An hundred lordes had he with him there.

In the Bible an seems to be always used before h. See Psalm cxlvii., "He hath no pleasure in the strength of an horse." Shakspeare, unless he has been altered by his editors, generally used a before h. I do not suppose, however, that he has been altered for I know that Middleton, in 'The Witch,' wrote "a hog." Sometimes Shakspeare has

an:

No, not so much perdition as an hair. Afterwards he has "not a hair perished." Milton writes:

With up-right wing against a higher foe. Dryden has used both a and an :— 'Tis dangerous to disturb an hornet's nest. 'The Cock and the Fox.'

an

Swift, in one of his letters, which I quote from an edition published in his lifetime, writes, "I have learnt this by living like a hermit." In another of his letters he writes, "I wish there were an hospital built." But he has "a Hollander." Addison, in the fifteenth number of the Spectator, has " hat buttoned with a diamond." He has also an human body," but, on the other hand, "a hero." I find that Steele writes an haggard," an hero." It is certain that in the old editions of the Spectator-and my examples are quoted from the second editionan is almost always found before words beginning with an h. E. YARDLEY.

The innocent cause of this discussion was Dr. Thomas Marshall, to whom the University of Oxford is indebted for many valuable books. According to Wood's 'Fasti Oxonienses' he became B.D. 1 July, 1661, D.D. 28 June, 1669, and was 66 a great critic in the Gothic and Saxon languages." In "The Antient and Present State of the City of Oxford, the whole chiefly collected by Mr. Anthony à Wood; with additions by the Rev. Sir J. Peshall, Bart." (London, 1773), and on p. 4 of the appendix on monumental inscriptions, it is stated that his epitaph in All Saints' Church, Oxford, was "on the East Wall a black Marble Tablet, Gold Letters." The epitaph at present is in colourless letters, incised on a slab of grey stone, inlaid on the pavement of the choir or chancel of the said church, to the west of, contiguous to, and in a line with the south side of the one-stepped platform on which the Holy

P.M.S.

D. THOME MARSHALL

S.T.D. QUEM

IN AGRO LEICESTR. BARKBEYA GENUIT, OXONIUM EDUCAVIT,

EX PASTORE MERCAT. DORDRECT.

LINCOLNIENSE COLLEGIUM
PRIMO SOCIUM

DEINDE RECTOREM FECIT.
GLOUCESTRIÆ DECANUS IMPIGER,
CONCIONIBUS POTENS ET CREBER,
PIETATE INSIGNIS,

DOCTRINA SUMMUS,

LINGUAR. OR. ET OCCI. AQUILA PERSPICAX ÆGYPTIÆ PHOENIX UNICUS,

EX MUSEO INSTRUCTISSIMO ACADEMIE LIBROS IN B. P. DESIDERATOS, COLLEGIO RELIQUOS ET PECUNIAS AMPLAS LEGAVIT

SUI DEPOSITUM HEIC RELIQUIT
XVIII APRILIS MDCLXXXV.

Did this epitaph, or a duplicate, once stand on the east wall? E. S. DODGSON.

GREEN AN UNLUCKY COLOUR (9th S. viii. 121, 192; ix. 234, 490; x. 32, 133, 353).—This seems to have done duty as a revolutionary colour, though at one time the distinctive colour of Ireland. In Rokeby' Sir Walter the shamrock in a little poem, "The Cypress Scott has the following beautiful allusion to

Wreath':

Green is, however, the colour of the ribbon of the Scottish Order of the Thistle, and sky-blue is the colour of the Order of St. Patrick, founded in 1783; but the trefoil slipped on the badge of the latter is green (vert) in colour. There was a fine portrait by William Owen at Aldenham Abbey, Herts, of the Hon. William Stuart, Archbishop of Armagh, father of the owner. He was depicted in his episcopal habit, and wearing the sky - blue ribbon over it (as prelate of the Order of St. Patrick), from which depended the shamrock badge. Mr. Stuart possessed many valuable relics and heirlooms, amongst them a fragment of the

found in the Gentleman's Magazine for February, 1754 (vol. xxiv. pp. 74, 174-5, and 525). There is also an illustration of the instrument. J. HOLDEN MACMICHAEL.

