362
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. v. MAY 5, im
such a bull. "Welsh hearths and Scottish
byres" is just as good and appropriate as
" Scotch hearths and English stables " ; in
fact, the latter is more appropriate, for by
the law of association our minds promptly
revert to the yeomanry, whereas the Scotch
in general are foot soldiers, and, as far as I
am aware, do not necessarily visit the byre
or cowshed before departing on warlike
expeditions unless to hear the dairymaid
asking in soft accents, "Wull ye no come
back again?" If this is what the line
" implies," we can understand it, certainly ;
but the old blood is sure to rise at such
an imputation, and ST. SWITHIN may be in
danger from weapons more tangible than
"scorn" (not the other weapon referred to
at first). But ST. SWITHIN has a big job
on hand if he has mounted Rosin-ante or
Buey-ante to whitewash Cockney blunders
about Scotland. They are a standing jest
among us from those of the Times down to
the plum-pudding wit and humour of the
sheet called Punch. If an Aberdeen poet
described the English rank and file as
swarming from "stables," the numerous
Cockney penny-a-line war critics would
have something commensurate with their
powers to rave about. P. F. H.
Perth.
CURIOSITIES OF COLLABORATION (9 th S. iv. 475 j v. 214). This kind of piece- writing is not always so successful as MR. HANNIGAN seems to think. I have long been of opinion that 'The World's Desire,' written conjointly by Messrs. Rider Haggard and Andrew Lang, would have been more effective from one pen. Such partnership is invariably nothing better than patchwork. One can generally trace the fine Roman hand of the dominant and the crabbed one of the sleeping partner. This unnatural marriage of styles is altogether undesirable. A passage from Mrs. Oliphant's letter to Wm. Black wood (25 August, 1892) is interesting in this connexion :
"I should like to say my mind about Louis Stevenson's 'Wrecker' and the * Naulakha,' both of which are striking instances of the evils of collabora- tion, and I think would furnish good materials for a little slashing. As I am very fond of the principal authors in both cases, I should not go too far."
Whether the "little slashing" was ever administered the 'Autobiography' of that prolific author sayeth not. It was certainly needed. J. B. McGovERN.
St. Stephen's Rectory, C.-on-M., Manchester.
LISTS OF NORTHERN FIGHTERS AT FLODDEN (9 th S. v. 126, 257). In 'The Battle of Flodden Field,' edited by Charles A. Federer, L.C.P.
(Manchester, Henry Gray, 1884), is a list of
'* Craven Men who fought at Flodden, taken
from the Battle Roll at Bolton Abbey, in
the possession of the Duke of Devonshire."
Probably the list of the followers of the Percy
may be there also. G. H. THOMPSON.
FLEMISH WEAVERS (9 th S. v. 288). The names of many of the early Flemish weavers who came over with John Kemp, temp. Edward III. and later, are given in 'The History of Wool,' by John Smith, LL.B., 1747, a copy of which is in the British Museum (959 c. 19). See also Rymer's 'Fcedera,' torn. iv. p. 496, &c. The names also appear in * Nidaerdale ' (Stock), in a list of Yorkshire trades five centuries ago.
FRED. HITCHIN-KEMP.
Beechfield Road, Catford.
" NIMMET " (9 th S. iv. 438, 506; v. 51). Jamie- son gives " Yimmet, s. A piece, a lunch, several yims of food." But one cannot accept his derivation from A.-S. gemete without question. The form is, however, interesting as providing a second word to nimmet, consonant, and with a similar meaning, but with a different origin. The case, however, would be much simplified if one could assert that yimmet was an echoic form of nimmet and that yim had nothing to do with it.
ARTHUR MAYALL.
TOWN GATES OUTSIDE LONDON (9 th S. v. 228). The amount of wall and the area of different cities would be interesting points connected with this question. Most English cities were, like London, bounded partly by a river. London had a mile and a quarter of river and about two miles of wall. Though the Lord Mayor's district may be a square mile, the walled city was barely a third thereof. York, though not so large, claimed, being walled all round, more wall. I believe. Next in size, I think, were Chester and Canterbury, also walled all round. Win- chester approaches half the size of London one hundred acres. It keeps two gates of five the West, and St. Swithun's, which King John rebuilt with the church over it, and it is hence called King's Gate. The others, North, South, and Durn Gates, only give their names to streets. The North and South were on the Roman road from Silchester to Southampton, the last twenty miles of which, from Popham to Southamp- ton, are still in use. except about a quarter of a mile in Winchester, which has been shifted about fifty yards eastward. South- ampton keeps its North Gate and about one hundred yards of western wall. Salisbury,
