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
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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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QUERIES, NO. 36. ***

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NOTES AND QUERIES:
A MEDIUM OF INTER-COMMUNICATION FOR LITERARY MEN,
ARTISTS, ANTIQUARIES, GENEALOGISTS, ETC.
* * * * *

"When found, make a note of."--CAPTAIN CUTTLE.
* * * * *
No. 36.] SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1850. [Price Threepence. Stamped
Edition 4d.
* * * * *{81}
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

* * * * *
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