"POPPLE" (9th S. x. 208, 294, 370, 495).This word is often used by boat-sailers-at all events on the Kent and Sussex coasts-to describe a short, quick sea. Mr. Angier, in his Dictionary of Sea Terms' (1898), calls it "slang," by which I suppose him to mean that it is a modern importation or invention of the Corinthian" yachtsman. It seems at home, however, in the mouth of the native coaster. Another good old word, with a somewhat similar meaning, and also common in shoal waters, is "brabble." This is generally applied to the quarrelling of two tide streams, popple" to a somewhat greater disturbance due to wind.

66

HAMMOND HALL.

ST. KATHERINE'S HOSPITAL, REGENT'S PARK (9th S. x. 428, 491).-The first stone of St. Katharine's Docks was laid on 28 May, 1826. They were opened on 25 October, 1828, after the demolition of 1,250 houses and the Hospital of St. Katharine, founded by Matilda, wife of King Stephen, in 1148. The total cost was 1,700,000l.

The following pamphlets were published during the year 1824, all of which may be consulted in the Guildhall Library :

A reply to the authorized defence of the St. Katherine's Dock project.

Considerations on the project of forming a dock

at St. Katherine's.

Letter from an inhabitant of St. Katharine's, addressed to Mr. John Hall, secretary to the proposed St. Katherine's Dock: with observations on a pamphlet, intituled, A plain statement of facts. Letter to the Earls of Liverpool and Eldon against the proposed docks in St. Katherine's precinct.

The inexpediency and impolicy of granting legislative sanction to the St. Catherine's Dock Bill: respectfully submitted to the consideration of members of both houses of Parliament.

EVERARD HOME COLEMAN.

71, Brecknock Road.

Although perhaps not quite what your correspondent requires, I would inform him that I have a copy of a book entitled 'The Royal Hospital and Collegiate Church of St. Katharine, near the Tower, in its Relation to the East of London,' by Frederic Simcox Lea, M.A., rector of Tedstone Delamere, late Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford, with preface by the Lord Bishop of London, the Duke of Westminster, and others; published by Longmans, Green & Co., 1878. Of course, it is probable that MR. ABRAHAMS knows of this work; but if not, and he would like to see it, it is at his service. I would add that

there are many matters of much usefulness
in it.
W. E. HARLAND-OXLEY.
C2, The Almshouses, Rochester Row, S. W.
See Account of the Royal Hospital and
Collegiate Church of St. Katherine,' by J. G.
Nichols, F.S.A., 1824, 4to; and Gent. Mag.,
February, 1826.
J. HOLDEN MACMICHAEL.

"TO THE NINES (9th S. x. 387, 456).—At the latter reference PROF. SKEAT says this phrase was admirably explained by Mr. C. P. G. Scott as "up to the eyne" ten years ago. I put it forward twenty years ago in my 'Folk-Etymology,' p. 257, as a conjecture, dressed up to the neyen" (eyes), with the quotation from Burns, and another from Charles Reade, "polished to the nine." But I am not so sure as PROF. SKEAT that it is right. A. SMYTHE Palmer.

66

S. Woodford.

OGLANDER FAMILY (9th S. x. 447).—The earliest seal I have with arms shows a stork on a shield without other charges. This seal is attached to a deed without date, but from the names of the witnesses it must have been about the time of King John or Henry III. On a gold ring of the time of Queen Elizabeth three cross-crosslets fitchée are added to the stork; and on the original exemplification I have at Nunwell, by Camden, temp. James I., the arms are Az., a stork between three crosscrosslets fitchée or. These arms were conI have no record here, that I am aware of, firmed to me in 1894 without any difference. showing any connexion of the Oglanders of Nunwell with East Dulwich.

JOHN H. OGLANDER. Nunwell, Brading, Isle of Wight.

It was surely unnecessary to ask this question in N. & Q.' Reference to Burke's The Oglander baronetcy became extinct comArmory' would have answered it at once. paratively lately. The last baronet bore for his arms Azure, a stork between three crosscrosslets fitchée or; crest, a bear's head couped or, the mouth embrued gu.

JAMES ROBERTS BROWN.

CROOKED USAGE, CHELSEA (9th S. x. 147, 253, 417, 474).-There is, strange to say, a "Crooked Billet" in Wimbledon, at the southwest corner of the common, close to the King's College School ground.

JOHN A. RANDOLPH.

German as follows: "Weh, dass du mir die Wildgänse verscheucht und die Enten samt der Rohrdommel." Antvogelos is a Latinized form of Antvogel, which is still used in the South German dialects; horotumblum is from the O.H.G. horotumbil, hortúbil, M.H.G. rôrtrumel, rôrtumel, N.H.G. Rohrdommel.

