit butchers from
serving on juries in cases of life and death, which unanimously
passed both houses of parliament, and received the royal assent.
It is very strange, continues the historian, that so judicious and
humane an enactment had not been passed before ; not that they
(butchers) should be considered as devoid of the common feelings
of humanity, but more liable to its infirmities, from their avoca-
i
114 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
tions necessarily compelling them to the performance of a duty,
incompatible with those feelings which they hitherto had been
called upon to exercise in the capacity of jurymen.
BENEFIT OF CLERGY.
As the true meaning of the term may perhaps not be gen-
erally known, the following definition is given : felony, which
comprehends almost numberless species of crimes, is subdivided
into two classes with, or without benefit of clergy.
Xhe benefit of clergy, at present, signifies an exemption from
capital punishment in all felonies where . the legislature has not
taken away that benefit by express words. The origin of this
principle, which is very little understood, is as follows : At
the time the Eomish faith was prevalent in this country, the
clergy claimed an exemption from punishment for all secular
offences, and the legislature was so far duped by them, as to
grant them that privilege ; therefore, whenever a priest was
convicted of a crime, for* which another man would suffer death,
he was discharged without punishment, on proving himself to be
an ecclesiastic. The clergy did not fail to avail themselves of this
advantage, and committed all sorts of enormity with impunity.
This induced the parliaments at various times to subject them
to capital punishments for particular offences, by taking away
from those offences the benefit of clergy. In those dark super-
stitious times, every person who could read, was presumed in
law to be a priest in orders ; and till the reign of Anne, a man
who was not possessed of this qualification, was liable to be
hanged for an offence, which one possessed of it would only be
burnt in the hand for ; but since that time, laymen are allowed
the benefit of clergy, once. The clergy, however, are entitled to
claim it as often as they have occasion, and are exempted from
the punishment of burning in the hand by the statute of 1 Edward
"VI., which extends the same privilege to Peers of the Realm,
whom it also exempts from capital punishment for the crimes
of housebreaking, highway robbery, horse-stealing, and robbing
of churches. Felony without benefit of clergy, are capital offences,
of which Sir William Blackstone, in his time, enumerates 160.
By the recent statutes for the improvement of the criminal code,
commonly called Peel's Acts (7 and 8 George IV. c. 28), it is
enacted, " that benefit of clergy with respect to persons convicted
of felony shall be abolished."
BOROUGHS.
As we are constantly hearing the word Boroughinonger made
use of, the original signification of the term borough is here
introduced.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 115
Borough originally meant a company, consisting of ten families,
which were bound together as each other's pledge. Afterwards
borough came to signify a town, having a wall or some kind of
enclosure round. And all places that in old time had the name
of borough, it is said, were fortified or fenced, in some shape or
other. Borough is a place of safety, or privilege ; and some are
called free boroughs, and the tradesmen in them free burgesses,
from a freedom they had granted to them originally, to buy and
sell without disturbance, and exempt from toll. In July, 1833,
a royal commission was issued to inquire as to the existing state
of the municipal corporations in England and Wales, and to col-
lect information respecting their defects. Their Report was laid
before the House of Commons, and ordered to be printed in
March, 1835. Upon this Report was founded the Bill, "for
the regulation of municipal corporations in England and Wales."
The total number of the cities, towns, and ports, reconstituted,
under the general name of " Boroughs " by the Municipal Reform
Act, is 178.
CORPORATIONS.
It is difficult to account for the origin of charter and corpora-
tion towns, unless we suppose them to have arisen out of, or been
connected with, some species of garrison service. The times in
which they began justify this idea. The generality of those
towns have been garrisons ; and the corporations were charged
with the gates of the towns, when no military garrison was pre-
sent. Their refusing or granting admission" to strangers, which
has produced the custom of giving, selling, and buying freedom,
has more of the nature of garrison authority than civil govern-
ment.
Soldiers are free of all corporations throughout the nation, by
the same propriety that every soldier is free of every garrison,
and no other persons are. He can follow any employment, with
the permission of his officers, in any corporation town through-
out the nation.
FEUDAL LAWS.
The feudal (from feodum) laws, or the tenure of land by suit
and service to the owner of it, was introduced into England by
the Saxons, about 600. The slavery of this tenure increased un-
der William I., 1068. This was dividing the kingdom into
baronies, giving them to certain persons, and requiring those
persons to furnish the king with money, and a stated number of
soldiers.
FOREST AND GAME LAWS.
The ancient kings of Media were the first preservers of game.
Their extensive paradises, or royal parks, contained numerous
116 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
species of animals ; lions, bears, camelopards, deer, antelopes,
wild sheep, and wild asses. But as all those creatures in confine-
ment underwent a kind of civilisation, and lost the wild propen-
sities which distinguished them in their natural state, the more
adventurous portion of Median youth always sallied forth to the
mountains and forests, when they were desirous of exhibiting
their courage or prowess. By the common law introduced into
this country by the Normans, all game was the property of the
king ; no person whatsoever could enjoy the diversion of sporting,
unless authorized by royal grant of a chase or free warren ; and to
kill a deer was deemed almost as heinous an act as to kill a man.
It is generally allowed by all who have made remarks, that
the game laws, as they subsisted for ages, were a disgrace to
the noble fabric of our free constitution ; and it is not the more
remarkable, since they had their origin in slavery, as the following
passage from Blackstone sufficiently demonstrates :
" Another violent alteration of the English constitution, consist-
ed in the depopulation of- whole counties for the purposes of the
king's royal diversion, and subjecting both them, and all the
ancient forests of the kingdom, to the unreasonable severity of
forest laws, imported from the continent ; whereby the slaughter
of a beast was made almost as penal as the death of a man. In
the Saxon times, though no man was allowed to kill or chase the
king's deer, yet he might start any game, pursue, and kill it, upon
his own estate. But the rigour of these new constitutions vested
the property of all the game in England in the king alone ; and
no man was allowed to disturb any fowl of the air, or any beast
of the field, of such kinds as were especially reserved for the royal
amusement of the sovereign, without express licence from the
king, by the grant of a chase or free warren ; and those franchises
were granted as much with a view to preserve the breed of ani-
mals, as to indulge the subject. From a similar principle to
which, though the forest laws are now mitigated, and grown by
degrees entirely obsolete ; yet from this root has sprung a bas-
tard slip, known by the name of the Game Laws, now arrived to,
and wantoning in, its highest vigour ; both founded upon the
same unreasonable notions of permanent property in wild crea-
tures ; and both productive of the same tyranny to the commons ;
but with this difference, that the forest laws established only one
mighty hunter throughout the land, the game laws have raised a
little Nimrod in every manor ; and in one respect, the ancient
law was much less unreasonable than the modern ; for the king's
grantee of a chase or free warren, might kill game in any part of
his franchise ; but now, though a freeholder of less than one
hundred a year is forbidden to kill a partridge on his own estate,
yet nobody else (not even the lord of the manor), unless he hath
a grant of free warren, can do it without committing a trespass,
and subjecting himself to an action."
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 117
By a statute passed in 1831 (1 & 2 Will. IV. c. 32), the old
system was materially improved. The whole of the former pro-
visions respecting qualification by estate or birtli were removed,
and any person obtaining a certificate is now enabled to kill game,
either upon his own land, or on the land of any other person with
his permission.
THE + AS A MARK.
It is said that Withred, king of Kent, used the sign of the
Cross for his mark to his grants, he being unable to write his
name ; and that from him originated the custom. It is said also,
that the majority of the barons who signed Magna Charta made
their marks, being ignorant of the science of writing.*
The sign of the Cross was first used by Christians as a distinc-
tion, in 110 ; that of our Saviour, found on Mount Calvary, 326.
STAMP DUTY ON RECEIPTS.
The Stamp Duty 011 Receipts was first imposed during the
celebrated Coalition Administration, in 1783, which gave occa-
sion for the folio wing jeu-d'esprit, at the time geneu&lly attributed
to Sheridan :
" I would," says Fox, " a tax devise,
That shcmld not fall on me ; "
" Then tax receipts," Lord North replies,
" For those you never see /"
MAIL COACHES.
Mail Coaches were first established to Bristol, in 1784 ; to
other parts of England, and an Act to regulate and encourage
them, and exempt them from tolls, in 1785.
POST OFFICES.
Post Offices were first established in Paris, 1479 ; in England,
1581 ; in Germany, 1641 ; in the Turkish dominions, 1740 ; regu-
lated by parliament, and made general in England, 1656, and in
Scotland, 1685.
PENNY POST.
The Penny-Post was set up in London and suburbs, by one
Murray, an upholsterer, in 1681, who afterwards assigned the
same to one Dockwra ; afterwards claimed by the government,
who allowed the latter a pension of ,200 a year, in 1711. First
set up in Dublin, 1774. It was improved considerably in and
about London, July, 1794. Mr. Kowland Hill's plan of a uniform
inland rate of postage of one penny per half ounce, came into
operation 10th January, 1840.
* See Magna Charta.
118 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
RYE-HOUSE PLOT.
The Eye-House is a farm near Hoddesdon, in Hertfordshire,
through which Charles II. usually passed in his road from New-
market, which farm belonged to Rumbold, one of the conspirators.
It was proposed by them to attack the king and his guards by
firing from the out-houses, while another party should attack
them when they were separated by the gates, and embarrassed
in the inclosures ; but a fire happening at Newmarket, his majesty
returned to London sooner than he intended, and before the con-
spirators were prepared to put their design in execution. This
occurred, June 14th, 1683. The conspiracy was discovered by a
letter from one John Keeling, in a letter to Lord Dartmouth
and secretary Jenkins.
WALLER'S PLOT.
The nobility and people of distinction in London, as well as
the most substantial citizens, being weary of the parliamentary
war, associated together, and came to a resolution to endeavour
to depose the chiefs of the opposition, to offer his majesty equitable
terms of peace;" and if this was refused, to form a party strong
enough in the city to oppose the levying taxes on them for the
continuance of the war ; which Pym having some intelligence of,
pretended there was a plot to destroy the parliament, and deliver
up the city of London to the king ; and Mr. Waller being one of
the most considerable men, or most active in promoting the said
object, it obtained the name of Waller's Plot.
POPISH PLOT.
In the reign of Charles II., in the year 1678, Doctor Tongue, a
physician, laid certain papers before the lord treasurer, Danby,
importing a conspiracy against his majesty's life, and the Pro-
testant religion, by the" Jesuits. The chief promoters of this plot
were said to be the pope, Innocent XL, Cardinal Howard, and
numerous others in England, of the Eoman Catholic religion.
The said Tongue, and one Titus Gates, having drawn up a narra-
tive, made oath of the truth of the same. From the circumstance
of the origin, it obtained the name of the Popish, Plot.
GUNPOWDER PLOT.
The famous Plot, which was intended to have blown up the
king,* lords, and commons, with gunpowder, was discovered on
the Fifth of November, the day on which it was to have taken
place, 1605 ; when one of the conspirators, wishing to save
William Parker, Lord Monteagle, wrote him a letter of caution.
* James the First.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 119
Upon which, his lordship communicated the same to the privy
council ; and the vaults of the parliament being searched, several
barrels of gunpowder were found, also one GuidoFaux,a Spaniard,
with a lanthorn, was found secreted therein. Hence originated
the term of " Gunpowder Plot," yearly celebrated on the Fifth of
November.
MEAL-TUB PLOT.
This was also a plot of the Komanists, in the reign of Charles
II., to discredit the witnesses of the Popish Plot, wherein the
famous Titus Gates figured as an informer. The heads whereof
being found in a paper concealed in a tub of meal, it obtained the
name of the Meal-Tub Plot.
HOLY ALLIANCE.
The Holy Alliance was a league formed between certain of the
principal sovereigns of Europe, after the defeat of Napoleon at
Waterloo, on the proposal it is said of the Emperor Alexander,
for the purpose of checking the revolutionary mania, as it was
stated, and preserving the legitimate rights of the potentates who
formed it.
This alliance has ever been looked upon with a well-founded
suspicion by the English nation ; indeed by all who feel interested
in the march of mind, and rational freedom.
THE CABAL COUNCIL.
The celebrated cabinet council of Charles II., which we read of
in history, and who were supposed to be in the pay of Louis XIV.,
derived their appellation from the initial letters of their five
names, which composed the word Cabal; viz.
Clifford,
Arlington,
Buckingham,
Ashley,
Lauderdale.
As this has not been sufficiently explained, or rather, as the
derivation has not been given in the majority of the Histories of
England, it is considered that it will not be found out of place here.
WOOLSACKS IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS.
In the reign of queen Elizabeth, an act of parliament was
passed, to prevent the exportation of English wool ; and the more
eifectually to secure this source of national wealth, the woolsacks
on which our judges sit, in the House of Lords, were placed there
to remind them that, in their judicial capacity, they ought to have
120 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
a constant eye to the preservation of this staple commodity of
the kingdom.
SLAVE TRADE.
The first attempt, from England, to establish the odious traffic
in blacks, was in the reign of queen Elizabeth, in the year 1562 ;
when John Hawkins, an adventurer, afterwards Sir John Haw-
kins, fitted out three ships, and made a voyage to the Coast of
Guinea for slaves. It was not until the latter end of the eight-
eenth century, that the atrocities of this trade began to engage
the attention of parliament. In 1788, an act was passed to regu-
late it, and after twenty years' animated discussion, it was at last
totally abolished in 1807. In 1834, an Act was passed abolishing
slavery in fourteen British colonies, and twenty millions sterling
voted as compensation to the owners.
EXCISE DUTY.
It was in the year 173SJ that the Excise Duty was first moved
in the House of Commons, by resolutions, which were poAverfully
resisted, but finally carried, and the Excise Bill brought in ; the
majority being 236, the minority 200. Prior to this period the
excise was farmed.
SOUTH SEA BUBBLE.
In 1711, the ninth year of queen Anne's reign, a charter of in-
corporation was granted to a company trading to the South Seas ;
and the South Sea Company's affairs appeared so prosperous, that
in 1718, George I., being chosen governor, and a bill enabling
him to accept the office having passed both the Houses on the
3rd of February, his^majesty in person attended in the House of
Lords, and gave the royal assent to the act. The result is but
too well known ; such a scene of misery appeared among traders,
that it was almost unfashionable not to be a bankrupt ; and the
dire catastrophe was attended with such a number of self-mur-
ders, as no age can parallel. Among the various bubbles which
were started about this time may be mentioned one " For making
iron with pit coal," and another " For carrying on an undertak-
ing of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is." Mait-
land, in his History of London, informs us that one of the projects
which received great encouragement, was for the establishment
of a company " to make deal boards out of sawdust." For full
particulars about the South Sea and other bubbles of the period,
see Mackay's Memoirs of Extraordinary Popidar Delusions, vol. i.
STANDING ARMY IN ENGLAND.
This unconstitutional force, as some of our would-be patriots
have designated it, takes its date from 1486, when Henry VII.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 121
established fifty yeomen of the guard, and which, in time, became
a precedent for a more extensive and effective force.*
LAND TAX IX ENGLAND.
The first land tax was in the reign of Ethelred II., with whom
the Danes had broken an agreement. The invaders committed
horrid cruelties and devastations all over the kingdom, and the
timid Ethelred paid them no less than .24,000 for peace. This
was levied on land, and was called danegelt, by which ignominious
name the tax called Land Tax was first known in England. The
modern land tax was first established at the revolution, in 1688,
from which period to the year 1800, it yielded above 227,000,000.
PROPERTY TAX.
The first tax on personal property in England was levied by
Henry II. (whose reign began, 1154), which amounted to twopence
in the pound on the amount of every individual's net effects, after
deducting the debts owing, to be verified on oath ; and one penny
in the pound for the four following years. This tax was after-
wards raised to one tenth part of all personal property, as, in 1188,
intelligence had been received that Jerusalem had been taken
by the sultan of Egypt. On this occasion, the English are said
to have paid above 70,000, and the resident Jews about 60,000,
together about 2,000,000 sterling of modern money.
In the reign of Henry III., the revenue of customs was .6,000
per annum.
POSTS.
The first institution of posts is generally ascribed to the Persians.
The monarchs of that extensive empire, that they might have
intelligence of all that passed in the provinces of their vast do-
minions, placed sentinels on eminences, at convenient distances,
where towers were built, which sentinels gave notice of public
occurrences to each other with a loud and shrill voice ; by which
means alone, news was transported from one end of the kingdom
to the other with surprising expedition. This method, however,
being found to be tedious and uncertain, Cyrus, as Xenophon
informs us, provided couriers, and erected houses on all the high-
roads, for keeping post-horses, and delivering packets from one
to another.
PRESSING FOR THE NAVY.
This mode of recruiting our navy commenced in the year 1 355 ;
prior to which seamen were enlisted in the same manner as
soldiers, but which, in time of war, was found ineffectual.
* See Beef-eater.
122 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
OLD AND NEW STYLE.
Pope Gregory XIII. caused the Calendar to be reformed in the
year 1582 ; whereby the English, and some other Protestant coun-
tries, which adhere to the Julian Calendar, lost ten days, and
occasioned the distinction of Old and New Style. The differ-
ence between the Old and New Style up to the year 1699, was
only ten days; after 1700, it was eleven days; and after 1800,
twelve days: So that the 1st January, 1800, of the Old, corre-
sponded with the 13th of January, 1800, of the New Style. In
the year 1751, an Act was passed (24 Geo. II.) for regulating the
commencement of the year, which formerly began on 25th March,
and which enacted, that 1 st day of January next following shall
be reckoned as the first day of the year 1 753, and so in all future
years. The Ecclesiastical year is now considered to commence on
the first Sunday in Advent.
CHILTERN HUNDREDS.
Of the hundreds into which many of the English counties were
divided by king Alfred, for their better government, the jurisdic-
tion was originally vested in particular courts, but came afterwards
to be devolved to the county courts, and so remains at present,
except with regard to some, as the Ctiiltern Hundreds, in Bucking-
hamshire, which have been by privilege annexed to the crown.
These having still their own courts, a steward of those courts is
appointed by the chancellor of the exchequer, with a salary of
twenty shillings, and all fees, &c., belonging to the office. This is
made a matter of convenience to members of parliament ; when
any of them wish to resign, he accepts the nominal office of the
Chiltern Hundreds, and by this vacates his seat.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN COURTS OF LAW, AND LEGISLATIVE
PROCEEDINGS.
The French, or rather the Norman-French language, was intro-
duced into our courts of law by the Conqueror, and was the only
language used till the reign of Edward III., in the year 1362, when
an act was passed, that the counsel at the bar shall plead in the
English tongue, but the pleadings to be entered in Latin.
Another writer says: It is said on the lords' committee on the
privileges of peers, that the prelates, dukes, earls, barons, and all
the commons, having at length shown the king the mischiefs aris-
ing from the laws, customs, and statutes of the realm, not being
known to them, because they were impleaded, shown, and judged
in the French language, which was little known in the kingdom ;
and the king with their consent willed, that all proceedings hence-
forth should be in the English tongue. The French language,
notwithstanding, was still used in the rolls of parliament.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 123
ACTS OF PARLIAMENT.
Prior to the Long Parliament, the term Ordinance of Parliament
was used ; but on the 16th of January, 1649, the Commons altered
their style, and called their ordinances Acts of Parliament, which
term is used at the present day.
RUMP PARLIAMENT.
The parliament, which in history is styled the Eump Parliament,
was thus denominated because it was a remnant, or the latter
end of the Long Parliament, which had been forcibly dissolved
by Oliver Cromwell. It was assembled in May, 1659, and con-,
sisted of little more than seventy members.
TRANSPORTATION.
Transportation of criminals first commenced about 1599, when
it was enacted that all rogues dangerous to the inferior people
should be banished. At that time, the English plantations in
North America were the receptacles of transported convicts.
Henry the VIII. executed 72,000 during his reign !
ALEHOUSE LICENCES.
Ale and alehouses in England, are made mention of in the laws
of Ina, king of Wessex. Licences were introduced, 1551.
NAVAL SALUTE TO THE ENGLISH FLAG.
This honour to the Flag of England, first commenced in Alfred's
reign, and has continued ever since.
AFFIRMATION OF THE QUAKERS
Was first accepted as an oath, in 1702; an alteration made in
it, December 13,1721.
SWEARING ON THE GOSPEL
In our courts of law, &c., was first used in 528.
" He that imposes an oath makes it,
Not he that for convenience takes it;
Then how can any man be said,
To break an oath he never made?" Hudibras.
AUCTIONS
Were first introduced into Britain about 1700, by Elisha Yule, a
governor of Fort George, in the East Indies ; who disposed of a
cargo of goods he had brought home with him by this means.
124 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ORIGIN OF TITHES.
Selden, in his History of Tithes, says, they were anciently dis-
posed of by the owners of the land where they arose, at their
pleasure, to such monasteries, and in such portions as they thought
proper. Every person founding a church for his own use, and
that of his tenants, appropriated to it the tithes of his lands.
When Christianity was first introduced into Britain, and prior
to its distribution into parishes, all tithes, oblations, and eccle-
siastical profit, belonged exclusively to the bishops, who invari-
ably resided with their clergy, presbyters, and deacons in their
Cathedral church. Such was the practice of our British, as well
as afterwards of our more recent Saxon ancestors. The first
charter by which tithes were granted in England, may be con-
sidered as a curious historical document. The following is given
as a literal translation of it. : " I, Ethel wolfe, by the grace of
God, King of the West Saxons, &c., with the advice of the
Bishops, Earls, and all persons of distinction in my dominions,
have, for the health of my soul, the good of my people, and the
prosperity of my kingdom, taken the honourable resolution of
granting the tenth part of the lauds throughout my whole king-
dom to the Church and Ministers of religion, to be enjoyed by
them with all the privilege of a free tenure, and discharged from
all the incumbrances incidental to lay-fees. This grant has been
made by us in honour of Jesus Christ, the blessed Virgin, and all
Saints ; and out of regard to the Pascal Solemnity, and that
Almighty God might vouchsafe his blessings on us and our
posterity. Dated at Wilton, Ann. D., 854, at the feast of Easter."
Prcedial tithes are such as are produced from the ground,
as grain of all sorts. Mixed tithes are those animals which
are nourished from the ground. Personal tithes are such profits
as are derived from personal industry. Great tithes consists of
corn, hay, and wood. Small tithes, as the prsedial tithes of other
kinds, together with those w r hich are called mixed and personal.
EXCHEQUER BILLS.
In the years 1696 and 1697, the silver currency of the kingdom
being, by clipping, washing, grinding, filing, &c., reduced to about
half its nominal value, acts of parliament were passed for its
being called in and recoined : but whilst recoinage was going on,
Exchequer Bills were first issued to supply the demand of trade.
The quantity of silver recoined, according to D'Avenaut, from
the old hammered money, amounted to 5,725,933. It is worthy
of remark, that through the difficulties experienced by the Bank
of England (which had been established only three years) during
the recoinage, they having taken the clipped silver at its nomi-
nal value, and guineas at an advanced price ; bank notes were in
1697 at a discount of from 15 to 20 per cent.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 125
"During tho recoinage," says LVAvenant, "all great dealings
were transacted by tallies, bank "bills, and goldsmiths' notes.
Paper credit not only supplied the place of running cash, but
greatly multiplied the kingdom's stock ; for tallies and bank bills
did to many uses serre as well, and to some better than gold or
silver ; and this artificial wealth, which necessity had introduced,
did make us less feel the want of that real treasure, which the
war and our losses at sea had drawn out of the nation. "
POOR LAWS AND POOR HOUSES.
The Poor Laws were enacted in the reign of Elizabeth. An
eagerness for depopulating the lands, in order to traffic in sheep
and wool, may be classed among the imperative reasons of that
queen's government for the enactment of them. The people
were thus as thoroughly deprived of the means of life, as if the
grain should be given to the Moors of Africa. It is vain to say,
that the benefit of the traffic would have returned to them in
another shape. There was neither arts nor manufactures
whereby they could create a claim to the lowest rate of pro-
vision. A good modern economist would say, that they ought to
have been left to the pinching of their fate, to compel them to
that discovery : but the laws had left them no such liberty, and
they were mostly the property of the owners of the land.
That parish excrescence, the Poor-house, however, did not
make its appearance till the reign of Queen Anne ; an introduc-
tion which has created more dissolute and idle lieges in a century,
than the poor laws of themselves would have done in five. Prior
to that reign, the poor were farmed out ; at length the alarming
increase of pauperism in England occasioned, in 1832, the appoint-
ment of a commission of inquiry. Their report was presented in
February, 1834, and was followed by the passing, in August 1834,
of the Poor Law Amendment Act; the chief provisions of which
are : the appointment of a Central board ; the further appoint-
ment of nine assistant commissioners ; and the whole to be sub-
ject to the direction of the Secretary of State for the Home
department. The administration of relief to the poor is placed
under the control of the commissioners, whose rules are binding
upon all local bodies. By the Act 1 and 2 Victoria, c. 56, the
system was extended to Ireland. A compulsory provision for the
poor has been in force for above two centuries in Scotland, and
which resembles in many respects the English law, but has been
more wisely administered.
GUILDHALL.
Guild signified, among our Saxon ancestors, a fraternity,
derived from the Saxon word to pay, because every man paid his
share towards the expenses of the community; and hence the
126 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
place of meeting was called Guild, or Guildhall. Hence also the
term, the Guild of Merchants, in Dublin. The " hall of guilds,"
or the Guildhall of London, was erected in 1411, by sums raised
for pardons of offences, and by fines. It was destroyed in the
great fire of 1666, and afterwards rebuilt, in length 170 feet west
to east, and breadth 68 feet north to south, at the cost of
.40,000.
KING'S BENCH.
This court originated in the ancient Aula Begia, in which the
king was accustomed (as he still is supposed in the King's Bench
by fiction of law) to sit in person. The Judges of the Court of
King's Bench, as well as of the other supreme courts, varied in
number according to the royal discretion. They now number
five, the Chief Justice and four younger Judges. The title of
" Capitalis Justiciarius ad placita coram Bege tenenda;" or as
we now style it, Chief Justice of the King's Bench, was first
conferred on Bobert de Brus, March 8, 1268, 52 Henry III.
See Foss' Judges of England, vol. ii. p 155.
COMMON PLEAS.
This Court was first designated by its present name in the reign
of Edward the First, and was given merely to distinguish
it from the King's Bench. The engines of the law, however,
especially the Sergeants, have created other profitable technicali-
ties, and who have been keenly satirized by the late Lord
Erskine in the following celebrated impromptu :
" The Sergeants are a grateful race,
And all their actions shew it;
Their purple garments come from. Tyre,
Their arguments go to it ! "
COURT OF CHANCERY.
This Court, according to divers learned men, owes its name
to certain cross bars of wood, or iron, wherewith it was enclosed,
to prevent the officers who sat therein from being incommoded
by the people. Such grates, or cross bars, were by the Bomans
denominated cancelli; which, according to the opinion of some,
gave likewise the name to that part of a church called the
chancel, from its being separated from the body of the church
by such grates or lattices, by order of Pope Felix, for the use of
the priests.
EXCHEQUER COURT.
This, which is one of the four great courts (says Maitland) of
the kingdom, derives its name from a chequered cloth which
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 127
anciently covered the table where the judges or chief officers sat ;
and being coeval with the Norman conquest, it was at first erected
by William the Conqueror, for the trial of all causes relating to
the revenues of the Crown.
MARSHALSEA COURT.
Marshalsea Court, says Maitland, is a corruption of Marshal's
Court. This Court, which was held in Southwark under the
Knight Marshal, was first established for the jurisdiction of
personal actions within twelve miles of Whitehall. It was abol-
ished in 1849.
DOCTORS' COMMONS.
The several courts and oifices whereof this college is at present
composed, says Maitlaud, were anciently dispersed, and held in
several parts of the city ; which being relative, and in some
measure depending upon one another, occasioned great incon-
veniences to the respective practitioners ; wherefore the Doctors
and Proctors of the several courts unanimously united in a
collegiate manner, and, by dining together in common, obtained
the appellation of Doctors' Commons. This college, which is a
spacious and stately edifice, situate on the west side of St. Bennet's
Hill, is inhabited by several of the Doctors and Proctors of the
civil law in this city ; who, before they removed to this house,
which was provided for them by Dr. John Hervey, Dean of the
Arches, they cohabited in a small house, now the Queen's Head
Tavern, in Paternoster-row.
ARCHES COURT.
This is the supreme Court of Appeal in the Archbishopric of
Canterbury. It derives its name from having formerly been
held in the church of St. Mary-le-Bow, which is built on arches,
from which place it was removed in 1567 to the Common Hall of
Doctors' Commons, near St. Paul's Church, where it is now held.
PREROGATIVE COURT.
This Court, says Maitland, which is held in Doctors' Commons,
is thus denominated from the Prerogative of the Archbishop of
Canterbury, who, by a special privilege beyond those of his
suffragans, can here try all disputes that happen to arise, con-
cerning wills and administrations of persons who have left goods
to the value of Five Pounds, without the diocese wherein he or
she died ; unless such things are settled by composition between
the metropolitan and his suffragans, as in the diocese of London,
where it is Ten Pounds.
128 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER COURT.
This Court owes its origin to Henry IV., who, deposing Richard
II., usurped the- crown ; and, possessing the Duchy of Lancaster
in right of his mother, was seized thereof as duke, as well as
king. But imagining his right to the duchy better than that to
the crown, he resolved to secure the same by separating it from
the crown ; which being effected, he erected this court for its use,
wherein all matters of law and equity belonging to the duchy,
or County Palatine of Lancaster, are heard and decided by the
Chancellor thereof.
PRINCIPALITY OF CHESTER.
In 1398, says Maitland, Richard the Second brought into
Shrewsbury a numerous guard of the militia of Cheshire, who
expressed so strong an inclination to serve him, that to gratify
the county he erected it into a Principality, and added to the
rest of his titles that of Prince of Chester.
STAR CHAMBER.
This Court was originally the privy council itself, sitting in
the Star Chamber. It was mentioned as early as the reign of
Edward III. By Henry VII. it was, however, carried to its
greatest height, by an act passed in the third year of his reign.
It is also said to be so called from its having its roof painted
with silver or gilt stars, wherein the Chancellor, assisted by
others appointed for that purpose, had authority to punish routs,
riots, and other misdemeanours, that were not by common law
provided against ; but happily for future ages, the power and
jurisdiction of this tyrannical authority was absolutely abolished
by statute 17th of Charles. It is indeed extolled by Lord Bacon,
who styles the statute for the erection of this most despotic
court, " a good law." And in like manner Sir T. Smith, in his
" Commonwealth of England," advances in its defence, " that it
was useful to govern those who were too stout for the ordinary
courts of justice." It continued to exercise very important
jurisdiction, both in political matters and in private concerns,
during the reigns of Henry VIII. and his successors, until it
was finally dissolved by Charles I.
BOARD OF GREEN CLOTH.
This Board, which takes cognizance of all matters of court eti-
quette, from the shape of a buckle to the cut of a petticoat, takes
its name from even a more simple circumstance than the preced-
ing, viz., from the table where the most puissant council sit,
being covered with green cloth !
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 129
COURT OF PIE POUDRE.
This is the lowest, and at the same time the most expeditious
(as the title implies), court in the kingdom. It was established
to settle on the spot disputes arising at fairs or markets. It is
said to be called the court of pie poudre, curia pedis pulverizati,
from the dusty feet of the suitors ; or, as Sir Edward Coke says,
because justice is there done as speedily as dust can fall from the
feet ; but Blackstone, who says thus much of this court, inclines
to the opinion of Daines Barrington, who derives it from pied
puldreaux (a pedlar in old French), and says it signifies, there-
fore, the court of such petty chapmen as resort to fairs or markets.
Fosbroke says Courts similar to pie poudre courts were usual
both with Greeks and Romans, who introduced fairs into Germany
and the North.
TURNPIKES.
The etymology of turnpike is as follows : In early times it
was the custom to fasten a pike, or spear-head, loosely to the top
of a post, in order to prevent the intrusion of travellers not duly
authorised to pass. This turning round, of course presenting a
point on every side, gave rise to the name turnpike. They were
erected as early as A.D. 1267, as we find a grant of a penny for
each waggon passing through a manor. See Index or Catalogue
of the Patent Rolls, Henry III. 51, m. 21. A toll was also im-
posed in the reign of Edward III., for repairing the road between
St. Giles and Temple Bar. The first act for the repair of the
public roads was passed in 1698. When turnpike-tolls were
first demanded, the lower orders of the people evinced much
opposition to the measure, and many were punished for pulling
down the gates, and maltreating the collectors.
%
WAR WITH FRANCE.
" Peace be to France, if France in peace permit,
The lineal heritance to our own; if not,
Bleed France, and peace ascend to Heaven !"
Shahspeare.
When the fair were accustomed to behold their lovers with
beards, the sight of a shaved chin excited sentiments of horror
and aversion ; as much indeed as, in this effeminate age, would
a gallant whose hairy excrescence should
" Stream like a meteor to the troubled air."
To obey the injunctions of his bishops, Louis the Seventh of
France cropped his hair, and shaved his beard. Eleanor of Acqui-
taine, his consort, found him some little time after their marriage,
with this uncommon appearance, very ridiculous, and very con-
130 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
temptible ; and told him, that when she married him she thought
she had married a man, not a monk. She revenged herself, by
becoming something more than a coquette. The king obtained
a divorce. She then married the Count of Anjou, who shortly
after ascended the English throne as Henry II. She gave him
for her marriage dower the rich provinces of Poitou and Guienne ;
and this was the origin of those wars which for three hundred
years ravaged France, and which cost the French nation three
millions of men. All which probably had never taken place, had
Louis VII. not been so rash as to crop his hair and shave his
beard, by which he disgusted the fair Eleanor.
THE AMERICAN WAR.
The imposts on stamps, or, in other words, the Stamp Act, may
be said to have originated this unnatural and impolitic war, and
which commenced at Lexington in 1775. The following is a speci-
men of the feeling which -animated the Americans at that day.
When Patrick Henry, who gave the first impulse to the American
revolution, introduced his celebrated resolution on the Stamp Act,
in the House of Burgesses of Virginia, he exclaimed, when des-
canting on the tyranny of the obnoxious act, " Oesar had his
Brutus; Charles the First his Cromwell; and George the
Third " " Treason ! " cried the Speaker. " Treason, Treason ! !"
echoed from every part of the house. It was one of those trying
moments which are decisive of character. Henry faltered not
for an instant ; but rising to a loftier attitude, and fixing on the
Speaker an eye flashing with fire, exclaimed, " may profit by their
example. If this be treason, make the best of it !"
It is said, that George the Third manifested an unbecoming
impatience relative to the declaration of war against the Ameri-
cans ; and that when the American Commissioners for the peace
were presented to him, he said, " I have been the last man in my
dominions to accede to this peace, which separates America from
my kingdom. I will be the first man, now that it is made, to
resist any attempt to impugn it."
LOTTERIES.
The first lottery is said to have been drawn A.D. 1569. It con-
sisted of 400,000 lots, at ten shillings each lot ; the prizes were
plate, and the profits were to go towards repairing the havena
of the kingdom. It was drawn at the west door of St. Paul's
cathedral. The drawing began on the llth January, 1569, and
continued incessantly drawing, day and night, till the 6th May
following, as Maitland, from Stow, informs us in his History,
vol. i., p. 257. There were then only three lottery-offices in
London. The proposals for this lottery were published in the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 131
years 1567 and 1568. It was at first intended to have been drawn
at the house of Mr. Dericke, her Majesty's servant (i. e. jeweller),
but was afterwards drawn as above mentioned. The first State
or Parliamentary lottery took place in the year 1709, and from
that time down to 1823 they were annually licensed by Act of
Parliament under a variety of regulations. During this century
government constantly availed itself of this means to raise money
for various public works, of which the British Museum and West-
minster bridge are well known examples. But, at the commence-
ment of the present century, a great repugnance began to be
manifested in Parliament to this method of raising the public
revenue, in consequence of the spirit of gambling which it tended
to foster in the great body of the people. So that the government,
in the year 1823, consented to the entire abolition both of state
and private lotteries.
NATIONAL DEBT.
The contracting of the English National Debt cannot be said
to have been begun before the Eevolution of 1688. Even for some
years after the accession of William and Mary, the borrowings
of the government were for short periods only. The first trans-
action of this kind of a permanent character arose out of the
chartering of the Bank of England in 1693, when its capital of
1,200,000 was lent to the public at 8 per cent. The debt at the
time of the Eevolution in 1688 amounted to 664,263 ; on the first
of February 1817, when the English and Irish exchequers were
consolidated, to 840,850,491; and in 1839, the total of unre-
deemed debt was 853,519,647.
FRANKING LETTERS.
In the Parliamentary History, vol. xxiii., is the following very
curious anecdote concerning this privilege. It occurred in the
debate on the Post-office bill in the year 1660. " Colonel Titus
reported the bill for the settlement of the post-office, with the
amendments. Sir Walter Earle delivered a proviso, for the
letters of all members of parliament to go free during their sitting.
Sir Heneage Finch said, ' It was a poor mendicant proviso, anil
below the lionour of the House.' Mr. Pryim spoke also against
the proviso. Mr. Bunckley, Mr. Boscawen, Sir George Downing,
and Sergeant Charlton, for it; the latter saying, the counsel's
letters were free. The question being called for, the Speaker,
Sir Harbottle Grimstone, was unwilling to put it, saying he was
ashamed of it: nevertheless, the proviso was carried, and made
part of the bill, which was ordered to be engrossed. The Lords
subsequently disagreed to this proviso, and it was ultimately
thrown out. At a subsequent period, however, both Houses
did not feel it to be below their honour to secure for themselves
this exemption from postage." All parliamentary and official
132 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
franking was abolished by the Act 2 and 3 Viet. cap. 52, which
established the present uniform rate of Postage.
REPORTING OF PARLIAMENTARY SPEECHES.
The practice of reporting originated in 1736, with Mr. Cave,
the proprietor of the Gentleman 's Magazine, but William Woodfall,
the printer of The Diary, 1789, was the man who first re-
ported the Parliamentary debates in a proper manner. He
was to be seen every night in the gallery of the House of
Commons, with his cane-head in his mouth, never varying his
posture, and never taking a note ; and yet the following day re-
porting the speeches without the loss of a single word, though
perhaps he would call at the theatre in his way home to see a
new farce, or a new performer, for his criticism ; and yet his
memory disposed of such various gleanings without the least
confusion, or any apparent technical help. What an enviable
talent !
BUDGET.
M. Ch. Coquelin says, that the word budget, in its present
signification, has passed into France from England: the latter
country having first borrowed it from the old French language
bougette signifying (and particularly in old Norman) a leather
purse. It was the custom in England to put into a leather bag
the estimates of receipts and expenditure presented to parliament ;
and hence, as Coquelin observes, the term passed from the con-
tainant to the contained, and, with this new signification, returned
from this country into France ; where it was first used in an
official manner in the arretes of the Consul's, 4th Thermidor, year
X., and 17th Germinal, year XI.
HERALDRY, TITLES AND DIGNITIES, VARIOUS ORDERS AND INSIGNIA,
ORIGIN OF YAEIOUS ROYAL AND NOBLE FAMILIES,
CHRISTIAN NAMES, &c.
HERALDRY.
The late Lord Courtney, who was of one of the oldest families
in Great Britain, having married a Miss Clack, who was much
inferior in point of birth, a conversation took place (at which the
late Bishop of Exeter was present) on the disparity of the con-
nection. "What is your objection?" said the bishop to a lady,
who took the principal part in the conversation. " Want of family,
my lord." " Want of family ! "
echoed the bishop. "Why, I'll
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 133
prove her of better family than his lordship's. He may, perhaps,
trace his family as far back as the conquest, but the family of the
Clacks are as old as Eve !" So, reader, it may almost be said of
Heraldry, the true origin of which is lost in the mazes of antiquity.
In a small work, published in ] 721, entitled The British Com-
pendium, or Rudiments of Honour, is the following passage :
" Abel, the second son of Adam, bore his father's coat quartered
with that of his mother Eve, she being an heiress, viz., gules and
argent; and Joseph's coat was party-per-pale argent, and gules"
Heraldry came first into general use about the year 1100. As
regards crests, the assumption of them took its data from Edward
the Black Prince assuming the device of the blind king of Bo-
hemia, who was slain at the battle of Crecy. Prior to that
period, they were only allowable by grant. Another writer says,
" Harry, surnamed the Fowler, Emperor of the "West, who regu-
lated the tournaments in Germany, was the first who introduced
those marks of honour, Armouries, or Coats of Arms. Before
that time we find nothing upon ancient tombs but crosses, with
Gothic inscriptions, and decorations of persons entombed. The
time of Clement IV., who died A.D. 1268, is the first whereon we
find any arms ; nor do they appear struck upon any coins before
the year 1336. Camden refers the origin of hereditary arms
in England to the time of the first Norman kings. Chronology
says, coats of arms and heraldry were introduced in 1100, and
that the arms of England and France were first quartered by
Edward III., 1358."
HERALDS.
In the days of chivalry, the principal employment of the herald
was to carry messages of defiance, or proposals of peace, from
one sovereign prince or chieftain to another ; and in such high
esteem was the ofiace held, that the senior heralds were styled
kings, and the sovereign himself vested them with the dignity
by pouring a gold cup of wine on their heads, and proclaiming
their style and title. In modern times, the principal business of
the herald is to proclaim peace and war, to superintend all royal
and state ceremonies, particularly coronations, and the installa-
tions of the knights of different orders ; to arrange public
funerals, to record and emblazon the arms of the nobility and
gentry, and check all spurious assumptions in this respect.
HERALDS' COLLEGE.
The College of Arms, commonly called the Heralds' College, is
situated on the east side of St Bennet's Hill, Doctors' Commons,
at the south-west end of St. Paul's Churchyard. It was destroyed
by the fire in 1 666, but rebuilt about three years after. jft is a
spacious brick edifice, having an arched gateway in front, leading
134 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
into a handsome quadrangle. The society was first incorporated
by Richard III. The Earl Marshal of England is superior for
their college, and has the right of appointing the members of which
it consists: namely, three Kings at Arms, six Heralds at Arms,
and four Pursuivants at Arms.
The Kings are, Garter, Clarencieux, and Norroy. Garter was
instituted by Henry V. for the service of the order of the Garter,
and is acknowledged as principal King at Arms. Clarencieux
and Norroy are called provincial kings, the former having juris-
diction over that part of England south of the Trent, and the
latter over the country north of that river. The distinguishing
colour of Garter is blue ; of the two provincial kings, purple.
The six heralds are styled, of York, Lancaster, Cheshire,
Windsor, Richmond, Somerset, who rank according to seniority
of appointment.
The four Pursuivants are Blue-mantle, Rouge-croix, Rouge-
dragon, and Port-culles.
CRESTS.
A crest, which derives its appellation from crista, the comb
of a cock, denotes in heraldry and armour the uppermost part of
an armorial bearing, or that part which rises over the casque or
helmet, next to the mantle. In heraldry only, the crest is a
figure placed upon a wreath, coronet, or cap of maintenance, above
both helmet and shield ; as, for instance, the crest of a bishop is
the mitre. The right to assume these distinguishing emblems
was originally deemed one of the principal marks of nobility ;
which may be inferred from their having been borne at tourna-
ments, to which none were admitted unless they had given strong
proof of magnanimity, courage, or merit, or possessed the advan-
tage of superior birth. Hence also the crest is esteemed a cri-
terion of higher nobility than the armour generally.
The ancient warriors wore crests, to strike terror in their
enemies, as the representations of animals they had killed : or to
give them a more formidable mien, by making them appear
taller and more martial. Hence, the term crest-fallen is often
used figuratively, to express a want of spirit or courage. Some-
times the crest has served to distinguish sovereigns and com-
manders in the field ; at others, to mark the several branches
of a family ; and, on some occasions, as the distinguishing badge
of factions.
late JL, PEERDOM.
who toA om is thus defined by Bailey. The dignity of a peer
my lor * to a great fee. Of late years, we believe, it has been
nary to take a great fee from the Peer.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 135
ST. GEORGE, PATRON SAINT OF ENGLAND.
St. George was chosen the tutelar Saint of England by our
ancestors, under the first Norman kings ; and the Council of
Oxford, in 1822, commanded his feast to be kept a holiday of
the lesser rank. Under his name and ensign, our Edward the
Third instituted the Order of the Garter. Butler informs
us, that St. George was born in Cappadocia ; that he went with
his mother into Palestine, of which country she was a native,
where she had a considerable estate, which fell to her son George,
who was a soldier, and became a tribune or colonel in the army,
wherein he was further promoted by the Emperor Dioclesian,
to whom he resigned his commissions and posts, when that
empire waged war against the Christian religion, and who threw
him into prison forjremonstrating against bloody edicts, and caused
him to be beheaded. St. George became the patron of the military
because he had been military himself, and that his apparition en-
couraged the Christian army before Antioch, which proved for-
tunate, under Godfrey of Bouillon. There are many idle tales
about the dragon, but this was no more than an emblematical figure,
purporting that by his faith and Christian fortitude he conquered
the devil, called the dragon in Apocalypse. An old popular ballad
not only gives the genealogy of St. George, but assigns to him marks,
which have a direct reference to the institution of the garter:
" A blood-red Cross was on his arm,
A dragon on his breast :
A little garter all of gold,
Was round his leg exprest."
ST. DENIS, PATRON SAINT OF FRANCE.
All that we learn of St. Denis, or St. Denys, is, that he was,
with other martyrs, beheaded in the year 252, near to Paris, at a
place which has since been called Mons Martyrum (Montmartre),
the mountain of martyrs, in honour of them. Bibadeneira says,
the body of St. Denis rose upon its feet, and took its own head
up in its hands, as if he had triumphed, and carried in it the
crown and token of its victories. The angels of Heaven, he con-
tinues, went on accompanying the Saint, singing hymns choirwise,
with a celestial harmony and concert, and ended with these
words, "gloria tibi, Doming alleluia;" and the Saint went with
his head in his hands about two miles, till he met with a good
woman called Catula, who came out of her house ; and the body
of St. Denis going to her, it put the head in her hands. He was
Bishop of Paris ; and the abbey of St. Denis is named in honour
of him. His festival is kept, October 9th.
TITLES AND DIGNITIES.
Opinions have changed upon all things, and greatly upon Titles
and Dignities. Who has not seen a Consul appointed to reside
136 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
in a fishing town ? Who has not given a shilling to a Marquis,
a sixpence to a Knight ! A Eoman senator was beneath the
level of an English gentleman ; yet not only a Roman senator,
but a Eomau citizen, held himself superior to foreign kings.
Surely it might well be permitted our Richard to assume a rank
far above any potentate of his age. If almanacs and German
court calendars are to decide on dignities, the Emperors of
Morocco, of Austria, and of Mexico, should precede the Kings of
England and France ; but learned men have thought otherwise.
Rank, which pretends to fix the value of every one, is the most
arbitrary of all things.
THE KING.
The title of King, given to the sovereign of these realms, is
expressive of his being the chief or head of the state. The
Hebrew word Rosch is considered as the root of all the present
titles, denoting kingly or sovereign power ; namely, the Punic
Resch, the Scythian Reix, the Latin Rex, the Spanish Rey, and
the French Roi. The present English appellative, King, is
however derived from the Saxon word honing or cuning, from
can intimating power, or ken knowledge. And it is past dispute,
that all the German nations styled their ancient monarchs, ac-
cording to their different dialects, Konig, Kuniug, Koning, King.
Egbert, grandfather of Alfred the Great, was the first king of
England.
PRINCE OF WALES.
This title was first given by Edward I. to his son Edward,
afterwards Edward II., to reconcile the Welsh to his conquest of
that country. The Prince was born at Caernarvon, from which
circumstance he also took the name of Edward of Caernarvon.
DUKE.
The title and degree of a duke is of more ancient standing in
other countries than with us, for at the time of the Conquest the
king himself was Duke of Normandy ; which, perhaps, was the
reason that neither he, nor his successors for several ages, thought
fit to raise a subject to so high a dignity. About a year before,
Edward III. assumed the title of King of France, in order to
inflame the military ardour ; and to gratify the ambition of his
Earls and Barons, he introduced a new order of nobility, by
creating his eldest son Edward, Duke of Cornwall. This was
done with great solemnity in full parliament, at Westminster,
upon the 17th of March, 1337, by girding a sword upon the
young Prince, and giving him a patent, containing a grant
of the name, title, and dignity of a duke, and of several large
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 137
estates, in order to enable him to support his dignity. The title
is derived from the French Due.
Another writer says
The first hereditary duke created in England was the Black
Prince, by his father Edward III., in A.D. 1337. The Duchy of
Cornwall, then bestowed upon him, thenceforward became
attached to the king's eldest son, who is considered to be dux
natus. The Duchy of Lancaster was soon after conferred on his
third son, John of Gaunt, and thence arose the especial privileges
which these two duchies still in part retain. In the following
reign, 21 Richard II., Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk, was so
created for life. In the reign of Elizabeth, in 1572, the ducal
order was extinct, nor was it revived till the creation of Villiers,
Duke of Buckingham, by James I.
MARQUIS.
This title is derived from the French marquis, and was first
conferred in England by Richard II., who, in 1387, created
Robert Vere, Earl of Oxford, Marquis of Dublin. It was not,
however, till very recent reigns that the title became more
general.
EARL.
This is the oldest English title that we have, and is by some
supposed to imply the governor of a certain tract of land. Alfred
is said to have been created an Earl by his 'brother after the
battle of Basing. After the Conquest, it was used by the English
to express the French title of Count. Hence the wife of an Earl
is still styled Countess.
EARL MARSHAL.
The head of the Heralds' College of Arms. Camden, in his
Discourse 011 the office of Earl Marshal, alleges that it was first
introduced in the reign of Richard II., who conferred it on
Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Nottingham, his predecessors having
only been styled Marshals of England.
BARON.
This title is Norman, and coeval with William the Conqueror.
VISCOUNT.
Although this title takes precedence of Baron, it is not of so
long standing in England. It is derived from the French vis-
comte, and was first conferred in this country in 1439.
138 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
BARONET.
This title is derived from Baron, and was first instituted in
England by James I., in 1611.
BARONETS OF IRELAND.
The Baronets of Ireland were instituted by James I., for the
same purpose with the Baronets of England, namely, to raise
money for the benefit of the province of Ulster in Ireland.
BARONETS OF NOVA SCOTIA.
Nova Scotia Baronets were first created in 1625, for the en-
couragement of the planting and settlement of Nova Scotia.
. ADMIRAL.
According to Ducange, the Sicilians were the first, and the
Genoese the next, who gave the name of Admiral to the com-
manders of their fleets, deriving it from the Arabic, amir or emir,
a designation applicable to any commanding-officer.
ESQUIRE.
The title of Esquire is coeval with the Conqueror, but in its
present application it takes its data from Henry V. ; some go so
far back as Edward III., but this is a mistake, as in that reign
an Esquire was only, as it originally implied, an attendant on a
knight. Eustace and Mercceur were the esquires or attendants
of Edward the Black Prince. The word is derived from the
Norman Equiere, from whence is also derived Equerry. Henry V.,
after his victory at Agincourt, reads from a paper presented by
a herald, the names of the principal characters who were slain :
Edward the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk,
Sir Richard Ketly, Dav} r Gam, Esquire:
None else of name ; and, of all other men,
But five and twenty.
Nothing can be more absurd than the commonly received
notion, that a certain property constitutes a man an Esquire ; in
the country, however, every village has its 'Squire, and to dub
him less would be an affront not easily forgiven. The fact is,
none are Esquires, de facto, but the following, viz. : 1st. The
eldest sons of Knights, and their eldest sons in perpetual succes-
sion. 2nd. The eldest sons of younger sons of Peers, and their
elder sons in like perpetual succession. 3rd. Esquires created
by the King's Letters Patent, or other investiture, and their
eldest sons. 4th. Esquires by virtue of their office, as Justices
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 139
of the Peace, .and others who bear any office of trust under the
Crown. To these may be added the Esquires of Knights of the
Bath, each of whom constitutes three at his installation ; *
and all Foreign, nay, Irish Peers ; for not only these, but the
eldest sons of Peers of Great Britain, though frequently titular
Lords, are only Esquires in the law, and must be so named in all
legal proceedings ; all officers in the army down to a Captain, and
all officers in the navy down to a Lieutenant. These are the
only Esquires de facto, however the title or distinction may be
assumed, or courteously bestowed. It will even be observed,
that a Lieutenant in the Army is not an Esquire, but that a
Lieutenant in the Navy is : this statement may be relied on.
The following question relative to the precedency of Esquires
by office, is taken literally from the Harleian MSS., 1433, and is
written on the first leaf of the Visitation of Surrey. The signa-
tures appear to be original autographs.
Question. Whether an Esquire by office, shall take place of
another Esquire by office, who was made Esquire by virtue of
the said office six or seven years after, although the latter may
be the more ancient gentleman ?
A iiswer. The office being of equal rank and quality, he that
is first an Esquire by office, shall take the place of him that is
made Esquire afterwards by virtue of the said office, although
the latter may be the more ancient gentleman.
(Signed) JOHN BOROUGH, Garter Principal King of Arms.
WILLIAM LE LEVE, Clarencieux.
HENRY St. GEORGE, Norroy.
SIR.
The title of " Sir," in former times, was given to all who had
taken a degree, or had entered into orders. Thus, Hearne, the
antiquary, after he had taken his degree of B. A., was addressed
as Sir Hearne (Aubrey's Letters, \. 117); and Waynfleet (after-
wards Bishop of Winchester) was called Sir Waynfleet after he
had taken the same degree. Chandler's Life of Waynfleet, p. 54.
CHANCELLOR.
The title of Chancellor originated with the Eomans. (See
article under the head of Chancery.) It was adopted by the
church, and became a half ecclesiastic and half lay office. The
Chancellor was intrusted with all public instruments which
were authenticated; and when seals came into use, the custody
of them was committed to that officer. The mere delivery of the
King's Great Seal, or the taking it away, is all the ceremony
* A privilege annulled in 1847.
140 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
that is used in creating or unmaking a Chancellor, the officer of
the greatest weight and power subsisting in the kingdom. The
first Chancellor in England was appointed in the reign of Wil-
liam the Conqueror, and, with only one exception, it was enjoyed
by ecclesiastics until the time of Elizabeth, when such officers
were called Keepers of the Great Seal. From the time of Sir
Thomas More's appointment, which took place in the reign of
Henry VIII., there is only one instance of a clergyman having
been elevated to the office, namely, Dr. Williams, Dean of
Westminster, in the time of James I. The Chancellor is a Privy
Counsellor by office, and Speaker of the House of Lords by pre-
scription. He takes precedence of every temporal lord except
the royal family, and of all others except the Archbishop of
Canterbury.
EMPEROR.
Emperor, from Imperatgur or Imperator, a General or Com-
mander of Legions; this is the actual meaning, although assumed
as one implying more consequence.
In 1731, Mr. Whitworth, afterwards Lord Whitworth, Envoy
from Queen Anne to the Russian Court, received the title of
Ambassador Extraordinary, and on the 5th of January he had a
public audience, at which, by order of the queen, his mistress,
he employed the title of Emperor in speaking to his Majesty,
and in the letter which the ambassador delivered from the
queen, the same title was found, instead of the ancient one of
the Czar. Charlemagne assumed the title of Emperor after his
coronation at Rome ; and from his time, the title was claimed
exclusively in Western Europe by the rulers of Germany. On the
dissolution of the German empire in 1805, the title passed to the
Emperor of Austria, and in the same year Napoleon assumed it in
France ; the Czars of Russia claimed it in the reign of Alexander.
It was reassumed in France in 1853, by Napoleon III.
The learned have been divided on the exact meaning of the
word Imperator, from which we have derived Emperor ; some
asserting it merely implied Conqueror, and cite that Cicero was
saluted Imperator on his return from his proconsulate. Others
affirm it to be only a title of sovereignty. Both are right in their
affirmation, and wrong in their negation. Imperator hath both
these meanings, as is evident from the inscription on a medal
struck during the reign of Augustus IMP. C.ESAR. DIVI. x.
AUGUSTUS IMP. xx. Its precise meaning may also be ascertained
by its position in the phrase. When it means sovereignty, it
precedes all names and titles, or, in other words, begins the
phrase ; when, on the contrary, it designates victories obtained,
it is placed after the name, and generally after every other title,
as in the instance above cited.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 141
BOURBONS AS KINGS OF SPAIN.
The first Bourbon who ascended the throne of Spain was Philip
IV., grandson of Louis XIV., in the year 1713. The glorious
wars of Queen Anne, as they are called, were in opposition to that
succession, and although the Duke of Marl borough did not lose
a single battle, yet the French carried their point; the party
whose interest the English espoused, viz., the Emperor's son,
having died suddenly, which terminated the war. The celebrated
peace of Utrecht, in the year 1713, followed the twelve years'
war, when the Bourbon succession to the Spanish monarchy waa
agreed to by this country.
POPE, alias BISHOP OF ROME.
The title of Pope is derived from an Oriental word signifying
Father, and in earlier times applied indiscriminately to all bishops,
and in the East even to ministers ; but for many centuries the
term has been confined to the Bishop of Home, who is also
designated by Eoman Catholics, as the Holy Father. The Supre-
macy of the Roman bishop was unknown in the Christian Church
for the first six centuries, although a primacy of order in the
Western Church was conceded to that see from early times,
arising from its apostolical origin, and from the temporal dignity
of the city of Rome. Its later prelates, however, have perverted
many human institutions into articles of faith; and the pre-emi-
nence assigned to the " Chair of St. Peter," unconnected as it was
with any thing except the temporal government of the empire, be-
came the origin and source of the vast dominion which the Popes
afterwards assumed over the other churches of Christendom.
KING OF THE ROMANS.
It will be remembered the son of Napoleon was styled King of
Eome, and which title originated from that of King of the Romans.
The Emperors of Germany, to bring in their sons as their suc-
cessors, politically got them elected King of the Romans, which
was a part of the sovereignty. To get his son elected King of the
Romans, the Emperor Charles IV. gave eaoh Elector 100,000
ducats, and was forced to mortgage several cities to raise the
money, 1376 ; the descendants of the mortgages continue still in
possession of them. There were then only seven Electors, they
being reduced to that number in 999.
HORATII AND CURIATIL
The Romans and Albans, contesting for superiority, agreed to
choose three champions on each side to decide it. The three
142 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Horatii, Eoman knights, and the three Curiatii, Albans, being
elected by their respective countries engaged, in which the Horatii
were victors, and which united Alba to Rome, 667 B.C.
AMBASSADOR.
The word ambassador is of very uncertain derivation, but is
supposed to be derived from the Italian word ambasciare, to
solicit. An ambassador is not only the agent of the country which
sends him, but also represents personally the dignity of its
sovereign. The greater powers of Europe send ambassadors to
each other with the exception of Prussia, which never employs
ministers of this Class.
THE TITLE CARDINAL.
The Cardinals were originally nothing more than deacons, to
whom was intrusted the care of distributing the alms to the poor
of the several quarters of Rome ; and as they held assemblies of
the poor in certain churches of their several districts, they took
the title of these churches. Thus two of the minor canons of St.
Paul's, London, are still called cardinals of the choir, whose duties
are to preserve order in Divine service, administer the Eucharist,
and officiate at funerals. They began to be called Cardinals in
the year 300, during the pontificate of St. Sylvester, by which appel-
lation was meant the chief priests of a parish, and next in dignity
to a bishop. This office grew more considerable afterwards, and
by small degrees arrived at its present height ; in which it is the
reward of such as have served his Holiness well even Princes
thinking it no diminution of their honour to become members of
the college of Cardinals.
The Cardinals compose the Pope's council, and till the time of
Urban VIII., were styled Most Illustrious ; but by a decree of that
Pope in 1630, they had the title of Eminence conferred upon them.
The privileges of the Cardinals are very great they have an abso-
lute power in the church during the vacancy in the Holy See
they have a right to elect a new Pope, and are the only persons
on whom the choice can fall ; most of the grand offices in the
court of Rome are filled by Cardinals. The dress of a Cardinal is
a red soutanne, a rocket, a short purple mantle, and the red hat.
When they are sent to the Courts of Princes, it is in quality of le-
gates a latere; and when they are appointed Governors of towns,
their government is called by the name of Legation. The Cardi-
nals are divided into six classes or orders ; consisting of six bishops,
fifty priests, and fourteen deacons, making in all seventy, which
constitute the sacred college.
DIEU ET MON DROIT.
The motto of the Royal Family of England. It was first assum-
ed by Richard I., to intimate that he held his sovereignty from
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 143
God alone. It seems to have been dropt among the immediate
successors of that Prince, but it was revived by Edward III. when
he first claimed the crown of France. Since which time, except
in the reign of Elizabeth, William II., and Anne, it has always
formed the Royal motto of England.
DEFENSOR FIDEL
Defensor Fidei, or Defender of the Faith, was given to Henry
VIII. by Pope Leo X., for the ability and zeal that he manifested
in his writings in support of the Roman Catholic Church. When,
at the Reformation, Henry suppressed all the Monasteries and
Convents in England, the Pope deprived him of his title ; but in
the thirty-fifth year of his reign it was confirmed by Parliament,
and it has been since constantly assumed by the sovereigns of
England. Henry VIII., however, was not the first sovereign
who assumed the title ; for Mr. Loaders, in a learned article of the
Arckceologia, vol. xix. part i., has traced the title up to Richard
II. It simply expresses the sovereign's determination to sup-
port the Christian faith, at a time when a great part of Europe
consisted of heathens. Hence it was suitably adopted by Charle-
magne, A.D. 769, who styled himself, " Devotum Sanctce Ecclesice
Defensorum"
MOST CHRISTIAN KING.
The origin of this title of the Kings of France, as well as the
" eldest son of the church," takes its data from Clovis, who was
the first king of the Franks that professed Christianity.
C^SAR, OR CZAR.
The title Csesar, in Roman antiquity, was borne by all the
Emperors from Julius Caesar to the destruction of the empire.
It was also used as a title of distinction for the intended or pre-
sumptive heir of the empire, as King of the Romans is now used
for that of the German empire.
The title took its rise from the sirname of the first emperor,
C. Julius Caesar, which, by a decree of the Senate, all the suc-
ceeding emperors were to bear. Under his successor, the appel-
lation of Augustus being appropriated to the emperors in com-
pliment to that prince, the title Csesar was given to the second
person in the empire, though it still continued to be given to the
first ; and hence the difference between Caesar used simply, and
Csesar with the addition of Imperator Augustus. The dignity
of Csesar remained second in the empire, till Alexius Commenus,
having elected Nicephorus Melissenus Csesar by contract, and it
being necessary to confer some higher dignity on his own bro-
ther Isaacius, he created him Sebastocrator, with the precedency
over Melissenus ; ordering, that in all acclamations, &c., Isaaciua
144 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Sebastocrator should be named the second, and Melissenus Caesar
the third.
Czar, in the Eussian language, means Csesar, and it is a title
assumed by the great Dukes, or as they are now styled Emperors
of Russia. Beckmann makes no doubt but they took this title by
corruption from Caesar Emperor; and accordingly they bear
an eagle as the symbol of their empire, and the word Caesar in
their arms ; yet they make a distinction between Czar and Caesar,
the first being taken for the King's name, and the other for the
Emperor's. The first that bore this title was Basil, the son of
Basilides, under whom the Kussian power began to appear about
1470.
DAUPHIN OF FRANCE.
In the times of the feudal system, the kingdom of France was
divided into many petty sovereignties, as the empire of Germany
is at present. Humbert, or Hubert II., the Count of Dauphiny,
married in 1332 Mary de. Baux, who was allied to the house of
France, and by her he had an only son. One day, it is said,
being playing with this child at Lyons he let him accidentally
fall into the Rhone, in which he was drowned. From that fatal
period, he was a prey to all the horrors of grief ; and feeling,
moreover, a deep resentment for the affronts he had received from
the house of Savoy, he resolved to give his dominions to that of
France. This cession, made in 1343, to Philip of Valois, was
confirmed in 1349, on condition that the eldest sons of the kings
of France should bear the title of Dauphin. Philip, in gratitude
for a cession which thus united Dauphiny to the Crown, gave the
donor 40,000 crown pieces of gold, and a pension of 10,000 livres.
Humbert next entered among the Dominicans, and on Christ-
mas clay, 1351, received the sacred orders from the hands of Pope
Clement VI., who created him patriarch of Alexandria, and gave
him the administration of the archbishopric of Rheims. Hum-
bert passed the remainder of his days in tranquillity, and in the
exercises of piety, and died at the age of 43, at Clermont, in the
province of Auvergne.
DUKE OF CLARENCE.
The origin of this title is possibly but little known. Clarentia,
or Clarence, once a country village in Suffolk, has long been
celebrated for the great men who have borne the titles of earls,
or dukes of it, and possessed formerly a castle of great strength
and considerable extent. There was an interregnum, in the title
from George, Edward the Fourth's brother, who was drowned
in the butt of Malmsey, until its revival in the late possessor.
The surname of Clarencieux, adopted by the second king at arms,
arises also from its having formerly appertained to the dukes of
Clarence.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 145
ROYAL TITLES.
The following is the succession in which the royal titles swelled
in England ; Henry IV. had the title of Grace conferred on him ;
Henry VI. that of Excellent Grace ; Edward IV. that of High
and Mighty Prince ; Henry VII. Highness ; Henry VIII. Ma-
jesty (and was the first that was styled Dread Sovereign) ;
and James I. that of Sacred, or Most Excellent Majesty. That
of Majesty was first given to Louis XI. of France; before, it was
the title only of Emperors. The kings of Arragon, Castile, and
Portugal, had the title only of Highness ; those of England, Your
Grace ; those of France, Your Despotism.
BLACK PRINCE.
From this time (Crecy), says a writer,* the French began to
call the young Prince of Wales, Le Noir, or the Black; and in a
record, 2 Richard II. n. 12, he is called the Black Prince. Yet
this title does not appear to have originated, as generally sup-
posed, from his wearing black armour, nor indeed is there any
thing to show he ever wore such at all.f When, however, he
attended at tournaments in France or England, he appeared in a
surcoat with a shield, and his horse in a caparison, all black, with
white feathers on them, so that it must have been from the cover-
ing of his armour that he was so called. Yet in the field of battle,
and on all other occasions, his surcoat or guipon was emblazoned
with the arms of England labelled. The terrible effort of his
prowess seems to have given another meaning to his epithet ; for
Froissart having described the battle of Poictiers in 1356, adds
"Thus did Edward the Black Prince, now. doubly dyed black by
the terror of his arms."
ICH DIEN. I SERVE."
The motto of the Prince of Wales, which was originally adopted
by Edward the Black Prince in proof of his subjection to his
Father Edward III., and has been continued without interruption
down to the present time. Sir H. Nicolas, in the Archaologia,
vol. xxxi. p. 372, expresses his belief that both the Prince of
Wales feathers, and the mottoes " Ich Dien" and " Houmont,"
were derived from the House of Hainault, possibly from the
* Quarterly Review.
f In the painting of him, discovered on the wall of St. Stephen's Chapel,
his armour is gilt; and yet Eustace and Mercceur are there represented in
black armour. Thus, in the initial letter of this reign, which is taken
from the original one of the grant of the Duchy of Acquitaine by Edward
III. to the Black Prince, the King appears on a throne of marble, orna-
mented with a frame of gilt; but both his armour and that of his son
are steel, with gilt knee and elbow caps. Grant is in the Cottonian
Library, marked Nero DVII.
146 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Comte of Ostrevant, which formed the appanage of the eldest
sons of the Counts of that province.
SEMPER EADEM.
Semper Eadem, i. e., " always the same," was first used as the
motto of the arms of England, Dec. 13th, 1702.
BISHOP OF OSNABURG.
The bishopric of Osnaburg was founded by Charlemagne, and
was filled by various princes until 1625, when Cardinal Francis
"William, Count of Wurtemberg, was elected by the chapter. It
was held by the late Duke of York, and is an alternative between
the Eoman Catholics and Protestants, made so at the treaty of
Westphalia, in 1648. On that occasion, the house of Brunswick
made some great sacrifices for the sake of a general peace, in
consideration of which "the See of Osnaburgh was given, to be
held alternately by the Brunswick family, and others of the
German empire. But, although this bishopric is alternately
hereditary in our royal family, it is not so with regard to its
Roman Catholic bishops ; for they are chosen out of different
families by a chapter of 25 canons. When they have a popish
bishop, he is a suffragan to the archbishop of Cologne ; but the
Protestant bishop, who is a temporal prince indeed, has little to
demonstrate him an. ecclesiastic but the title. The bishopric is
45 miles long, and 25 broad, and is in one of the fruitfulest parts
of Westphalia.
DUKE OF CORNWALL.
In a parliament held in 1337, king Edward III. created Prince
Edward, his eldest son, Duke of Cornwall, being the first iu
England that bore the title of duke. He was vested with the
dukedom by a wreath on his head, a ring on his finger, and a
silver verge in his hand ; since which time, the eldest son of the
king of England is born duke of Cornwall ; the title of prince of
Wales being given some days after.
ALDERMAN.
Formerly one of the three degrees of nobility among the
Saxons. Athelin was the first, Thane the lowest, and Alderman
the same as earl among the Danes, and answering to our earl or
count at present. It was also used in the time of king Edgar for
ft judge or justice ; in which sense Alwin is called aldermanmts
totius Anglice. But now aldermen are associates to the chief civil
magistrates of a city, or town corporate. The number of these
magistrates is not limited, but more or less according to the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 147
magnitude of the place. Those of London were first appointed
in 1^.42, and are twenty-six in number, each having one of the
wards of the city committed to his care. Their office is for life ;
so that when one of them dies, or resigns, a wardmote is called,
who return two persons, one of whom the lord mayor and alder-
men choose to supply the vacancy.* By the charter of the city
of London, all the aldermen who have been lord mayors, together
with the three eldest ones not arrived at that dignity, are justices
of the peace.
SHERIFF.
The title sheriff is a corruption from Shire Reeve, from the
Saxon, meaning the Reeve or Governor of the Shire. He is the
chief civil officer in each county, and is entrusted with the
execution of the laws and the preservation of the peace, for
which purpose he has at his disposal the whole civil force of the
county. He is a kind of superior constable, through whom all
writs are issued.
LORD MAYOR.
Mayor, formerly major, i. e., the first or senior Alderman.
The Lord Mayor of London, as the chief magistrate is called, is,
properly speaking, only Mayor of London and. Lord of Finsbury.
This latter title was conferred, on the gift of the manor of
Finsbury, by Eichard II., in consequence of Sir William Wai-
worth (then mayor of London) killing Wat Tyler in Smithfield.
SECRETARY OF STATE.
This office is comparatively modern in point of importance.
There was only one until the reign of Henry VIII., who added
another. Queen Anne appointed one for Scotch affairs, but this
office was not of long duration : one for the American departments
was appointed by George III., but abolished in 1782. At present
there are three Secretaries of State. 1. The Secretary for the
Home Department. 2. The Colonial Secretary. 3. The Secretary
for Foreign Affairs.
TELLER OF THE EXCHEQUER.
The mode of keeping accounts by tallies, or cleft pieces of
wood, in which the notches are cut upon one piece conformable
to the other, one kept by the creditor, and the other with the
debtor, is still practised in many places of Britain. A tally con-
tinues to be given by the Exchequer to those who pay money
there upon loans ; hence the origin of the Teller of the Exchequer,
one who tells or numbers up the notches, and also of the phrase,
to tally, to fit, to suit, or to answer exactly.
* This is not the case now, each ward returning its own Alderman.
148 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
POET LAUREATE.
This appendage to the court was formerly called the King's
Versifier, and may be traced as far back as 1251, at which period
his stipend was 100 shillings per annum. In the History of Eng-
lish Poetry, Mr. Warton observes, that in the reign of Edward IV.,
the first mention is made of the more dignified appellation of
Laureate, which was originally bestowed on John Kay. This
ingenious writer is of opinion, the title arose from, the degrees
taken in the University of Oxford, on which occasion a wreath
of laurel was presented to the new graduate, who was styled
Poeta Laureatus.
KING'S COCK-CROWER !
This officer, which was formerly about the court, was as useful
as the master of the hawks. The cock-crower's business was to
go the rounds as a watchman does, and to cro\y like a cock ; but
on the accession of George III. the cock ceased to crow, his
majesty thinking the custom more honoured in the breach than
the observance.
LORD WARDEN OF THE CINQUE PORTS.
The Cinque Ports were originally as follows, viz. : Dover,
Sandwich, Hastings, Hythe, and Romney ; but three more were
afterwards added, viz., Winchelsea, Rye, and Seaford. The Con-
stable of Dover Castle was created Warden of the Cinque Ports
by William the Conqueror. The Lord Warden has the authority
of Admiral in the Cinque Ports and their dependencies, with
power to hold a Court of Admiralty, and Courts of Law and
Equity.
BELLMAN.
This officer was first appointed in London, 1556. They were
to ring their bells at night, and cry, " Take care of your fire and
candle, be charitable to the poor, and pray for the dead."
JULIAN THE APOSTATE.
The Emperor Julian was denominated the Apostate, from
having professed Christianity before he ascended the throne, and
afterwards relapsing to Paganism. He died in the 32nd year of
his age, in a battle with the Persians.
KNIGHTHOOD.
The order of knighthood in ancient times added a lustre to
the highest degree of nobility, and was esteemed even by kings
and princes themselves. The ceremony of creating a knight was
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 149
generally performed in the Royal palace, and robes of different
colours were given to the intended objects of that Eoyal mark
of distinction. Among the Close Rolls is a writ from Henry III.
to the Sheriff of Southampton, ordering him to allow Thomas
Esturmy, his Majesty's valet, a scarlet robe with a cloak of fine
linen, and another robe of green or brown, and a saddle and a
pair of reins, and a cloak for wet weather, and a couch and a pair
of linen sheets, it being usual for the person who was to be
knighted, to watch all the previous night in the church, and the
couch was given him to rest on.
KXIGHTS TEMPLARS.
The Knights Templars were an order of knights instituted by
Baldwin, King of Jerusalem, about the year 1100, for the defence
of that city and the temple, as well as of the pilgrims that tra-
velled thither; and were afterwards dispersed through all the
kingdoms of Christendom. They were enriched by vast dona-
tions of the superstitious world, having no less than sixteen
thousand lordships, besides other lands, conferred upon them ;
and neglecting to observe the first institution of their orde^r, and
being charged with the most detested crimes, particularly sodomy,
and denying our Saviour all the princes of Europe, with the
concurrence of the Pope, agreed to imprison their persons, and
seize all their lands and effects at once, and abolish their order,
their revenues being afterwards transferred to the Knights' Hos-
pitallers ; but whether their immense riches, and their insolent
behaviour, were not the grand motives for suppressing this order,
is much doubted ; for none of the crimes they were charged with,
were proved against the English Templars, and the confessions
of those in France were extorted by torture. The English Tem-
plars were only sent into other monasteries. Their principal
residence in England was the Temple in Fleet-Street, London ;
where, in the church there, lie the remains, marked out by their
efiigies, numbers of these once domineering crusading heroes.
