June 18. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



603 



times (at least in a decent class of society, and re- 

 cognised by legal sanction) to justify the lively 

 French dramatists in seizing upon it as a trait of 

 modern English manners. A transaction, however, 

 came before the public eye a month or two ago, 

 which, should you think the following record of it 

 worth preservation as a " curiosity of legal expe- 

 rience," may lead your readers to a different con- 

 clusion : 



" A young man, named W, C. Capas, was charged at 

 the Public Office, Birmingham, Jan. 31, 1853, with 

 assaulting his wife. The latter, in giving her evidence, 

 stated that her husband was not living with her, but 

 was ' leased ' to another female. Upon inquiry by 

 the magistrate into this novel species of contract, the 

 document itself was produced in court, and read. It 

 ran as follows: 



" ' Memorandum of agreement made and entered 

 into this second day of October, in the year of our Lord 

 1852, between William Charles Capas, of Charles- 

 Henry Street, in the borough of Birmingham, in the 

 county of Warwick, carpenter, of the one part, and 

 Emily Hickson, of Hurst Street, Birmingham afore- 

 said, spinster, of the other part. Whereas the said 

 William Charles Capas and Emily Hickson have 

 mutually agreed with each other to live and reside 

 together, and to mutually assist in supporting and 

 maintaining each other during the remainder of their 

 lives, and also to sign the agreement hereinafter con- 

 tained to that effect : now, therefore, it is hereby 

 mutually agreed upon, by and between the said William 

 Charles Capas and Emily Hickson, that they the said, 

 &c., shall live and reside together during the remainder 

 of their lives, and that they shall mutually exert them- 

 selves by work and labour, and by following all their 

 business pursuits, to the best of their abilities, skill, and 

 understanding, and by advising and assisting each other, 

 for their mutual benefit and advantage, and also to 

 provide for themselves and each other the best supports 

 and comforts of life which their means and income may 

 afford. And for the true and faithful performance of 

 this agreement, each of the said parties bindeth himself 

 and herself unto the other finally by this agreement, as 

 witness the hands of the said parties, this day and year 

 first above written." 



Here follow the signatures of the consenting 

 parties. The girl Hickson was examined, and ad- 

 mitted that she had signed the document at the 

 office of a Mr. Campbell, the lawyer (!) who pre- 

 pared it, and that his charge for drawing up the 

 same was, she believed, 1/. 15,9. The latter pro- 

 mised her, at the same time, that if the wife of 

 Capas gave her any annoyance he would put in 

 that paper as evidence. The magistrates, consider- 

 ing the assault proved, fined Capas 2*. 6f/., and 

 " commented in very strong terms on the docu- 

 ment which had that day been brought before 

 them." (See Birmingham Journal, Jan. 5th, 1853.) 

 Has a similar transaction come before the notice of 

 your correspondents ? 



I may add that we are informed by the Bir- 

 mingham Argus for March, 1834, that in that 



month a man led his wife by a halter to Smithfield 

 Market in that town, and there publicly offered 

 her for sale. William Bates. 



Birmingham. 



ENOUGH. 



(Vol. vii., p. 455.) 



This word, when written or pronounced enow, 

 is regarded as a plural, and relates to number. In 

 this sense it is employed in Northampton and other 

 Midland counties, and is found in old writers. If 

 the word was always pronounced enow, it must be 

 long since. The distinction above hinted at pre- 

 vailed in Waller's time, and he conforms to it in 

 the examples quoted. Butler, in Hiulibras, has 

 both : 



" This b'ing professed we hope's enough. 

 And now go on where we left oT." 



Part i. canto 2. 44. 



Again, line 1 153. of the same canto : 



" For though the body may creep through, 

 The hands in grate are fast enough ; " 



an apparent exception, but not really such. (See 

 also canto 3. 117. 285., where it rhymes with 

 " off," as also line 809. At line 739. it is written 

 enow, and rhymes with " blow.") 

 And again, 873. : 



" My loss of honour's great enough. 

 Thou needst not brand it with a scoff." 



Other examples may be quoted from the same 

 author. 



In a song, written upon the Restoration of 

 Charles II., we have the following : 



" Were not contented, but grew rough. 

 As though they had not won enough." 



Loyal Anns, vol. i. p. 244. 



In the Lamentable Tragedy of Cambises, written 

 early in the reign of Elizabeth, the word occurs : 



" Gogs sides, knaves, seeing to fight ye be so rough. 

 Defend yourselves, for I will give ye bothe inough." 



In Lusty Jziventus, a Morality, temp. Edward VI., 

 is the following : 



" Call them Papistes, hipocrites, and joyning of the 

 plough ; 

 Face out the matter, and then good ynough." 



Here certainly the distinction disappears, as in 

 the next and last example from Candlemas Day, 

 " Ao. Do. 1512," where Joseph is speaking: 



" Take hym in your armys, Mary, I you pray, 

 And of your swete mylke let him sowke inowe, 

 Mawger Herowd and his grett fray : 

 And as your spouse, Mary,^! shall go with you." 



It would seem, therefore, that this word has had 

 its present pronunciation about three centuries. 



