Notes and Queries, Number 30, May 25, 1850 | Page 7

the true cross, duly labelled. The acquisition of this treasure was of course ascribed to the immediate interposition of God. And as about the same period the head of St. George was discovered at Rome, through the intervention of Pope Zachary, it was conjectured that this pontiff had given the wonder-working relic to some venerable men from _Britain_, a country described as being "always on the most intimate footing (_maximè familiares_) with the Apostolic See;" and that, these being wrecked on their voyage home, or through some other adventure, the said treasure was providentially driven ashore at Coriovallum.

Chapter XV
. gives us an account of GERVOLDUS, who ruled this abbey eighteen years, dying A.D. 806. He had been ambassador from Charlemagne to Offa, King of Mercia. The son of Charlemagne demanded the daughter of Offa in marriage, who refused his consent, unless his own son should receive the hand of Bertha, the daughter of the French king. Charles, in consequence, inhibited the subjects of Offa from trading on the French coast. This inhibition was, however, withdrawn through the mediation of the Abbot Gervoldus, who seems to have been in great favour with Charles.
I need hardly say, that throughout the chronicle there is a tolerable sprinkling of the marvellous. {487} I give you the following as a warning to all dishonest bell-founders.
The pious builder of a church being desirous, according to custom, of putting a bell in the turret, engaged a skillful craftsman to carry into effect his design. This man, "at the instigation of the devil," stole some of the metal with which he had been furnished for the work; and the bell was, in consequence, mis-shapen and of small size. It was, however, placed in the turret; but, as a divine punishment for his crime, whenever the bell was struck, the dishonest founder was thereupon seized with frenzy, uttering strange words and barking like a dog!
GASTROS.
* * * * *
ORIGIN OF THE WORD "NEWS."
I have great respect for "Mr. SAMUEL HICKSON," but I cannot treat his derivation of the word "News" with any respect (No. 27. p. 428.). I wish "Mr. HICKSON" had been a little more modest in his manner of propounding his novelty. Can any thing be more dogmatic than his assertions? which I will recapitulate as much as possible in his own words, before I proceed to deal with them.
1. "I have never had the least doubt that this word is derived immediately from the German."
2. "It is, in fact, 'das Neue' in the genitive case;" and "Mr. H." proceeds to mention the German phrase, "Was giebt's Neues?" as giving the exact sense of our "What is the news?" [which cannot be gainsaid; but I shall have a word to say presently about neues in that phrase being the genitive case.]
3. "That the word is not derived from the English adjective 'new,'--that it is not of English manufacture at all--I feel well assured."
4. "In that case '_s_' would be the sign of the plural; and we should have, as the Germans have, either extant or obsolete, also 'the new.'" [I do not see the sequitur.]
5 "'News' is a noun singular, and as such must have been adopted bodily into the language."
Such are "Mr. HICKSON's" principal assertions: and when I add, that he has found out that the German "neu" was in olden time spelt "new," so that the genitive, "newes," was identical with the old form of the English word "news;" and that he explains the transformation of a genitive case of a German adjective into an English substantive by English ignorance, which he further thinks is exemplified by the Koran having been called "the Alkoran," in ignorance of "_Al_" meaning "the," I have given not only all of his assertions, but also the whole of his argument.
I now proceed to assert on my part that the word "news" is not "derived immediately from the German," and "has not been adopted bodily into our language;" that the English "new" and German "neu" have, however, of course the same origin, their common root being widely spread in other languages, as [Greek: neos], Gr.; _norus_, Lat.; _neuf_, Fr., &c.; that "news" is a noun of plural form and plural meaning, like _goods_, _riches_, &c.; that its peculiar and frequent use is quite sufficient to account for its having come to be used as a singular noun ("riches," by the way, may be prefixed sometimes to a singular verb, as "riches is a cause of corruption"); that Mr. HICKSON might as well say that "goods" is derived immediately from "gutes," the genitive of "gut;" and "riches" from "reiches," the genitive of "reich:" and also that if "_s_" in "goods," and "_es_" in "riches" are signs of the plural, "we should have, as the Germans have, either extant or obsolete," the