They were abolished by Pope Clement I.
KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS.
These Knights, to whom were assigned the estates of the
Knights Templars, derive their appellation from dedicating their
services to the sick and wounded Christian soldiers in the holy
wars; hence they were called Hospitallers, or Knights of St.
John of Jerusalem. Like the Templars, their principal estates
and residence were in England.
Jerusalem Square, with St. John of Jerusalem's Gate, derive
their cognomens from these Knights Hospitallers, who had their
headquarters in this part of Cierkenwell. They had also a
150 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
church here, which Stow notices in his Survey of London. They
were suppressed by Henry VIII., 1540.
ORDER OF THE BATH.
The antiquity of this order is very great, as it was derived
from the ancient Franks by the Saxons, who, with other customs,
introduced it into England. When the Franks conferred knight-
hood, they observed, among other solemn rites, that of bathing
before they performed their vigils ; which rites continued to be
practised in England, and from thence were termed Knights of
the Bath. The first of this order, under the express appellation,
was instituted by Henry IV., on the 13th of October, 1399.
ORDER OF THE THISTLE.
This order was founded in 1540 by James V. of Scotland, who,
being honoured with the Order of the Garter from his uncle,
King Henry VIII. of England, with the Golden Fleece from the
Emperor, and the Order f St. Michael from the Kiug of France,
resolved to be in the royal mode, and so made this order for him-
self and twelve knights, in imitation of Christ and his twelve
apostle^s. Then celebrating all the festivals of these orders, he
set up their arms and badges over the gate of his palace at Lin-
lithgow, joining St. Andrew with them.
ORDER OF ST. ANDREW.
Some Scotch writers, very fond of antiquity, not satisfied with
the novelty of this institution, affect to call it the most ancient,
as to its derivation. But for this they have no better warrant
than the dream of king Hungus, the Pict, to whom St. Andrew
making a midnight visit, promised him a sure victory over his
foes, the Northumbrians ; and the next day, St. Andrew's cross
appearing in the air, he made his words good, and the Northum-
brians were defeated. On this story, as they say, king Achaius,
about the year 800, framed the Order of St. Andrew, 700 years
before James V. revived it. He also appointed the knights to
wear the image of St. Andrew upon a blue ribbon, which con-
tinued till queen Anne changed it to green.
ORDER OF THE GARTER.
Instituted by Edward III. in the year 1350. Some say on ac-
count of good success in a skirmish, wherein the king's garter
was used for a token ; others say that the king, after his great
success, dancing one night with his queen and other ladies, took
up a garter which one of them dropped, whereat some of the
lords smiling, the king called out, Honi soit qui mal y pense
Evil to him that evil thinks ; and said, that ere long he would
make that garter of high reputation ; and shortly after he insti-
tuted the order, in memorial of this event, and gave these words
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 151
as the rnotto of the order. This origin, though frivolous, sa} r s
Hume, is not unsuitable to the manners of the times ; and it is
indeed difficult by any other means to account either for the
seemingly unmeaning terms of the motto, or for the peculiar badge
of the garter, which seems to have no reference to any purpose
either of military use or ornament. The probability is, that in
order to promote the spirit of emulation and obedience, the king
instituted the order of the garter, in imitation of some orders of
a like nature, religious as well as military, which had been estab-
lished in different parts of Europe. The number received into
this order consisted of twenty-five persons, besides the sovereign.
Ladies were members of the fraternity as late as the reign of
Edward IV. When queen Anne attended the thanksgiving at
St. Paul's in 1702, and again in 1704, she wore the garter set
w T ith diamonds, as Sovereign of the order, tied round her left arm,
and this precedent has been since followed.
COLLAR OF S S.
This collar, which is worn on certain occasions by the judges of
the present day, is derived from Saints Simplicius and Faustinus,
two Roman senators, who suffered martyrdom under Dioclesian,
The religious society or confraternity of St. Simplicius wore silver
collars of double S S ; between which the collar contained twelve
small pieces of silver, on which were engraven the twelve articles
of the creed, together with a simple trefoil. The image of St.
Simplicius hung at the collar, and from it seven plates, represent-
ing the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. This chain, or collar, was
worn because these two brethren were martyred by a stone with
a chain about their necks, and thus thrown into the Tiber. Sir
John Fern says, that collars in the 15th century were worn ass
ensigns of rank, of which the fashions ascertained the degrees.
They were usually formed of S S, having in the front centre a
rose, or other device, and were made of gold or silver, according
to the bearer. He says, that knights only wore collars of S S ;
but this is a mistake. At the marriage of Prince Arthur, son of
Henry VII., in 1507, Sir Nicholas Vaux wore a collar of Esses,
which weighed, as the goldsmiths that made it reported, 800
pound of nobles.* The collar worn by the judges is still a collar
of S S divested of certain appendages. See Notes and Queries,
vol. iv. passim.
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF CROWNS.
In Scripture there is frequent mention of crowns, and the use
of them seems to have been very common among the Hebrews.
The high priest wore a crown, which was a fillet of gold placed
* See Geld Coin.
152 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Upon the forehead, and tied with a ribbon of hyacinth colour,
or azure blue. It seems also as if private priests, and even com-
mon Israelites, wore a sort of crown, since God commands Ezekiel
" not to take off his crown, nor assume the marks of one in mourn-
ing." This crown was no more than a ribbon or fillet, with which
the Jews and several people in the East girt their heads ; and
indeed the first crowns were no more than a bandalet drawn
round the head, and tied behind, and we still see it represented
round the heads of Jupiter, the Ptolemies, and kings of Syria.
The more luxuriant crowns originated with the Roman emperors,
who had four kinds, still seen on medals, viz., a crown of laurel,
a radial or radiating crown, a crown adorned with pearls and
precious stones, and the fourth a kind of bonnet or cap, something
like the mortier.
In modern heraldry we have the following order and descrip-
tion of the various crowns now in use :
The Imperial crown is a bonnet or tiara, with a semicircle of
gold supporting a globe with a cross top.
The British crown is adorned with four crosses, between
which are four fleur-de-lis, which is the crest of France ; it is
covered with four diadems, which meet at a little globe support-
ing a cross.
The French crown is a circle of eight fleur-de-lis, encompassed
with six diadems, bearing fit top double fleur-de-lis as the crest.
The Spanish crown is adorned with large indent leaves, and
covered with diadems terminating in a globe, surrounded with
a cross.
The crowns of almost all other kings are adorned with large
leaves, bordered with four, six, or eight diadems, with a globe and
cross at top.
The Prince of Wales's crown consists alternately of crosses and
fleur-de-lis, with one arch, in the middle of which is a ball and
cross, as in the royal diadem.
That of all the other sons and brothers of the king of England
consist likewise of crosses and fleur-de-lis alternately, but
without an arch, or being surmounted with a globe and cross
at top.
That of the other Princes of the blood consists alternately of
crosses and leaves, like those in the coronet of Dukes, &c., the
latter being composed of leaves of smallage or parsley, and that
of a Marquis, of flowers and pearls placed alternately ; an Earl's
has no flowers about the circle like a Duke and Marquis, but only
points rising, and a pearl on every one of them ; a Viscount has
neither flowers nor points raised above the circle like the other
superior degrees, but only pearls placed on the circle itself, with-
out any limited number ; a Baron's has only six pearls on the
golden border, not raised, to distinguish him from the Earl, and
the number of them limited, to show he is inferior to the Viscount.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 153
THE SCEPTRE.
The sceptre is of greater antiquity than the crown. The Greek
tragic poets put sceptres into the hands of the most ancient kin^s
they ever introduce ; thus, Achilles is said to have sworn by his
staff or sceptre in the first Book of the Iliad.
Among the Romans, the sceptre was first used by Tarquin the
Elder. We are informed by Le Gendre, that the sceptre borne
by the first race of the French kings was a golden rod, crooked
at one end like a crosier,* used by the bishops of the church,
and almost of the same height as the king himself. This pas-
toral staff, or crosier, is held by the bishops in one hand when
they give the solemn benediction. The custom also of having
the symbol of pastoral authority before the bishops is very
ancient. Regular abbots are also allowed to officiate with a mitre
and crosier, except in regard to the Greeks, where none but a
patriarch had a right to the crosier. The sceptre is likewise
prominent in the regalia, or ensigns of royalty, used for the
apparatus of a coronation, as the crown, the sceptre with a cross,
that with a dove, St. Edward's staff, the globe, and the orb with
the cross, four several swords, &c.
ORIGIN OF CORONATIONS IN ENGLAND, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THEIlt
CUSTOMS.
The first coronation ceremony performed in England, was that
of Edmund Ironsides, 1016. Chronology likewise informs us,
that the first sermon preached at any coronation was that of
Edward the Confessor, in 1041 ; and the first who is stated to
have been touched for the king's evil in 1058.
The first king's speech said to be delivered was that of Henry I.,
1107 ; but it is not a little singular, that the first coronation feast
in England is observed to be that which was given on the crowning
of Edward I.,. 1273.
The oath taken at the coronation of Hugues Capet is recorded
as follows : " I, Hugues Capet, who by the grace of God will
soon be made king of the French, promise, on the day of my sacre
(consecration), that I will distribute justice according to the laws
of the people committed to my charge."
Henry IV. was anointed 27th February, 1594, at Chartres.
He made his abjurationf on the 25th July preceding, at St.
Denis. On the day of his sacre, says Sully, the liguers ran in
crowds to see him ; they were delighted by his noble appearance ;
they raised their hands to Heaven, dropping tears of joy, and
they exclaimed in ecstasy Ha ! Dieu le benie.
At the coronation of the Emperors of China, it was customary
* See Crosier.
f Henry IV. of France abjured the Protestant religion.
154 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
to present them with several sorts of marbles, and of different
colours, by the hand of a mason, who was then to address the
new emperor to this purpose
Choose, mighty Sir, under which of these stones
Your pleasure is that we should lay your bones.
They brought him patterns for his gravestone, that the prospect
of death might restrain his thoughts within due bounds of
modesty and moderation in the midst of his new honours.
The Dey of Algiers is elected from the army; and as the
meanest person has the same right to sovereignty as the highest,
every common soldier may be considered as heir-apparent to the
throne. Every person, besides, has a right to vote on the elec-
tion; and this being concluded, he is saluted with the word
" Alia Barek ! " that is, God bless you, and immediately invested
with the caftan, or insignia of royalty : the Cadi addressing him
in a congratulatory speech, which concludes with an exhor-
tation to the practice of justice, equity, and moderation. The
Deys, after their exaltation, generally disdain the meanness of
wishing to disguise their humble extraction; on the contrary,
when Mahomet Basha was in possession of that dignity, in a
dispute with the deputy-consul of a neighbouring nation, he is
said to have thus frankly acknowledged his origin " My mother
sold sheeps' trotters, and my father neats' tongues; but they
would have been ashamed to have exposed to sale so worthless a
tongue as thine."
The kings of Poland are crowned in the cathedral dedicated to
Saint Stanislaus, a majestic structure in the city of Cracow, and
where are preserved the relics of that saint, the ancient bishop
and patron of the nation ; who being murdered in this church in
the llth century by Boleslaus the Bold, the kings and nobles
walk in procession to his shrine the day before the coronation,
to expiate the crime ; and several kings on these and other occa-
sions have offered vessels of gold and silver at his tomb.
In Turkey, the Mufti, as high priest and patriarch of the Ma-
hometan religion, girds on the sword to the Grand Signior's side,
which ceremony answers to the coronation of our kings ; and
here, perhaps, it may not be amiss to observe, that the mines of
Golconda, in the East Indian empire, have, it is said, furnished
the principal diamonds which adorn all the crowns in the world.
THE CRESCENT AS A SYMBOL,
The crescent was the symbol of the city of Byzantium, now
Constantinople, which the 'Turks have adopted. This device of
the Ottoman Empire is of great antiquity, as appears from several
medals struck in honour of Augustus, Trajan, and others, ami
took its rise from an event related by Stephens the geographer,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 155
a native of Byzantium. He tells us that Philip, the father of
Alexander the Great, meeting with mighty difficulties in carrying
on the siege of that city, set the workmen in a very dark night
to undermine the walls, that his troops might enter the place
without being perceived ; but luckily for the besieged, the Moon
appearing, discovered the design, which accordingly miscarried.
" In acknowledgment of this deliverance," says he, " the Byza.n-
tiums erected a statue to Diana, and thus the crescent became
their symbol." Crescent has also been applied to three orders
of knighthood : the first of which was instituted by Charles I.,
King of Naples and Sicily, in 1268; the second by Eene of
Anjou, in 1448 ; and the third by the Sultan Selim, in 1801. The
last-mentioned order is still in existence.
MEDIATISED PRINCES.
A Mediatised Prince is an unhappy victim of those Congresses,
which, among other good and evil, purged with great effect the
ancient German political system. By the regulations then deter-
mined on, that country was freed at one fell swoop from the
vexations and harassing dominion of the various petty princes
who exercised absolute sovereignties over little nations of 50,000
souls. These independent sovereigns became subjects ; and
either swelled, by their mediatisation, the territories of some
already powerful potentate, or transmuted into a state of import-
ance some more fortunate petty ruler than themselves ; whose
independence, through the exertions of political intrigue, or
family influence, had been preserved inviolate. In most instances,
the concurrence of these little rulers in their worldly degradation
was obtained by a lavish grant of official emoluments, or increase
of territorial possessions, and the mediatised prince, instead of
being an impoverished and uninfluential sovereign, became a
wealthy and powerful subject. But so dominant in the heart of
man is the love of independent dominion, that even with these
temptations few of the petty princes could have been induced to
have parted with their cherished sceptres, had they not been
conscious that, in case of contumacy, the resolutions of a diet
would have been enforced by the armies of an emperor. As it
is, few of them have yet given up the outward and visible signs
of regal sway. The throne is still preserved, and the tiara still
revered. They seldom frequent the courts of their sovereigns,
and scarcely condescend to notice the attentions of their fellow
nobility. Most of them expend their increased revenues in
maintaining the splendour of their little courts at their ancient
capitals, or in swelling the ranks of their retainers at their
solitary forest castles. A greater number were mediatised after
the dissolution of the German Empire in 1806, and a few more
after the peace of 1815.
156 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ROMAN NAMES,
If you please to compare, says Cainden, the Roman names,
that seem so stately because you understand them not, you will
disclaim them in respect of our meanest names. For what is
Fronto, but beetle-browed ; Coesius, but cats'-eyes ; Paetus, but
pink-eyed ; Codes, one eye ; Naso, bottle-nose, or rather nosey ;
Galla, maggot (as Suetonius interpreteth) ; Silo, ape's-nose;
Ancus, crooked-arm ; Pansa, broad-foot ; Strabo, squint-eye ;
Suillius, swine-ear'd; Capeto, jobber-noil; Calvus, broad-pate;
Crispus, curl-pate ; FJaccus,loll-ears, or flag-eared ; Labeo, blobber-
lip ; Scaurus, knobbed-heel ; Varus, bow-legged; Pedo, long-
shanks; Marcellus, hammer; Gilo, petty-long-pate; Chilo, flat-
lips. Those great names also, Fabius, Lentulus, Cicero, Piso,
are no more in our tongue than bean-man, lentil, chick-peas,
peascod-man ; for, as Pliny saith, these names were first appro-
priated to them for skill in. sowing these grains.
FITZ-ROY.
This name, so generally borne by the illegitimate scions of
royalty, was first given to a natural son of Henry the Second: it
was considered a great honour at that period to have a sirname,
as will appear by the following. In 1110, Henry II. matched one
of his illegitimate sons to a rich heiress of Fitz-Aymon. The
lady had a poetical turn ; and when the king told her that his
son's name was Eobert, she thus addressed him
" It were to me a great shame,
To have a lord without twa name."
On which Henry conferred on him the name of Fitz-roy, About
this period, sirnames began to be used by people of rank in
England.
PLANTAGENET.
The etymology of this name, which was borne by our English
kings from Henry II. to Richard III. inclusive, is extremely
uncertain. It is supposed to be derived from the two words
planta genesta, or genista, that is, the plant broom, and first given
to Fulke, Earl of Anjou, who lived a hundred years before the
Conquest. He, having been guilty of some enormous crimes, was
enjoined by way of penance to go to the Holy Land, and submit
to a severe castigation: he readily acquiesced, dressed himself in
lowly attire, and, as a mark of humility, wore a piece of broom
inhis cap, of which virtue this plant is a symbol in the hieroglyphic
language; and Virgil seems to confirm it, by calling it humilis
genista, the humble broom.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 157
This expiation finished, Fulke, in remembrance of it, adopted
the title of Plantagenist, and lived many years in honour and
happiness. His descendants accordingly inherited the name, and
many successive nobles of the line of Anjou not only did the
same, but even distinguished themselves by wearing a sprig of
broom in their bonnets.
STUART.
The name of this truly unfortunate family was originally
Steward, which was derived from the following circumstance.
After the murder of Banquo, Fleance his son fled into Wales,
where he thrived, and fell in love with the Welsh Prince's
daughter, by whom he had a son, named Walter. This Walter
flying Wales for murder, was entertained in Scotland, and his
descent once known, he was preferred to be Steward to king
Edgar ; from which office the name of Steward, but altered to
Stuart, became the sirname of all his posterity. From this
Walter descended Eobert Steward, who was after, in right of
his wife, king of Scotland.
PERCY.
It was the custom in the reign of William I., when a town or
castle surrendered, for the principal person to bring and present
to the conqueror the keys on the point of a spear; and Holinshed
says, that when Malcolm, king of Scotland, besieged the castle
of Alnwick in 1092, and had reduced the garrison to the last
necessity, a young knight, willing to take some hardy enter-
prise in its defence, took a swift horse, and without armour or
weapon, except a spear in his hand, on the point of which he bore
the keys of the castle, rode into the camp of the enemy, who,
supposing he came to surrender them, received him with joy, and
unsuspected led him to the king. The knight then couched his
spear, as if he intended with reverence to present him the keys ;
but, watching his opportunity, he urged on his horse, and ran the
point into the eye of the king, killing him on the spot. That
done, he clapped spurs to his horse, and by his swift flight saved
his own life. From this circumstance originated the name of
Pierce-eye, then Piercy, but now Percy.
ALGERNON.
During more than a hundred years, the Normans in England
shaved their faces. W. de Percy (who accompanied Duke
Hobert in 1096 to Palestine) was styled on account of singularity
as to this point, William Alsgernons, or William with the
Whiskers. From this old French name springs Algernon, a
favourite appellation in the noble- family of Percy.
158 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
CECIL.
The true name, observes Aubrey, is Sitstilt, an ancient Mon-
mouthshire family. Tis strange they should leave off an ancient
British name for a Roman one, which I believe Mr. Verstegan did
put into their heads, telling them they were derived from the
Roman Cecilli.
CHARLES MARTEL.
Charles Martel, famed as the founder of the abbey of St.
Denis, and as grandfather of Charlemagne, derived his sirname
from the use of that death-dealing instrument, the Martel, which
in the days of knighthood, says Dr. Meyrick in his Ancient
Armour, was among the offensive arms of chivalry.
JOHN OF GAUNT.
John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, famed for his stature,
strength, and prowess, son of Edward III. and brother to the Black
Prince, was so called because he was born at Ghent in Flanders ;
Ghent is pronounced Gand, from whence came the corruption of
Gaunt.
FAMILY OF BOURBON.
Henry Prince of Beam, afterwards Henry IV., was born 13th
Dec. 1553, and was the immediate heir to the crown of France, on
the possible extinction of the house of Valois, in the person of the
reigning monarch and his younger brothers, the dukes of Anjou
and Alen9on. The latter died in 1584, and the former, Henry
III., being assassinated in 1589, the Prince of Beam then ascended
the throne as Henry IV. This young prince was the son of
Anthony de Bourbon, duke of Vendome, and Jane D Albert,
queen of Navarre, who by this marriage gave the title of king to
her husband. Anthony was descended from Robert, sixth son of
St. Louis, the ninth of that name, and the ninth king of France
from Hugh Capet, the first of the third race of the French
monarchs.
Robert, who was born in 1256, married Beatrice of Burgundy,
the daughter of Agnes, heiress of the house of Bourbon ; in con-
sequence, his son Louis took the name of Bourbon, and with that
title was created duke and peer of France.
As the sovereignties of France, Spain, and the two Sicilies, &c.,
are now in different branches of the house of Bourbon, and the
former further secured by the coronation of Charles X., this
account of the origin of that house may not, at this particular
period, be thought superfluous.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 159
BUONAPARTE, AND NAPOLEON.
Among the many fabulous tales that have been published
respecting the origin of the name of Bonaparte, there is one which,
from its ingeniousness and romantic character, seems deserving
of notice. It is said that the "Man in the Iron Mask" was no
other than the twin (and elder) brother of Louis XIV. ; that his
keeper's name was Bonpart; that that keeper had a daughter,
with whom the Man in the Mask fell in love, and to whom he
was privately married ; that their children received their mother's
name, and were secretly conveyed to Corsica, where the name
was converted into Bonaparte or Buonaparte; and that one
of those children was the ancestor of Napoleon Bonaparte, who
was thus entitled to be recognised not only as of French origin,
but as the direct descendant of the rightful heir to the throne of
France.
The Bonapartes are said to have adopted the name of Napoleon
from Napoleon des Ursins, a distinguished character in Italian
story, with one of whose descendants they became connected by
marriage ; and the first of the family to whom it was given was
a brother of Joseph Bonaparte, the grandfather of Napoleon I.
Many are the jeux de mots that have been made on this name;
but the following, which occurs in Litterature Franqaise Contem-
poraine, vol. ii. p. 266, is perhaps the most remarkable.
The word Napoleon, being written in Greek characters, will
form seven different words, by dropping the first letter of each in
succession, namely, N*7roX<v, AWOXEOOV, poxea>v, oxswv, Ai<, Ea>v, n.
These words make a complete sentence, and are thus translated
into French : "Napoleon, etant le lion des peuples, allait detruisant
les cites." Notes and Queries, vol. vii.
THE ST. ALBAN'S FAMILY.
The first ancestor of the St. Alban's family was the eldest son of
king Charles II. by Mrs. Eleanor Gwyn, better recollected under
the familiar appellation of Nell Gwyn. He was first created
Earl of Burford by his royal sire, and afterwards Duke of St.
Alban's, and Grand Falconer of England.
DUKE OF LEEDS.
The ancestor, who laid the foundation of this noble family, was
a young man named Osborne, who served his apprenticeship to
Sir William Hewit, lord mayor of London in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth. Sir William lived on London Bridge, was a pinmaker,
and his daughter, during Edward Osborne's apprenticeship,
accidentally fell from her father's window into the Thames, and
160 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM..
Osborne plunged after the young lady, and saved her life at the
risk of his own. This act much added to the favourable opinion
which the master had for the apprentice, and as soon as the latter
had served his time, Sir William Hewit said to him, " Osborne,
you are a deserving youth, and have faithfully served me for
seven years. I am under considerable obligations to you ; you
have saved the life of my only daughter at the peril of your own.
You have therefore the best claim to her; she is at your service
if you choose to accept her in marriage, and the most considerable
part of what I am possessed of shall hereafter be yours." Osborne
gladly accepted the generous offer, and the eldest son of that
marriage was Hewit Osborne, who was knighted by the Earl of
Essex, under whom he served in Ireland, for his services in the
field. The family soon after became ennobled. Thomas Osborne,
the first duke of Leeds, was prouder of the circumstance of his
ancestor having acquired wealth and station by his honesty and
intrepid spirit, than he was of any of the subsequent services of
the family, and once related the circumstance with conscious pride
to Charle"s II.
WELLINGTON, OR WELLESLEY FAMILY.
The family of Wellesley, formerly Wesley, assumed their name
from Wells-Leigh, a hamlet near Wells. The Duke of Wellington
of Wellington, in the county of Somerset, is Baron Douro of
Wells-Leigh; and the Marquess Wellesley sits as an English
peer, as Baron Wellesley of " Wells-Leigh, in the county of Somer-
set." The late Duke selected the title of Wellington because
that town is near the little village of Wensley, which bears a
close resemblance in its name to that of Wesley, the old family
name, since altered to Wellesley.
ORIGIN OF VARIOUS NOBLE FAMILIES.
The Marquis Cornwallis is lineally descended from Thomas
Cornwallis, merchant, who was sheriff of London, 1378.
The house of Wentworth was founded by S. W. Fitzwilliam,
who was an alderman of London, and sheriff in 1506; he was a
retainer of Cardinal Wolsey, and knighted by Henry VIII. for
his attachment to that prelate in misfortune. He built the greater
part of the present church of Undershaft.
The Earl of Coventry is descended from John Coventry, mercer
and lord mayor in the year 1425 ; he was one of the executors of
the celebrated Whittiugtou.
Laurence de Bouveries married the daughter of a silk-mercer
at Frankfort on the Maine, and, settling in England, laid the
foundation of the house of Radnor.
The ancestor of the Earl of Essex was Sir William Capel, lord
mayor of London in 1503.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
161
The ancestor of the Earl of Dartmouth, Thomas Legge, or
Legget, a skinner, was twice lord mayor, in 1347 and 1354, and
lent King Edward III. no less a sum than 300 for his French
war.
Sir William Craven, merchant tailor and lord mayor of London,
was ancestor to the present Earl Craven,
The Earl of Warwick is lineally descended from William
Greville, a citizen of London, and " flower of the woolstaplers."
Thomas Bennet, mercer, sheriff in 1594, and lord mayor of
London 1603, laid the foundation of the fortunes of the Earls of
Tankerville, who are lineally descended from him.
The ancestor of the Earls of Pomfret was E-ichard Fermour,
who, having amassed a splendid fortune as a citizen in Calais,
came to England, and suffered attaint under Henry VIII., and
djd not recover his property till the 4th of Edward VI.
The Earl of Darnley owes the first elevation of his family to
John Bligh, a London citizen, who was employed as agent to the
speculations in the Irish estates forfeited in the rebellion in 1641.
John Cowper, an alderman of Bridge Ward, and sheriff in 1551,
was ancestor of Earl Cowper.
The Earl of Komney is descended from Thomas Marsham,
alderman, who died 1624.
Lord Dacres' ancestor, Sir Robert Dacres, was banker to
Charles I., and although he lost 80,000 by. that monarch, left a
princely fortune to his descendants.
Lord Dormer is descended from Sir Michael Dormer, lord
mayor in 1541.
Viscount Dudley and Ward's ancestor was William Ward, a
goldsmith in London, and jeweller to the consort of Charles I.
Sir Rowland Hill, who was lord mayor in the reign of Edward
VI., was ancestor of Lord Berwick, Lord Hill, and " all the Hills
in Shropshire ! "
LITERAL SIGNIFICATION OF THE PRINCIPAL MALE AND FEMALE
CHRISTIAN NAMES;
WITH THE LANGUAGES FROM WHICH THEY ARE DERIVED.
Aaron, Hebrew, a mountain
Abel, Heb. vanity
Abraham, Heb. father of many
Absalom, Heb. father's peace
Achilles, Greek, a freer from pain
Adam, Heb. red earth
Adolphus, Saxon, happiness and
help
Adrian, Latin, helper
Alfege, Sax. always merry
Alan, British, swift like a greyhound
Albert, Sax. all bright
Aldred, Sax. dread" of all
Alexander, Gr. a helper of men
Alfred, Sax. all peace
Alfric, German, all rich
Alphonso, Gothic, our help
Alwin, Sax. Manning all
Ambrose, Gr. immortal
Amos, Heb. a burden
Andrew, Gr. courageous
Andronicus, Gr. a conqueror of men
Anselm, Ger. a defender
Anthony, Lat. flourishing
Apelles, Gr. not black at all
Archibald, Ger. a bold observer
162
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM
Arnold, Ger. a maintainer of honour
Arthur, Brit, a strong man
Augustus, or Augustin, Lai. vene-
rable, grand
Baldwin, Ger. a bold winner
Bardulph, Ger. a famous helper
Barnaby, Heb. a prophet's son
Bartholomew, Heb. the son of him
who made the waters to rise
Basil, Gr. kindly
Beaumont, French, a pretty mount
Bede, Sax. prayer
Beavis, Fr. fair to look upon
Benjamin, Heb. the son of a right
hand
Bennet, Lai. blessed
Bernard, Ger. bear's heart
Bertram, Ger. fair, illustrious
Blase, Gr. sprouting forth
Bonaventure, Italian, good adven-
ture
Boniface, Lai. a well-doer
Brian, Fr. having a thundering voice
Cadwallader, Brit, valiant in war
Caesar, Lai. adorned with hair
Caleb, Heb. a dog
Cecil, Lai. dim-sighted
Charles, Ger. noble-spirited
Christopher, Gr. bearing Christ
Clement, Lai. mild-tempered
Conrade, Ger. able counsel
Constantino, Lai. resolute
Crispin, Lai. having curled locks
Cuthbert,, Sax. known famously
Daniel, Heb. God is judge
David, Heb. well beloved.
Demetrius, Gr. sprung from the
earth
Denis, Gr. belonging to the god of
wine
Dunstan, Sax. most high
Edgar, Sax. happy honour
Edmund, Sax. happy peace
Edward, Sax. happy keeper
Edwin, Sax. happy conqueror
Egbert, Sax. ever 'bright
Eleazer, Heb. the God of help
Eldred, Sax. terrible
Elijah, Heb. God, the Lord
Elisha, Heb. the salvation of God
Emmanuel, Heb. God with us
Enoch, Heb. instructed or dedicated
Ephraim, Heb. fruitful
Erasmus, Gr. lovely, worthy to be
loved
Ernest, Gr. earnest, serious
Esau, Heb. completed
Ethelbad, Sax. nobly bold
Ethelbert, Sax. nobly bright
Ethelfred, Sax. noble peace
Ethelfred, Sax. noble in counsel
Ethelstan, Sax. a noble jewel
Ethelwald, Sax. a noble keeper
Ethelwold, Sax. a noble governor
Evan or Ivon, Brit.ihe same as John
Everard, Ger. well reported
Eugene, Gr. nobly descended
Eusebius, Gr. religious
Eustace, Gr. standing firm
Ezekiel, Heb. the strength of God
Ezra, Heb. a helper
Felix, Lai. happy
Ferdinand, Ger. pure peace
Fortunatus, Lai. happy
Francis, Ger. free
Frederic, Ger. rich peace
Gabriel, Heb. the strength of God
Geoffrey, Ger. joyful
George, Gr. a husbandman
Gerard, Sax. all tovvardliness
German, Lai. a near kinsman
Gervase, all sure
Gideon, Heb. a breaker
Gilbert, Sax. bright as gold
Giles, Gr. a little goat
Godard, Ger. a godly disposition
Godfrey, Ger. God's peace
Godwin, Ger. victorious in God
Griffith, Brit, having great faith
Guy, Fr. the mistletoe shrub
Hannibal, Punic, a gracious lord
Harold, Sax. a champion
Hector, Gr. a stout defender
Henry, Ger. a rich lord
Herbert, Ger. a bright lord
Hercules, Gr. the glory of Hera of
Juno
Hezekiah, Heb. cleaving to the Lord
Hilary, Lot. merry, cheerful
Horatio, Hal. worthy to be beheld
Howel, Brit, sound, or whole
Hubert, Ger. a bright colour
Hugh, Dutch, high, lofty
Humphrey, Ger. domestic peace
Jacob, Heb. a supplanter
James or Jacques, beguiling
Ingram, Ger. of angelic purity
Joab, Heb. fatherhood.
Job, Heb. sorrowing-
Joel, Heb. acquiescing
John, Heb. the grace of the Lord
Jonah, Heb. a dove
Jonathan, Heb. the gift of the Lord
Joscelin, Ger. just
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
163
Joseph, Heb. addition
Josias, Heb. the fire of the Lord
Joshua, Heb. a Saviour
Isaac, Heb. laughter
Israel, Heb. prevailing with God
Judah, Heb. confession
Kenard, Sax. of a kind nature
Kenelm, Sax. a defence of his kin-
dred
Lambert, Sax. a fair lamb
Lancelot, Spanish, a little lance
Laurence, Lot. crowned with laurel
Lazarus, Heb. destitute of help
Leonard, Ger. like a lion
Leopold, Ger. defending the people
Lewellin, Brit, like a lion
Lewis, Fr. the defender of the people
Lionel, Lot. a little lion
Lodowic, Sax. the defence of the
people
Lucius, Lat. shining
Luke, Gr. a wood or grove
Malachi, Heb. my messenger
Mark, Lat. a hammer
Marmaduke, Ger. a mighty duke or
lord
Martin, Lat. martial
Matthew, Heb. a gift or present
Maurice, Lat. sprung of a Moor
Meredith, Brit, the roaring of the
sea
Michael, Heb. who is like God?
Morgan, Brit, a mariner
Moses, Heb. drawn out
Narcissus, Gr. a daffodil
Nathaniel, Heb. the gift of God
Neal, Fr. somewhat black
Nicholas, Gr. victorious over the
people
Noel, Fr. belonging to one's nativity
Norman, Fr. one born in Normandy
Obadiah, Heb. the servant of the
Lord
Oliver, Lat. an olive
Orlando, Ital. counsel for the land
Osmund, Sax. house peace
Oswald, Sax. ruler of a house
Owen, Brit, well descended
Patrick, Lat. a nobleman
Paul, Lat. small, little
Percival, Fr. a place in France
Peregrine, Lat. outlandish
Peter, Gr. a rock or stone
Philemon, Gr. saluting
Philip, Gr. a lover of horses
Phineas, Heb. of bold countenance
Ptolemy, Gr. mighty in war
Quintin, Lat. belonging to five
Ralph, contracted from Randolph,
or Randal or Randulph, Sax. pure
help
Raymund, Ger. quiet peace
Reuben, Heb. the son of vision
Reynold, Ger. a lover of purity
Richard, Sax. powerful
Robert, Ger. famous in counsel
Roger, Ger. strong counsel
Rowland, Ger. counsel for the land
Rufus, Lat. reddish
Solomon, Heb. peaceable
Samson, Heb. a little son
Samuel, Heb. heard by God
Saul, Heb. desired
Sebastian, Gr. to be reverenced
Simeon, Heb. hearing
Simon, Heb. obedient
Stephen, Gr. a crown or garland
Swithin, Sax. very high
Thaddeus, Syriac, a breast
Theobald, Sax. bold over the people
Theodore, Gr. the gift of God
Theodosius, Gr. given of God
Theophilus, Gr. a lover of God
Thomas, Heb. a twin
Thurstan, Ger. faithful
Timothy, Gr. a fearer of God
Toby or Tobias, Heb. the goodness
of the Lord
Tristram, Lat. sorrowful
Valentine. Lat. powerful
Vincent, Lat. conquering
Vivian, Lat. living
Urbane, Lat. courteous
Walter, Ger. a wood master
Walwin, Ger. a conqueror
William, Ger defending many
Zaccheus, Syr. innocent
Zachary, Heb. remembering the
Lord
Zebedee, Syr. having an inheritance
Zedekiah, Heb. the justice of the
Lord.
Abigail, Heb. the father's joy
Adeline, Ger. a princess
Agatha, Gr. good
Agnes, Gr. chaste
Alethea, Gr. the truth
Althea, Gr. hunting
Alice, Alicia, Ger. noble
Amy, Amelia, Fr. a beloved
Anna, Anne, Hannah, Heb. gracious
Arabella, Lat. a fair altar
164
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Aureola, Lat. like gold
Barbara, LaL foreign or strange
Beatrice, Lat. making happy
Benedicta, Lat. blessed
Bernice, Gr. bringing victory
Bertha, Gr. bright or famous
Blanche, Fr. fair
Bona, Lat. good
Bridget, Irish, shining bright
Cassandra, Gr. a reformer of men
Catharine, Gr. pure or clean
Charity, Gr. love, bounty
Charlotte, Fr. all noble
Caroline, feminine of Carolus, the
Latin of Charles, noble-spirited
Chloe, Gr. a green herb
Christiana, Gr. belonging to Christ
Cecilia, Lat. from Cecil
Cicely, a corruption of Cecilia
Clara, Lat. clear or bright
Constance, Lat. constant
Damans, Gr. a little wife
Deborah, Heb. a bee
Diana, Gr. Jupiter's daughter
Dorcas, Gr. a wild roe
Dorothy, Gr. the gift of God
Drusilla, Gr. dewy eyes
Dulsabella, Lat. sweet and fair
Eadith, Sax. happiness
Eleanor, Sax. all fruitful
Eliza, Elizabeth, Heb. the oath of
God
Emily, corrupted from Amelia
Emma, Ger. a nurse
Esther, Hesther, Heb. secret
Eve, Heb. causing life
Eunice, Gr. fair victory
Eudola, Gr. prospering in the way
Frances, Ger. free
Gertrude, Ger. all truth
Grace, Lat. favour
Hagar, Heb. a stranger
Helena, Gr. alluring
Jane, softened from Joan, or
Janne, the feminine of John
Janet, Jeannette, little Jane
Joyce, Fr. pleasant
Isabella, Span, fair Eliza
Judith, Heb. praising
Julia, Juliana, feminine of Julias
Kunigunda, Ger. the king's favour
Lettice or Letitia, Lat. joy or glad-
ness
Lois, Gr. better
Lucretia, Lat. a chaste Roman lady
Lucy, Lat. feminine of Lucius
Lydia, Gr. descended from Lud
Mabel, Lat. lovely
Magdalene or Maudlin, Syr. mag-
nificent
Margaret, Ger. a pearl
Martha, Heb. bitterness
Mary, Heb. bitter
Maud or Matilda, Gr. a lady of
honour
Melicent, Fr. sweet as honey
Mercy, English, compassion
Mildred, Sax. speaking mild
Nest, Brit, the same as Agnes
Nicola, Gr. feminine of Nicolas
Olympia, Gr. heavenly
Orabilis, Lat. to be entreated
Parnel, or Petronilla, little Peter
Patience, Lat. bearing patiently
Paulina, Lat. feminine ofPaulinus
Penelope, Gr. a turkey
Persis, Gr. a destroying
Philadelphia, Gr. brotherly love
Philippa, Gr. feminine of Philip
Phoebe, Gr. the light of life
Phyllis, Gr. a green bough
Priscilla, Lat. somewhat old
Prudence, Lat. discretion
Psyche, Gr. the soul
Rachel, Heb. a lamp
Rebecca, Heb. fat or plump
Rhode, Gr. a rose
Rosamund, Sax. rose of peace
Rosa, Lat. a rose
Rosecleer, Eng. a fair rose
Rosabella, Itdl. a fair rose
Ruth, Heb. trembling
Sabina, Lat. sprung from the Sabinea
Salome, Heb. perfect
Sapphira, Gr. like a sapphire stone
Sarah, Heb. a princess
Sibylla, Gr. the counsel of God
Sophia, Gr. wisdom
Soppronia, Gr. of a sound mind
Susan, Susanna, Heb. a lily
Tabitha, Syr. a roe
Temperance, Lat. moderation
Theodosia, Gr. given by God
Tryphosa, Gr. delicious
Trvphena, Gr. delicate
Vida, Erse, feminine of David
Ursula, Lat. a female 'bear
Walburg, Sax. gracious
Winifred, Sax. winning peace
Zenobia, Gr. the life of Jupiter
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 165
ANCIENT AND MODERN GAMES, "FIELD SPORTS, AND OTHER
AMUSEMENTS.
PLAYING CAEDS.
Playing cards are said to have been invented in China in the
reign of Leun-ho (1120), and were common in 1131. As early
as 1463 there were card-makers in this country, the importation
of playing cards having been prohibited by Act of Parliament
in that year, as injurious to the interests of native manufacturers.
Edward Darcy obtained a patent for the manufacture of them at
the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who, as well as her
sister Mary, was partial to card-playing. The importation of
them was prohibited after the 20th July 1615, during the reign
of James I., " as the art of making them was then brought to
perfection in this country." The Company of Card-makers wss
first incorporated by letters patent of Charles I. in 1629. From
the Restoration to the reign of Queen Anne, card-playing
attained its full tide of popularity throughout England. Ombre
was the favourite game for the ladies, and piquet for gentlemen ;
clergymen and country squires played whist, and the commoners
played at all-fours, put, cribbage, and contraloo. At no othrr
time, before or since, was card-playing so prevalent. The good
old English landlord used to send a string of hogs' puddings and
a pack of cards, as a Christmas gift, to every poor family in the
parish. No person is allowed to manufacture playing cards in
this country, except in the cities of London, Westminster, and
in the city of Dublin in Ireland. Their manufacture is prohibited
in Scotland. The duty is upwards of two hundred per cent, on
the cost of manufacture, besides the duty on paper, which amounts
to about 6d. on a dozen packs. The duty and export aces are
printed at Somerset House on paper furnished by the card-
makers, who have also to pay .30 for every ace plate. An officer
is sent round to the different card-makers with seals, one of
which is affixed to each pack required for immediate sale : the
amount of duty of Is. per pack must be paid on the 1st of each
month.
GAME OF WHIST.
Playing cards have been termed by the rigid moralist the
Devil's Books ! No doubt the misuse of them has been creative
of much misery and mischief. As an amusement, however, they
have cheered the captive, enlivened the sick-roorn, and have given
life and buoyancy to the domestic circle. The Christmas holidays
nre plentifully supplied with round games for the diversion of
the young, while the old grandmothers are deeply interested in
166 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
the pegs of a cribbage-board by a chimney corner. All-fours
belong to the grocer's back parlour; cassino to the drawing-
room ; while sober whist is the everyday and every other-body's
amusement who understand, or even misunderstand it. This
game is of Spanish origin, and was first introduced into this
country at the marriage of Philip II. and Mary. The name car-
ries with it its own derivation, being a game that requires a strict
silence ; for, as its requisite is a nice calculation, and an undis-
turbed memory, so the least talking or disturbance distracts the
attention, and consequently produces bad play, and to those
whose memories are the weakest, the loss of the game. Hence
it has been termed whist ; i. e.,
POPE JOAN.
The Pope Joan Board .makes its appearance on Christmas Eve,
and continues for some time after to amuse the domestic circle,
old and young. But what the origin of the term is, few it is
presumed know ; it therefore is here given.
Pope Joan was called John VIII. Platina saith, she was of
English extraction, but born at Mentz ; who, having disguised
herself like a man, travelled with her paramour to Athens,
where she made such progress in learning, that coming to Rome,
she met with few that could equal her, so that on the death of
Pope Leo IV. she was chosen to succeed him ; but being got
with child by one of her domestics, her travail came upon her
between the Colossian Theatre and St. Clement's, as she was going
to the Lateran church, and died upon the place, having sat two
years, one month, and four days, and was buried there without
any pomp. He owns, that for shame of this the popes decline
going through this street to the Lateran ; and that to avoid the
like error, when any pope is placed in the Porphyry chair, his
genitals are felt by the youngest deacon, through a hole made
for that purpose ; but he supposes the reason of that to be, to
put him in mind that he is a man, and obnoxious to the necessi-
ties of nature; and he calls the seat, Sedes Stercoraria.
That Papissa Joanna, however, is merely a fictitious character is
now universally acknowledged. Gibbon rejects her history as
fabulous ; and she has been annihilated by two learned Pro-
testants, Blondel and Bayle. Spanheim and'L'Eufant attempted
to save this poor engine of controversy ; and even Mosheim con-
descends to cherish some doubts and suspicion of her existence.
GAME OF CHESS.
The etymology of the word Chess, is, like the origin of the
game, somewhat uncertain ; but its whole composition proves its
Asiatic origin. In Sanscrit it is called 8chthraRtsh t a word which
.THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 167
is believed to indicate the most important and component parts
of an eastern army, elephants, infantry, horses, &c. But this
name was supplanted by the Persian word Shah (king), which
the game has retained, more or less corrupted in all languages.
The Italians call it scacchi; the Germans, schachspie, and the
French, eckecs, from some of which we may have taken our word
check. The pawn, seems to have been evidently so called after
the peon, while the rook, though more generally termed a castle,
took its name from the Persian rukli, which is the corresponding
piece ; and it is remarkable that, in all the languages here enu-
merated, the word mat or mate is preserved, and a term is used
corresponding with the schahmat of the Persians.
BACKGAMMON.
Of this game we have no clue to its origin ; at any rate, we can
give our readers the derivation of the term. The word is of
Welsh origin, from back, little, and cammawn, battle, from which
comes Backgammon.
ARCHERY.
" And thou, peculiar weapon of our land,
Graceful, yet sturdy bow."
The use of the bow may be traced to the remotest antiquity.
The first notice which we find of it is in Genesis (xxi. 20), where
it is said that Ishmael became an archer. It was first introduced
into England in the reign of Egbert the Saxon, but was not, how-
ever, used as a martial weapon until the reign of Edward I. The
period at which the long bow had attained its meridian fame,
may be fixed in the reign of Henry V., whose archers destroyed
the whole French cavalry, clothed in complete steel, with their
yard long arrows. At the battle of Flodden-field, likewise, the
English archers made sad havoc. As to the amusement, the bow
was extremely fashionable in the reign of Henry VIII. ; and
Holinshed reports, that the prince shot as well as any of his
guard. After the siege of Devizes, in the civil wars, 1647, the
bow, as a military weapon, was entirely laid aside. During the
reigns of Charles II. and James II., the amusement was con-
tinued, and the Artillery Company, originally the Finsbury
Archers, then so celebrated, has survived to the present time ;
but with the exception of this Company, till within these last fifty
years the bow was scarcely known. It derived its name of
archery from the bow being, when drawn, in the shape of an
arch.
MORRIS DANCE.
The origin of the dance is uniformly given to the Moors. The
fandango of Spain, danced to the present day, is the old Moorish
168 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
or Morris Dance. It is supposed to have been first brought to
England in the time of Edward III., when John of Gaunt
returned from Spain.
FIVES AND FIVES' COURTS.
" Tost and retost, the ball incessant flies."
A game so called, because when first played, in the reign of
Elizabeth, there were five competitors in it; and not, as generally
supposed, from the hand, which strikes the ball, consisting of four
fingers and a thumb, vulgarly called a " bunch of fives."
The place so celebrated in the annals of pugilism, derives its
name from the circumstance of its being once equally famed for
the game of Fives.
GAME OF RACKETS.
The French palm-play,* consisted in receiving the ball, and
driving it back again with the palm of the hand, similar to our
game of Fives. Anciently they played Rackets with their naked
hand, then with a glove, which in some instances was lined ;
afterwards they bound cords and tendons round their hands, to
make the ball rebound more forcibly ; and hence, says St. Foix,
the Racket derived its origin.
DANCING.
" Hail, loveliest art ! thou canst all hearts in snare,
And make the fairest still appear more fair,
Hence with her sister arts shall dancing claim
An equal right to universal fame ;
And Isaac's rigadoon shall live as long
As Raphael's painting, or as Virgil's song." Jenyns.
Dancing, applied to harmonize the motions of the body, to teach
an easy gesture, and a graceful attitude, is highly useful, and the
poet's numbers have thus been attuned to its eulogy.
To trace the origin of dancing would be a difficult task. That
it was used by the Jews in their religious rites, there can be no
question of ; for we are informed that " David danced before the
Lord with all his might, until his linen ephod came off." It passed
from the religious ceremonies of the Jews to the Egyptians,
and afterwards to the Greeks and Romans, with whom it was a
principal part of the worship of their gods. It was afterwards
adopted in many Pagan nations ; and Christians ultimately, in
Popish countries, celebrated certain festivals, particularly the
Sacrament of the Passion of our Lord, with dancing. Socrates
learned to dance at an advanced time of life ; it is no wonder,
therefore, that such honourable mention is made of dancing by his
disciples, Plato and Xenophon. The people of Sparta and Crete
went to the attack dancing. On the other hand, Cicero reproaches
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 169
Galbinns, a consiilar man, with having danced. Tiberius expelled
the dancers from Rome, and Domitian excluded several members
from the senate for having danced ; but the acts of these imperial
despots may be considered rather as the suggestions of caprice
and folly, than as the dictates of wisdom and virtue.
Our ancestors used to keep up the sport till midnight, and it
was an indispensable accompaniment of weddings. The monks
used to dance in their dormitories. Swords, called Dancing
Rapiers, were worn in the dancing-schools ; which schools existed
in the Universities in Evelyn's time. In the grand rebellion, a
clergyman was charged with having taught, in the pulpit, that
we ought to learn to dance, and that if we could not dance we
were damned.
The London servants in the twelfth century used to dance
before their masters' doors. Hawkins notices dancing to a bag-
pipe, played by a domestic ; and that no dance tunes are known
so early as 1400 ; " Sellenger's Round," to be traced nearly to
Henry VIIL, being the oldest. In the most ancient dances, a
man and woman danced together, holding each other by the hand
or arm ; and a kiss was the established fee of the lady's partner.
In the time of Queen Elizabeth, at a solemn dancing, were first
the grave measures (as now, minuets), then the corrantoes and
golliards; at length to frenchmore, or trenchmore, and the cushion
dance, alter which all the company danced, lord and groom, lady
and kitchen-maid, without distinction ! Before the reign of
Francis I., they danced in France to fife and drum. Coryat
notices, that the brother to the Duke of Guise, and his gentle-
men, danced corrantoes and lovaltoes in the court of an inn.
FANDANGO.
This far-famed dance, so peculiar to the South Americans, of
which writers have said so much, and which has recently been
imported into this country, is intended as a dumb representation
of courtship. The music begins at first slow and monotonous,
but gradually increases from andante to allegro. The gentleman
commences by pursuing the lady quietly and gently, who retreats
in the like manner, making short circles, and turning on her
heel at each time that her partner approaches, quickening her
step and evolutions as the tune of the music increases, until she
perceives that he seems inclined to give up the pursuit; repent-
ance follows, and the pursuer is in his turn pursued, making
similar retreats, and the same circumvolutions that the lady so
recently practised ; until at last relenting, he turns to meet her,
and they approach each other more closely; and, being appa-
rently reconciled, make three or four peculiar stamps with their
feet, bow to each other, and retire to their seats literally ex-
hausted, amidst the acclamations of the bystanders.
170 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
SKAITING.
Skaiting was first introduced into this country from Holland,
at an early period, and the Dutch introduced it from Lapland.
Skate or Skait, in the German, signifies to glide along a smooth
surface. The Dutch are allowed to be the first skaiters in Eu-
rope ; the farmers' daughters frequently skaiting on the canals
to the market towns with milk, eggs, butter, &c., in baskets on
their heads. Fitzstephens, who wrote in the reign of Henry II.,
thus notices it : " When that great moor which washes Moor-
fields at the north wall of the city is frozen over, great companies
of young men go to sport upon the ice, and bind to their shoes,
bones, as the legs of beasts, and hold stakes in their hands,
headed with sharp iron, which sometimes they strike against the
ice, and then these men go with speed, as doth a bird in the air,
or darts shot from some warlike engine. Sometimes two men
set themselves at a distance, and run one against another, as if it
were at tilt, with these stakes, wherewith one or both parties are
thrown down, not without some hurt to their bodies, and after
their fall, by reason of their violent motion, are carried at a good
distance one from another. Thus do the young men exercise
themselves in counterfeit battles, that they may "bear the brunt
more strongly when they come to it in good earnest."
Some singular specimens of such bones, used as skaits by the
citizens of London, are preserved in the curious museum of Lon-
don Antiquities, collected by Mr. C. Roach Smith.
BULL-BAITING IN ENGLAND.
" In Lincolnshire, where virtuous worth
Does raise the minstrelsy, not birth ;
Where bulls do choose the boldest king
And ruler, o'er the men of string." Hudibras.
The first bull-bait held in this country was held at Stamford
in Lincolnshire, about the year 1209, and was introduced from
the following circumstances: "Earl Warrenare, lord of the
town, standing upon the walls of the castle, observed two bulls
fighting, until the butchers' dogs interposed and pursued one of
them through the town, which sight so pleased his lordship, that
he gave the meadow where the fray began to the butchers of the
town, to be used as a common after the first grass was mown, on
condition that they should find a mad bull the day six weeks be-
fore Christmas-day, for the continuance of that sport for ever."
BEAR-BAITING.
This cruel and unmanly amusement is of African origin, and
was introduced into Europe by the Romans. Long, however, as
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 171
"it disgraced the continent, the Romans, to their credit, did not
introduce it here ; judging, it is presumed, that our ancestors were
of themselves savage enough. The first we read of bear-baiting
in England, was in the reign of king John, at Ashby-de-la-Zouch,
where " thys straynge passtime was introduced by some Italyans
for his highness's amusement, wherewith he and his court were
highly delyghted."
CATS.
" E'en now I see, descending from his throne,
Thy venerable Cat, O Whittington ! "
Cats were brought into England from the island of Cyprus, by
some foreign merchants, who came hither for tin. In the old
Welsh laws, a kitten from its birth till it could see, was valued
at a penny ; when it began to mouse, twopence ; and after it had
killed mice, at fourpence, which was the price of a calf ! Wild
c:its were kept by our ancient kings for hunting. The officers
who had the charge of these cats, seem to have had appointments
of equal consequence with the masters of the king's hounds ; they
were called catatores.
DOGS.
The bull-dog was originally from Italy ; the greyhound and
the beagle, as well as the fox-hound, are peculiar to Britain.
'This country was once famous for the export of dogs ; they are
thus described in a passage of Appian.
" There is a kind of dogs of mighty fame
For hunting, worthy of a fairer frame,
By painted Britons brave in war they're bred,
Are beagles call'd, and to the chase are led;
Their bodies small, and of so mean a shape,
You'd think them curs that under tables gape."
The blood-hound was once peculiar to this country, but now
is seldom met with save in the West India Islands, particularly
St. Domingo and the island of St. Lucia.
HAWKING.
Hawking, according to Beckmann, was known to the Greeks and
Romans ; its origin, in England, cannot be traced till the reign of
king Ethelbert, the Saxon monarch, in the year 760, when he
wrote to Germany for a brace of falcons. In the reign of James
I., Sir James Monson is said to have given a thousand pounds for
a cast of hawks. In the reign of Edward III., it was made felony
to steal a hawk ; to take its eggs, even in a person's own ground,
was punishable with imprisonment for a year and a day, together
with a fine at the king's pleasure. In former times, the custom
of carrying a hawk on the hand was confined to men of high dis-
172 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
tinction ;* so that it was a saying among the Welsh, " you may
know a gentleman by his hawk,t horse, and greyhound." Ev n
the ladies in those days were partakers of this gallant sport, and
have been represented in sculpture with hawks on their hands.
See Bewick's British Birds, vol. i. p. 26. It is recorded that a
falcon belonging to a duke of Cleves, flew out of Westphalia into
Prussia in one day; and in the county of Norfolk, a hawk has
made a flight at a woodcock near thirty miles in an hour. Some
of the larger kind have been taught to fly at the wild boar and
the wolf. With this view, they should be accustomed to feed,
when young, from out of the sockets of the eyes of a wolf or boar's
head, the whole skin of the animal being stuffed, so as to make it
appear alive. While the bird is feeding, the falconer begins to
move the figure gradually, in consequence of which, the bird
learns to fasten itself so as to stand firm, notwithstanding the
precipitate motions which are gradually given to the stuffed ani-
mal; he would lose his meat if he quitted his hold, and therefore
he takes care to secure himself. When these first exercises are
finished, the skin is placed on a cart, drawn by a horse at full
speed ; the bird follows it, and is particularly eager in feeding ;
and then, when they come to fly him in the field, he never fails to
dart on the first beast of the kind he discovers, and begins to
scoop out the eyes. This puts the animal to such distress,, that
the hunters have time to approach and dispatch it with their
spears. This species of inhuman education would be more
honoured in the breach than the observance. The grand seignor
usually keeps 6,000 falconers in his service. The French king had
a grand falconer.
The duke of St. Alban's is hereditary Grand Falconer of Eng-
land. St. Alban's seems to have been a favourite place for hawk-
ing. Shakspeare says,
" Ride unto St. Alban's,
Where the king and queen do mean to hawk."
And at this place was printed, by Caxton, a Treatise on Hunt-
ing, Hawking, and Heraldry. Strutt, in his Sports and Pastimes,
mentions an historical fact, related by Hall, who informs us that
Henry VIII., pursuing his hawk on foot, at Kitchen, in Hert-
fordshire, attempted, with the assistance of his pole, to jump over
a ditch that was half full of muddy water ; the pole broke, and
the king fell with his head into the mud, where he would have
been stifled, had not a footman, named John Moody, who was
near at hand, and seeing the accident, leaped into the ditch, and
released his majesty from his perilous situation ; " and so," says
the honest historian, " God in hys goodnesse preserved him."
* See Origin of St. Alban's family.
f " It can be no more disgrace to a great lord to draw a fair picture, than
to cut his hawk's meat." Peacham.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 173
SWANS.
Swans were first brought into England by Richard I., from
Cyprus. It is a bird that has ever been held in great esteem in
England, and by an act of Edward IV., none except the son of a
king was permitted to keep one, unless possessed of five marks a
year ; and by a subsequent act, taking their eggs, in like manner
as those of the hawk, was punished with imprisonment for a
year and a day, and a fine at the king's will.
In Coke's Reports, part 7th, in the case of swans, it is re-
marked, " that he who stealeth a swan in an open and common
river, lawfully marked, the same swan shall be hung in a house
by the beak, and he who stole it shall, in recompence thereof,
give to the owner so much wheat as may cover all the swan, by
putting and turning the wheat upon the head of the swan, until
the head of the swan be covered with wheat."
Black swans, it is ascertained, are any thing but uncommon
at the Cape of Good Hope, and indeed may now be met
with in various parts of England ; so that the proverb, " a black
swan is a rare bird on the earth," is no longer applicable. In
the Thames at present, the greatest number of Swans belong to
the Queen, and the Companies of Vintners and Dyers own the
next largest proportion ; but the birds are far less numerous than
they used to be. The swan marks are made upon the upper
mandible with a knife or other sharp instrument. The swan-
hopping or upping, that is, the catching and taking up the swana
to mark the cygnets, and renew that on the old birds if obliterated,
in the presence of the Royal swans' herdsman, is still continued
by the Companies above mentioned.
GAMING.
This vice is coeval with amusement, for, however tAfling the
stake, when the passions become excited, it has no bounds.
Pernicious gambling may be said to have been introduced into
England with cock-fighting, a notice of which follows this. To
discharge their gambling debts, the Siamese sell their possessions,
their families, and at length themselves. The Chinese play night
and day, till they have lost all they are worth, and then they
usually go and hang themselves.
Such is the propensity of the Japanese for high play, that they
were compelled to make a law, that whoever ventures his money
at play shall be put to death.
In the islands of the Pacific Ocean they venture even their
hatchets, which they hold as invaluable acquisitions, on running
matches. " We saw a man," as Cook writes in his last voyage,
" beating his breast, and tearing his hair, in the violence of rage,
for having lost three hatchets at one of these races, and which he
174 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
had purchased with nearly half his property." A strong spirit of
play characterises a Malayan. After having resigned every
thing to the good fortune of the winner, he is reduced to a horrid
state of desperation ; he then loosens a certain lock of hair, which
indicates war and destruction to all the raving gamester meets.
He intoxicates himself Math opium, and, working himself up to a
lit of frenzy, he bites and kills all that comes in his way. But,
as soon as ever this lock is seen flowing, it is lawful to fire at the
person, and to destroy him as fast as possible. It is this which
our sailors call " to run a muck." Thus Dryden writes :
*' Frontless, and satire-proof, he scours the streets,
And runs an Indian Muck at all he meets."
The ancient nations were not less addicted to gaming. To
notice the more modern ones were a melancholy task : there is
hardly a family in Europe who cannot record, from their own
domestic annals, the dreadful prevalence of this unfortunate
passion. Affection has felt the keenest lacerations, and genius
been irrecoverably lost, by a wanton sport, which dooms to
destruction the hope of families, and consumes the heart of the
gamester with corrosive agony.
" Accept this advice, you who sit down to play,
The best throw of the dice, is to throw them away."
COCK-FIGHTING.
Cock-fighting, as a sport, was derived from the Athenians, on
the following occasion. "When Themistocles was marching his
army against the Persians, he, by the way, espying two cocks
fighting, caused his army to stop, and addressed them as follows.
" Behold, these do not fight for their household gods, for the
monuments of their ancestors, nor for glory, nor for liberty, nor
for the safety of their children, but only because the one will not
give way to the other." This so encouraged the Grecians, that
they fought strenuously, and obtained the victory over the
Persians; upon which, cock-fighting was, by a particular law,
ordained to be annually celebrated by the Athenians.
Caesar mentions the English cocks in his Commentaries ; but
the earliest notice of cock-fighting in England is by Fitzstephens,
who died 1191. He mentions this as one of the amusements of
the Londoners, together with the game of foot-ball.
An ingenious writer says " Cock-fighting is a despicable
amusement, and plainly open to all the objections against boxing,
without having any thing to say for itself. Cruelty and cowardice
notoriously go together. In cock-fighting they are both at their
height. If any body means to be convinced, let him look at
Hogarth's picture of it, and the faces concerned. Would the
gambler in that picture, the most absorbed in the hope of
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 1 75
winning, ever forget his own bones, as he does those of the brave
animals before him? Cock-fighting has been in use among
nations of great valour, our own for one ; but it was the barbarous,
and not the brave part of the national spirit that maintained it,
and one that had not yet been led to think on the subject.
Better knowledge puts an end to all excuses of that sort."
QUOITS.
This game, no doubt, is of great antiquity, and was known to
the ancient Greeks; for we find in Homer's Jliad, at least in Pope's
translation of, it, book xxiii. line 973, the following:
" Then hurl'd the hero, thundering on the ground
A mass of iron (an enormous round),
Whose weight and size the circling Greeks admire,
Rude from the furnace, and but shaped by fire.
Let him whose might can hurl this bowl, arise,
"Who further hurls it, take it as his prize."
FOOT-BALL.
Sir Frederick Morton Eden, in the Statistical Account of Scot-
land, says, that at Scone, in the county of Perth, the game of
foot-ball is a prominent amusement ; and that it is a proverb in
this part of the country, "all is fair at the ball of Scone." Sir
Frederick goes on to say, that this custom is supposed to have
had its origin in the days of chivalry ; when an Italian is reported
to have come into this part of the country, challenging all the
parishes, under a certain penalty in case of declining his challenge.
All the parishes declined this challenge excepting Scone, which
beat the foreigner, and in commemoration of this gallant action
the game was instituted.
ORIGINS AND ANTIQUITY OF VARIOUS JUVENILE AMUSEMENTS.
" Children and youth engage my pen,
! Tis labour lost to write for men."
Trochus, in antiquity, denotes the exercise, or the game of the
hoop. The hoop was of iron, five or six feet in diameter, set on
the inside with a number of iron rings. The boys and young men
used to whirl this along, as is now done at school with modern
hoops, directing it with a rod of iron having a wooden handle,
which the Romans called radius. The clattering of the rings
served partly as a notice for persons to keep out of the way.
Horace, in his Art of Poetry, mentions the hoop as one of the
manly sports. Strutt says, the hoop is a pastime of uncertain
origin, but much in practice at present, and especially in London,
where the boys appear with their hoops in the public streets, and
176 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
are sometimes very troublesome to those who are passing through
them. Addison says, I have seen at Eome an antique statue of
time, with a wheel, or hoop, of marble in his hand.
Skipping. This amusement is probably very ancient. It is
performed by a rope held by both ends; that is, one in each hand,
and thrown forwards or backwards over the head and under the
feet alternately. In the hop season, a hop-stem stripped of its
leaves, is used instead of a rope. Boys often contend for skill in
the game, and he who passes the rope about most times without
interruption is the conqueror. This, also, was an amusement
practised by the Romans.
The Top. The Top was used in ancient days by the Grecian
boys : it was also well known at Rome in the days of Virgil, and
with us as early, at least, as the fourteenth century.
Duck and Drake. This is a very silly pastime, though inferior
to few in point of antiquity. It is called, in Greek, epostrakismos y
and was anciently played with flat shells, which the boys threw
into the water, and he whose shell rebounded most frequently
from the surface, before it finally sunk, was the conqueror.
Marbles. Marbles seem tb have been used by the boys as sub-
stitutes for bowls ; formerly nuts and round stones were used.
It is said of Augustus, when young, that by way of amusement
he spent many hours in playing with little Moorish boys, cum
nucibus, with nuts.
Hopping, and Sliding on One Leg. Hopping is derived from
the Anglo-Saxon, hoppan, which signifies to leap, or dance.
Hence, dancings are in the country called Hops. The word in
its original meaning is preserved in Grasshopper.
These are both very innocent amusements, and were practised
by the Grecian youth ; one they called akmetinda, which was a
struggle between the competitors who should stand longest
motionless upon the sole of his foot; -the other, denominated
ascoliasmos, was dancing or hopping upon one foot ; the conqueror
being he who could hop the most frequently, and continue the
performance longer than any of his comrades ; and this pastime
is alluded to by an English author in an old comedy, wherein a
boy, boasting of his proficiency in various school games, adds,
" And I hop a good way upon my one legge,"
Shuttlecock. Shuttlecock is a boyish sport of long standing ;
it appears to have been a fashionable pastime among grown per-
sons in the reign of James the First, and is mentioned as such in
an old comedy, " The Two Maids of Moretlacke," printed A.D.
1609, of that time, wherein it is said, " To play at Shuttle-cock,
methinks, is the game now." And among the anecdotes of Prince
Henry, son to James the First, is the following : " His Highness
playing at shittle-cocke with one far taller than himself, and
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM, 177
hytting him by chance with the shittle-cocke upon the forehead,
* 4 this is," quoth he, " the encounter of David with Goliath."
Tetter-totter -, or See-saw. Tetter-totter, or see-saw, an amusing,
but sometimes a dangerous game, so well known to rustic lads
and lasses, and mentioned by Gay :
" Across the fallen oak the plank I laid,
And myself poised against the tottering maid ;
High leap'd the plank, adown Buxoma fell."
Cross and Pile, or Head or Tail. Cross and Pile, or, with us,
u Head or Tail," was formerly played at court ; Edward the Second
was partial to this, and such like frivolous diversions. In one of
his wardrobe rolls we meet with the following entries :
" Item, paid to Henry, the king's barber, for money which he
lent to the king to play at Cross and Pile, five shillings. Item,
paid to Pires Barnard, usher of the king's chamber, money which
he lent the king, and which he lost at Cross and Pile ; to Mon-
sieur Robert Watte ville, eightpence."
Anciently the English coins were stamped with a Cross on one
side. This game is evidently derived from a pastime called
ostrachinda, known in ancient times to the Grecian boys, and
practised by them on various occasions. Having procured a shell,
it was seared over with pitch on one side for distinction sake,
and the other side was left white ; a boy tossed up this shell, and
his antagonist called white or black, and his success was deter-
mined by the white or black part of the shell being uppermost.
OLYMPIAN GAMES.
The Olympian Games derive their names from the public
games celebrated every fourth year at Olympia, in Peloponnesus.
These games were instituted in honour of Jupiter, but at what
time, or by whom, is not known. After they had been neglected
and discontinued for some time, they were restored by Iphitus,
king of Elis, in the year B.C. 884 ; and it is from this date that
the Olympian periods are reckoned in chronology.
REMARKABLE CUSTOMS, &c. f &c.
DUELLING.
Although frequent and bloody were the single combats of the
age of chivalry, yet the present system of duelling by challenge
takes its data from Francis the First of France, who, sensibly
mortified by the repeated defeats his armies had met with from
K
178 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
those of his imperial rival, Charles the Fifth, emperor of Ger-
many, wrote the latter, challenging him to meet him in single
combat, and thereby decide their differences, and put an end to
the bloodshed and devastation which had ensued from their
rivalship. Charles, however, was too much of a politician to
accept the challenge. Another writer says :
" Duelling is one of the most common among the few relics of
barbarous usage. The introduction of pistols has brought with
it no small share of burlesque and cowardice. In close fighting,
a man entered the lists with a heart prepared either to conquer
or perish ; and, therefore, only those who were characterised for
courage ventured to the contest. But different, far different, it
is with the pistols. Any recreant coward dares to challenge on
the smallest offence to his honour and why? Because those
handy factotums ; those reconcilers of nothings yclept seconds^
either omit to charge with ball, or recommend the principals, by
a preconcerted arrangement between them, to fire wide of the
mark. Now, this can be deemed nothing short of arrant knavery
and cowardice ; for he who possesses true courage or bravery, will
take care to exert them only when actually necessary, and when
excited by some momentous circumstance. He will look over
trifles with a becoming and dignified demeanour, and will never
presume to speak of his high spirit in an egotistical manner."
%. This is all well as far as it goes, and may be particularly appli-
cable to gentlemen of the Stock Exchange ; but, let this writer
remember, that the pistol puts the weak man on a par with the
strong; the timid with the powerful; and the delicate, although
brave man, on a footing with the cowardly bully. There is
no doubt, however, that duelling in any sense, would be more
honoured in the breach than the observance.
GIVING THE LIE.
The great affront of giving the lie, arose from the phrase, " thoti
liest," in the oath taken by the defendant in judicial combats,
before engaging, when charged with any crime by the plaintiff;
and Francis the First of France, to make current his giving the
lie to the emperor, Charles the Fifth, first stamped it with infamy,
by saying in a solemn assembly, that he was no honest man that
would bear the lie !
HONEY-MOON.
It was the custom of the higher order of the Teutones, an
ancient people who inhabited the northern parts of Germany, to
drink Mead, or Metheglin, a beverage made with honey, for
thirty days after every wedding. From this custom comes the
expression, " to spend the honey-moon," when there is nothing
but tenderness and pleasure.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 179
CHURCHING OF WOMEN.
This practice, like many other Christian usages, undoubtedly
took its rise from the Jewish rite of purification enjoined by the
law of Moses. In the Greek church, the time of performing this
office is limited to the fortieth day after delivery; but in the
western parts of Europe, no certain time is observed. The usual
time with us, is a month after delivery ; there being an office in
the Book of Common Prayer, entitled " The thanksgiving after
childbirth." The practice is universally observed in every other
Christian country.
CONFIRMATION.
The antiquity of this ceremony is, by all ancient writers, car-
ried so high as the apostles, and founded upon their example and
practice. In the primitive church, it used to bs given to Chris-
tians immediately after baptism, if the bishop happened to be
present at the solemnity. Among the Greeks, and throughout
the East, it still accompanies baptism ; but the Eomanists make
it a distinct and independent sacrament. Seven years is the
stated time for confirmation, although they are sometimes con-
firmed before, and sometimes after that age. The order of con-
firmation in the church of England, does not, however, determine
the precise age of the persons to be confirmed.
USE OF EVERGREENS AND MISTLETOE AT CHRISTMAS.
" Christmas, the joyous period of the year!
Now bright with Holly, all the temples strew,
"With Laurel green, and sacred Mistletoe"
The custom of decking our habitations with evergreens, has
existed from the very establishment of Christianity, and was un-
questionably derived from the like practice of our Pagan ancestors.
" Trimming of the temples," says Polydore Virgil, " with hang-
yngs, flowres, boughes, and garlendes, was taken of the heathen
people, whiche decked their idols and houses with such array/'
The Celts and Goths were alike distinguished for the respectful
veneration which they entertained for the Mistletoe, and for the
solemn rites with which they gathered it about that period of the
year when the sun approached the winter solstice. The Druids
were particularly famed for the distinguished regard they paid
to the Mistletoe of the Oak; they attributed to it numerous
virtues. At certain seasons of the year, especially at Yule Tide,
or Christmas, they were accustomed to gather it with great
solemnity and to sacrifice two white bullocks that had never
been yoked (not till then), having their horns bound up. It was
cut from the tree with a golden bill, or pruning-knife, by a priest
habited in a white vestment, and was received in a white woollen
ISO THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
cloth ; many orations were then said over it, and the ceremony-
being deemed complete, the sacred plant was preserved for use
with religious care.
The Druids had an extraordinary veneration for the number
three, and on this principle, says Vallances, in his Grammar of the
Irish language, it was, that Mistletoe was held so sacred by them,
since not only its berries, but its leaves also, grew in clusters of
three, united 011 one stalk.* The inhabitants of Elgin, and the
shire of Moray, in Scotland, according to the account written by
the Rev. Mr. Shaw, are accustomed, at the full moon in March,
to cut withes of the mistletoe, or ivy, and making circles of them,
to keep all the year, pretending therewith to cure hectics and
other troubles. As the ivy is dedicated to Bacchus, so should the
mistletoe be to Love ; not, however, to the chaste Eros, but to the
sportive Cupid. The sacred regard given to it in Pagan and
Druidical rites has long* been terminated ; but it is still beheld
with emotions of pleasurable interest, when hung up in our
kitchens at Christmas ; it gives licence to seize the soft kiss from
the ruby lips of whatever female can be enticed or caught beneath.
So custom authorizes, and it enjoins also, that one of the berries
of the mistletoe be plucked off after every salute. Though coy
in appearance, the chariest maid, at this season of festivity, is
seldom loth to submit to the established usage ; especially when
the swain who tempts her is one whom she approves.
DRINKING HEALTHS.
" Health my Lord King, the sweet Rowena said,
Health cried the Chieftain, to the Saxon maid;
Then gaily rose, and midst the concourse wide,
Kiss'd her hale lips, and placed her by his side.
At the soft scene such gentle thoughts abound,
That health and kisses 'mongst the guests went round;
From this the social custom took its rise,
We still retain, and must for ever prize."
Different are the versions that relate to the antiquity of this
custom. The ancient Greeks and Romans used at their meals to
make libations, pour out andeven drink wine in honour of thegods.
The first health which we hear of in history is, however, ascribed
(in the words of the story) to the pertinent and sensible Rowena,
a beautiful daughter of Hengist, general of the Saxons, who,
having the Isle of Thanet given him by Vortigern for assisting
him against the Picts and Scots, obtained as much ground as he
could encompass with an ox's hide, to build a castle ; which, being
completed, he invited Vortigern to supper. After the entertain-
ment, Hengist called his daughter Rowena, who entered with
great dignity and magnificence, carrying a golden bowl, full of
wine, in her hand, out of which she drank, and in the Saxon
* See Shamrock as Irish badge.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 181
language said, "Be of health, Lord King!" To this Yortigern
replied, "Drink health!" The story adds, that Vortigern, ena-
moured with Eowena's beauty, married her in a short time after,
and gave her father the whole kingdom of Kent. Other origins
have been given for this custom. See origin of the phrase, " I
pledge you;" also origin of phrase, " A Peg too low!" The one
just given, however, may plead seniority.
