Oct. 7. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



295 



rent was payable. Reversions of three days, or 

 of a single day, are for these reasons commonly 

 reserved on the grant of derivative terras ; but 

 out of terms of 100 or 1000 years, the last year 

 was, and commonly is, retained. 



Careless and ignorant practitioners followed 

 these forms of demise in cases where the reason 

 for them did not exist, until terms of 99 and 999 

 years grew into a custom, confirmed by that ready 

 adoption which anything mystic in connexion 

 with law is sure to receive from many members 

 of the profession itself, and from almost everybody 

 out of it. 



Again, restraints upon the demise of lands be- 

 longing to corporations or ecclesiastical persons 

 for^long terms, such as 100 years, to the impo- 

 verishment of their successors, naturally esta- 

 blished terms just v/ithin the prohibited periods, 

 and terms of 99 years accordingly acquired the 

 sanction of ordinary usage, and even of parlia- 

 mentary adoption. H. Bakber. 



The Fashion of Brittany (Vol. x., p. 146.). — 

 In reply to the Query of Uneda, I beg to state 

 that the son or daughter of my father's or mother's 

 uncle or aunt, is by courtesy my uncle or aunt, 

 " a la mode de Bretagne ; " and they are invariably 

 so styled in Brittany. It seems natural for a child 

 to look upon the son of his father's uncle as his 

 own uncle. This may be the origin of the 

 custom. T. L. Mamsell. 



Guernsey. 



" Thee " and " thou " (Vol. x., p. 61.). — With- 

 out differing from Ma. Breen as to the gram- 

 matical proprieties of either of these words, it is 

 yet to be observed that whenever a phrase is used 

 as illustrative of the vernacular language of any 

 portion of society, it must be identical with what 

 the parties so intended to be illustrated actually 

 employ. It is probable that Southey wrote under 

 this view ; for it is a fact that in this country 

 (America) at least, the members of the Society of 

 Friends habitually and almost universally employ 

 the word " thee" as if it Avere a nominative case ; 

 and this not only in parlance but in writing. The 

 exceptions to this habit can hardly date back 

 farther than twenty years; though within my 

 own observation during that period, they appear 

 to be rather on the increase. I. H. A. 



Baltimore, U. S. 



I would suggest to Mr. Breen that Thorpe and 

 Southey use words differing in meaning as well as 

 form. Thorpe, by "thouing" a man, meant to 

 indicate the familiar address in the second person 

 singular, indicative of an unrestrained intimacy. 

 Southey, by " theeing his neighbours," meant the 

 adoption of the ungrammatical phraseology which 

 has either grown up among the Quakers, or been 

 handed down by them from their not over-refined 



or well-educated leader. " Thee knows thee does " 

 is a mode of speech quite different from " Thou 

 knowest that thou dost." The latter would be 

 indicated by " i^oMing." The former requires 

 something to distinguish It, and that is sufficiently 

 done by Southey's expressive word. W. 



That the former of these is the more correct 

 phrase, we have the authority of Shakspeare : 



" If tliou thouest him some thrice, it shall not be amiss." 

 Twelfth Night, Act III. Sc. 2. 



In French is a word exactly corresponding : tutot/er. 



" II tut07/e en parlant ceux de plus haut etage, 

 Et le nom de Monsieur est pour lui hors d'usage." 



(In speaking he thoiis and thee's men of the highest 

 rank, and the name of Sir is with him out of use.) 



C.H.(1) 



Marriage Custom (Vol. x., p. 180.). — In reply 

 to A Constant Reader, I beg to inform him that 

 it is still customary at Hope Church, in Derby- 

 shire, on the publication of banns, as well as at 

 the solemnisation of marriage, for the cleric to call 

 out aloud " God speed you well ! " and which he 

 invariably pronounces in broad Derbyshire patois, 

 " God speed you weel!" John Algob. 



Eldon Street, Sheffield- 



Elstob Family (Vol. ill., p. 497. ; Vol. ix., 

 pp. 200. 553. ; Vol. x., p. 17.). — Your corre- 

 spondents Avho inquire for particulars of the 

 Elstob family are referred to the — 



" Eepriuts of Rare Tracts, and Imprints of Ancient 

 Manuscripts, &c., chiefly illustrative of the History of the 

 Northern Counties, and printed at the Press of M. A. Ri- 

 chardson, Newcastle, 1847." 



One tract is a " Memoir of William and Eliza- 

 beth Elstob, the learned Saxonists," and contains 

 considerable information relating to various mem- 

 bers of the family, and a few references where 

 probably additional information may be obtained. 

 Another tract, " Scholfe Novocastrensis Alumni," 

 contains a very brief memoir of William Elstob. 



Cervus. 



NOTES ON BOOKS, ETC. 



We have received from Messrs. Williams & Norgate 

 a volume of considerable interest, for which we are in- 

 debted to the editorial skill of Professor Von der Hagen, 

 who has already done so much for early German literature. 

 It is entitled Ludwig dcs Frommen Kreuzfahrt. Heldenge- 

 dicht der Belagcrung von Akon am. ende des 12ten Jalirhun- 

 dcrts. It is pi-inted from the only known MS. ; and the 

 Professor speaks of it, and justly, as well deserving atten- 

 tion for its rhythmical peculiarities, its general contents, 

 and its connexion with the other romances of the Crusade 

 cycle. On these subjects, Professor Von der Hagen's In- 

 troduction contains much curious and interesting mat- 

 ter, and the volume altogether must be regarded as a 



