2°* S. IX. Jan. 14. '60.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



25 



BAZELS OF BAIZE. 



In Malcolm's Londinium Redivivum, vol. ii. p. 

 147., an extract is given from a MS. of John 

 Stowe, which states that "Seven Bazels of Baize 

 had been sent into Christ's Hospital, and that as 

 many more would have been sent, but for the 

 late interruption of Joscelyn Briznan, and his 

 unlawful supporters of Castle Baynard Ward." 

 This was in July, 1585. This Joscelyn Briznan 

 was a retailer of ale, called at that date "a 

 Tipler," and the Baize which he was required to 

 send to Christ's Hospital, was exacted from him 

 as a fine for trespasses which he had committed 

 in following- that business. 



Bayse-maker. — In Chambers's Journal, Oct. 

 16, 1858, p. 258., in an enumeration of copper 

 tokens (the Harringtons alluded to " N. & Q.," 

 2 nd S. viii. 497.), there is mention of a token 

 issued by a Bayse-maker. Neither the issuer's 

 name, nor the place where it was issued, is men- 

 tioned. 



Bayze or bayes, see Skinner's Etymologicon 

 Lingua Anglicance, where the following explana- 

 tion is given of these words : — 



" To play or run at Bayze. Vox omnibus nota, quibus 

 fanum Botolphi seu Bostonium agri Lincolniensis Empo- 

 rium, notum est, aliis paucis. Sic autem iis dicitur Cer- 

 tamen seu 'Aydv, Currendi pro certa mercede, pramio vel 

 Bpa/3ei'<ji- Credo a, nom Bayes, Laurus, quia fortasse olim 

 victor Serto Laureo, consuetissimo victorias insigni, fait 

 redimitus." 



I have given the entire paragraph from Skin- 

 ner, literatim et punctuatim, capitals, &c, and have 

 done "so, not because I have any doubt that the 

 entire paragraph does not allude to the old Eng- 

 lish game of Prisoner's Base or Prison Bars, as 

 described by Strutt at p. 78. of his Sports and 

 Pastimes; but because I wish to be informed, 

 through the medium of your pages, what particu- 

 lar interest the town of Boston had with this game, 

 as intimated by Mr. Skinner ; he was a Lincoln- 

 shire man, and most probably had some reason for 

 what he has said. Nares gives Base, Prison Base, or 

 Prison Bars, and shows that it was used by Mar- 

 low, Shakspeare, Chapman, and others. Halliwell 

 has Bayze, Prisoner's Base, and gives Skinner as 

 his authority. Bailey says, "to play or run at 

 Bays, an exercise used at Boston in Lincolnshire." 

 I am very anxious to know Skinner's and Bailey's 

 authority for this ascription. 



I cannot make any satisfactory solution of the 

 Bazels of Baize quoted by Malcolm from John 

 Stowe's MS., unless the former has made an error 

 in copying from the MS., and that the expression 

 ought to read Bavins of Baize or Basse. Bavin 

 is the old name for a small fagot of brushwood or 

 other light material ; see Bailey, Nares, &c. ; and 

 dried rushes are called basse or bass in the northern 

 counties of England. See Cowell and other au- 

 thorities on the subject. These bavins of baize or 



basse might be useful at Christ's Church to strew 

 the floors with when rushes were used for that 

 purpose ; but how the providing them became a 

 suitable penalty to be paid by the law-breaking 

 " Tipler " I am quite unable to discover. I ask 

 the readers and correspondents of " N. & Q." to 

 assist me. 



The Bayse-maker who issued the copper token 

 alluded to by Chambers, was probably a manufac- 

 turer of the coarse woollen cloth with a long nap, 

 still known as baise, and formerly known as baize, 

 bays, or bayze. Bailey says " Baize, coarse cloth 

 or frieze of Baia, a city of Naples ; or of Colches- 

 ter, &c, in England." 



If I be right in my conjectures, the word baize 

 and its variations bayse and bayze, as given by 

 Malcolm, Chambers, and Skinner, meant respec- 

 tively — dried rushes, coarse woollen- cloth, and 

 the game of Prison Base. I shall be glad to re- 

 ceive either corroboration or correction of my 

 conjectures. Pishet Thompson. 



Stoke Newington. 



A Question in Logic. — A great many per- 

 sons think that without any systematic study it is 

 in their power to see at once all the relations of 

 propositions to one another. With some persons 

 this is nearer the truth than with others : with 

 some it is all but the truth ; that is, as to all such 

 relations as frequently occur. I propose a case 

 which does not frequently occur ; and I shall be 

 curious to see whether you receive more than one 

 answer : for I am satisfied, by private trial, that 

 you will not receive many. 



When two assertions are made, either one of 

 them follows from the other, or the two are con- 

 tradictions, or each is indifferent to the other. 



Now take the three following assertions : — 



1. A master of a parent is a superior. 



2. A servant of an inferior is not a parent. 



3. An inferior of a child is not a master. 



It is to be understood that absolute equality be- 

 tween two persons is supposed impossible : so that, 

 any two persons being named, one of them is the 

 superior of the other. First, is either of these 

 three propositions a consequence of another ? Is 

 either a contradiction of another ? Are any two of 

 them indifferent ? Secondly, to those who have 

 made a study of logic, What theorem settles the 

 relation or want of relation of these three propo- 

 sitions ? Where has that theorem been virtually 

 applied in a common logical process ? I am not 

 aware that it has ever been stated. 



Should any correspondent prefer it, he may re- 

 quest you to forward his answer to me, as not to 

 be published unless it be correct. 



A. De Moegan. 



Quotation Wanted. — I shall be obliged if 

 either you, or any of your readers, will inform me 