CHARLES BUNDY WILSON.

State University of Iowa.

SWEEZING OR SQUEEZING WATCH (9th S. x. 467).-The_word sweeze or sweezing is not in Bailey's 'Dictionary,' second edition, 1736, nor in Johnson's, fifth edition, 1784, but it is in all probability a mere phonetic spelling of a softened pronunciation of the word squeeze. The 'N.E.D.' has not reached squeeze yet, but Bailey defines it as "to press closely together," and Johnson, among other definitions, mentions "to press downwards, as of printing presses." I think there can be no doubt that MR. HILTON PRICE'S conjecture is correct, and that the phrase is a popular designation for a repeater-the sweezing or squeezing process consisting in the pressing downwards of the knob to produce the "repeat."

H. J. DUKINFIELD ASTLEY.

This question and the same quotation from the British Apollo, 1708, appeared in 4th S. ii. 276, and from the two replies (p. 335) there can be no doubt that a repeating watch was known as a squeezing watch at the above date, from the fact of its being made to strike by compressing the side of the watch. Pope, in his 'Rape of the Lock,' has :Thrice rung the bell, the slipper knock'd the ground, And the press'd watch return'd a silver sound. EVERARD HOME COLEMAN.

71, Brecknock Road.

:

MIXED MARRIAGES (9th S. x. 447).-The arrangement referred to has never had the sanction of the Catholic Church, which permits a marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic solely on the solemn promise of the latter that any children of the union shall be brought up as Catholics. Such formal undertakings are sometimes ignored, with the result of forming a compromise like that which your correspondent has described. Very curious developments have ensued in cases within my own knowledge. In one instance the sons, brought up in the religion of their father, who was a Protestant, eventually became Catholics; while the daughters, baptized in the religion of the mother, left the Church in after years. In another case that I know of, where it was arranged that the sons should "belong" (as they say) to the Protestant father, and the girls to their Catholic mother, several daughters were

born in succession. The father, who was very desirous of male issue, then promised that he would forego the stipulation as to his sons. The next child was a son, and several more followed without another daughter. The father afterwards became a Catholic himself. I could tell a yet more strange and equally true story, but the facts lie too near home for publication. JOHN HOBSON MATTHEWS.

Town Hall, Cardiff.

THE AUTHOR AND AVENGER OF EVIL (9th S. ix. 22, 229 ; x. 35).—The term "Old Scratch," as applied to the author of evil, may be found in a now forgotten book, published in 1822, Tales of a Traveller,' by Washington Irving, and the story is entitled 'The Devil and Tom Walker.' It is stated that Mr. Murray gave 1,500l. for the book, so great was the prestige of the author. The story is much the same, though sixty years have elapsed since its perusal, as that recorded by your correspondent at the last reference; but I think that after a long and severe struggle the wife is worsted, and shortly afterwards the husband, coming to the scene, and seeing indications of the conflict strewn around, observes, "Egad! Old Scratch must have had a tough time of it."

JOHN PICKFORD, M.A.

"FURLONG" (9th S. x. 428).-In this neighbourhood, where small holdings are the rule, a furlong is a division of land, of variable size, in the unenclosed fields which surround the town. Sometimes-generally, I might say-there are meres or "balks" between the different furlongs, but not always. They are subdivided into strips or sections, which in each furlong run all in one direction, though in contiguous furlongs they often run different ways, according to the "lie" of the land. furlong" Hence, I suppose, the name (= "furrow-long") as applied to these divisions. In the Isle of Axholme the name is never given to an enclosed field; but I remember such a field in my native parish 66 eight in South Notts that was known as (or ten) acre furlong." This would probably be a survival from the time before the land was enclosed, which may also be the case with the fields near Brackley, if, as I underC. C. B. stand, they are enclosed.

Epworth.

Halliwell, in his 'Dictionary of Provincial Words,' explains furlong to mean the line of direction of ploughed lands, also a division of an unenclosed cornfield. Dr. Ash, in his dictionary published in 1775, says it is a cast of ridges or land in a field. N. & Q.' 5th S,

Possibly the following definition of the word, taken from Miss Baker's 'Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases,' will sufficiently answer AGRICOLA's question:"Furlong.-An indefinite number of lands, or leys, running parallel to each other-if arable, lands; if pasture, leys: when applied to new inclosures, it is only the continuation, by custom or courtesy, of the old open-field term. Sometimes it signifies an indefinite portion of a field, as 'up the uvver furlong,' i.e., up on the high part of the field."

