38
NOTES AND QUERIES. IP* s. XIL JULY n, was.
thing that strikes us is that the part was printed a
week or two too early to include the word radium,
the latest important introduction into the language.
So much is it likely to be used that we regret it is not
in its place, though an encyclopaedia is, of course,
the proper work in which to look for it. Very
interesting is the history of the letter r itself, which
in England is generally untrilled. The connexion of
r with the months during which oysters are in
season is dwelt upon, and some particulars are
supplied as to the manner in which, in words such
as dtrk and sergeant, the sound of er became ar. This
is commonest in proper names, such as Berkeley,
Hervey, Derby, &c., but Parson is really 2 )erson
(persona). The three R's reading, writing, and
arithmetic are also the subject of comment.
Kal)bit used expletively, " Rabbit it, is held to be
probably a fanciful alteration of rat in od 'ra^ = drat
it. Under rabble, rabblement, &c., nothing is said
concerning rdble, the broad back of a peasant, so
we suppose there is no connexion between the
words. /tore=running, rush of water, &c., is of
obscure etymology. In the case of many monosyl-
labic words in general use similar uncertainty as to
origin prevails. It is curious to find early forms of
racoon in rahaugcurns, raugroiiffhcums, arathconc,
rarowcnn, &c. A quotation from Motteux's Rabe-
lais gives raddlt '/ f uddled, which is said to be of
obscure origin. Might it have the sense of raddled,
coarsely coloured ? Drink has sometimes this effect.
Kayc is held to be kindred with rabbia. l\aid, a
hostile and predatory incursion, an armed foray, is
said to owe its revival to Scott. Hail., a woman's
garment, furnishes opportunity for valuable com-
ment. Kail, to use abusive language, is said to be
of uncertain origin. Hail-way is h'rst used in 1776'.
Jtalcf=si man of loose habits, is an abridgment of
rakehell, also written rakfl ; rakeshame is an uncom-
mon form introduced 1599 and sanctioned by Whit-
tier. Ramble is said to be of obscure formation, and
is compared with rumble. Kampageous is not met
with until 1822. Rank in its various senses repays
close study. Under ranxom consult the proverbial
phrase "a king's ransom," r.. 7., "A peck of March
dust is worth a king's ransom." Under such deriva-
tives from rant as rantipo/e, ran(tr,&c., much curious
information is given. The Primitive Methodists
were called Ranters so early as 1823. 7frryy = a small
coin "not worth e rap" is another word of
obscure origin, and rascal yet another. The vary-
ing meanings of the latter word are of great
interest. Before Milton's rat In- primrose we have,
in ' England's Helicon,' " the rathe and timely
primrose." In 1813 Scott, in ' Rokeby,' also speaks
of rathe, primrose. Lowell applies rathe to the
anemone.
Memorial* of Old Northamptonshire. Edited by
Alice Dryden. (Bemrose & Sons.) Miss DRYDEN, in this valuable addition to the history of Northamptonshire, does not seek to encroach upon the provinces of the county history or guide-book ; she has included her father's notes, which have hitherto only been accessible to a limited number in the pages of the Architectural Societies' reports. These have been cut down so as to bring them to a level of more general interest without impairing their value. The contents are by several writers. Miss Dryden's contributions include ' Northamptonshire Villages,' and she claims that the term " undiscovered " would almost apply to the county, "so little is known of its beauties
and associations by the general public. A good
many know it as the home of the Pytchley, famous
amongst packs in a famous fox-hunting district;
the student of architecture may know it as the
setting of some of his fairest gems ; but it is quite
unusual to put Northamptonshire as a happy hunt-
ing-ground for lovers of pretty scenery and good
buildings, having historical associations to ennoble
and sanctify them both." Pleasant as the scenery
is, "the buildings of the past, both ecclesiastical
and domestic, are the glory of the county. North-
amptonshire has been specially fortunate in pro-
ducing everything requisite for building, and having
always been rich, its inhabitants have left behind
them such grand legacies to posterity as Peter-
borough Cathedral, the monumental work of the
Fenland monks; Burghley House, built by the
great Cecil ; Kirby Hall, now, alas ! in ruins, a
palace of Sir Christopher Hatton ; Rushton Hall,
the home of Sir Thomas Tresham " ; and many
others included by Miss Dryden. Norden, one
of its earliest historians, said the county contained
" more spires and more squires than any other
county." One has said of it " more mires " ; another,
" more haughtiness and less hospitality " ; and
another, "springs and spinsters." Norden has also
written, " No Shire within this Realme can answere
the like number of Noblemen." The numerous
villages contain well-built stone houses, many of
them being of the seventeenth and latter part of
the sixteenth centuries. Of the market crosses, an
interesting one is in the centre of Brigstock, a well-
preserved structure of Renaissance design. It has
engraved on two sides of its head the royal arms,
and on the other two "E.R., 1586," marking the
date of its erection. On the shaft, in commemora-
tion of our other queens, is cut "A.R., 1705," and
"V.R., 1887." At Helpston there is a " charming
cross of fourteenth-century work," a solid octagon
on circular steps, with pilasters and crocketed
gables. The shaft is a tapering octagonal monolith.
Astrop, at the southern end of the county, seems,
through the discovery of the virtues of a mineral
spring, to have been at one time a fashionable
resort, and to have attracted so many visitors that
assemblies for cards and balls were rife Some
curious old lines, published in 1786, on the abolition
of the Goose Feast there, would show that the
wells were then out of date :
Where were ye, cacklers of the Wells, Ye brilliant beaus and lovely belles ?
Astrop, once esteemed so clever, Now sinks for ever and for ever. Miss Dryden also writes on 'The Northampton- shire Homes of George Washington's Ancestors ' 4 Ihe Royal Forests,' ' Sir Christopher Hatton and his Homes,' and ' Queen Eleanor's Crosses,' North- amptonshire possessing two of the original (of which there are now but three remaining), one at Geddmgton and the other at Northampton. Of these illustrations are given. Mr. M. Jourdain contributes ' The History of Northampton Town,'
Ihe Gunpowder Plot,' 'feir Thomas Tresham and his Symbolic Buildings,' and 'Fotheringhay and }m, Me , mor } e8 -' r The subjects of other papers are
The Castle of Tichmarsh,' by the late Sir H. Dryden ; The Monumental Effigies,' by Mr. Albert Hartshorne ; The Northamptonshire Militia in the Reigns of King Henry VIII. and Queen Elizabeth,' by Sir H. Dryden ; Fawsley,' by the Lady Knight-