BAPTISM.
Grotius is of opinion, that baptism had its origin from the time
of the deluge, after which, he thinks, it was instituted in memory
of the world having been purged by water ; and some think, that
it was added to circumcision, soon after the Samaritan schism,
as a mark of distinction to the orthodox Jews. It is, however,
generally agreed on, that the Jews practised this ceremony on
their proselytes after circumcision, long before the coming of
Jesus Christ. In the primitive times, the ceremony was per-
formed by immersion, as it is to this day in the oriental churches,
agreeably to the original signification of the word, which means
dipping, or plunging. The practice of the western churches is
to sprinkle the water upon the head or face of the person to be
baptized, except the church of Milan, in whose ritual it is ordered,
that the head of the infant be plunged three times into the water.
A trine immersion was used first, and continued for a long time.
This was either to signify the three clays our Saviour lay in the
grave, or the three persons in the Trinity ; but it was afterwards
laid aside, because the Ariaiis used it.
There are abundance of ceremonies delivered by ecclesiastical
writers, as used in baptism, which are now laid aside, though
there are not wanting those who contend for their re-admission.
It appears that, in the primitive times, none were baptized but
adults, though several learned men contend that infants were
admitted to this sacrament.
Formerly there were great disputes whether baptism of here-
tics was valid; the general opinion ran for the affirmative,
provided it was conferred in the name of the Trinity ; and there-
fore they allowed that given by laymen, or even by women, in
cases of necessity. It was the doctrine of many of the fathers,
that baptism washed away all previous sins, and that there was
no atonement for sins committed after baptism. On this account
many deferred that sacrament till they were arrived at the last
stage of life, and were pretty safe from the danger of sinning any
more. This they termed clinic, signifying deathbed baptism.
HAND-FESTIXG.
Hand-festing was an ancient custom, as a substitute for mar-
riage, by joining hands, which lasted for a year; when, if the
182 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
parties were agreeable, it was renewed. The children, (if any)
were kept by the inconstant.
BIDDENDEN CAKES.
Hasted, in his History of Kent, speaking of Biddenden, tells us
that " twenty acres of land, called the Bread and Cheese land,
lying in five pieces, were given by persons unknown, the yearly
rents to be distributed among the poor of this parish. This is
yearly done on Easter Sunday, in the afternoon, in 600 cakes,
each of which have the figures of two women impressed upon
them, and are given to all such as attend the church ; and 270
loaves, weighing three pounds and a half a piece, to which latter
is added one pound and a half of cheese, are given to the parish-
ioners only at the same time. There is a vulgar tradition in
these parts, that the figures on the cakes represent the donors of
this gift, being two women, twins, who were joined together in
their bodies, and lived together so till they were between twenty
and thirty years of age. But this seems without foundation.
The truth seems to be, that it was the gift of two maidens of the
name of Preston, and that the print of the women on the cakes
has taken place only within these fifty years, and were made to
represent two poor widows as the general objects of a charitable
benefaction."
KISSING THE POPE'S FOOT.
This custom, and that of kneeling to sovereigns, was introduced
by Dioclesian. Thence also the custom of a vassal kneeling to
his lord in homage. Kissing the hands of great men was a Gre-
cian custom.
CROSS BUNS.
While seasons keep rolling, and ages glide by,
Like clouds in their circuit, beneath the blue sky,
Shall the proud sons of ivealth bid the poor man begone,
Whom the sunbeams of luxury never shone on ?
Oh, no! nor the cry, howe'er simple it runs,
The cry on Good Friday of " Suns, hot cross buns"
The bun, like a relic of truth, brings to mind,
How the mighty REDEEMER once died for mankind!
Like a record portrays where the sceptic waves toss,
How he bled, and for man, on the soul-saving cross !
Oh ! blame not the cry, then, though simple it runs,
The cry on Good Friday of " Suns, hot cross buns."
The infidel shudders that ne'er shook before,
When death points the dart that proclaims he's no more,
To that God prays for help he had dared to deny,
And calls for forgiveness with life's latest sigh !
Oh ! blame not the cry, then, though simple it runs,
The cry on Good Friday of " Suns, hot cross buns"
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 183
There's a balm in that voice which endearingly cries,
" The soul shall exist when mortality dies !"
There's a sweet in that thought like the rose's sweet breath,
Which tells and makes certain a triumph o'er death !
Oh! blame not the cry, then, though simple it runs,
The cry on Good Friday of " Buns, hot cross buns"
UTOPIA.
This custom was supposed to originate from the fast of Good
Friday, but it is also in remembrance of the apostolic custom of
breaking bread from house to house ; and it does not appear at
all improbable, that buns or cakes, something like those in use at
present, were employed in this manner in the early ages. It is
to be observed also, that if four persons divide a bun among
them, each taking a division, they will naturally stand in the
form of a cross, and the bun will break at its partitions. Thus,
both the position of the parties, and the figure to which the bun
breaks, as well as the act of breaking, are emblematical of the
crucifixion.
Bryant says, that boun was the sacred bread anciently offered
to the gods. The Jewish women ask, in allusion to this custom,
" Did we make her cakes to worship her?" (Jer. chap. xiv. v. 18).
Hutchinson says, we still retain the name and form of the boun,
or bun; the sacred uses are no more.
CHRISTMAS BOXES.
The Athenian Oracle derives the origin of Christmas Boxes
from this : the Romish priests had masses for almost every thing ;
if a ship went to the Indies, a priest had a box in her, under the
protection of some saint ; and for masses, as their cant was, to be
said to that saint, &c., the poor people must put something into
the priest's box, which was not opened till the ship's return.
The mass at that time was called C%m;-mass; the box called
Christ-mass-box, or money gathered against that time, that masses
might be made by the priests to the saints, to forgive the people
their sins of that time ; and from this, servants had the liberty
to get box money, that they too might be enabled to pay the
priest for his masses, well knowing the truth of the proverb,
" No penny, no pater-noster." The practice of giving presents at
Christmas, was undoubtedly founded on the pagan custom of
New-year's gifts, with which in these times it is blended. Fos-
broke says, the Roman Paganalia were instituted by Servius
Tullius, and celebrated in the beginning of the year. An altar
was erected in every village where persons gave money. The
apprentices' boxes were formerly made of pottery ; and Aubrey
mentions a pot, in which Roman denarii were found, resembling
in appearance an apprentice's earthen Christmas-box.
184 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
PANCAKES.
A kind of pancake feast preceding Lent, was used in the Greek
church, from whence we may probably have borrowed it. Mr.
Fosbroke is decisive in the opinion, that pancakes, such as is the
custom to eat on Shrove Tuesday, were taken from the heathen
Fornacalia, celebrated on the 18th of February, in memory of
making bread before ovens were invented, by the goddess For-
nax.
BRIDE CAKE.
The custom of having Bride Cakes at marriages among the
Christians, derives its origin from the Jews. At the marriage
ceremony of the latter, they scatter corn on and about the bride
and bridegroom, repeating at the same time the Scripture phrase,
crescite et multiplicamini* that is, increase and multiply. The
custom is allegorical of an increase both in children and sub-
stance. Its first origin was from the Roman custom called Con-
farreation. *
TWELFTH CAKES.
The custom of making merry with Twelfth Cakes, is derived
from the feasts of Saturn, called Saturnalia. It was a sacrifice
to Janus, from whom the month of January takes its name. Our
Roman conquerors brought it amongst us, and offered cakes to
Cybele, called the Great Mother, because she procured men all
the benefits of the earth. A vast quantity of cake is made, and
consumed annually on the 6th of January, and all the juvenile
branches of families are generally supposed to derive much
pleasure and gratification, from the ceremony of choosing King
and Queen ; but, indeed, persons of all ages join in the childish
sport; for, as Dryden says,
" Men are but children of a larger growth ;
Our appetites as apt to change as theirs."
DRAWING FOR KING AND QUEEN.
This custom is derived from the Greeks and Romans, who, on
the Tabernacle or Christmas festivals, drew lots for kings, by
putting a piece of money in the middle of a cake, which, whoever
found, was saluted as king. A custom similar to this is now
common in this country, with this difference, that a ring is
substituted for the piece of money.
MINCE PIES.
These pies were formerly made in the shape of a cradle, or a
cratch, or a manger, and were first derived from the practice at
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 185
Home, of presenting the fathers of the Vatican with paste images
and sweetmeats. In a tract printed in the time of Queen
Elizabeth, or James I., they were called minched pies.
PLACING MONEY IN THE MOUTHS OF THE DEAD.
A Greek traveller going into Egypt, saw the inhabitants of a
town bury their dead in tombs that lay on the other side of a
lake, and on his return invented the story, and made his country-
men believe it, that Charon ferried the souls of the dead across
the river Styx to Hell. This word, Charon, is taken from the
Egyptian language, which calls ferrymen, Charons, and the river
Styx had its source in Pagan fiction. However, the invention
answered better than many equally rational and principled
speculations of the present day. Old Charon did the whole of
the work, while all the simpletons of that day were anxious to
pay to the fabricators, both of himself and the Styx, an ima-
ginary debt due to him for ferrying the souls of their departed
friends.
FISH AND THE RING; STEPNEY CHURCHYARD.
In the wall, just below the great eastern window of Stepney
church, on an elegant white marble slab, which has been lately
repaired and beautified, (adorned with a cherub, urns, volutes,
palm branches, and these arms Paley 6 or, a bend, 3 mullets,
Elton, impaling a fish and in the dexter chief point, annulet,
between two bends wavy), is this inscription : Here lyeth interred,
the body of Dame Eebecca Berry, the wife of Thomas Elton of
Stratford-Bow, Gent., who departed this life, April 26th, 1696,
aged 52.
This monument, in all probability, from the circumstance of
the arms, has given rise to a tradition, that Dame Berry was
the heroine of a popular ballad, called " The Cruel Knight, or
the Fortunate Farmer's Daughter;" the story of which is briefly
as follows :
A knight passing a cot, hears the cries of a woman in labour.
His knowledge in the occult sciences informs him, that the child
then born is destined to become his wife : he endeavours to evade
the decrees of fate, and to avoid so ignoble an alliance, by various
attempts to destroy the child, but which are defeated. At length,
when grown to woman's estate, he takes her to the seaside,
intending to drown her, but relents; at the same time, throwing
a ring into the sea, he commands her never to see his face again
on pain of death, unless she shall produce the ring. She after-
wards becomes a cook in a gentleman's family, and finds the ring
in a cod-fish, as she is dressing it for dinner. The marriage takes
place, of course. This story is devoutly believed in the once
suburban, but now crowded hamlet of Stepney.
186 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM,
PIN MONEY.
Pins were acceptable new year's gifts to the ladies, instead of
the wooden skewers which they used till the end of the fifteenth
century. Sometimes they received a composition in money ; and
hence allowances for their separate use, is still denominated " Pin-
money." Gloves were customary New-year's gifts. They were
more expensive than in our times, and occasionally a money
present was tendered instead ; this was called " Glove-money."
NEW-YEAR'S GIFTS.
Fosbroke, in his valuable Encyclopedia of Antiquities, adduces
various authorities to show, that congratulations, presents, and
visits, were made by the Romans on New-year's day. The
origin, he says, is ascribed* to Romulus and Tatius, and that the
usual presents were figs and dates, covered with leaf gold, and
sent by clients to patrons, accompanied with a piece of money,
which was expended to purchase statues of some deities.
" The next to this is Newe Yeares day
Whereon to every frende,
They costly presents in do bring,
And New Yeares Giftes do sende.
These giftes the husband gives his wife,
And father eke the childe,
And maister on his men bestowes
The like, with -favour milde."
THE WEDDING FINGER, EMBLEMATICAL OF MATRIMONIAL UNION.
There are few objects amongst the productions of art, contem-
plated with such lively interest by ladies, after a certain age, as
the simple and unadorned annular implement of Hymen, yclept
the Wedding Ring ; this has been a theme v for poets of every
calibre, for geniuses of every wing, from the dabbling duckling
to the solar eagle. The mouldy antiquary can tell the origin of
the custom with which it is connected, and perchance why a
ring is round, and account for many circumstances concerning
the ceremony of the circlet, on the most conclusive evidence,
amounting to absolute conjectural demonstration. Of all that
has been said and written in reference to the ring, I believe the
more lovely part engaged in the mystic matter, the taper residence
of this ornament, has been neglected ; now, this is rather curious,
as there are facts belonging to the ring finger, which render it
in a peculiar manner an appropriate emblem of matrimonial
union ; it is the only finger where two principal nerves belong to
two distinct trunks ; the thumb is supplied with its principal
nerves from the radial nerve, as is also the fore-finger, the middle
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 187"
finger, and the thumb side of the ring finger, whilst the ulnar
nerve furnishes the little finger and the other side of the ring
finger, at the point or extremity of which a real union takes
place ; it seems as if it were intended by nature to be the
matrimonial finger.
That the side of the ring finger next the little finger is supplied
by the ulnar nerve, is frequently proved by a common accident,
that of striking the elbow against the edge of a chair, a door, or
any narrow hard substance ; the ulnar nerve is then frequently
struck, and a thrilling sensation is felt in the little finger, and on
the same side of the ring finger, but not on the other side of it.
Anatomicus Junior.
MARRIAGE BY PROXY.
In marriage by proxy, it was formerly the custom for the
proxy to introduce his right leg up to the knee into the bed of
the princess whom he married. Louis de Baviare, who married
the Princess Marie de Bourgogne, daughter of Charles, Duke of
Bourgogne, in the name of Archduke Maximilian of Austria,
performed this ceremony. The object of the ceremony was to
render the marriage more certain, it being supposed that the
princess who had submitted to this kind of approach on the part
of man, could not depart from her engagement and take another
husband.
It is said that the Emperor Maximilian was married by proxy
to Anne de Bretagne, who, nevertheless, afterwards married
Charles "VIII., of France, her marriage with Maximilian never
having been consummated. But from a scruple of conscience,
or some other cause, historians relate, that it was necessary to
have recourse to the arguments of many theologians, and to
examples drawn from holy writ, before the lady could be brought
to listen to the proposition of her marriage with Charles VIII.
If the early historians may be believed, the first marriage by
proxy was that of Clovis of France with Clotilde ; Aurele having,
it is said, married Clotilde at the court of Bourgogne, in the
name of Clovis, his master, by giving her a ring and other pledges
of a legitimate marriage. The ancient practice of placing the
proxy's leg in the bed of the bride, is long since discontinued.
It existed, however, in Poland in the time of Hierera, who, in
speaking of the marriage of Cardinal Rndzivil with the Arch-
duchess Ann of Austria, says, that the proxy of king Sigismund
III. slept completely armed at the side of the new queen, in con-
formity with the ceremony, que les Reyes de Polonia ental caso
accastumbran.
A king's proxy is usually a prince of his blood ; if he be not,
he is not allowed to take the hand of the princess, but only to
place his by the side of hers.
188 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
GIVING QUARTER.
This custom, so well known in warfare, had its origin in an
agreement between the Dutch and Spaniards, that the ransom
of an officer or soldier should be the Quarter of his year's pay.
Hence to beg quarter, was to offer a quarter of their pay for
personal safety; and to refuse quarter, was not to accept the
offered ransom.
LORD MAYOR'S DAY.
Lord Mayor's day in London was first made annual in the
year 1214. Until that period, the chief magistrate was appointed
for life.
Before the alterations of the style in 1582, the Lord Mayors of
London came into office on the 29th October, on which account it
would seem that, ever since 1800, the Lord Mayor's day ought to
have been on the 10th of November instead of the 9th; the differ-
ence between the old and new style being 12 days. (Seepage 122.)
LORD MAYOR'S SHOW.
This show, says Hone in his " Ancient Mysteries," is the only
state exhibition in the metropolis that remains as a memorial of
the great doings in the time of the pageants. In a curious
description of the show as it was managed in 1575, it is related,
that " to make way in the streetes, certayne men were employed,
apparalled like devells and wylde men, with skybbs and certain
beadells."
The number of persons who dined at Guildhall was 1000, all at
the charge of the mayor and the two sheriffs. " This feast (the
writer continues) costeth .400, whereof the mayor payeth .200
and each of the sheriffs ,100. Immediately after dyner they go
to the church of St. Paule, the men bearynge staff-torches and
targetts, which torches are lighted when it is late, before they
come from evenynge prayer." In 1585, there were children in
the procession, who personified the city, magnanimity, loyalty,
science, the country, and the river Thames ; they also represented
a soldier, a sailor, and nymphs with appropriate speeches. The
show opened with a Moor on the back of a lynx. On Sir Thomas
Middleton's mayoralty, in 1613, the solemnity is described as
unparalleled for the cost, art, and magnificence of the shows,
pageants, chariots, morning, noon, and night triumphs.
In 1665, the city pageants, after a discontinuance of about
fourteen years, were revived. Edmund Gayton, the author of
the description for that year, says, that " our metropolis for these
planetary pageants was as famous and renowned in foreign nations,
as for their faith, wealth, and valour. In the sho\y of 1651), .111
European, an Egyptian, and a Persian, were personated. On
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 189
Lord Mayor's day, 1671, the king, queen, and duke of York, and
most of the nobility, being present, there were sundry shows,
shapes, scenes, speeches, and songs in parts; and the like in 1672
and 1673, when the king again graced the triumphs.
In 1687, the pageants of Sir John Shorter, knt., as Lord Mayor,
were very splendid. He was of the company of goldsmiths, and
out of compliment to their patron saint, Dunstan, who was him-
self a goldsmith, they had a pageant representing the miracle of
Dunstan and the Devil.
" St. Dunstan, as the story goes,
Once pull'd the devil by the nose
With red-hot tongs, which made him roar,
That he was heard three miles or more."
The last Lord Mayor who rode on horseback at his mayoralty
was Sir Gilbert Heathcote, in the reign of queen Anne. The
modern exhibitions, bettered as they are by the men in armour,
have no pretensions to vie with the grandeur of the London
triumphs. Even Gog and Magog, who were then only made of
wicker-work and pasteboard, yearly graced the procession, and
when that eminent annual service was over, remounted their old
stations in Guildhall, till, by reason of their very great age, old
time, with his auxiliaries, the city rats and mice, had eaten up
all their entrails.
The earliest Lord Mayor's Pageant on record is the one de-
scribed by Matthew Paris as taking place in 1236, on the occasion
of the passage of King Henry III., and Eleanor of Provence,
through the city of Westminster. For further particulars, see
Fairholt's Lord Mayor's Pageants, published by the Percy Society.
FREEDOM OF ALXWICK.
When a person takes up his freedom in the town of Alnwick,
he is obliged, by a clause in the charter of that place, to jump into
an adjacent bog, in which sometimes he must sink to his chin.
This custom is said to have been imposed by King John, who
travelling this way, and his horse sinking fast in this hole, took
this method of punishing the people of this town for not keeping
the road in better order.
LONDON CRIES.
In the time of Henry VI. an antiquary writes, that London cries
consisted of fine felt hats and spectacles ; peas, strawberries,
cherries, pepper, saffron, hot sheeps-feet, mackerel, green-peas, ribs
beef, pie, &c. In the Pepysian library are two very ancient sets
of cries, cut in wood, with inscriptions; among others are,
" Buy my rope of onions, white St. Thomas's onions ; rosemary
190 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
and bays ; bread and meat for poor prisoners ; ends of gold and
silver ; marking stones ; a mat for a bed ; maids hang out your
lights ; marrowbones; ells or yards; hand-strings or hand-kercher
buttons; small coal penny a peck ! I have skreens at your desire,
to keep your butey from the fire," c. &c.
Formerly it was a practice to set the London cries to music,
retaining their peculiar musical notes. These cries, that have
been so long famed in the annals of nursery literature, and with-
out which, to the social part of society, London would lose one of
its peculiar charms, have to the squeamish long been a source of
complaint ; their tender nerves and susceptible ears would have
every social sound put to silence, and every unlucky wight who
presumed to earn his bread by the exercise of his lungs sent to
the treadmill ! To please them
" It were a delicate stratagem, to shoe
A troop of horse with felt, I'll put it in proof."
Shakspeare.
MASQUERADES.
This species of amusement had its origin in Italy, where, ac-
cording to Hall's Chronicle, they had become fashionable as early
as the beginning of the 1 6th century. Of its introduction into Eng-
land, Hall thus speaks : " On the date of the Epiphanie at night
(A.D. 1512-13), the king (Henry VIII.) with eleven others were
disguised after the manner of Italic called a maske, a thing not
seen afore in England ; they were appareled in garments long
and brode, wroughte all with golde, with visers and cappes of
golde ; and after the banket done, these maskers came in with the
six gentlemen disguised in Silk" (in all probability the domino of
more recent times), u barynge staffe torches, and desired the
ladies to daunce ; some were content ; and some that knew the
fashion of it refused, because it was not a thing commonly seen.
And after thei danced and commoned together, as the fashion of
the maskes is, thei took their leave and departed, and so did the
queue and all the ladies." The invention of masquerades is
ascribed to Granacci, who died in 1543.
ORIGINAL DINNERS.
In 1609, Christian, Elector of Saxony, defrayed for 1600 guests,
who, at the sound of the trumpet, saw the table covered. The
Elector himself remained at table six hours ; and that time no-
thing was done but to contend which of the party should eat the
most and drink the largest. The custom of feasting was not con-
fined to the great ; all ranks participated in the sensual propensity,
against which sumptuary laws proved wholly unavailing. In
the town of Munden, in Brunswick, it was ordained that the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 191
dinner should not last above three hours, and that even a wedding
feast should not exceed twenty- four dishes, allowing ten persons
to every dish.
LADIES APPEARING AT COURT.
Anne of Brittany, wife of Charles VIIL, and Louis XII., kings
of France, was the first who introduced the fashion of ladies
appearing publicly at court. This fashion was introduced much
later in England, when, even down to the Revolution, women of
rank never appeared in the streets without a mask. In Scotland
the veil or plaid continued much longer in fashion, and with
which every woman was covered.
SMOKING AND TAKING SNUFF.
Tobacco is said to have been first brought into England by
Captain R Greenfield and Sir Francis Drake about the year 1586,
during the reign of Elizabeth. Alehouses are at present licensed
to deal in tobacco, but it was not so from the beginning ; for so
great an incentive was it thought to drunkenness, that it was
strictly forbidden to be taken in any alehouses in the reign of
James I. A pamphlet on the Natural History of Tobacco, in the
Harleian Miscellany, says, " The English are said to have had
their pipes of clay from the Virginians," who were styled bar-
barians ; and the origin of manufacturing tobacco into snuff is
thus given to the sister kingdom. " The Irishmen do most com-
monly powder their tobacco, and snuff it up their nostrils."
HOWLING AT IRISH FUNERALS,
The Irish howl at funerals originated from the Roman outcry
at the decease of their friends, they hoping thus to awaken the
soul, which they supposed might lie inactive. The condamatio
over the Phoenician Dido, as described by Virgil, is similar to the
Irish cry. From which it is clear the custom, is of Phoenician
origin.
GRACE AT MEAT.
The table was considered by the ancient Greeks as the altar
of friendship, and held sacred ; and they would not partake of
any meat till they had offered part of it as the first-fruits to their
gods. The ancient Jews offered up prayers always before meat,
and from their example the primitive Christians did the same.
GOOSE ON MICHAELMAS DAY.
There is a current, but erroneous report, assigning to Queen
Elizabeth the origin of this custom.
192 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
The joyful tidings of the defeat of the Spanish armada arrived
on Michaelmas day, and were communicated to Queen Elizabeth
whilst at dinner partaking of a goose ; but there is evidence to
prove that this custom was practised long before the destruction
of the Spanish armada. Brand, in his Popular Antiquities, traces
it as far back as the tenth year of the reign of King Edward IV.
WELSH LEEK AS A BADGE OF HONOUR.
Upon the first of March King Cadwallo met a Saxon army in
the field. In order to distinguish his men from their enemies, he,
from an adjoining field of leeks, placed one in each of their hats ;
and having gained a signal and decisive victory over the Saxons,
the leek became the future badge of honour among the Welsh,
and particularly worn on the 1st of March, or St. David's day.
SHAMROCK, THE IRISH BADGE OF HONOUR.
The wild trefoil was very highly regarded in the superstitions
of the ancient Druids, and has still medicinal virtues of a parti-
cular kind accredited to it by the more remote Highlanders of
Scotland, where it is culled according to the ancient rites.
" In the list of plants," says a Scotch statistical writer, " must
be reckoned the seamrog, or the wild trefoil, in great estimation
of old by the Druids. It is still considered as an anodyne in the
diseases of cattle; from this circumstance it has derived its
name, seimk, in the Gaelic, signifying pacific or soothing. When
gathered, it is plucked with the left hand, The person thus em-
ployed must be silent, and never look back till the business be
finished."
This is the seamrog, or shamrog, worn by Irishmen in their
hats, as O'Brien says, " by way of a cross on St. Patrick's day,
in memory of this great saint." It is said, that when St. Patrick
landed near Wicklow to convert the Irish in 433, the Pagan in-
habitants were ready to stone him ; he requested to be heard,
and endeavoured to explain God to them as the Trinity in Unity,
but they could not understand him; till plucking a trefoil, or
shamrog, from the ground, he said, " Is it not as possible for the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as for these three leaves, to grow
upon a single stalk ?" "Then," says Brand, "the Irish were im-
mediately convinced, and became converts to Christianity; and,
in memory of which event, the Irish have ever since worn the
shamrog, or shamrock, as a badge of honour."
THE SCOTTISH THISTLE.
The origin of the national badge is thus handed down by tra-
dition: When the Danes invaded Scotland, it was deemed
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 193
umvarlike to attack an enemy in the darkness of night, instead
of a pitched battle by day ; but, on one occasion, the invaders
resolved to avail themselves of stratagem, and, in order to pre-
vent their tramp from being heard, they marched barefooted.
They had thus neared the Scottish force unobserved, when a
Dane unluckily stepped with his foot upon a superbly prickled
thistle, and uttered a cry of pain, which discovered the assailants
to the Scots, who ran to their arms, and defeated the foe with
great slaughter. The thistle was immediately adopted as the
insignia of Scotland.
ELECTION RIBBONS.
These party emblems were first introduced, March 14th, 1681.
The Protestant Intelligencer states, after mentioning the par-
liament that was held at Oxford this year, " on which occasion
the representatives of the city of London assembled at Guildhall
on the 17th of March, for the purpose of commencing their
journey. Many of the citizens met them there, intending to
accompany them part of their way, together with others who
were deputed to go to Oxford as a sort of council to the city
members. Some of our ingenious London weavers had against
this day contrived a very fine fancy, that is, a blue satin ribbon,
having these words plainly and legibly wrought upon it, ' No
Popery,' * No Slavery,' which, being tied up in knots, were worn
in the hats of the horsemen who accompanied our members."
Such was the origin of wearing ribbons on electioneering occa-
sions.
PERAMBULATING PARISHES ON ASCENSION DAY.
This custom is of considerable antiquity. Spelman thinks it
was derived from the heathens, and that it is an imitation of the
feast called Terminalia, which was observed in the month of
February, in honour of the god Terminius, who was supposed to
preside over bounds and limits, and to punish all unlawful usur-
pations of land.
In making the parochial perambulations in this country on
Ascension day, the minister, accompanied by the churchwardens
and parishioners, used to deprecate the vengeance of God, by a
blessing on the fruits of the earth, and implore him to preserve
the rights of the parish. This custom is thus noticed by Withers
in his Emblems:
" That every man might keep his own possessions,
Our fathers used in reverent processions
(With zealous prayers and many a praiseful cheer)
To walk their parish limits once a year ;
And well-known marks (which sacrilegious hands
Now cut or break) so border'd out their lands,
That every one distinctly knew his own,
And many brawls, now rife, were then unknown."
O
194 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
In Lysons' Environs of London, in the Churchwarden's Book r
of Children, there is the following :
1670. Spent at perambulation dinner 3 10
Given to the boys that were whipt 040
Paid for poynts for the boys 020
THE PASSING BELL.
The passing bell, so called, because the defunct has passed from
one state to another, owes its origin to an idea of sanctity attached
to bells by the early Romanists, who believed that the sound of
these holy instruments of percussion, actually drove the devil
away from the soul of the departing Christian.
Durand, who flourished about the end of the twelfth century,
tells us in his Rationale, " when any one is dying, bells must be
tolled, that the people may put up their prayers ; twice for a
woman, and thrice for a man ; if for a clergyman, as many times
as he had orders ; and, at the conclusion, a peal on all the bells,
to distinguish the quality of the person for whom the people are
to put up their prayers. A bell too must be rung when the
corpse is conducted to church, and during the bringing it out of
the church to the grave."
" Come list and hark, the bell doth toll
For some but now departing soul,
Whom even now those ominous fowle,
The bat, the night-jar, or screech owl,
Lament ; hark ! I hear the wilde wolfe howle
In this black night that seems to scowle,
All these my black book shall enscrole.
For hark! still still the bell doth toll
For some but now departing soul."
Rape of Lucrece.
CHIMES.
" How sweet the tuneful bells responsive peal !
As when at opening morn, the fragrant breeze
Breathes on the trembling sense of wan disease,
So piercing to my heart their force I feel !
"And hark! with lessening cadence now they fall,
And now, along the white and level tide,
They fling their melancholy music wide;
Bidding me many a tender thought recall
" Of summer days, and those delightful years,
When by my native streams, in life's' fair prime,
The mournful magic of their mingling chime
First waked my wondering childhood into tears!
" But seeming now, when all those days are o'er,
The sounds of joy once heard, and heard no more." *
Besides the common way of tolling bells, there is also a ringing,
which is a kind of chimes used on various occasions in token of
* Written at Ostend, July 22, 1787,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 195
This ringing prevails in no country so much as in England,
e it is a kind of diversion, and, for a piece of money, any
joy-
where
one may have a peal. On this account it is that England is
called the " ringing island."
Chimes are something very different, and much more musical ;
there is not a town in all the Netherlands without them, being an
invention of that country. The chimes at Copenhagen are one
of the finest sets in all Europe ; but the inhabitants, from a per-
tinacious fondness for old things, or the badness of their ear, do
not like them so well as the old ones, which were destroyed by
a conflagration.
OUTLAWRY.
Some may derive the antiquity of Outlawry from Cain, who
for the murder of his brother, was, as it were, out of the protec-
tion of the law ; or, as the ancient English would say, " a friendless
man;" however, although we cannot ascend so high as Cain,
certain it is, that this kind of punishment is very ancient, for
Caesar, speaking of the Druids, saith thus " Whoever he is that
obeys not their sentence, they forbid him their sacrifices, which
is amongst them the most grievous of punishments ; for they
who are thus interdicted, are accounted in the number of the
most impious and wicked, all people shunning them, and refusing
their conversation, lest they should receive damage by the infec-
tion thereof; nor is justice to be afforded them at their desire,
nor any honour allowed unto them."
Bracton describes the nature of our English outlawry thus :
"When any person is outlawed justly, and according to the
law of the land, let us see what he suffers by this his outlawry,
if after the first summons he doth not appear. First, therefore,
be it known, he forfeits his country and the kingdom, and be-
cometh a banished man, such an one as the English call utlaugh ;
but anciently they had wont to call him 'a friendless man,' whereby
it seemeth he forfeiteth his friends, so that if, after such outlawry
and expulsion, any one shall willingly give him food, and enter-
tain him, or knowingly converse with him in any sort whatever,
or shall shelter him and hide him, he is to undergo the same
punishment as the person outlawed ought to do, which is to lo^e
all his goods, and also his life, unless it please the king to be
more merciful to him," &c.
CARVING AT TABLE BY LADIES.
This custom, Verstegan says, originated among our Saxon
ancestors, and the title of lady sprung from this office ; as laford,
or loafgiver (now lord), was so called from his maintaining a
number of dependants ; so leaf-dian or loaf-dian, i. e., loaf-server,
is the origin of lady, she serving it to the guests.
196 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
GAMMON OF BACON AT EASTER.
Drake, in his "Shakspeare and his Times," says, the custom
of eating a gammon of bacon at Easter, still maintained in some
parts of England, is founded on the abhorrence our forefathers
thought proper to express, in that way, towards the Jews at the
season of commemorating the resurrection.
EPPING HUNT.
Fitzstephen informs us, that the hunting at Epping and round
London at Easter time, commenced in 1226, when King Henry
III. confirmed to the citizens of London free warren, or liberty
to hunt a circuit about their city, in the warren of Staines, Hain-
hault* forest, &c. ; and hi ancient times the lord mayor, aldermen,
and corporation, attended by a due number of their constituents,
availed themselves of this right of chase in solemn guise.
PETER PENCE.
The popular name of an impost otherwise termed " the fee of
Eome ;" originally a voluntary offer by the faithful to the see of
Home, afterwards a due levied in various amounts from every
house or family in a country. Peter pence were paid in France,
Poland, and other countries. In England, this tax was recog-
nised by the Norman laws of William the Conqueror. Edward
III. discontinued the payment when the popes resided at Avi-
gnon, but it was afterwards revived and finally ceased in the
reign of Henry VIII.
NIGHTLY WATCH.
The curfew bell was commanded by Y/illiam the Conqueror to
be nightly rung at eight o'clock, as a warning or command, that
all people should then put out their fires and lights, and con-
tinued throughout the realm till the time of Henry I., when
Stow says, " that it followed, by reason of warres within the
realme, that many men gave themselves up to robbery and mur-
ders in the night."
It appears that the city of London was subject to these disorders
till 1253, when Henry III. commanded watches to be kept in.
the cities and borough towns for the preservation of the peace ;
and further, that if from that time any murder or robbery was
committed, the town in which it was done should be liable to the
damages thereof. Such was the origin of the Nightly Watch.
* What is now called Epping Forest, was formerly a part of the Forest of
Hainhault.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 197
PRESENTATION OF LORD MAYOR OF LONDON TO THE LORD
CHANCELLOR.
King John granted to the citizens of London a charter, em-
powering them to choose their own mayor, yet by the same
power they were generally obliged to present him to the king
for his approbation, or, in his absence, to his justiciary; this
custom still remaining, he is yearly presented to the lord chancellor,
which many of the citizens regard as a needless ceremony ; 'twill
not be improper, says Maitland, to acquaint all who are of that
mind, that this confirming power is so essential, that without it
a mere stranger could act as well.
COUNTING OF HOB-NAILS, <fcc.
The year 1235 is memorable for a little city incident, which
has contrived to transmit its remembrance to our times, by
means of an annual ceremony at swearing-in the sheriff, September
30, before the cursitor barons of the exchequer, which is per-
formed with much solemnity by one of the aldermen, in presence
of the lord mayor, who goes into, and continues in the court
covered. One Walter le Bruin, a farrier, obtained a grant from
the crown of a certain spot of ground in the Strand, in the parish
of Clement Danes, whereon to erect a forge for carrying on his
business. For this the city was to pay annually an acknow-
ledgment, or quit rent, of six horse-shoes, with the nails apper-
taining, at the King's Exchequer, Westminster. The forge and
manufactory exist no longer, but the acknowledgment, after a
lapse of so many ages, continues still to be paid.
BONE-FIRES.
In earlier times they made fires of bones in commemoration of
John the Baptist, who, it is said, drove away many dragons when
in the wilderness by the burning of bones " of which they have
a great dislike." From this circumstance our bone-fires, although
made of wood, derive their cognomen.
FEAST OF ASSES.
The feast of asses in France was held in honour of Balaam's
ass, when the clergy, at Christmas, walked in procession, dressed
so as to represent the prophets. Suppressed early before 1445.
HOAXING.
The first hoax of a modern kind on record was practised by a
wag in the reign of Queen Anne. It appeared in the papers of
that time :
198 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
" A well-dressed man rode down the king's road from Fullia.ni
at a most furious rate, commanding each turnpike to be thrown
open, as he was a messenger conveying the news of the queen's
sudden death. The alarm instantly spread into every quarter
of the city ; the trained bands, who were on their parade, desisted
from their exercise, furled their colours, and returned home with
their arms reversed. The shopkeepers began to collect their
sables, when the jest was discovered not the author of it."
GOES OF LIQUOR.
The tavern called the Queen's Head, in Duke's Court, Bow
Street, was once kept by a facetious individual of the name of
Jupp. Two celebrated characters, Annesley Shay and Bob
Todrington, a sporting man (caricatured by old Dighton, and
nicknamed by him the *' knowing one," from his having con-
verted to his own use a large sum of money intrusted to him
by the noted Dick England, who was compelled to fly the
country, having shot Mr. Rolls in a duel which had a fatal
termination), met one evening at the above place, went to the
bar, and asked for half-a-quartern each, with a little cold water.
In course of time they drank four-and-twenty, when Shay said
to the other, " Now we'll go." " O no ! " replied he, " we'll have
another, and then go." This did not satisfy the Hibernians, and
they continued drinking on till three in the morning, when they
both agreed to GO, so that under the idea of going they made a
long stay, and this was the origin of drinking or calling for
Goes ; but another, determined to eke out the measure his own
way, used to call for a quartern at a time, and these in the
exercise of his humour he called
TARRING AND FEATHERING.
This custom, which had grown into disuse until just prior to
tlie old American war, when it was revived with great avidity to
the cost of our custom-house officers on the other side of the
Atlantic, takes its data or origin from the following : Holinshed
says, that in the reign of Richard Cceur-de-Lion, it was enacted,
" If any man be taken, with theft or pickery, and therein con-
victed, he shall have his head polled, and hot pitch poured on his
pate, and upon that feathers of some pillow or cushion shaken
aloft, that he may thereby be known as a thief, and at the next
arrivals of the ships to any land, be put forth of the company to
seek his adventures, without all hope of return to his fellows."
LAW OF SHIPWRECK.
By the Act of 3d Edward I., cap. 4, and 4th of the same king,
cap. 2, it is enacted, that if a man, a dog, or a cat, escape alive
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 199
out of any ship, such ship shall not be deemed a wreck. On the
6th December, 1824, the ship Dart, of Sunderland, drifted into
Portsmouth without a soul on board ; a live cat, however, being
found in the cabin, she escaped becoming a droit of the Admiralty,
and was given in charge of the sheriff, to be delivered to the
owners.
SPITAL SERMON.
This sermon, yearly preached on Easter Monday at Christ
Church, Christ's Hospital, derives its name from the priory arid
hospital of our blessed lady, St. Mary Spital, situated on the east
side of Bishopsgate Street, with fields in the rear, which now
form the suburb called Spitalfields. This hospital, founded in
1197, had a large churchyard, with a pulpit cross, from whence
it was an ancient custom on Easter Monday, Tuesday, and Wed-
nesday, for sermons to be preached on the resurrection, before
the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, Sheriffs, and others, who sat in a house
of two stories for the purpose, the Bishop of London and the pre-
lates being above them. In 1594, the pulpit was taken down, and
a new one set up, and a large house for the governors and
children of Christ's Hospital to sit in.* In April 1559, Queen
Elizabeth came in great state from St. Mary Spital, attended by
a thousand men in harness, with shirts of mail, and croslets, and
morris-pikes, and ten great pieces carried through London unto
the court, with drums, flutes, and trumpets sounding, and two
morris-dancers, and two white bears in a cart.t The Spital
sermons were, after the restoration, preached at St. Bride's, Fleet
Street, but have been since removed to Christ Church, Newgate
Street, where they are still preached every Easter Monday and
Easter Tuesday, before the Lord Mayor and Aldermen.
LION SERMON.
A merchant of London,^ about two centuries ago, went on a
voyage to Africa ; the ship was wrecked on the coast, and all
perished save himself. Exhausted, and deeply impressed with
his melancholy situation, he lay stretched on the shore, when to
his surprise and fright he saw approaching him an immense
lion ! Petitioning the Almighty to spare his life, he vowed, in
return for such a boon, to give on his arrival in England a part
of his wealth to the poor of his parish ; likewise, to perpetuate
his miraculous escape (should it be permitted him), to leave a
certain sum for the preaching of a sermon on the day on which
it occurred. The tradition states, his prayer was heard, the lion
looked on him and passed him ; he shortly after had the gratifi-
* Stow. f Maitland.
I Sir John Gager, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1646.
20*. to the Minister. 2*. Qd to the Clerk. 1*. to the Sexton.
200 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
cation to see a vessel approach ; he was taken on board, arrived
in London, and fulfilled his vow. At the parish church of St.
Catherine Cree, in Leadenhall Street, what is called the Lion
Sermon is preached on the day of the aforesaid miraculous
escape.
"Mighty monarch of the forest
Noble'Nature beats through thee;
All thy actions prove thee honest,
Courageous, merciful, brave, and free."
MAY-POLES.
The May-pole is up
Now give me a cup;
I'll drink to the garlands around it;
But first unto those
Whose hands did compose
The glory of flowers that crown'd it.
Herrick.
London in former times abounded with May-poles, they were
called shafts. Jeffrey Chaucer, writing of a vain boaster, hath
these words, alluding to a shaft in Cornhill, near to the church
of St. Andrew Undershaft.
" Right well aloft, and high you bear your head,
*********
As you would bear the great shaft of Cornhill." *
This shaft, or May-pole, was kept in an alley in the vicinity,
called Shaft Alley; and on the 1st of May was brought out,
dressed with flowers and birds' eggs, and reared up near unto
the church, amid the shoutings and rejoicings of the lookers-on.
At Gisor's Hall (Gerard's) also, was a long shaft, and which
was supposed by the ignorant to be the staff of one Geraldus a
giant, but which in fact was nothing more than a May-pole, that
was wont to be yearly brought out on the 1st of May, and placed
before the door.f
A processional engraving, by Yertue, among the prints of the
Antiquarian Society, represents a May-pole at a door or two
westward, beyond
" Where Catherine Street descends into the Strand."
Washington Irving says, "I shall never forget the delight I
felt on first seeing a May-pole. It was on the banks of the Dee,
close by the picturesque old bridge that stretches across the river
from the quaint little city of Chester. I already had been car-
ried back into former days by the antiquities of that venerable
place ; the examination of which is equal to turning over the
pages of a black letter volume, or gazing on the pictures in
* Formerly Cornhill extended thus far. f Stow.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 201
Froissart. The May-pole on the margin of that poetic stream
completed the illusion. My fancy adorned it with wreaths of
flowers, and peopled the green bank with all the dancing revelry
of May-day.
" The mere sight of this May-pole gave a glow to my feelings,
and spread a charm over the country for the rest of the day ; and
as I traversed a part of the fair plains of Cheshire, and the beau-
tiful borders of Wales, and looked from among swelling hills down
a long green valley, through which ' the Beva wound its Avizard
stream,' my imagination turned all into a perfect Arcadia. One
can readily imagine what a gay scene it must have been in jolly
old London, when the doors were decorated with flowering
branches, when every hat was decked with hawthorn ; and Robin
Hood, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, the Morris-dancers, and all the
other fantastic masks and revellers, were performing their antics
about the May-pole in every part of the city."
The May-pole is of Eoman origin, and formed part of the games
of Flora ; but it is mere conjecture as to the period when it was
first introduced into this country.
WHIPPING OF APPLE-TREES.
There are various customs still prevalent in honour of the
goddess Pomona, whom it was said presided over fruit. Among
others, is that of whipping the apple-trees, in order that they may
produce a plentiful crop. This custom is still observed at Wark-
ingham, in Surrey. Early in the spring the boys go round to
several orchards in the parish, and having performed the cere-
mony, they carry a little bag to the house, when the good woman
gives them some meal or oatmeal.
ETON MONTEM.
The triennial custom of the Eton scholars parading to Salt-hill,
and distributing salt, originated in the early clays of monkish
superstition, when the friars used to sell their consecrated salt
for medical purposes. The Montem was abolished in 1847, on
the representation of the Master of the College to Her Majesty
and the government, that its celebration was attended with cer-
tain inconveniences. Its abolition was, however, vigorously
opposed by many influential persons who had been educated
at Eton.
SWEARING BY BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE.
This originated in the manner of the Pope's blessing the world
yearly, from the balcony of St. Peter's at Rome. He holds a wax
taper lighted, a cardinal reads a curse on all heretics, and no
sooner is the last word uttered, than the bell tolls, and the Pope
202 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
changes the curse into a blessing, throwing down his taper among
the people.
EASTER.
Easter-day is distinguished by its peculiar name through our
Saxon ancestors, who at this season of the year held a great
festival, in honour of the goddess Eastor, probably the astarte of
the Eastern nations. Others think it is so called from the Saxon
Oster, to rise, being the day of Christ's resurrection. The French
call this festival pagues, derived from the Greek pascha, and
Hebrew pesech, i. e., passover, and whence we have the English
paschal, as applied to the Lamb in the last supper.
The earliest possible day whereon Easter can happen is the
22nd of March. It fell on that day in 1818, and cannot happen
on that day till the year 9285. The latest possible day whereon
Easter can happen is the 25th of April.
" Going a mothering," is from the Roman Catholic custom of
going to the mother church on Mid lent Sunday, to make offerings
at the high altar ; and that custom of the Eoman church is derived
from the. hilaria, or heathen festival, celebrated by the ancient
Romans, in honour of the mother of the gods, on the ides of March.
The offerings at the altars were in their origin voluntary, and
became church property. At length the parish priests com-
pounded with the church at a certain sum, and these voluntary
donations of the people have become the dues known by the name
of Easter offerings.
TANSEY PUDDING ON EASTER DAY.
The eating of tansey pudding at Easter, and particularly on
Easter Sunday, is derived from the Romish church. Tansey
symbolized the bitter herbs used by the Jews at their paschal ;
but that the people might show a proper abhorrence of the Jews,
they ate also from a gammon of bacon at Easter, as many still do
in several country places at this season, without knowing from
whence this practice is derived.
CHANTING IN CATHEDRALS.
The practice of Singing in Antiphony, i. e., by change or course,
now on one side and now on the other, which is still preserved
in cathedrals, was the practice of the churches in the earliest
ages of Christianity, and was no doubt derived from the usages
of the Jewish ritual.* In the reign of Theodosius, towards the
latter end of the fourth century, St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan,
* St. Ignatius, who was a disciple of St. John, is generally said to be the
first who suggested to the Jewish Christians the method of singing psalms
and hymns alternately; dividing the singers into two bands or choirs placed
on opposite sides.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 203
introduced into the churches at that place what is called the
Auibrosian chant, in order to rectify the practice of ecclesiastical
chanting, which was then falling into great confusion ; and St.
Augustine, when speaking of his first entrance into the church
there after his conversion, says " The voices flowed in at my
ears, truth was distilled in my heart, and the affection of piety
overflowed in sweet tears of joy." That splendidly sublime com-
position, the Te Deum, is generally attributed to St. Ambrose,
though the Benedictine editors of his works do not describe it
as his ; whilst by Cave and Stillingfleet it is said to have been
composed by him in conjunction with St. Augustine ; and Usher
ascribes it to Nicentius. The method of singing and chanting
was, according to Eusebius, first established by St. Ambrose at
Antioch, where he had long resided.
SALIQUE LAW IN FRANCE.
The Salique law, or the ancient and fundamental law of the
kingdom of France, usually supposed to have been made by
Pharamond, or at least by Clovis, in virtue whereof males are
only to inherit. Du Haillan, after a critical examination, declares
it to have been an expedient of Philip the Long, in 1316, for the
exclusion of the daughter of Lewis Hutin from inheriting the
crown.
Father Daniel, on the other hand, maintains, that it is quoted
by authors more ancient than Philip the Long, and that Clovis
is the real author of it. This law has not any particular regard
to the crown of France: it only imports, in general, that in Salic
land no part of the inheritance shall fall to any female, but the
whole to the male sex. By Salic lands, or inheritances, were
anciently denoted among us, all lands, by whatever tenure held,
whether noble or base, from the succession whereto women were
excluded by the Salic law; for they were by it admitted to
inherit nothing but movables and purchases wherever there
were any males.
COIN OF DORT.
Upon the coin of Dort, or Dordrecht, in Holland, is a cow,
under which is sitting a milkmaid. The same representation is
in relievo on the pyramid of an elegant fountain in that beautiful
town. Its origin is from the following historical fact: When
the united provinces were struggling for their liberty, two beau-
tiful daughters of a rich farmer, on their way to the town with
milk, observed, not far from their path, several Spanish soldiers
concealed behind some hedge's. The patriotic maidens pretended
not to have seen any thing, pursued their journey, and, as soon
as they arrived in the city, insisted upon an admission to the
burgomaster, who had not yet left his bed ; they were admitted,
294 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
and related what they had discovered. He assembled the council,
measures were immediately taken, the sluices were opened, and
a number of the enemy lost their lives in the water. The magis-
trates, in a body, honoured the farmer with a visit, where they
thanked his daughters for the act of patriotism which saved the
town ; they afterwards indemnified him fully for the loss he sus-
tained from the inundation, and the most distinguished young
citizens, vied with each other, who should be honoured with the
hands of those virtuous Milkmaids.
ARMS OF THE COBBLERS OF FLANDERS.
The emperor Charles V., being curious to know the sentiments
of his meanest subjects concerning himself and his administration,
often went incog., and mixed himself in such companies and con-
versations as he thought proper. One night, at Brussels, his
boot requiring immediate mending, he was directed to a cobbler.
Unluckily, it happened to be St. Crispin's Day, or holiday, and,
instead of finding the cobbler inclined for work, he was in the
height of his jollity among his acquaintances. The emperor ac-
quainted him with what he wanted, and offered him a handsome
gratuity. " What, friend 1 " says the fellow, " do you know no
better than to ask one of our craft to work on St. Crispin? Was
it Charles himself, I'd not do a stitch for him now ; but if you'll
come in and drink St. Crispin, do, and welcome : we are as merry
as the emperor can be." The emperor accepted the offer: but
while he was contemplating their rude pleasure, instead of join-
ing in it, the jovial host thus accosts him. " What, I suppose
you are some courtier politician or other, by that contemplative
phiz ; but be you who, or what you will, you are heartily wel-
come : drink about, here's Charles the Fifth's health." " Then
you love Charles the Fifth?" replied the emperor. "Love him!"
says the son of Crispin ; " ay, ay, I love his long-noseship well
enough ; but I should love him much better, would he but tax
us a little less ; but what have we to do with politics ? round with
the glasses, and merry be our hearts." After a short stay, the
emperor took his leave, and thanked the cobbler for his hospi-
table reception. "That," cried he, " you are welcome to ; but I
would not have dishonoured St. Crispin to-day, to have worked
for the emperor." Charles, pleased with the good-nature and
humour of the man, sent for him next morning to court. You
must imagine his surprise to see and hear his late guest was his
sovereign : he feared his joke upon his long nose must be punished
with death. The emperor, however, thanked him for his hospi-
tality, and, as a reward for it, bade him ask for what he most
desired, and take the whole night to settle his surprise and his
ambition. Next day he appeared, and requested that, for the
future, the cobblers of Flanders might bear for their arms, a boot
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 205
'with the emperor's crown upon it. That request was granted, and,
as his ambition was so moderate, the emperor bade him make
another. " If," says he, " I am to have ,my utmost wishes, com-
mand that, for the future, the Company of Cobblers shall take
place of the Company of Shoemakers." It was, accordingly, so
ordained ; and, to this day, there is to be seen a chapel in Flan-
ders adorned with a boot and imperial crown on it : and in all
processions, the Company of Cobblers take precedence of the
Company of Shoemakers.
SELKIRK ARMS.
A singular custom is observed at Selkirk, on the conferring of
the freedom ot^that borough. Four or five bristles, such as are
used by shoemakers, are attached to the seal of the burgesses'
tickets. These the new-made burgess must dip in his wine, in
token of respect for the " Soulters of Selkirk." This ceremony is
on no account dispensed with. The ancient and received tra-
dition affirms, that the Soulters of Selkirk distinguished them-
selves in the battle of Flodden, eighty in number, and, headed by
the town-clerk, they joined their monarch on his entry into Eng-
land. James, pleased with the appearance of this gallant troop,
knighted the leader. William Brydom, upon the field of battle,
from which few of the men of Selkirk were destined to return.
They distinguished themselves in the conflict, and were almost
all slain. The few survivors, on their return home, found by the
side of Lady-Wood-Edge the corpse of a female, wife to one of
their fellow comrades, with a child sucking at her breast. In
memory of this last event, continues the tradition, the present
arms of the burgh bear a female with a child in her arms, and
seated on a sarcophagus, decorated with the Scottish lion.
LONDON ARMS.
The dagger which is quartered in the London arms, was granted
by Eichard II., in commemoration of Sir William Walworth,
who, having felled Wat Tyler to the ground with his mace,
dispatched him afterwards with his dagger. The original weapon
may be seen in the hand of the statue of Sir William Walworth,
in Fishmongers' Hall.
ABLUTIONS OF THE ROMANS ON THE FIRST OF APRIL.
The Eomans on the first of April abstained from pleading causes,
and the ladies, in particular, performed ablutions under myrtle
trees, crowned themselves with its leaves, and offered sacri-
fices to Venus. This custom originated in a mythological story,
that, as Yenus was drying her wetted hair by a river side, she
was perceived by Satyrs, whose gaze confused her :
" But soon with myrtles she her beauties veil'd,
From whence this annual custom was entail'd." Ovid.
206 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ORIGIN OF FAIRS.
A fair is a solemn or greater sort of market, granted to any
town or city by privilege, for the more speedy and commodious
providing of such things as the subject needeth. Both the Eng-
lish and the French word for fairs seem to come from ferice,
because it is incident to a fair, that persons shall be privileged
from being arrested or molested in it from any other debt than
that contracted in the fair, or at least was promised to be paid
there.
Fairs were first occasioned by the resort of people to the Feast
of Dedication; and therefore, in most places, the fairs by old
custom were held on the same day with the wake or festival of
the saint to whom the church was dedicated, and for the same
reason kept it in the churchyard.
When bishops and abbots observed that crowds of people
assembled to celebrate the festivities of their patron saints, they
applied to the crown for charters to hold fairs at those times, for
the accommodation of strangers, and with a view to increase their
own revenues by the tolls which their charters authorized them
to levy at these fairs. Hence the multitude of attendants in-
creased, some of whom were actuated by religious, and others by
commercial views.
Our ancestors were particularly anxious to make fairs useful
to the public, and not, as many suppose, a public nuisance. Fairs
are not to be kept longer than the time allowed, on pain of being
seized into the king's hands. No merchant is to sell goods and
merchandise in a fair after it is ended, under the penalty of for-
feiting double the value of the goods so sold. One-fourth goes
to the prosecutor, and the rest to the king : 5 Edw. III., cap. 13.
The citizens of London could not carry their goods to any fair
or market out of London before 3 Henry VII., cap. 9, but by
that statute they can take their merchandise to any market or
fair in England.
BARTHOLOMEW FAIR.
Stow says, that "to the priory of St. Bartholomew, king
Henry II. granted the privilege of a faire, to bee kept yeerly at
Bartholomewtide for three daies, to wit, the eve, the day, and
the next morrow, to which the clothiers of England and drapers
of London repaired, and had their boothes and standings within
the churchyard of this priory, closed in with walls and gates,
locked every night, and watched for safety of men's goods and
wares ; a court of piepoudres was daily during the faire holden,
for debts and contracts. But," continues Stow, " notwithstanding
all proclamations of the prince, and also the act of parliament, in
place of boothes within this churchyard (only letten out in the
faire time, and closed up all the yeere after), bee many large
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 207
houses builded, and the north wall towards Long Lane taken
downe, a number of tenements are there erected, for such as will
give great rents." " The forrainers," he adds, " were licenced for
three daies, the freemen so long as they would, which was sixe
or seven daies."*
This was the origin of Bartholomew Fair, over which the
charter of Henry II. gave the mayor and aldermen criminal
jurisdiction during its continuance. This Fair can now hardly
be said to exist, as it consists of only a few toy stalls and fruit
barrows.
LADY HOLLANDS' MOB.
This multitude, composed of the most degraded characters of
the metropolis, was accustomed to knock at the doors, and ring
the bells, with loud shouting and vociferation ; and they often
committed gross outrages on persons and property. The year
1822 was the last year in which they appeared in any alarming
force, and then the inmates of the houses they assailed, or before
which they paraded, were aroused and kept in terror by their
violence. In Skinner Street, especially, they rioted undis-
turbed until between three and four in the morning: at one
period that morning, their number was not less than 5,000, but it
varied as parties went off, or came in, to and from the assault
of other places.
It has been supposed that this mob first arose, and has been
continued, in celebration of a verdict obtained by a Mr. Holland,
which freed the fair from toll ; but this is erroneous. It may be
traced as far back as the Commonwealth, when the ruling powers,
in an attempt to suppress the fair, were defeated by the Holland
Interest. They first assemble in Cloth Fair, at the Hand and
Shears.
HORN FAIR.
At the pleasant village of Charlton, on the north side of Black-
heath, about eight miles from London, a fair is held annually on
St. Luke's day. It is called Horn Fair, from the custom of carry-
ing Horns at it formerly, and the frequenters still wearing them !
Upon taking the air down the river (from London), on the left hand
lies Eatcliffe, a considerable suburb. On the opposite shore is
fixed a long pole, with Ram's Horns upon it, the intention of which
was vulgarly said to be a reflection upon wilful and contented
cuckolds, f An old newspaper states, that it was formerly a
custom for a procession to go from some of the inns in Bishops-
gate Street, in which were a king, a queen, a miller, a counsellor,
&c., and a great number of others, with horns in their hats, to
* Bartholomew Fair was limited in 1750 to three days, besides the pro-
clamation day.
t Hentzner.
208 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Cliarlton, where they went round the church three times. This
was accompanied by so many indecencies on Blackheath, such as
the whipping of females with furze, &c., that it gave rise to the
proverb, " All is fair at Horn fair." * Others say, the horn-bear-
ing at this fair, may be conjectured to have originated from the
symbol accompanying the figure of St. Luke ; as he is represented
in the act of writing, with an ox or cow by his side, whose horns
are conspicuous.
PECKHAM FAIR.
Peckham is said to be only a continuation of Camberwell, and
not a district fair ; yet there is a tradition, that king John, hunt-
ing there, killed a stag, and was so well pleased with his sport,
that he granted the inhabitants a charter for a fair. It may be
inferred from the " right merrie" humour of this monarch at the
close of his sport, that it was somewhat in different style to that
of Henry V. ; for he, " in his beginning, thought it meere scofferie
to pursue auie fallow deere with houndes or greihounds, but sup-
posed himselfe always to have done a sufficient act when he had
tired them by his own travell on foot." Hollinshed.
MAY FAIR.
The locality adjacent to the west end of Piccadilly, derives its
name from a celebrated fair as early as the reign of Charles II.
held here, which commenced on the first of May, and from whence
it was called May Fair.
Mr. Carter, the antiquary, says, in a communication to his
valued friend, the venerable Sylvanus Urban, and which is dated
March 6th, 1816 : " Fifty years have passed away since this place
of amusement was at its highest attraction : the spot where the
fair was held still retains the name of May Fair, and exists in
much the same state as at the above period : for instance, Shep-
herd's Market, and houses surrounding it, on the north and east
sides, with White Horse Street, Shepherd's Court, Sun Court,
Market Court. Westwards, an open space extending to Tyburn
(now Park Lane), since built upon, in Chapel Street, Shepherd's
Street, Market Street, Hertford Street, &c. ; southwards, the
noted Ducking Pond, house, and gardens, since built upon, in a
large riding-school, Carrington Street (the noted Kitty Fisher
lived in this street)," &c. He then proceeds to enumerate the
amusements of the fair, such as dramatic performances, duck-
hunting, fire-eating, sausage-eating, prize-fighting and cudgeling,
ass-races, bull-baiting, grinning for a hat, running for a shift, and
various other amusements, which the Londoners in those days
amused themselves with. This Fair was finally abolished in the
reign of George III., when George, sixth Earl of Coventry, then a
* Brand.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 209
resident in Piccadilly, disturbed with the riots and uproar of the
place, procured its abolition.
STOURBRIDGE FAIR.
Fuller relates, Stourbridge Fair is so called from Stour, a little
rivulet (on both sides whereof it is kept) on the east of Cambridge,
whereof this original is reported. A clothier of Kendal, a town
characterised to be Lanificii gloria et industria, prcecdlens, casually
wetting his cloth in water in his passage to London, exposed it
there to sale on cheap terms, as the worse for wetting ; and yet,
it seems, saved by the bargain. Next year he returned again,
v/ith some other of his townsmen, proffering drier and dearer cloth
to be sold ; so that within a few years hither came a confluence
of buyers, sellers, and lookers-on, which are the three principles
of a fair.
In memoria thereof, Kendal men challenge some privilege in
that place, annually choosing one of the town to be chief, before
whom an antic sword was carried, with some mirthful solemnities,
disused of late, since these sad times, which put men's minds into
more serious employment. This was about 1417.
ASTLErS PRIZE WHERRY.
Formerly, Philip Astley, the celebrated proprietor of the
theatre called after him, was accustomed to give fire-works on
our late venerable monarch's birthday, from barges moored in
the centre of the Thames, off Stangate, when the performances
of the theatre were over. An accident, however, happening on
one occasion, and many lives being lost, they were discontinued,
and a Prize Wherry given away every anniversary, till a year or
so after Mr. Astley's death, when the old custom was discon-
tinued.
DOGGETT'S COAT AND BADGE.
The first of August has long been famed for the rowing match
for " Doggett's Coat and Badge ;" so called from Thomas Doggett,
the actor,'who died in 1721. He left a sum of money, vested in
the Fishmongers' Company, for the annual purchase of a water-
man's coat and silver badge, to be rowed for on the first of August
by young watermen who had finished their apprenticeship, be-
twixt Old Swan Stairs, London Bridge, and the Old Swan at
Chelsea. Such is the origin of this annual custom.
RIDING THE BLACK LAD.
A singular custom prevails at Ashton-under-Lyne, on Easter
Monday. Every year, on that day, the rude figure of a man,
p
210 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
made of an old suit of clothes stuffed with rags, hay, &c., is car-
ried on a horse through all the streets. The people who attend
it call at every public-house, for the purpose of begging liquor
for its thirsty attendants, who are always numerous. During its
progress, the figure is shot at from all parts. When the journey
is finished, it is tied to the market cross, and the shooting is con-
tinued till it is set on fire, and falls to the ground.
This custom, it is said, originated with one of the Ashetons,
who possessed a considerable landed property in this part of Lan-
cashire. He was Vice-Chancellor to Henry VI., who exercised
great severity on his own lands, and established the gool or guld
riding. He is said to have made his appearance on Easter Mon-
day, clad in black armour, and on horseback, followed by a nume-
rous train, for the purpose of claiming the penalties arising from
the neglect of farmers clearing their corn of " the carr gulds." *
The tenants looked upon this visit with horror, and tradition has
still perpetuated the prayer that was offered for a deliverance
from his power :
" Sweet Jesu, for thy mercy's sake,
And for thy bitter passion ;
Save us from the axe of the Tower,
And from Sir Ralph of Asheton."
It is alleged, that on one of his visits on Easter Monday, he
was shot as he was riding down the principal street, and that
the tenants took no trouble to find out the murderer, but entered
into a subscription, the interest of which was to make an effigy
to his memory. At the present day, however, the origin is never
thought of, and the money is derived from publicans, whose
interests it is to keep up the custom.
RIDING STANG-.
This is a custom peculiar to the north of England ; its origin,
however, is uncertain. The Stang is a Cowl-staff; the Cowl is a
water vessel, borne by two persons on the Cowl-staf, which is a
stout pole whereon the vessel hangs. " Where's the Cowl-staff?"
cries Ford's wife, when she purposes to get Falstaff into a large
buck-basket, with two handles ; the Cowl-staff, or Stang, is pro-
duced, and being passed through the handles, the fat knight is
borne off l)y two of Ford's men. A writer in the Gentleman's
Magazine, 1791, says, that "in Westmoreland and Cumberland,
on the first of January, multitudes assemble early in the morning
with baskets and Stangs, and whoever does not join them, whether
inhabitant or stranger, is immediately mounted across the Stang,
and carried, shoulder height, to the next public-house, where
sixpence liberates the 1 prisoner."
* Corn Marygold.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 211
Hiding the Stang is adopted in Yorkshire among the lower
orders, on the discovery of any frailty on the side of either man
or wife. A staug is then procured, on which "a good-natured
friend" mounts, and is borne through the streets in the dusk of
the evening, on the shoulders of two men, preceded by a man
carrying a lantern. At every fifty yards or so, they make a
halt, when the exalted personage roars out somewhat similar to
the following :
" Good neighbours attend, while I you harangue,
'Tis neither for your sake, nor my sake,
That I ride the Stang.
But it is for the wife of Oliver Gray
That I ride the Stang."
This oration being concluded, the mob hurrahs, and after
repeating it in different places, proceed to the residence of the
frail one, where they conclude with hootings and jeerings, and
then disperse.
ROAST PIG I
Elia maintains, that of all the delicacies in the whole eatable
world, Roast Pig is the most delicious and delicate. " I speak,"
he says, " not of your grown porkers, things between pig and
pork, those hobydehoys, but a young and tender suckling under
a moon old, guiltless as yet of the stye, with his voice as not yet
broken, but something between a childish treble and a grumble,
the mild forerunner, or prceludiuin of a grunt."
Elia quotes from a Chinese MS., that roast pig, like a great
many other important discoveries, was purely accidental, as
follows, viz., " The swineherd, Hoti, having gone out into the
woods one morning, as his manner was, to collect mast for his
hogs, left his cottage in the care of his eldest son, Bo-bo, a great
lubberly boy, who, being fond of playing with fire, as younkers
of his age commonly are, let some sparks escape into a bundle of
straw, which, kindling quickly, spread the conflagration over
every part of their poor mansion, till it was reduced to ashes.
Together with the cottage (a sorry antediluvian make-shift of a
building, you may think it), what was of much more importance,
a fine litter of new-farrowed pigs, no less than nine in number,
perished. China pigs have been esteemed a luxury all over the
East, from the remotest period that we read of. Bo-bo was in
the utmost consternation, as you may think, not so much for the
sake of the tenement, which his father and he could easily build up
again with a few dry branches, and the labour of an hour or two,
at any time, as for the loss of the pigs. While he was thinking
what he should say to his father, and wringing his hands over
the smoking remnants of one of those untimely sufferers, an odour
assailed his nostrils, unlike any scent which he had before expe-
rienced. What could it proceed from 1 not from the burnt cottage j
212 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
he had smelt that smell before : indeed, this was by no means the
first accident of the kind which had occurred through the negli-
gence of this unlucky young firebrand. Much less diet it resemble
that of any known herb, weed, or flower. A premonitory moisten-
ing at the same time overflowed his nether lip. He knew not
what to think. He next stooped down to feel the pig, if there
were any signs of life in it. He burnt his fingers, and to cool
them, he applied them, in his booby fashion, to his mouth. Some
of the crumbs of the scorched skin had come away with his fingers,
and for the first time in his life (in the world's life indeed, for
before him no man had known it), he tasted crackling ! Again
he felt and fumbled at the pig. It did not burn him so much
now, still he licked his fingers from a sort of habit. The truth,
at length, broke into his slow understanding, that it was the pig
that smelled so, and the pig that tasted so delicious ; and, sur-
rendering himself up to the newborn pleasure, he fell to tearing
up whole handfuls of the scorched skin with the flesh next it, and
was cramming it down his throat in his beastly fashion, when his
sire entered, amid the smoky rafters, armed with a retributory
cudgel, and finding how affairs stood, began to rain blows upon
the young rogue's shoulders, as thick as hailstones, which Bo-bo
heeded not, any more than if they had been flies. The tickling
pleasure which he experienced in his lower regions, had rendered
him quite callous to any inconveniences he might feel in those
remote quarters. His father might lay on, but he could not beat
him from his pig. Bo-bo, in the afternoon, regardless of his
father's wrath, and with his scent wonderfully sharpened since
moriiiiig, soon raked out another pig, and fairly rending it asunder,
thrust the lesser half by main force into the fists of Ho-ti ; still
shouting out, ' Eat, eat, eat the burnt pig, father : only taste ; O
Lord ! ' with suchlike barbarous ejaculations, cramming all the
while as if he would choke. The narrative relates, that Ho-ti
trembled every joint while he grasped the abominable thing,
wavering whether he should not put his sou to death for an
unnatural young monster, when the crackling scorched his fingers,
as it had done his son's, and applying the same remedy to them,
he in his turn tasted some of its flavour, which, make what sour
mouths he would for a pretence, proved not altogether displeas-
ing to him. In conclusion (for the manuscript here is a little
tedious), both father and son fairly sat down to the mess, and
never left off till they had dispatched all that had remained of
the litter. Bo-bo was strictly enjoined not to let the secret escape,
for the neighbours would certainly have stoned them for a couple
of abominable wretches, who could think upon improving the
good meat which God had sent them. Nevertheless, strange
stories got about. It was observed, Ho-ti's cottage was burnt
down now, more frequently than ever.. Nothing but fires from
this time forward. Some would break out in broad day, others
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 213
in the Bight-time* As often as the sow farrowed, so sure was the
house of Ho-ti to be in a blaze ; and Ho-ti himself, which was the
more remarkable, instead of chastising his son, seemed to grow
more indulgent to him than ever. At length they were watched,
the terrible mystery discovered, and father and son summoned to
take their trial at Pekin, then an inconsiderable assize-town.
"Evidence was given,the obnoxious food itself produced in court,
and verdict about to x be pronounced, when the foreman of the
jury begged that some of the burnt pig, of which the culprits
stood accused, might be handed into the jury box. He handled
it, and they all handled it, and burning their fingers, as Bo-bo
and his father had done before them, and nature prompting to
each of them the said remedy, against the face of all the facts, and
the clearest charge which judge had ever given to the surprise
of the whole court, townsfolk, strangers, reporters, and all present ;
without leaving the box, or any manner of consultation whatever,
they brought in a simultaneous verdict of Not Guilty.
" The judge, who was a shrewd fellow, winked at the manifest
iniquity of the decision ; and when the court was dismissed, went
privily, and bought up all the pigs that could be had for love or
money. In a few days his lordship's town-house was observed to
be on fire. The thing took wing, and now there was to be seen
fires in every direction. Fuel and pigs grew enormously clear all
over the district. The insurance olfices, one and all, shut up shop.
People built slighter and slighter every day, until it was feared
that the very science of architecture would in no long time be
lost to the world. Thus this custom of firing houses continued,
till in process of time, says the manuscript, a sage arose, like our
Locke, who made a discovery, that the flesh of swine, or indeed
of any other animal, might be cooked (burnt, as they called it),
without the .necessity of consuming a whole house to dress it.
They commenced with a gridiron ; then came the string and the
spit. By such slow degrees, continues the manuscript, do the
most useful, and seemingly the most obvious arts, make their way
among mankind !"
COUNSELLORS' FEES.
Counsellors' fees were not known till the reign of our Edward
III. The counsellors up to that period were considered as hold-
ing honorary situations. It is true, they had a certain stipend
from the crown, but it was " no cure, no pay," as regarded their
client.
Up to the reign alluded to, the king generally presided (espe-
cially Edward I., who was called our English Justinian) in the
King's Bench ; * hence the honour of pleading before the sove-
reign was considered in a measure equivalent to a golden fee.
It was at the latter end of this monarch's reign, that giving fees
* See origin of term Banco Regis.
214 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
was first practised. The custom, however, had prevailed long
before in other countries. The translator of the Hedaya (a com-
mentary on the Mussulman laws), in his preliminary discourse,
mentions, among the most celebrated lawyers of India (native),
one Aboo Yoosaf, who flourished about A.D. 750. He not only
acquired a high degree of fame by his legal knowledge, but also
amassed a very considerable fortune in the space of a few years.
He is reported to have been a person of great acuteness, ready
wit, and prompt in expedients; of which a remarkable instance
is recorded in the Negaristan, whereby he obtained, in one night,
fees to the amount of 50,000 gold denars, at a round computation,
20,000 ! What would some of our celebrated lawyers say to
this '? Their paltry fees of two or three hundred guineas, would
have been mere drops in the bucket of Aboo Yoosaf.
DE COURCY PRIVILEGE.
The privilege which this family enjoy, of standing before the
king covered, was granted, it is said, by king John, in 1203; in
consequence of one of that family having vanquished a foreign
knight, who had challenged every court in Europe, and up to
that period had carried off every laurel.
COURTING ON SATURDAY NIGHTS.
Even in cities, amid the more busy haunts of men, on a Saturday
evening we toast " Sweethearts and Wives," and this arose out
of the country courtings on the night of the same day. It was
an ancient practice to cease from all servile labour at three
o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and to attend evening prayers
preparatory for the ensuing Sabbath. This vigil offered a
convenient opportunity for courting, which custom continued
after religious observances had ceased.
WILLS.
Koman Wills were sealed by seals applied after they had
pierced the deeds, and had passed the linen envelope three times
through the holes, a method established in the time of Nero
against forgers, and adopted in Germany and Gaul, where it
remained till the middle age. Outside the will, were written
the names of those who had affixed their seals. Upon the first
page, or left hand tablet, were written the names of the principal
heirs ; upon the second, or right hand tablet, the names of the
legatees. To this Horace alludes. The Greek wills were signed
and sealed in the presence of the magistrate. Cicero shews how
easy of detection were the Roman testamentary tablets. Anglo-
Saxon wills were written on three copies, each to match, like a
tally, and after being read over in the presence of various
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 215
persons, were severally consigned to separate custodies, and this
custom continued to the 15th and 16th centuries; for then Lord
Maurice Berkeley, before he went abroad, left three several wills
in the custody of three several friends, lest any one should be lost.
Du Cange mentions wills written on wood or bark ; the latter
in 699. Church chests were the depositaries of wills. From the
Norman Conquest, they had been generally written in Latin;
but in the reign of Edward the Third, English w r as used. Wills
were made so far back as the reign of Henry I. (says another
writer), in 1100; there was no law, however, to make them
binding. Wills to devise lands, were first established by law in
the reign of Henry VIII., and universally so, as to all real and
movable property, at the Restoration.
The first will of a Sovereign of England on record, is that of
Eichard II., in 1399. There is little doubt but wills originated
with the Egyptians, although not used in Europe till ages after.
MOURNING.
Mourning, among the ancients, was expressed by very different
signs, as by tearing their clothes, wearing sackcloth, laying aside
crowns, and other ensigns of honour ; thus Plutarch, in his life of
Cato, relates, that from the time of his leaving the city with
Pompey, he neither shaved his head, nor, as usual, wore the
crown or garland. A public grief was sometimes testified by a
general fast. Among the Eomans, a year of mourning was
ordained by law, for women who had lost their husbands. In
public mourning, the shops of Rome were shut up ; the senators
laid aside their laticlavian robes, the consuls sat in a lower seat
than usual, and the women put aside all their ornaments.
