Dec. 3. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



551 



land. It is just possible, though not very pro- 

 bable, that this somewhat foreign word was mis- 

 read, and gave rise to a blundering corruption con- 

 veying ludicrous ideas, the " turpenomen" alluded 

 to by the Archbishop of York tempore Ric. II. 

 The conjectural derivation of the word from 

 Anglo-Saxon words was not my own, but that of 

 a subsequent correspondent. It is just one of 

 those conjectures which, like that of " Mazari- 

 nieus," may be quite as likely to be false as true. 

 I could suggest twenty that would be quite as 

 likely ; such as bier-fullowei-s (attenders on fu- 

 nerals, as did the clerks and inferior clergy in ca- 

 thedrals), orburi/felloivs (query, burying fellows), 

 or beer fellows (like the bearers in Dean Aldrich's 

 famous catch), or belly fillers, Sec, or lastly, some 

 corruption of Beverly itself, Barefellows is as 

 likely as any. Still I cannot think that these 

 functionaries were low or contemptible. Their 

 position corresponded to a very honourable status 

 in cathedral churches. John Jebb. 



Harmony of the Four Gospels (Vol. viii., 

 pp. 316. 415.). — I am greatly obliged to Mr. 

 Haudwick, Mr. Buckton, and J. M. for their 

 valuable and satisfactory replies to my Query. 

 To the list of those Harmonies published since the 

 Reformation, may be added that of John Hind, 

 1632, under the title of 



" The Storie of Stories, or the Life of Christ, ac- 

 cording to the foure holy Evangelists : with a harraonie 

 of them, and a table of their chapters and verses, col- 

 lected by Johan Hind. London, printed by Miles 

 Flesher, 1632." 



It is dedicated to the " Lady Anne Twisden," with 

 ■whom, and her son the learned Sir Roger Twisden, 

 this John Hind, " a German gentleman of Meck- 

 lenburgh, a most religious honest knowing man, 

 lived above thirty years," &c. 



Surely Doddridge's Family Expositor should be 

 added to the list. Z. 1. 



Picts'' Houses and Argils (Vol. viii., p. 264.). — 

 Malte-Brun, in his Univei'sal Geography, English 

 translation, vol. vi. p. 387., has a passage in his 

 description of Russia which applies to this matter. 

 The steppes of Nogay lie immediately to the 

 north of the peninsula of the Crimea, both being 

 included in the Russian government of Taurida, 

 and both countries were formerly inhabited by 

 the Cimbri or Cimmerians. Malte-Brun says : 



•' The colonists are in many places ill provided with 

 timber for building; they live under the ground, and 

 the hillocks, which are so cominon in the country, and 

 which served in ancient times for graves or monuments 

 of the dead, are now converted into houses, the vaults 

 are changed into roofs, and beneath them are subter- 

 ranean excavations. Kurgan is the Tartar name for 

 those tumuli ; they are scattered throughout New 

 Russia; they were raised at different times by the 



different people who ruled over that region. The 

 Kurgans are not all of the same kind; some are not 

 unlike the rude works of the early Hungarians, others 

 are formed of large and thin stones, like the Scandi- 

 navian tombs. It is to be regretted that the different 

 articles contained in them have been only of late years 

 examined with care." 



This does not establish the identity of the Argil 

 and Kurgan, but I think it shows more particular 

 information is likely to be met with on the sub- 

 ject, M. Malte-Brun, vol.vi. p. 152., in his de- 

 scription of Turkey, mentions a curious town on 

 the hills of the Strandschea, a little to the west of 

 Constantinople. It is called Indchiguis, and is 

 inhabited by Troglodytes ; its numerous dwellings 

 are cut in solid rocks, stories are formed in the 

 same manner, and many apartments that commu- 

 nicate with each other. W. H. F. 



BoswelVs ^'•Johnson'" (Vol, viii., p. 439.). — 



" Crescit, occulto veUit arbor ajvo, 

 Fama Marcelli : micat inter omnes 

 Julium sidus, velut inter ignes 

 Luna minores." 



Hor. Carm. i. xii. 45 — ■48. 



F. C. has overlooked the point of Boswell's re- 

 mark, viz. that Johuson had been " inattentive to 

 metre." C. Forbes. 



Temple. 



Pronunciation of'''' Humble" (Vol. viii., p.-393.). 

 — I venture once more to trespass on your pages, 

 in the hope of helping to settle the right pronun- 

 ciation of humble. In the controversy respecting 

 it, the derivation of the word should not be over- 

 looked, as it is a most important point ; for I con- 

 sider that the improper use of the h has arisen 

 from people not knowing from whence the word 

 was taken. Now, as I am of opinion that it will 

 go far to prove that the h should be silent in 

 humble, by giving a list of the radical words in the 

 English language in which that letter is silent, 

 and their derivations, I beg to do so : premising 

 that they are derived from the Celtic language, in 

 which the h is not used in the same manner that 

 it is in ether languages : 



Heir, from oigeir, i. e. the young man who suc- 

 ceeds to a property : the word is pronounced air. 



Honest, from oinnicteac, i. e, just, liberal, gene- 

 rous, kind. 



Honour, from onoir, i. e. praise, respect, worship. 



Hour, from uair, pronounced voir, i. e. time 

 present, a period of time, any time. 



Humble, from umal, i. e. lowly, obedient, sub- 

 missive. 



Humour. The derivation of this word is ob- 

 scure, but in the sense of mirth it may be derived 

 from zmim-mir, i. e. loud mirth, gaiety. 



The compounds formed from these words have 

 the h silent ; and every other word beginning with 



