2->'i S. No 82., July 25. '57.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



63 



Latin is Lord in English, and in French Sire, 

 whereby you cause me to observe that unto this 

 day Knights be commonly called S"" F. E. or S' 

 F. T." Thereupon the speech between them 

 brake, for it seemed the other two had more mat- 

 ter of earnest to confer upon. The Youth bade 

 them farewell, and told the Lawyer he had forgot 

 his Books, but he would bring them the next day 

 with thanks. Having little to do when he came 

 home, he fell to turn over the Book of the Statutes 

 in the time of King Henry 8th, and, by mere 

 chance, light upon a Statute concerning Apparel 

 in the first year of his reign, Capt. 14. ; and being 

 desirous to know what Apparel he himself might 

 wear, he found there prohibited, amongst other 

 things, that no man under the degree of a Knight, 

 except Spiritual Men and Serjeants at the Law, 

 should use any more Cloth in a long Gown than 

 four broad yards. " Oh," saith he, " that I had 

 the Lawyer here! I would put him down con- 

 cerning his Serjeant. I understand English as 

 well as the best of them." He turned further, 

 and found the like Law word for word in effect, 

 a°7H. 3., Ca. 7. "What," quoth he, "if the 

 Serjeant had been wrong in the first Statute to 

 be put under the degree of a Knight, could he 

 not right himself in the next ? I am verily per- 

 suaded there was no question in those days but 

 that the degree of a Serjeant was under the de- 

 gree of a Knight." So he left it till the next day, 

 when he carried home the Book. 



" I thank you for your book, Sir," quoth he ; 

 " in faith I have found here matter enough to 

 persuade your Serjeants to content them with 

 their due place, for 1 have heard the most of them 

 to be grave and modest men." " What is that ? " 

 quoth the Lawyer. So he shewed him the two 

 Statutes : when he had read them he paused 

 awhile, and then with a good courage to the task, 

 quoth he, " you are never a whit the nearer : both 

 these Statutes be repealed." " Repealed," quoth 

 the Youth, and with a second breath, " what 

 though," quttth he, " I am sure I may nevertheless 

 truly collect out of them what the opinion of the 

 whole Parliament was then concerning thfe dif- 

 ference of their degrees." " Well, well," saith 

 the Lawyer, " there is a late Statute ; we will see 

 how that Statute runneth." So he turned to the 

 Statute of 24 H. 8. cap. 15., and read it over. 

 " Hey," said the Student, " here is no such 

 matter." " Marry, no mervaile," saith the other, 

 " for that Clause of long Gowns wherein this dif- 

 ference is set out, is wholly left out, but is there 

 anything contrary to this in the former?" "I 

 tell you truly, as little skill as I have I note one 

 thing in it more than I knew before concerning 

 the solemn state of a Knight ; it is here generally 

 prohibited, that no man unless he be a Knight 

 shall wear any Collar of S.S. ; indeed I have seen 

 very few at this day but the Judges that be 



Knights use them." "You are very earnest in 

 your father's behalf," saith the Lawyer. " Hey, 

 but for the truth," quoth the other ; " but one 

 thing more I would fain see and 1 have done : you 

 told me of an Authority that this word Serjeant 

 was Nomen dignitatis, let me see the place if you 

 be a good fellow." So he took down his Brooke's 

 Abridgment, and showed him the place where 

 Brooke saith " dicitur alibi quod seruiens ad legem 

 est nomen dignitatis." " Alibi," saith the young 

 gentleman, " where is that Alibi ? Have you read 

 it in any other Book of your Law ? " " Indeed," 

 saith the other, " I do not remember it." '* Well," 

 quoth the other, " I doubt your book is misprinted, 

 for alibi it should be nullibi." "You are very 

 pleasant," quoth the Lawyer. " Nay," quoth he, 

 " I have done. I love Lawyers well, and hope to 

 be a Serjeant myself if I could once get through 

 my Littleton, and I tell you true, in the Book of 

 Heraldry that be published, Serjeants be ranked 

 but amongst Squires. Farewell now my good 

 Lawyer, and I may chance to have a turn or two 

 about with an Herald in this matter, as well as I 

 have had with you, if I may light of a man of 

 judgment and skill in their profession, as I hear 

 say some of them are at this time, and I will take 

 a time to look over the Ancient Chronicle and 

 History of our Nation what they report of Knight- 

 hood, for I hope to find there recorded that Kings 

 have honored their eldest sons and your greatest 

 men, whom you call Peers, et magnates regni, with 

 the order of Knighthood, as a great grace unto 

 them. Adleu." 



TH]^ LIVERY COMPANIES OF LONDON. 



To all who entertain an intelligent curiosity to 

 know how merry old England founded and built 

 up her commercial constitution and prosperity, 

 the history of our municipal corporations will af- 

 ford the most direct and credible information. 

 In the annals and records of the various worship- 

 ful Companies may also be found much that is 

 curious and interesting illustrative of the progress 

 of society, its manners, commerce, and domestic 

 arts. It is true we have some few particulars of 

 what old Chaucer calls each "solempne and grete 

 fraternyte" in the pages of Stow, Strype, and 

 Maitland ; but it was Mr. J. B. Heath who, in 

 1829, first set the example of printing in a sepa- 

 rate form The History of the Grocers Com.pany, 

 and the biographies of its most distinguished 

 members. Then followed Mr. Herbert's labo- 

 rious and valuable work, The History of the 

 Tvjelve Great Livery Companies, 1834-7. The 

 subjoined list will farther exhibit at a glance 

 what has since been attempted towards investi- 

 gating the peculiar history of each Company ; and 

 which it is hoped will lead others connected with 