The colours of the dress, or habit, worn to signify grief, are
different in different countries. In Europe, the ordinary colour
for mourning is black; in China it is white, a colour that was the
mourning of the ancient Spartan and Roman ladies ; in Turkey
it is blue, or violet ; in Egypt, yellow ; in Ethiopia, brown ; and
kings and cardinals mourn in purple.
Every nation and country gave a reason for their wearing the
particular colour of their mourning : black, which is the privation
of light, is supposed to denote the privation of life ; white is an
emblem of purity ; yellow is to represent, that death is tha end
of all human hopes, because this is the colour of leaves when they
fall, and flowers when they fade ; brown denotes the earth, to
which the dead return ; blue is an emblem of the happiness
which it is hoped the deceased enjoys; and purple, or violet, is
supposed to express a mixture of sorrow and hope.
The custom of mourning for the dead in shrieks and howlings,
is of great antiquity, and prevails almost universally among the
followers of Mahomet.
216 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
INTERMENTS AND CHURCHYARDS.
Agreeably to the Old Eoman Law of the Twelve Tables, the
places of inhumation of the ancients were universally excluded
from the precincts of their cities. In England, churchyards for
burial are not of earlier date than the year 750, and the moderns
would have done well if they had followed the custom of the
ancients, in burying not within the city, but without its walls.
Clemens is of opinion, that the tombs of the Athenians (see
article Mausoleum) were the origin of all their temples. He
says, the first place of worship in the Acropolis of Athens, was
the Sepulchre of Cecrops ; upon which spot the Parthenon was
afterwards erected.
The ceremonies of sepulture vary with most nations, and have
undergone various changes even in this country. Spelman says,
" much more joyous was the ceremony of sepulture among the
Anglo-Saxons than that of marriage. The house in which the
body lay till its burial, was a perpetual scene of feasting, singing,
dancing, and every species of riot. This was very expensive to
the family of the deceased ; and in the north it was carried so
far, that the corpse was forcibly kept unburied by the visiting
friends, until they were certain that they had consumed all the
wealth that the deceased had left behind him, in games and
festivity. In vain did the Church exert itself against such
enormities. The custom had prevailed during the times of
Paganism, and was much too pleasant to be abandoned by the
half Christians of the early centuries."
Were every place of sepulture like unto the celebrated one of
Pere la Chaise (see article under this head), at Paris, how much
more consistent and conformable they would be with the mild
spirit of Christianity ; instead of the disgusting receptacles which
disgrace every large town in England, and which will shortly be
placed under the entire control of parliament.
HEARSES.
Du Cange says : hearses erected in the church were anciently
common, and the term signified a candlestick, furnished with dif-
ferent lights, and erected at the head of the cenotaph. We are
told also, that about the time of Edward III. began the use of
hearses, composed entirely of wax lights, called castra doloris
(keeps of grief). Hearses over the grave for a continuance, and
with lights, occur long before and after. As to movable hearses,
they were of diiferent forms, and not of so early an origin. The
term, as applied to the vehicle containing the body, was first
used in the reign of William and Mary. So late as the reign of
Charles II., at the burial of a peer, the body was borne on men's
shoulders to the grave.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 217
BILLS OF MORTALITY.
Bills of mortality took rise (says Pennant) in 1592 ; in which
year began a great pestilence, which continued till the 18th of
December, 1595. During this period they were kept, in order to
ascertain the number of persons who died; but when the plague
ceased, the bills were discontinued. They were resumed again
in 1603. At the original institution there were only 109 parishes ;
others were gradually added, and by the year 1681, the number
was 132. Since that time 14 more have been added, so that the
whole amounts to 146, viz.:
97 Within the walls.
16 Without the walls.
23 Out Parishes in Middlesex and Surrey.
10 In the City and Liberties of Westminster.
DIVORCES.
" 'Twas Parisian aspect which upset old Troy,
And founded Doctors' Commons ; I have conn'd
The History of Divorces, which, though chequer'd,
Calls llion's the first damages on record." Byron.
The Jewish Law of Divorce is founded on the directions given
in the 24th chapter of Deuteronomy. In Greece, in ancient
times, the practice of divorce seems to have been varied in dif-
ferent States. Our Saviour's declaration to the Pharisee, in the
19th chapter of St. Matthew, became the foundation of the law
on this subject in Christian countries, and divorces were conse-
quently allowed in one particular case only. In England,
divorce on the ground of adultery can only be obtained by Act
of Parliament.
JUDGES' BOUQUETS.
The practice of judges having a nosegay placed before them, is
not, as is generally imagined, a mere preservation against the
close air of a crowded court, but is the relic of a primitive and
ancient custom of the judge holding the bough^ or sceptre of
justice, in his hand ; it was formerly called a bouquet, or little
bough, whence the French took their word bouquet for a nose-
gay-
ERA, MONTHS, WEEKS, DAYS, &c.
SUMMER.
The word Summer is derived from. Sun. or rather from its pre-
valence at the season of the year so named. It was originally
Sun-ner, or Sun-mer ; the latter syllable, as in many other in-
stances, being introduced for the sake of harmony.
218 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
WINTER.
The word Winter is derived from the Wind, i. e., the time of
year when the wind is most prevalent or boisterous ; the t hav-
ing taken place of the d; and the er being merely added to
harmonize the word.
MONTH.
This term, as applied to the twelve divisions of the year, is
derived from our Saxon ancestors, who called it Monat or Monatk.
It is so called from its being the period of the moon's revolution
round the earth.
WEEK.
A period of seven days, of uncertain origin, but which has
been used from time imm'emorial in eastern countries. By some
writers, the use of weeks is supposed to be a remnant of the tra-
dition of the creation ; while others refer its origin to the seven
planets known in ancient time.
JANUARY.
This is the first, and generally the coldest, month in the year,
says Hone, in his " Every Day Book." It derives its name from
Janus, a deity represented by the Romans with two faces, be-
cause he was acquainted with past and future events.
FEBRUARY.
This month hath Pisces, or the fishes, for its zodiacal sign.
Numa, who was chosen by the Eoman people to succeed Romulus
as their king, and became their legislator, placed it the second
in the year, as it remains with us, and dedicated it to Neptune,
the lord of waters. Its name is from Februa or Feralia, sacrifices
offered to the gods at this season.
MARCH.
March is the third month of the year ; with the ancients it
was the first. According to Mr. Leigh Hunt, from Ovid, the
Romans named it Mars, the god of war, because he was the
father of their first prince. As to the deity's nature, March has
certainly nothing in common with it ; for though it affects to be
very rough, it is one of the best-natured months in the year,
drying up the superabundant mixture of winter with its fierce
winds, and thus restoring us our paths through the fields, and
piping before the flowers like a Bacchanal.
APRIL.
This is the fourth month of the year. Its Latin name is Aprilis,
from Aperio, to open or set forth. The Saxons called it Oster .or
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 219
Eastermonatk, in which month the feast of the Saxon goddess
Eastre, Easter, or Eoster, is said to have been celebrated. April,
with us, is sometimes represented as a girl clothed in green, with
a garland of myrtle and hawthorn buds ; holding in one hand
primroses and violets, and in the other the zodiacal sign Taurus,
or the bull, into which constellation the sun enters during this
month.
MAY.
The fifth month of the year, but the third of the Eoman. The
name is supposed by some to be derived from Maia, the month of
Mercury, to whom the Romans oifered sacrifices on the first day
of the month. Others ascribe its name to its having been dedi-
cated by Romulus to the Majores, or Roman senators. Verstegan
affirms of the Anglo-Saxons, that " the pleasant month of May,
they termed by the name of Trimitki, because they then milked
their kine three times in the day."
JUNE.
Mr. Leigh Hunt observes, in his " Months," that the name of
June, and indeed that of May, gave rise to various etymologies ;
but the most probable one derives it from Juno, in honour of
whom a festival was celebrated at the beginning of the month.
Our Saxon ancestors called it Weydmonat, because their beasts
then did weyd in the meadows. Verstegan says, the Teutonick
weyd signifies " wade, which we understand of going through
watrie places, such as meadows are wont to be." This month
consisted originally of twenty-six days, to which Romulus is said
to have added four. Numa afterwards deprived it of one day,
which, however, was again restored by Julius Caesar, and it has
ever since remained unaltered.
JULY.
Tins is the seventh month of the year. According to ancient
reckoning it was the fifth, and called Quintilis until Mark Antony
denominated it July, in compliment to Caius Caesar, the Roman
dictator, whose name w r as Julius, who improved the calendar,
and was born in this month.
July was called by the Saxons henmonath, which probably
expressed the meaning of the German word ham, signifying wood,
or trees ; and hence henmonath might mean/o^'aye month. They
likewise called it heymonath, or haymonth; "because," says Ver-
stegan, u therein they usually mowed and made their hay harvest ;"
and they also denominated it Lida-aftera, meaning the second
Lida, or second month after the sun's descent.* The dog-days
are supposed to commence on the third of this month.
* Dr. F. Sabers.
220 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
AUGUST.
August is the eighth month of the year. It was called Sextilis
by the Romans, from its being the sixth month in their calendar,
until the senate complimented the emperor Augustus, by naming
it after him, and through them it is by us denominated August.
Our Saxon ancestors, according to Verstegan, called it Arn-monat,
(more rightly bam-monath) intending thereby the then filling of
their barns with corn.
SEPTEMBER.
' This, which is the ninth month of the year, was anciently the
seventh, as its name imports, which is a compound of Septem,
seven, and imber, a shower of rain, from the rainy season usually
commencing at this period of the year.
Our Saxon ancestors called this month Gerst-monat, " for that
barley which that moneth commonly yeelded was antiently called
gerst, the name of barley being given to it by reason of the drinke
therewith made, called beere, and from beerlegh it came to be ber-
legh, and from berleg to barley"*
OCTOBER.
This, which is the tenth month of the year, was called by our
Saxon ancestors Wyn monat, ivyn signifying wine ; " and albeit,
they had not anciently wines made in Germany, yet in this season
had they them from divers countries adjoining.f The derivation
of the word October, is by some supposed to have originally been
from Octavius Csesar; but this is very doubtful.
NOVEMBER.
This, which is the eleventh month of the year, was called by
our Saxon ancestors Wint-monat, to wit, Wind-moneth, whereby
we may see, that our ancestors were in this season of the yeare
made acquainted with blustering Boreas ; and it was the antient
custome for shipmen then to shroud themselves at home, and to
give over seafaring (notwithstanding the littleness of their then
used voyages), nor till blustering March had bidden them well to
fare.J They likewise called it Elot-monath. In the Saxon, blot
means blood; and in this month they killed great abundance of
cattle for winter-store, or, according to some, for purposes of
sacrifice to their deities. The derivation of November is seem-
ingly lost.
DECEMBER.
By our ancestors, December had his due appellation given him
in the name of Winter-monat, to wit, Wintcr-moneth ; but after
* Verstegan. f Ibid. J Ibid. Dr. F. Savers.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
221
the Saxons received Christianity, they then, of devotion to the
birth-time of Christ, termed it by the name of heligh-monat, that
is to say, holy-monath.* They also called it mid-winter-monath,
and gwtterra, which means the former or first guil. The feast of
Thor, which was celebrated at the winter solstice, was guil, from
iol or ol, which signified ale, and is now corrupted into yule.
This festival appears to have been continued throughout part of
January.f The term December seems to have been given to this
month at the period of the alteration of the calendar by the
Komans, and is derived from the decemviri.
FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY CALENDAR.
In September, 1793, the French nation resolved that the
republic should form a new era, and that a calendar should be
adopted, on what are termed philosophical principles; that the
common era should be abolished in all civil affairs; and that the
new era should date from the foundation of the republic, 22nd
September, 1792. The months and festivals were as follow:
( Vinde'maire (Vintage Month)
(Foggy Month)
(Sleety Month)...
(Snowy Month) .
(Rainy Month)...
AUTUMN.
< Brumaire
( Frimaire
WINTER.
( Nivose
< Pluviose
( Ventose
SPRING.
( Germinal
-j Floral
( Prairial
SUMMER.
( Messidor
< Fervidor,
.Sept. 22, to Oct. 21.
Nov. 20.
..Nov. 21, Dec. 20.
...Dec. 21,
..Jan. 20,
Jan. 19.
Feb. 18.
Mar. 20.
(Windy Month) Feb. 19,
(Budding Month) ..Mar. 21, April 19.
(Flowery Month) ..April 20, May 19.
(Pasture Month)... May 20, June 18.
(Harvest Month)... June 19, July 18.
Fervidor, or Thermidor (Hot Month) July 19, Aug. 17.
(Fructidor (Fruit Month) Aug. 18, Sept. 16.
To complete the 36.5 days of the Common Year, five Jours
Complementaires, which were considered festivals, were added.
Primidi, dedicated to Virtue, September 17.
Duodi Genius 18.
Tridi Labour 19.
Quartidi Opinion 20.
Quintidi Rewards 21. J
The late George Ellis ridiculed this newfangled method of
registering time, by the following ludicrous, but happy trans-
lation :
AUTUMN Wheezy, sneezy, freezy;
WINTER Slippy, drippy, nippy;
SPRING Showery, flowery, bowery;
SUMMER Hoppy, croppy, poppy.
* Yerstegan.
f Dr. F. Sayers.
J Sir Harris Nicolas.
222 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
DAYS OF THE WEEK.
" Name the day."
The division of time has been very ably and satisfactorily
accounted for by several able writers, but they either totally
neglect the derivation of their terms, or treat them in a slovenly
manner. The days of the week have been particularly neglected ;
for, although some obscurity may envelope the origin of their
cognomens, yet surely some light may be thrown on the matter.
Sunday, the first day of the week, is said to derive its name
from the Saxons, who consecrated it to the Sun in heathen times.
It was not set apart as a day of cessation from labour before the
reign of Constantine. By a decree of that Emperor (A.D. 321),
public business and military exercises were suspended. The
council of Laodicea (A.D. 360) forbade labour in general terms,
and the laws of Theodosius (A.D. 420) sanctioned this interdiction
by civil penalties.
Monday, the second day of the week, is so called and means
literally the day of the moon.
Tuesday, the third day of the week, was named after Tuisco, the
Saxon god of war, whence the astronomical symbol is the same as
for the planet Mars.
Wednesday, the fourth day of the week, is named after Woden,
a Saxon Deity, whose functions corresponded to those of Mercury
in the Greek and Roman mythology ; hence it was Wodensday,
now corrupted into Wednesday.
Thursday, the fifth day of the week, is derived from another
Saxon god, Thor ; whom they supposed to preside over the ele-
ments, thunder, lightning, &c., and who corresponded to the
Jupiter of the ancients, to whom this day was also consecrated,
and from Thorsday came our denomination of Thursday.
Friday, the sixth day of the week, derives its name from Freya,
or Friga, a Saxon goddess ; this is termed the " unlucky day."
Saturday, the seventh day of the week, and the Jewish sabbath,
derives its name from the god Saturn, to whom it was dedicated
by the Romans.
MAY DAY.
Our usages on this day retain the character of their ancient
origin. The Romans commenced the festival of Flora on the
28th of April, and continued it through several days in May.
Ovid records the mythological attributes and dedication of the
season to that goddess :
** Fair Flora ! now attend thy sportful feast,
Of which some days t with design have past;
A part in April and a part in May
Thou claim' st, and both ommand my tuneful lay ;
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 223
And as the confines of two months are thine,
To sing of both the double task be mine.
Circus and stage are open now and free
Goddess ! again thy feast my theme must be.
Since new opinions oft delusive are,
Do them, O Flora, who thou art declare ;
Why should thy poet on conjectures dwell?
Thy name and attributes thou best can tell.
Thus I : to which she ready answer made,
And rosy sweets attended what she said;
Though, now corrupted, Flora be my name,
From the Greek Chloris that corruption came :
In fields where happy mortals whilome stray'd,
Chloris my name, I was a rural maid ;
To praise 'herself a modest nymph will shun,
But yet a god was by my beauty won."
Flora then relates, that Zephyr became enamoured of her as
Boreas had been, that " by just marriage to his bed" she was
united to Zephyr, who assigned her the dominion over Spring,
and that she strews the earth with flowers and presides over
gardens. She further says, as the deity of flowers,
" I also rule the plains.
When the crops flourish in the golden field;
The harvest will undoubted plenty yield;
If purple clusters flourish on the vine,
The presses will abound with racy wine ;
The flowering olive makes a beauteous year,
And how can bloomless trees ripe apples bear?
Thefloiver destroy'd, of vetches, beans, and peas,
You must expect but small or no increase ;
The gift of honey's mine, the painful bees,
That gather sweets from flowers or blooming trees,
To scented shrubs and violets I invite,
In which I know they take the most delight;
A. flower an emblem of young years is seen,
With all its leaves around it fresh and green;
So youth appears, when health the body sways,
And gladness in the mind luxuriant plays."
From these allegorical ascriptions the Eoman people worshipped
Flora, and celebrated her festivals by ceremonies and rejoicings,
and offerings of spring flowers, and the branches of trees in
bloom. The earliest notice of the celebration of May day may
be traced to the Druids, who on May eve were accustomed to
light large fires on eminences in gratitude and joy for the
return of Spring. At a later period this day seems to have been
observed by all classes. Chaucer in his Court of Love says, that
on this day " forth goeth all the Court, most and least, to fetch the
flowers fresh, and branch and bloom," and it is well known that
Henry "VIII. and Katherine, and all their Court, partook in the
diversion. The May-pole, which is still visible in many English
villages, and Jack in the Green, are still relics of this custom.
224 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
MICIIAKL1IAS DAY,&c.
The festival of St. Michael and all Angels has been celebrated
with great solemnity by the Christian church ever since the
fifth age, and was certainly kept sacred in Apulia as early as 493.
The dedication of the great church of Mount Gorgano, in Italy,
to St. Michael, gave rise to the celebration of this feast in the
West. It obtained the common name of Michaelmas ; and the
dedication of numerous churches at Rome, and other parts of
Italy, subsequently took place on this day, a practice followed in
other countries.
The churches dedicated to St. Michael are usually to be found
on elevated spots, in allusion to this Saint's having been the
highest of the heavenly host. St. Michael's Mount, in Cornwall,
and that in Normandy, are confirmations of this remark.
Michaelmas-day is one of the regular quarter-days for settling
rents ; bnt it is no longer remarkable for the hospitality which
once attended this anniversary. At Martinmas, the old quarter-
day, the landlords used formerly to entertain their tenants with
geese, then only kept by opulent persons. But these birds being
esteemed in perfection early in the autumn, most families now
have a goose dressed on St. Michael's day ; for
" At Michaelmas, by custom right divine,
Geese are ordain'd to bleed at Michael's shrine."
Very many inquiries have been made by antiquaries into the
origin of " eating goose" on this festival, none of which, however,
prove satisfactory, and, in our opinion, it had no particular mean-
ing, except that stubble geese are now in perfection. People
like to do things that are pleasant on holydays ; and feasts, both
among Polytheists and Christians, make up a great part of the
miscellaneous customs attached to their calling. Geese are eaten
likewise at Martinmas; and in Denmark, and other countries
where they are later in being ready for the table, this is usually
the time when they are in vogue. As matter, however, of anti-
quarian information, we shall cite the various explanations of this
custom from different authors. It has been ascribed to the
accidental circumstance of Queen Elizabeth's* being at dinner on
a goose at the time she heard of the defeat of the Spanish armada,
and that in consequence she ate of goose every year on that
anniversary. In Gascoigne's Mowers we find,
" And when the tenauntes come to paie their quarter's rent,
They bring some fowle at Midsummer, a dish of fish in Lent;
At Christmas a capon, at Michaelmas a goose ;
And somewhat else at Newyere's tide, for feare their lease flie loose."
A writer in The World, No. 10, probably Lord Orford, remark-
ing on the effects of the alteration of the style, says, " When the
* See Origin of Goose on Michaelmas Day.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COirPENlUUlT. 225
reformation of the Calendar was in agitation, to the great disgust
of many worthy persons, who urged how great the harmony was
in the old establishment between the holidays and their attributes,
and what confusion would follow if Michaelmas Day, for instance,
was not to be celebrated when stubbie geese are in their highest
perfection ; it was replied that such a propriety was mere imagi-
nary, and would be lost of itself, even without any alteration of
the Calendar by authority ; for if in it the errors were suffered to
go on, they would, in a certain number of years, produce such a
variation, that we should be mourning for good King Charles on
a false thirtieth of January, at a time of year when our ancestors
used to be tumbling over head and heels in Greenwich Park, in
honour of Whitsuntide; and at length be choosing king and
queen for Twelfth Night, when we ought to be admiring the
London 'Prentice at Bartholomew Fair."
It is a popular saying, that u if you eat goose on Michaelmas
Day, you will never want money all the year round." In the
British Apollo the proverb is thus discussed :
" Supposing now Apollo's sons,
Just rose from picking of goose bones,
This on you pops, pray tell me whence
The custom'd proverb did commence,
That who eats goose on Michael's Day,
Sha'n't money lack his debts to pay?
This notion, framed in days of yore,
Is grounded on a prudent score;
For, doubtless, 'twas at first design'd
To make the people Seasons mind;
That so they might apply their care
To all those" things which needful were,
And, by a good industrious hand,
Know when and how t'improve their land."
ALL SAINTS' DAY.
This day is thus denominated in the Calendar, because it cele-
brates the commemoration of those worthies whom, on account
of their number, particular days could not be appropriated to
their individual honour.
ST. MARTDTS LITTLE SUMMER.
In Time's Telescope for 1825, we are told that the few fine days
which sometimes occur about the beginning of November, have
been denominated " St. Martin's Little Summer :" to this Shak-
speare alludes in the First Part of King Henry IV. (Act I. Scene
2nd), where Prince Henry says to Falstaff, " Farewell, thou latter
spring ! farewell, allkallewn summer !" and in the First Part of
King Henry VI. (Act I. Scene 2nd), Joan la Pucelle says,
" Assign'd I am to be the English scourge,
This night assuredly the siege I'll raise;
Except St. Martin's Summer, halcyon days,
Since I have enter'd thus into these wars."
226 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ALL SOULS.
A Romish festival, set apart to offer up prayers for souls in
Purgatory.
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY.
Consecrated wine was anciently sold by the priests on the 27th
of December, the festival of St. John the Evangelist, to prevent
the effects of poison, storms, &c. ; because St. John had been
forced to drink poison.
LADY DAY.
The festival of the Annunciation is commonly called in England,
Lady Day, an abridgment of the old term Our Lady's Day, or the
day of our blessed Lady. m
MAUNDY THURSDAY.
The term Maundy, as applied to the Thursday before Easter,
has occasioned some trouble to antiquaries. One writer con-
ceives Maundy to be corrupted from the Mandate of Christ to
his disciples, to break bread in remembrance of him : or, from
his other mandate, after he had washed their feet, to love one
another.*
With better reason it is conceived to be derived from the
Saxon word Mand, which afterwards became Maund, a name for
basket, and subsequently for any gift or offering contained in the
basket. Thus then Maundy Thursday, the day preceding Good
Friday, on which the sovereign distributes alms to a certain num-
ber of poor persons at Whitehall, is so named from the Maunds in
which the gifts were contained.t According to Ducauge, it de-
rives its origin from. St. Augustine.
CANDLEMAS DAY.
A Church festival held on the 2nd of February, to commemo-
rate the purification of the Virgin Mary. The name probably
arose from the number of lighted candles used in the processions
of the day ; or perhaps from a custom of consecrating candles on
that day for the rest of the year. This practice was abolished in
England in the second year of the reign of Edward VI.
It is to be noted, that from Candlemass the use of tapers at
vespers and litanies, which prevailed throughout the winter,
ceased until the ensuing All-Hallow-Mass; and hence the origin
of an old English proverb in " Bay's Collection"
" On Candlemass day
Throw candle and candlestick away."
* Dunton's British Apollo.
f Archdeacon Nares' " Glossary," where the various authorities are set
forth at large.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 227
TWELFTH DAY.
There is a difference of opinion as to the origin of Twelfth
Day. Brand says, " That though its customs vary in different
countries, yet they concur in the same end, that is, to do honour
to the Eastern Magi." He afterwards observes, "That the
practices of choosing King on twelfth day, is similar to a custom
that existed among the ancient Greeks and Eomans, who, on the
festival days of Saturn, about that season of the year, drew lots
for kingdoms, and like kings exercised their temporary autho-
rity." The Epiphany is called Twelfth Day, because it falls on
the twelfth day after Christmas day. Epiphany signifies Mani-
festation, and is applied to this day because it is the day whereon
Christ was manifested to the Gentiles.
QUARTER DAY.
If he who runs may read, surely, he who does either, wants
not to know that Quarter day is the termination of a quarter of
a year, and needs no further derivation than what it carries with
it : but, however simple this may be, yet the origin or data from
whence it was made the Rent-day, or day for paying and collect-
ing rents, may not be so generally known. It was not till the
fifteenth century, in the reign of Henry VII., that rents were
paid or collected quarterly ; prior to that period, they were paid
by the week, month, or year. His Highness, who was very fond
of money, and who perhaps left more ready money behind him
than any British monarch either before or since, stipulated with
his own immediate tenants that they should pay their rents
quarterly ; this system, however, did not become the law of the
land until the Revolution in 1688 ; from which period, of course,
it became usual throughout the land.
PLOUGH MONDAY.
The first Monday after Twelfth Day is so called, because the
husbandman then resumes the plough for the first time after
Christinas. On this day, and for some days afterwards, in the
northern counties, particularly Yorkshire, there is a procession
of rustic youths dragging a plough, who, as they officiate for oxen,
are called plough-stots : they are dressed with their shirts out-
side of their jackets, with sashes of ribbons fastened on their
shirts, and on their hats. Besides the plough-draggers, there is
a band of six in the same dress, furnished with swords, wko per-
form the sword-dance, while one or more musicians play on the
flute or violin.
The sword-dance, probably introduced by the Danes, displays
considerable ingenuity, not without gracefulness. The dancers
228 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
arrange themselves in a ring, with their swords elevated, and
their motions and evolutions are at first slow and simple, but be-
come gradually more rapid and complicated : towards the close,
each one catches the point of his neighbour's sword, and various
movements take place in consequence ; one of which consists in
joining or plaiting the swords into the form of an elegant hexagon
or rose, in the centre of the ring, which rose is so firmly made,
that one of them holds it up above their heads without undoing
it. The dance closes with taking it to pieces, each man laying
hold of his own sword. During the dance, two or three of the
company, called Toms or Clowns, dressed up as harlequins, in
most fantastic modes, having their faces painted or masked, are
making antic gestures to amuse the spectators; while another
set, called Madgies or Madgy Pegs, clumsily dressed in women's
clothes, and also masked or painted, go from door to door, rat-
tling old canisters, in which they receive money when they
are well paid they raise a huzza ; when they get nothing, they
shout out "hunger and starvation." When the party do not
exceed forty, they seldom encumber themselves with a plough.
Egton Bridge has long been the principal rendezvous for sword-
dancers in the vicinity of Whitby.
INNOCENTS' DAY.
It was a popular superstition, which, in the remote parts of
the island, is not yet extinct, that no undertaking could prosper
which was begun on that day of the week on which Childer-niass
or Innocents' day last fell. The custom is thus alluded to, in the
old play, by some attributed to Shakspeare, of " Sir John
Old castle."
" Friday, quotha, a dismal day !
Childermass this year was Friday."
Children were flogged by our ancestors not only for punish-
ment, but to fix things in their memory. Accordingly, the
children were whipped in their beds on the morning of Innocents'
Day, by their parents, " in order that the memorie of Herod's
murder of the Innocents mighte stick the closer." There were
also processions of children on that day.
LAMMAS DAY.
The first of August is by some supposed to have received this
appellation from the following circumstance : During the super-
stitious days of Popery, the priests at this time of the year began
to say masses for the sheep and lambs, that they might be pre-
serve'd in the time of the cold season, being recently deprived of
their woolly covering by the hands of the shearer. Hence it
obtained the n;>rne of Lamb mass Day, and for the sake of a smooth
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 229
pronunciation, contracted as it now appears. Dr. Johnson sup-
poses this term to be a corruption of Lattermath, which signifies
a second mowing of grass.
ST. STEPHEN'S DAY.
It was an ancient custom to gallop horses on St. Stephen's
day, December 26, until they perspired, and then bleed them, to
prevent their having any disorders during the ensuing year.
This practice is supposed to have been introduced by the Danes.
Blessings were also implored upon pastures.
ST. THOMAS' DAY.
This day, the 21st day of December, is denominated the shortest
day. At the village of Thornton, near Sherborne, an ancient
custom exists among the tenants, of depositing 5s. in a hole, in a
certain tombstone in the churchyard, which prevents the lord
of the manor from taking tithe of hay during the year. This
must invariably be done on St. Thomas' day, before twelve
o'clock, or the privilege is lost.
EMBER WEEK.
EMBER. The Latin name, Quatuor Tempora, the Four Times,
has remained in modern languages. In Spanish and Portuguese
the term is Temporas. The German converts them into Quatember,
and thence, by the easy corruption of dropping the first syllable,
a corruption which also takes place in some German dialects, we
get the English Ember. Thus, there is no occasion to seek after
an etymology in embers ; or, with Nelson, to extravagate still
further to the noun ymbren, a recurrence, as if all holy seasons
did not equally recur. In Welsh, Ember week is Wythnos y
cydgorian, the Week of the Processions. Ember Weeks are
those in which the Ember days fall. They were appointed for
imploring the blessings of the Almighty on the fruits of the
earth, and upon the ordinations performed in the Church at these
Seasons. The Ember days are the Wednesday, Friday, and
Saturday after the first Sunday in Lent, after Whitsunday, after
the 14th of September, and after the 13th of December.
DOG DAYS.
In an ancient calendar preserved by Bede, the beginning of
the dog-days was placed on the 14th of July. In one prefixed
to the Common P.rayer. printed in the time of queen Elizabeth,
they are said to begin on the 6th of July, and to end on the 5th
pf September ; and this was continued from that time till tjie
230 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Restoration, when that book was revised, and the dog-days
omitted. From that time to the correction of the British calen-
dar, our almanacs had the beginning of the dog-days on the
19th of July, and the end on the 20th of August ; but since that
correction, the times of the beginning and end have been altered,
and the former was placed at the 30th of July, and the latter at
the 7th of September. The dog-days have been commonly
reckoned for about forty days, viz., twenty days before, and
twenty days after the heliacal rising; and almanac-makers
have usually set down the dog-days in their almanacs to the
changing time of the star's rising ; and thus they had at length
fallen considerably after the hottest season of the year ; till of
late, a very proper alteration has been introduced into the
almanacs, and they have^ been made to commence with the 3rd
of July, and to terminate with the llth of August. The pro-
priety of this alteration will be evident, if we consider that the
ancients meant to express by the dog-days, the hottest time of
the year, which is commonly during the month of July, about
which month the dog-star rose heliacally in the time of the most
ancient astronomers, whose observations have been transmitted
to us.
Ancient authors tell us that on the day the canicula, or dog-
star, first rises in the morning, the sea boils, wine turns sour,
dogs begin to grow mad, the bile increases and irritates, and all
animals grow languid ; and that the diseases ordinarily occasioned
in men by it, are burning fevers, dysenteries, and frenzies. The
Romans sacrificed a brown dog every year to Canicula, at its
rising, to appease its rage. The Egyptians carefully watched the
rising of this star, and judging by it of the swelling of the Nile,
called the star the sentinel and watch of the year. Hence, ac-
cording to their mode of hieroglyphic writing, they represented
it under the figure of a dog (that faithful animal having been,
even in these times, distinguished for his peculiar qualities of
watching over the affairs of man), or of a man with a dog's head,
and worshipped him under the name of Amcbis, whose figure was
hung up in all their temples, to give notice of the approach of
the inundation of the Nile.
GULE OF AUGUST.
The first day of August is so called. According to Gebelin,
as the month of August was the first in the Egyptian year, it
was called Gule, which being latinized makes Cfida, a word in
that language signifying throat. " Our legendaries," says Brand,
"surprised at seeing this word at the head of the month of
August, converted it to their own purpose." They made out of
it the feast of the daughter of the tribune Quirinus, who they
pretend was cured of a disorder in the throat (gula), by kissing
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. * 231
the chain of St. Peter on the day of its festival. Forcing the
Gule of the Egyptians into the throat of the tribune's daughter,
they instituted a festival to Gule upon the festival day of St.
Peter ad Vincula.
CRISPIN'S DAY.
St. Crispin was a shoemaker, and consequently was chosen by
the craft as their Patron Saint. The Eev. Alban Butler, in his
" Lives of the Saints," says, u St. Crispin, and St. Crispinian, two
glorious martyrs, came from Eome to preach at Soissons, in
France, towards the middle of the third century, and, in imitation
of St. Paul, worked with their hands in the night, making shoes,
though they were said to be nobly born, and brothers."
This day, in 1415, is famed in the annals of England, as the
one on which the memorable battle of Agincourt was fought.
LOW SUNDAY.
The Sunday after Easter-day is called Low Sunday, because it
is Easter-day repeated, with the church service somewhat abridged
or lowered in the ceremony, from the pomp of the festival the
Sunday before. Other writers have supposed that it was called
Low Sunday because it is the lowest or latest day for satisfying
of the Easter obligation, viz., the worthily receiving the blessed
Sacrament.
INVENTION OF THE CROSS.
Mr. Audley says, the word Invention sometimes signifies the
finding a thing that was hidden ; thence the name of this festival,
which celebrates the alleged finding of the Cross of Christ by St.
Helena, who is said to nave found three crosses on Mount Calvary,
but the true one could not be distinguished, till a sick woman
being placed on each, was healed by one, which was therefore
pronounced the True Cross. Mr. Audley quotes, that the cus-
tody of the cross was committed to the bishop of Jerusalem.
Every Easter Sunday it was exposed to view, and pilgrims from
all countries were indulged with little pieces of it enchased in
gold or gems. What was most astonishing, the sacred wood was
never lessened, although it was perpetually diminished, for it
possessed a secret power of vegetation ! Eibadeneira says, " the
Cross being a piece of wood without sense or feeling, yet it seemeth
to have in it a living and everlasting virtue ; for although severed,
parted, and divided, it still remains whole and entire for all that
come to reverence and adore it."
ROGATION SUNDAY.
The fifth Sunday after Easter is called Eogation Sunday. The
term Eogation signifies supplication, from the Latin rogare, to
beseech.
232 * THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Rogation Sunday obtained its name from the succeeding Mon-
day, Tuesday, and Wednesday, which are called Rogation Days,
and were ordained by Mamertus, archbishop of Vienne, in Dau-
phine ; abont the year 469, he caused the Litanies, or Supplica-
tions, to be said upon them, for the deliverance from earthquakes,
fires, wild beasts, and other public calamities, which are alleged
to have happened in this city ; hence the whole week is called
Rogation Week, to denote the continual praying.*
RESTORATION DAY.
This day (May 29th) is so called from its being the anniversary
of the day whereon king Charles II. entered London, in 1660,
and re-established royalty, which had been suspended from the
death of his father. It is usual with the vulgar people to wear
oak-leaves in their hats on this day, and dress their horses' heads
with them. This is in commemoration of the shelter afforded to
Charles by an Oak, while making his escape from. England, after
his defeat at Worcester, by Cromwell, on the 3rd of September,
1651. This day is appointed in the liturgy of the English Church
as an anniversary festival in commemoration of the restoration
of the monarchical form of government in these realms.
BLACK BARTHOLOMEW.
Mr. Audley says, there is a shocking propriety in the epithet
given to this day (August 24th) for the horrid massacres of Pro-
testants, which commenced in the reign of Charles IX. In Paris
only, ten thousand were butchered in a x fortnight, and ninety
thousand in the provinces, making together one hundred thousand.
This at least is the calculation of Pe.refixe, tutor to Louis XIV.,
aiid archbishop of Paris : others reduce the number much lower.
SICILIAN VESPERS.
This is another of those bloody massacres which so much dis-
grace history. It occurred on the 30th of March, 1282, when the
Sicilians rose on the French, and destroyed in cold blood eight
thousand of them. The signal was the sounding of the vesper,
or evening prayer bell ; and from whence came the term of the
Sicilian Vespers.
PALM SUNDAY.
So called in commemoration of boughs, or branches of Palm
Trees, being carried in procession before Christ when he rode
into Jerusalem.
* Butler.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 233
TRANSLATION OF SAINTS.
Of the origin of the translation of Saints, a great deal has been
written ; it is, however, generally supposed to take its data from
the following : In the year 359, the emperor Constantius, out of
a presumed, and perhaps not inconsistent, respect, caused the
remains of St. Andrew and St. Luke to be removed from their
ancient place of interment, to the Temple of the Twelve Apostles,
at Constantinople ; and from that example, the practice of
searching for the bodies of saints and martyrs increased so
rapidly, that in the year 386, we find almost the whole of the
devotees engaged in that pursuit. Relics, of course, speedily
became of considerable value ; and as they were all alleged to
possess peculiar virtues, no expense or labour were spared to
provide such treasures for every public religious foundation.
Am e ruth Peyral, in his manuscript Chronicle of the Popes,
says, that England is remarkable for its number of saints, whose
bodies it has preserved from corruption. He observes, there is
no soil so adapted to preserve corpses from corruption, as the
soil of this country. Upon this ground, it is supposed, popish
writers might imagine relics more plentiful than otherwise.
CABLING SUNDAY.
Caiiing Sunday is so called by the lower orders in the north
of England, because it is their custom to eat immense quantities
of small peas, called cartings, fried in butter and pepper and salt,
on the second Sunday before Easter. This is said, by an old
author, to take its rise from the disciples plucking the ears of
com, and rubbing them in their hands.
SHROVE OR PANCAKE TUESDAY.
Pancake Day is another name for Shrove Tuesday, from the
custom of eating pancakes on this day, still generally observed.
A writer in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1790, says, that Shrive is
an old Saxon word, of which Shrove is a corruption, and signi-
fies Confession. Hence Shrove Tuesday means Confession Tues-
day, on w T hich day all the people in every parish through the
kingdom were obliged to confess their sins, one by one, to their
own parish priests, in their own parish churches ; and that this
might be done the more regularly, the great bell in every parish
was rung at ten o'clock, or perhaps sooner, that it might be
heard by all. Since the Reformation the custom of ringing the
great bell in our ancient parish churches, at least in some of
them, still remains, and obtains in and about London the name
of Pancake-Bell : the usage of dining on pancakes or fritters, and
234 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
suchlike provision, still continues. In Pasquin's Palinodia,
1634, 4to, it ia merrily observed, that on this day every stomach,
till it can hold no more,
Is fritter-filled, as well as heart can wish ;
And every man and maide doe take their turne
And tosse their pancakes up for feare they burne;
And all the kitchen doth with laughter sound,
To see the pancakes fall upon the ground."
ASH WEDNESDAY.
The name of Ash Wednesday proceeded from a custom in the
ancient Church, when, on the first day of Lent, the penitents
presented themselves before the Bishop clothed with sackcloth,
and in the presence of th'e clergy, who were to be judges of the
sincerity of their repentance. After the seven penitential
psalms and prayers had been repeated, the penitents were
conducted to the church-doors, the clergy following after, and
repeating the curse upon Adam, " In the sweat of thy brows
shalt thou eat thy bread." The English Church, in her service
for this day, laments the disuse of this discipline, and has sup-
plied the want of it by the office called Commination.
AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, VEGETABLES, FRUITS, PLANTS,
FLOWERS, BEVERAGES, &c.
AGRICULTURE, AN ACCOUNT OF ITS PROGRESS.
The Eomans were great agriculturists, and it is well known
they took many of their great generals from the plough. The
Egyptians ascribe the invention of agriculture to Osiris; the
Greeks to Ceres and her son Triptolemus; and the Italians to
Saturn, or Janus. But the Jews, with more reason, ascribe this
honour to Noah, who, immediately after the flood, set about
tilling the ground and planting vineyards. Agriculture has been
the delight of the greatest men. We are told, that Cyrus the
younger planted and cultivated his garden, in a great measure,
with his own hands. Holinshed says, when Caesar invaded
Britain, agriculture was unknown in the inner parts; the in-
habitants fed upon milk and flesh, and were clothed with skins.
Julius Csesar (says his history) was of opinion, that agriculture
was first introduced into Britain by some of those colonies from
Gaul, which had settled in the southern part about 100 years
before the invasion. It appears they were not unacquainted
with the use of manures, particularly Marie. Pliny tells us,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 235
that it was peculiar to the people of Gaul and of Britain ; that
its effects continued eighty years ; and that no man was known to
marie his fields twice. The establishment of the Eomans in
Britain produced great improvements in agriculture, insomuch
that prodigious quantities of corn were annually exported from
the island ; but when the Roman power began to decline, this,
like all other arts, declined also ; and was almost totally destroyed
by the departure of that people. Towards the 14th century
agriculture revived, and received very great improvements ; and
in the 15th it seems to have been cultivated as a science, being
no less an honourable than a profitable art. The science of
agriculture has received great improvements during the last 30
years, not only from the formation of Agricultural Societies and
their Annual Exhibitions, but also from an improved method of
husbandry, and the introduction of new and highly productive
manures, of which Guano is the chief, which is now imported in
large quantities from Peru. Guano does not appear to have
been discovered till the end of the 16th century. The first
mention that is made of it is in a work published at Seville in
1590.
NATIVE FRUITS OF ENGLAND.
It is a curious fact, and but very little known, that the only
native fruits of England are, the Blackberry or Bramble, the
parent of Raspberry, which is itself found wild in many parts of
Scotland and Wales ; the strawberry ; the crab, the parent of
the present immense variety of apples, all of which are of
foreign origin, and mostly produced by grafting on crab stocks ;
the sloe, the parent of the several kinds of plums ; the
pear is found wild in Britain, and is in its native state a thorny
tree ; all the varieties of pears, like apples, are of foreign origin.
They are raised from seeds, which are afterwards used as stocks.
The cloud-berry, a native of the mountains of Scotland, North
of England, and Wales ; it is allied to the Bramble or Raspberry.
The Gooseberry is found wild in many parts of Britain. It
has several varieties, which have been produced by seed. It is
cultivated with greater success in Lancashire than in any other
county in England. Currants are found wild in the North of Eng-
land and Scotland, but the fruit is small.
PLOUGHING.
Ploughing itself is certainly a singular instance of great skill,
acquired by a body of men who scarcely receive the credit due to
that skill. A good ploughman will set up a pole a quarter of a
mile distant or more, and keeping this mark, almost invisible,
steadily in his view, will, on land perfectly smooth, trace up
to that goal, until his horses knock it down as they pass on each
236 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
side, a furrow so true that no eye can detect any divergence from
absolute straightiiess. If one saw for the first time, a field of
short green clover converted in a few hours into a surface of
clean brown soil in regular ribs, it would be regarded as a triumph
of art. This is important, because in speculative writing the
plough is sometimes depreciated and the spade is extolled, though
this very operation of preparing our wheat land could scarcely be
executed at all by spade, since it is necessary that the existing
sward should be perfectly buried.
RIBSTON PIPPIN.
The late Sir Harry Goodricke brought this apple from Italy,
and as it was first grown in this country, at his residence,
Eibstone Hall, in the county of York, where the original tree
was still growing a few years since, it received the appellation of
Eibston, or Eibstone Pippin.
CURRANTS.
Currants, or Corinthian Grapes, so called because they came
from Corinth. They were first brought into England in 1534,
from the Isle of Zant, belonging to Venice ; the musk rose, and
several sorts of plums, came from Italy the same year; they
were brought and planted by Lord Cromwell. The English name
of Currant is evidently derived from the small Corinthian grape
sold under that name by grocers. The English currant is, how-
ever, a different plant, and bears no resemblance to the vine
which produces the former.
CHERRIES.
Faulkner says that this fruit was introduced into Britain about
the year 53. The Anglo-Saxons are said to have lost it, and
Eichard Harris, fruiterer to king Henry VIII., to have re-im-
ported it ; but good native cherries have been found in Norfolk,
and they were known in the thirteenth century.
It appears they were commonly sold in the streets of London,
in the time of Lydgate, who mentions them in his poem, called
"Lickpenny:"
" Hot pescode own began to cry,
Strawberys rype, and Cheryes in the ryse."
The "Guardian" of July 2, 1713, mentions, that cherries
were sold upon sticks above 100 years ago.
FILBERTS.
The nut, called Filbert, derives its name from Philipert, king
of France, who was exceedingly fond of them.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 237
VARIOUS FRUITS, &c., IN ENGLAND.
In the reign of Elizabeth, Edmund Grindall, afterwards arch-
bishop of Canterbury, transplanted here the Tamarisk. Oranges
were brought here by one of the Carew family. To Sir Walter
Raleigh we are indebted for that useful root, the Potatoe. Sir
Anthony Ashley first planted Cabbages in this country.* The
Fig-trees planted by Cardinal Pole, in the reign of Henry VIII.,
are still standing in Lambeth. Sir Richard Weston first brought
Clover-grass into England in 1645. The Mulberry-tree is a native
of Persia, and is said to have been introduced in 1576. The
Almond was introduced in 1570, and came from the east. The
Chestnut is a native of the South of Europe. The Walnut is a
native of Persia, but the time of its introduction is unknown. The
Apricot came from America, about 1562. The Plum is a native
of Asia, and was imported into Europe by the Crusaders ; and
the Damascene takes its name from the city of Damascus. The
Alpine Strawberry was first cultivated in the king's garden, in
1760. The Peach is a native of Persia. The Nectarine was first
introduced about 1562. The Quince, called Cydonia, from Cydon,
was cultivated in this country in Gerrard's time. The red Queen-
apple was so called in compliment to queen Elizabeth. The
cultivation of the Pear is of great antiquity, for Pliny mentions
twenty different kinds. Most of our apples came originally from
France.
Miller mentions eighty-four species of Pear, whose names are
all enumerated in his Gardener's Dictionary, a work of great
celebrity, and may be said to have laid the foundation of all the
horticultural taste and knowledge in England. To the afflictions
and exiles of Charles we are indebted for many of our best vege-
tables, which were introduced by his followers from the Continent :
thus, by the industry of man, are the gifts of the earth trans-
planted from clime to clime.
" See how the rising fruits the gardens crown,
Imbibe the Sun, and make his light their own."
Blackmore.
RAISINS.
Raisins are made from grapes, by cutting the stalk of the bunch
half through when the grapes are nearly ripe, and leaving them
suspended on the vine till their watery part is evaporated ; and
as the rays of the sun are necessary to effect this, they are called
Raisins of the Sun. They are also prepared by gathering the
fruit when fully ripe, and dipping it in the ley made of the ashes
* In the early part of the reign of Henry VIII., there did not grow in
England, cabbage, carrot, turnip, or any edible root; and even queen
Katherine herself could not command a salad, till the king brought over a
gardener from the Netherlands!
238 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
of burnt tendrils ; after which it is exposed to the heat of the sun,
or to that of an oven, till dry ; the former are reckoned the finest,
and are imported in boxes and jars, and the inferior in mats.
GRAPES.
Grapes were first brought to England in the year 1552, and
planted at Black-hall, in Suifolk. They were cultivated in
Flanders, 1276. The most extraordinary grape-vine in this
country is that at Hampton Court, which came from Hamburgh.
Jt is above 110 feet long; at three feet from the ground the stem
is nearly thirty inches in circumference. It is of the black Ham-
burgh grape, and the quantity it bears in some seasons exceeds
2500 bunches.
ORNAMENTAL GARDENING IN ENGLAND.
The plantation and management of gardens, which form so
useful and important an appendage to the dwellings of all classes,
especially to the nobility and gentry, where adequate space can be
allowed for their proper adjustment and cultivation, appears to
have been first an object of attention early in the sixteenth cen-
tury, during the reign of Henry VIII., whose taste led him to
encourage horticulture. But it was not till the seventeenth cen-
tury that it received its chief impulse under the fostering hand
of Charles I., when flowers and curious plants were generally
cultivated under the auspices of Parkinson, who first filled the
office of herbalist to that monarch; and Tradescant, a Dutch-
man, who was his gardener, and established a botanic garden at
Lambeth in 1629. The botanic garden at Oxford, the first public
institution of the kind, was founded in 1632 by Jacob Bobart, a
German, and from that time both botany and horticulture have
been in a flourishing state. The Botanic Gardens at Kew and
Cambridge followed in the middle of the eighteenth century;
and the Horticultural Society of London was founded at the
beginning of the present century.
The style and arrangement of the ground in its several depart-
ments, especially as regards the flower or pleasure garden, was
not fixed on a permanent basis till about the reign of William
and Mary, and was introduced by the Earl of Albemarle, who
was a Dutchman, and has thence been called the Dutch style ;
a good specimen of it may be seen at Hampton Court, a favourite
residence of king William. This style of yew hedges and formal
avenues was long the prevailing fashion. The culture of the yew
has ever been promoted in England from the time of the con-
quest ; and few old churchyards are to be found that cannot boast
their yew-trees.*
* At Bedfont, on the road to Windsor, in the churchyard, are two yews
cut in topiary (clipped) work, among which are figures exhibiting the date
of 1704. The tops of the trees are formed into ^the shape of peacocks.
Lysons' Environs, Vol. v. p. 10.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 239
CROCUS.
This flower derives its name from Crocus, a young man who,
as Heathen mythology informs us, pined away into a flower, which
has since bore his name. This flower, as affording saffron, is men-
tioned in Scripture in Solomon's Song, iv. 14, which was much
esteemed as a medicine and as an aromatic, and entered largely
into the cookery of our forefathers.
NARCISSUS.
This flower derives its name from the following mythological
circumstance. Narcissus, son of Cephisus and Liriope, was so hand-
some that all the nymphs fell in love with him ; but he slighted
them all. Echo, among the rest, could not influence him to
regard her; returning, however, one day from the chase, he
looked into a fountain, and was so enamoured of his own beauty,
that he languished away, and was metamorphosed into a flower,
which from that time bore his name.
ACANTHA.
Acantha, a young and beautiful nymph, who, for having given
a favourable reception to Apollo, was changed into a plant of the
same name.
THE COWSLIP.
" Cowslip, of all beloved, of all admired;
Thee let me sing, the homely shepherd's pride;
Fit emblem of the maid I love, a form
Gladdening the sight of man ; a sweet perfume,
Sending its balmy fragrance to the soul.
Daughter of Spring, and Messenger of May,
Which shall I first declare, which most extol,
Thy sovereign beauties, or thy sovereign use?"
The Cowslip derives its name from a very old and fanciful, but
now exploded idea that this flower was generated from the
saliva of the cow's lip ; to corroborate which, it has been stated,
that it is only found in pastures where milch cows have grazed.
It is, however, known as the Yellow-bell, and is classed with the
blue and hare bell, and has made its appearance where the cow
was never known to have been. Genial weather at the com-
mencement of the year, dresses the meadows and pastures with
this favourite of Flora.
THE DAISY.
Passing the eye from the hedgerow to the earth, it lights on
the " wee-tipp'd" emblem of modesty the daisy, sung by poets
240 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
of every clime where it blows, and so sweetly by our own Mont-
gomery, who has designated it the Companion of the Sun.
" But this small flower, to nature dear,
While Moon and Stars their courses run,
"Wreath the whole circle of the year,
Companion of the Sun."
That modest little flower, the daisy, derives its name from day's
eye, arising from the circumstance of unfolding its simple beauties
at the " peep o' day," and earlier than any other of Flora's tribe.
Flora's Guide.
THE VIOLET.
; There is a flower
So sweetly fair,
In truelove's bower"
It blossoms there;
Its smile of gladness
And azure ray,
Bids gloomy sadness
Haste far away.
" At early morning
How sweet to rove,
"Where 'tis adorning
The shady grove!
There chastely blooming,
It whispers, " be
Thou unassuming,
O man, like me!"
J. E. Stablschmidt.
Violet, violin, violoncello, are all derived from viol, signifying
sweet, applicable to either sound or smell: the latter syllables
being merely to distinguish, or harmonize.
TULIPS.
" So beauty fades, so fleets its showy life,
As droops the tulip, clad in all its pride
Of rich array."
This beautiful but short-lived flower, was first introduced into
this country by Lord Arlington, in the reign of Charles II. The
tulip opens with the rising, and shuts with the setting sun. The
bulb is termed by Linnaeus the hybernacle, or winter lodge of
the young plant, and closes the infant in its folds, which
" In some lone cave, secure pavilion, lies,
And waits the courtship of serener skies." Darwin.
Tulip-fancying has been carried to great excess. It is related
that a connoisseur in the fancy, hearing of a person having in his
possession a black tulip, instantly ordered his carriage, and, pro-
ceeding to the possessor's residence, expressed a desire to see this
rara avis, which was instantly shown him ; upon which he imme-
diately oifered 100 guineas for the same ! This was refused : two
hundred was offered, but refused also ; whereupon three hundred
was bid, and the bargain struck. The virtuosi, on getting the
tulip in his possession, immediately cut it in piecemeal before
the astonished grower of it, exclaiming at the same time, " Now,
I am the only possessor of a black tulip in the whole country!''
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 241
It turned out that he had one in his own garden, but as he
could not endure another to possess a similar freak of nature, he
took this means to insure it.
WEEPING WILLOWS.
The first Weeping Willow supposed to have been planted in
England, was by Pope, which for a long time was known as
Pope's Weeping Willow. Martyn says, " The famous and admired
weeping willow, planted by Pope, which has lately been felled to
the ground (1801), came from Spain, enclosing a present for Lady
Suffolk. Mr. Pope was in company when the covering was taken
off; he observed, that the pieces of stick appeared as if they had
some vegetation; and -added, perhaps they may produce some-
thing we have not in England. Under this idea he "planted it in
his garden, and it produced the Willow Tree that has given
birth to so many others."
PASSION FLOWER.
This flower, says the elegant author of the " Flora Domestica,"
derives its name from an idea, that all the instruments of Christ's
Passion are represented in it, viz., the five wounds, the column
or pillar of scourging, besides the three nails, the crown of thorns,
&c. Most of the Passion flowers are natives of the hottest parts
of America.
DAMASK ROSE.
The Damask Eose was brought into England in the year 1522,
from Italy, by Dr. Linacre, physician to Henry VIII.
LILY, &c.
The Lily came from the Levant, the Jessamine from the East
Indies, the Tube-rose from Java and Ceylon, the Carnation and
Pink from Italy, and the Auricula from Switzerland. Intro-
duced in the reign of Charles II.
HOLLYHOCK.
This is merely a corruption from Holy-oak, a tree or flower
held in much estimation by the Lady Abbesses and Nuns of old ;
and which abounded in the gardens of convents, it being con-
sidered by them as possessing sacred and protecting qualities.
ROSEMARY.
" Come, funeral flower ! who lovest to dwell,
With the pale corse in lonely tomb,
And throw across the desert gloom
A sweet decaying smell.
242 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Come, press my lips, and lie with me
Beneath the lowly alder-tree ;
And we will sleep a pleasant sleep,
And not a care shall dare intrude
To break the marble solitude,
So peaceful and so deep."
Eosemary is a small, but very odoriferous shrub ; the principal
use of it is to perfume chambers, and in decoctions for washing.
Its botanical name is rosmarinus, so called from ros, dew, and
marinus, alluding to its situation on the seashore. It is seen
mantling the rocks of the Mediterranean in winter, with its grey
flowers glittering with dew. It was used to stick around the
coffin of the dead, probably not only from its fragrance and
funereal character, but also for some antiseptic qualities it was
supposed to possess. Shakspeare alludes to it in Borneo and
Juliet, act iv. scene 5.
" Dry up your tears, and stick your rosemary
On this fair corse ; and, as the custom is,
In all her best array bear her to church."
HOLLY.
" Fairest blossoms drop with every blast,
But the brown beauty will like hollies last." Gay,
The Holly, or Ilex, is supposed to derive its name from the
season in which it particularly nourishes (Christmas), being kept
as holy by all who profess the faith of Christ. Of this tree there
are several species, some of which produce yellow berries and
some white.
SALADS.
Oil for salads is mentioned in the Paston Letters in 1466, in
which year Sir John Paston writes to his mother, that he has
sent her " ij potts off oyl for saladys, whyche oyl was goode as
myght be when he dely v'yd it, and schuld be good at the reseyving
yf itt was not mishandled nor mycarryd." This indicates that
vegetables for the table were still cultivated in England, although
the common opinion is, that most of our fruits and garden pro-
ductions were destroyed during the civil wars Between the houses
of York and Lancaster. A good salad, however, had become so
scarce some years afterwards, that Katherine, the queen of Henry
VIII., is said, on a particular occasion, to have sent to the con-
tinent to procure one. Salad herbs were common some years
afterwards.
POTATOES.
The Board of Agricultural Eeport tells us (of this most useful
and now universally well-known root), that it is a native of
America, and was familiar to the Indians before the conquest of
Mexico and Peru. It was called by them, amongst other names,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 243
"openauk ;" and in the History of the New-round-land Virginia,
by Heriot (a follower of Sir Walter Raleigh, and printed in 1588),
is described as " a kinde of root of round form, some of the big-
ness of wallnuts, some farre greater, which are found in moist
and marish grounds, growing many together one with the other
in ropes, as if they were fastened by a string. Being boyled,"
he says, " or sodden, they are verie good meate." Gerarde, in his
" Herbal," is the first author who gives the figure of the potato
plant. He calls it by the name of " Solanum tuberosum," which
name has been followed by Linnaeus and his disciples. Sir Walter
Raleigh, after returning from America in 1586, is said to have
first given it to his gardener in Ireland, as a fine fruit from
America, and which he desired him to plant in his kitchen gar-
den in the spring. In August this plant flourished, and in Sep-
tember produced a fruit, but so different from the gardener's
expectation, that in an ill-humour he carried the potato-apple to
his master. " Is this," said he, " the fine fruit from America you
prized so highly ? " Sir Walter either was, or pretended to be
ignorant of the matter, and told the gardener, since that was the
case, to dig up the weed and throw it away. The gardener soon
returned with a good parcel of potatoes. It was cultivated in
the gardens of the nobility and gentry, early in the seventeenth
century, as a curious exotic, and towards the close of it (1684)
was planted out in the fields in small patches in Lancashire, from,
whence it was gradually propagated all over the kingdom, as
well as in France. In the year 1847, a formidable disease broke
out both in England and in Ireland in this valuable plant. It
appeared first in the leaves and stalk, about the end of the sum-
mer, which looked as if struck by lightning, faded, dead, and
emitted a nauseous smell. The attack was sudden, and the
effects permanent ; as the disease in a few days affected the root,
which became full of black specks, and quickly decayed, so as to
render all storing impossible : a total famine in Ireland was the con-
sequence, and great distress was experienced in England from
the same cause. The disease is so inveterate, that it is still
severely felt at the present time of writing, and though many
theories have been broached as to its cause, and numerous
methods adopted for its cure, it still resists all efforts for its
removal.
CABBAGES.
According to Evelyn in his Sylva, even so ordinary but useful
a legume as a cabbage, was in 1539 first imported from the
Netherlands. Many years after this, it seems that England was
still supplied with cabbages from Flanders. Bullein, in his Boke
of Simples, written in 1562, observes on this vegetable, that "it
is good to make pottage withall, and is a profitable herbe in the
common wealthe, which the Fleminges sell deare, but we have it
244 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
growinge in our owne gardens, if we would preferre our owne
commodityes," &c. He adds, " there be greate plenty growing
between Albrought and Horthworth, in Suftblke, upon the sea-
shore." Cauliflowers were as uncommon near the same time,
and sold then and afterwards very high. As late as 1619, two
cauliflowers cost 3s., and sixteen artichokes 3s. 4d., prices which
would now be deemed extravagant, but they were at that time
esteemed rarities, as they still are in remote parts of the king-
dom.
RADISHES, &c.
Bullein, just quoted, says of this root, in 1562, u of radish
rootes there be no small store growing about the famous citie of
London, though they be more plentiful than profitable, and more
noysome than nourishing to man's nature." Of garden produc-
tions, mentioned in a MS. of the steward of Sir Edward Coke,
while Attorney-general between 1596-7, onions, leeks, carrots,
and radies, seem to have been chiefly used to make pottage for
the poor. Holinshed tells us in his " Chronicle," written about
this time, " such herbes, fruites, and rootes also as growe yearlie
out of the ground of seed, had become verie plentiful! in this land
in the time of the First Edward, and after his daies ; but in pro-
cesse of time they grew also to be neglected, so that from Henrie
IV., till the latter end of Henry VII. and beginning of Henrie
VIII., there was little or no use of them in England, but they
remained either unknowne, or supposed as food more mete for
hogs and savage beasts to feed upon them than mankind ; whereas,
in my time, their use is not only resumed among the poore com-
mons I mean melons, pompious, gourds, cucumbers, radishes,
&c., skerets, parsnips, carrots, cabbages, newewes, turnips, and
all kindes of herbes ; but also fed upon as daintie dishes at the
tables of delicate merchants, gentlemen, and the nobilitie, who
make their provision yearlie for new seeds out of strange coun-
tries, from whence they have them abundantlie."
CELERY.
Celery was first introduced to the English tables by Count
Tallard, during his captivity in England, after the battle of Mal-
plaquet in 1709.
ARROW-ROOT.
This plant, or vegetable, so highly prized in the sick chamber,
derives its name from being an effectual antidote against the
venom of the poisoned arrow, made use of by the Indians, parti-
cularly by the Caribees, the plant or root abounding in the islands
thus denominated.
VEGETABLE FUNGI.
An occurrence in the cellar of the late Sir Joseph Banks, may
be acceptable in the mention to the curious, and excite particular
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 245
sympathy in persons who recreate with the juice of the vine ; as
a fact, it may tend to elucidate the origin and nature of vegetable
fungi, particularly of that species termed Mushroom. The
worthy baronet had a cask of wine rather too sweet for imme-
diate use ; he therefore directed that it should be placed in a
cellar, in order that the saccharine matter it contained, might be
more perfectly decomposed by age. At the end of three years,
he directed his butler to ascertain the state of the wine, when,
on attempting to open the cellar door, he could not effect it, in
consequence of some powerful obstacle. The door was cut down,
and the cellar found to be completely filled with a firm fungus,
vegetable production so firm, that it was necessary to use the
axe for its removal. This appeared to have grown firm, or have
been nourished by the decomposed particles of the wine ; the
cask was empty, and carried up to the ceiling, where it was sup-
ported by the surface of the fungus.
VEGETABLE IVORY.
The vegetable ivory is the dense albumen of a nut from which
numerous elegant articles may be turned ; an application of it
first made in England. This nut has been known a long time,
and comes from a tree which is nearly allied to the palms, or,
according to Endlicher, to the Pandance. Euiz and Pa von call
it Phytelephas. Wildenow terms it Elephantasia. It grows,
according to Humboldt, in the interior of South America, and
not on the Mascara Islands, as stated by Morren. It (the nut)
consists externally of four envelopes of differently formed paren-
chyma ; then follows the albumen, the proper so-called vegetable
ivory, which is externally dense and white, and of a remarkable
structure. We find, namely, towards the circumference, cavities
of irregular form ; they then become six-sided, and, when seen
in section, short straight canals run out from each angle. The
cavities have a quincunxial arrangement. All the rest appears,
when strongly magnified, a dense substance. But when a drop
of Canada balsam is added, we see distinctly that the dense sub-
stance consists of parenchyma, and that the cavities communicate
by the broader extremities of their branches. The internal
structure resembles that of water plants ; and the different den-
sity and firmness might probably arise from the delicacy of the
compressed parenchyma.
SUGAR.
The derivation of this word is valuable and curious, as it
points out the native country of the sugar-cane, and throws a
light on its ancient use. The French name sucre, and its other
European denominations, may be traced to the Latin saccharum,
which comes from the Greek sakcharon s-ax^apov words intro-
246 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
duced into Europe by the followers of Alexander, before whose
time sugar appears to have been unknown even in Western Asia.
Tea and sugar, which are now to be met with in most cottages
in the South of England, were great rarities until comparatively
of late years. The latter is, indeed, noticed by several authors
even as early as the fourteenth century, but continued to be very-
dear even in James's reign. It first came from Barbary and
Cyprus, where the sugar-cane was introduced by the Moors, and
from thence to Spain and the Canaries. From hence, on the
discovery of America, it was transplanted to the Brazils ; and
about the year 1506, established in Hispaniola. Before it was
cultivated in Africa or Europe, sugar was brought from the
Indies by way of Damascus or Aleppo, and from thence to Eng-
land by Venice, Genoa, or Pisa. Anciently honey was the chief
ingredient used as a sweetener of our dishes and liquors, parti-
cularly in mead and metheglin. Sugar, however, notwithstand-
ing its extravagant price; was very generally substituted in the
place of honey, even as early as the reign of Richard II., in great
quantities, as is to be seen in several receipts of ancient cookery,
and particularly in the kitchen accounts of that monarch. Sack
and sugar was a favourite beverage with our ancestors, and is
alluded to in several old plays.
The first sugar-refining in England was carried on in 1659.
Many attempts have been made to obtain sugar from European
plants, and the maple and the beet-root have been employed with
some success, especially in France ; but the supply has never been
found adequate to the demand.
TEA.
The Chinese are supposed to have first used Tea to correct the
water of their ponds and rivers. Tea wa probably very im-
perfectly, if at all, known in England in the reign of James I.,
and certainly was very little used. Botero, who wrote about
1590, seems to allude to tea in the following remark: "The
Chinese have also an herb, out of which they press a delicate
juice, which serves them instead of wine ; it also preserves their
health, and frees them from all those evils that the immoderate
use of wine doth bring unto us." In a treatise on the East India
trade, published in 1620, most of the commodities then imported
are enumerated, but tea is not one of them. It was, perhaps,
introduced on the establishment of the new India Company in
1637, who then obtained permission to trade to China and Japan,
to which the former India Company had not before adventured.
No notice of tea, however, is taken in the Book of Bates annexed
to the Act passed in 1660, for granting the King certain duties on
different articles of importation ; but in a subsequent Act, tea,
coffee, and chocolate, are subjected to an excise. It is singular,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 247
in the Act alluded to, that the duty is imposed on the liquor
composed from the articles specified, and not on the simple articles
themselves. The Act says, " for every gallon of coffee made and
sold, to be paid by the maker, 4d. ; for every gallon of chocolate,
sherbet, and tea, made and sold, to be paid by the maker thereof,
8d. ;" from which it may be inferred, that none of those articles
were then made by private families, but were purchased ready
mixed from the compounded The difficulty of collecting the
duties in this form, their general unproductiveness, and the
expenses they caused, occasioned the act to be repealed in the
reign of William and Mary. Another writer says, tea or chaa,
as it is called in China, was first brought to this country from
Holland by Lord Arlington, in 1666. It is said to have been first
brought to Europe by the Portuguese, and not understanding its
qualities, or the mode of preparing it, the leaves were boiled,
served up as greens, and eat with melted butter, the water in
which they were boiled being thrown away ! Within the last
few years tea has been imported from Assam, and efforts have
been made to promote its culture in our East India possessions ;
but as our recent relations with China have facilitated the com-
mercial intercourse, the Chinese trade is still the principal source
of supply. The consumption of Tea as a beverage has, however,
been considerably affected by the substitution of Coffee, which is
more nutritious and cheaper ; and affords a greater encouragement
to our Colonial trade.
TOBACCO.
Tobacco is a native of the East and West India, and particularly
the island Tobago, or Tabago, from whence Tabacco, or Tobacco,
is derived. Tobacco is said to have been first brought into
England by Capta'n E. Greenfield and Sir Francis Drake about
the year 1586, and Sir Walter Ealeigh to have introduced smok-
ing it. Aubrey says, " Sir Walter Raleigh standing in a stand
in Sir Eobert Poyntz' park at Acton, took a pipe of Tobacco,
which made the ladies quit it till he had done." Fosbroke, in his
Encyclopaedia of Antiquities, says, " women as well as men used
to smoke after supper, and when the children went to school,
they carried in their satchels, with their book, a pipe of Tobacco ;
this their mothers took care to fill early in the morning, to serve
them instead of a breakfast. At an accustomed hour every one
laid aside his book and lit his pipe, the master smoking with them,
and teaching them how to hold their pipes. People went to bed
with pipes in their mouths and rose in the night to light them, a
custom retained in Spain. Our first Tobacco came from the
Spanish West Indies ; and in 1599 the seeds were brought to
Portugal, and in the sixteenth century it began to be cultivated
in the East Indies."
248 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
HOPS.
They were, according to " Baker's Chronicles," introduced into
England in the year of our Lord 1524.
" Turkies, carps, hoppes, picarell,* and beere,
Came into Englande all in one yeare."
Hops were brought into England from the Netherlands,
and are first mentioned as growing here, in the 5th and 6th
Edward VI., and towards the middle of the same century were a
favourite cultivation of English farmers. The best hops are
produced in England, and are chiefly cultivated in Kent and
Sussex ; they are also grown to a limited extent in Surrey, Essex,
Suffolk, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Staffordshire, the soil
and climate of each district giving a peculiar character to the crop.
On the continent of Europe hops have been extensively cultivated,
but never to perfection, the flowers having generally a rank smell
and flavour. The plant has also been introduced into Canada,
Van Diemen's Land, and on the Himalaya mountains, with
various success.
BARLEY, BEER, BARME.
The month of September was called by our Saxon ancestors
Gerstmonat, for that barley, says Verstegan, which that moneth
commonly yeelded, was antiently called gerst, the name of barley
being given unto it by reason of the drinke therewith made, called
beere, and from beerlcjh it came to be berlegh, and from berlegh to
barley. So in like manner beereheym, to wit, the overdecking or
covering of beere, came to be called berkam, and afterwards barme,
having since gotten I wot not how many names besides/!* This
excellent and healthsome liquor, beere, antiently called ael, as of
the Danes it yet is (beere and ale being in effect all one), was of
the Germans invented, and brought in use." It has been main-
tained by some authors that there was no malt liquor known
by this name, as distinguished from ale,*which was the ancient
liquor of England, and superseded mead; and was drank as early
by the Anglo-Saxons and Danes. It was merely an inferior kind
of barley, fermented, without any hops or other bitter ingredient.
Beer as we now have it, is however of ancient date, being men-
tioned in a statute of 1482 (23 James III. of Scotland), by which
it was made a capital offence to mix " wine" and beer ; and in
1492 we find a licence to a brewer of Greenwich in E?ent to export
fifty tone of ale called "beer" or u bere," though hops were not
used till a later period, yet other bitters as wormwood were used
to promote its keeping.
ALE.
This term, denominating another truly English beverage, is
derived from the Saxon ad. The Saxons called October ad-
monat, or ael-monath, i. e., the month which was principally
* Pike or Jack. f Yeast, &c.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 249
dedicated to the brewing of this liquor. Dr. Paris, On Diet, says,
the liquor called ale was originally made of barley,* malt, and
yeast alone. We are told by one of the oldest writers on medical
subjects (Andrew Boorde), that those who put in any other
ingredient, sophisticated the liquor. It is, he says, the natural drink
of an Englishman ; but beer, on the other hand, which is made
of malt, hops, and water, is the natural drink of a Dutchman, and
of late is much used in England, to the great detriment of many
Englishmen. There existed, for a long time, a strong prejudice
against hops, which were considered as pernicious weeds ; but it
is now generally admitted, that they constitute the most valuable
ingredient in malt liquors. Independent of the flavour and tonic
virtues which they communicate, they precipitate, by means of
their astringent principle, the vegetable mucilage, and thus
remove from the beer the active principle of its fermentation ;
without hops, therefore, we must either drink our malt liquors
new and ropy, or old and sour. There are several varieties of ale,
distinguished by their colour ; when the malt is slenderly dried,
the ale is pale; or brown, when the malt is more roasted, or high
dried. Those who sold Ale in England in olden time were called
Ale-wives. John Skelton the Poet wrote and published a curious
pamphlet on this subject, entitled " Elynor Eummin, or Elynor of
Eummyng, alias, The Tunning of Elynor Eumpkyn, the famous
Ale-wife of England," &c. This was several times printed, and
particularly in 1624. Two sheets, Lond. 4to. In the Title-page is
the picture of an old ill-favoured woman, holding in her hand a
black pot of ale, and underneath her these verses are written.
When Skelton wore the Laurel Crown,
My Ale put all the Ale-wives down.
DAVIES'S Icon Libellorum, p. 29.
PORTER AND ENTIRE.
Before 1730, the malt liquors in general use in London were
called ale, beer, and a drink called twopenny. It was then custom-
ary to call for a pint, or tankard, of half-and-half; i. e., half of
ale and half of beer, or half of ale and half of twopenny. In
course of time, it also became the practice to call for a pint, or
tankard of three-threads, meaning a third of each, ale, beer, and
twopenny, and thus the publican had the trouble to go to three
casks, and turn three cocks for a pint of liquor. To avoid this in-
convenience and waste, a brewer of the name of Harwood conceived
the idea of making a liquor, which should partake of the united
flavours of ale, beer, and twopenny ; he did so, and succeeded,
calling it entire, or entire-butt, meaning that it was drawn entirely
from one cask or butt; and as it was a very hearty and nourishing
liquor, and supposed to be very suitable for porters, and other
working people, it obtained the name of porter.
* See Barlej.
250 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
GIN.
The Genevese, in imitation of the Dutch (Hollands) were the first
makers of this spirit, and called it Geneva, from whence origi-
nated the English term of Gin. Although it is inferior in flavour
to Hollands, it is considered, when unadulterated with noxious
mixtures, to be equally as wholesome.
PORT WINE.
This wine derives its name from Oporto, in Portugal, which, like
Bordeaux in France, is the principal port in that country from
whence the Portugal wines are exported.
Howell says, " Portugal affords no wines worth transporting."
In our day, however, we think different. The custom of drinking
Port wine began about 1703, the date of the Methuen treaty, it
being deemed impolitic to. encourage the vintage of France.
Wine was first made in England in 1140.
SHERRY.
This wine derives its name from the province of Xeres, in
Spain, where it is produced.
HOCK.
We have heard much of Hock, and many of us, no doubt, have
tasted it : it is made at a village called Hocheim, in Germany, from
which it derives its name. The following epitaph may be seen
on a tombstone there :
"This grave holds Gaspar Schink, who came to dine
And taste the noblest vintage of the Rhine:
Three nights he sat. and thirty bottles drank,
Then lifeless by the board of Bacchus sank,
One only comfort have we in the case
The trump will raise him in the proper place."
GROG.
Old Admiral Vernon first introduced rum and water as a beve-
rage on board a ship; the veteran used to wear a grogram cloak
in foul weather, which gained him the appellation of Old Grog:
from himself the sailors transferred this name to the liquor, and
it may be a question to which of the grogs they were most at-
tached. See Notes and Queries, vol. i. pp. 52, 168.