The meaning of "furlong" as given by Wright is "The line of direction of ploughed lands; a division of an unenclosed cornfield." JOHN T. PAGE.

West Haddon, Northamptonshire.

"TO EAT CHERRIES WITH PRINCES" (9th S. x. 428, 470).—Information on the origin of this expression may be found in Borchardt's' Die sprichwörtlichen Redensarten im deutschen Volksmunde nach Sinn und Ursprung erläutert,' fourth edition by Wustmann, pp. 269, 270 (Leipzig, F. A. Brockhaus, 1894). The figurative meaning seems to be that princes and those in authority make their inferiors the butt of their arrogance and ill humour. Borchardt quotes from Tunnicius the following in Low German, "Mit heren ist quât kersen eten," with the Latin hexameter, "Difficile est multum cerasis cum principe vesci," and from Neander this variant, "Mandere cum dominis suadeo non cerasa servos." From an anonymous collection of proverbs we have "Bruntz nit gegen die Sonnen," with the explanation, "Leg dich an keynen gewaltigen." In his collection of proverbs Franck unites the warning against the sun and cherry-eating: "Contra solem ne loquitor. Red nicht wieder die Sonne. Es ist gut groszer herrn müssig gehn, aber boesz mit jn kirszen zu essen, sie werffen die stil am kopf.' Luther, in a translation of some fables of Esop, quotes, in connexion with the fable about the hunt of the goat, lamb, lion, &c., the substance of the proverb about eating cherries with princes.

In the quotation from Bürger's 'Der Raub graf' made by MR. DORMER there are two errors, evidently misprints: after " an at the end of line 4 there should be a semicolon instead of a period, and in line "Einen" should read "Einem."

CHARLES BUNDY WILSON.

State University of Iowa.

5

of London.

KNIGHTLEY CHARLETON (9th S. x. 189, 231, 317). Your correspondents at the two lastmentioned references agree in stating that Thomas Knightley, alias Charleton, of Apley Castle, Shropshire, married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Adam Francis, son of Adam Francis, There appears, however, some Sir doubt as to the correctness of this. Thomas Charleton, the husband of Elizabeth of the Charleton family long settled in MidFrancis (or Fraunceys), belonged to a branch dlesex. Weever, in his Antient Funeral Monuments,' gives the following inscription, which he found in Edmonton Church :

"Hic jacent corpora Thome Carleton quondam domini istius ville qui obiit 21 Feb. 1447. et Elisabethe uxoris ejus filie Ade Francis militis per quam habuit dominium."

Weever does not mention any arms, but Norden states that the Charleton tomb in the old parish church of Edmonton bore upon it the family arms, viz., a chevron between three swans for Charlton, and per bend sinister, a lion rampant, for Francis.

This Sir Thomas Charleton was son and heir of Thomas Charleton, of Old Ford, in Monken Hadley, co. Middlesex, by Alice, daughter and heiress of John Cornwall (} de Cornhull), of Willesden, and widow of Henry Frowick (d. 1385/6), of South Mimms, in the same county. His ancestor John de Charleton (living 1324) was a citizen and mercer of London, and in 1348 had a grant of the manor of Ickenham, co. Middlesex, for life, with remainder to Nicholas Shordiche and Juetta (daughter of John de Charleton) his wife. In 1350 Boniface Lapyn released to John de Charleton all right in those lands in the parish of Ickenham lately belonging to Robert Swalclyve and Joan his wife. This manor of Swalcliffe (now called Swakeleys) continued in the Charleton family for over 130 years.

A few notes on the Fraunceys-Charleton descent will perhaps interest your readers. Adam Fraunceys, citizen and mercer of London, was Lord Mayor in the years 1352 and 1353. He purchased the manor of Edelmeton (Edmonton), co Middlesex, in 1370, from William, fourth Lord Say. By his will, dated 26 August, 1374, provision was made for the erection and maintenance of two chantries in St. Helen's Church, Bishopsgate, in one of which he desired to be buried. These chantries were discovered and restored in 1874 (Cox's 'Annals of St. Helen's,' p. 27). By Agnes his wife he left issue at his death in 1375 a son Adam and a daughter Matilda. Matilda was thrice married-(1) to John Aubrey (d. 1380/1), of Shenley, co. Herts, son