Notes and Queries, Number 36, July 6, 1850

Notes and Queries, Number 36, July 6, 1850

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Notes & Queries, No. 36. Saturday, July 6,
1850, by Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Notes & Queries, No. 36. Saturday, July 6, 1850 A Medium Of Inter-Communication For Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, Etc.
Author: Various
Release Date: September 3, 2004 [EBook #13361]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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NOTES AND QUERIES:
A MEDIUM OF INTER-COMMUNICATION FOR LITERARY MEN, ARTISTS, ANTIQUARIES, GENEALOGISTS, ETC.
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"When found, make a note of."--CAPTAIN CUTTLE.
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No. 36.] SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1850. [Price Threepence. Stamped Edition 4d.
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CONTENTS
NOTES:-- Further Notes on Derivation of the Word "News", by Samuel Hickson 81 More Borrowed Thoughts, by S. W. Singer 82 Strangers in the House of Commons, by C. Ross 83 Folk Lore:--High Spirits considered a Presage of impending Calamity, by C Forbes 84 The Hydro-Incubator, by H. Kersley 84 Etymology of the Word "Parliament" 85 "Incidis in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Charybdim," by C. Forbes and T. H. Friswell 85 A Note of Admiration! 86 The Earl of Norwich and his Son George Lord Goring, by CH. and Lord Braybooke 86
QUERIES:-- James Carkasse's Lucida Intervalla 87 Minor Queries:--Epigrams on the Universities--Lammas'Day--Mother Grey's Apples--Jewish Music--The Plant "Haemony"--Ventriloquism-- Epigram on Statue of French King--Lux fiat-Hiring of Servants-- Book of Homilies--Collar of SS.--Rainbow--Passage in Lucan--William of Wykeham--Richard Baxter's Descendants--Passage in St. Peter-- Juicecups--Derivation of "Yote" or "Yeot"--Pedigree of Greene Family--Family of Love--Sir Gammer Vans 87
REPLIES:-- Punishment of Death by Burning 90 To give a Man Horns, by C. Forbes and J.E.B. Mayor 90 Replies to Minor Queries:--Shipster--Three Dukes--Bishops and their Precedence--Why Moses represented with Horns--Leicester and the reputed Poisoners of his Time--New Edition of Milton--Christian Captives--Borrowed Thoughts--North Sides of Churchyards--Monastery--Churchyards--Epitaphs--Umbrellas-- English Translations of Erasmus--Chantrey's Sleeping Children, & c. 91
MISCELLANIES:-- Separation of the Sexes in Time of Divine Service--Error in Winstanley's Loyal Martyrology--Preaching in Nave only 94
MISCELLANEOUS:-- Notes on Books, Sales, Catalogues, Sales, & c. 95 Books and Odd Volumes Wanted 95 Notices to Correspondents 95 Advertisements 96
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NOTES
FURTHER NOTES ON DERIVATION OF THE WORD "NEWS".
Without being what the Germans would call a _purist_, I cannot deem it an object of secondary importance to defend the principles of the law and constitution of the English language. For the adoption of words we have no rule; and we act just as our convenience or necessity dictates: but in their formation we must strictly conform to the laws we find established. Your correspondents C.B. and A.E.B. (Vol. ii., p. 23.) seem to me strangely to misconceive the real point at issue between us. To a question by the latter, why I should attempt to derive "News" indirectly from a German adjective, I answer, because in its transformation into a German noun declined as an adjective, it gives the form which I contend no English process will give. The rule your correspondents deduce from this, neither of them, it appears, can understand. As I am not certain that their deduction is a correct one, I beg to express it in my own words as follows:--There is no such process known to the English language as the formation of a noun-singular out of an adjective by the addition of "_s_": neither is there any process known by which a noun-plural can be formed from an adjective, without the previous formation of the singular in the same sense; except in such cases as "the rich, the poor, the noble," &c., where the singular form is used in a plural sense. C.B. instances "goods, the shallows, blacks, for mourning, greens." To the first of these I have already referred; "shallow" is unquestionably a noun-singular; and to the remaining instances the following remarks will apply.
As it should be understood that my argument applies solely to the English language, I think I might fairly take exception to a string of instances with which A.E.B. endeavours to refute me from a vocabulary of a language very expressive, no doubt, yet commonly called "slang". The words in question are not English: I never use them myself, nor do I recognise the right or necessity for any one else to do so; and I might, indeed, deem this a sufficient answer. But the fact is that the language in some degree is losing its instincts, and liberties are taken with it now that it would not have allowed in its younger days. Have we not seen participial