PUNCH Liquor.
The liquor called Punch, says the "Asiatic Journal," has be-
come so truly English, that it is often supposed to be indigenous in
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 251
this country, though its name at least is oriental. The Persian
punji, or Sanscrit pancha, i. e.,five, is the etymon of its title, and
denotes the number of ingredients of which it is composed. Ad-
dison's fox-hunter, who testified so much surprise when he found,
that of the materials of which this truly English beverage was
made, only the water belonged to England, would have been
more astonished, had his informant also told him that it derived
its name even from the East.
NEGUS.
Wine and water first received this name from Francis Negus,
Esq., in the reign of George the First. Party spirit ran high at
that period between Whigs and Tories, and wine-bibbing was
resorted to as an excitement. On one occasion, some leading
Whigs and Tories having, par accident, got over their cups toge-
ther, and Mr. Negus being present, and high words ensuing, he
recommended them in future to dilute their wine, as he did, which
suggestion fortunately directed their attention from an argument
which probably would have ended seriously, to one on the merits of
wine and water, which concluded by their nicknaming it Negus.
COFFEE AND COFFEE HOUSES.
Coffee Houses were first established at Oxford. In the year
1650, Jacob, a Jew, opened a Coffey-house at the Angel, in the
parish of Saint Peter in the East, Oxon ; and there it was by some,
who delighted in noveltie, drank.
In 1654, Cirques Jobson, a Jew and a Jacobite, born near
Mount Lebanus, sold coffee in Oxon; and in 1655, Arthur Till-
yard, apothecary, sold coffee publicly in his house against All
Souls' College.
This coffey-house continued till his Majesty's (Charles II.)
return and after, and then became more frequent. It is also
recorded in a " New View of London," published in 1 708, that
one James Fair, a barber, who kept the house (which is now the
Eainbow) by the Inner Temple Gate, one of the oldest in Eng-
land, was in the year 1657 presented by the Inquest of St.
Dunstan's in the West, for making and selling a sort of liquor
called coffee, to the great nuisance and prejudice of the neigh-
bourhood. And who (adds the author) could then have thought
London would ever have had 3000 such nuisances, and that coffee
would have been, as now, so much drank by the first quality and
physicians. See also Notes and Queries, vol. i. p. 314.
CHICORY.
Chicory is the Cichorum intybus, a plant of the order Com-
positse, indigenous in most parts of Europe. The root of Chicory
and endive greens is used as a substitute for coffee. The leaves
252 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
are also largely used in a manufactured state as a dye-stuff,
called " pastel, or imitation woad," of which they form the prin-
cipal ingredient, for the purpose of rendering the colour per-
manent in woollen cloths.
NEWCASTLE SALMON.
Previous to the year 1787, all salmon sent to London from
Berwick were boiled and put into kits; but since that time
they have been sent in boxes, stratified with ice, by which mode
they are preserved for a considerable period. At a still previous
time, the fish were carried by land to Newcastle, and there cured
and shipped for London, where they are to this day called New-
castle Salmon.
STILTON CHEESE.
The late Duke of Northumberland and suite, passing through
Stilton on their way to the north, stopped at the Crown to take
luncheon and change horses. On his grace (at that period earl
Percy) inquiring of the landlord if he had any good cheese, one
of the description now in vogue was placed on the table, which
his lordship was so much pleased with, that he purchased half a
dozen of the same, which the landlord had by him. The praise
which his lordship bestowed on the cheese to all his friends and
acquaintance, brought numerous applications to the landlord for
similar ones, and consequently brought the cheese into great vogue,
insomuch that at last he found his cheese trade as productive as
his inn. Although the cheese is denominated by the name of
Stilton, which is merely from the circumstance previously named,
yet it is made in the vicinity of Melton Mowbray, and other parts
of Leicestershire.
NATIVE OYSTERS.
Oysters were looked upon by the Eomans as a " dainty dish ;"
and the poet Antonius has celebrated them in his verses. After
the death of this poet, however, oysters were no more thought of;
and it was not till the beginning of the sixteenth century that
they were again brought into notice. Oysters are conceitedly
said to be in season in every month of the year that has an E in
its name, beginning with September, and ending with April ; but
the season in many places extends from August to May. Almost
every city has its favourite oyster bank. In London the Col-
chester and Milton oysters are held in most esteem. Edinburgh
has her "Whiskered Pandores," and latterly, " Aberdour oysters ;"
and Dublin, the " Carliugford " and " Powldoodies of Burran."
For the convenience of obtaining a ready supply of oysters, they
are often transported from their original beds, and laid down on
proper places of the coasts, but these exiles are seldom found in
such perfection as those which are called natives that is, such
as have never been rudely torn from their native homes, and
sent on voyages of profit.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 253
RED HERRINGS.
Tn a curious old pamphlet, entitled Lenten Stuff e, the author
says, " the discovery of red herrings was owing to accident, by a
fisherman having hung some in his cabin, where, what with his
firing and smoaking, or smoaky firing, in that his narrow lobby
(house), his herrings, which were as white as whalebone when he
hung them up, now looked as red as a boiled lobster."
In the year 1745, when the Scots rebellion threatened most
formidably, Herring, then archbishop of York, resolved, in case
of extremity, to take arms himself, and oppose the rebels. His
avowing his intention, gave occasion to orator Henley to nick-
name him a Eed-Herring !
BREAD AND BUTTER.
Bread and butter, &c., superseded Kychen grosse, or dripping,
for breakfast, between the reigns of Edward IV. and Elizabeth,
Bread and cheese is mentioned as a common viand by Diogenes
Laertius.
LUXURIES, ARTICLES OF DRESS, TRADES, PROFESSIONS AND
COMPANIES, PUBLIC-HOUSE SIGNS, &c.
SHOES AND BOOTS.
To whom the honour of the invention belongs, has never yet
been satisfactorily ascertained by the Crispins of ancient or of
modern times. That the Jews had them in use, appears from
many passages of their history. " Over Edom," said the royal
Psalmist, " will I cast out my shoe." Pliny, the Eoman historian,
attributes the invention to M. Tychius, resident somewhere in
Boeotia ; but he does not specify either time or place with sufficient
certainty. It is beyond all doubt that they were introduced into
Greece at a very early period. Apollo was always represented
as wearing sandals, and was thence sometimes called Sandilarius.
That the Greeks wore boots long before the days of Homer, has
been proved from several passages in the Iliad. In the very first
book, Chryses, in his pathetic appeal to King Agamemnon and
his army to restore his daughter, addresses them thus
" Ye sons of Atreus, and ye other well-booted Greeks."
Among the Komans, a good shoemaker was held in very high
estimation ; and the profession was held by them to be inalienable,
as the profession of a priest is among ourselves.
" While boots and shoes are worn, their names shall be
Proclaim'd by fame to all posterity."
254 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
RIGHTS AND LEFTS.
Eights and lefts are only " an old, old, very old" fashion revived.
The shoes of Bernard, king of Italy, found in his tomb, were right
and left ; the soles were of wood, the upper part red leather, laced
with thongs, and they fitted so closely, that the order of the toes,
terminating in a point at the great toe, might easily be discovered.
It is remarkable that, as in the present age, both shoes and slip-
pers were worn shaped after the right and left foot. Shakspeare
describes his smith as
" Standing on slippers, which his nimble haste
Had falsely thrust upon contrary feet."
And Scot, in his Discoverie of Witchcraft observes, " that he who
receiveth a mischance, will consider whether he put not on his
shirt wrong side outwards, or his left shoe on his right foot.*
GLOVES.
Casaubon is of opinion, that Gloves were worn by the Chal-
deans, because the word here mentioned is in the Talmud Lexicon
explained, " the clothing of the hand." But it must be confessed,
all this is mere conjecture ; and the Chaldean Paraphrastmay have
taken an unallowable liberty with his version. Let us then be
content to begin with Xenophon, who gives a clear and distinct
account of gloves. Speaking of the manners of the Persians, he
gives us a proof of their effeminacy ; that, not satisfied with
covering their head and their feet,\hey also guarded their hands
against the cold with thick gloves. Homer, speaking of Laertes
at work in his garden, represents him with " gloves on his hands,
to secure them from the thorns." Yarro, an ancient writer, is
an evidence in favour of their antiquity among the Romans. In
lib. 2, cap. 35, De re Rustica, he says, that olives gathered by the
naked hand are preferable to those gathered with gloves.
Atheneeus speaks of a celebrated glutton, who always came to
table with gloves on his hands, that he might be able to handle
and eat the meat while hot, and devour more than the rest of the
company. Strutt thinks gloves were not used in England till
the tenth century, and then only by persons of rank and the
clergy, and that they were not used by ladies until the latter end
of the thirteenth century.
NIGHTCAPS.
Before we proceed to Hats and Caps, we will say something
about the origin of that most unseemly and ungraceful thing, a
Man's Nightcap. In former times, a hood was attached to the
sleeping habiliment, somewhat similar to a monk's cowl, until
* Dr. Drake's Shakspeare and his times.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 255
Henry II. of France, whose forte, was the study of personal con-
venience and ease, introduced the present nightcap. The middle
and lower orders were forbidden to wear velvet or brocade ones,
so that those classes had them originally made of woollen cloth.
PANTALOONS.
Pantaloons, and Port Canons, were some of the fantastic
fashions wherein we aped the French and is derived from Pan-
taleon or Pantaloon, in the pantomime.
MILITARY UNIFORMS.
Military Uniforms were first introduced by Louis XIV., and
immediately after by the English.
LIVERIES.
Liveries originated in our British ancestors clothing their vas-
sals in uniform, to distinguish families; as they painted arms
and symbols on their clothes and arms for the same purpose.
SERGEANT'S COIF.
The Sergeant's Coif was originally an iron scull-cap, worn by
knights under their helmets. Blackstone says it was introduced
before 1253, "to hide the tonsor of such renegado clerks as chose
to remain as advocates in the secular courts, notwithstanding
their prohibition by canon."
FLANNEL SHIRTS.
Flannel was first used in Boston as a dress next the skin, by
Lord Percy's regiment, which was encamped on the Common, in
October 1774. There was hardly flannel enough then in the
whole town for that one regiment. Some time after Lord Percy
had begun with flannel shirting, Sir Benjamin Thompson (Count
Kumford) published a pamphlet in America, assuming to have
discovered this practice. He might, perhaps, have suggested the
use of it to Lord Percy. Flannel has not been in general use till
within the last half century.
BEDS.
Beds, now such indispensable pieces of furniture, were to the
Greeks and Romans articles of great luxury. When they ex-
changed the leaves and skins of beasts, on which their heroic
ancestors reposed, for mattresses and feather-beds, the bedsteads
were made sometimes of ivory, sometimes of ebony, sometimes of
256 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
cedar, and sometimes of silver. It would be difficult now-a-days,
in the middle ranks of life, to find beds such as our ancestors
slept on, not only with their wives and their children, but with
their dogs and their friends ; an invitation to such a couch was
then considered the strongest proof of affection and confidence
that could be given.
BLANKETS.
It has been said that in 1340, one Thomas Blanket, and some
other inhabitants of Bristol, set up looms in their own houses for
weaving those woollen cloths, which have ever since been called
Blankets; but this is doubtful, as the word Blanketum occurs
in Du Cange, in the sense of an under-waistcoat of woollen, in
which it appears that people slept without a shirt.
HATS AND CAPS.
The introduction of caps and hats is referred to the year 1449,
the first seen in these parts of the world being at the entry of
Charles VII. into Rouen, and from that time they began to take
place of the hoods or chaperons that had been used till then.
When the cap was of velvet, they called it mortier when of
wool, simply bonnet. None but kings, princes, and knights, were
allowed the use of the mortier. The cap was the head-dress of
the clergy and graduates, churchmen, and members of universi-
ties ; students in law, physic, &c., as well as graduates, wear
square caps in most universities. Doctors are distinguished by
peculiar caps given them in assuming the doctorate. Pasquier
says, that the giving the cap to students in the universities, was
to denote that they had acquired full liberty, and were no longer
subject to the rod of their superiors, in imitation of the ancient
Romans, who gave a pileus or cap to their slaves, in the ceremony
of making them free. The cap is also used as a mark of infamy
in Italy. The Jews are distinguished by a yellow cap at Lucca,
and by an orange one in France. Formerly those who had been
bankrupts, were obliged ever after to wear a green cap, to pre-
vent people from being imposed on in any future commerce.
MIRRORS.
The first mirrors were made of metal. Cicero carries the
origin of them up to ^Esculapius : Moses, too, makes mention of
them. It was in the time of Pompey that the first mirrors were
made of silver at Rome. Pliny mentions a brilliant stone, pro-
bably talc, thin slices of which being fixed upon bright metal,
reflected objects with great perfection. The first mirrors of glass
appeared in Europe at the latter end of the Crusades.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM* 257
SPENCERS.
This article of dress originated with the late Lord Spencer.
His lordship, when Lord-lieutenant of Ireland, being out a hunt-
ing, had, in the act of leaping a fence, the misfortune to have one
of the skirts of his coat torn off; upon which his lordship tore off
the other, observing, that to have but one left was like a pig with
one ear ! Some inventive genius took the hint, and having made
some of these half-coats, out of compliment to his lordship, gave
them the significant cognomen of Spencer !
WIGS.
"Wigs were first worn by the Eomans, to. hide baldness or de-
formity of the head ; those of the Eoman ladies were fastened
upon a caul of goat skin. Periwigs commenced with their Em-
perors ; they were awkwardly made of hair, painted and glued
together.
The year 1529 is deemed the epoch of the introduction of peri-
wigs into France ; yet it is certain that tetes were in use here a
century before. Fosbroke says, "that strange deformity, the
Judge's wig, first appears as a general genteel fashion in the seven-
teenth century." Archbishop Tillotson was the first bishop who
wore a wig, which then was not unlike the natural hair, and worn
without powder. Among the Curiosa Cantabrigiensia, it may
be recorded that Charles II., who as his worthy friend, the Earl
of Rochester, remarked,
" Never said a foolish thing,
Nor ever did a wise one,
sent a letter to the University of Cambridge, forbidding the mem-
bers to wear periwigs, smoke tobacco, and read their sermons !
HAIR-POWDER.
The powdering of the hair took its rise from some of the ballad
singers, at the fair of St. Germaine, whitening their heads to make
themselves appear ridiculous ; this was in the year 1614. It was
first taxed in England, 1795.
FANS, &c.
Fans, muffs, masks, &c., and false hair, were first devised by the
harlots in Italy, and from France in 1572.
STATS.
Stays, like many other articles of dress, were first used in the
reign of Henry II. of France. They were called Stays here, be-
cause they were said to stay the obtrusive charms of woman.
s
"258 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.-
A curious edict was passed by the Emperor Joseph II., of law-
making notoriety, to restrain the use and fashion of stays ; in the
preamble it set forth, that they impaired the health and impeded
the growth of the fair sex ; in all orphan-houses, nunneries, and
other places of public education, they were strictly forbidden, and
young ladies still persisting in the fashion, were threatened with
the loss of the customary indulgences and countenance which were
bestowed on their class ; thus they were made a sort of immo-
rality. The College of Physicians also were enjoined to draw up
a dissertation in support of the royal edict, which was distributed
gratis. But what can a monarch do against fashion ? The liberty
of the corset was soon re-established in Austria in its full severity.
WOMEN'S BLACKS.
This is the name of the common black worsted stockings, for-
merly an article of extensive consumption ; they are now little
made, because little worn. Black stockings were first introduced
into England by Henrietta, daughter of Henry IV. of France,
and queen of Charles I. Charles was the first who wore black
stockings in England ; they were of silk, and Charles II. seldom
wore any other, as the old prints and paintings testify.
One of the greatest wholesale dealers in " women's blacks," in
a manufacturing town, was celebrated for the largeness of his
stock ; his means enabled him to purchase all that were oflFered
to him for sale, and it was his favourite article. He was an old-
fashioned man, and while the servant-maids were leaving them off,
he was unconscious of the change, because he could not believe it ;
he insisted that household work could not be done in white cottons.
Offers of quantities were made to him at reduced prices, which
lie bought ; his immense capital became locked up in his favourite
"women's blacks ;" whenever their price in the market lowered,
he could not make his mind up to be quite low enough ; his ware-
houses were filled with them. When he determined to sell, the
demand had wholly ceased ; he could effect no sales ; and, becoming
bankrupt, he literally died of a broken-heart from an excessive
and unrequited attachment to " women's blacks."
COACHES.
The introduction of coaches into England, is ascribed by Stow
to William Boonew, a Dutchman ; most accounts agree from
Germany, but the precise date, except the sixteenth century, is
uncertain. There was no coach-box ; the coachman rode on a
saddle, as postilions do now. Strutt informs us, in his Manners
and Customs of the English, vol. ii. p. 90, that Walter Bipon in
1555 made a coach for the Earl of Eutland, which was the first
ever made in England ; and in 1564, the same Walter made the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 259
first hollow turning coach, with pillars and arches, for her majesty ;
and again, in 1584, he made a chariot throne, with four pillars
behind to bear a canopy, with a crown imperial on the top, and
before, two lower pillars, on which stood a Lion and a Dragon,
the supporters of the crown, of England.
It was Buckingham, the Favourite, who, about 1619, began to
have them drawn by six horses, which, as an historian says, "was
wondered at as a novelty, and imputed to him as mastering pride."
Before that time ladies chiefly rode on horseback, either single,
on their palfreys, or double, behind some person, on a pillion.
Tn the year 1672, at which period, throughout the kingdom, there
was only six stage-coaches constantly running, a pamphlet was
written and published by Mr. John Cresset, of the Charter-house,
urging their suppression, and amongst other grave reasons given
against their continuance, the author says, " These stage-coaches
make gentlemen come to London on every trivial occasion, which
otherwise they would not do but upon urgent necessity : nay,
the convenience of the passage makes their wives often come up,
who, rather than come such journeys on horseback, would stay at
home. Then, when they come to town, they must presently be in
the mode, get fine clothes, go to plays and treats, and, by these
means, get such a habit of idleness and love of pleasure, as make
them uneasy ever after."
HACKNEY COACHES.
Hackney coaches, as well as hackney horses, derive their
name from the village of Hackney, which was, at a former period,
of such great resort, that numbers of coaches and horses were in
constant employ in carrying the citizens thither. It was in the
year 1634 that Captain Bay ley first introduced these coaches,
when a tolerable long ride might then be procured for the small
sum of 4d.
CABS, OR CABRIOLETS.
These convenient vehicles, which have now almost entirely
superseded the old hackney coach, were introduced into London
by Maberley the well-known Banker, and Government contractor.
Their form has undergone various modifications, but the public
seem now to have decided on patronizing only two descriptions :
the Clarence cab, which is very convenient for carrying four
passengers and luggage and the Hansom's Patent, which is
especially constructed for getting quickly over the ground.
OMNIBUS.
This is the name given to a peculiar kind of public carriage
which takes passengers at a cheap rate. They were first intro-
duced into Paris in 1825, whence they were introduced into
260 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
London by Shillibeer in 1829. When first introduced into Lon-
don, they were drawn by three horses abreast.
SEDAN CHAIRS.
It was in 1634, that Sir Saunders Buncombe first introduced
sedan-chairs. Sir Saunders was a great traveller, and had seen
these chairs at Sedan, where they were first invented.
SIDE SADDLES.
The Princess Ann of Bohemia was the first who introduced
side-saddles into England. It was in the year 1399 ; prior to
which, ladies either rode on pillion, or astride like men.
WALKING-STICKS.
Walking-sticks were "first introduced into fashion by the
effeminate Henry II. of France, but did not become a requisite
appendage to the gentlemen of fashion in England till the year
1655, at which time they were formed with an indented head, in
order to afford a more easy pressure of the hand which they sup-
ported. Ingenuity, which, in matters of fashion, is for ever on
the alert, now crowned it with the addition of the round and
hollow top, which sometimes contained nutmeg or ginger, to warm
the stomach of the valetudinarian, and sometimes sugar-candy
for the asthmatic ; but snuff soon after coming into universal use
among the bpn ton of society, the cavity was exclusively appro-
priated to its reception ; and the meeting of two friends was
invariably marked, after the first salutation, by the unscrewing
of the tops of their walking-sticks.
STANHOPE.
So called from being introduced into the beau monde by the
Hon. Mr. Stanhope.
DENNET.
A vehicle which derives its name from the inventor, whose
name was Dennet.
TANDEM.
This equipage derives its name from the Latin words tan dem,
i. e., at length ; one horse preceding the other. It is a cognomen
somewhat far-fetched, but it is accounted for by saying, it is of
University origin.
USE OF MAHOGANY IN ENGLAND.
Dr. Gibbons, an eminent physician, in the latter end of last,
and beginning of the present century, had a brother, a West
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 261
India captain, who brought over some planks of mahogany as
ballast. As the doctor was then building him a house in King
Street, Covent Garden, his brother thought they might be of
service to him. But the carpenters finding the wood too hard
for their tools, it was laid aside for a time as useless. Soon after,
Mrs. Gibbons wanted a candle-box ; the doctor called on his
cabinet-maker (Wollaston, in Long Acre), to make him one of
some wood that lay in his garden. Wollaston also complained
that it was too hard. The doctor said he must get stronger tools.
The candle-box was made and approved ; insomuch that the
doctor then insisted on having a bureau made of the same wood,
which was accordingly done ; and the fine colour, polish, &c.,
were so pleasing, that he invited all his friends to come and see
it, and among them the Duchess of Buckingham. Her Grace
begged some of the same wood of Dr. Gibbons, and employed
Wollaston to make her a bureau also: on which the fame of
mahogany and Mr. Wollaston was much raised, and things of
this sort became general.
TORTOISE SHELL.
This substance consists of certain large horn-like epidermoid
plates, which cover, in an imbricated or overlapping manner, the
carapace or back shell of the marine tortoises, or turtles (Chelone}.
The species which afford the most valuable of these plates are
the Karet tortoises, or imbricated turtles (Chelone imbricata,
Ckelone caretta), from which are obtained five large plates off the
middle of the carapace, and four large ones off each side ; these
plates, thirteen in number, are technically called 'blades ;' twenty-
five smaller plate's are obtained from the margin of the carapace,
which are called the feet or noses, in commerce. The other plates,
collectively, are called the head of the turtle.
IRISH BOG-YEW.
For a series of Irish Bog-yew decorative furniture, designed
to illustrate the history, antiquities, animal and vegetable pro-
ductions, &c., of Ireland, see the Official Descriptive and Illus-
trated Catalogue of the Great Exhibition, vol. ii. p. 735.
D'OYLEYS.
These dessert napkins take their term from a very respectable
warehouseman of the name of D'Oyley, whose family of the same
name had resided in the great old house next to Hodsoll, the
banker's, from the time of Queen Anne. This house, built by
Inigo Jones, which makes a prominent feature in the old
engraved views of the Strand, having a covered up-and-down
entrance which projected to the carriage way, was pulled down
262 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
about 1782, on the site of which was erected the house now
occupied in the same business.
BOAT'S PAINTER.
At the trial of a smuggler in Sussex, some time ago, it was
deposed by a witness, that there was nothing in the boat but the
tubs and the painter. Upon which the counsel, whose duty it
was to cross-examine the witness, got up and said " You say
there was nothing in the boat but the tubs and the painter; I
wish to know what became of him, did he run away." (Here
there was great laughing). It was then explained to the learned
counsel, that the painter mentioned was nothing but a rope !
The rope, which is coiled up in the boat, and which is constantly
employed in hawling, &c., is called the boat's painter, because,
from its being saturated with tar, and its continual friction
against the boat, the latter becomes daubed or painted with the
adhesive or greasy matter with which the rope is covered,
HAMMER-CLOTH.
This covering to the coachman's seat, or box, is derived from
the German hammer, which implies a coat, or covering.
ATTORNEY.
In the time of our Saxon ancestors, states a work entitled
'Saxon Anomalies, the freemen in every shire met twice a year,
under the presidency of the Shire Reeve, or Sheriff, and this
meeting was called the Sheriff's torn. By degrees the freemen
declined giving their personal attendance, and a freeman who
did attend carried with him the proxies of such of his friends
as could not appear : he who actually went to the Sheriff's torn,
was said, according to the old Saxon, to go " at the torn," and
hence came the word attorney, which signified, one that went to
the torn for others, carrying with him a power to act or vote
for those who employed him.
I do not conceive (continues the writer), that the attorney has
any right to call himself a solicitor, but where he has business in
a court of equity. If he choose to act more upon the principle of
equity than law, let him be a solicitor by all means, but not
otherwise, for law and equity are very different things, neither
of them very good, as overwhelmed with forms and technicalities ;
but upon the whole, equity is surely the best, if it were but for
the name of the thing.
TAILOR.
A tailor now means a maker of clothes, whereas its origin is
the French w^ord tailler, to cut, or cut out, whence it appears the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 263
trade of clothes-making was divided into a great many branches,
such as planner, cutter-out, sewer, &c., or that , every body
originally made his own clothes, and merely employed the tailor
to give him the most fashionable outlines of a suit.
STATIONERS.
Anterior to the invention of Printing, there flourished a craft
or trade, who were denominated Stationers; they were scribes
and limners, and dealers in manuscript copies, and in parchment
and paper, and other literary wares. It is believed by our anti-
quaries, that they derived their denomination from their fixed
locality or station in a street, either by a shop or shed, and pro-
bably, when their former occupation had gone, still retained their
dealings in literature, and turned to booksellers.* This denomi-
nation of Stationers indicating their stationary residence, would
also distinguish them from the itinerant venders, who, in a more
subordinate capacity at a later period, appear to have hawked
about the town and the country, pamphlets and other portable
books. In the reign of Philip and Mary, u the Stationers" were
granted a charter of incorporation, and w'ere invested with the
most inquisitorial powers.
APOTHECARY.
The character of an apothecary is so legibly imprinted on his
front, that all his efforts to conceal it are useless. There is a
bustling importance about him, which did not belong to the
fraternity of former times. It is said by a waggish writer, that
the apothecary of former times was a very humble being, and
carried his drugs about with him in an earthenware vessel ; and
from a-pot-he-carries, was derived the cognomen of Apothecary.
This, however, the modern sons of Galen would spurn, and would
inform you that they receive their appellation from Apothecarius,
an ancient and eminent compounder of drugs.
YEOMAN.
The title of Yeoman was formerly one of more dignity than
now belongs to it ! It signified originally a Yewman, so called
from bearing the bow in battle. Hence, at first, a Yeoman was
at least of equal consequence with an Esquire, and, as a proof of
*Pegge, in his Anecdotes of the English Language, has somewhat crudely
remarked, that the term Stationers was appropriated to booksellers in the
year 1G22 ; but it was so long before. It is extraordinary that Mr. Todd,
well read in our literary history, 'admits this imperfect disclosure of Peerge
into the "Dictionary of the English Language." The terms Stationer and
bookseller, were synonymous, and in common use in the reign of Elizabeth,
and may be found in Baret's Alvearie, 1573.
284 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
this, we have, even now. Yeoman of the Guards, of the Chamber,
&c., all persons of rank.
MEN MILLINERS.
In former times, the ancient sisterhood of Tire "Women, or
Dressers, served only in the shops where ladies purchased their
Ewgaws ; but when the Milaners, or persons from Milan, in
dy, first introduced their fashions into this country (and from
whence the term Milliner is derived), it is supposed they also
furnished us with the idea of employing the male sex for the
vending of various articles of millinery, as is the custom in that
country. They were first introduced into England in 1345. The
ancient fraternity of Tire Women became totally extinct about
1765.
GROCER.
This term, as applied to the venders of sugar, treacle, spices,
&c., originally meant nothing more than a dealer by the groce, or
in the gross, but which is now applied peculiarly to those who
deal in the above articles. There are several other trades which
bear a name, the limit or cause of which is now no more.
Fosbroke says the Medicamentarii of the ancieuts very nearly
resembled our modern Grocers.
Another writer says the term Grocer was originally employed
to distinguish a dealer in goods in gross quantities, in opposition
to the mere retailer ; though now extended to all who deal in
either way in the " mystery of grocery," a term in this instance,
by the bye, rather oddly applied. The more ancient designation,
however, of this fraternity, was that of the " Pepperers," on
account of pepper being the principal article in which the grocer
dealt. The fraternity were first incorporated as Grocers by a
charter from Edward III., in 1345, which was renewed and con-
firmed by several succeeding monarchs. A pepperer was still,
however, not unfrequently a distinct business, and continued so
till as late a period as 1559. In that year a quantity of pepper,
having been taken in a Spanish carrack, was purchased from the
queen at a good price, by certain exclusive dealers in that article.
The grocers, however, endeavoured to undersell the pepperers,
by making other importations of their own, which caused the
latter to petition her Majesty, that no pepper might be imported
for three years, which would enable them to keep their engage-
ment with her Majesty ; and to induce her to do so, they promised
not to raise the price of pepper above 3s. in the pound.
TINKER.
The trade of a tinker yet exists, though its respectability, if it
ever had any, has disappeared ; but the practice which caused the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 265
name has been long disused. A tinker was one who tink'd, be-
cause formerly the tinkers went about giving warning to their
vicinity by making a tinkling noise on an old brass kettle.
OSTLER.
An innkeeper is comparatively a modern title host, or hosteler,
is the ancient one ; but in the shape of ostler, it has now univer-
sally become the name of the host of the horses, not of the men
a singular proof of the active humanity with which ancient
innkeepers attended to their guests, and as remarkable a proof of
the additional pride of modern landlords.
BUTLER.
A Butler, who is now the superintendent of all the eating and
drinking, but under the modern appellation of House Steward, in
the house to which he belongs, was originally the mere bottler of
the liquors a pretty good proof of the wetness of our ancestors.
MANTUA-MAKER.
The names of places are sometimes preserved in trades, and
the objects of trade, where no longer the slightest connection
exists between them. Thus we have a Mantua-maker, a name
at first given to persons who made a particular cloak or dress
worn at Mantua, in Italy.
MILLINER.
Milliner, so called because the Milanese were the first Milliners,
or, as they were called, Milaners ; deriving their name from the
sale of a particular dress first worn at Milan, in Italy.
CORDWAINER.
Cordwainer,or Cortlovaner, or fine maker of shoes from. Cordova,
or Spanish leather. The Cordwaiaers' Company have a goat's
head for their crest, and repeated in their arms.
DENTIST.
This term, by which the tooth-reviser is designated, is derived
from the French word dent, i. e., tooth; and the concluding
syllable is added, as in art-ist, or chym-ist, or any other word ter-
minating with ist; merely for the sake of harmony.
COSTERMONGER.
This a corruption of Costard-monger ; Ben Jonson uses it both
ways, and it is noticed of his costermonger, by Mr. Archdeacon
266 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Nares, that "he cries only pears." That gentleman rightly
defines a costard-monger, or coster-monger, to be " a seller of
apples ; " he adds, " one who generally kept a stall." He says
of Costard, that, " as a species of apple, it is enumerated with
others, but it must have been a very common sort, as it gave a
name to the dealers in apples."
HUXTER.
Holme, in his heraldic language, says of a huxter, "He
beareth gules, a man passant, his shirt or shift turned up to his
shoulder ; breeches and hose azure, cap and shoes sable, bearing
on his back a bread basket full of fruits and herbs, aud a staff
in his left hand, or." Huxter, or hutler, is a Saxon word, and
implies a dealer in bread and vegetables.
PEDLAR.
This is a corruption from Paddler, i. e., one who goes from
place to place an Itinerant. Holme in his heraldic language
describes the pedlar thus " He beareth argent, a crate-carrier,
with a crate upon his back, or; cloathed in russet, with a staffe
in his left hand ; hat and shoes, sable"
PORTER.
One who attended at the ports (originally) for the departure or
arrival of vessels, being employed to carry luggage or packages
to and fro ; hence he was called a porter. Holme says, ' He
beareth vert a porter carrying a pack argent, corked sable;
cloathed in tawney, cap and shoes sable. This is the badge and
cognizance of all porters and carriers of burthens ;" but that there
may be no mistake, he adds, " they have ever a leather girdle
about them, with a strong rope of two or three fouldings hang-
ing thereat, which they have in readiness to bind the burdens
to their backs when called thereto."
BARBER.
Holme derives the denomination Barber from barba, a beard,
and describes him as a " cutter of hair ; " he was ulso anciently
termed a potter, because in former times to poll was to cut the
hair ; to trim was to cut the beard, after shaving, into form and
order.
BARBER'S POLE.
The origin of the Barber's Pole is to be traced to the period
when the barbers were also surgeons, under the denomination
of Barber-surgeons, or Barber-chirurgeons, none other in former
times being allowed to " let blood." To assist this operation, it
being necessary for the patient to grasp a staff, a stick or a pole
was always kept by the Barber-surgeon, together with the fillet
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 267
or bandaging used for tying the patient's arm. When the pole
was not in use, the tape was tied to it, that they might be both
forthcoming when wanted. On a person coming to be bled, the
tape was disengaged from the pole, and bound round the arm,
and the pole was put into the person's hand: after it was done,
it was again tied on, and in this state the pole and the tape
were often hung at the door, for a sign of notice to passengers
that they might there be bled. At length, instead of hanging
out the identical pole used in the operation, a pole was painted
with stripes round it, in imitation of the real pole and its ban-
dagings, and thus came the sign. Jltu. UAAJU. c*rCruA^ c
HAVING-BRUSHES.
Before the year 1756, it was a general custom to lather with
the hand ; but the French barbers about that time brought in the
brush. It was an old saying " A good lather is half the shave."
RESTAURATEUR.
This term, so generally applied to tavern-keepers in France,
and particularly to the cooks, took its name from a Parisian vint-
ner, named Boulanger, the first to supply the public with soups,
in the year 1765, placing over the door this verse from the Bible:
Venite ad me omnes qui stomacho laboratis, et ego Restaurabo
vosf The bait took such effect, that others in the same line took
his example, and the restorative powers of their aliments, added
to the singularity of the invitation to partake of them, occasioned
their being distinguished by an appellation which has since been
indiscriminately applied.
SURGEON.
This term, as applied to medical men, is derived from Chirur-
geons, who were formerly incorporated with the barbers, under
the denomination of Barber-chirurgeons. In course of time,
however, they separated ; the " letters of blood" taking upon
themselves the new made cognomen of Surgeons ; and the pollers
of hair, and shavers of chins, the old moiety of their original
united appellation of Barbers.
CORN-FACTORS, &c.
About fourscore years back (now upwards of a century), says
Harriott, in his Struggles through Life, corn-factors, meal-men,
and middle-men, as now designated, and well understood, were
then unknown. My grandfather was then*a baker of some repute
in the city, and it was from my father, and sister's brother, I
learned the following history of the commencement of corn-fac-
toring, and thence the other two. At this time, when the con-
sumption of corn was small, compared to what it is now in the
268 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
metropolis, there was no description of people that stood between
growers of corn and bakers. The farmer brought his samples to
town ; and taking them to Bear-Quay, near the Custom-house,
met the bakers, who were the principal buyers of bread corn, and
there made their bargains with each other. It is unnecessary to
detail concerning other grain, which was sold in the same direct
manner to the other purchasers ; and it is thence that the present
corn market, in Mark-Lane, is still called Bear-Quay Market.
The farmers, according to circumstances and situation, put up
at different inns, &c., when they came to town ; the Green Dragon
and Bull Inns in Bishopsgate Street, were two among others to
which farmers resorted. The landlords of these two inns, in
particular, were men in good esteem, and by habit became well
acquainted with the quality and value of corn; insomuch, that
the farmers who used their houses, would request of them at times,
when they had not sold, to 'take the samples to Bear-Quay on the
following market-day, and sell for them ; paying themselves after-
wards for their trouble, &c. The farmer soon found that this
made a considerable saving to him, in preference to staying in
town till next market-day, or making another journey. At
length, the farmer finding that the innkeeper sold the corn as
well as he could, and confiding in his host, thought he might
frequently save his own time, as well as the expense of the journey,
by sending the samples up to the innkeeper to sell, and do the
best for him ; agreeing to give an allowance of '3d. a quarter for
the innkeeper's commission.
GOLDSMITHS' YEAR MARKS.
In Notes and Queries, vol. vi., occur the following notices of
these marks: In the year 1596, the Eoman capital A was used;
in 1597, B ; and so on alphabetically for twenty years, which
would bring us to the letter U, denoting the year 1615: the
alphabet finishing every twenty years with the letter U or V.
The next year, 1616, commences with the old English letter &,
and is continued for another twenty years in the old English
capitals. In 1636 is introduced another alphabet called Court
alphabet.
From 1656 to 1675 inclusive, Old English capitals.
1676 to 1695 ., Small Roman letters
1696 to 1715 The Court alphabet.
1716 to 1735 Roman capitals.
1736 to 1755 Small Roman letters.
1756 to 1775 Old English capitals.
1776 to 1795 Small Roman letters.
1796 to 1815 Roman capitals.
1816 to 1835 Small Roman letters
1836 to 1855 Old English capitals.
The letter for the present year (1853) being jj.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 269
In this list it will appear difficult, at first sight, in looking at a
piece of plate to ascertain its age, to determine whether it was
manufactured between the years 1636 and 1655, or between 1696
and 1715, the Court hand being used in both these cycles: but
instead of the lion passant and leopard's head in the former, we
shall find the lion's head erased, and Britannia, denoting the altera-
tion of the standard during the latter period.
The letters used as dates in the foregoing list are only those
of the Goldsmiths' Hall in London, as denoted by the leopard's
head crowned. Other Halls, at York, Newcastle, Lincoln, Nor-
wich, Bristol, Salisbury, and Coventry, had also marks of their
own to show the year; and have stamped gold and silver since
the year 1423, perhaps earlier. Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin
have had the same privilege from a very early period : and, more
recently, Chester, Birmingham, and Sheffield. Thus it will be
seen, that four marks or punches are used on gold and silver
plate, independent of the makers' initials or symbol, viz. :
The Standard Mark. For gold of the old standard of 22 carats,
and silver of 11 oz. 2 dwts. ;
A lion passant for England. I A lion rampant for Glasgow.
A thistle for Edinburgh. A harp crowned for Ireland.
For gold of 18 carats:
A crown, and the figures 18.
For silver of 11 oz. 10 dwts. :
A lion's head erased, and Britannia.
The Hall Mark.
A leopard's head crowned for Lon-
don.
A castle for Edinburgh.
Hibernia for Dublin.
Five lions and a cross for York.
A castle for Exeter.
Three wheat sheaves and a dagger
for Chester.
Three castles for Newcastle.
An anchor for Birmingham.
A crown for Sheffield.
A tree and fish for Glasgow.
The Duty Mark. The head of the sovereign, to indicate that
the duty has been paid: this mark is not placed on watch-
cases, &c.
The Date Mark, or variable letter, denoting the year as fixed by
each Hall.
HABERDASHERS.
Minshew derives it from Habt ihr das, Teut. Possibly the real
derivation is berdash, an old English neck-dress, whence a seller
of this article was called a berdasher or haberdasher. But a word
of so complex a structure, not apparently reducible to significant
elements, must be strongly suspected of corruption, and the
origin would naturally be looked for in France, from whence we
derive the names of so many of our tradesmen, as butchers, tailors,
270 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM,
cutlers, chandlers, mercers, &c. Now the Dictionnaire de Lan-
guedoc has, " Debassaire, bonnetier, chaussetier, fabricaut de bas,"
from debasses, stockings. With us, " The haberdasher heapeth
wealth by hats," but he usually joins with that business the trade
of hosier ; and possibly, when the meaning of the French term
was not generally understood in this country, the name of the
article dealt in might have been added to give significance to the
word, and thus might have formed hat-debasser, or hat-debasher,
haberdasher.
The Haberdashers were incorporated into a company in the
year 1447 ; but it is probable that their number was not great,
since in the reign of Henry VI. there were not more than a
dozen Haberdashers' shops in the whole city. How much they
must have increased during the reign of Elizabeth may be inferred
from the complaints made against them, that the whole street
from Westminster was crowded with them, and that their shops
made so gay an appearance as to seduce persons to extravagant
expenditures. The business of the haberdasher was not, however,
confined to the lighter articles of a lady's wardrobe, as at present,
but extended to the sale of daggers, swords, knives, spurs, glasses,
dials, tables, balls, cards, puppets, inkhorns, toothpicks, fine
earthen-pots, salt-cellars, spoons, tin dishes ; and even mouse-
traps, bird-cages, shoeing-horns, lanterns, and Jews'-trumps,
contributed to that gay appearance which the haberdashers'
shops are said to have made in the reign of our maiden queen.
MERCERS' COMPANY.
This, which is one of the twelve principal companies, or such,
says Pennant, who are honoured with the privilege of the Lord
Mayor's being elected out of one of them. Mercer by no means
implied a dealer in Silks, for Mercery signified all sorts of small
wares, toys, and haberdashery. This company was incorporated
in 1393.
MERCHANT-TAILORS' COMPANY.
" A remnant of all shall be saved."
When Dr. South was appointed chaplain to the Merchant
Tailors' Company, he took the above appropriate text, when he
preached his inauguration sermon.
This company in former times was merely denominated the
Tailors Company, until Henry VII., who was himself a member
of it, gave them the title of Merchant Tailors ; this was in the
year 1501. Edward, the Black Prince, was a member of this far-
famed company, and most of the kings of England, since the
reign of Edward III., down to George IV. Continental Sove-
reigns, Princes, Marshals, and Generals, have been, and are
enrolled in the same. This is also one of the twelve principal
companies.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM, 271
LORINER.
Among the various companies of the city of London, some of
which have very peculiar, and not generally understood names,
this is one. Loriner is from the French Larimer, signifying a
maker or manufacturer of bridle bits, stirrups, and other saddler's
ironmongery. The time has gone by with the Loriner's Company,
ns well as with others, when they granted their freedom or livery
to those only who were of the trade by which the company was
denominated.
PUBLIC-HOUSE SIGNS, &c.
"I'm amused at the Signs
As I pass through the town,
To see the odd mixture
A Magpye and Crown,
The Whale and the Crow,
The Razor and Hen,
The Leg and Seven Stars,
The Axe and the Bottle,
The Tun and the Lute,
The Eagle and Child,
The Shovel and Boot."
Bristol Apollo, 1710.
Public-house Signs, especially in and about the metropolis,
present some laughable absurdities, a specimen of which is given
in the above compound of rhyme and prose. Englishmen, it is
said, are fond of contradictions, a corroboration of the truth of
which is not only to be found in the sign-board of the tavern,
but in the foaming bowl of punch which is to be procured there.
As this work professes to embrace a little of every thing, the
origin of some of the most remarkable tavern appellations and
public-house signs will now be noticed, satisfied that the reader
will feel an interest in the same ; for
"Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round,
Where'er his various tour has been,
May sigh, to think how oft he found
His warmest welcome at an Inn." Shenstone.
THE HUMMUMS.
An hotel, situated in Covent Garden, and famed for its hot and
cold baths. Dr. Shaw, in his Travels, says, that hummums is a
corruption of hammum, the Arabic term for a bath or bagnio.
Parson Ford, who so conspicuously figures in Hogarth's Modern
Conversation, died in the latter house. The first bagnio, or bath,
for sweating or hot bathing in England, it is believed, was that
in Bagnio Court, Newgate Street, which afterwards became an
hotel, or lodging-house, after which the Hummums in Covent
Garden were opened upon the same plan.
272 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM
THE FLYING HORSE.
The Flying Horse was originally intended to represent the
Pegasus of the ancients ; consequently it is not so unmeaning a
sign as it has been thought to be.
THE HAT AND TUN.
A house so named in the vicinity of ITatton Garden was evi-
dently intended to allude to the family of the Hattons, whose
mansion formerly stood near the spot. This sign is obviously a
Rebus.
SIMON THE TANNER OF JOPPA.
In Long Lane, South wark, there is a house so named, probably
having its origin in the tiroes when Scripture names were adopted
for men and things. In Acts x. 32, we read, that the apostle
Peter dwelt for some time at the house of Simon a tanner.
THE BEAR AND RAGGED STAFF.
This, being part of the armorial bearings of the Earls of War-
wick, has been set up in honour of that noble house ; while others
bear the name of the "Earl of Warwick," and "Guy, Earl of
Warwick." The arms were, doubtless, the original sign, but lat-
terly only the name has been used.
BRACE, KING'S BENCH.
This place was originally kept by two brothers of the name of
Partridge, from whom it obtained the present title, being a pun
upon their name, they being a Brace of Partridges.
THE GRAVE MORRIS.
A house so named, stands opposite the London Hospital. A
painter was commissioned to embody the inscription ; but this
knight of the brush was not possessed of a poet's eye, and therefore
could not depict the form of things unknown or imaginary. The
sign is in consequence written up, " The Grave Morris."
In Junius's Etymologicon, Grave is explained to be Comes, or
Count, as Palsgrave is Palatine Count ; of which we have an in-
stance in Palsgrave-head Court, Strand, so called in memory of
the Palsgrave Count, or Elector Palatine, who married Princess
Elizabeth, daughter of James I. Their issue was, the Palsgrave
Charles Louis, the Grave Count, or Prince Palatine Kupert, and
the Grave Count, or Prince Maurice.
THE SWAN WITH TWO NECKS.
This sign has long been an object of mystery to the curious ;
but this mystery has been explained by the alteration of a single
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 273
letter. The sign was originally written "The Swan with two
Nicks; " the meaning of which we find to be thus fully explained,
in a communication to the Antiquarian Society, by the late Sir
Joseph Banks.
At a meeting of the Antiquarian Societ} T , held in the year 1810,
Sir Joseph Banks presented a curious roll of parchment, exhibiting
the marks or nicks made on the beaks of the swans and cygnets
in the rivers and lakes in Lincolnshire ; accompanied with an
account of the privileges of certain persons for keeping swans in
these waters, and the duties of the king's swan-herd in guarding
these fowls against depredators ; also, for regulating their marks,
and for preventing any two persons from adopting the same figures
and marks on the bills of their swans. Thus, from the circum-
tance of marking these swans with nicks, originated the sign of
the " Swan with two Nicks," now corrupted into the " Swan with
two Necks."
GOAT AXD COMPASSES.
This sign, so well known to those who visit Chelsea, is derived
from the days of the Commonwealth, when it was the fashion of
the enthusiasts of that period to append scriptural quotations to
the names given them by their parents, or to adopt them entirely
instead. This rage for sacred titles, induced them also to coin
new names for places and things. The corruption " God encom-
passeth us," to "Goat and Compasses," is obvious, and seems
quite natural. The house is now called the "Compasses."
BAXJ OF NAILS.
The Bag of Nails, at Chelsea, is claimed by the smiths and car-
penters in its neighbourhood as a house originally intended for
their peculiar accommodation ; but had it not been for the cor-
ruption of the times, it still would have belonged ioiheltacchanals,
who, in the days of the rare Ben Jonson, were accustomed to
make a holiday excursion to that pleasant part of the environs of
London. One age has contrived to convert Bacchanals into Bag
o' Nails ; may not a future age take the liberty of converting
Bacchanalians into that of Bag o'-Nailians 1
JOHN 0' GROAT'S HOUSE.
James IV. of Scotland sent Malcolm Gavin, and John de Groat,
two brothers, into Caithness, with a letter written in Latin, recom-
mending them to the kind regards of the people of that county.
They became possessed of lauds in the parish of Anisley, on the
banks of the Peutland Firth, which was equally divided between
them. In course of time there were eight families of the same
name, who shared alike, and lived comfortably and peaceably for
T
274 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
many years. These were accustomed to meet, to celebrate the
anniversary of the arrival of their progenitors. At one of these
meetings it became a matter of dispute which of them was entitled
to enter first, and take the head of the table, which had like to
have terminated fatally, but for the presence of mind of John de
Groat, proprietor of the ferry, who remonstrated with them ;
pointed out the necessity of unanimity as regarded their own
happiness, their respectability among their neighbours, and gene-
ral safety from the inroads of those clans who might envy them,
and take advantage of their dissensions. He then proposed the
building of a house, to which they should contribute equally ; and
he promised at their next meeting he should so order matters,
as to prevent any dispute about precedency. Having gained their
assent, he proceeded to build a house, with a distinct room of an
octagonal form, having eight doors and eight windows, in which
he placed a table of oak, with eight sides. At the next annual
meeting he desired each to enter singly at different doors, and
take the head of the table, himself entering the last, and taking
the remaining unoccupied seat. By this ingenious manoeuvre
they were all placed on an equal footing, and good-humour and
harmony were restored and established. Such was the origin of
the sign of " John o' Groat's house."
VALENTINE AND ORSON.
There is a house so named in Long Lane, Bermondsey. It
would appear to have originated with some romantic reader, who
had been affected with the tale of these two brothers, who were
sons of the Emperor of Constantinople, Alexander, who married
the beautiful sister of Pepin, king of France, named Bellisant ;
who being banished by the Emperor during her pregnancy, having
been falsely accused by his prime minister, she took refuge in the
forest of Orleans, in France, where she was delivered of male
twins: one of which was taken from her by a she-bear, and suck-
led by it for some time, hence called Orson. The other being
discovered by the king, Pepin her brother, during her search after
Orson, was brought up at the court of his uncle. Orson being a
terror to the neighbourhood when he grew up, was overcome by
his brother, and tamed so far as to be brought to court. Shortly
after overcoming the Green Knight, he received the hand of the
Lady Fezon, previous to which he had attained the power of
speech ; and Valentine married Eglantine, the king's daughter,
when they discovered they were cousins.
THE GUY'S HEAD.
This sign was intended to do honour to the philanthropy of
Mr. Thomas Guy, who founded the hospital in the Borough
which bears his name, and which cost the sum of .18,793 : 16:1;
and the sum left for its endowment was 219,499 : : 4.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 275
BLACK DOLL AT RAG SHOPS.
The Black Doll, used as a sign by the dealers in rags, is by
some supposed to have originated with a person who kept a
house for the sale of toys and rags in Norton Flogate, about eighty
years ago. An old woman brought him a large bundle for sale,
but desired it might remain unopened until she called again to
see it weighed. Several weeks elapsed without her appearing,
which induced the master of the shop to open the bundle, when
he found a black doll, neatly dressed, with a pair of gold earrings
appended. This he hung up over his door, for the purpose of
being owned by the woman who left it. Shortly after this she
called, and presented the doll to the shopkeeper, as a mark of
gratitude for his having, by its means, enabled her to find out
her bundle. The story having gained circulation, this figure has
been generally used by dealers in rags, ever since this original
instance of honesty in this class of merchants. Such is the
romance of the black doll ; the reality will be found, we believe,
in the fact, that cast off clothes having formerly been purchased
by dealers in large quantities, for the purpose of being resold to
merchants, to be exchanged by them in traffic with the uncivi-
lised tribes, who it is known will barter any thing for articles of
finery; a black doll gaily dressed out, was adopted as the sign
of such dealers in old apparel.
PUBLIC-HOUSE CHEQUERS.
Few people, it is presumed, are aware of the origin of the
Chequers, which are seen on the sides of the doors or window
shutters of public-houses. By some it is said, that they repre-
sent the arms of a nobleman in whom the right of licensing was
formerly invested. By others, they have been regarded as an
intimation that the game of tables might be played therein by
the customers. But whatever be its origin, this mark of a house
of entertainment boasts of a very high antiquity ; for on the sides
of the doorway of one of the houses at Pompeii, the Chequers are
still seen, and which is supposed to have been an inn.
THE BELL SAVAGE.
The etymology of the Bell Savage on Ludgate Hill, has been
variously, but very incorrectly given ; the following, however,
may be relied on as correct. The Bell Savage, now called le belle
Sauvage, took its name from those premises once being the pro-
perty of lady Arabella Savage, who made a deed of gift of them
to the Cutlers' Company ; corroborative of which, a painting may
be seen in Cutlers' Hall, representing her ladyship, accompanied
by her conveyancer, presenting the said deed of gift to the
Master and Wardens of the aforesaid company.
276 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
THE BOLT-IN-TUN.
A game the Roman and Grecian youth were wont to exercise
themselves in. The bolt was a short javelin, and the tun was
placed as a kind of target; he who threw the bolt through a
small hole in the tun, being declared victor. The origin of this
sign is given by authors, as being the monogram of the Abbot
Bolton, who bore for his device a Bolt in a Tun, as may be seen
in the Abbot's window in the church of Bartholomew the Great,
Smithfield.
THE BULL AND MOUTH, AND BULL AND GATE.
The two inns here named, are a strong specimen of the corrup-
tion so prevalent in the designation of public resorts in and
about the city of London, indeed throughout the whole country.
The original names were Boulogne-Mouth and Boulogne-Gate,
in commemoration of the destruction of the French flotilla at the
mouth of Boulogne harbour, and of the capitulation of the town
being signed at the gate of Boulogne in the reign of Henry VIII.
The Bull and Mouth is now called the Queen's Hotel.
DOG AND DUCK TAVERN.
The sign of this once very popular tavern, took its name from
a famous dog which hunted ducks in a sheet of water on this
spot. Over a low small-gabled-end fronted house, was seen, in an
oblong square place, moulded in a kind of red composition, the
dog and duck.
SPREAD EAGLE.
The Spread Eagle, which constitutes with some variations the
arms of Austria and Prussia, originated with Charlemagne, the
first Emperor of Germany, who added the second head to the
Eagle, to denote that the empires of Borne and Germany were
in him united. This was A.D. 802.
NONESUCH HOUSE!
"We have seen in the neighbourhood of London, and in various
parts of the country, " Nonesuch House," or " Nonesuch Cottage,"
&c. This term originated from the residence of Hans Holbein,
the celebrated painter to Henry VIII., which stood on London
Bridge. It was entirely framed of wood, was made in Holland,
and when placed on the bridge was completed without a single
nail ; in consequence of which, Sir Thomas More christened it,
" Nonesuch House !" and which has since become a cognomen
for various residences and villas throughout the country.
COAL-HOLE TAVERN.
_ A tavern so called in Fountain Court, Strand, a well-known
site for midnight gossiping. Here the most celebrated comedians
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 277
have long entertained their private convivial friends after they
have delighted the town. Here, too, certain poets, painters,
sculptors, musicians, and other ingenious wights, who prefer late
hours, a smoky room, and hilarity, to the sober comforts of
domestic home, waste the night in glorious independence, fearless
of the curtain lecture that appals the uxorious wight, who some-
times trespasses against the orders of the house. The Coal-hole
merely derives its name from its gloomy situation, and its original
contiguity to a coal-yard .
BLOSSOMS IXX.
The Blossoms Inn, Lawrence Lane, derives its name from the
rich borders of flowers which adorned the original sign of St.
Lawrence. These were the effects of his martyrdom "for,"
says the legend, " flowers sprung up on the spot of his cruel
martyrdom."
CATHERINE WHEEL.
Alban Butler says, St. Catherine was beheaded under the
Emperor Mexentius, or Maximinus the Second. He adds, " she
is said first to have been put upon an engine made of four wheels,
joined together and stuck with sharp pointed spikes, that when
the wheels Avere moved her body might be torn to pieces. At
the first stirring of this terrible engine, the cords with which the
martyr was tied were broke asunder by the invisible power of an
angel, and, the engine falling to pieces by the wheels separating
one from another, she was delivered from that death." Hence
the name of St. Catherine's Wheel. It has also given name to a
peculiar form of window in Gothic architecture, in which the
smokes of a wheel are represented. It thus differs from the
Marigold window, the compartments of which are shaped like the
petals of that flower.
THE THREE LEGS.
This public-house sign, and which is more general in the country
than in London, is the arms of the Isle of Man. Its ancient
bearing was a ship ; but the arms are now, and have been for
centuries, gules "three armed legs" proper, or rather argent,
conjoined in fess at the upper part of the thigh, fleshed in triangle,
garnished and spurred topaz. So long as the King of Man wrote
Rex Manniae et Imularum, they bore the ship ; but when the
Scots had possession, with the "Western Islands, the legs were
substituted. It is said of the " three legs," that with the toe of
the one they spurn at Ireland, with the spur of the other they
kick at Scotland, and w r ith the third they bow to England.
TUMBLE DOWN DICK!
This sign, once so well known in that part of the borough of
South wark, near to London Bridge, was set up on the restoration
273 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
of Charles II. , and was intended as a burlesque on Kichard Crom-
well, who had too much simplicity and honesty to manage the
reins of government, which devolved on him on the death of his
father.
LARK-HALL TAVERST.
This place is of great antiquity; it stood in the midst of
meadows and corn-fields, and was much resorted to by bird-
catchers, who frequented this place with their nets ; and in time
it became noted, and much resorted to by the Londoners on
Sundays, who came here to purchase larks, and other singing-
birds, from the bird-catchers, from whence it was called Lark-hall.
At this period also, the bath-room, which now stands at the brow
of the hill, a quarter of a mile west of Lark-hall, towards Clapham,
was much frequented ; alid the spring which now supplies the
present bath was also reckoned very salubrious, and boasted
many fashionable visiters during the summer months ; but there
being no high-road, both that and the Lark were inacessible in
the winter months.
Over the entrance to Lark-hall tavern, is the following
whimsical notice, which must be read backwards to be under-
stood, " Tsurt Tonnac I ; nos dull sie Man Ym ,ts uje Ru Saeni
dna, doogro uQil hTiW."
GOLDEN FLEECE.
This sign, supposed to be the most ancient of any, and which
we meet with in almost every provincial town, has a classi-
cal derivation ; applying to the Golden Fleece which was brought
from Colchis by Jason, about 1263 years before Christ.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS, INNS OF COURT, WARDS, CHURCHES, STREETS
AND LOCALITIES OF LONDON AND WESTMINSTER.
LONDON.
The first mention we find of the City of London in history, says
Maitland, is by the illustrious and celebrated Roman historian,
Tacitus, by the appellation of Londinium, when he acquaints us
that Suetonius Paulinus, the Roman general, being employed in
the conquest of the Isle of Mona, or Anglesey, in North Wales, he
received advice of the revolt of the Britons; wherefore, with the
utmost expedition, he began his march to the assistance of the
veterans and colonies ; and, marching through the midst of the
enemy, arrived at London, which then was celebrated for its great
number of merchants, and plenty of merchandise.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 279
As to the etymology of the word London, antiquaries are not
agreed; Geffrey of Monmouth derives it from Caer-Lud, or
Lud's-town : Erasmus, from Lindum, a city of Khodes : Vitus,
from Lugdu ; a Celtic prince, Lugdon : Selden, from Llan-Dyn,
the Temple of Diana ; this conjecture is founded upon the great
number of boars' tusks (found in the neighbourhood of St. Paul's
cathedral), horns of oxen, and stags, whose bodies were proper
sacrifices to that deity. Somner derives it from Llawn, Plenus,
and Dyn, Homo, a populous place, which he imagines London
always to have been, which I take to be (continues Maitland)
an appellation very unsuitable with the low condition this city
has been many times reduced to ; especially when the whole of
its inhabitants were destroyed by Boadicea. Camden derives it
from Lhong and Dinas; Lhong, signifying a ship, and Dinas, a
town, that is, ship- town, or a city of ships. The first author who
speaks of London (Londiniuni) as a city, is Cornelius Tacitus,
who also calls it Augusta. Ammianus Marcellinus mentions an
ancient place once called Londinium, but then Augusta; and
again refers to it under the name of Augusta Trinobantum.
There is a very curious transcript in the Tower of an ancient
document relative to the antiquity of London, presented to
Henry VI. in the seventh year of his reign (1427), when taken
out of the city archives. A brief translation of this old manu-
script is as follows: Among the noble and famed cities of the
world, that of London, the only seat of the realm of England, is
the chief; the fame of which is known far and near. It is remark-
able for wholesome air ; but, above all, for the Christian religion.
Its liberties and ancient foundation being, according to records,
older than Rome ; built by Brute after the manner of Troy, long
before the time of Romulus and Remus; and to this day the
manners, customs, liberties, and rights of Troy are universally
enjoyed!"
PAVING OF LONDON.
London was unpaved till 1417; when Henry IV., convinced
that Holborn was deep and dangerous, ordered two ships to be
laden with stones, at his own expense, each 20 tons in burden, to
repair it.
LONDON BRIDGE.
Stow, in his Survey of London, says, a ferry being kept in the
place where now the bridge is built, at length the ferryman and
his wife deceasing, left the said ferry to their daughter Mary, which,
with the goods left her by her parents, as also with profits arising
from said ferry, built a House of Sisters, in the place where now
standeth the east part of St. Mary Over'ier's Church,* above the
quire where she (Mary) was buried ; into which house she gave
* A corruption of St. Mary, over the river.
280 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
the profits and oversight of the ferry. But afterwards, the said
House of Sisters being converted into a College of Priests, the
priests built the bridge of timber, as all other great bridges of
the land were, and from time to time kept the same in repara-
tions ; till at length, considering the great charges of repairing
the same, there was, by aid of citizens and others, a bridge built
with arches of stone. Now, touching the foundation of the stone
bridge, it followeth thus: About the year 1176, the stone bridge
over the river Thames, at London, was begun to be founded by
Peter of Colechurch * near unto the bridge of timber, but
somewhat more towards the west ; for I read that Botolph Wharf
was, in the Conqueror's time, at the head of London Bridge.
The king assisted this work, a cardinal then being legate here ;
and Eichard, archbishop of Canterbury, gave 1000 marks towards
the foundation. The course of the river for the time, was turned
another way about, by a trench cast for that purpose, beginning,
as it is supposed, east about Kotherhithe, and ending in the west
about Patricksey, now termed Battersea. This work, to wit, the
arches, chapel, and stone Bridge, having been thirty-three years
in building, was, in the year 1209, finished by the worthy
merchants of London, Serle Mercer, William Almaine, and
Benedict Botewright, principal mnsters of the works; for Peter
of Colechurch deceased four years before it was completed. The
present bridge is 928 feet long, and was built from the designs of
John Eennie, a native of Scotland, and of his sons John and
George. The first stone was laid June 15, 1825, and the bridge
publicly opened by William IV., 1831. It is built of granite,
and is said to have cost, including the new approaches, near
two millions of money. The lamps are made from cannon taken
in the Peninsular war. It is the last bridge over the Thames,
or the one nearest the sea.
THE THAMES.
"Majestic river! fraught with riches
From ev'ry shore. The Indus and the Ganges,
With other mighty streams renown'd,
Hail thee as their chief;
Yield thee the produce of their clime,
And give thy nation homage."
This river, so famed in the commercial world, derives its name
from a compound of Thame and Isis, and which in process of
time came under the familiar denomination of Thames. The
junction was formed a little above Oxford, but the Isis now is
lost in the compound term, as the river is denominated the
Thames even to its very source. The banks of the Thames have
long been famed for the beauty of verdure, and taste with which
* Chaplain of the church of St. Mary Colechurch, in the Poultry.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 281
they are adorned. They are studded with neat cottages, or
elegant villas crown the gentle heights ; the lawns come sweep-
ing down like carpets of green velvet to the edge of its soft-flow-
ing waters, and the grace of the scenery improves until we are
borne into the full bosom of its beauty the village of Richmond,
or, as it was anciently called, Sheen. * Below London Bridge we
have Greenwich, and other beautiful scenery of the county of
Kent. The opposite bank on the Essex side is flat, and is famed
for nothing but Tilbury Fort, where Elizabeth, when the Spanish
Armada threatened this country, reviewed her troops who were
collected to repel the invaders.
THE NEW RIVER.
During the reigns of queen Elizabeth and James I., acts of
parliament were obtained for the better supplying of the metro-
polis with water : but the enterprise seemed too great for any
individual, or even for the city collectively, to venture upon, until
Mr. Hugh Middleton, a native of Denbigh, and goldsmith of
London, "offered to begin the work. The Court of Common
Council accepted his ofler ; and having vested him with ample
powers, this gentleman, with a spirit equal to the importance of
the undertaking, at his own risk and charge began the work.
He had not proceeded far, when innumerable and unforeseen
difficulties presented themselves. The art of civil engineering
was then little understood in this country, and he experienced
many obstructions from the occupiers and proprietors of the lands
through which he was under the necessity of conducting this
stream.
The distance of the springs of Amwell and Chadwell, whence
the water was to be brought, is twenty miles from London ; but
it was found necessary, in order to avoid the eminences and
valleys in the way, to make it run a course of more than thirty-
eight miles. " The depth of the trench," says Stow, " in some
places, descended full thirty feet, if not more ; whereas, in other
places, it required as sprightful arte againe to mount it over a
valley, in a trough betweene a couple of hills, and the trough all
the while borne up by wooden arches, some of them fixed in the
ground very deepe, and rising in height above twenty-three foot."
The industrious projector soon found himself so harassed and
impeded by interested persons in Middlesex and Hertfordshire,
that he was obliged to solicit a prolongation of the time to ac-
complish his undertaking. This the city granted, but they
refused to interest themselves in this great and useful work,
although Mr. Middleton was quite impoverished by it. He
then applied, with more success, to the king himself; who, upon
a moiety of the concern being made over to him, agreed to pny
* See Richmond.
232 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
half the expense of the work already incurred, as well as of the
future. It now went on without interruption, and was finished
according to Mr. Middletou's original agreement with the city ;
when, on the 29th of September, 1613, the water was let into the
bason, now called the New River Head, which was prepared for
its reception. By an exact admeasurement of the course of the
New Eiver, taken in 1723, it appeared to be nearly thirty-nine
miles in length. This great undertaking cost half a million of
money, and was the ruin of its first projector ; who parted with
his interest in it to a Company called the New Eiver Company,
in whose hands it still remains, reserving to himself and his heirs
for ever an annuity of 100 per annum. This annuity ceased to
be claimed about the year 1715.
The property of the New Eiver is divided into seventy-two
shares; for the first nineteen years after the finishing of the work,
the annual profit upon each share scarcely amounted to twelve
shillings. A share is now considered to be worth 11,500, and
they have been sold as high as .14,000.
WATER PIPES,
Water was first conveyed to London by leaden pipes, 21 Henry
III., 1237. It took near fifty years to complete it; the whole
being finished, and Cheapside* Conduit erected only in 1285. An
engine erected at Broken Wharf, to convey water by leaden pipes,
1594. The New Eiver brought to London from Am well, in
Hertfordshire, by Sir Hugh Middleton, in 1613. The city sup-
plied with its water, by conveyances of wooden pipes in the streets,
and small leaden ones to the houses, and the New Eiver Com-
pany incorporated, in 1620. So late as queen Anne's time, there
were water-carriers at Aldgate-pump.
BRIDGE HOUSE ESTATES.
" Towards the support and repairs of London Bridge, which
was built, as before stated, in the reign of Henry II., king John,
his son, gave divers parcels of ground, in London and its vicinity,
to build upon, the profits whereof were to be continually employed
as above stated. Hence this property has been called the Bridge
Estates, or Bridge House Estates." Maitland's London.
ROYAL EXCHANGE.
The first Eoyal Exchange was founded by Sir Thomas Gresham.
The first stone was laid June 7, 1566, and the building opened
by Queen Elizabeth in person, January 23, 1570. This Exchange
was destroyed in the great fire of 1666. Pepys describes its ap-
pearance as a sad sight, nothing standing there of all the statues
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 283
and pillars, but Sir Thomas Gresham in the corner. The second
Exchange was built by Edward Jarman or Jerinan, one of the
City Surveyors. It is said to have cost 58,962, and was destroyed
by fire January 10, 1838. The statue of Sir Thomas Gresham
again escaped uninjured. The present building was built from
designs of William Tite, and opened by Her Majesty in person
October 28, 1844. The pediment was made by R. Westmacott
R.A. (the younger), the marble statue of Her Majesty in the
quadrangle by Lough ; and the statues of Sir Thomas Gresham,
Sir Hugh Middleton, and Queen Elizabeth, by Messrs Joseph,
Carew, and Watson. It is said to have cost ,180,000.
STATUES, ROYAL EXCHANGE.
As the origin of the statues in the Royal Exchange may not
be generally known, the original precept issued by the Court of
Aldermen for the erection of the one to Charles II. is here intro-
duced, and which also alludes to the origin of the other statues
therein placed.
SMITH, MAYOR.
Martis Vndecimo Die Novembr' 1684, Annoque Regni Regis
CAROLI Secundi, Angl', &c., Tricessimo Sexto.
Whereas, the statue of king CHARLES the First (of blessed
memory) is already set up in the Royal Exchange, and the Com-
pany of Grocers have undertaken to set up the statue of his
present MAJESTY, and the Company of Cloth workers that of king
JAMES, and the Companies of Mercers and Fishmongers the
statues of queen MARY and queen ELIZABETH, and the Company
of Drapers that of EDWARD the Sixth, this court doth recommend
it to the several companies of this city hereafter named, viz., the
Companies of Goldsmiths, Skinners, Merchant Tailors, Haber-
dashers, Salters, Ironmongers, Vintners, Dyers, Brewers, Leather-
sellers, Pewterers, Barber-Chirurgeons, Cutlers, Bakers, Wax
Chandlers, Tallow Chandlers, Armourers, Girdlers, Butchers,
Sadlers, to raise money by contributions, or otherwise, for setting
up the statues of the rest of the kings of England (each company
one), beginning at the CONQUEROR, as the same were there set up
before the Great Fire. And for the better order of their proceed-
ing herein, the master and wardens, or some members of the
said respective companies, are desired within some convenient
time to appear before this court, and receive the further direc-
tions of this court therein.
And in regard of the inability of the Chamber of London to
advance monies for the carrying on and finishing the Conduit,
begun to be set up with His MAJESTIES approbation, at the upper
end of Cheapside, it is earnestly recommended from this Court
to all the rest of the Companies of this City (other than those
before named), to raise moneys likewise by contributions, or
284 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
otherwise, for the carrying on and finishing the said work, so
necessary to the ornament of this city ; and to pay the same into
the Chamber, to be laid out and employed for the said purpose.
Wagstaffe.
GRASSHOPPER.
The grasshopper on the top of the Royal Exchange, was the
crest of Sir Thomas Gresham.
GRESHAM COLLEGE AND LECTURES.
So denominated from Sir Thomas Gresham, who founded the
same. A writer says : To Sir Thomas Gresham, who lived in
the reign of queen Elizabeth, and who was styled the Royal
Merchant, in consequence of feasting ambassadors and entertain-
ing princes, the city of London is indebted for the Royal Ex-
change, which he erected at his own expense, and liberally endowed
a College for Lectures, which are now almost a dead letter, as
few persons ever think of attending the Gresham Lectures, which
are given during the law terms. When the Gresham Lectures
were established, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons left
in trust to see proper persons appointed, sent letters to the
Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, stating, that for want
of judgment to discern men of most sufficiency in the said facul-
ties, they might make default, and commit some error in the
election ; they therefore prayed each University to nominate two
proper persons to fill the offices of professors. Strange as it
may seem, the heads of Cambridge were jealous of these lectures,
nor was it until Lord Burleigh gave them leave, that they consented
to act. The first Gresham College was taken down in 1768, and
the ground on which it stood made over to the Crown for a
perpetual rent of 500 per annum. A new College was sub-
sequently erected, and the first lecture read in it Nov. 2, 1843.
CHARTER HOUSE.
This celebrated school was instituted June 22, 1611, by Thomas
Sutton of Camps Castle, in the county of Cambridge, and so
called from a Monastery of Carthusian monks founded in 1371
on a Pest-house field, by Sir Walter Manny, knight. St. Bruno
was the founder of the Order of Carthusian Monks, and is styled
by writers of his own age, Master of the Chartreuse; and
from his order comes our Charter House at London.
LLOYD'S COFFEEHOUSE.
Lloyd's Coffeehouse was originally in Lombard Street, at the
corner of Abchurch-lane, subsequently in Pope's-Head Alley,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 28-J
where it was called New Lloyd's Coffeehouse ; but on February
14, 1774, it was removed to the north-west corner of the Royal
Exchange, where it remained until the destruction of the building
by fire. During the rebuilding the subscribers occupied the
South Sea House ; but on the reopening of the Eoyal Exchange
they returned to their former locality.
GERARD'S HALL.
In Basing Lane formerly stood a stately stone edifice, belonging
to the Gisor family, called Gisor's Hall, but subsequently Gerard's
Hall. In 1852 this celebrated inn was doomed to destruction,
owing to its standing in the way of the new street from London
Bridge to St. Paul's ; and its beautiful and much admired Norman
crypt would have been destroyed, but for the commendable exer-
tions of Mr. Deputy Lott, to whom the public are indebted for
its preservation in the new Crystal Palace at Sydenham.
BAKEWELL, OR BLACKWELL HALL.
This hall, once famed as a cloth hall, was founded by the
Mayor and Corporation (20th Eichard II.) in the house formerly
belonging to the family of the Basings, but subsequently in the
possession of Thomas Bakewell, from whom the Hall derives its
name. Bakewell Hall was rebuilt in 1588, destroyed in the great
fire of 1666 ; re-erected in 1672, and ultimately taken down to
make way for the present Bankruptcy Court in 1820.
HICKS' HALL.
This building formerly stood in Saint John Street, facing
West Smithfield ; it was built by Sir Baptist Hicks, afterwards
Viscount Camden, who was for some time a merchant in Cheap-
side, and died in 1629. It was named after the builder; and
the new building erected as the County Hall of Middlesex, in.
Clerkenwell Green, still retains its name. William Lord Russell,
the patriot, was condemned to death in Hicks' Hall ; and Count
Koningsmark, the real though not the actual assassin of Mr.
Thynne, was acquitted in the same building. The distance on
the milestones of the great north road were formerly measured
from Hicks' Hall. A few so marked still remain.
SALTER'S HALL.
This hall, which is in the vicinity of St. Swithin's Lane, belongs
to the Company of Drysalters. Some imagine that it derives
its name from John Salter, who died in 1605. Certainly, the
coincidence in name is indisputable, and what is more so, he
286 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
was one of the Company, and was a good benefactor to them. It
is said, that the beadles and servants of the Worshipful Com-
pany of Salters are to attend divine service at St. Magnus' Church,
London Bridge, pursuant to the will of Sir John Salter, in the
first week in October, and each person is to say three times, "How
do you do, Brother Salter ? I hope you are well ! " The Salters'
Company was incorporated in 1558.
GUY'S HOSPITAL.
This celebrated hospital derives its name from Thomas Guy, a
bookseller of Lombard Street, who is said to have made his for-
tune ostensibly by the sale of Bibles, but more it is thought by
purchasing seamen's tickets, and by his great success in the sale
and transfer of stock in the memorable South Sea Year of 1720.
It is said of him, that when consulting with a friend relative to
his will, the latter advised him to search the South Sea Books,
and return, as had been done by one or two individuals possessing
heroic virtues, the money to the perishing families that were un-
done by the purchase of his stock. This advice he rejected, al-
though by acting upon it, he was told he would have raised a
monument to his memory, as much to his glory as the hospital,
and added the praise of justice to his fame. The hospital was
built 1721. He died 1724.
FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.
The first Foundling Hospital was erected in Paris, in 1677. The
London Foundling Hospital, which was projected and endowed
by Captain Thomas Coram, was founded in 1739 ; began to re-
ceive children, 1756 ; let part of their estate in 1797, which yields
2000 a-year in addition to their income. The celebrated Handel
used to preside at the organ of the chapel of this institution ; and
it may not be generally known, that his celebrated " Messiah " was
concocted by him in this chapel ; and which even now, at the
present day, can boast of a musical choir equal to most of our
cathedrals.
BONNER'S FIELDS.
Bonner's Fields, so called after the celebrated Bouner, Bishop
of London, who had a palace there. He entered at Oxford about
1512; Bishop of Hereford, 1539 ; Bishop of London, 1540; de-
prived, May 1550 ; and died in the Marshalsea Prison, Sept. 5,
1569.
BANCROFT'S ALMS-HOUSES.
Bancroft's Aims-Houses, so called after one Francis Bancroft,
who left the sum of 28,000 and upwards to the Company of
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 287
Drapers for their erection and endowment. He was an officer of
the lord mayor's court, and died in 1729 worth .80,000, all of
which he is said to have obtained by harsh acts of justice in his
capacity as a city officer. Bancroft was a most eccentric charac-
ter, and desired that the lid of his coffin should have a square of
glass in it, that it should not be fastened down, and that it should
remain above ground. This was conformed to, a conditional be-
quest being attached to the fulfilment of it. He lies in Saint
Helen's Church, Great Saint Helen's, Bishopsgate Street.
WARDS.
Though I cannot ascertain the time, says Maitland, when this
city (London) was at first divided into wards ; yet I am of opinion
that the first division thereof was not on account of the govern-
ment, but rather that London, like other cities and towns of the
kingdom, was anciently held of the Saxon kings and nobility in
demean, and whose several properties therein, being so many sokes
or liberties, were under the immediate dominion of their respec-
tive lords, who were the governors or wardens thereof; whence,
I imagine, arose the Saxon appellation ward, which signifies a
quarter or district : this opinion is not only corroborated by the
wards of Baynard's Castle, Farringdon, Coleman Street, and Bas-
inghall or Bassishaw's, still retaining the names of their ancient
proprietors, but also by the other wards of the city being alien-
able ; which, upon alienation, the purchaser or purchasers became
the proprietor or proprietors thereof, with the additional epithets
of alderman or aldermen.
ALDGATE WARD.
One of the twenty-six wards of London, and so called from
Aldgate, a gate or postern in the city wall, towards the east.
When the Saxons first possessed themselves of this city, they
found this gate sorely decayed, and more ruinous than any of the
rest, therefore they imposed the epithet of eald, or aid, upon it ;
i.e., old.
QUEENHITHE WARD.
The original name of Queenhithe was Edrid's hithe, or harbour.
In Henry the Third's time it fell to the crown, and was called
Ripa Regince, or the Queen's Wharf. It was probably part of
her majesty's pin-money, by the attention paid to her interest.
CHEAP WARD.
Cheap Ward, derives its name from the Saxon word chepe, a
market, once applied to our Cheapside, which was formerly called
West Cheap, in order to distinguish it from East Cheap.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
VINTRY WARD.
Vintry Ward comprises a part of the north bank of the Thames,
where the merchants of Bordeaux formerly bonded and sold their
wines : the word vintry, is derived from vine-tree.
BILLINGSGATE WARD.
Billingsgate, which "the ladies of the British Fishery" (.is
Addison has humorously designated them) have rendered of sueii
notoriety, boasts of having had for an alderman the patriotic
Beckford, a great scolder ! The derivation of Billingsgate is very
ancient, being from Belin, King of Britain, about 400 years before
Christ, who built a gate, and named it Belin's Gate, after himself.
BISHOPSGATE WARD.
A modern author conjeptures this ward, says Maitland, to have
derived its appellation from Erkenwald, Bishop of London, who
first erected it, about anno 675 : but I suppose it to have been so
called, out of compliment to that excellent bishop, William Nor-
man, who seems to have delighted in nothing more than doing
good to the citizens.
CRIPPLEGATE WARD.
Westward from Moorgate stood Cripplegate, from whence this
word takes its name. It was so denominated from the number
of cripples who anciently begged there.
ALDERSGATE WARD.
The name of this ward is derived from the gate which stood
here. Stow, speaking of this gate, says : " ^Eidresgate, or Ald-
ersgate, so called, not of Aldrich or of Elders, that is to say, an-
cient men builders thereof ; nor of Eldarne trees growing there
more abundantly than in other places, as some have fabled ; but
from the very antiquity of the gate itself, as being one of the first
four gates of the city, and serving for the northern parts, as Aid-
gate for the east ; which two gjvtes being both old gates, are, for
difference sake, called the one Ealdegate, and the other Alders-
gate."
FARRINGDON WARDS.
These aldermanries, i. e. t Farringdon Within and Farringdon
Without, were formerly but one ; and which was conveyed by
John le Fenere, for an equivalent, to William Farringdon, citizen
and goldsmith, in the year 1281, in whose possession, and that of
his son, it continued about eighty years ; and whose enjoyment
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 289
thereof by name (although now divided into two), is like to be
coeval with time. Farringdon Without is by far the largest Ward,
and so called from its being without the walls.
BREAD STREET WARD.
Bread Street, which gives denomination to the ward, was so
called from a Bread market, anciently held there, during which
time the city bakers were not permitted to sell bread at home,
but were obliged to dispose thereof in this market.
LANGBOURNE WARD.
So denominated from a brook, or bourne, which ran through
this locality, and which, being of some length, was called Long-
bourne, now corruptly Lang-bourne.
DOWGATE WARD.
This ward derives its name from a dock or water gate, called
Dowuegate, " so called," says Stow, " of that down-going or de-
scending thereunto."
PORTSOKEN WARD.
Maitland says, the Ward of Portsoken, about the year 967, was
given by king Edgar to certain military knights for their gallant
deportment in the service of their country; and Edgar having
constituted the said knights a body politick and corporate, their
lands or district was thereby converted into a jurisdiction, soke,
or liberty ; which, from its vicinity to Aldgate, received the appel-
lation of Portsoke, or the Gate Liberty ; which liberty, ward, or
parish, together with the church thereof, was in the year 1115,
by the proprietors, the descendants of the said knights, given to
the priors and canons of the Trinity convent within Aldgate.
CASTLE-BAYNARD WARD.
This ward derives its name from Baynard castle (formerly the
residence of William Baynard, a soldier of fortune) ; the site of
which is now partly occupied by a wharf. In the reign of king
John, it was the residence of Sir Eeginald of Bayeux, and was
famed for the jousts and tournaments that were held there.
CANDLEW1CK WARD.
So called from the number of candle-makers that at one period
resided in it.
290 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
CORDWAINERS' WARD.
This ancient ward receives its name from that part of its locality
called Bow Lane, being principally inhabited by shoemakers, who
were originally called Cordwainers.
BROAD STREET WARD.
So denominated, because Broad Street originally was the
broadest street in the city.
LIME STREET WARD.
On tfyis spot formerly, were several Lime yards, and it was
here that the lime was prepared for the rebuilding of the city,
after the great fire of 1666. This is the only ward of London
without a church of its own.
BASSISHAW WARD.
This is a corruption from Basing-hall ward, a property that
formerly belonged to the family of the Basings.
COLEMAN STREET WARD.
This ward was thus denominated from the street of that name,
which was called after one Coleman, the first builder and owner.
BRIDGE AND TOWER WARDS.
So called from their contiguity to the Bridge and Tower.
INNS OF COURT.
Though the antiquity of the Inns of Court be not ascertained,
yet it may be presumed that they owe their origin to Henry III.,
who having, in the year 1225, confirmed the charters granted by
John, his father, removed the Courts of Justice from his palace
into Westminster hall. About this time, the lawyers, or prac-
titioners in those courts, began to form themselves into a society
(supposed at Thaivie's Inn, in Holborn), in a collegiate manner ;
hence their place of residence was denominated an Inn, or House
of Court. But according to others (though with less probability),
from their being inns, or nurseries for the education of the young
nobility and gentry. Be that as it will, such places seem in some
measure to have been appropriated for students of the law, seeing
Henry III., by his mandate, directed to the Mayor and Sheriffs
of London, about the year 1244, strictly enjoined them to make
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 291
proclamation throughout the city, that no person whatsoever
should presume to set up a school, or schools therein, for teaching
of law.
CLEMENT'S INN.
This Inn of Court derives its name from Clement the Dane,
whose place of interment is said to be on the site of St. Clement
Dane's Church, and which circumstance gave a name to that place
of worship. The Hall was built in 1715.
LINCOLN'S INN.
This Inn of Court derives its name from Henry Lacy, Earl of
Lincoln, who erected a stately mansion here in 1229, and which
still retains his name. It is also said, that some time before his
death (anno 1312), he introduced here the study of the law.
GRAY'S INN.
This house, which is situate on the north side of Holborn, and
is one of the four Inns of Court, is thus denominated from its
being the residence of the ancient and noble family of Gray of
"Wilton, who, in the reign of Edward III., demised the same to
divers students of the law. A writer says, it was rebuilt in 1687;
prior to which it was so incommodious, that, according to the old
records, the ancients of this house were obliged to lodge double ;
for at a pension held there on the 9th July, in the 21st year of
Henry VIII., John Hales, then one of the Barons of the Exchequer,
produced a letter directed to him from Sir Thomas Neville, which
was to request him to acquaint the Society, that he would accept
of Mr. Attorney-general to be his bed-fellow in his chamber in
the Inn, and that entry might be made thereof in the book of their
rules.
STAPLE'S INN.
This Inn is said to have been anciently a Hall for the accom-
modation of Wool-staplers, from whom it is denominated. Be
that as it will, it appears to have been an Inn of Chancery in the
year 1415, but how long before is unknown. The new building
was erected in 1843.
THAIVIE'S INN.
This Inn appears to have been of great antiquity, by its having
belonged to John Thaivie (from whom it is denominated) in the
reign of Edward III., by whose will it appears to have been then
an Inn for Students at Law ; some of whom, about the year 1347,
had the New Temple demised to them by the Knights' Hospi-
tallers of St. John of Jerusalem, for a yearly rent of ten pounds ;
292 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
and, removing thither, they and their successors have continued
there ever since.
CLIFFORD'S INN.
This Inn is thus denominated from Robert de Clifford, to whom
it was granted by Edward II. in 1309 ; and by whose widow it
was left to Students of the Law in the 18th of Edward III. It
is an Inn of Chancery, situated on the north side of St. Dunstan's
Church, in Fleet Street, and is an appendage to the Inner Tem-
ple. The Society is governed by twelve ancients and a principal,
who are chiefly attorneys and officers of the Marshal's Court,
who, with the rest of the members, are in commons a fortnight
every term, otherwise to pay four shillings per week.
FURNIVAL'S INN.
This Inn owes its name to Sir William Furnival, who, in the
year 1388, was proprietor, of two messuages and thirteen shops,
where now this Inn is situate, on the north side of Holborn,
within the bars of the city, but without the liberty thereof; and
is an Inn of Chancery, and appendage to Lincoln's Inn. This
Society is governed by a principal and twelve ancients, who, with
the other members, are to be in commons a fortnight every
term, or pay five shillings a week if absent.
ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, &c.
Our readers need scarcely be informed, that the old cathedral
of St. Paul's was burnt down in the great fire of London in 1666.
During the time of the Commonwealth, the body of the church
was converted into saw-pits and stables for soldiery, and to which
Dryden alludes in the following lines :
" The daring flames peep'd in, and saw from far
The awful beauties of the sacred quire ;
But since it was profaned by civil war,
Heav'n thought it fit to have it purged by fire."
The first stone of the present magnificent edifice was laid on the
21st of June, 1675, by Sir Christopher Wren, who lived to see his
son, then but a few months old, thirty-five years afterwards, de-
posit the highest stone of the lantern on the cupola. It is further
remarkable, that the architect, the builder, and the dean, who
saw its commencement, all lived to see it completed.* During
the early progress of the work, an incident occurred which, even
in a less superstitious age, might have been considered a favour-
able omen, without any charge of extraordinary credulity. Sir
Christopher was marking out the dimensions of the great cupola,
* Sir Christopher Wren, Mr. Strong, and Dr. Henry Compton.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 293
when he ordered one of the workmen to bring him a flat stone,
to use as a station. A piece was brought : it was the fragment
of a tombstone, on which but one word of the inscription was
left that word was RESURGAM. Some authors suppose this cir-
cumstance to have been the origin of the emblem sculptured over
the South Portico, by Gibber, namely, a phoenix rising out of its
fiery nest, with this word as an inscription.
WHISPERING GALLERY.
You ascend by a spacious circular staircase to a gallery, which
encircles the lower part of the interior of the dome, and is called
the Whispering Gallery, from the circumstance, that the lowest
whisper breathed against the wall in any part of this vast circle,
may be accurately distinguished by an attentive ear on the oppo-
site side.
COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ST. KATHERINE'S.
The church that was thus denominated, but which is now
pulled down, had the following origin. " The collegiate body to
whom the church and precinct pertain, and who have not always
been so insensible to the nobler principles they now abandon,
owe their origin to Maud, queen of king Stephen their present
constitution to Eleanor, wife of Henry III., and their exemption
from the general dissolution in the time of Henry VIII., to the
attractions, it is said, of Anne Boleyn. The queen-consorts have
from the first been patronesses, and on a vacancy of the crown
matrimonial, the kings of England."*
ST. MARY WOOLNOTH.
The church of St. Mary Woolnoth, at the west end of Lombard
Street, was built by Richard Hawksmoor, the eccentric pupil of
Sir Christopher Wren, in the year 1716. It derived its name
from being at that time contiguous to the wool market.
SAINT NICOLAS COLE ABBEY.
This church, which is a rectory, situate on the south side of Old
Fish Street, in the ward of Queenhithe, is thus denominated from
its dedication to the above-named saint, and the additional
epithet of Cole Abbey, by some from Golden Abbey, Cold Abbey,
or Cold-bey, from its cold or bleak situation. It was destroyed
in the great fire, and rebuilt by Wren. It was the first church
built and finished after the fire.
SAIXT MARY LE BOW.
A church in Cheapside, in Cordwainers' ward, and commonly
called "Bow Church," so called from being built on arches,
* A new college and church have since been built in the Regent's Park.
294 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
which were called Bows. This was the first church built of
stone. The old church was destroyed in the great fire, and the
present church, one of Sir Christopher Wren's great master-
pieces, was erected immediately after.
ALL HALLOWS BARKING.
The patronage of this church was in the abbess and nuns of
Barking, in Essex, till 1546, when Henry VIII. exchanged the
same with Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, in whose successors
it still continues.
ALL HALLOWS STAINING.
This church is of Saxon origin. Staining is a corruption of
Stane, which our antiquaries are justly of opinion was conferred
on it, on account of its being built with stones, to distinguish it
from other churches of the same name in this city that were
built with wood. The old church escaped the fire but fell down,
all but the tower, in 16.71. The tower still stands, and will
repay examination.
SAINT ANDREW HUBBARD.
The first mention of this church is some time before the year
1389, when Walter Palmer was rector thereof. It received the
epithet of Hubbard from one of its rebuilders or repairers. It
was destroyed in the great fire, and not rebuilt. Weigh-house
yard occupies the site.
SAINT ANDREW WARDROBE.
This church was originally denominated St. Andrew Juxta
Baynard's castle,* from its vicinity to that palace ; but the mag-
nificent structure afterwards erected, called the Wardrobe, sup-
plied the place of Baynard's castle; and the church has ever
since been called St. Andrew Wardrobe. The old church was
destroyed in the great fire, and rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren
in 1692.
SAINT PETER AD VINCULA.
This church, or chapel, which is situate in the Tower of London,
is thus denominated from its being dedicated to St. Peter in bonds,
or chains; and which ad vincula signifies. In 'this church, or
chapel, are interred the bodies of two queens, viz., Anna Bullen
and Catherine Howard, consorts of Henry VIII., who were be-
headed in the Tower ; likewise are buried here divers other per-
sons of quality.
SAINT PETER LE POOR.
This church, situate on the West side of Broad Street, derives
its name from St. Peter, and the additional epithet of Le Poor,
* See Baynard's Castle.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 295
from the mean condition of the parish in ancient times ; if so, they
may now justly change it to that of Eich, because of the great
number of merchants and other persons of distinction inhabit-
ing there.
SAINT SEPULCHRE.
This church receives its name from being dedicated to Christ's
sepulchre, at Jerusalem. The body of the church was injured in
the great fire of 1666, that stopped at Pie Corner, a very few
yards north of the church. The bell of this church always tolls
on the morning of executing criminals at Newgate.
SAINT ALPHAGE.
This church, says Maitland, which stands at the north-west
corner of Aldermanbury, owes its name to its dedication to St.
Alphage, or Elphage, a noble English Saxon, and archbishop of
Canterbury, who was murdered by the Pagan Danes at Green-
wich, anno 1013.
SAINT NICOLAS OLAVES.
This church, which stands on the west side of Bread Street hill,
derives its name from St. Nicolas and Olave, or Olaus, a king of
Norway, who rebuilt it.
SAINT MARY MATFELLON.
This term, applied to the church in Whitechapel, is derived
from the Hebrew or Syriac word, Matfel, which signifies a woman
that has lately brought forth a son, therefore dedicated to Mary,
delivered of a son. The register records the burial in the church-
yard, June 21, 1649, of Richard Brandon, a ragman in Eosemary
Lane, and against the entry is the following memorandum in a
contemporary hand : " This E. Brandon is supposed to have cut
off the head of Charles I."
SAINT PANCRAS.
This church and parish derive their names from St. Pancras,
a young Phrygian nobleman, who, for his strict adherence to the
Christian faith, suffered martyrdom at Eome under the emperor
Dioclesian. The church was in Soper Lane, destroyed in the
great fire, and not rebuilt. The name is preserved in Pancras
Lane, Queen Street, Cheapside, and in that of an extensive parish
in the suburbs of London ; and formerly called St. Pancras-in-the-
Fields. The old church belonging to the latter parish was
anciently called Kentish Church, and is supposed to have been
the burying-place belonging to the first cathedral of St. Paul.
Norden, who wrote in the reign of Elizabeth, in his Speculum
Britannice, says, " The church of St. Pancras standeth all alone,
296 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
as utterly forsaken, old and weather-beaten, which, for the
antiquity thereof, is thought not to yield to Paule's of London."
(See Notes and Queries, vol. ii. p. 496.) The new church of St.
Pancras, near Euston Square, built by the Messrs. In wood, was
consecrated April 7, 1822, and cost ,76,679 : 7 : 8.
ST. BENEDICT, VULGARLY CALLED BENNET FINK.
This church is thus denominated from its dedication to St.
Benedict, an Italian saint, and founder of the order of Benedic-
tine Monks ; and the additional epithet of Fink, it received from
its rebuilder, Eobert Fink. This church was taken down in 1843,
to make way for the New Eoyal Exchange.
ST. BENNET'S GRASS CHURCH.
This church, which is a rectory, stands at the south-west corner
of Fenchurch Street, and- near to the Old Grass* Market, from
whence it derives its additional name.
ST. BENNET SHEREHOG.
This church originally went by the name of St. Osyth, from its
being dedicated to a queen and martyr of that name. However,
she appears to have been but a very impotent prfttectrix, in
suffering herself to be divested of the tutelage of this church by
Benedict Shorne, a fishmonger ; a rebuilder, a repairer, or bene-
factor to the same ; and Shorne, his surname, deviating into Shrog,
was at last converted into Sherehog; and Benedict, as already
mentioned, turned into Bennet. This church was destroyed in
the great fire, and not rebuilt.
ST. MARTIN ORGAR.
This church, in Candlewick ward, derives its appellation from
one Odgarus, who was a benefactor to it. It was also destroyed,
but not rebuilt.
ST. MARY OVERIE.
This church in Southwark, by some called St. Saviour's, and
by others St. Mary Overier, derives the latter name, which is a
corruption from Over River, from the following circumstance :
" A ferry was formerly kept where the bridge now stands. At
length the ferryman and his wife died, and left the same ferry to
their only daughter, a maiden named Mary, which, with the goods
left by her parents, as also with the profits arising from the said
ferry, she built a house of sisters, and afterwards, at her decease,
* See Gracechurch Street.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 297
bequeathed the whole of her property to the said sisters, ami
towards building and endowing a church, which, in gratitude to
their benefactress, they called St. Mary Over Eiver, but which
ultimately was corrupted or abbreviated to St. Mary Overie."
ST. DIONIS BACK-CHURCH.
This church owes its name to St. Dionis, Dionysius, or Dennis,
who, upon St. Paul's preaching at Athens, was converted, and
became the first bishop of that city, and afterwards patron of the
French nation. The epithet Back-church, was conferred upon
this church from its situation behind a row of houses, to dis-
tinguish it from the church of St. Gabriel, which stood in the
middle of Fenchurch Street; therefore these churches were
anciently known by no other appellation than those of Fore and
Back Church. It was destroyed by the great fire, and rebuilt
by Sir Christopher Wren.
ST. KATHERINE CREE.
This church, which is situate on the north side of Leadenhall
street, owes its name to its dedication to St. Katherine, the
Egyptian virgin; and the epithet of Christ (corruptly Cree), from
its vicinity to the conventual church of the Holy Trinity,
originally denominated Christ Church.*
ST. MARGARET PATTENS.
This church, situate at the corner of Little Tower Street, owes
its name to St. Margaret, and the circumstance that this parish
anciently was principally inhabited by Patten-makers.
ST. MARTIN'S ,OUTWICH.
This church, which is situate in Threadneedle Street, derives
its name from St. Martin : " On the south part of Threeneedle
street, beginning at the East by the well with two Buckets, now
turned to a pump, is the Parish Church of Saint Martin, called
Oteswich, from Martin de Oteswich, Nicholas de Oteswich, William
Oteswich, and John Oteswich, founders thereof." /Stow, p. 68.
The Old Church escaped the great fire of 1666, but was seriously
injured in the Bishopsgate Street fire of Nov. 7, 1765. It was
temporarily patched up, but was taken down in 1796, and rebuilt
as we now see it by Sir S. P. Cockerell.
ST. MARY, ALDERMARY.
This church, which is situate in Bow Lane, owes its name to
its dedication to the Virgin Mary, and the additional epithet of
* The old Church was taken doAvn in 1C28; and the present one was
consecrated by Dr. Laud (then Bishop of London), Jan. 16, 1630-1.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Aldermary, or Eldermary, from its being the oldest church in
the city dedicated to the Virgin. Stow says, " A very fair new
church was laid there by Henry Keble, Grocer, Mayor, who
deceased 1518, and was there buried." This was destroyed in
the great fire, and rebuilt by Wren in 1681.
ST. MARY BOTHAW.
This church, situate in Turnwheel Lane, receives the former
part of its name from being dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and
the latter to its vicinity to a Boat Haw, or a Boatbuilder's yard.
ST. MARY-AT-HILL.
This church, which is situate in the Ward of Billingsgate,
owes its name, like the above mentioned, to the Virgin, and its
situation upon a pleasant ^eminence.
ST. MARY COLECHURCH.
This church, says Maitland, derives its name from Peter Cole-
church, who first began the building of London Bridge * with
stone ; he was buried in a chapel 011 the bridge, from whence his
body was removed, on the taking down of the houses, to the
church which now bears his name. It stood at the south-west
corner of the Old Jewry, in the Poultry.
ST. MARY SOMERSET.
This church, which is opposite Broken Wharf, in Thames
Street, owes its former name to Mary the Virgin; and the
additional epithet of Somerset, to its vicinity to Summer's Het,
or Hithe, a small port or haven, resembling that of Queenhithe.
ST. MICHAEL BASSISHAW.'
This church, situate on the west side of Basinghall street, in
the Ward of Bassishaw, is thus denominated from its dedication
to St. Michael, the archangel, and the place of its situation, near
Basin g's Haw, or Hall.
ST. MARY MOUNT I-I AUNT.
This church, on the west side of Old Fish-street hill, derives
its name from its dedication to the Virgin, and its having been
first built as a chapel to a House inhabited by the family of
Mounthaunts, in the county of Norfolk.
* See London Bridge.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 299
ST. MICHAEL'S QUERNE.
This church derives its name from St. Michael, and being near
the Corn Market Querne being a corruption of Corn.
ST. ANDREW UNDERSHAFT.
This church, situate at the corner of St. Mary Axe, and so well
known to antiquaries as containing within its walls Stow's
monument, takes the name of TJndershaft from a May-Pole, or
Shaft, which on May-Day was put up adjacent to it. Chaucer,
writing of a vain boaster, hath these words, meaning of the said
shaft :
" Right well aloft, and high you beare your head,
As you would beare the great shaft of Cornhill."
It may be observed, that Cornhill originally extended thus far.
ADDLE STREET.
In the vicinity of this street, King Athelstan had a palace, and
it received its appellation of Addle street from its vicinity to the
said palace Addle signifying Noble.
ALDERSGATE STREET.
The name of this street is by some derived from Aldrick, a
Saxon, by others from Seniors or Old Men who were the builders
of the gate. See Gates.
ALDERMANBURY. ,
This street or locality is thus denominated from the Court
Hall or Bury being here, where the aldermen met previous to
the erection of Guildhall. Stow states, that the original site of
Guildhall he remembered as a carpenter's yard. Abutting on
the west end of the present hall is a square court, which is
probably the site of the old Guildhall.
ABCHURCH LANE.
This Lane derives its name from the church therein standing
on an eminence : i. e., ab or up Church, dedicated to Saint Mary.
ADELPHI.
This is the Greek word for Brothers, and was given to the
locality thus denominated, because it was built by the Messrs.
Adam, the architects Robert, James, and John.
300 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
AMEN CORNER.
So called as terminating Pater-Noster applied to " the Row."
or emporium of the Publishers and Booksellers. See Pater-
noster Row.
BLACKMAN STREET, BOROUGH.
The name of the street, and the sign of the public-house of the
game, both derive their appellation from a person of the name of
Blackman, who had considerable property in the neighbourhood,
and who made considerable improvements in it.
BARTLETT'S BUILDINGS.
Edward VI. made a grant, in 1548, of some houses, stables,
&c., that stood at that time on this site, to one Bartlett, and
which gave the present buildings thereon erected the appellation
of Bartlett's Buildings. .
BARBICAN.
Barbican, or Watch Tower, belonging to any fortified place.
One of the Barbicans of old London stood upon the site of the
present street thus denominated.
BOND STREET.
This once fashionable lounge derives its name from the original
proprietor Sir Thomas Bond of Peckham, in the county of
Surrey, Baronet.
BUCKLERSBURY.
Bucklersbury deriv-es its origin from one Buckle having a
large manor-house of stone in this place. It was originally called
Buckle's Bury. Sir Thomas More lived in this street, and here
his daughter (Margaret Roper) was born.
BOW LANE.
Thus called from its contiguity to the church of St. Mary le
Bow, which is built on Arches, formerly called Bows.
BROAD WALL.
Broad Wall and Narrow Wall, in the vicinity of Pedlar's
Acre (now, Belvedere Road, Lambeth), derive their names from
the circumstance, that before the regular embankment of the
Thames took place, two walls stood here, to prevent, as far as
possible, the river from floating the marsh of Lambeth and the
surrounding neighbourhood.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 301
BLOOMSBURY.
Bloomsbury, which is situate in the county of Middlesex, and
hundred of Ossulston, was anciently a village denominated
Loomsbury, wherein the king's stables were till anno 1534, when
the same 'were destroyed by fire, together with a number of
horses, and great quantities of hay and corn. This catastrophe
occasioned the Royal Mews, at Charing Cross, to be converted
into stables for the reception of the king's horses.
BLACKFRIARS.
So denominated, because there formerly stood on the north
side of the bridge a convent of Black friars, founded by Hubert
de Burgh, Earl of Kent A.D. 1221, and on the west side a convent
of "White friars, founded by Sir Eichard Gray in 1241, which also
gave a name to an adjacent locality. Richard is made to exclaim
in the play, when he stops the funeral of Henry
" No, to Whitefriars, and there await my coming."
BATTLE STAIRS.
Battle Stairs, Tooley street, derive their name from the Abbot
of Battle, in Sussex, who had a house here, and whose grounds
and garden came down to the Thames' side.
BRIDEWELL, CLERKENWELL, &c.
These, with others, were the Holy Wells of London, but which
have declined in reputation. The fame of St. Bride's well gave
the name of Bridewell to an adjoining hospital and prison, and
at last attached the name to almost every house of correction
throughout the kingdom. Clerkenwell takes its name from the
company of Parish Clerks, who formerly had their meetings
here. Fitzstephen says, " In the suburbs of London are excellent
springs, the water of which is clear, sweet, and salubrious;
amongst which Holywell, Clerkenwell, and St. Clement's wells,
are of most note."
BEVIS MARKS.
Formerly the Abbot of Bury had his city residence here, from
whence it received the appellation of Bury's Marks ; and the
place of its situation, by corruption, is now denominated Bevis
Marks.
BROOK MARKET.
This market, as well as Brook street, Holborn, derive their
name from Lord Brook's mansion being formerly here.
302 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
BARGE YARD, BUCKLERSBURY.
According to tradition, Boats and Barges came up Walbrook
from the Thames to that place, where they delivered their car-
goes or freights.
BIRDCAGE WALK.
A name given to the south side of St. James's Park, between
Buckingham Gate and Storey's Gate, from the aviary established
there in the reign of James I., and the decoy made there in the
reign of Charles II.
BUCKINGHAM HOUSE.
This mansion in St. James's Park, for so many years the resi-
dence of our royal family, was erected by John Sheffield, Duke
of Buckingham, in 1703, in the reign of Queen Anne. It is related
that the architect and builder, Captain Wynde, having expended
large sums of money upon it, his employer, the duke, was back-
ward in paying the same, upon which he resorted to the following
stratagem. The architect one day prevailed upon his Grace to
mount the top of the building, for the alleged purpose of seeing
the surrounding prospect. The moment the duke sat his foot on
the roof, the man of science and bricks shut down the trapdoor,
locked it, and threw the key to the ground below. The duke,
astonished at the action, exclaimed, K How am I to get down ?"
The builder, assuming a melancholy countenance, replied " My
Lord Duke, I am a distressed man, I have ruined myself by
making advances for this building, and unless you immediately
relieve me, it is my intention to leap down and destroy myself!"
" What is to become of me, you having thrown the key away ? "
demanded the duke. " You must leap down also," rejoined the
builder, " unless you consent to satisfy my wants." Upon which,
it is said, the duke instantly complied, by giving him an order
upon his banker for the amount he named. The builder then
gave a preconcerted signal to one of his men, who came up with
the key, unlocked the trapdoor, and set the duke at liberty. It
is generally supposed that the duke complied with the request
of the builder, not from any sense .of fear, but because he admired
the ingenious mode in which he had been called upon to pay his
debts. Buckingham House was taken down by George IV. in
1825, and the present Palace erected in its stead.
BERMONDSEY STREET.
The name of this manor, or district, being a Saxon compound,
and the last syllable thereof seeming to imply an island, it is sup-
posed anciently to have been such a place, belonging to one Ber-
rnond, and which the situation gives room to conjecture. Be that
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 303
as it will, the village of Bermundeseye, in the Conqueror's survey,
appears to have been a royal manor, wherein were twenty-five
villeins, or servile husbandmen, and twenty-three Bordonanni,
or Cottagers.
CORNHILL.
This is the highest* part of London, and was denominated thus
in consequence of that circumstance, and the great number of
Corn-chandlers who resided here in former times.
CHEAPSIDE.
Cheapside received its name from Chepe, a Market, this
being originally the great street for splendid shops. In the year
1 246 it was an open field, called Crown-field, from an inn of that
sign at the east end.
CONDUIT STREET.
Built in 1718, and is so called from a Conduit of water in cer-
tain fields between Piccadilly and Paddington.
COVENTRY STREET.
This appellation is derived from Coventry House, the residence
of Henry Coventry, third son of Lord Keeper Coventry, and
himself Secretary of State to Charles II.
CRUTCHED-FRIARS.
Crutched-Friars is derived from the house of Crutched or
Crossed Friars, a fraternity who wore a large red cross on their
garments hence, also, the Eed Cross Knights. "The Friars
Hall was made a glass house, wherein glass was made of divers
sorts to drink in, which house, in the year 1575, on the 4th of
September, burst out into a terrible fire, and was all consumed
to the stone walls." Stow, p. 56.
CORAM STREET.
Coram Street, Brunswick Square, is so called after Captain
Coram, projector of the Founding Hospital. He died March 29,
1751, aged 84.
CRANBOURNE-ALLEY.
This property belongs to the Marquis of Salisbury, and derives
its cognomen from the Marquis's second title, which is borne by
* In Panier Alley, leading from Newgate Street to Paternoster Row, a
stone announces that spot to be the highest part of London.
304 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
his eldest son Viscount Cranbourne. The late Lord Erskine
being on a visit to the late Marquis at Hatfield House, and the
latter being anxious for his lordship's opinion on his new picture
gallery, took the earliest opportunity of showing it to him, when
his lordship made the following happy impromptu :
" Your room, though long and narrow,
And as straight as an arrcw,
Will ne'er with your other rooms tally;
But give it to your son, 'twill be excellent fun
To hear it call'd Cranbourne Alley."
In 1843, the whole south side of Cranbourne Alley was taken
down, and the street widened, making a carriage way from
Coventry Street to Long Acre. The new street was opened in
March, 1844.
COLEMAN STREET.
Coleman street derives its name from Coleman, the first builder
and owner thereof. The, Star in Coleman Street was a tavern
where Oliver Cromwell and several of his party occasionally met.
CLARE MARKET.
From the Clare family, who had a house contiguous to Clement's
Inn.
CARNABY MARKET.
On this site formerly stood the mansion of Sir Raynold Car-
naby, who figured in the reign of Henry VIII., and who enjoyed
a great portion of that monarch's favour. His descendants con-
tinued to reside there till the reign of James I., when the present
market was built, and which was named after the family of the
Carnabys.
CARLTON HOUSE.
Carlton House, once the celebrated town residence of George
IV., derives its name from its original possessor, Henry Boyle,
Baron Carlton, who built it on a piece of ground leased to him by
Queen Anne in 1709. Lord Carlton died without issue in 1725,
and his house and grounds descended to his nephew, Richard
Boyle, Lord Burlington; he bestowed it in 1732 upon his mother,
the Countess-dowager of Burlington, who in* the same year
transferred it to Frederick, Prince of Wales, father of George
the Third. Carlton House was taken down in 1826, and the
columns of the Portico transferred to the National Gallery.
CRIPPLEGATE.
St. Giles is the patron of beggars. Going to church in his
youth, he gave his coat to a sick beggar who asked alms of him
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 305
tlie mendicant was clothed, and the garment miraculously
cured a disorder with which he was afflicted. He was also the
patron of Cripples. It is related of him by that pious chronicler
of the saints, Ribadeneira. that one day when the French king
was a hunting near a thicket where St. Giles was concealed,
he was wounded by an arrow from a huntsman's bow while in
the act of praying ; whereupon, being found unmoved from his
position, the king fell at his feet, craved his pardon, and gave
orders for the cure of his wound; but this the Saint would not
permit, preferring to remain a Cripple, and thereby increase his
merits. The church of St. Giles, Cripplegate, is dedicated to him ;
hence the name of the locality.
COAL-HARBOUR LANE.
Here stood a spacious and stately edifice, denominated Cold
Herberg, or Harbrough, the latter being a corruption of the
former, which signifies an Inn or Mansion-house ; the epithet of
Cold was probably added on account of its bleak situation,
so near the river Thames. However, the site thereof, and
buildings thereon, are at present known by the name of Coal-
harbour lane, in Upper Thames Street.
CHARING CROSS.
Here formerly stood the village of Charing, from whence the
present name is derived. The Cross was an ancient Gothic
structure, placed there in 1291 to Eleanor, queen of Edward I.,
being the last stage at which the queen's body stopped, previous
to its interment in Westminster Abbey. " But neither its
ornamental situation, the beauty of its structure, nor the amiable
design of its erection," says an intelligent writer, " could preserve
it from the merciless zeal of the times." It was demolished by
the House of Commons, during the Commonwealth, as a relic of
Popish superstition.
CHARLES THE FIRST'S STATUE.
This noble equestrian statue at Charing Cross is the work of
Hubert le Soaur, a Frenchman, who came to England about the
year 1674. "The commanding grace of the figure, and the
exquisite form of the horse, are striking to the most unpractised
eye," says Horace Walpole. This piece was cast in 1633, in a
spot of ground near to Covent Garden, and not being erected
before the commencement of the civil war, it was sold by the
Parliament to John Eivet, a brazier, living at the Dial, near
Holboru Conduit, with strict orders to break it to pieces.
This worthy, we may presume, was a royalist. At any rate, he>
was a sagacious wight, for he produced a quantity of fragments
of old brass, and concealed the statue and horse under ground
x
306 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
until the Restoration. " He cast a number of knives and forks,"
says M. de Archenholz, " in brass, which he sold as manufactured
from the statue. These were purchased with avidity by the
royalists, out of affection to their unfortunate sovereign ; and
sought with equal eagerness by the rebels, as a trophy of the
downfall of a despot. "
COVENT GARDEN.
On the site of the western Piazza of Covent Garden, or as it is
vulgarly called Common Garden, formerly stood a Convent of
Sisters, which was with other monasteries seized and confiscated
by order of our Eighth Harry. Where the market is held now,
formerly was the Convent Garden, and which circumstance gave
it its present name. " I conclude with being Edward Honey-
comb, in the time of Henry the Eighth, helping to undo the
convent that stood there. I strike his Majesty's warrant on the
door, and change every thing like a harlequin. The convent
becomes a playhouse, monks and nuns turn actors and actresses.
The garden, formal and quiet, where a salad was cut for a lady
abbess, and flowers were gathered to adorn images, becomes a
market, noisy and full of life, distributing thousands of fruits and
flowers to a social metropolis. Who is this coming this way,
looking so earnest and full of frown ? Is it a little Dominican
friar, longing to denounce us all to the Inquisition? No; it is
Mr. Kean, in his great-coat, who delights us all, and does us good,
in a profane playhouse. Miss Stephens, and Miss Tree, too,
instead of
' Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon,'
raise their voices in delightful duets, and have good warm benefits."
Lander's Conversations.
CANNON STREET.
Cannon Street was originally Candlewick Street, deriving its
name from its formerly being principally occupied by the wax
and tallow trades, which were of great importance till 1548,
when, by order of Henry VIII., the burning of candles in religious
services were prohibited.
CROSBY SQUARE.
The house in Crosby Square called Crosby House, built by
one Sir John Crosby, was the city residence of Richard III.,
and is alluded to in the play. After passing through various
hands, it was in 1672 converted into a Presbyterian Meeting-
house, and in 1677 the present houses in Crosby Square were
erected on a portion of the offices attached to the mansion.
The lease expiring 1831, a subscription was raised to restore the
hall to its original state. The first stone of the new works
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 307
was laid June 27, 1836, and the hall re-opened July 27, 1842,
for a Literary and Scientific Institution.
CURTAIN ROAD.
The road which runs parallel with Shoreditch, from Worship
Street to Old-street Boad, is thus denominated from one of the
earliest theatres being here. The Curtain theatre was erected
on that part of the Haliwell priory called the curtain close, from
which its name was derived, and not, as is generally supposed,
from a striped curtain hung round the playhouse. Curtis
monasterii, and Curtis cenobii, signify the inner court or
cloisters of a monastery. See ante, p. 87.
DEVONSHIRE SQUARE.
Devonshire Square, Bishopsgate, derives its name from the
mansion formerly there, the residence of the Devonshire family.
DUKE'S PLACE.
Duke's Place, in the city, the great resort of the Jews, took
its name from Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, who had his
residence here, and was beheaded in 1572.
DRURY LANE.
Near this place stood Drury-house, the habitation of the great
family of the Drurys built by Sir William Drury, K. G., from
which it derived its appellation. It is remarkable that this lane,
of later times so notorious for intrigue, should receive its title
from a family name, which, in the language of Chaucer, had an
amorous signification
" Of bataille and of chevalrie,
Of lady's love and druerie,
Anon I woll you tell."
EAST-CHEAP.
East-Cheap, from Chepe, a Market, and East, the aspect it
bears to Cheapside. This street was famous in old times for its
convivial doings. " The cookes cried hot ribbes of beef roasted,
pies well baked, and other victuals. There was clattering of
pewter pots, harpe, pipe, and sawtrie," evident symptoms of the
jollity of this quarter. Here, too, was the celebrated " Boar's
Head," the resort of Prince Hal and his pot companion, Falstaff.
EXETER CHANGE.
This place received its name from being built on the site of
the old mansion-house of the Earls of Exeter. In the ancient
308 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
plans of London, the original house covered a large space, and
had its quadrangles, towers, and turrets, in the style of Burleigh-
house, the country residence of the Marquis of Exeter. It was
erected for the purposes of trade, and consisted of three floors.
The upper ones, which are spacious, have been the scenes of
many interesting exhibitions. The last tenant of the upper
rooms was Mr. Cross, with his menagerie ; and there, in March
1826, Chunee, the famous elephant, was shot. Exeter Change
was taken down in 1829. The present Exeter Change is a mo-
dern structure, between Bridges Street in the Strand, and Upper
Wellington Street.
EXETER HALL, STRAND.
This has been erected on the site of the old Exeter Change, and
is distinguished for its musical assemblies, as well as for its reli-
gious meetings, in May. The hall was completed in 1831, the
architect J. P. Deering; and its magnificent organ was built bv
Mr. Walker. The great. hall is 90 feet broad, 138 long, and 48
wide, and will accommodate about 4000 persons.
FETTER LANE.
This lane was formerly called Fewter Lane, from the name
of Fewters (idle people), it having been a way leading to gardens
and waste grounds, extending from this lane to Shoe Lane.
FINSBURT SQUARE.
Finsbury is supposed to be a corruption from Fens-bury, from
that locality being originally a large Fen. Fitzstephen, however,
says it took its name from Sir William Finnes, a knight of Ehodes
(A.D. 1044), who left the fields of Finsbury to his two daughters,
who subsequently became nuns in the monastery of Bedlam,
afterwards an hospital. The chief magistrate of the metro-
polis is Mayor of London, and Lord of the Manor of Finsbury.
FLUDYER STREET.
Fludyer Street, near to Downing Street, derives its name from
Sir Samuel Fludyer, Lord Mayor of London, about the year
1740; he having built it in 1766.
FORSTER LANE.
This lane derives its name from Sir Stephen Forster, knight,
some time Lord Mayor of London, and the founder of the pri-
vileges of Ludgate prison, himself having been a prisoner there,
from whence he was released by a lady whom he afterwards
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 309
mnrried, and on which circumstance was founded the play of
" The Widow of Cornhill ;" or, "a Woman never Vext."
FORE STREET.
This street was so denominated, because it was the first street
built without the walls of Cripplegate. The present street was
built in 1761.
FISH-STREET HILL.
This hill or street is thus denominated from its originally
being principally occupied by dealers in dried or salt fish. Here
stands the Monument erected to commemorate the great fire of
London.
FLEET STREET.
This street, Fleet market, and the Fleet prison, all derive
their name from a small river or ditch, called the Fleet from its
rapidity, which flowed up from the Thames. It was at length
arched over, and New Bridge-street and Fleet market formed
thereon. " Friday, September 30, 1737, the stalls, &c., in Stock's
market (now where the Mansion-house stands) being pulled
down, the Lord Mayor proclaimed Fleet market as a free mar-
ket." This was removed to the west of its old site in November
1826, and is now called Farringdon Market ; and the site of the
old one is now Farringdon Street.
FENCHURCH STREET.
This locality was formerly denominated Fenny-a-bout, from
being a very marshy situation. There were several brooks or
bournes also, which emptied themselves into the Thames.
GOODMAN'S FIELDS.
Mansel, Prescott, Leman, and Ayliffe Streets, with a few
smaller streets and courts in the vicinity, comprise what is called
Goodman's Fields. Stow writes, that he remembers it a farm
belonging to the Minoresses * of St. Clare, who gave a name to
the neighbouring street called the Minories. " At which farme,"
says Stow, " I myself, in my youth, have fetched many a half-
pennie worth of milke, and never had less than three ale pints
for a halfpennie in the summer, nor less than one ale quart in
the wintre, always hot from the kine, as the same was milked
and strained." One Trollop, and afterwards Goodman, were the
farmers there ; the latter, having purchased the farm and fields,
so increased his property, that he had thirty or forty cows for
* See Minories.
310 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
milking. Farmer Goodman's son afterwards letting out the
ground for grazing horses, and for gardens, the name of Good-
man's farm was entirely lost in that of Goodman's Fields, which
it retains notwithstanding all the changes it has undergone.
The backs of the houses of the four streets above named, form
a large square called the Tenter Ground, having formerly been
used by a dyer ; it was afterwards converted into a handsome
garden, in which state it continued until the idle threat of inva-
sion set the whole country marching and countermarching.
Harnessed and armed, big with valorous loyalty, the garden of
the Tenter Ground became the field of Mars, and the spring and
summer flowers yielded to the flowers of chivalry.
GREAT WARDROBE STREET.
This street takes its name from the royal mansion called the
Great Wardrobe, which formerly stood in Wardrobe-Coat, Great
Carter Lane.
GREEN PARK.
This park receives its appellation simply from its verdure con-
tinuing green throughout the year, numbers of springs being on
the spot. It was once much larger than it is at the present time,
George III. having reduced it in 1767, to enlarge the gardens cf
Old Buckingham House.
GERARD-STREET.
The name of this street is derived from Gerard House, the resi-
dence of Gerard, the gallant Earl of Macclesfield. It was built
about 1681.
GOLDEN SQUARE.
Pennant says, Golden Square was formerly Gelding Square,
from the sign of a neighbouring inn ; but the inhabitants, indig-
nant at the vulgarity of the name, changed it to the present. Mr.
Cunningham, however, in his Hand-Boole of London, shows it to
have been called The Golden Square as e,aiiy as 1688.
GILTSPUR STREET.
This way towards Smithfield was anciently called Gilt-Spurre
street, because of the knights, who, in quality of their honour,
wore Gilt Spurs, and who rode that way to the tournaments,
joustings, and other feats of arms used in Smithfield.
GRACECHURCH STREET.
By referring to Stow, or looking into any of the old accounts
of London, it will be found that this was a Grass Market, and
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 311
which in course of time was called Gracious Street, and ultimately
Gracechurch Street.
GARLIC HILL.
This locality derives its name from the Garlic market being
originally in the vicinity.
HATTON GARDEN.
This locality derives its name from Sir Christopher Hatton,
Lord Chancellor in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and Christopher
Hatton, his godson, created Baron Hatton of Kirby, in the county
of Northampton.
HOUNDSDITCH.
Houndsditch was formerly a filthy ditch, into which was thrown
dead dogs and all manner of filth hence its present name. Into
it was thrown a worthy deserving of no better sepulture, Edric,
the murderer of his master, Edmund Ironside, after having been
drawn by his heels from Baynard's castle, and tormented to
death by flaming torches.
HOLBORN.
Holborn, originally called Old-bourne, from its standing on a
brook. A bourne signifies a brook, and is a common termination
of English towns and streets. This street was the first in London
that was paved ; this was in the year 1417, by order of Henry IV.
HUNGERFORD STAIRS, MARKET, &c.
Huugerford Stairs, &c., so called from the Earls of Hungerford
having a palace near to the river Thames. Formerly there was
a series of palaces in a line with the Strand ; commencing with
the Earl of Northumberland's, and terminating with that of the
Earl of Essex in Essex-street. Hungerford Suspension Bridge
was constructed by Mr. I. K. Brunei, and opened April 18, 1845.
HOLYWELL STREET.
Holy Well-street, or, as it is called, Holywell Street, in the
Strand, derives its name from a well in a baker's yard, and
which was denominated Holy Well from the miraculous cures
that it is said to have wrought.
HYDE PARK.
So called from Hyde, Lord Clarendon, whose daughter mar-
ried James, Duke of York, afterwards James II.; from which
circumstance the said park became crown property.
312 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
HACKNEY.
This village was anciently celebrated for the numerous seats of
the nobility and gentry, which occasioned, says Maitland, a mighty
resort thither of persons of all conditions from the city of Lon-
don ; whereby so great a number of horses were hired in the city
on that account, that they were called Hackney or Hack horses,
and, from the number of them employed to go to this neighbour-
hood, in process of time gave a name to this locality.
HORSLEYDOWN.
Many derivations are traced to, or take their name from, the
merry reign of Charles II. It was one of his amours which gave
rise, it is said, to the cognomen of Horsleydown. Below Eederiffe
lived a miller, who had a pretty wife, and whom, when the miller
was absent, our amorous monarch, disguised as a student at law,
was wont to wanton with.* On one occasion, however, the miller
came unawares upon them, when his majesty with some little
difficulty made his escape, and mounting his horse, which with an
attendant was at a little distance, fled as fast as " Tarn O'Shanter ! "
He had not proceeded far, however, before his horse fell down,
when the miller coming up gave his incog, majesty a good drub-
bing, which circumstance, it is added, gave that locality the name
of Horsleydown. Another writer says " The tale of Charles and
the miller is a very pleasant one," but adds, ." it is more probable
the site of this parish was anciently a grazing ground, and there-
fore denominated Horse-down, now corruptly Horsleydown.
ISLINGTON.
The name of this village has been fancifully derived from two
Saxon appellations, viz. Gisel, an hostage or pledge, and dun or tun,
a town. In ancient records it is called Isendune, Isendon, Isddon,
and Isleton, meaning the Lower Town, or Fort, from Ishel, lower,
and Dun, town or fortress. The present name was adopted in
the sixteenth century.
ISLE OF DOGS.
Stow says, this place derives its name from the King's hounds
formerly being kept here, where were the royal kennels. It was
originally called Poplar Marsh.
JEWIN STREET.
This street derives its name from the first Jewish cemetery
being here ; and the only one, says Maitland, for the sepulture
of that nation from all parts of England till the year 1777, when,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 313
by an indefatigable application to parliament, it was enacted that
they should have burial-grounds in any part where they resided.
KNIGHT-RIDER STREET.
This street is thus named, in consequence of it being the road
by which the Knights passed to the tournaments and joustings,
which were held at Baynard's castle in the reign of King John.
LITTLE BRITAIN.
Stow, speaking of Little Britain, says : "Where the kings of Scot-
laud used to be lodged, between Charing Cross and Whitehall, is
likewise called Scotland ; and where the Earls of Britain were
lodged, without Aldersgate, the street is called Britain Street."
LAMB'S CONDUIT STREET.
This term is derived from William Lambe, gentleman and
clothworker, who, in 1577, built a water conduit at Holborn
Cross. The conduit was taken down in 1746.
LEADENHALL STREET.
This street derives its name from Leadenhall, which stood on
the site of the skin market. In 1445, it was converted into a
granary for the city, by Simon Eyre, draper, and mayor of
London. It appears to have obtained its name from its being
covered with lead, then an unusual roofing.
LUDGATE STREET.
" This street," says an ingenious writer, " derives its name
from Lud, son of Bilenus, king of Britain." Maitland, however,
says " This gate is denominated Fludgate, from a rivulet below
it, where Fleetditch now is. I am apt to think, however, it
should rather be Fleetgate, from the Saxon flod, vloet, Fleote,
or Fleet, which imply a small navigable water-course, such as
the Fleet rivulet has probably been from the original London."
LONDON WALL.
London Wall explains its own etymology. Within these few
years there was a long tract of the old wall of London standing
in the locality now so named, of which a few fragments now
remain at the back of Cripplegate Church, as well as in Warwick
Court, Fleet Street.
LONG-ACRE.
This street was originally a piece of ground called Seven Acres,
from whence came the present name.
314 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
LAWRENCE POULTNEY LANE.
This lane, which runs from Eastcheap to Thames street, derives
its name from the adjacent church, which is dedicated to St. Law-
rence, and also to Sir John Pulteney, who founded a college here.
LOTHBURY.
The etymology of Lothbury is uncertain ; Stow says it is derived
from berie, meaning a court, and the fact of its having been in-
habited by founders and candlestick-makers, who, whilst turning
and polishing their goods, make a loathsome noise which is very
disagreeable to the passers-by, and by them it is disdainfully
called Lothberie.
LOMBARD STREET.
This street is so named from the Lombards, who inhabited that
part of Italy called Lombardy, being a class of people who first in-
troduced the Banking system into England. This street was prin-
cipally inhabited by goldsmiths, who, down to the reign of James
the Second, were the only bankers in this country.
LIMEHOUSE.
This place, which is one of the Tower Hamlets, derives the
appellation of Limehouse from Lime-hurst, which, by its Saxon
termination, implies a grove of Lime-trees, which, according to
Stow, abounded in this neighbourhood.
LAMBETH.
Lambeth is variously written Lamb-hyde, Lam-hyte, &c., viz.
a dirty station ; from the circumstance of its being overflowed by
the Thames.
MONMOUTH STREET.
This celebrated Wardrobe derives its appellation from James
Duke of Monmouth, who had a house on the south side of Soho
Square.
MINORIES.
Minories is derived from certain poor ladies of the order of St.
Clair, or Minoresses, who were invited into England by Blanche,
Queen of Navarre (wife to Edmund, Earl of Lancaster), who, in
1293, founded here a convent for their reception.
MONKWELL STREET.
On the site of Barbers' hall, or thereabouts, formerly stood a
monastery of the Carthusian order, dedicated to St. Giles the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 315
patron of cripples. Here was a Well which was said to possess
" sovereign virtue," and to which the faithful and afflicted Hocked
daily. This well being under the special protection of the monks,
it was in time denominated the Monks' Well, which circum-
stance ultimately gave a name to the street, now called Mugwell,
or Monkwell Street, Cripplegate.
MILK STREET.
We had formerly our milk, honey, egg, and bread market. The
three former were one market, and gave a name and locality to
what is now called Milk Street, Honey-lane Market, &c. Every
necessary of life, in former times, was obliged to be sold in open
market ; Cheapside was the principal market in the city. Milk
Street is famed as the birthplace of Sir Thomas More.
MOORFIELDS.
So called from a mere, muir, or lake, which formerly stood here,
and on which, says Fitzstephen, " the citizens amused themselves
when it was frozen over, by tying bones to their feet and skaiting
on the same ; thys," he adds, " was manly sporte." After the great
fire of London, 1666, the people lived in sheds and tents in Moor-
fields till such time as other tenements could be erected for them.
MAZE POND, SOUTHWARD
This locality in the borough of Southwark, derives its name
from the abbot of Battle having a very extensive labyrinth or
maze in his garden here, and which gave to this particular spot
its present appellation.
MARK LANE.
At the north-east corner of Mark Lane was anciently situate
the manor-house, says Maitland, of Blanch Appleton, which in
the reign of Bichard II. belonged to Sir Thomas Eoos of Hame-
lake, which manor had a privilege of holding a mart or fair,
whence the adjacent lane was denominated Mart Lane, but now
corrupted to Mark Lane. The great corn market of the metro-
polis is situated in this street.
ST. MARY AXE.
This street was originally called St. Mary's Street. It took its
present appellation from possessing one of the three axes which
beheaded the eleven thousand virgins. In 1565, the parish of
St. Mary the Virgin was united to St. Andrew Undershaft.
. MARY-LE-BONE.
The modern name of this locality is a perversion: it was
originally written Mary-le-bourne, or Mary on the Brook (see
Tyburn}. It may be stated, however, that in the time of Elizabeth
316 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
it was called Marybone, and is so designated by lady Mary Mon-
tague (a century later) in the following line:
" And dukes at Marybone bowl time away."
MINT, BOROUGH.
Opposite to the west end of St. George's Church, in the Borough,
anciently stood a magnificent structure, belonging to the duke of
Suffolk, which coming to Henry VIII., he converted it into a
Mint ; and which gave the present locality its name.
MILLBANK
Simply from a Mill that stood on the Thames bank here.
THE MEWS,
As at Charing Cross, is a name derived by Du Fresne, in his
Glossary, from the Latin muta, and French La Neue, the disease
to which hawks are subject, of yearly muting or changing their
feathers, this being the place where the king's hawks were kept
before it was converted into stables. Muta, he says, is also the
building in which falcons are shut up when they mute, or change
their feathers. Edward II. in his 13th year granted to John de
la Beche, the custody of the king's houses, " de mutis" at Charry-
ing, near "Westminster. Ealph de Manners, the king's falconer,
had, in the like manner, granted to him the custody of the King's
Mews at Charinge, the 23rd of Edward III. ; as also, Sir Simon de
Burley,lst Ei chard II. Henry VIII. is said to have kept his horses
there, for which purpose he partly rebuilt the old structure; and the
same was, by Edward VI. and Mary, afterwards enlarged and
converted into stabling. From this place, its first use, and subse-
quent application, it has of late years been customary to give to
any range of buildings erected for stabling the name of Mews.
The little of the original Mews which remained, and which was
erected as above, was that lately occupied as a barrack, and
which has now given way to the fine new opening to St.
Martin's church. It was composed of red "Tudor Brick," with
stone windows and dressings, supported by buttresses, and crenel-
lated at top.
NEWINGTON BUTTS.
So called, from the citizens of London practising archery in
that locality the Butts being set up as targets.
NEWGATE.
Here stood a gate of the city, originally called Chamberlain's
gate. It was used as a prison, so long back as 1218, for persons
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 317
of rank, before the Tower was used for that purpose. In 1422,
this gate was rebuilt by the executors of the famous Sir Richard
Whittington, out of the effects he had allotted for works "of
charity ; his statue with the cat, remained in a niche to its final
demolition on the rebuilding of the present prison. It was de-
stroyed in the fire of 1666, and rebuilt in its late form, whence it
obtained the name of Newgate, and which gave a name to the
street so named. It was again burnt during the Gordon riots in
1780.
OLD BAILEY.
Our antiquaries are of opinion, says Maitland, that the Old
Bailey is a corruption of Balehill (several such appellations still
remaining in diverse cities and towns of this kingdom) ;* an emi-
nence whereon was situated the Bale, or Bailiffs House, wherein
he held a court for the trying of malefactors. Stow says, the
Chamberlain of London held a court here as early as the reign
of Edward III.
OLD JEWRY.
In the reign of Henry II., this quarter of the city was occupied
principally by the Jews, hence it took the name of the Old Jewry.
The church of St. Olave, Old Jewry, was one of their synagogues,
until they were forcibly dispossessed of it, A.D. 1291.
PATERNOSTER ROW.
Howell says, Paternoster Row had its name from stationers or
text-writers, who resided here, and wrote and sold all sorts of books,
namely : A B C, with the Pater Noster, Ave, Creed, Graces, &c.
There, and in Ave-Maria Lane, dwelt turners of beads, called
Paternoster makers. It was afterwards inhabited by mercers,
and now chiefly by booksellers.
PICKETT STREET.
.The principal houses in this street were built by Alderman
Pickett, from whom the street derives its name. It was built on
the site of Butchers' Row, in 1813.
PETTY FRANCE.
So denominated from its being principally (in former times)
inhabited by people of that nation. It was rebuilt in 1730, and
called New Broad Street.
PEDLAR'S ACRE.
Pedlar's Acre, which runs parallel with, the Thames from
Westminster bridge towards Broad- wall, derives its name from
* There is a Balehill at York, and another at Chester.
318 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
a portion of it being left by a pedlar to the parish of Lambeth,
now a very valuable property. A painting on glass, representing
the Pedlar and his Dog, may be seen in Lambeth church.
POULTRY.
This street was so denominated, from being the Poultry
market. In the reign of William and Mary, however, the
poulterers removed to Leadenhall, and were succeeded by haber-
dashers, glovers, &c.
PYE CORNER.
Pye Corner was so called, says Stow, from such a sign, some-
times a fair inne, for receipt of travellers, but now divided into
tenements. It was at Pye Corner that the fire of London ended :
the houses that escaped were taken down in 1809, and upon
their site other dwelling houses have been erected, together with
an engine-house. There is a figure of a bloated boy stuck up at
the corner, on which is an inscription, ascribing the >fire as a
punishment on the citizens for their gluttony !
PHILPOT LANE.
This lane was called after Sir John Philpot, an alderman of
London, who resided here, and who, in the reign of Eichard II.,
fitted out a fleet at his own charge, and took abundance of prizes.
On being called to account by the duke of Lancaster, for annoying
the nation's enemies without authority, he was honourably ac-
quitted, and the administration censured for not protecting the
trade of the kingdom.
PORTPOOL LANE.
This lane was so denominated, from being the manor of Port-
pool (a prebend of St. Paul's cathedral), and received its name
originally from a neighbouring pool.
PALL MALL.
Pall Mall, and the Mall in St. James's Park, take their names
from being used as a walk, or place for the exercise of a game
called Paille-Maille^ introduced into England in the reign of
Charles I., but long since disused.
PICCADILLY.
The derivation of the name is uncertain ; Gerrard in his Herbal,
1596, says, " That the small wild buglosse grows upon the drie
ditche banks about Pickadilla." From which, no doubt, the pre-
sent street takes its name.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 319
POPLAR.
The hamlet of Poplar derives its name from the great number
of Poplar-trees which anciently grew there.
and
RATHBONE PLACE.
Rathbone Place, Oxford Street, was -so called after a carpenter
id builder of that name. It was built in 1718.
RED AND WHITE CROSS STREETS.
At the upper end of Bed Cross Street, says Maitland, and north-
east corner of Beach Lane, stood a Bed and White Cross, which
gave names to the streets so called.
REGENT'S PARK.
This delightful place, which is bounded on the one hand by
Chalk Farm and Primrose Hill, and on the other by Portland
Place and the Crescent, was denominated the Regent's Park, out
of compliment to George IV., when Prince Begent of these
realms.
SLOANE STREET.
Sloane street, so called after Sir Hans Sloane, the celebrated
projector, architect, naturalist, and book virtuosi; born 1660,
died January 11, 1753.
SKINNER STREET.
The principal houses in this street were built by Alderman
Skinner, who resided here, and whose name the street bears.
Lord Mayor in 1795.
SHOREDITCH.
Shoreditch does not take its name from Jane Shore, as is gene-
rally supposed, but from one Sir John de Sordich, a valiant knight
in the time of Edward III., who was lord of the manor. This
parish forms a part of the Tower Hamlets, and, according to the
census of 1851, contained 109, 209 inhabitants.
SOHO SQUARE.
This square was begun in the reign of Charles II. It was
originally called Monrnouth Square, after the unfortunate duke,
who lived in the centre house ; it was afterwards called King's
Square, and subsequently Soho Square, that (Soho) being the
battle-word of the day at the field of Sedgemoor.
320 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ST. JAMES'S PARK.
A park of eighty-seven acres, originally appertaining to the
Palace of St James's ; first formed and walled in by Henry VIII. ;
replanted and beautified by Charles II. ; and finally arranged by
George IV. much as we now see it, in 1827, 1828, and 1829. When
George I. came first to England, he talked of turning St James'
park into a turnip ground, and to employ turnip hoers.
SAFFRON HILL.
Saffron Hill was formerly a part of Ely gardens, and derives its
name from the crops of saffron which it bore.
SHERBORNE LANE.
The immediate neighbourhood of Fenchurch Street was very
fenny ground, and was intersected by various brooks, or bournes,
which took various directions ; one of these streams flowed into
the Thames in a southerly direction, and was called Southbourn,
and when built over gave a name to the lane now corrupted into
Sherborne.
SMITHFIELD.
An open area containing five acres and three quarters, and used
as a market for sheep, horses, cattle, and hay, for which it has been
for centuries famous. Fitzstephen, who wrote in the reign of
Henry II., says, Smithfield was so called because it was a plain
or smooth field. Stow says, it was at one time called The Elms,
because it was covered with elm-trees ; since the which time, saith
he, building hath so increased, that now remaineth not one tree
growing : he also adds, it hath been a place for honourable jousts
and triumphs, by reason it was unpaved. Smithfield has been
long celebrated for its market and its Bartholomew fair. The
cattle market will shortly be transferred to Copenhagen fields.
ST JOHN'S GATE.
St. John's Gate is the only remaining part of a priory, founded
there by the knights of S,t. John of Jerusalem. It was completed
by Prior Docura about the year 1504; hence the name of the
gate, as well as the Old Jerusalem Tavern.
STEEL YARD.
The place called the Steel Yard, in Thames Street, belonged
to the corporation of Hanseatic merchants, who engrossed all the
foreign trade of Europe.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 321
The steelyard derives its name from its being the place where
the' King's steelyard or beam was erected, for weighing the ton-
nage of goods imported into London.
STRAND.
In the year 1353, the Strand was an open highway, with here
and there a great man's house, with gardens to the water side.
There was no continued street till about the year 1532, when
an Act was passed for " paving the street-way between Charing
Cross and Strand Cross, at the charge of the owners of the land ;"
before that, it entirely cut off Westminster from London, and
nothing intervened except the scattered houses and a village,
which afterwards gave a name to the whole. The parish of St.
Clement Danes, originally consisted of the village Strande. The
mansions of the Cecils, Bedfords, Villiers, &c., are swept away ;
nought remains of the days of chivalry and ancient grandeur,
(save Northumberland House) ; and a distant age will ask where
the fabrics stood. Narrow streets and courts now bear the names
of men who once swayed the destinies of England.
SOMERSET HOUSE.
In the year 1549, in the reign of Edward VI., the lord-protec-
tor, Somerset, pulled down several churches and houses in the
vicinity of the Thames, and built himself a palace thereon, now
called Somerset House. The old brick palace just alluded to,
was taken down in the beginning of the reign of George III., and
the present magnificent palace built thereon. The architect was
Sir William Chambers, son of a Scottish merchant residing at
Stockholm.
SPITALFIELDS.*
The series of streets thus denominated, derive their appellation
from an hospital that stood here in the reign of queen Elizabeth,
and which was dedicated to St. Mary Spital. It was founded in
1197, by Walter Brune and Mary his wife.
Those who have passed through those parts of Spitalfields,
chiefly inhabited by weavers, must have often heard them singing
at their looms. Singular as it may seem, this practice came with
their forefathers from the Low Countries, and also was the custom
with such of the Protestants ES at an earlier period came over
from Flanders, and brought with them the woollen manufactory.
SAVOY.
This place derives its name from Peter, Earl of Savoy, who
built a palace here in the reign of Henry III. Edward III.
* See Spital Sermon.
Y
322 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
made a state prison of it ; it was here his prisoner, King John of
France, was confined, and where after many years of captivity he
breathed his last. It was burnt and entirely destroyed by Wat
Tyler and his rebels (1381). It does not appear to have been
rebuilt till 1505, when it was endowed by Henry VII. as an hos-
pital, for the relief of 100 poor people. The sick and wounded in
the Dutch war of 1666, were lodged here ; and George I. turned
it into a place of confinement for debtors. The ancient chapel of
this once royal palace, which, contrary to ecclesiastical usage,
stands north and south, has been restored, and its ceiling deco-
rated by the munificence of Prince Albert.
ST. JAMES'S PALACE.
This antiquated building was commenced in the reign of Henry
VII., and finished in that of Henry VIII. It derives its name
from St. James's Hospital, which formerly stood here, and which
gave a cognomen to the adjacent street, as well as the diplomatic
appellation of the Court of St. James's. One day, after Peter the
Great had visited the magnificent hospital of Greenwich, he went
to St. James's Palace to dine with King William. That prince
asked him how he liked Greenwich Hospital ? " Extremely well,
Sir," replied the Czar, " and, if I were permitted to advise your
majesty, I should recommend to you to remove your Court thither,
and convert your palace into an hospital."
SHAD WELL.
This parish, which is one of the Tower Hamlets, has the name
of Shadwell from a fine fountain, or well, which issues from under
the wall of the churchyard, and which was originally dedicated
to St. Chad.
STEPNEY.
It appears from Domesday Book that Stepney, in the Con-
queror's time, was a manor belonging to the Bishop of London,
by the appellation of Stebenhede, a Saxon compound, implying
Steben's Heath.
TOWER ROYAL.
Here stood a strong and magnificent mansion, now a paltry and
disreputable street. King Stephen resided therein, as did after-
wards king Ei chard II. and his mother; at which time it was
indifferently called the Eoyal, or Queen's Wardrobe.
TEMPLE BAR.
Before the present gate was built, there was a bar or barrier
of posts and chains, which separated the Strand from Fleet Street,
and which, from its vicinity to the Temple, received the name of
Temple Bar.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 323
THEOBALD'S ROAD.
Theobald's Eoad, so called because it was the road by which
James I. travelled to Theobald's House, in Hertfordshire, where
he expired, strongly suspected of being poisoned. Theobald's
House was pulled down, 1765.
THROGMORTOX STREET.
This street was named after Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, who
is said to have been poisoned by Dudley, Earl of Leicester, queen
Elizabeth's favourite. There is a monument to his memory in
the church of St. Catharine Cree.
THREADXEEDLE STREET.
So denominated, because those who resided here were princi-
pally Tailors. The Tailors' Company also built their Hall here,
now called Merchant Tailors' Hall.
TOOLEY STREET.
This street derives its name from an eminent wharfinger of
the name of Tuley, who had a considerable property in this
neighbourhood.
TOKEXHOUSE YARD.
Prior to the reign of William and Mary, in which reign the
Bank of England was first established, or incorporated, the go-
vernment of the country had at different periods, for the facility
of the commerce thereof, found it expedient to issue Tokens, not
dissimilar to our recent Bank and Provincial Tokens. The place
of issue was from this locality, and was called the Token House,
and from which circumstance we derive the term of Tokenhouse
Yard.
TOTTEXHAM COURT ROAD.
As Theobald's Eoad was so called, because it was the road by
which king James I. went to his palace at Theobalds, in Herts,
so Tottenham Court Road, because it was the road by which the
queen's majesty travelled to her palace at Tottenham Court, near
Tottenham.
TYBURX.
Tyburn was formerly the place of execution for criminals con-
victed in the county of Middlesex. It existed as early as the
reign of Henry IV., and derives its name from Tyburn Brook,
formerly called Aye-brook, or Eyebrook, afterwards St-Mary-le-
324 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Bourne (St. Mary on the Brook), now corrupted into Marylebone,
or Marybone. ,
WATLING STREET.
The etymology of the name of this street has sufficiently exer-
cised the ingenuity of our learned antiquaries. Perhaps the most
natural solution is that given in the Gentleman's Magazine, Feb-
ruary, 1796, where the writer derives it from the ancient British
words gwaith. work, .and len, legion ; from which, gwaithlen, i.e.,
legion-work, came, he supposes, the modern Watling. Dr. Jamie-
son quotes Douglas and Henryson, that Watling Street denotes
the Milky Way. " It has received," says he, " this designation,
in the same manner as it was called by the Romans Via Lactea,
from its fancied resemblance to a broad street, or causeway, being
as it were paved with stars."
. WALBROOK.
This street derives its name from a stream so called, says
Stow, " of running through and from the wall of the city." It
has long been arched over and built on, so that its course is now
hardly known.
WARWICK LANE.
Warwick Lane, Newgate Street, derives its name from a house
belonging to the famous Earl of Warwick, afterwards called
Warwick Inn.
WHITECHAPEL.
This locality derives its name from a convent of White Nuns
(i. e., nuns who wore a white dress) that formerly stood here, and
which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After the suppression
of the monasteries, a chapel remained there for many years, and
which, coupled with the former circumstance, gave the locality its
present name. In the centre of the market is a little dirty alley,
called Harrow Alley. In this place, above 190 years ago, dwelt
that prince of wits, and excellent man,.Daniel Defoe : here he wrote
that much read and excellent moral work, Kobinson Crusoe, and
here he wrote a memorable melancholy History of the Plague,
of which he was an eyewitness.
WALWORTH.
This suburb (for it is now nothing more) was originally a Manor
in Surrey. It is written " Walerode" in the Conqueror's Survey,
and Walworth's Fields in the charter of Edward VI., granting
the manor of South wark to the City of London.
IRISH SOCIETY OF THE CORPORATION OF LONDON.
It is a curious fact, not generally known, that in the reign of
James I. (1607), the greater part of six counties in the province
of Ulster became vested in the crown, by an act of attainder of
Shane O'Neil and other persons of dictinction, who had rebelled
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 325
against the state ; and soon afterwards a project was suggested
to the king, for establishing a Protestant colony on the forfeited
estates, which was considered in council, approved, and published.
In the year 1609, his majesty conceiving the City of London to
be the body best able to undertake so important a work, made
propositions for that purpose, which were considered at a con-
ference held on the 30th of July, between the Earl of Salisbury,
Lord High Treasurer, and the Lord Mayor, with some of the
leading citizens: and after some further negotiation, articles of
agreement were at length entered into, on the 28th of January,
1610, between the Lords of Council on behalf of the King, arid
the committees appointed by act of Common Council, on behalf
of the Lord Mayor and Commonalty of the City of London, con-
cerning a plantation in part of the province of Ulster. In pur-
suance of this agreement, the Corporation of London, with the
assistance of the twelve principal companies, commenced the fulfil-
ment of the conditions on their part ; and having made great
progress, the king, in the year 1013, granted a charter, by which
a certain number of the citizens of London (all members of the
Common Council, as their successors are at this day), were put
in possession of the forfeited estates, and were ordained and con-
stituted one body, corporate and politic, who should be called by
the name of " The Society of the Governor and Assistants of
London, of the New Plantation of Ulster" (now commonly called
the Irish Society). Soon after obtaining the charter, all the lands
granted by it were divided, by persons appointed for that service,
into thirteen parts ; of which one, consisting of the city of Lon-
donderry,* the town of Coleraine, &c., was retained by the
governor and assistants ; and one of the other twelve was assigned
to each of the twelve companies who had assisted the corporation
in the undertaking. The authority for this proceeding, was a
license granted by the king for that purpose. In the reign of
Charles I., the citizens having offended the king, the charter
was in a most arbitrary manner annulled and cancelled by the
Court of Chancery, but it was restored by Charles II. ; and it is
by this renewed charter, and renewed grants from the Irish
Society, that the Twelve Companies hold. Sturctis Pamphlet on
the Condition of Ireland.
ROYAL ACADEMY.
An attempt had been made in 1759, to form an association of
artists, and an exhibition of works of art, when a society was
formed, and met in St. Martin's Lane, under the name of an
Academy, and in the following year they had their first exhibition,
under the sanction of the Society of Arts. The first effort was
promising, and after a few exhibitions they were incorporated
under the title of " The Society of Artists of Great Britain."
