April 26. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



331 



" Rieheliche he doth him sehrede 

 In ipon-neowe knighlis weode." 



L. 4054-5. 



And Weber, in Ills Glossary (^or rather, Mr. Douce, for 

 the '• D '■ appended to the note sliows it to have pro- 

 ceeded from that accomplished antiquary), explains it, 

 " Spnn-neowe, span-new, newly spun. Tliis is pro- 

 bably the true explanation of spick and span new. Ihre 

 renders sping-spang, jylane nocus, in voce fick fack." 

 The learned Jamicson. in his Dictionary, s. v. Split-new 

 (which corresponds to the German Splitter neii, i. e. as 

 new as a splinter or chip from the block), shows, at 

 greater length than we can quote, that split and span 

 equally denote a splinter or chip ; and in his Supple- 

 ment, s. V. Spang-new, after pointing out the connexion 

 between spinga (assula) and spaitngha (lamina), shows 

 that, if this be the original, the allusion must be to 

 metal newly wrought, that has, as it were, the gloss 

 from the fire on it : in short, that the epithet is the 

 same as one equally familiar to us, i. e. Jire-new, Germ. 

 Kier-neu. AVe will bring this note to a close by a re- 

 ference to Sewell's Dutch Dictionary, where Spikspelder 

 nieiiw is rendered " Spick and span new."] 



Theory of the Earth's Form. — Have any objec- 

 tions to the received theory of the earth's spherical 

 form, or any revival of the old " plane " doctrine, 

 been recently noticed and controverted by scientific 

 men of known standing ? Bruno. 



[The old theory has been advanced, and even lectured 

 on, within these two years ; but no notice has been 

 taken of it by scientific men.] 



Carolus Laioson. — Who teas " Carolus Law- 

 son," of whom I have a good print, engraved 

 by Heath. He is called " Scholaa Mancuniensis 

 Arcliidiilascalus," 1797. " Pietas aluninorum." 

 is inscribed underneath, and on the back is writ- 

 ten, probably by some grateful pupil — 



" Cari propinqui, cari liberi, carl parentes, sed 

 omnes omnium caritates Archldidascalus noster com- 

 prehendit." — Cicero (verbis quibusdara mutatis). 



Nemo. 



[Mr. Charles Lawson was educated at Corpus 

 Christ! College, Oxford, and was presented by the 

 president. Dr. Randolph, in 1749, to the place of 

 Second Master of Manchester Grammar School ; upon 

 the death of i\Ir. Purncll, in ITG-t, he succeeded him 

 as Head Master. The colleges of St. John, in Cam- 

 bridge, and of Brazenose, in Oxford, can bear witness 

 to the success with wliicli he laboured for more than 

 half a century in his profession, having received from 

 the Manchester school, whilst under his direction, a 

 very considerable number of well-grounded classical 

 scholars. lie died at Manchester on Ainil 19, 1807, 

 aged seventy-nine. Some further particulars respect- 

 ing liim may be found iu the Gentleman's Magazine, 

 vol. Ixxvii. part i, p. 58;5.] 



UAYBAJiDS IN SEALS. 



(Vol. iii., pp. 186. 248. 291.) 



1 am sorry that in referring to a peculiarity in 

 ancient seals under this title, Mk. Lower should 

 have pinned to his notice a theory which I feel 

 persuaded is quite untenable. It is surely some- 

 thing new to those who have directed their atten- 

 tion to the numerous devices upon seals to find 

 that the husbandman had so low an opinion of his 

 own social status ns to reject the use of any emblem- 

 atical sign upon his seal, when Thomas the smith, 

 Roger the carpenter, and William the farrier, bore 

 the elements of their respective crafts as proudly 

 as the knight did his chevron or fess. But tlie 

 question is one of facts. The following examples 

 of the use of tlic " hayband" arc now before me : — 



6 June, 7 Henry IV". Grant by John Dursley, 

 citizen and armorer of London, to William Ser- 

 jaunt Taverner, of Stanes, and another, of a mes- 

 suage, &c. in Westminster. Seal of dark red 

 wa.x, about 1§ inch in diameter; a hay-stalk 

 twisted and pressed into the wax while hot, in- 

 closing a space as large as a shilling, in which is a 

 poor impression of a badly engraved seal ; the 

 whole very clumsy and rough. 



26 November, 24 Heni-y VI. Grant by INIaurlce 

 Brune, Knight, Robert Darcy, John Doreward, 

 Henry Clovill, Esquire, John Grene, and Henry 

 Stampe, to Richard Hill and others, of lands, &c., 

 in SprinQeld, &c.. In Essex. Each seal is round 

 and thick, and has the impression of a small ar- 

 morial bearing. The 1st, 2ud, and 5lh seals have 

 a small plaited coil of hay pressed into the wax, 

 and inclosing the Impression. 



26 Henry VI. Receipt by Jam Grene for lOl. 

 paid her by the Earl of Ormond. Seal of dimi- 

 nutive size, and the impression nearly defaced. 

 Round the e.\:treme edge is a " diminutive hay- 

 band." 



2 January, 34 Ileni-y VI. Grant by Thomas 

 Tiidenham, Knight, John Leventhorp, Esquire, 

 and Thomas Radclyff, of the reversion of the 

 manor of Newhall to John Neell and others. All 

 the seals, which are large and thick and more than 

 two inches In diameter, have the impression of a 

 signet ring inclosed with a "hayband" of parch- 

 ment pressed Into them. One of these coils being 

 loose shows Itself to be a thin strip of the label 

 itself brought through tlie wa.x. 



10 February, 14 Edward IV. Lease by Sir 

 Thomas Urswyk, Knight, Chief Baron of the Ex- 

 chequer, and Thomas Lovell, to John IMorton and 

 others, of the manor of Newhall, Essex, and other 

 lands, &c. The seal of Lovell has his armorial 

 bearings and legend; that of the Lord Chief Baron 

 Is the impression of a signet ring, being a classical 

 bust. The seal itself is a thick ball of wax about 



