344 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 105. 



be interesting. If it is an error, it certainly should 

 not go uncorrected in " Noties and Queries." 



NOCAB. 



Harley Street. 



248. A Sept of Hibernians. — Is sppt a word of 

 Erse etymology ; and, if not, of what other ? Has 

 it a specific sense ; or is it a general equivalent to 

 clan7i or treuhh ? A. N. 



249. Yankee Doodle. — Can any of your correspon- 

 dents explain the origin of this song, or state in what 

 book a correct version of it can be found ? Like- 

 wise, whether the tune is of older date than the 

 song. To some these may apjiear trite questions ; 

 but I can assure you that 1 have been unable to 

 obtain the information I require elsewhere, and 

 my applications ibr the song at several music 

 shops, when I was last in London, were unsuc- 

 cessful. Sampson "Walker. 



Cambridge. 



250. Seventeenth of November : Custom. — When 

 at school at Cin-ist's Hospital, many years ago, a 

 curious custom prevailed on the 17th November 

 respecting which I had not then sufficient curiosity 

 to inquire. 



Two or more boys would take one against whom 

 they had any spite or grudge, and having lifted 

 him by the arms and legs would bump him on the 

 hard stones of the cloisters. 



I have often, since I left the school, wondered 

 what could be the origin of this practi(;e, and more 

 especially as the day was recognised as having 

 some connexion with Queen Elizabeth. 



In reading " Sir Roger de Goveiley" with notes 

 by Willis, j)ubli.<hed in the Travellers Library, I 

 find at p. 134. what I consider a fair explanation. 

 A full account is there given of the manner in 

 ■which the citizens of London intended to cele- 

 brate, in 17H, the anniversary of Queen Eliza- 

 beth's accession on 17th November; some parts 

 of which would almost seem to have been copied 

 during the excitement against the papal bull in 

 November 18.50. 



I have little doubt that originally tlie unfortu- 

 nate boy who had to endure the rude bumping by 

 his schoolfellows was intended to represent the 

 pope or one of his emissaries, and tliat those who 

 inflicted the punishment were Looked upon as 

 good Protestants. 



Is there any other school where this day is 

 celebrated ; and if so, what particular custom 

 prevails there ? 



The boys always attended morning service at 

 Christ Church on this day. F. B. Relton. 



231. Chatter-box. — The derivation of this word 

 would scum very plain, and yet I have some 

 doubts about it. I used to think that we called a 

 person a "chatter-box" because he or she was, 

 metaphorically speaking, a box lull of chatter, as 



we slioidd -call another person a bag-of -bones . 

 And this seemed confirmed by the CJerman 

 plaudertasche, or a chatier-bng, till I learnt from 

 Wackernagel, Glossar, that in the Middle High 

 German Tasche-=:a icoman. (See under "Flatter- 

 tasche.") I believe we meet with the word again 

 in the einthet 3Iaultasche applied to the celebrated 

 Margaret Maultasche, the wife of Louis the Elder ; 

 i.e. Margaret, the woman with the large mouth. 

 The word also occurs in the Danish Taske=:a girl, 

 a wench. Hence, I conclude that there is no 

 doubt but that the German plaudertasche means a 

 chattering woman. Has our chatter-box the same 

 meaning — i. e. is there a word for u'oman or 

 female in any of our ancient languages from 

 which box might arise ? The only word which 

 occurs to me just now as confirming such a sup- 

 position is Z)?<.ro?ra ("to be bonere and bu.xom, in 

 bedde ami at borde." Ancient Matrimony Ser- 

 vice), which is thus-=womaidy. J. M. (4) 

 St. Mary Tavy, Tavistock. 



252. Printing in 1449, and Shahspeare. — As the 

 Esil controversy seems now, if not settled, to be at 

 least lulled, at the risk of stirring up another Shak- 

 spearean discussion, I venture to set down a passage 

 in the Second Part of Henry VI., which I have 

 never yet seen satisfactorily explained. It is — 



" Act IV. Scene 7. — Cade. . . . Thou hast most 

 traitorously corru])ted the youtli of the realm, in erect- 

 ing a grammar-school : nnd whereas, before, our fore- 

 fathers liad no other books but the score and the tally, 

 t/iou hast caused printing to be used ; and contrary to the 

 king, his crown and dignity, thou hast built a paper- 

 mill." 



Is this a mere wilful anachronism on Shak- 

 speare's part ; or had "that misunderstood politi- 

 cian " Mr. John Cade any ground lor this particular 

 accusation against the Lord Treasurer Say ? Per- 

 haps some of your correspondents who have con- 

 tributed the very interesting Notes on Caxton and 

 Printing will elucidate the matter. AV. Frasee. 



253. Texts before Sermons. — What is the origin 

 of, and the authority for our present use of te.\ts 

 of Holy Scriptvire before sermons ? In the Ro- 

 man Catholic church the custom, I believe, is not 

 the same. The homilies used in the Church of 

 England have no texts. In the ancient Postils, 

 was the gospel for the day again read from the 

 pulpit, or were the hearers supposed to carry it in 

 then- minds? It is quite clear that texts are now 

 in most cases merely the pegs whereon tlie sermon 

 is hung, so to speak, and are not read as passages 

 of Holy Scrijiture to be expounded to an audience 

 ignorant of the meaning of the sacred volume. 

 Perhaps this Query may draw forth some remarks 

 on the subject. ' G. R. M. 



254. Paradyse, Hell, Purgatory. — Can any of 

 your correspondents firvour me with the history 

 and uses of three Chambers or Houses in W^est- 