* Prior to this period it was called Derry.
326 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
The combination of a body of painters with a society embracing
manufactures and commerce was not permanent ; and three years
after, i. e., 1769, the " Royal Academy" was established, and was
so called in consequence of George III. being its founder. The
Academy was constituted December 10, 1768, opened its first
exhibition in Somerset House, May 1780, but removed from
Somerset House, and opened its first exhibition in Trafalgar
Square, May 1838.
SCOTS CORPORATION.
The origin of this corporation, says Maitland, is owing to James
Kinnier, a Scotsman, and merchant of this city ; who, after a
long and dangerous illness, determined to give part of his estate
toward the relief of the aged and necessitous poor of his own
country, within the cities of London and Westminster. To which
end, and for the more effectually settling what he intended to
give for that purpose, he" was advised by counsel to apply for a
charter. This was granted in the reign of James I., and thus
originated the " Scots Corporation."
CHARITY FOR THE RELIEF OF POOR WIDOWS AND SONS OF THE
CLERGY.
By his majesty's (Charles II.) charter, bearing date 1st July,
1678, a body politic and corporate was constituted by the name
of " The Governors of the Charity for the Belief of Poor Widows
and Children of Clergymen," with license to possess any estate,
not exceeding the value of .2000. Afterwards, upon the acces-
sion of Dr. Thomas Turner's gift, which amounted to about
18,000, the governors (December 16, 1714) obtained an aug-
mentation of the said grant, by a license to possess the yearly
value of 3000, over and above all charges and reprises ; as also
over and above the said <2000 per annum.
THE WILSONIAN FUND.
This useful fund originated from one Samuel Wilson of London,
who bequeathed 20,000 to be lent out in small sums to indus-
trious tradesmen. He died 1771.
THE ROYAL SOCIETY.
All arts and sciences began to revive and nourish at the Resto-
ration, and the English tongue was exceedingly improved and
refined. The " Royal Society " was established in 1663, by the
King's Letters-Patent, for the improvement of philosophy, ma-
thematics, physic, and all useful knowledge ; of which the first
promoters and members were Dr. Ward, Mr. Boyle, Lord Brounker,
Dr. Wilkins, Dr. Wallis, Sir William Petty, Dr. Goddard, Dr.
Willis, Dr. Batkurst, Sir Christopher Wren, and Mr. Rook.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 327
Hume says, amidst the thick cloud of bigotry and ignorance
which overspread the nation during the Commonwealth and
Protectorship, there was a few sedate philosophers, who in the
retirement of Oxford cultivated their reason, and established
conferences for the mutual communication of their discoveries in
physic and geometry. Wilkins, a clergyman, who had married
Cromwell's sister, and was afterwards bishop of Chester, promoted
these philosophical conversations. Immediately after the Kesto-
ration these men procured a patent, and having enlarged their
number, were denominated the " Eoyal Society." But this patent
was all they obtained from the king. Though he was a lover of
the sciences, particularly chemistry and mechanics, he encouraged
them by his example alone, not by his bounty. The Society
held its first meetings in Gresham College ; and, after the great
fire, in Arundel House. The Society subsequently returned
to Gresham College ; but in 1710 removed to Crane Court, Fleet
Street, and from thence, in 1782, to its present place of meeting in
Somerset House.
ST. GEORGE'S FIELDS, &c.
After the dissolution of the monasteries and other religious
houses, the mayor and citizens of London, taking into their
consideration how commodious and convenient it would be unto
the city, to have the Borough of Southwark annexed thereunto,
and that the same borough was in the king's hands wholly, they
became suitors unto Henry VI1T., and unto the lords of his
highness' privy council, for the obtaining of the same; which
suit not being granted unto them, after the decease of Henry
VIII. they renewed their suit unto Edward VI., and to the lords
of the privy council, for the obtaining of the same borough.
At length, after long suit, it pleased King Edward VI., by his
letters-patent, bearing date of Westminster there, the 23rd
day of April, in the fourth year of his reign, as well in considera-
tion of the sum of ,647 : 2 : 1, of lawful money of England, paid
to his highness's use, by the mayor and citizens of London, as
for divers other considerations him thereunto moving, to give
and grant unto the said mayor an.l citizens of London, divers
messuages, lands, and tenements, lying near the Borough of
Southwarke, in the said letters-patent particularly expressed,
which were sometimes the land of Charles, late duke of Suffolke,
and of whom Henry VIII. did buy and purchase the same. But
there was excepted out of the said grant, and reserved unto Edward
VI., his heirs and successors, all that, his capital messuage or
mansion-house, called Southwarke Palace, late of the said Duke of
Suffolke, and all gardens and land to the same adjoining ; and all
that, his park in Southwarke, and all that, his messuage, and all
edifices and ground called the Antelope there.
328 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ETYMONS OF SEVERAL COUNTRIES, ISLANDS, SEAS, TOWNS,
PROVINCES, REMARKABLE PLACES, &c.
ATLANTIC OCEAN.
Atlantic, or Atlantic Ocean, derives its name from Mount Atlas,
in Africa, and extends between the west continents of Africa and
Europe, and the east continent of America. Its least breadth,
from Guinea in Africa, to Brazil in South Americans 2,300 miles.
On one side the equator, it is called the North Atlantic Ocean ;
on the other, the South Atlantic Ocean.
AZORES, OR WESTERN ISLANDS.
Azores, or Western Islands, a group of islands in the Atlantic,
between 25 and 30 west longitude, and 37 and 40 north latitude,
795 miles west of Portugal. They are nine in number, viz., St.
Maria, St. Michael, Terceira, St. George, Graciosa, Fayal, Pico,
Mores, and Corvo. They were discovered in 1430, by Joshua
Vanderberg of Bruges, who in a voyage to Lisbon was driven
thus far to the westward by stress of weather. Boasting of his
discovery on his arrival at Lisbon, the Portuguese government
fitted out an expedition and took possession of these Islands, and
called them the A9ores, from the number of hawks found among
them. Agore, being the Portuguese for hawk.
ATHENS.
Minerva was worshipped by the Athenians before the age of
Cecrops, in whose time Athens was founded, and its name taken
from Minerva, whom the Greeks called &Qw. It was proposed
to call the city either by her name or that of Neptune, and as
each had partisans, and the women had votes equal to the men,
Cecrops called all the citizens together, both men and women ;
the suffrages were collected ; and it was found that all the
women had voted for Minerva, and all the men for Neptune ; but
the women exceeding the men by one voice, Athens was called
after Minerva. A temple was dedicated to her in the city, with
her statue in gold and ivory, thirty-nine feet high, executed by
Phidias.
AMERICA.
So called from Americus Yesputius, who, having accompanied
Ojeda, who in 1499 followed in the steps of Columbus, and
having had a share in the direction of it himself, had published
an account of it on his return. The country of which he was
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 329
supposed to be the discoverer, came gradually to be called by
his name. He died 1512.
North America was first discovered by Giovanni Cabot, a
Venetian in the service of England, in 1497.
ARUXDEL.
The etymology of this town has been variously conjectured by
some of the first antiquaries, and many writers have entertained
a difference of opinion. It has been justly observed, that names
of places must have reference to peculiarity of site, or retaining
the meaning of certain local particulars. However, in the
uncertainty of finding the etymology correct, it is not impro-
bable that the antiquary may meet with discoveries tending to
convey amusement and instruction, and which perhaps may
serve to gratify the curiosity of those who may not have the
leisure for similar studies and investigations.
Camden, who was so celebrated an antiquary, patronised by
Thomas, earl of Arundel, in 1630, says, that this town was a
place of great name, and he derives its etymon from a valley, or
dale, running along the river Arun.
Another supposition pretends to derive some weight from two
Belgic words, Eron and del, signifying a flat place covered with
water, and whence also may be derived Hirundo and Hirondelle,*
as the low parts adjacent was formerly a morass, or reedy place
much frequented by swallows, and which bird, being in the
present arms of Arundel, strengthens the argument in favour
of its being built by the Belgics.
ALL THE RUSSIAS.
The term, All the Eussias, is founded on the ancient division
of Eussia, which comprehended the provinces of Great, or Black
Eussia, Little, or Keel Eussia, and White Eussia, it derives its
name from Eurik, a Baltic freebooter, who in 850 made himself
master of the greater part of the country, and founded a dynasty
which continued to rule till 1598. St. Petersburgh took its name
from having been founded by Peter the Great.
ABYSSINIA.
Abyssinia, in Africa, has been called by different names, parti-
cularly by that of Habessinia, from the Arabic word Halesh,
which signifies a mixture, the country being peopled by various
nations ; but other inhabitants call it Itjopia, or Ethiopia. The
name of Abyssinia became known in Europe from the Portuguese
missionaries who penetrated there, and who often wrote the
* French for Swallow.
330 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
names of the country and the people respectively in the latinized
forms of Abassia and Abassinos ; from which our common term
Abyssinia is derived.
BATH.
This city was a Roman station, and derives its name from the
celebrated Roman baths discovered there. Considerable Roman
remains have been discovered in, and about its neighbourhood.
Portions of a large temple were discovered, and are preserved in
the Bath Institution. Towards the east of this building stood
the principal baths, which were discovered in 1755.
BLENHEIM.
A small village on the Danube, in Bavaria. It was the scene
of Marlborough's great victory, who in 1704 totally defeated the
French and Bavarian forces under Marshal Tallard. To per-
petuate the memory of the military services of this illustrious
man, the royal manor of Woodstock, with the demesne, compri-
sing the hundred of Wootton, was granted by queen Anne to him
and his heirs for ever, to be held by grand sergeantry.
BATTLE BRIDGE.
West of Barnesbury Park, and close to the footpath from
thence to Copenhagen House, were the supposed remains of a
Roman encampment. It was a square of 120 feet, surrounded by
a ditch, with a high embankment or breast-work to the west.
This is presumed to have been a position occupied by Suetonius,
the Roman general, when he destroyed 80,000 of the Britons
under Boadicea, in a memorable engagement presumed to have
been fought from this place, in the fields of Pentonville, and
terminating in the plain of Battle Bridge : hence the name. The
prsetorium is now occupied by the house and grounds of a retired
military officer, who has built a mansion in the style of an em-
battled dwelling.
BRIGHTON.
Brighthelmstone, or as it is now termed, Brighton, is said to
have been a place of note in early times, but of this fact we have
no precise record. Bailey in his Dictionary observes, that it was
St. Brighthelm, a Saxon, who gave the name to the town. Skin-
ner says, Brighton was so named from Brighthelm, a canonised
bishop of Foutenoy, in France, who lived so late as the tenth
century. Other testimonies state, that it was a Saxon bishop of
that name, who resided here during the Heptarchy, who gave his
name to the town. This supposition is more probable ; for we
find, that when Ella with his three sons (Chnen, Wienciug, and
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 331
Cisa) effected their landing at West Wittering, S.W. of Chiches-
ter, anno 447, and defeating the Britons, who endeavoured to
oppose him, took possession of all the maritime parts of the
country. Ella thus laid the foundation of the kingdom of the
South Saxons, from which the country derives its name. Bright-
helme accompanied this army. One of his successors resided at
Aldrington, and held a considerable portion of land until the
year 693, when that bishop was killed in battle. This is stated
by Stillingfleet and other writers, but no mention is made of the
place where the engagement was fought.
About the time of the Norman Conquest, a colony of Flemings
are supposed to have established themselves for the purpose of
fishing. The town was plundered and burned by the French, in
1513. During the reigns of Henry VIII. and Elizabeth, fortifi-
cations were erected to protect it.
Brighton became a watering-place about the middle of the 18th
century, but its progress was slow until it was rendered a place
of fashionable resort by George IV., then Prince of Wales, who
selected it for a summer residence.
Between Brighton and Lewes are still to be seen lines and
intrenchments, apparently Roman, and some years ago an urn
was dug up, containing 1000 silver denarii, on which were im-
pressions of all the emperors.
BERWICK-UPON-TWEED.
Berwick, being a kind of Gibraltar to Scotland, was long a bone
of contention between England and that country. Edward VI.,
and Mary, Queen of Scotland, by treaty made it a county town,
and, as Bymer's Federa notes it, a free town, independent of both
states. Since the reign of Queen Mary, it has sent two members
to the English House of Commons.
Caniden says : " At the epoch of Domesday Book, Berwica
signified a village which appertained to some manor, or town :
and as Tothill was called the Berewicke of Westminster, in the
donation of Edward the Confessor, the town on the Tweed was
called the Berewicke of Coldingham." The castle of Berwick was
first ceded as part of the ransom of William the Lion, but it was
restored by William Cceur de Lion, in 1189.
BARNESBURY PARK,
The row of handsome cottages called Barnesbury Park, Isling-
ton, are in the manor of Berners, or Beruersbury, otherwise
Barnesbury ; the name being derived from the Berners' family,
of whom the most distinguished individual was John Bourchier,
the last Lord Berners, and the fifth writer in order of time among
the nobility. He was Governor of Calais under Henry VIII
332" THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
and translated "Froissart's Cronycles out of French e into our
maternale Englysshe tongue."
BALTIMORE.
This capital, as it may be termed, of the province of Maryland,
in North America, derives its name from Lord Baltimore, who
colonized the said province in 1633. The town was first laid out
in 1729, and in 1765 contained only thirty Jiouses. It received a
charter as a city in 1797, and since that period its extension has
been very rapid. The population is now upwards of 103,000.
BERMUDAS.
Bermudas, or Sommer's Islands, four islands in the Atlantic
Ocean, 100 miles east of Carolina, and surrounded by rocks. They
were discovered by Juan Bermudas, a Spaniard, in 1522; but not
inhabited till 1609, when Sir George Sommers was cast away upon
them; and they have belonged to Britain ever since. They contain
9000 inhabitants, who carry on some trade \vith America and the
West Indies. Three of them are small, and the principal one is
called St. George.
BRAZILS.
Brazil, a country of South America, which gives the title of
Prince to the heir-apparent of the crown of Portugal. It extends
from North to South about 2600 miles, and from East to West about
2400. It was discovered in 1500 by Alvarez Cabral, a Portu-
guese, who was forced upon it by a tempest ; and it derived its
name from the abundance of Brazil, or Brasil, wood found here.
CAMBRIDGE.
Cambridge (Cantabrigia, Latin), a country town of England,
situated on the river Cam, eleven miles east of Ely, and fifty-one
north of London. It was the Camboritum, or Granta, of the
Romans, and a well-known station of that people, as the numerous
urns, coins, and other antiquities dug up here attest. The modern
town is of small consideration, except for its connection with the
University, being only about a mile in length, and half a mile
broad ; the best streets are Trumpington Street, and St. Andrew's
Street, united with Regent Street towards Gogmagog hills ; but
the whole is well paved.
CANTERBURY.
Canterbury is called, by Bede and others, Dorobernia ; by the
Saxons, " the city of the people of Kent ;" by the Britons, Caer
Kent, or the city of Kent ; and by the Latins, Cantuaria. This
place is generally agreed to have been the Roman Durovernuni
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 333
and it is famous for being the archiepiscopal seat of the Primate
of England. The Saxon kings of Kent had their residence here
from the arrival of Hengist to the sixth century.
COLOMBIA.
This name, borne by a portion of South America, is derived
from Christopher Columbus, a Genoese, famous for his being the
discoverer of this vast continent, although its general appellation
of America was given it from an after discoverer. Columbus
was born in 1442, and made his celebrated discovery October
12, 1492.
Colombia is now divided into the three republics of Venezuela,
New Granada, and Ecuador.
CONSTANTINOPLE.
This capital of the modern Turkish empire derives its name
from Constantine the Great, who founded the eastern empire of
Rome. Prior to his conquest of it, it was called Byzantium,
famed in history as a bone of contention between the Tamerlanes
and Badjazets. One part of the city is called Pera, and is
inhabited by the Franks, a name given by the Turks to all
European Christians. It was taken in 1453 by the Turks, who
have kept possession of it ever since.
CORSICA.
The ancient Greeks gave this island the name of Cyrnus ; and
to the Romans it was known by its present appellation. By the
French it is called Corse. Inhabited at first by a colony of
Phoenicians, it was afterwards occupied successively by the
Phoceans, and Etruscans, and the Carthaginians. The Romans
succeeded to the latter, and settled two colonies here, which was
the place of exile for the Roman courtiers when they became
obnoxious to the Emperors. On the destruction of the Roman
empire, Corsica fell successively under the dominion of the Goths,
the Greek Emperors, the Lombards, and the Saracens ; the latter,
it is supposed, first gave it the title of a kingdom.
Napoleon Bonaparte was born at Ajaccio, in this island, 15th
August 1769.
CANONBURY.
A manor in the village of Islington, given to the Prior and
Convent of St. Bartholomew in Smithfield, by Ralph de Berners.
The date of the gift is unknown, but the estate is enumerated
among the possessions of the priory, in a confirmation granted by
Henry III., bearing date 1253; and when the religious houses
were dissolved, Henry VIII. gave the manor to Thomas, Lord
Cromwell ; it was afterwards a hunting-seat of Queen Elizabeth's,
and ultimately passed through other hands till it was possessed
334 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
by Sir John Spencer, an alderman and lord mayor of London,
known by the name of " Eich Spencer," and who was the founder
of the Northampton family, to whom this property belongs. It
was here Goldsmith wrote his " Deserted Village."
DEAD SEA.
So called from its stillness and bad qualities. No fish will live
in its waters. It occupies the site of the plain of Siddim, where
stood Sodom and Gomorrah. It has, however, been said, that
this water has a repulsive force, which makes men and animals
float on its surface, and Josephus relates an experiment which
was made on the subject by the Emperor Vespasian. " Having
caused the feet and hands," says he, " of some of his slaves to be
tied, he ordered them to be thrown into the sea, in his presence,
in the deepest part thereof. None of them sunk to the bottom,
and they all remained on the surface until it pleased the prince
to give orders for their being taken out again."
DOWNS.
This term, as applied to that part of the Channel lying near to
the Sands, off the coast of Kent, derives its name from the cir-
cumstance, that it was at one period a grazing land for sheep,
and which formed a part of the estate of the celebrated Earl
Godwin. The land, however, in consequence of great inroads of
the sea, ultimately disappeared, but the place has ever since
retained the name of " the Downs," famed as a rendezvous for
shipping.
DAVIS STRAITS.
These Straits were discovered by Captain John Davis, in the
year 1585, in consequence of which they were named after him.
ENGLAND.
England, originally spelt Engle-land, means the land of the
Angles. The names of places on the Lower Rhine, and more
especially in Guelderland, point to the origin of the English ; for
instance, Engelanderholt, Engelenburg, and Angerlo. Engdand,
near Beckbergen, is mentioned in Bondam's Charter-Book as
villa Englandi, A.D. 801. It was not till the year 527 that the
first Angles arrived in this country. From that time they made
a succession of descents, under various petty chiefs, upon the
coasts of Suffolk and Norfolk. From the first arrival of the
Saxons into Britain to the time they established a permanent
settlement in it, during a period of a century and a half,
the following kingdoms were founded: 1. Kent, consisting of the
present county of that name, A.D. 457. 2. Sussex, the present
county, A.D. 491. 3. Wessex, including Surrey, Hants, with the
Isle of Wight, Berks, Wilts, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and part
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 335
of Cornwall, A.D. 519. 4. Essex, including the present counties
of Essex and Middlesex, and the southern part of Hertfordshire,
A.D. 527. 5. Northurnbria, consisting of the sometimes separate,
but commonly united states of Bernicia and Deira, the former
including Northumberland, and the south-eastern counties of
Scotland, A.D. 547 ; the latter, Cumberland, Durham, Westmore-
land, York, and Lancaster, A.D. 560. 6. East Anglia, including
Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, and part of Bedfordshire, A.D. 571.
7. Mercia, including Chester, Derby, Nottingham, Lincoln,
Shropshire, Stafford, Leicester, Eutland, Northampton, Hunt-
ingdon, Hereford, Worcester, Warwick, Gloucester, Oxford,
Buckingham, and parts of Hertford and Bedford, A.D. 585. This
assemblage of states has been commonly called the Heptarchy,
for which Mr. Turner has proposed to substitute the Octarchy,
on the ground that Deira and Bernicia ought to be considered as
two distinct kingdoms. It has been asserted that this republic of
states was moderated by the controlling authority of one supreme
king, to whom Bede and the Saxon Chronicle have attributed
the title of Bretwalda, or Emperor of Britain ; but this title, if
ever assumed, was the effect, not of law, but of conquest. Ethel-
bert, who was king of Kent before 568, is supposed to have been
acknowledged as Bretwalda from 589 till his death in 616.
EUROPE.
This part of the globe was formerly called by the Eomans, as
it is at present by the Spaniards and Italians, by the name of
Europa;* but from whence that name originated has not been
determined. By the English and French, it is styled Europe ; by
the Turks, Alfrank, or Rumalia; by the Georgians of Asia,
Frankoba; and by the Asiatics in general, Frankistan. The
earliest notices of Europe are in the writings of the Greeks.
Homer, who probably lived about 1000 years B.C., was acquainted
with the countries round the ^Egean Sea or Archipelago, and on
the South coast of the Black Sea.
EDINBURGH.
Edwin, king of Northumbria, possessed the entire territory
from the banks of the Humber to the shores of the Frith of
Forth ; and it seems highly probable that the appellation of this
city was originally Edwin's-berg, or Edwin's-burgh, now Edin-
burgh.
EDMUND'S BURY.
St. Edmund's Bury, or Bury St. Edmund's, or simply Bury, as
it is termed by some, derives its name from Edmund the Martyr,
* See Heathen Mythology Jupiter and Europa.
336 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
who was buried here. We are told, that " Canute paid great
respect to the memory of St. Edmund, and built a magnificent
church over his grave, since called Edmundsbury, in Suffolk, as
well as a monastery."
ESCURIAL OF SPAIN.
This palace was built by Philip II., son of Charles V., Emperor
of Germany, in the shape of a Gridiron, out of compliment to
St. Lawrence, of Gridiron notoriety. The name of the building
has a very humble origin. Ferruginous ores abound in the
neighbouring mountains. Escoria, from the Latin Scoria, is the
term in the Spanish language for metallic dross, and Escorial is
the topographic derivation, signifying the locality for this dross.
A corruption from the etymology has occasioned the change of
the second vowel, whence the name Escurial. It is the country
palace and mausoleum of Jihe Spanish kings.
FLAMSTEAD HOUSE.
The Observatory in Greenwich Park derives its name of
" Flamstead House," from John Flamstead, the astronomer-royal,
who, on the 10th of August 1675, laid the foundation stone of
the said observatory, for watching tha motions of the celestial
bodies. He died at Greenwich, 31st December 1719.
FRIENDLY ISLANDS.
A group of Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, so named by
Captain Cook in 1 773, on account of the friendship that appeared
to subsist among the inhabitants, and their truly courteous be-
haviour to strangers.
GRAMPIAN HILLS.
A chain of hills in Scotland, which extend in a north-east
direction from the mountain Benlomond, in Dumbartonshire,
through the counties of Perth, Angus, and Kincardine, to Aber-
deen ; and thence in a north-west direction, through the counties
of Aberdeen, Banff, and Murray, and on the borders of Inver-
ness. They take their name from a single hill, the Mons Grarn-
pius of Tacitus, and where the battle was fought so fatal to the
brave Caledonians. Many of the Grampians are evidently vol-
canic, being composed of basalts and lava.
GOODWIN SANDS.
These dangerous shoals derive their name from the famous
Earl Godwin, the father of King Harold, and who was one of
the first who bore the title of Earl. Where the Sands are now,
was formerly a large tract of land, that formed part of his estate,
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 337
which was inundated by the sea in 1100, and which has ever
since been rendered memorable for the loss of life as well as
property.
GERMANY.
Germany was originally called Allemania, from Alleman, i. <?.,
in German, " every man," denoting, that all nations were welcome
there. It derives the title of Germany from the celebrated Ger-
niamcus.
GREENWICH.
We have traces of a royal residence at this place so early as
the year 1300, when Edward I. made an offering of 7s. at each
of the holy crosses in the chapel of the Virgin Mary, Greenwich,
and the prince made an offering of half that sum. Henry IV.
dates his will 1408, from his manor of Greenwich. Henry VII.
resided much at this place, where his second son (afterwards
Henry VIII.), and his third son, Edmund Tudor (created Duke
of Somerset), were born. Henry VIII., from his partiality to it,
bestowed great cost upon Greenwich, till he made it, as Lambarde
says, " a pleasant, perfect, and princely palace." During his
reign, it became one of the principal scenes of that festivity for
which his court was celebrated. King henry's marriage with
his first queen, Katherine of Arragon, was solemnized at Green-
wich, June 5, 1510. In 1512 he kept his Christmas here, "with
great and plentiful cheer;" and again, 1513, "with great solem-
nity, dancing, disguisings, and mummers, in a most princely
manner." At this celebrity was introduced the first masquerade
ever seen in England. Edward VI. kept his Christmas at Green-
wich in 1552-3 ; George Ferrers, Esq., of Lincoln's Inn, being
" lorde of the nierrie disporte." This amiable monarch closed his
short reign at Greenwich palace on the 6th of July following.
Queen Mary was born here, February 8, 1515, and Queen Eliza-
beth, September 7, 1533. The hospital founded by William and
Mary, occupies the site of the old palace.
HIGHBURY-BARN.
Highbury-barn is a place noted for London tea-drinkers. It
was in the olden time a barn belonging to the monks of Clerkeri-
well, now a tavern famed for its good cheer.
HAG-BUSH LANE.
Hag is the old Saxon word haeg, which became corrupted into
haugh, and afterwards into haw, and is the name for the berry
of the hawthorn ; also, the Saxon word haga signified a hedge,
or any enclosure. Hence Hag, or Hawthorn-Bush Lane.
z
338 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
HERNE'S OAK.
Every one who has seen Shakspeare's admirable comedy of the
"Merry Wives of Windsor" represented on the stage, or even
read it, has no doubt pictured to himself " Herne's Oak," where
the fat and licentious knight is cleverly outwitted by the two
dames of Windsor. Sir John Falstaff, whatever may be his
situation, never loses his temper, or even his good-humour ; and
when at midnight he is approaching Herne's Oak, disguised with
a buck's head on, to meet Mrs. Page and Mrs. Ford, he finds room
for self-consolation. " Remember Jove," says he, " thou wast a
bull for thy Europa : love set on thy horns. O powerful love ! that,
in some respects, makes a beast of a man ; in some other, a man
a beast. You were also, Jupiter, a swan, for the love of Leda ;
O, omnipotent love ! how near the god drew to the complexion
of a goose."
Herne's Oak, a tree thus immortalized by Shakspeare, stood on
the south-east side of the little park of Windsor. The reason
why it was selected for the frolic with Sir John Falstaff, is the
tradition attached to it, which Mrs. Page thus relates :
" There is an old tale goes, that Herne the hunter,
Sometime a keeper here in Windsor forest,
Doth all the winter time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak with great ragg'd horns;
And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,
And makes milch kyne yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner:
You have heard of such a spirit ; and well you know,
The superstitious idle-headed eld
Received, and did deliver to our age,
This tale of Herne the hunter for a truth."
Herne is said to have been keeper of the forest in the time of
Queen Elizabeth, and having been guilty of some offence, for
which he expected to be discharged, hung himself upon this oak.
HASTINGS.
This town is on the eastern extremity of the coast of Sussex.
Its Saxon name signified a town or castle, and owes its origin,
according to Camden, to one Hasting, a Danish pirate, who,
where he landed for booty, built sometimes little fortresses. This
town is celebrated in English history for being the place where
William the Conqueror first landed in this country ; and also for
the battle of Hastings, fought shortly after, by which the Norman
duke gained the throne of England.
HOLY ISLAND.
The Isle of Lindisfarne, on the coast of Durham, is thus deno-
minated, because of the number of saints there buried.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 339
HARMONY SETTLEMENT, N. AMERICA.
This extraordinary and flourishing German colony was founded
by a German enthusiast named Rapp, who, in order to promote
harmony among those who settled there, laid certain restrictions
upon marriage ! These restrictions were to prevent more than a
certain quanttim of births within a certain number of years ;
which births (as Mr. Hulme says) generally arrive " in a little
flock, like those of a farmer's lambs, all within the same month
perhaps." These Harmonists (so called from the name of their
settlement) are represented as a remarkably flourishing, pious,
and quiet people. See the various recent writers on America.
HINDOSTAN.
Our empire in the East Indies, under this appellation, or
Indostan more properly, is derived from the river Indus, which
flows throughout the country. Hindostan extends from Cape
Comorin to the Himalaya Mountains.
HOLYROOD HOUSE.
The name of an ancient palace and abbey which stands at the
eastern extremity of the old town of Edinburgh. The Abbey of
Holyrood is contiguous to the Palace of the same name, and
according to tradition was founded by David I., in the year
1128. The traditionary accounts which occasioned its erection
are thus related : King David I., being on a hunting match
in the forest of Drumselch, near Edinburgh, on a rood-day, was
attacked by a large hart, and his life was in the utmost danger.
While he was endeavouring to defend himself with his hands
against the furious assaults of the animal, a miraculous cross
from, heaven slipped into his hand, which so frightened the stag
that he retreated immediately. This wonderful circumstance
having of course put an end to the chase, David repaired to the
castle of Edinburgh, where, in a dream, he was instructed to
erect an abbey, or house, for canons regular, on the place
where the celestial cross was put into his hands. In obedience
to this visionary gommand, the king erected an abbey for the
said purpose, and dedicated it to the Holy-Rood, or Holy-Cross,
and deposited the same therein, where it is said to have remained
till the reign of David II.
HELLESPONT.
These Straits, famed in classic lore, and more especially as the
scene of a feat performed by our immortal bard, Lord Byron,*
derives its original name (now Dardanelles) from Helle, the
* Who himself swam across the widest part.
340 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
daughter of Athamas, king of Thebes, who, with her brother
Phryxus, flying from their steprn other, ventured to pass a
narrow part of this sea, where she was drowned, and left her name
to the straits thereof, which was after called the Hellespont.
ST. HELENA.
This island, which will be particularly noticed in the pages of
future history as the sepulchre of one of the most extraordinary
men the world ever produced, was first discovered by the Portu-
guese in the year 1502, on St. Helen's day, and her name was
given to it, according to the universal practice of early navigators^
of naming their discoveries from the Eoman Calendar. Helena
was daughter of Coilus, wife of Coiistantius, and mother of
Constantine the Great. She first walled the city of London.
ISLE OF MAN.
The name of Man, is supposed to refer to its situation as to the
surrounding kingdoms, from the Saxon word many, signifying
among ; others suppose the word to originate from Maune, the
name of St. Patrick, the apostle of the island, before he assumed
that of Patricius. By Caesar, it is called Mona. All late writers
agree that Mona Caesaris is Man ; but Mona Taciti belongs to
Anglesey. Early writers call it Monada Menavia Secunda (to
distinguish it from Anglesey), Eubonia, &c. The monks derive
it traditionally from "Manna Man Maclea," an early king, who
first conquered the island. By the inhabitants the island is
called Manning, and by the people in general Man.
KINGSTON.
So called, from the Kings of England having their residence
and being anciently crowned there. The rude stone on which
they were anciently crowned formerly stood against the old town-
hall, and on the rebuilding of the town-hall in 1837, it was
removed to the yard of the assize-court ; but a few years ago
it was placed on a septagonal block of stone, standing in the
centre of seven pillars, connected together by an iron railing.
The inauguration of the monument took place on the 19th
September, 1850, in the presence of the mayor and corporation, and
a large number of visitors.
KENT.
The name of Kent is probably Celtic, and is called by the Latins
Cantium. Lambarde derives it from the Welsh Caine, a leaf,
because the country formerly abounded in woods ; but Camden,
from Canton, a corner, " because England in this place stretcheth
THE ETYMOLOaiCAL COMPENDIUM. 341
out itself ill a corner to the north-east." Kent being situate
nearest the Continent of Europe, has often been the theatre of
great actions. It was in this county that Julius Caesar landed,
when he came to invade Britain ; it was the place first seized by
the Saxons after they had defeated the northern barbarians ; an; I
Christianity was first preached at Canterbury by Augustine and
his followers. At the period of the arrival of the Eomans, it was
governed by four British chiefs, and it was the first, although not
the largest, kingdom of the heptarchy.
MONTMARTRE.
A village and height near Paris, By some it is supposed to
derive its name from a temple of Mars, which formerly stood on
its summit; it was afterwards called Mons Mercurii (probably
because the temple was converted to his service), and at a later
period, in consequence of the death of St. Denis and his disciples
here, it acquired its present name.
MAURITIUS.
The Mauritius, or Isle of France, is 400 miles east of Mada-
gascar. Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505 ; but the first who
settled here were the Dutch, in 1640. They called it Mauritius,
in honour of Prince Maurice, their Stadtholder ; but on their
acquisition of the Cape of Good Hope, they deserted it, and it
continued unsettled till the French landed here in 1720. They
remained in the undisturbed possession of it to the year 1810,
when it was taken from them by the British, who since the peace
of 1814 have retained it in their possession.
MASSACHUSETS.
One of the States of North America. It was so named from a
tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited this quarter. It is 150
miles long and 90 broad ; bounded on the north by New Hamp-
shire, and west by New York. The first settlement was formed
in 1620, at Plymouth, by about 120 families of Nonconformists.
The first constitution was formed in 1780, and was revised and
modified in 1820.
MARSEILLES.
The history of Marseilles is full of interest. Its origin borders
on romance. Six hundred years before the Christian era, a band
of piratical adventurers from Ionia, in Asia Minor, by dint of
superior skill in navigation, pushed their discoveries to the mouth
of the Ehine. Charmed with the white cliffs, green vales, blue
waters, and bright skies, which they here found, they returned to
342 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
their native country, and persuaded a colony to follow them to
the barbarous shores of Gaul, bearing with them their religion,
language, manners, and customs. On the very day of their arrival,
so says tradition, the daughter of the native chief was to choose
a husband, and her affections were placed upon one of the leaders
of the polished emigrants. The friendship of the aborigines was
conciliated by marriage, and their rude manners were softened
by the refinement of their new allies in war, their new associates
in peace. In arts and arms the emigrants soon acquired the
ascendency, and the most musical of all the Greek dialects became
the prevailing language of the colony.
MEDITERRANEAN.
The Mediterranean Sea is thus denominated, because it flows
between Europe and Africa, washing the shores of each. Medi,
signifying between, and terra, earth, i. e., between two continents ;
the latter syllables, ne-an being merely added for the sake of
harmony.
MAIDSTONE.
Maidstone was anciently called Medway-town, from its being
seated on the river of that name. Nennius, who wrote about the
ninth century, calls it Caer Megwad, corruptly, as is supposed,
for Medway, or the Medway city, and states, that it was the
third considerable city in Britain before the arrival of the Saxons ;
and it appears from Domesday Book to have been a borough by
prescription, although it did not send representatives to parlia-
ment till the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when it received a charter
of incorporation to be governed by a mayor, assisted by twelve
of the principal inhabitants.
MIDDLESEX.
The Saxons under Ella, on their arrival in this country, had
continual wars with the Britons, the particulars whereof are un-
known, except that they settled on the sea-coast in Sussex, and
were called the South Saxons, from whence Sussex was derived.
Those that were settled on the east coasts were called East
Saxons, from whence came Essex. The country between Essex
and Sussex was hence termed Middlesex. Kent retained its an-
cient name.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
Most of our readers are acquainted with the great divisions
of this kingdom in ancient times, and will recollect those which
were established north and south of the Humber, under which
a large proportion of Yorkshire, and the whole of Cumberland,
Westmoreland, and Northumberland, belonged to Edwin, kiug
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM, 343
of Northumbria. In this country there are several remains of
Roman encampments. The most remarkable monument of the
Roman dominion is, the great line of defence formed and aug-
mented by the successive labours of Agricola, Adrian, and
Severus ; and sometimes called the Picts Wall, sometimes the Ro-
man Wall.
OXFORD.
This famous University town derives its name from its being
anciently a great cattle or oxen ford ; having to pass the river
at this point on the way to the London markets. Henry II., whose
famed amour with " Rosamond of Woodstock" gave a celebrity to
this part of the country, built a bridge over the same ford now
called Oxford.
OTTOMAN EMPIRE.
So called from Othman, the first of the Turkish emperors. The
present Turkish empire began in Bithynia, in 1298.
PERSIA.
By the poets, this country is supposed to have derived its appel-
lation from Perseus, the son of Jupiter and Danae; and by the
graver, but perhaps, on this occasion, equally unsuccessful inqui-
rers, from the word paras, which signifies a horseman, the Persians
or Parthians having been always celebrated for their extraordinary
skill in horsemanship.
PERE LA CHAISE.
This far-famed burial-ground, which is the first in Europe,
from its size, its picturesque situation, and its fine monuments,
derives its name from Father Lachaise, confessor to Louis XIV.,
from its occupying the site on which stood Lachaise's house.
PENNSYLVANIA.
Pennsylvania was originally settled by the Swedes in 1627, was
conquered by the Dutch in 1654, and was ceded to the British in
1664. It was granted to William Penn, a quaker, from whom it
derives its name, and, after his death, was sold by the proprietors
to the United States..
PETERSBURG!!.
This modern capital of Russia derives its name from its royal
founder, Peter the Great. It is built in the Gulf of Cronstadt,
intersected by artificial channels of the Neva, which limit the dis-
tricts of the city. This magnificent capital was in 1702 a putrid
fen.
344 ,THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM".
PRUSSIA.
Prussia was anciently possessed by the Yenedi, whose kings
were anciently descended from Athirius, first king of the Heruli
on the Baltic, 320 B. c. The Venedi were conquered by the
Borussi, who inhabited the Riphcean Mountains. Hence the
country was called Bo-Russia, or Prussia. It consists of two great
divisions: the eastern, or larger portion; and the western, or
smaller portion.
PEERLESS POOL.
Peerless Pool, City Road, was anciently a public conduit, which
supplied the metropolis with water, before the New River was
brought to London by Sir Hugh Myddleton. Stow speaks of it
as " a cleere water, called Perilous Pond, because," says our chro-
nicler, " divers youths, by swimming therein, have been drowned."
Again he says, " Upon Saturday the 19th of January, 1633, sixe
pretty young lads, going to sport themselves upon the frozen
ducking- pond, neere to Clearkenwell, the ice too weake to sup-
port them, fell into the water, concluding their pastime with the
lamentable losse of their lives ; to the great grief e of many that
saw them dying, many more that afterwards saw them dead, with
the inexpressible griefe of tlieir parents." This water was after-
wards filled up, and rendered entirely useless, till one Kemp, an
eminent jeweller of the city of London, who had a high opinion
of this water, having got clear of a violent pain in the head by
bathing in it, to which he had for many years been subject, gene-
rously reopened the same spring for the public benefit in the year
1 743, and formed the completest swimming-bath in the whole work! ;
and in reference to the improvements he had made on the ruins
of that once Perilous Pond, and by a very natural transition, he
changed that disagreeable appellation of perilous, " that is," says
Maitland, " dangerous or hazardous, to the more agreeable name
of Peerless Pool, that is, Matchless Bath, a name which carries
its own reason with it."
PALATINATE OF DURHAM.
Guthred being seated on the throne of Northumberland, under
the auspices of Alfred, the sovereigns, as a joint act, granted,
that wherever St. Cuthbert's remains should rest, there should
be an inviolable sanctuary ; and that the possessions of St. Cuth-
bert and his church, as well such as were at that time, or
theretofore granted, as those which might thereafter be acquired
by purchase or otherwise, should be for ever freed and discharged
from all customs and services, and should be held and enjoyed by
the church, with all such sovereign jurisdiction and power as the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 345
demesne of the crown was held; and this was confirmed by the
acclamations of the assenting people, assembled on this solemn
occasion, and became an ordinance established for ever. This
was the origin of the " Jura regalia," which dignifies the " Palatine
of Durham." Durham is derived from Dun-holm, i. e., a town
in a wood.
PACIFIC OCEAN.
Otherwise called the South Sea, lying between Asia and
America, and upwards of 10,000 miles in breadth. When Ma-
galhaens entered this ocean, through the dangerous strait that
bears his name, he sailed three months and twenty days in a
uniform direction to the N.W. without discovering land, and
enjoyed such uninterrupted fair weather, with fair winds, that
he gave the ocean the name of Pacific.
POLAND.
The name Poland is said to be derived from the Sclavonian
word Pole, which signifies plain and even, as is the face of this
country. Some derive it from Polachi, which signifies the pos-
terity of Lechus, who is held to be the founder of this monarchy.
But it is very doubtful, as the history of Poland previous to
the introduction of Christianity is involved in great obscurity.
PALESTINE.
It was called Palestine from the Philistines, who inhabited
the sea-coasts. It was also called Judea, from Juda ; and the
Holy Land, from our Saviour's residence and sufferings ; and it
is called Canaan and the Promised Land, in the Scriptures. It
is 180 miles in length, and 80 in breadth ; and in the time of
Solomon it seems to have extended from the Mediterranean Sea
to the river Euphrates. As a part of Asiatic Turkey, it is
bounded by Mount Lebanus, which divides it from Syria on the
north; by Mount Herman, which separates it from Arabia de
Serta, on the east ; by the mountains of Seir, and the deserts of
Arabia Petrsea, on the south ; and by the Mediterranean Sea, on
the west.
EECULVERS.
These ruins, viewed with such peculiar interest by those who
visit the isle of Thanet, and which are a well-known water-mark
to mariners, was called by the Romans, Regulbium ; by the
Saxons, first Raculf, afterwards Raculfcester, on account of its
castle, and then Raculfminster, from the monastery afterwards
built there. In the time of the Romans it had a watch-to vver
and fort, said to be built by Severus, anno 205 ; in which, as the
346 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
" Notitia" tells us, " lay in garrison the first cohort of the Veta-
sians." Its two spires, commonly called " the Sisters" (from the
romantic notion of their being built by relatives, who went from
thence on a pilgrimage and returned in safety), are of great utility
as a landmark, and from the pier of Margate and the neigh-
bouring cliffs may be viewed distinctly. For a full and interest-
ing account of Eeculver, see Mr. G. E. Smith's Antiquities of
Richborough, Reculver, and Lymne.
RIEVAULX ABBEY, YORKSHIRE.
Kievaulx Abbey, as it is termed, is the most superb ruin in
England. It is on the estate of Charles Slingsby Buncombe, Esq.,
of Duncombe Park. In the vicinity also, is a Roman Catholic
College. If ever, reader, you sojourn at the ancient city of Y"ork,
forget not to visit Buncombe Park and Eievaulx Abbey. A plea-
sant ride of fifteen miles will bring you to this second Elysium,
where your curiosity will be amply repaid. The following notice
is taken of it, by a spirited little work of the present day. " In
the reign of Henry I. flourished St. Bernard, abbot of Clairval,
a man full of devotion, and chief of many monks, some of whom
he sent to England about A.D. 1128, 28th of Henry I., who were
honourably received by both king and kingdom, and particularly
by Sir Walter L'Espec; who, about A.D. 1131, allotted to some of
them a solitary place in Blackmore, near Hemelac, now Helmsley,*
surrounded by steep hills, and covered with wood and ling, near
the angles of three different vales, with each a rivulet running
through them ; that passing by where the abbey was built being
called Eie, whence this vale took its name, and this religious
house was thence called the abbey of Eie-val or Eie-vale.t The
descent of this valley reaches chiefly from north to south. Here
William, the first abbot (one of these monks sent by Bernard), a
man full of great virtue, and of an excellent memory, began the
building of the monastery, and dedicated it to the Virgin Mary,
which the said Sir Walter L'Espec amply endowed." Again,
" the site was granted, in exchange for other lauds, to Thomas
Earl of Eutland, in 30th of Henry VIII. ; and from him it de-
scended to the dissolute George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham ;
and from him, by purchase, to Sir Charles Duncombe, knight,
from whom it passed to his grand-nephew, Thomas Duncombe,
Esq. M.P., who, in 1758, erected one of the finest terraces in Eng-
land on the brink of the hill that overlooks the ruin, and a
temple at each end of the walk ; one of which is enriched with
mythological paintings by Bernice, an Italian artist. The view
from the woody steep of these Ionic temples surpasses all concep-
tion ; ' suffice it,' to quote the words of a descriptive author on the
* Now vulgarly called " Helmsley Blackamoor."
f Now corrupted to Rieeaulx.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 347
subject, who says, 'to be believed, it must be seen; and, once
seen, can never be forgotten.' "
RED SEA.
So called, not from any redness of either water or weeds, &c.,
but because anciently styled the Sea of Edom (as being partly on
the coast of Edom). The Greeks, knowing that Edom signified
red, by mistake called it the Erythrean, or Eed Sea.
RICHMOND.
The ancient name for Eichmond, or Eich Mound, was Sheen,
which signifies splendour; but when Henry VII. rebuilt the
royal palace, he called it Eichmond, from his having borne the
title of Earl of Eichmond before his accession. The choice of a
walk in a place like Eichmond, where all is beauty, is rather
perplexing, the more so to him who pays his first visit. We are
invariably at a loss to know, out of the vast number of paths,
which to adopt :
-Say, shall we wind
Among the streams? or walk the smiling mead?
Or court the forest glades? or wander wild,
Among the way of harvests? or ascend
Thy hil*, delightful Shene?" *
RAPE OF BRAMBER.
The Saxon division of the county of Sussex into Eapes, which
in the singular number is Saxon for district, or barony, and which
term is peculiar to Sussex, was strictly adhered to at the Con-
quest. To each was annexed a castle, with large demesnes.
There are six Eapes, with their separate baronies, as originally
granted. Chichester and Arundel were held jointly by Mout-
gomerie and De Albine, in succession, till the extinction of the
last-mentioned family, when the barony was held to have ceased
by reason of partition. The Eape of Bramber was given to Wil-
liam de Bariose ; Lewes, to William de Warren ; Hastings, to
Eobert de Owe ; and Pevensey, to the Earl of Mortein.
ROME.
Eomulus commenced the foundations of Eonie, 753 B.C. His
brother Eemus was slain by him, or his workmen, for having
ridiculed the slenderness of the walls. Thus raised in blood, they
became the sanctuary of refugees and criminals, and to increase
the population, neighbouring females (the Sabine women) were
forcibly dragged within its boundaries. Such was the origin of
the once mighty city of Eome, which derives its name from its
348 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
founder, and it was governed by a succession of kings to the year
510 B.C.
OLD SARUM.
Few places have exercised the ingenuity of etymologists more
than this. Old Baxter will have it to be a corruption of the
British Sar-Avon, that is, angry or violent river, which ran at the
base of the hill on which is placed Old Sarum, and flows through
the streets of the new. Johannes Sarisburiensis calls it Severia,
from the emperor Severus ; but the Eoman name of Sorbiodunum
is much nearer the mark, being an almost literal translation of
its original British appellation, Caer Sarflog, the fortified place
abounding with the Service Tree. Now, Sorbus is Service Tree
in Latin, and dunum is a common Latin termination for places
which have the adjunct dun, or caer, in the British ; so that it
was impossible to Latin>ze the word with less violence to the
original.
STONE HENGE.
These venerable and ancient piles have been the subjects of
much unprofitable speculation. A curious old work, entitled
Campion's Historie of Irland, has the following : " In the plain
of Kildare stood that monstrous heap of stones, brought thither
by gyants from Afrique, and removed thence to the plain of
Salisbury, at the instance of Aurelius Ambrose, king of Britain !"
It is, however, the general opinion of antiquaries, that it was an an-
cient temple of the Druids, or at any rate, that it was employed by
them for the celebration of some of their mysteries. In the year
1797, three of the stones which formed part of the oval in the
centre fell to the earth, and this appears to have been the only
instance on record of any alteration having taken place in these
remains of antiquity. Such, indeed, is the general fascination
imposed on all those who view this mysterious monument of
antiquity, that no one can quit its precincts without feeling
strong sensations of surprise and admiration. The rustic, with a
vacant stare, will attribute it to some imaginary race of giants,
and the antiquary, equally uninformed as to its origin, will
regret that its history is veiled in perpetual obscurity ; even the
most indifferent passenger over the plain of Salisbury, must be
attracted by the solitary and magnificent appearance of these
ruins ; and all with one accord will exclaim, " How grand !
how wonderful ! how incomprehensible !" Stukeley, Webb,
and others, state, that the said pile of stones were originally
Druid ical altars, on which the Druids made their periodical
sacrifices to their deities ! Jeffrey of Monmouth ascribes the
erection of it to Merlin, who, as he lived in the time of Aurelius
Ambrosius in Welsh, Emrys is called Merddin Emrys, to com-
memorate the Saxon treachery, in the massacre of the British
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 349
nobles there assembled to meet Hengist (and the true Saxon
iinine is Stonhengist).
ST. CLOUD.
St. Cloud, the country residence of the French monarchs, owes
its foundation to Clodoald, grandson of Clovis, who built a mon-
astery here, A.D. 351. It has been called by the continental
lawyers a ducal peerage, and was attached to the archbishopric
of Paris, the incumbent of which from that application attained
the rank of duke of St. Cloud, and peer of France.
SEVEN OAKS.
Seven Oaks received its name from seven tall oaks which for-
merly grew on the spot where the town is built. In the reign of
Henry V., one Sir John Sevenoak, lord mayor of London, and
once a poor foundling, brought up by the benevolence of the
people, and named of course after the place in which he was found,
a custom generally adopted by the parish officers, built an hospital
here for the support of aged persons, and a free school for the
education of the youth of the town, in gratitude for the charity
he had himself received formerly from the inhabitants. His
school was further endowed by Queen Elizabeth. This town is
also remarkable for the defeat of Jack Cade and his followers, by
Sir Humphry Stafford, whom Henry VI. sent against them.
SOT'S HOLE.
The great Lord Chesterfield formerly resided at the house,
afterwards occupied by the late Princess Sophia of Gloucester, at
Blackheath. His servants were accustomed to use an alehouse
in the vicinity too frequently. On one occasion he said to his
butler, " Fetch the fellows from that Sot's hole ! " which circum-
stance gave a name to the house known by that sign.
SEVERNDROOG CASTLE.
This building, on the right of Shooter's Hill, and which .is so
prominent an object, was built by Lady James, in commemora-
tion of the storming and capture of Severndroog, in the East
Indies, by Commodore James, her husband, on the 2nd of April,
1755. This place is well known to cockneys, as " Lady James's
Folly."
SHOOTER'S HILL.
This spot, so well known to Londoners, is so denominated from
the London archers, who shot here, and particularly on May Day.
An old chronicler relates, that " Henry the Eighth, in the third
350 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
of his reigne, and divers other yeeres, so namely in the seventh
of his reigne, on May Day in the morning, with queen Katherine,
his wife, accompanied with many lords and ladies, rode a Maying
from Greenwich to the high ground of Shooter's Hill : where, as
they passed by the way, they espyed a company of tall yeomen,
clothed all in greene, with greene hoods, and with bowes and
arrowes, to the number of 200. One, being their chieftaine, was
called Eobin Hood, who required the king and all his company
to stay and see his men shoot : whereunto, the king granting,
Robin Hood whistled, and all the 200 archers shot off, loosing all
at once ; and when he whistled againe, they likewise shot againe :
their arrowes whistled by craft of the head, so that the noise was
strange and loud, which greatly delighted the king, queene, and
their company."
SADLER'S WELLS.
Sadler's Wells, so called from there being within the premises
two wells of a chalybeate water, and from having been discovered
by a man named Sadler, in 1683 ; originally (i. e., the ground on
which it stands) belonged to the monastery of St. John's, Clerk en-
well, but to what purpose it was then appropriated we do not
know. In process of time the wells were opened to the public,
as the Tunbridge Spa, Islington, St. Chad's Well, Gray's Inn
Lane, &c., are now, and numbers resorted there to drink the
waters. In the time of Oliver Cromwell, they continued to be
visited by invalids, but were prohibited, among others, by the
then hypocritical rulers of the land as objects of superstitious
notice. During the reign of Charles II., Sadler took the ground,
and whatever buildings might be upon it, and opened a place of
public recreation and entertainment, called " Sadler's Wells'
Music-House," and he reopened the two wells. The latter are
still on the premises ; one in the yard, arched over ; the other in
the cellar of the theatre. The water is now done away with,
and the theatre has for many years maintained a well- deserved
celebrity for the performance of the plays of Shakspeare, Beau-
mont and Fletcher, &c.
SOUTHWARK.
So denominated, from a fortification, or work, which anciently
stood here, and from its situation being southerly, was called
Suthwark, or South-work.
SCLAVONIA.
A province, subject to the House of Austria, and bounded on
the north-east by the rivers Drave and Danube, which separate
it from Hungary, being about two hundred miles long, and sixty
broad. It takes its name from the Sclavi, an ancient people of
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 351
European Scythia ; from whom is likewise derived the Sclavonic
language, which is said to be the most extensive language in the
world except the Arabic, as being the common mother of the
Russian, Hungarian, Polish, Bulgarian, Corinthian, Bohemian,
&c., languages.
STRAITS OF MAGELLAN.
The Straits of Magellan derive their title from one Magalhaens,
who was in the service of Spain, and who discovered them in
the first voyage round the world ; he was killed by the savages
in the Marianne Islands. These straits were discovered in 1520,
and are the most extensive known on the surface of the globe.
STEYNE AT BRIGHTON.
It has been stated that this celebrated promenade derives its
name from the Roman way, called Stane Street ; but this sup-
position is the conjecture of fancy, for we find in the ad decimun
of Richard of Cirencester, in his 15th Iter, that the Roman west-
ern road, called Stane Street, commenced at the east gate of
Chichester, and taking a northern direction, pursued its course
to Bignor Hill, within a few furlongs of the Roman pavements of
a villa discovered in 1811. After passing Bignor, the direction
it took was through Hardham to Pulborough. It has been fur-
ther traced to Woodcote, to Dorking churchyard, and to London,
where it is now distinguished by the name of West Ermine Street ;
it is therefore impossible to attribute its name to this Roman
road. The fact is, before the late inroads of the sea, the Steyne
was skirted or edged on that side by chalk rocks, and from that
circumstance received its name. Stein, or Steen, a rock, in the
imported language of the Flemish emigrants, was then a proper
denomination for this verdant margin of a chalky cliff. How it
came to be called Steyne must be attributed to fashion.
TUNBRIDGE.
Tunbridge, or, as it is frequently called, Tunbridge Town, to
distinguish it from the well-known watering-place in the same
county, is situated in the south-western part of Kent, on the
banks of the Medway, and derives its name from the number of
bridges over the river, which here separates itself into five streams.
The district round this town is called the " Lowy of Tunbridge,"
which, in Domesday Book, is mentioned as Lenna Ricardi de
Tonbriga ; and in old Latin deeds is called Districtus JLeucce de
Tonbridge. The reason why it is so named is this: Richard
Clare, a descendant of the natural son of Richard, the first Duke
of Normandy, who came over to England with William the Con-
queror, and distinguished himself at the battle of Hastings,
352 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
obtained the manor of Tunbridge from Lanfrauc, Archbishop of
Canterbury, in exchange for the castle of Brion in Normandy,
each estate being measured with the same line. At that time, it
was the custom in Normandy to term the district round an
abbey, castle, or chief mansion, Leuca, or Leucata, in English,
the Lowy, in which the possessor had generally a grant of several
peculiar liberties, privileges, and exemptions ; and Gilbert pro-
cured from the king similar grants to those he enjoyed in Nor-
mandy, to this, as well as to his adjoining manor of Hadlow,
whence he called it the "Lowy of Tunbridge," by which name it
has gone ever since. Tunbridge Castle was built by this Eichard
de Clare in the reign of William Eufus.
. TUNBRIDGE WELLS.
Tunbridge "Wells is sa.id to be the oldest watering-place in
England, Bath excepted. The wells are about five miles south
of the town, and are situated in a sandy bottom, at the foot of
three hills, called Mount Ephraim, Mount Sion, and Mount
Pleasant. The air is particularly salubrious, which, with the well-
known virtues of the wells, and their vicinity to town, being only
thirty-six miles distant, makes them much frequented. The dis-
covery of the medicinal waters at Tunbridge Wells, in the year
1606, is generally attributed to young Dudley, Lord North, who,
having injured his health by his dissipations at the court of Henry,
Prince of Wales, son of James I., by the advice of his physicians
took up his abode within two miles of the wells, at a place called
Eridge House. After a residence of several weeks, finding his
disorder rather increased than diminished, and his spirits greatly
lowered, he abruptly quitted this retired mansion, and began his
journey to London. Fortunately, adds the narrator, his road lay
directly through the woad in which these useful springs were
concealed from the knowledge of mankind; so that, when his
lordship came upon the spot, he could not pass by without taking
notice of a water which seemed to claim his attention, on account
of the shining mineral scum that swam on its surface, as well as
the ochrous substance which subsided at the bottom. These
uncommon appearances induced him to alight from his carriage,
and to order one of his servants to borrow a little vessel from a
neighbouring hovel, that he might taste it. The ferruginous
flavour induced his lordship to think it was embued with some
medicinal properties, which might be beneficial to mankind.
Having submitted it therefore to chemical analysis, he determined
to try its restorative powers upon himself; and after about two
months' continuance at Eridge, returned to town so perfectly free
from all complaints, that he lived in the indulgence of every courtly
enjoyment till he attained the age of eighty-five. Henrietta
Maria, queen of Charles I., was sent here after the birth of her
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 353
first child, and, on account of the then uninhabited state of that
part of the country, lived for six weeks in tents on Bishops-down
Common.
TARPEIAN ROCK.
The Tarpeian Kock, off the coast of Sicily, derives its name
from the following : Tarpeia, according to Heathen Mythology,
was a vestal virgin, who agreed with the Albans to deliver up
the capitol for their bracelets ; but they being entered, threw
their shields upon her, and buried her under them. Hence is
derived the name Tarpeian Kock. * $JH KAXJWJ-^V^ ^^AJU^aux^
fttfVWJL, ^ OXl^AA^ -vJLB^IL PoJK*A4jt , V^JU Uvuu^vAjMju 'M^fi^, >. *<*--
VIRGINIA.
On the discovery of this portion of North America by Sir
Walter Ealeigh, in 1584, he called it Virginia, in compliment to
his virgin mistress, queen Elizabeth.
VENICE.
The first inhabitants of this country were the Veneti ; from
whence the term Venice is derived. They were conquered by
the Gauls, and made a kingdom about 356. The islands on which
the city stands began to be inhabited by Italians about 421 ; the
first house erected on the morass was by Entinopus, who fled
from the Goths ; the people of Padua took refuge there also, and
were assisted by Entinopus in building the eighty houses which
formed the first city, in 413. They were first governed by a doge
in 697, but its republic was not independent till 803. The con-
spiracy on which Otway's play is founded, was in 1618. The
doge omitted the ceremony of wedding the Adriatic Sea from
1173.
WEALD OF KENT.
The Weald of Kent comprises a large district, containing
several market towns, viz., Cranbrook, Smarden, Tenterden,
Biddenden, &c. It is so called from the growth of large timber,
oak particularly ; weald being a Saxon term, signifying a woody
district.
WOODSTOCK.
The ancient manor-house, or royal palace of Woodstock, was
situate near the old town of that name, about eight miles from
the city of Oxford, on the north bank of the valley, through which
the little river Glyme has its course. It was erected (according
to Camden) by Henry I., who joined to it a large park, enclosed
with a stone wall, which Ecus affirms to have been the first park
in England, and which, says Dr. Plott, was not only stocked with
_
L?A> f 0Js^(+<H -v^v^U, \^t^ ^^. .^AAVXA^JM lO f HC.tvOc&( it t
'
354 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
deer, but with all kinds of foreign wild beasts, which he procured
abroad of other princes. Woodstock, however, seems to have
been a royal seat in the time of the Saxons, and was formerly
called, Locus Sylvestris; it also appears, from a MS. in the Cotto-
nian library, that King Alfred translated Boetius there. In the
reign of Etheldred an assembly of the states was held at Wood-
stock, and several laws enacted.
The most remarkable event connected with the mansion itself,
and from which it received its principal interest, was, its being
the residence of the celebrated Rosamond Clifford, the favourite
mistress of Henry II. She was buried in the chapel of the
nunnery, at Godstow, with this curious inscription on her tomb :
"Hie jacet in tumba, Rosamundi, non Rosa munda:
Non redolet sed olet, quae redolere solet."
Of which various translations have been made by different
authors ; we shall, however, select that given by Stow :
" The rose of the worlde, but not the cleane flowre,
Is now here graven; to whom beauty was lent:
In this grave full darke now is her boure,
That by her life was sweet and redolent.
But now that she is from this life blent,
Though she were sweete, now foully doth she stinke.
A mirrour good for all men, that on her thinke."
In the fourth year of the reign of Queen Anne, the honour and
estates of Woodstock were bestowed by the queen on John Duke
of Marlborough, for the signal victory obtained by him at
Blenheim, in Germany ; at which time the old palace of Wood-
stock was razed to the ground, and the magnificent mansion of
Blenheim erected in its stead.
WESTMINSTER.
So denominated to distinguish it from East Minster, which
formerly stood on Tower Hill. When Henry VIII. took posses-
sion of York Palace, he left the new palace of Westminster ; the
former had been finished and fitted up in great magnificence by
Cardinal Wolsey, on whose death Henry made it his residence. To
reconcile, however, the good people of Westminster to his leaving
them, he made it a city by act of parliament : he also built the cock-
pit and the tennis-court ; cock-fighting only being used in England
at that period, but tennis was a diversion introduced from France
about the time of Henry V. To beautify this palace of Whitehall
(to which he now changed its name) still more, he built the gate-
way next the Banqueting House, to have the convenience of a
gallery into the park, to see the sports of tilts and tournaments,
which were performed on solemn days, for the accommodation of
the ladies. The only remaining portions of the old palace are
Westminster Hall and St. Stephen's crypt. In the early part of
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 355
the tost century the hall was a grand promenade, consisting of
booksellers' shops, &c. Hence Pepys, in his Diary, 20th January
1659-60, says, " at Westminster Hall, where Mrs. Lane and the
rest of the maids had their white scarfs, all having been at the
burial of a young bookseller in the Hall."
YORK.
Next to the city of London, in antiquity (and at one period
in importance), stands the city of York. It was founded by the
Romans, as a barrier against the incursions of the northern
hordes. The emperor Septimus Severus made it his place of
residence while in England, and both he and Constantius Chlorus
died there. It was originally called Eboracum ; afterwards ab-
breviated to Ebor, which signifies a fortified town, station, or city.
The archbishop, who is almoner to the king, signs "Edward
Ebor." York, as it is now called, is famed as the birthplace of
Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, and the
founder of the eastern empire. Many important battles have
been fought in its vicinity, and the Romans have left lasting
mementoes of one, called Severus's wall. The battle of Towton,
during the wars of York and Lancaster, was fought within a
few miles of it, as well as that of Marston Moor, where the par-
liamentary forces under Fairfax, beat the royalists under
Charles the First. York was the rallying post of the royalists
during the troubles of that period, and the unhappy monarch
and his family resided here for some time. In the reigns of
Henry II., Richard I., and John, several bloody massacres of the
Jews took place within its walls, one of which was marked by a
peculiar circumstance. Those that escaped the immediate rage
of the citizens fled to the castle, and sooner than surrender,
when called upon so to do, destroyed one another. How reversed
is the situation and treatment of the Jews of the present day !
The castle is now a modern building (with the exception of a
tower called Clifford's Tower), and is the county prison. 'The
cathedra], or minster, is the largest and most magnificent in
Europe, and comprises the five orders of architecture. At some
little distance from it stands the ruins of a monastery, called
St. Mary's, and which formerly had a communication under-
ground with the cathedral.
There are four principal gates, or bars, to this ancient town ;
the ancient walls of the city are still nearly entire, and there is a
public walk on the top of them. It is governed by a corporation,
comprising a lord mayor, twelve aldermen, and common council;
each ward (four) returning twenty-four. Although precluded
by its corporate rights from being a commercial town, it never-
theless possesses many requisites for constituting it such ; among
others, its two rivers, the Ouse and the Foss, which flow through
356 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
the city. The immortal General "Wolfe was also born in
Tanner Row, in this ancient city.
THE ZUIDER SEA.
The Zuider Sea, or, as the Dutch have it, the Zuider Zee, was
at one period a large tract of grazing land, belonging to an eminent
grazier of the name of Zuider, who on one occasion, when
walking over his pastures, discovered in a ditch a herring ! This
omen made such an impression on his mind, that he hastened
home, and disposed of the whole of his landed property in that
district. His judgment was correct, as the result proved; for,
within six months, the whole of the land, with a large tract
adjacent to it, became an immense sheet of water, and has re-
mained so to this day, well known under the appellation of the
Zuider Sea, or Zuider Zee.
BARROWS, OR CAIRXS.
Dr. Armstrong's Gaelic Dictionary states, that Barrows, or
Cairns, are very numerous in the Highlands of Scotland, in Ire-
land, and in Wales; they are likewise to be seen in Sweden. in
Norway, and in other parts of the continent, as also in America.
They were intended for monuments ; and the probability is, that
they were used as such from the earliest ages, by every people
who could associate their ideas of duration with the properties of
stone and rock. Cairns often measure 300 feet in circumference
at the base, and twenty feet in height ; they consist of stone, and
the whole pile is shaped like a cone. Several opinions have been
formed concerning the intention of them. In many instances
they have been explored, and found to contain sepulchral urns ; a
circumstance which seems to be decisive in favour of the opinion,
that they are monuments of the dead. Many of these piles
consist wholly of earth ; and this gave rise to an opinion, that the
coped heaps of stone were intended for malefactors, and those of
earth for the virtuous and the brave. The doctor continues, T
never could ascertain to what extent this distinction was
observed. From ancient authors we learn that malefactors were
buried under heaps of stone ; and we know that it was a common
practice among the Druids to erect Cairns on the spot where a
criminal had been burnt. Hence, a "man beneath a Cairn,"
means in Gaelic an " outlaw." "I'd rather be under a Cairn,"
means, " I'd rather be punished as an outlaw." Though the
ceremony of Cairn-raising is still prevalent in the Highlands, the
meaning of it is changed ; for, on whatever spot a person is found
dead, a few stones are immediately huddled together, and every
passenger pays his tribute of a stone; the larger it is, the
greater the respect shown to the deceased. Hence a saying
among the Gael, which, translated, is, "I will add to thy Cairn,"
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 357
betokens a friendly intention, and means, " I will keep the re-
membrance of thee alive." The ghost of the departed was
supposed to haunt his Cairn; and few Highlanders would choose
to pass it for the first time without adding to the heap, and thus
keep on good terms with the spectre. This subject, which has of
late received great attention, is admirably treated of in The
Primaeval Antiquities of Denmark, by J. J. A. Worsae ; trans-
lated and applied to the illustration of similar remains iu
England, by William J. Thorns.
NAMES OF A FEW PLACES AND PERSONS.
Ab, in the beginning of the names of places, is generally a con-
traction of abbot, and denotes a monastery to have been formerly
there, or else that it belonged to some abbey ; as Abington, q. d.,
Abbey Town.
Aber, in Cornish, means a confluence of rivers; also a gulf, a
whirlpool. Abet', in a deflected sense, has been applied to a har-
bour ; hence, Havre de Grace.
Ac, Ak. These initial syllables take their origin from the
Saxon word ac, which signifies an oak; thus Acton is Oak-town,
or a town environed with oaks.
Ad, A del, signifies noble, famous, as Adelstan for ^Ethelstan,
the termination stan being anciently a mark of the superlative
degree; and it is worthy of remark here, that instead of our
modern word gentleman, nobleman, &c., our ancestors used the
word Aedleman.
Al, Aid, signifies old or ancient, as Aldborough, i. e., Old Borough ;
Aldgate, Old Gate, &c. Though many names have the initial at,
from the Saxon eel, as Albert, Allbright; Alfred, All-peace, &c.
All or hal comes from the Saxon hall or palace, and hence it
became a common termination, as White-hall, Moor-hall, &c.
Bcdd signifies Bold, as Baldred, Baldwin, &c. Berth, brave, as
Bertha. Brad comes from the Saxon broad; thus, Bradford is
Broadford originally.
Bourn or Burn, is from the Saxon, signifying a river, hence
several towns are simply called Bourne, which stand near a
rivulet or stream. Others have it in their composition, as Wim-
bourne, &c.
Brig, Brix, from the Saxon, a bridge, as Stockbridge, Brixton,
&c.
Burgh comes from the Saxon, a city, town, or castle; originally
from the Gothic bairg, a rock, or mountain; for anciently most
cities were built on rocky hills, and afterwards in vales, for the
conveniency of water. Petersburgh, a town dedicated to St.
Peter, is frequently written borough, and oftentimes bury, as Salis-
bury, Edmondsbury, &c.
358 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
Bye, Bee, are terminations from the Saxon, an habitation;
thus Kettleby, i. e., a town where kettle-makers lived. So Derby,
Appleby, &c.
Car, is derived from caer, a city, as Carlisle, Cardiff, &c.
Chester and Caster, signify a city or camp ; hence Chichester
was the town or city of Sissa, who built it.
Cheap, Chip, Chipping, all come from the Saxon to buy, and
they denote market-towns ; as Chippenham, Chipping Nor-
ton, &c.
Cliff, Clive, come from the Saxon, a rock, or steep place; hence
Eadcliffe, Eedcliff, or Bed Eock ; so Whitecliff, for White Rock ;
Cleveland, for Eocky Land, &c. Still cliffs and rocks with us
are synonymous terms. Comb at the end, and comp in the be-
ginning of words, indicate the low situation of the place, from the
Saxon comb, which signifies a valley. Hence those places called
Compton, i. e., Valetown, and those which end in comb, as Wy-
comb, Winchcomb, &c.
Cot, Cot ,, a house, denotes a hut or cottage, or a village of such
little houses to have been in the places bearing this syllable, as
Coteswold, &c.
Croft, signifies a little plot of ground, which we call a close;
hence sundry names, as Bancroft, Bearcrofb, &c.
Cuth, known or famed, is found in several Saxon names, as
Cuthbert, &c.
Dale, a little valley, is used in several names, as Greendale,
Golborne-dale, Dibdale, for Deepdale.
Den, Dean, are from the Saxon, signifying both a vale and any
woody place ; hence Tenterden, Morden, &c.
Dun, Don, a mountain or ridge of hills, from whence our name
for them, Downs ; hence Heydon, Swindou, Dunstable, &c.
Ea, ee, ey, from the Saxon Ea, water; as Eaton, Water-town,
Anglesey, Jersey, &c.
Ed, is from the Saxon, blessed, happy, as Ed-mund, &c.
Ethel, noble, as in Ethelbert, &c.
Ford, a shallow stream or rivulet, as Bradford, Guilford, Ox-
ford, &c.
Fred, peace, hence Frederic is literally rich in peace.
Gate, a way or passage, as Highgate, a highway or road ; and
grave in Saxon, implies a grove, and sometimes a cave, as Nor-
grave, "VValdgrave, &c.
Ham, a house, farm, or village, as Hamton, Wareham, &c. From
this word conies our English word home, also Hamlet.
Holm comes from the Saxon Holm, a place surrounded by
water, or a little island ; hence we find several such places called
the Holmes.
Hurst, from the Saxon, a wood or forest, as Midhurst, Sand-
hurst, &c.
Lade, in Saxon, signifies to unload or purge. It generally sig-
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 359
nifies the mouth of a river, either where it empties itself into the
sea, or some greater river, as at Cricklade, Leechlade, &c.
Marsh, from the Saxon, signify ing fenny, watery, hence Marsh-
field, Saltmarsh, &c. ; also Mere, a lake or pond, is found in many
names of places, as Haslemere.
Rig, Ridge, seem to be derived from the Saxon, signifying the
back; hence our phrase, a ridge of hills, and this is denoted in
the names where it is found, as Lindridge, Eldridge, &c.
Sel, signifies good, large, or spacious, which it denotes in various
names, as Selby, Sel wood, i.e., a great wood.
Stead or Sled, signifies & place, and is in many names, Grimstead,
Hampstead, &c.
Stan, a stone, and hence the names of many places and persons,
Stanton, i. e., Stony-town, Stanley, Stony-field, Stanstead, Stony-
place, &c.
South, Sut, and Suth, are all from the Saxon South, as Sutton,
South-town, Suthwell, South-well, &c. So also Sus in Sussex, i. e.,
South Saxony; hence also Suffolk, or the South Folk, in opposi-
tion to Norfolk, or the North Folk.
Thorp, a village, some villages and small towns are called so
yet, as Thorp, near Chertsey, in Surrey. Adlestrop seems to be
contracted from Adelsthorp ; also the surname Longthorp, Col-
thorpe, &c., denotes such families as had originally the lordship
of some one or more of those thorps.
Ton, signifies a town. This is one of the most common termi-
nations of the names of places, as Hampton, Boston, Taunton, &c.
Weald, Wold, Walt, are all derived from a forest or wood, and
imply the same thing in places which have these words in their
names, as Walton, Waltham, Walden, &c.
Wie, Wich, signify sometimes a village, sometimes a port or
harbour, and often a castle ; hence Harwich, Norwich, Warwick,
Wycomb, &c.
Win, a battle; hence this syllable in the names of places im-
ports some battle to have been fought there, or victory obtained,
as Winborn, Winchester, &c., and in the names of persons it im-
plies that some of the ancestors of the family had been great
warriors and victorious, as Edwin, Baldwin, Godwin.
Worth, signifies a court or forum, which is implied to have been
in those places, the names of which are terminated herewith, as
Wandsworth, Petworth, &c.
The reader who would wish to investigate more fully the
various parts which serve to form our local names, is referred to
a very learned little book upon the subject, which has recently
been translated from the German. It is entitled, A Treatise on
the Local Nomenclature of the Anglo-Saxons, as exhibited in the
" Codes Diplomaticus ^Evo Saxonici" and will be found full of
interesting information.
360 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
ADDITIONAL.
Such towns, cities, or villages, whose terminations are Chester,
caster, or cester, show that the Romans, in their stay among us,
made fortifications about the places where they are now situated.
In the Latin tongue, castra is the name of these fortifications.
Such are Castor, Tadcaster, Chester, Doncaster, Leicester. Don*
signifies a mountain, and ley, or lei, ground widely overgrown, in
our ancient tongue. Wye, wick, or wich, means a place of refuge,
as in the termination of Warwick, Sandwich, Greenwich, Wool-
wich. Thorp, before the word village was borrowed from the
French, was used in its stead, and is found at the end of many
towns' names ; for instance, IBishopthorpe, Middle^orpe, Sadclle-
thorpe, Thorpe-arch. Bury, burgh, bery, signifies metaphorically
a town, having a wall about it ; sometimes a high or chief place,
likewise a place of burial : see Bury St. Edmunds. Wold means
a plain open country, but is in many instances applied to hills ; take
for instance, the Yorkshire Violets. Combe, a valley between two
hills; knock, a hill, for instance, Knock lofty; hurst signifies a
woody place, such as Mid-hurst, Chisel-hurst. Magh, a field, innes,
an island ; worth, a place situated between two rivers ; and ing or
ings, a track of meadows. The l word win, at the beginning or
ending of the names of places, implies, that some great battle was
fought, or a victory gained there. The word is from the Saxon
winnan, to win, or overcome. Bourn, or bourne, signifies a brook,
stream, or rivulet, and terminates the names of many towns and
places, such as Mary-le-6owr?ie,t Hoi-bourn, or Old-bourne, East-
bourne, Sitting-bourne, &c.
ADDITIONAL.
Waltham, from Wealdnam.
Worcester, from Wireceaster.
Wolverhampton, from Fw/reweVhampton.
Farnham, from Fernham, a bed of Ferns.
Surrey, from Suthrey, the south side the river.
Seymour, from Saint Maur.
Selvedge, Salvedge, or safe edge.
Eosemary, from Ros-mare.
Rosamond, from Rosa Mundi.
Gibraltar, from Ghibal Tariff.
To cabbage, should be kabage, a northern word for steal.
* It must here be observed, that Doncaster derives its name from the
river Don, therefore the above is not an invariable rule,
f See Mary-le-bone.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 361
EPITHETS AND PHRASES.
EPITHETS.
The meaning of the word Wretch is one not generally under-
stood. It was originally, and is now, in some parts of England,
used as a term of the softest and fondest tenderness. This is not
the only instance in which words in their present general accepta-
tion bear a very opposite meaning to what they did in Shak-
speare's time. The word Wench, formerly, was not used in that
low and vulgar acceptation it is at present. Damsel was the
appellation of young ladies of quality, and Dame a title of dis-
tinction. Knave once signified a servant ; and in an early
translation of the New Testament, instead of " Paul the Servant,"
we read " Paul the Knave of Jesus Christ." On the other hand,
the word Companion^ instead of being the honourable synonyme
of Associate, occurs in the play of Othello, with the same con-
temptuous meaning which we now affix, in its abusive sense, to
the word "Fellow" for Emilia, perceiving that some secret
villain had aspersed the character of the virtuous Desdemona,
thus indignantly exclaims :
" O, Heaven ! that such Companions thou'dst unfold,
And put in every honest hand a whip,
SPINSTER.
Formerly it was a maxim, that a young woman should never
be married till she had spun herself a set of body, table, and bed
linen. From this custom all unmarried women were termed
spinsters, an appellation they still retain in all deeds and law
proceedings.
ROUNDHEAD.
The first origin of this party epithet, well known as being used
during the troubles in the reign of Charles I., was introduced by
Captain Hyde, drawing his sword amidst the mob at Westminster,
on 28th December, 1641, and saying, he would crop the ears of
those round-headed dogs that bawled against the bishops. The
apprentices wore their hair cut round. From this trifling cir-
cumstance originated the distinction of" Eoundheads" and " Cava-
liers." Others, however, state, that it originated with the fanatics
in the time of Charles I. ignorantly applying the text, " Ye know
that it is a shame for men to have long hair," cut theirs very
short. It is said, the queen once seeing Pym, a celebrated patriot
thus cropped, inquired who that round-headed man was ; from
362 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
this incident the distinction became general, and the party were
called roundheads.
CUTPURSE.
This term, which we meet with so often in Shakspeare's plays,
and indeed in many works of more modern authors, is derived
from the circumstance of persons in former days having their
purses hanging in front, from their girdles, from whence they
were cut by the Pickpurse, or Cutpurse, of former times.
MISER.
The term Miser, which we well know, signifies a man who
makes his money his god ; is derived from Miserii, i. e., Misery,
or Miserable.
MYRMIDON.
Myrmidon is derived from Myrmidons, a people of Thessaly,
who by miracle, being ants (states the Heathen Mythology), were
turned into men at the request of ^Eacus, when the most destruc-
tive plague had destroyed the old inhabitants. They followed
Achilles to the siege of Troy. Hence the term Myrmidon has
been applied to followers, or hangers-on.
ASS.
The Ass is of Assyrian origin, and from the former syllable
also derives its name. Nature, foreseeing the cruel usage which
this useful servant to man should receive at man's hands, did pru-
dently in furnishing him with a tegument impervious to ordinary
stripes. The malice of a child, or a weak hand, can make but
feeble impression on him. To a common whip or switch, his hide
presents an absolute insensibility. His back offers no mark to a
puny foeman. You might as well pretend to scourge a school-
boy with a, tough pair of leather breeches on. His jerkin is well
fortified.
" on him is ne'er engender'd
The hatefull vermine that doth'teare the skin."
And truly, when one thinks on the suit of impenetrable armour
with which Nature (like Vulcan to Achilles) has provided him,
these subtle enemies to our repose would have shown some dex-
terity in getting into his quarters. The term Ass, as applied to
the disciples of folly, has been of very long standing, having its
origin, no doubt, in their proverbial stupidity. So, to conclude
with a pun, " Ass in prcesenti seldom makes a WISE MAN in
future*
ASSASSIX.
There was, says Hume, a petty prince in Asia, commonly called
" The Old Man of the Mountain," who had acquired such an
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 363
ascendency over his fanatical subjects, that they paid the most
implicit deference to his commands; esteemed assassination
meritorious, when sanctioned by his mandate ; courted danger,
and even certain death, in the execution of his orders ; and fan-
cied that, when they sacrificed their lives for his sake, the highest
joys of paradise were the infallible reward of their devoted obe-
dience. It was the custom of this prince, when he imagined
himself injured, to despatch secretly some of his subjects against
the aggressor, to charge them with the execution of his revenge,
to instruct them in every art of disguising their purpose ; and no
precaution was sufficient to guard any man, however powerful,
against the attempts of those subtle and determined ruffians.
The greatest monarchs stood in awe of this Prince of the As-
sassins or Hassassinah (for this was the name of his people ;
whence the word has passed into most European languages), and
it was the highest indiscretion in Conrade, Marquis of Montserrat,
to offend and affront him. The inhabitants of Tyre, who were
governed by that nobleman, had put to death some of this dan-
gerous people. The prince demanded satisfaction ; for, as he
piqued himself on never beginning any offence, he had his regular
and established formalities in requiring atonement. Conrade
treated his messengers with disdain. The prince issued his fatal
orders. Two of his subjects who had insinuated themselves in
disguise among Conrade's guards, openly, in the streets of Sidon,
wounded him mortally ; and when they were seized and put to
the most cruel tortures, they triumphed amidst their agonies, and
rejoiced that they had been destined by heaven to suffer in so
just and meritorious a cause.
A DUN!
Some erroneously suppose, that the word dun comes from the
French donner, to give, implying a demand ; but the true origin
of this word, or epithet, so frequently used, is from one John
Dunn, a famous bailiff, or sheriff's officer, of the town of Lincoln;
so extremely active and dexterous at the management of his
rough business, that it became a proverb, when a man refused,
or perhaps could not pay his debts, " Why don't you dunn him ? "
that is, " Why don't you send Dunn to arrest him ?" Hence it
became a custom, and a proverb, and is as old as the days of
Henry VIII. But the word dun is not merely confined to
demanding payment with importunity, but to any other thing
demanded in a similar manner.
BAILIFF.
Bailiff (states the Cabinet Lawyer) is of doubtful etymology,
and applies to offices very different in rank and jurisdiction.
Thus, the sheriff is Bailiff to the Crown, in the county of which
364 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
lie has the care, and in which he executes the King's writs. There
are likewise Bailiffs to whom the king's castles are committed,
as the Bailiff of Dover Castle. Lastly, the chief magistrates
in divers ancient corporations, as Ipswich, Yarmouth, Colchester,
Scarborough, and other places, are termed Bailiffs.
The term Bailiff is no doubt derived from the word bail,
implying responsibility, or a responsible person, as a Bailiff most
assuredly is.
ANTHONY PIG!
The officers who had the inspection of the city markets in
former times, were very diligent in detecting persons that
brought bad provisions to sell; and pigs being then sold alive,
they seized all that were found unmarketable, and bestowed the
same upon St. Anthony's hospital, which the proctors or over-
seers thereof no sooner received, than they hung a bell round
each of their necks, as so many testimonials of their belonging
to them, and sent them abroad into the world to shift for
themselves. These pigs, by frequenting the several parts of the
city, soon became acquainted with their benefactors, whom they
followed with a continual whining (which gave birth to a proverb,
that " you follow and whine like a St. Anthony's pig"), till they
received a benevolence ; whereby in a short time they became so
fat, that they were taken up for the use of the fraternity.
Another pleasant observer says, " This was a common nickname
for a dangler, among our old writers."
Tanthony, is a corruption of St. Anthony. In Hampshire the
small pig of the litter (in Essex called ' the cad') is, or once was,
called ' the Tanthony pig.' Pigs were especially under this saint's
care. The ensign of the order of St. Anthony of Hainroilt was a
collar of gold made like a hermit's girdle ; at the centre thereof
hung a crutch and a small bell of gold. St. Anthony is styled,
among his numerous titles, ' membrorum restitutor,' and
* Dsemonis fugator :' hence the bell. The Egyptians have none but
wooden bells, except one brought by the Franks into the monas-
tery of St. Anthony. Bees' Cyclopaedia, art. Bell. ' The custom
of making particular Saints tutelars and protectors of one or an-
other species of cattle, is still kept up in Spain, and other places.
They pray to the tutelar when the beast is sick. Thus St.
Anthony is for hogs, and we call a poor starved creature a
Tanthony pig. Salmon's History of Hertfordshire, 1728.
RIBALD.
" It was," says Verstegan, " the proper name of Rabod, a
heathen king of Friesland, who, being instructed in the faith of
Christ* by the godly Bishop Ulfran, faythfully promised to be
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 365
baptized, and appointed the tyme and place : where being come,
ami standing in the water, he asked of the bishop where all his
forefathers were, that in former ages were deceased ? The bishop
answered, 'That, dying without the knowledge of the true God, &c.,
they were in hell ! ' ' Then,' quoth Eabod, ' I hold it better, and
more praiseworthy, to go with the multitude to hell, than with
your few Christians to heaven ! ' and therewith he went out of
the water unchristened, and returned both to his wonted idolatry
and his evil life, notwithstanding the good admonitions of the
bishop, and an evident miracle which (through the power of
God) the said bishop wrought even in his own presence. He
was afterwards surprised with a sudden and unprovided death,
about the yeere of our Lord 720, and his very name became
so odious through his wickedness, that it grew to be a title of
reproach and shame, and hath so continued ever since."
BEEFEATER.
Beefeater is a corruption of the French le buffet, which is now
used for the apartment in which refreshments are supplied to the
guests at royal balls or concerts in France. The final syllable is
like that of charretier, added to charrette, or layetier to layette, &c.
Dr. Ash (English Dictionary] has BEAUFET, a corrupt spelling for
a buffet. Boiste (Dictionnaire Universel) has BUFFETER (le verbe\
and BUFFETEUR (le substantif); with a signification as regards
drinking, and not eating. The buffeteur is described as a carrier
who uses a gimlet, "percer les tonneaux en route, pour voler le vin."
It is curious, however, that Boyer, in his French Dictionary,
translates Beefeater, Mangeur de Boeuf, and subjoins, by way of
remark, that this is a nickname given to the guards of England,
because while on duty they are fed upon beef; that otherwise,
their true name is Yeoman of the Guard.
MAN OF STRAW !
It is a notorious fact, that many years ago wretches sold
themselves to give any evidence, upon oath, that might be
required ; and some of these openly walked Westminster Hall
with a straw in their shoe, to signify they wanted employ as
witnesses ; such was one of the customs of the " good old times,"
which some of us regret we were not born in. From this custom
originated the saying, " he is a Man of Straw." An article in the
Quarterly Review (vol. xxxiii. p. 344), in which the Greek courts
of justice are treated of, there notices the custom. " We have all
heard of a race of men who used, in former days, to ply about
our own courts of law, and who, from their manner of making
known their occupation, were recognised by the name of Strait-
shoes. An advocate, or lawyer, who wanted a convenient witness,
366 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
knew by these signs where to find one, and the colloquy between
the parties was brief. 'Don't you remember?' said the
advocate (the party looked at the fee and gave no sign; but the
fee increased, and the powers of memory increased with it). l To
be sure I do.' ' Then come into the court and swear it.' And
Straw-shoes went into the court and swore it. Athens abounded
in Straw-shoes."
LUNATIC !
The term Lunatic is derived from Luna, the moon, from the
belief which formerly prevailed that all who are mentally de-
ranged are more or less affected by the change in that luminary.
POLTROON!
According to Suetonius, in Vit. August, c. 24, a Eoman knight,
who had cut off the thumb of his two sons to prevent them being
called to a military life, was by order of Augustus publicly sold,
both he and his property. Calmet remarks, that the Italian
language has preserved a term poltrone, which signifies one
whose thumb is cut off, to designate a soldier destitute of courage
and valour. We use poltroon to signify a dastardly fellow,
without considering the import of the original.
BIGOT!
The word Bigot is derived by that judicious antiquary, Camden,
from the following circumstance: When Eollo, Duke of Nor-
mandy, received Gisla,the daughter of Charles the Simple, King of
France, in marriage, together with the investiture of that dukedom,
he would not submit to kiss Charles's feet ; and when his friends
urged him by all means to comply with that ceremony, he made
answer in the English tongue, " Ne se, by God !" i. e., " Not so, by
God." Upon which, the king and his courtiers deriding him, and
corruptly repeating his answer, called him Bigot, from whence
the Normans were called Bigodi, or Bigots.
TURN-COAT !
The Duke of Savoy took, indifferently, sometimes part \ith
France, and sometimes with Spain ; for that purpose he had a
jusleau corps, white on one side and scarlet on the other, so that
when he meant to declare for France he wore the white outside,
and when for Spain the red. This is the origin of the proverb,
tourner casaque, or " turn coat."
YANKEE !
Notwithstanding the various derivations which have been
given, there never was any difference of opinion among those
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 367
who have ever paid any attention to the subject, concerning the
origin of this word. It is believed to have been derived from
the manner in which the Indians endeavoured te pronounce the
word English, which they rendered Yenghees, whence the word
Yankee. The term Yankee was a cant or favourite word with
one Jonathan Hastings, a settler at Cambridge, North America,
about the year 1713. The inventor used it to express excellency.
For instance, a " Yankee good horse," or " Yankee cider," meant
an excellent horse, and excellent cider. The students of a neigh-
bouring college were accustomed to hire horses of Jonathan ;
their intercourse with him, and his use of the word upon all
occasions, led them to adopt it, and they gave him the name of
"Yankee Jonathan." It was dispersed by the collegians
throughout New England, until it became a settled term of
reproach to all New Englanders, and eventually to all North
Americans.
BROTHER JONATHAN.
The origin of this term, as applied to the United States, is as
follows : " When General Washington, after being appointed
commander of the army of the revolutionary war, came to
Massachusetts to organize it, and make preparations for the
defence of the country, he found a great want of ammunition and
other means necessary to meet the powerful foe he had to con-
tend with, and great difficulty to obtain them. If attacked in
such condition, the cause at once might be hopeless. On one
occasion, at that anxious period, a consultation of the officers and
others was held, when it seemed no way could be devised to make
such preparations as were necessary. His excellency Jonathan
Trumbull the elder was then governor of the State of Connecticut,
on whose judgment and aid the general placed the greatest
reliance, and remarked, ' We must consult Brother Jonathan on
the subject.' The general did so, and the governor was success-
ful in supplying many of the wants of the army. When difficulties
afterwards arose, and the army was spread over the country, it
became a byword, ' We must consult Brother Jonathan.' The
term Yankee is still applied to a portion, but ' Brother Jonathan'
has now become a designation of the whole country, as John
Bull has for England." Dictionary of Americanisms, by John
Eussell Bartlett.
BROKER.
The origin of this word is contested; some derive it from the
French broyer, to grind ; others from brocader, to cavil or wriggle ;
others deduce broker from a trader broken, and that from the
Saxon broc, misfortune, which is often the true reason of a man's
breaking. In which view, a broker is a broken trader by mis-
fortune ; and it is said, that none but such were formerly ad-
mitted to that employment.
368 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
BANKEUPT.
The term Bankrupt (formerly spelt Bankrout, and Banquerouf)
is derived from the Italian Banka or JSanch, bench, and rupta,
broken. The Italian money-lenders in the various cities of Italy,
had a place of assembly of their own, and everyone had a bench
or table, at which they stood and transacted their business.
When any of them failed in their covenants, it was the custom to
break up the bench of the individual, and hence came the term
banca-rupta, or the bench is broken, and from whence also came
our term bankrupt, as applied to a man whose name is published
in the Gazette. In former times, if not even now, it was the
custom in our corn-market, in Mark Lane, to break up the table
or bench of any salesman who could not meet his payments.
BOAT'S PAW!
The term Cat's Paw, or the phrase, K he is the Cat's Paw of the
party," took its origin from the following anecdote : " A monkey
and a turnspit, a kind of dog between the lurcher and the terrier,
were at one period considered indispensable requisites in the
culinary department, yclept the kitchen. Our readers will
recollect the story of the roasted chestnuts in Don Saltero's kitchen,
where the monkey, taking a fancy to them as they were crackling
within the bars of the fireplace, catched hold of the cat as she
lay sleeping before the fire, and made use of her paw to with-
draw some of the chestnuts from the scorching situation in which
they were placed. From this circumstance, when one person
pushes forward another to do that which he himself is either
afraid to do, or ashamed to appear in, originated the saying, " he
is the Cat's Paw of such a one," or " he is the Cat's Paw of the
party."
JACK KETCH.
It is now about one hundred and ninety years ago, since one
Dun, the then finisher of the law, departed this life, when one
Jack Ketch was advanced to the office, and who has left his
name to his successors ever since. This appears from Butler's
Ghost, published in 1682. When the author wrote the first part
of it, it is plain that Dun was the executioner's name, or nick-
name :
" For you yourself to act 'Squire Dun
Such ignominy ne'er saw the sun;"
But before he had printed off his poem, Jack Ketch was in ofSce ;
" Till Ketch observing he was chous'd,
And in his profits much abus'd,
In open hall the tribunes dunn'd
To do his office, or refund."
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 369
MY LORD !
This title has a Grecian origin. "My Lord" was a nickname
for deformed men, and is from the Greek word lordus, i. e.,
crooked. During the feudal times the lower class, by way of
humour, called a man that was half an idiot, or deformed, " My
Lord," in ridicule of their superiors. This, we suspect, says a
writer in the New Monthly Magazine, is a popular fallacy ; for
after a careful perusal of the most approved works that treat of
Nobility, and of its origin, in these realms in particular, we are
left very much in the dark as to the original patent in which
this branch of it is recognised. Neither Camden, in his
Etymologie and Original of Barons, nor Dugdale, in his
Baronetage of England, nor Selden (a more exact and laborious
inquirer than either), in his Titles of Honour, afford a glimpse
of satisfaction upon the subject. There is an heraldic term,
indeed, which seems to imply gentility, and the right to coat
armour (but nothing further), in persons thus qualified. But
the sinister bend is more properly interpreted, by the best writers
on this science, of some irregularity of birth than of bodily con-
formation. Nobility is, either hereditary or by creation, commonly
called patent. Of the former kind the title in question cannot
be, seeing that the notion of it is limited to a personal distinction,
which does not necessarily follow in the blood. Honours of this
nature, as Mr. Anstis very well observes, descend moreover in a
right line. It must be by patent then, if any thing. But who
can show it? How comes it to be dormant ? Under what king's
reign is it pretended ? Among the grounds of nobility cited by
the learned Mr. Ashmole, after " Services in the Field or in the
Council Chamber," he judiciously sets down, " Honours conferred
by the sovereign out of mere benevolence, or as favouring one
subject rather than another, for some likeness or conformity
observed (or but supposed) in him to the royal nature;" and
instances the graces showered upon Charles Brandon, who " in
his goodly person being thought not a little to favour the port
and bearing of the king's own majesty, was by that sovereign,
Henry VIII., for some or one of these respects highly promoted
and preferred." Here, if any where, we thought we had dis-
covered a clue to our researches. But after a painful in-
vestigation of the rolls and records under the reign of Richard
III., or Richard Crouchback, as he is more usually designated in
the chronicles, from a traditionary stoop or gibbosity in that
part, we do not find that that monarch conferred any such
lordships, as are here pretended, upon any subject or subjects,
on a simple plea of " conformity" in that respect to the "royal
nature." The posture of affairs in those tumultuous times,
preceding the battle of Bosworth, possibly left him at no leisure
to attend to such niceties. Further than his reign we have not
2s
370 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
extended our inquiries; the kings of England who preceded, or
followed him, being generally described by historians to have
been of straight and clean limbs, the " natural derivative (says
Daniel) of high blood, if not its primitive recommendation to
such ennoblement, as denoting strength and martial prowess
the qualities set most by in that fighting age." Another motive,
which inclines us to scruple the validity of this claim, is the
remarkable fact, that none of the persons in whom the right is
supposed to be vested, do ever insist upon it themselves. There
is no instance of any of them " sueing his patent," as the law-
books call it ; much less of his having actually stepped up into
his proper seat, as, so qualified, we might expect that some of
them would have had the spirit to do, in the House of Lords.
On the contrary, it seems to be a distinction thrust upon them.
" Their title of Lord (says one of their own body, speaking of the
common people) I never much valued, and now I entirely
despise : and yet they will force it upon me as an honour which
they have a right to bestow, and which I have none to refuse."
Upon a dispassionate review of the subject, we are disposed to
believe that there is no right to ,the peerage incident to mere
bodily configuration ; that the title in dispute is merely honorary,
rnd depending upon the breath of the common people; which in
these realms is so far from the power of conferring nobility, that
the ablest constitutionalists have agreed in nothing more
unanimously, than in the maxim that the King is the sole fountain
of honour.
GOWK AND CUCKOO.
This is called "hunting the Gowk;" and the bearer of the
fool's errand is called an " April Gowk." Brand says, that Gowk
is properly a Cuckoo, and is used here metaphorically for a fool ;
this appears correct, for from the Saxon geac, a cuckoo, is derived
geek* which means, one easily imposed on. Malvolio, who had
been made a fool by a letter purporting to have been written by
Olivia, inquires of her
" Why have you suffer'd me to be
Made the most notorious geek and gull
That e'er invention play'd on?"
Olivia affirms that the letter was not written by her, and ex-
claims to Malvolio
" Alas, poor fool! how they have baffled thee ! "
Geek is likewise derivable from the
STALKING HORSE.
This general term for some insignificant person or thing, thrust
intentionally forward to conceal a more important object, had
* Ash. f Jamieson, in Nares' Glossary.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 371
originally a more definite meaning. The Albanian sportsmen,
Dr. Clark says, still use it, practising the old method of shooting
with one, i. e., by carrying the picture of a horse or a cow, behind
which they concealed themselves, and take their aim through a
hole in the picture. Among us, the " Stalking-horse" was either
a real horse (an old jade trained for the purpose), and walking
up and down in the water, which way the sportsman pleased, or
apiece of old canvass shaped like a horse grazing, stuffed, painted
brown, and fixed to a staff, with a sharp iron at one end to stick
in the ground ; when the fowl became familiar with the horse,
the sportsmen varied the device by using a stalking ox or cow,
and stalking stags or deer, especially for feiiny grounds, and
even trees, snrubs, and bushes, all of painted canvass.
BEARS AND BULLS.
The word Bear, applied to a certain class on the Stock Exchange,
signifies one who insures a real value upon an imaginary thing,
and who is said to sell a Bear, which is the same thing as a pro-
mise among courtiers, or a vow between lovers. The party called
a Bull is the opposite, contracting party. It takes its origin
merely from the circumstance, that the Bear, being a voracious
animal, generally sacrifices the Bull when an opportunity presents
itself.
YORKSHIRE BITE.
The misapplication of the original meaning of this term is very
general. We always use it to convey a feeling of mistrust ; or,
a fear of coming in contact with one more adept in cunning than
ourselves. It is true, Yorkshiremen are keen dealers ; this, how-
ever, is no detraction ; on the contrary, it is an evidence of in-
dustrious habits. The hospitality for which they are so famous,
gave rise to the term Yorkshire bite. It is said that the fatted
calf and flowing bowl greet the stranger at every step, and after
the common salutation, the question " Will you bite ?" or " Will
you sup ?" is sure to follow ; and from this originated a term,
used as a sarcasm, but which, in point of fact, derived as it is,
ought to be used as a compliment.
JOURNEYMAN.
There is a general law or custom in Germany, that apprentices,
after the expiration of their service, shall travel two years before
prosecuting their trade as master-workmen. Hence the etymo-
logy of journeyman.
VILLAIN.
The epithet Villain, now a term of great reproach, is derived
from will, or lordship ; and which signified one who was a ser-
372 THE ETYMOLOGIQAL COMPENDIUM.
va'nt during life, and devisable as chattels, in the feudal times.
In 1572, Queen Elizabeth ordered her bondmen to be set free
at very easy rates.
VICAR OF BRAY!
Bray is a village in Berkshire. The vivacious Yicar hereof,
says Fuller, living under Henry VIII., Edward VI., Queen Mary,
and Queen Elizabeth, was first a Papist, then a Protestant, then
a Papist, then a Protestant again. He had seen some martyrs
burnt (two miles off) at Windsor, and found this fire too hot for
his tender temper. This Vicar being taxed by one for being a
turncoat and inconstant changeling, " Not so," said he, " for I
always kept my principle, which is this, to live and die the Vicar
of Bray."
BUGG-A-BO !
Bugg-a-bo, or Buggan-bo, was originally no more than mothers
frightening their children with the " bull-bo," which the little
one, not rightly pronouncing, called Bugg-a-bo. It is properly
bogle-bo, bogle signifying a malevolent spirit ; the Shropshire
term, buggan- bo, meaning the same thing. If a horse takes fright,
they say, he spies a buggan !
COWARD.
A feudal expression, implying Cow-herd, for which office a
man void of courage was deemed only fit for.
APRIL FOOL!
It has been very often inquired, whence this custom was
derived. The Editor believes it to be a custom of great antiquity.
The ancients had many rites and ceremonies in honour of their
gods. The Romans kept their Saturnalia in honour of Saturn,
beginning on the 17th December, which lasted during five days.
Bocharius is of opinion they took their origin from Noah's
drunkenness. These were times when all business ceased except
cooking ; when servants might command their masters, and slaves
become unruly without fear of punishment. The Bacchanalia,
or feasts in honour of Bacchus, lasted three days, and commenced
after the vine harvests, and then drunkenness was the privilege
of all. The Stultinaria were confined to one day, the 1st of April,
when the idiots had their annual holiday, and when children were
encouraged to make derision of them, and send them on needless
errands, &c. Some writers are of opinion, that the Romans had
much policy in allowing these feasts, or holidays. By the first
(Saturnalia), they saw how servants and slaves would act had
they power. By the second (Bacchanalia), they were able to
discover the natural inclinations and vices of all that inebriated
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 373
themselves. And the encouragement they gave to children, in
the third instance (Stultinaria), to deride fools, would, they hoped,
make them desirous to receive ^heir education, lest they might,
in time, become themselves objects of derision and contempt.
WHIGS AND TORIES.
In the year 1680, two parties were formed, called the Addressers
and Abhorrers ; out of which arose the after-party appellations
the epoch of 1680. The first was a name of reproach, given by
the court party to their antagonists, for resembling the principles
of the whigs, or fanatical conventiclers in Scotland ; and the other
was given by the country party to that of the court, comparing
them to the Tories, or Popish robbers in Ireland. They formerly
were called Whigs from Whiggamors, a name given to the Scots
in the South-west, who, for want of corn in that quarter, used
annually to repair to Leith, to buy stores that came from the
North, and all that drove were called Whiggamors or Whiggs,
from the term Whiggam, which they used in driving their
horses. In the year 1638, the Presbyterian ministers incited an
insurrection against the court, and marched with the people to
Edinburgh; this was called 'the Whlggamors' Inroad,' and
after this, all who opposed administration were called Whigs ;
hence the term was adopted in England." Malone says, that the
term Tory is derived from an Irish word toree, give me (your
money). The character of the Tories is thus noticed by Glanville,
in one of his sermons, long before the political distinction existed.
" Let such men quit all pretences to civility and breeding : they
are ruder than Toryes and wild Americans."
Tory hunting was almost viewed in the light of a pastime. An
old rhyme, in allusion to this sport, is still orally current in the
south of Ireland, and a decided favourite in the nursery collection :
"Ho! Master Teague, what is your story?
I went to the wood, and I kill'd a Tory:
I went to the wood, aiid I kill'd another,
Was it the same, or was it his brother?
" I hunted him in, and I hunted him out,
Three times through the bog, about and about;
When out of a bush I saw his head,
So I fired my gun, and I shot him dead."
CAMARILL.
The party thus termed in Spain, take their name from a small
room in the king's apartments, formerly destined as a sitting-
374 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
room for the attendants of the second class, whose office was to
answer the king's bell. The pleasure which Ferdinand, even
from his infancy, always found in the company of the lowest and
most vulgar of the royal household, made him so often frequent
this place, that at last it became the general rendezvous of his
friends. Here assembled a swarm of ambitious intriguers, monks,
spies, inquisitors, sycophant military, and various other vaga-
bonds. These were the elements with which the secret society,
called by some " The anchor of the faith and of the king,"
began their labours.
MEN OF KENT.
It is recorded when Harold, or rather England, was invaded
by William, a portion of the inhabitants of Kent went out to
meet him, covered with oak boughs, in order to deceive him as to
their numbers. They wera headed by the Archbishop of Canter-
bury. Upon arriving at Hastings, which was just at the crisis
of the battle, they only agreed to lay down their arms on condi-
tion that their ancient privileges of Gavel-kind law, and the
exemption of tithes, was secured to them. This William readily
granted, foreseeing that men who fought for their ancient privi-
leges and liberties, were far more dangerous opponents than those
who merely fought for their pay. On reference to Hasted's
History of Kent, the boundary lines which distinguish the men
of Kent from the Kentish men, will be seen. The principal
features of the Law of Gavel-kind is, that on a person dying
intestate, the property is equally divided among the children ;
likewise, that a person is of age to convey property at sixteen,
and his receipt also is valid.
JOHN DOE AND RICHARD ROE.
These worthies, formerly so well known to those unfortunate
wights who incur the serving of a certain process, derived their
consequence from the custom, to find two sureties on arresting a
man, who were bound over in heavy penalties, that the Pursuer
should prove the justice and the legality of his claim ; otherwise,
that the pursued should receive indemnity from the parties thus
bound over. This good old custom, however, in process of time,
degenerated into the mere nominal recognizances or sureties of
" John Doe and Eichard Koe," and from which have arisen all
those false arrests and false imprisonments which have so long
disgraced our criminal courts.
In 1724, a Frenchman of the name of Louissart Houssart, was
tried at the Old Bailey for the murder of his wife, and acquitted,
but detained in custody on a charge of bigamy. An appeal was
brought against him by the brother of the deceased, and he was
brought to a second trial, when some new evidence being pro-
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. '- 375
duced, he was found guilty, and afterwards executed. It is
remarkable, that in this case the prisoner made some objections
to the plea, which were referred to the jury, who decided against
him on them all. One of the prisoner's objections was, that
" there were no such persons as John Doe and Eichard Koe,"
who are mentioned as pledges in the appeal ; but a witness de-
posed, that there were two such persons living in Middlesex, one
n weaver and the other a soldier. However, on the 24th October,
1852, these two celebrated characters ceased legally to exist any
longer. By the Act 15th and 16th Viet. cap. 76, sect. 168, it is
enacted, that " instead of the present proceeding by ejectment,
a writ shall be issued, directed to the persons by name in pos-
session of the property claimed, which property shall be described
in the writ with reasonable certainty."
JOHN AUDLEY.
When theatric performers intend to abridge an act or pipy, they
are accustomed to say, " We will John Audley it ! " It originated
thus: In the year 1749, Shuter was master of a droll at Bartho-
lomew fair, and it was his mode to lengthen the exhibition until
a sufficient number of persons were gathered at the door to fill
the house. This event was signified by a fellow popping his
head in at the gallery door and bellowing out " John Audley,"
as if in act of inquiry, though the intention was to let Shuter
know that a fresh audience were in high expectation below. The
consequence of this notification was, that the entertain menta
were immediately concluded, and the gates of the booth thrown
open for a new auditory.
OLD ROWLEY.
This was the nickname of Charles II., who was famous for his
amours. Old Eowley was a famous stallion in his Majesty's stud.
George I. had also his nickname, viz., the Turnip Hoer : it is
said, when his Majesty first came to England, he talked of turn-
ing St. James's park into a turnip ground. The old Jacobites
and old Whigs used to annoy each other by the singing of two
songs, the one was Old Eowley, and the other the Turnip Hoer ;
the former a lampoon upon Charles II. for his royal amours;
and the latter upon George I. for his princely economy.
SKINFLINT.
" The antiquity of certain proverbs is among the most striking
singularities in the annals of the human mind. Abdalmalek, one
of the khaliffs of the race of Ommiades, was surnamed Easchal
Hegiarah, that is, ' the skinner of a flint ;' and to this day we
call an avaricious man a Skinflint." Universal Magazine, 1796.
376 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
BARON MUNCHAUSEN!
It is generally believed (says the " New Monthly Magazine'"*)
that Munch-Hausen is only a nom de guerre. Such, however,
is not the fact. Baron Munch-Hausen was a Hanoverian noble-
man, and even so late as five-and-forty years ago he was alive
and lying. It is true that the Travels published as his,
though not by him, were intended as a satire or parody on the
travels of the famous Baron de Tott; but Munch-Hausen was
really in the habit of relating the adventures, now sanctioned by
the authority of his mendacious name, as having positively occur-
red to him ; and from the frequency of the repetition of the
same stories, without the slightest variation even in their most
minute points, he at length believed the narratives he had him-
self invented, and delivered them with as much sang-froid as if
they had described nothing but so many probable events. There
was nothing of the fanfaron, or braggart, in his manner; on the
contrary, he was distinguished by the peculiar modesty of his
manner and demeanour.
CAPABILITY BROWN.
Launcelot Brown, called " Capability Brown," from his constant
usage of the term, as well as for his genius for making sterile
grounds fruitful, and naked and unseeming, beautiful and en-
chanting. He was employed by Lord Cobham in improving the
grounds at Stowe, and afterwards at Eichmond, Blenheim, Lutou,
Wimbledon, &c. He successfully exploded the old, stiff, unnatural
Dutch style of gardening, and introduced an improved fashion
that prevailed for nearly half a century. His works discover
a highly cultivated taste, and have commanded the admiration
both of Englishmen and foreigners. He associated familiarly
with many of his noble and opulent employers, and realized a
handsome fortune. In 1759, he was appointed head gardener to
King George II., at Hampton Court. In 1770, he served the
office of High Sheriff for the counties of Huntingdon and Cam-
bridge ; and died suddenly in Hertford Street, May-fair, February
6, 1783.
ADMIRABLE CRICHTON.
This most extraordinary man derived his appellation from his
numerous and wonderful endowments. He lived in the time of
James I. He spoke fluently every known language; he wns
versed in every science, and skilled in every accomplishment. He
challenged to disputation the whole College of Cardinals, and
almost every public and learned body in Europe, and bore off the
palm ! The Duke of Mantua was his patron, and appointed him
preceptor to his son, who. envious of his merits, waylaid (with
some others) and mortally wounded him. He, however, as well
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 377
as the other assassins, paid with their lives the forfeit of their
temerity, Crichton killing every one of them.
PEEPING TOM OF COVENTRY.
Peeping Tom, a person of nearly as much notoriety as the
Countess Godiva, and an auxiliary in the drama under that
denomination, derives his importance from the following histori-
cal circumstance. In the e-.irly part of the reign of Edward the
Confessor, Leofric, the fifth Earl of Mercia, and his countess
Godiva, sister to Thorold, sheriff of Lincolnshire, founded a
monastery on the ruins of St. Osburg's nunnery for an abbot and
twenty-four monks of the Benedictine order. This monastery
was so liberally endowed by Leofric, that it surpassed all others
in the county in splendour and magnificence ; so that Malmsbury
relates, that it was enriched and beautified with so much gold and
silver, that the walls seemed too narrow to contain it ; insomuch
that Rob de Limesie, bishop of this diocese in the time of king
William Eufus, scraped from one beam that supported the shrines
five hundred marks of silver.
With the foundation of its monastic structure commenced the
prosperity of Coventry ; but it seems the city had yet to complain
of the grievance of excessive tolls, which Leofric, as lord of the
town, levied; and concerning the manner in which they were
relieved from it, is told a romantic tale, which Dugdale thus
relates: The Countess Godiva,bearing an extraordinary affecti on
to this place, often and earnestly besought her husband, that for
the love of God, and the blessed Virgin, he would free it from
that grievous servitude whereunto it was subject ; but he, rebuk-
ing her for importuning him in a matter so inconsistent with
his profit, commanded that she should thenceforth forbear to
move therein ; yet she, out of her womanish pertinacity, continued
to solicit him ; insomuch that he told her, if she would ride on
horseback, naked, from one end of the town to the other, in the
sight of all the people, he would grant her request. Whereunto
she answered, But will you give me leave so to do ? And he
replying yes, the noble lady upon an appointed day got on horse-
back, naked, with her hair loose, so that it covered all her body
but her legs, and thus performing the journey, returned with joy
to her husband, who therefore granted to the inhabitants a
charter of freedom, which immunity I rather conceive to have
been a kind of manumission from some such servile tenure,
whereby they then held what they had under this great earl,
than only a freedom from all manner of toll, except horses, as
Knighton affirms. It is said by Eapin, that the countess, previous
to her riding, commanded all persons to keep within doors, and
from their windows, on pain of death ; but, notwithstanding this
severe penalty, there was one person who could not forbear giving
378 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
a look, out of curiosity; but it cost him his life. From this cir-
cumstance, reader, originated the familiar epithet of " Peeping
Tom of Coventry." A figure, commemorative of the peeper, has
long been preserved there, and is now inserted in the niche of a
new house, communicating with the High Street.
JACK OF NEWBURY.
This title was given to John Winchcomb, who was in the time
of Henry VIII. the greatest clothier in England. He kept one
hundred looms in his own house at Newbury, and armed and
clothed at his own expense one hundred of his men, to march in
the expedition against the Scots at Floclden Field.
THE TRIBES OF GAL WAY.
The "Tribes of Gal way '"is an expression first used by Crom-
well's forces, as a term of reproach against the natives of the
town, for their singular friendship and attachment to each other
during the time of their troubles and persecutions ; but which the
latter afterwards adopted as an honorable mark of distinction
between themselves and their cruel oppressors. These tribes or
families, who colonised Galway in the thirteenth century, were
thirteen in number, according to the following distich :
" Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, Deane, Darcy, Lynch,
Joyes, Kirwan, Martin, Morris, Skerrett, French."
See Hardman's History of Galway, pp. 6 20, 4to, 1820, which
contains a plate of the armorial ensigns of these ancient families.
CURSE OF SCOTLAND.
The nine of diamonds, being termed the " Curse of Scotland,"
originates from a Scotch member, whose family arms is the nine
of diamonds, voting for the introduction of the Malt Tax into
Scotland. Another version states, that the nine of diamonds
is called the " Curse of Scotland" because it is the great winning
card at Comette, which was a game introduced into Scotland by
the French attendants of Mary of Lorraine, queen of James V.,
to the ruin of many Scotch families.
GOOD OLD TIMES.
It has been supposed by many, that this phrase is of uncertain
date, and that it has been made use of, as it were, from time im-
memorial. In Godwin's History of the Commonwealth, however,
we are informed, that it first came into use at that period. The
cant and hypocrisy of the day became so disgusting, that two-
thirds of the nation began to wish in their hearts, however
cautious they were with their tongues, for the restoration of the
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 379
royal family. Being restrained from speaking their sentiments
openly, they strung together many ambiguous terms; among
others was, wishing for a return of the " good old times," which
really meant a return to the monarchial system, and the demoli-
tion of Cromwell's government; although, if required, a less
objectional (to the governors) explanation might have been given.
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK I
The proverb of getting anything by Hook or by Crook, is said
to have arisen in the time of Charles I., when there were two
learned judges named Hooke and Crooke ; and a difficult cause
was to have been gotten either by Hooke or by Crooke. Spenser,
however, mentions these words twice in his Faery Queene, which
is a proof that this proverb is much older than that time ; and
that the phrase was not then used as a proverb but applied as a
pun. Warton.
HOBSON'S CHOICE!
This saying is derived from one Hobson, who let out horses at
Cambridge, and obliged such as wanted one, to take that next
the stable door, being the one which had had most rest.
GOOD WINE NEEDS NO BUSH.
Bushes of evergreen, such as ivy, cypress, &c., were anciently
signs where wine was sold ; hence the proverb, or saying, " Good
wine needs no bush!"
Commentators have been sadly puzzled to find out the meaning
of this proverb, which a residence in France during the autumn
would easily have solved. In the departments where the vine is
cultivated, the peasant sells its vintage, and as a sign, a green
bush is stuck in the wall over the door; this is a regulation of
the police ; and as long as the peasant has any wine to sell, so long
must the bush remain. If one has made better wine than an-
other, the news is soon spread abroad among the topers, and hence
the proverb, " good wine needs no bush."
THEY ARE SWORN BROTHERS !
The term " sworn brothers" arose from a custom in Morlachia,
and other places, where friendships between the same sex are, like
marriages, ratified at the altar. Others say, from persons cove-
nanting formerly to share each other's fortune in an expedition
to invade a country, as were Robert de Oily and Robert de Ivery
in William the First's expedition into England, or the three
Pizarros to Peru. Hence, also, the term of " brethren in iniquity,"
because of their dividing plunder.
380 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIU
GOD BLESS YOU I TO THE SXEEZER.
The custom of saying "God bless you" to any one who sneezes,
seems to have begun about the year of our Lord 750. According
to Mythology, the first sign of life Prometheus's artificial man
gave, was by sneezing, which Prometheus observing, offers up a
fervent prayer for the preservation of so singular a being. His
automaton observed him, and remembering his ejaculation, was
very careful, on the like occasions, to offer these wishes in behalf
of his descendants, who perpetuated it from father to son in all
their colonies. This custom is practised among the Jews and
among the Abyssinians. "When the king of Monomotapa sneezes,
those who are near him loudly wish him happiness, this is catched
by those farther off, and is echoed through the whole city.
DINING WITH DUKE HUMPHREY t
" Dining with duke Humphrey" is said of those who walked
in Saint Paul's Church during dinner-time, Humphrey, Duke of
Gloucester, being a man of great hospitality, and supposed to have
been buried in Saint Paul's. But (saith Doctor Fuller) that say-
ing is as far from truth as they from dinner, even twenty miles
off, seeing this duke was buried in the Church of St Albans, to
which he was a great benefactor.
AS STUPID AS A GOOSE !
" As stupid as a goose" is a very common saying indeed, and is
used to denote the extreme of stupidity. It may be truly said,
as regards geese in general, that it carries with it its origin ; and
is introduced here merely to show that all geese are not stupid
alike. History informs us, that the cackling of geese saved the
capitol of Rome ; and the Glasgow Courier, not long ago, gave
us the following instance of the above position. "A haughty
dunghill cock, at a farm at the head of this county, took a par-
ticular antipathy to a fine goose, the guardian of a numerous brood ;
and accordingly, wheresoever and whenever they met, the cock
immediately set upon his antagonist. The goose, who had little
chance with the nimble and sharp heels of his opponent, and who
had accordingly suffered severely in various rencontres, got so exas-
perated against his assailant, that one day, during a severe combat,
he grasped the neck of his foe with his bill, and dragging him
along by main force, he plunged him into an adjoining pond,
keeping his head, in spite of every effort, under water, and where
the cock would have been drowned, had not a servant who wit-
nessed the proceeding rescued the humble foe. From that day
forward the goose received no further trouble from his enemy."
The compiler here suggests, that the North Country Geese may
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 381
be an exception to the general rule, especially after laying his
hand (Hi the following:
4i One morning lately, during the frost, the geese were as usual
let out of their roostmg-place, and, according to their customary
habit, went directly to the pond on the common; they were observed
by the family to come back immediately, but you may guess their
astonishment, when in a few minutes they were seen to return
to the pond, each, five in number, with a woman's patten in their
mouths ! ! ! The females, to rescue so useful a part of their dress
from the possession of the invaders of their property, immediately
made an attack, when the waddling banditti made such a stout
resistance, that it was not till some male allies were called in,
that a victory could be obtained :" the relater continues, " I was
much concerned, when this anecdote was related to me, that the
geese were not suffered to proceed." Letter from York.
So much for the saying, " As stupid as a goose !"
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HORSE-CHESTNUT AND A
CHESTNUT HORSE ?
In the reign of queen Anne lived two gentlemen, both members
in the same parliament ; the one was called Montague Matthieu,
the other Matthew Montague : the former a tall handsome man,
the latter a deformed ugly one. On one occasion, in the house,
an honourable member inadvertently attributed something that
had been said by Mr. Matthew Montague, to Mr. Montague
Matthieu: upon which, the latter got up and appealed to the
speaker and the house in the following manner :
" Sir, an honourable member has charged me with having said
that which I never gave utterance to, but which came from Mr.
Matthew Montague. Now, Sir, I must appeal to you and this
honourable house, whether there is not as much difference be-
tween Mr. Matthew Montague, and Mr. Montague Matthieu, as
there is between a horse-chestnut and a chestnut horse ? " It is
almost needless to add that the house was convulsed with laughter,
in which Mr. Matthew Montague most heartily joined : hence
the origin of the whimsical question, "What's the difference be-
tween a horse-chestnut and a chestnut horse ? "
ANOTHER FOR HECTOR!
The following is the origin of this saying : In the battle of
Inverkeithing, between the Royalists and Oliver Cromwell's
troops, 500 of the followers of the Laird of Maclean were left dead
on the field. In the heat of the conflict, seven brothers of the
clan sacrificed their lives in defence of their leader, Sir Hector
Maclean, who, being hard pressed by the enemy, was supported
382 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
and covered from their attacks by these brothers, and as one fell,
another came up in succession to cover him, crying, " Another for
Hector!" This phrase has ever since continued as a proverb, or
watchword, when a man encounters any sudden danger that
requires instant success.
HECTOR'S CLOAK.
The Earl of Northumberland having joined the Duke of Norfolk,
and others, who were the supporters of Mary Queen of Scots, the
former was betrayed by a faithless borderer to the regent Moray,
whose successor, Morton, sold his unfortunate captive to Lord
Hunsdon, governor of Berwick, to expiate his errors on the
scaffold. This borderer was Hector Graham of Harelaw. A
list of the Border Clans, in 1605, enumerates among them this
name, and "the griefs and cuti of Harelaw." It may be some
satisfaction to learn, that th'is villain did not go unpunished : from
affluent circumstances he sunk into unaccountable poverty; and
to take " Hector's Cloak," has become proverbial throughout the
country for betraying a friend.
I PLEDGE YOU !
Pledging each other in drinking is a custom which took its
origin from the time the Danes were in England, who invited to
their banquet those island chiefs whom they wished to put out
of the way either by the dagger or by poison. The consequence
was, that no native would drink at a Danish festival unless his
entertainers, or one of them, would " pledge" his safety in a cup
of wine beforehand ; and, even among those barbarian invaders,
this pledge was deemed sacred. The drinking phrase, " I pledge
you," is said to have originated from the murder of Edward,
by his stepmother Elfrida, while drinking on horseback at
the gate of Corfe castle, in the isle of Purbeck. The treachery
of the crime occasioned a general distrust; no one would
drink without security from him who sat beside him, that he was
safe while the bowl was at his lips ; and hence is said to have
originated the customary expression at table of " I pledge you,"
when one person invited another to drink first.
SOUND AS A ROACH !
Butler states, that St. Roche, being afflicted with a pestilence,
crawled into a forest, where he bore such pains, and manifested
so much patience under his afflictions, that an angel visited him,
healed his wounds, and made him perfectly sound. He was
esteemed the patron saint from that period of all afflicted with
the plague, for it was believed that the miraculous intermission
of St. Roche could make them as sound as himself; and from
hence came the saying, " Sound as a roach."
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 383
NERO FIDDLED WHILE ROME WAS BURNING.
Suetonius relates, that somebody in conversation saying, " When
I am dead let fire devour the world ;" " Nay," rejoined Nero, " let
it be whilst I am living ;" and then he set Home on fire in so
barefaced a manner, that many of the consular dignities detected
the incendiaries with torches and tow in their own houses, and
dared not touch them because they were officers of Nero's bed-
chamber. The fire, during six days and seven nights, consumed
a prodigious number of stately buildings, the public temples, and
every thing of antiquity that was remarkable and worthy of
preservation. The common people were driven by this con-
flagration to the tombs and monuments for shelter ; and Nero
himself beheld the flames from a tower on the top of Mecsenas's
house, and sung a ditty on the destruction of Troy, in the dress
which he used to perform in on the public stage. This atrocious
want of feeling occasioned the saying, " Nero fiddled while Rome
was burning."
A PEG TOO LOW!
Frequent and bloody were the quarrels of our Saxon ancestors
over their wassail bowls. To soften these, Dunstan advised that
none should drink except from cups pegged so regularly within,
that from peg to peg should be considered a legal bumper. Such
pegged vessels are still to be seen in the cabinets of antiquaries ;
and to this regulation we owe the expression of a man being a
"peg too low." Priests are directed, by a council held in 1102,
not to drink two pegs Nee ad pinnas bibant.
YOUR HUMBLE SERVANT!
The use of " your humble servant" came first into England on
the marriage of Queen Mary, daughter of Henry IV. of France,
which is derived from votre tres humble serviteur.
SHAMMING ABRAHAM.
If any of the old accounts of London are looked into, it will be
seen that, when Bethlem was first built and endowed, there was
a part appropriated for the reception and maintenance of idiots.
They were designated by the title of Abraham Men, because that
was the name of the ward wherein they were confined. On the
first of April, such as were not too incapacitated had a holiday
to see their friends ; such as had not any begged about the streets.
They wore the dress of the hospital, and excited the compassion
of many on account of the game made of them by the vulgar and
children, who knew no better ; which induced numbers of vagrants
to imitate the dress, and pretend idiotism, till an order was
384 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
issued from the governors, that if any person should sham an
Abraham he should be whipped and set in the stocks; from
whence came the saying, " He is shamming Abraham." In Decker's
English Vittanies there are many curious particulars of the habits
of this class of impostors. " She's all Abram," that is, quite
naked. " What an Abram ! " an exclamation for a ragged fellow.
"An Abraham man" was an impostor who personated a poor
lunatic called Tom of Bedlam : one of this class is described by
Shakspeare in his Lear, Act II. Sc. 3. ;
" The -basest and most poorest shape,
That every penury, in contempt of man,
Brought near to beast."
Among sailors, "An Abram" is being unwell, or out of sorts.
When Abraham Newland was cashier of the Bank of England,
it was sung
" I have heard people say,
That sham Abraham you may,
But you must not sham Abraham Newland."
HANG ON JERRY !
This phrase, so peculiar to our meat markets, derives its im-
portance from the following. The retail butchers, especially
those who have stands in the markets of a Saturday night, when
the working classes are generally seeking their Sunday dinner,
hang on a heavy meat hook, weighing half or three-quarters of
a pound, to the end, of the beam over the meat scale.
" It is seven o'clock, Bill," says the master to the boy ; " hang
on Jerry!" on goes the hook, and every joint of meat sold after-
wards, on that evening, is deficient in weight. Nothing annoys
a butcher more than the use of this phrase as you pass his shop.
WHEN THE STEED'S STOLEN, SHUT THE STABLE DOOR !
This saying originated out of an old Cheshire proverb, " When
the daughter is stolen, shut the Pepper-gate." This is founded
on the fact, that the mayor of Chester had his daughter stolen
as she was 'playing at ball with other maidens in Pepper-street;
the young man who carried her oif came through the Pepper-
gate, and the mayor wisely ordered the gate to be shut up,
which gave cause for the above saying, and from which originated
the more general one, " When the steed's stolen, shut the stable
door."
WHILE THE GRASS GROWS THE STEED STARVES I
In some parts of Linco]nshire the soil is very prolific, so much
so, that it has been said, " Turn a horse into a new-mown field
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 385
over night, and the grass will have grown up to his fetlock-joints
the next morning ! " A trooper, during the troubles in the reign
of Charles I., travelling over Lincoln Heath, was benighted ;
espying, however, a light at a distance, he made towards it, and
found that it proceeded from a lone house. He knocked for a
length of time before any one appeared ; at last a voice inquired,
who it was that thus disturbed their rest ? Upon which the
traveller replied, "a trooper belonging to the parliamentary
forces who has lost his way." The door was cautiously opened,
a fagot was thrown on the dying embers, which was no sooner
done, than he of the sword (no less a person, it is said, than the
afterwards famous Ireton) inquired where he should put his
horse; the host directed him to an adjoining shed, observing,
" That he had neither hay nor corn, but if he remained till morn-
ing, some grass would be grown in a neighbouring field ! "
" Humph ! " replied Ireton, who was a shrewd character, " so,
while your grass is growing, my steed must be starving! " This
was said in a particular way, which the Lincolnshire man (who
was a royalist) perfectly understood, and in the twinkling of an
eye produced a feed of corn. The trooper's remark he treasured
up, as well as his name, which he became acquainted with the
following morning, on a foraging party joining him at that place ;
and from which circumstance originated the saying, particularly
common in Lincolnshire, " While the grass grows, the steeol
starves."
IT'S A DIRTY BIRD THAT BEFOULS ITS OWN NEST!
This saying is from the Scotch, and it is said, takes its origin
from the celebrated John Knox. No one was more vindictive
against Mary Queen of Scots, than this founder of the Presby-
terian tenets. The various intrigues which her enemies charged
her with, were the constant theme of this popular reformer.
It was on the occasion of the death of David Rlzzio, at Holy-
rood House, the residence of Henry (Darnley) and Mary, that
this saying first emanated from the mouth of Knox, and which
.in the Scottish tongue is a common phrase to this day. It need
scarcely be observed, that Mary was charged with an illicit in-
tercourse with Eizzio, in the very house where, with her husband,
she resided. Hence originated the cutting reproach used by the
Scottish reformer, in allusion to the circumstance, viz., " It's a
dirty bird that befouls its own nest."
HE MAY PAY TOO DEAR FOR HIS WHISTLE !
This saying originated from Dr. Franklin, of celebrated memory.
Proceeding to France as Charge d' Affaires of the United States,
the vessel which bore him passed very near a vessel of the enemy,
when the boatswain, a bold but imprudent man, and who was very
expert on his call., whistled a kind of threat of defiance, which he
2c
386 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
had no sooner done, than a shot from the maintop of the enemy
sent him to another world ! Dr. Franklin, who was standing close
to him, observed, with all the naivete imaginable, " Poor fellow !
he has paid dear for his whistle !" and from hence originated the
common saying, " He may pay too dear for his whistle ! "
IF IT RAINS ON ST. SWITHIN'S DAY, THERE WILL BE RAIN FOR
FORTY DAYS AFTER.
" St. Swithin's day, if them dost rain,
For forty days it will remain :
St. Swithin's day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain na mair."
In Brand's Popular Antiquities there is a statement to the
following purport : In the year 865, St. Swithin, bishop of Win-
chester, to which rank he was raised by king Ethelwolfe the
Dane, dying, was canonized by the then pope. He was singular
for his desire to be buried in the open churchyard, and not in the
chancel of the minster, as was usual with other bishops, which
request was complied with ; but the monks, on his being cano-
nized, taking it into their heads that it was disgraceful for the
saint to be in the open churchyard, resolved to remove his body
into the choir, which was to have been done with solemn pro-
cession on the 15th of July. It rained, however, so violently on
that day, and for forty days succeeding, as had hardly ever been
known, which made them set aside their design as heretical and
blasphemous ; and, instead, they erected a chapel over his grave,
at which many miracles are said to have been wrought. Hence,
reader, came the saying, " If it rains on St. Swithin's day, there
will be rain for forty days after."
In Poor Eobin's Almanac for 1697, the saying, together with
one of the miracles before alluded to, is noticed in these lines :
" In this month is St. Swithin's day,
On which, if that it rain, they say,
For forty days after it will,
Or more, or less, some rain distil.
This Swithin was a saint, I trow,
And Winchester's bishop also,
Who in his time did many a feat,
\ As popish legends do repeat:
A woman having broke her eggs
By stumbling at another's legs,
For which she made a woful cry,
St. Swithin chanced for to come by,
Who made them all as sound, or more
Than ever that they were before.
But whether this were so or no
'Tis more than you or I do know;
Better it is to rise betime,
And to make hay while sun doth shine,
Than to believe in tales or lies
Which idle monks and friars devise ! "
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 387
A ROWLAND FOR AN OLIVER !
Who has not read of Charlemagne's expedition against the
Saracens for the recovery of the relics of the Passion 1 Those
who have, will recollect, that if Alexander had his Bucephalus,
Charlemagne had " twain steeds,"* who, if they were not endowed
with the instinctive destructiveness of the former, possessed at
least a tractability and fidelity not to be surpassed. These were
his Roland and his Oliver, whose qualities were so equally poised,
that Roland was as good as Oliver, and Oliver was as good as
Roland; and hence arose the saying, "I'll give you a Roland
for your Oliver ;" or, " I'll give as good as you'll send."
WILKES AND FORTY-FIVE.
" Wilkes and Forty-five," originated from a pamphlet called the
North Briton, which was written by Mr. Wilkes and his friends ;
and the forty-fifth number of which was so obnoxious, that it was
ordered by law to be publicly burnt by the common hangman,
before the Royal Exchange, which was the cause of much popular
clamour for a season. John Wilkes was elected Lord Mayor of
London in 1775.
Foote used to relate, that on the day for celebrating Wilkes'
liberation, an old fish-salesman at Billingsgate, well known by
the appellation of King Cole, invited forty-five male and female
friends to dine at the Gun. Every thing that bore on that num-
ber gave the possessor a local importance: the devil was in the
number forty-five !
On the occasion, there was a gigantic plum-pudding, with
451bs. of flour, and 45 of fruit, which was boiled the same number
of hours, and paraded from Wapping with flags, and 45 butchers
with marrow-bones and cleavers: 45 pigeons in pies, and 45
apple dumplings. Each bowl of punch, said the player as he
smacked his lips each had 45 Seville oranges, and lemons in due
proportions. At night there was a well-regulated riot. The
watchmen and police interfered, and (continued the wag) 45 of
the noisy politicians were committed to the Compter. The com-
mencement of this Billingsgate row arose from 45 sailors, each
with a wooden leg, bearing about an old besotted captain, who
had crossed the Atlantic 45 times, who chose to quarrel with
another drunken ass, a bankrupt stockbroker, who went roaring
about (such was the general infatuation), "I don't care who
knows it, but I'm the man who stopped for five and forty thousand
pounds ! "
This same old fishmonger afterwards lost a son, whom he used
to call the staff of his old age ; he consoled himself, however, in
the mystical number, inviting 45 fishmongers to attend the
* Some writers say lloland and Oliver were his pages.
$S8 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
funeral, had him interred at Queenborough (smelling strong of
fish), being 45 miles from town, paid two pounds five shillings to
the sexton, which was the best day's work he ever had, for 45
tolls of the tenor bell at one shilling per toll, and to eke out the
last consolation from the memorable 45, they mourned ninety days,
namely, in deep mourning five-and-forty, and in half mourning,
forty-five !
UNDER THE ROSE!
That is, privately, or secretty. The rose was, it is said, sacred
to Harpocrates, the god of silence, and therefore frequently placed
on the ceilings of rooms destined for the receiving of guests ;
and implying that whatever was transacted there should not be
made public. When any one was desirous that his words should
be confined to the breasts of those present, he prefaced his com-
munications by the words, " Remember, we are under the Rose."
Old German houses have a rose sculptured on the ceilings of
banqueting-rooms.
TO SLEEP ON IT !
" To sleep on it," or, " go to bed and sleep on it," derives its
origin from the following circumstance. A French soldier who,
having lost all his money at play, wished to fight with any of his
companions that would come out. No one accepting the chal-
lenge, he threw himself down by the side of a tent, and went to
sleep. Two or three hours after, it happened that another sol-
dier who had met with the same fortune, was passing by the
tent and heard the other snoring waking him, he cried, " Get
up, comrade, I have lost my money as well as you; quick, draw
your sword, and let us fight!" "Fight? we fight?" cried the
other, rubbing his eyes ; " no, not yet, lay down a bit, and take
a nap as I have done, and then we'll fight as much as you
please."
0, YES ! 0, YES ! 0, YES !
This cry, so well known in our courts of justice, is the old
Norman French oyez!* oyez! oyez! signifying, hear! hear!
hear ! When the French language was discontinued in our
courts of law,t this portion of it remained.
ENGLAND AND ST. GEORGE.
This ancient battle-cry of the English was first used by Henry
II. in Ireland. Nares, in his Glossary, observes, there is also this
injunction to the English in an old art of war : " Item, that all
souldiers entering into battaile, assault, skirmish, or other frac-
tion of armes, shall have for their common crye and word, * St.
* Norman. f See Origin of English language, &c., in courts of law.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIOI. 389
George forward,' or, * Upon them, St. George,' whereby the soul-
dier is much comforted, and the enemie dismaied, by calling to
minde the ancient valour of England, which with that name has
so often been victorious."
Shakspeare so uses it in his " Richard III.;" he makes Richmond
conclude his address to his soldiery with,
" Sound, drums and trumpets, bold and cheerfully,
God and St. George, Richmond and victory."
So also, Richard, after he receives the news of Stanley's defec-
tion, exclaims,
" Advance our standards, set upon our foes !
Our ancient word of courage, fair St. George,
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!
Upon them ! "
MERRY IN THE HALL, WHEN" BEARDS WAG ALL!
Mi\ Brand says, " in Christmas holidays the tables were all
spread from the first to the last; the sirloins of beef, the minced
pies, the plumb porridge, the capons, turkies, geese, and plumb-
puddings, were all brought upon the board ; every one eat
heartily, and was welcome, which gave rise to the proverb,
1 merry in the hall when beards wag all.' "
NINE TAILORS MAKE A MAN !
This saying, we believe, had its origin in the following manner :
In 1742, a.n orphan boy applied for alms at a fashionable tailor's
shop in London, in which nine journeymen were employed. His
interesting appearance opened the hearts of the benevolent gen-
tlemen of the cloth, who immediately contributed nine shillings
for the relief of this little stranger. With this capital our youth-
ful hero purchased fruit, which he retailed at a profit. Time
passes on, and wealth and honour smile upon our young trades-
man, so that, when he set up his carriage, instead of troubling
the Heralds' College for his crest, he painted the above motto on
his carriage, "Nine tailors make a man." Notes and Queries,
vol. vi.
NOT FIT TO HOLD A CANDLE TO KIM !
Candle-bearers preceded candle-sticks, and so did (however
strange it may appear) chandeliers. Candlesticks did not come
into general use until the latter end of the reign of Edward VI.
Prior to that period, candles were held to, borne, or carried
before, by youths expressly for that purpose. It was a situation
which required a tact, independent of a steady hand ; hence there
arose a question as to the candidates' fitness, and out of that the
saying, " Not fit to hold a candle to him."
390 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
SEND HIM TO COVENTRY !
The phrase of " sending to Coventry ! " is by some said to have
originated in the fact, that if a soldier was found to be a coward,
he was sent to Coventry as being a central town of England, and
a place where he was least likely to be exposed to the terrors of
an unfriendly army. Hutton, in his History of Birmingham, gives
a different origin to this expression, which he says arose as fol-
lows : The day after Charles I. left Birmingham, on his march
from Shrewsbury in 1642, the Parliamentary party seized his
carriages, containing the royal plate and furniture, which they
conveyed for security to Warwick Castle. They apprehended all
messengers and suspected persons, and frequently attacked small
parties of the Royalists, whom they sent prisoners to Coventry.
Hence the expression respecting a refractory person, " Send him
to Coventry." Notes and Queries, vol. vi.
IT'S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NO ONE GOOD !
Antiquaries generally agree, that this phrase has a Cor-
nish origin. The coast of Cornwall is, perhaps, the most
disastrous to the mariner of any, and what makes it still more
lamentable, the Cornish people (not even excepting the more
intelligent classes) look upon the plunder of a wreck as a birth-
right. If the wind blows hard, thousands are immediately on
the look-out, impatient for their prey, and if any one makes the
common-place remark, of " It's boisterous weather, neighbour,"
or, " It's a boisterous morning ; " the very general reply is, " It's an
ill wind that blows Cornwall no luck!" and from hence arose the
common saying, " It's an ill wind that blows no one good."
WE'LL NOT CARRY COALS !
This saying, so common in the northern counties, takes its origin
from the following anecdote : " Three soldiers in the 15th cen-
tury, a German, a Scot, and an Englishman, being condemned to
be hanged in the Low Countries for plunder, their lives were
begged the " benefit of clergy" * in that part of the world by
persons who had occasion for their services. A brickmaker
saved the German's life, that he might help him in his business ;
and the culprit thanked his stars. The Scot was taken by a
brewer; and he only covenanted that he should not be compelled
to make small beer. "When the Englishman's turn came, a collier
appeared to demand him, dressed in the costume of the mine
grim, black, and sooty: the Briton looking at him for a time,
coolly observed, that he had not been used to carry coals, and
that the law had better take its course ! hence came the saying,
* See benefit of Clergy.
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 391
" We'll not carry coals," half-proverbially used by Shakspeare,
and others, to signify the utterer would not put up with indignity.
NE SUTOR ULTRA CREPIDAM.
" Ne sutor ultra crepidam," owes its origin to this practice of
Apelles. A shoemaker having found fault with a slipper, Apelles
corrected the fault, which the shoemaker observing the next time
he saw the picture, proceeded to remark upon the leg ; when
Apelles, springing from behind the canvass, desired him in wrath
"to stick to his last."
THOSE WHO HAVE GLASS HOUSES SHOULD BE CAREFUL HOW THEY
THROW STONES.
A great many of our phrases and sayings take their data from
the reign of our James I., and some of them originated from that
sapient monarch himself: this is one of them. On that monarch's
accession to the English throne, London swarmed with Scotch
adventurers, who were continually hovering about the court, and
very generally succeeded (maugre the obstacles that were op-
posed to them by the English courtiers) in gaining the monarch's
favour, as well as employ. This gave great umbrage to the cheva-
liers of the court, and particular^ to the gay and sprightly Buck-
ingham himself, the principal favourite of the king. His mansion,
which was in St. Martin's Fields, was famed for its multiplicity
of windows, and was denominated by the wags of the day the
Glass House. Buckingham, with others of his fraternity, took
every opportunity of annoying, in the most mischievous manner,
the poor Scotchmen ; indeed, it was not confined to the court :
they were considered intruders, consequently fair game. Mis-
siles were even resorted to ; among the rest, was a tin tube of a
portable size, through which the assailants could propel with
their mouths a small pebble or stone ; it was somewhat similar
to what the boys of the present day call a Pea-shooter. Buck-
ingham not only winked at this annoyance, but with others of
his grade adopted it ; whether from want of dexterity or other-
wise, it is not said, but the persecuted Caledonians found him
out, and by the way of retribution broke his windows! The
favourite complained to his royal master, but the wary Scot had
been beforehand with him, and on stating his complaint, the
monarch replied, "Those who -live in glass-houses, Steenie,*
should be careful how they throw stones." Hence originated the
common saying, " Those who have glass-houses should be careful
how they throw stones."
HUMBUG!
The derivation of this word, now in such common use, is not
generally known ; but it is of Scotch origin. There was in former
* A familiar name by which he invariably addressed Buckingham.
392 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
years residing in the neighbourhood of the Mearns, in Scotland,
a gentleman of landed property, whose name was Hume or
Home ; and his estate was known as the Bogue. From the great
falsehoods that " Hume of the Bogue " was in the habit of relat-
ing about himself, his family, and every thing connected with
him, it soon became customary, when persons heard any thing
that was remarkably extravagant or absurd, to say, " That is a
Hume o' the Bogue." The expression spread like wildfire over
the whole country ; and by those who did not understand the
origin of the phrase, and applied it only to any extravagant
action or saying, contracted it into one word, and corrupted it
to Humbug."
We must define humbug. It is not naked untruth. A draper's
assistant, who tells a lady that a dress will wash when it will
not, does not humbug her,.he merely cheats her. But, if he per-
suades her to buy a good-for-nothing muslin, by telling her that
he has sold such another to a duchess, he humbugs her, whether
he speaks truly or not, He imposes an inference in favour of his
commodity, through her large vanity upon her small mind.
Humbug thus consists in making people deceive themselves, by
supplying them with premises, true or false, from which by rea-
son of their ignorance, weakness, or prejudice, they draw wrong
conclusion.
TO PAY A SHIP'S SIDE.
From pix, pitch, distorted into poix, and pronounced pay ;
hence the expression, " Here's the devil to pay, and no pitch
hot!"
WHEN ROGUES FALL OUT, HONEST MEN COME BY THEIR OWN !
This saying originated with the great Sir Matthew Hale. A
plaintiff and a defendant, who previous to assuming those charac-
ters had rowed in the same boat, had a matter at issue tried be-
fore that upright judge ; when it came out in evidence that the
property they were contending for, had originally come into their
possession by unjust means, and that the real owner had been
ruined by their joint concurrence. It was then Sir Matthew
made use of the saying, " When rogues fall out, honest men come
by their own." The trial was quashed, and the right owner was
put in possession of his property.
THE BITER'S BIT!
This saying originated from Bishop Tonstall, in the reign of
Henry VIII., who was far fonder of burning books than men,
having employed an agent on the continent, where the bishop
was travelling, to buy up the works of Tindal the sectarist. This
agent was secretly a Tindalist, and communicated the circum-
THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM. 393
stance to Tindal himself, who was at that period residing at
Geneva. Tindal was highly pleased at the circumstance, for he
had long been desirous of printing a corrected edition, but his
poverty prevented him : he had also a quantity of the first edition
by him. which he had now an opportunity of turning into cash.
The agent was very industrious, and furnished the bishop with
an immense quantity ; the latter was highly pleased, paid the
money, and had the books burnt in Cheapside. Tindal brought
out his second edition, sent his agents to London, where he
had many secret followers, and consequently sold many of his
books. One of these agents was detected, and taken before the
chancellor, who promised him a pardon on condition of his giving
up the principal in the transaction. The man agreed, and named
Bishop Tonstall! that in consequence of the latter having bought
up all that he could lay his hands on of the first edition, they
had been able to distribute a second; and which they could not
possibly have effected without the assistance of the bishop.
" I'faith," exclaimed the chancellor, turning round to some of the
council, " I must confess the biter's bit. 1 " The man was pardoned,
and the saying has continued to this day.
A BIRD IN HAND'S WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH !
This originated from the following circumstance : Will Somers,
the celebrated jester to Henry VIII., happening to call at my
Lord Surrey's, whom he had often, by a well-timed jest, saved
from the displeasure of his royal master, and who consequently
was always glad to see him, was on this occasion ushered into the
aviary, where he found my lord amusing himself with his birds.
Will, happening to admire the plumage of a kingfisher " By my
Lady," said Surrey, " my prince of wits, I will give it you." Will
skipped about with delight, and swore by the great Harry he was
a most noble gentleman. Away went Will with his kingfisher,
telling all his acquaintance whom he met, that his friend Sur-
rey had just presented him with it. Now it so happened that my
Lord Northampton, who had seen this bird the day previous, just
arrived at my Lord Surrey's as Will Somers had left, with the in-
tention of asking it of Surrey for a present to his (Northamp-
ton's) mistress. Great was his chagrin 011 finding the bird gone.
Surrey, however, consoled him with saying, that " He knew
Somers would restore it him, on he (Surrey) promising him two
another day." Away went a messenger to the prince of wits,
whom he found in raptures with his bird, and to whom he deli-
vered his lord's message. Great was Will's surprise, but he was
not to be bamboozled by even the monarch himself. " Sirrah,"
says he, " tell your master that I am obliged for his liberal offer
of two for one; but that I prefer one bird in the hand to two
in the bush ! " Hence originated this much repeated saying.
394 THE ETYMOLOGICAL COMPENDIUM.
THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING IS IN THE EATING!
That James I. was a pedant is well known to all literary
men ; but that he also professed a knowledge of the culinary art,
may have been thought unworthy of a page in history. Buck-
ingham, his favourite, was not only a regular bon vivant, but
availed himself of his royal master's penchant as one of the means
of securing that favour which he ultimately enjoyed. It hap-
pened one day, when dining with Buckingham, that a discussion
on the merits of various viands took place, some of the most costly
and delicious then being before them; one of which was par-
ticularly recommended by Buckingham to his Majesty as being
superior to any other. "It may be so, Steenie,"* replied the
king, "but the prufe of a gude thing is in the eating ou't, so here's
at it ! "
THROWING A TUB TO THE WHALE.
The Greenland vessels, and indeed the South Sea vessels, are
sometimes (especially after stormy weather) so surrounded with
whales, that the situation o'f the crew becomes dangerous. When
this is the case, it is usual to throw out a tub in order to divert
their attention ; when the marine monsters amuse themselves in
tossing this singular sort of a plaything into the air, to and fro,
as children do a shuttlecock. Their attention being drawn, every
sail is hoisted, and the vessel pursues its course to its destination.
Hence came the saying, " Throwing a Tub to the Whale ! "
THE LAWYERS' PATRON!
Saint Evona, a lawyer of Britain, went to Home to entreat the
Pope to give the lawyers a patron; the Pope replied, that he
knew of no Saint not disposed of to some other profession. His
Holiness proposed, however, to Saint Evona, that he should go
round the church of St. John de Lateran blindfold, and after saying
a certain number of ave-marias, the first saint he laid his hand
on should be his patron. This the good old lawyer undertook,
and at the end of his ave-marias stopped at the altar of St. Mi-
chael, where he laid hold, not of the Saint, but unfortunately of
the Devil, under the Saint's feet, crying out, " This is our Saint,
let him be our patron!" Ben Jonson was once going through a
churchyard in Surrey, and seeing some poor people weeping
over a grave, asked one of the women why they wept. " Oh,"
said she, " we have lost our precious lawyer, Justice Randall ; he
kept us all in peace, and always was so good, as to keep us from
going to law; the best man that ever lived." "Well," said Ben
Jonson, " I 
