Notes and Queries, Number 208, October 22, 1853

Nick-nack.—A small ornament. Not in the dictionaries.

Pic-nic.—For the derivation of this word, which seems to be of French origin, see "N. & Q.," Vol. vii., pp. 240. 387.

Pit-pat, or Pit-a-pat.—A word formed from pat, and particularly applied to the pulsations of the heart, when accelerated by emotion. Used by Ben Jonson and Dryden. Congreve writes it a-pit-pat.

Riff-raff.—The refuse of anything, "Il ne lui lairra rif ny raf." Cotgrave in Rif, where rif is said to mean nothing.

Rolly-pooly.—"A sort of game" (Johnson). It is now used as the name of a pudding rolled with sweetmeat.

Rowdy-dowdy, and Rub-a-dub.—Words formed in imitation of the beat of a drum.

Shilly-shally.—Used by Congreve, and formerly written "shill I, shall I."

Slip-slop.—"Bad liquor. A low word, formed by reduplication of slop" (Johnson). Now generally applied to errors in pronunciation, arising from ignorance and carelessness, like those of Mrs. Malaprop in The Rivals.

Tip-top.—Formed from top, like slip-slop from slop.

Tirra-lirra.—Used by Shakspeare:

"The lark that tirra lirra chants."—Winter's Tale, Act IV. Sc. 2.

From the French, see Nares in v.

The preceding collection is intended merely to illustrate the principle upon which this class of words are formed, and does not aim at completeness. Some of your correspondents will doubtless, if they are disposed, be able to supply other examples of the same mode of formation.

    L.

EARL OF OXFORD

(Vol. viii., p. 292.)

S. N. will find the Earl's answer in a volume, not very common now, entitled A Compleat and Impartial History of the Impeachments of the Last Ministry, London, 8vo., 1716. The charge respecting the creation of twelve peers in one day formed the 16th article of the impeachment. I inclose a copy of the answer, if not too long for your pages.

    G.

"In answer to the 16th article, the said Earl doth insist, that by the laws and constitution of this realm, it is the undoubted right and prerogative of the Sovereign, who is the fountain of honor, to create peers of this realm, as well in time of Parliament as when there is no Parliament sitting or in being; and that the exercise of this branch of the prerogative is declared in the form or preamble of all patents of honor, to proceed ex mero motu, as an act of mere grace and favor, and that such acts are not done as many other acts of public nature are, by and with the advice of the Privy Council; or as acts of pardon usually run, upon a favorable representation of several circumstances, or upon reports from the Attorney-General or other officers, that such acts are lawful or expedient, or for the safety or advantage of the Crown; but flows entirely from the beneficent and gracious disposition of the Sovereign. He farther says, that neither the warrants for patents of honor, the bills or other engrossments of such patents, are at any time communicated to the council or the treasury, as several other patents are; and therefore the said Earl, either as High Treasurer or Privy Councillor, could not have any knowledge of the same: Nevertheless, if her late sacred Majesty had thought fit to acquaint him with her most gracious intentions of creating any number of peers of this realm, and had asked his opinion, whether the persons whom she then intended to create were persons proper to have been promoted to that dignity, he does believe he should have highly approved her Majesty's choice; and does not apprehend that in so doing he had been guilty of any breach of his duty, or violation of the trust in him reposed; since they were all persons of honor and distinguished merit, and the peerage thereby was not greatly increased, considering some of those created would have been peers by descent, and many noble families were then lately extinct: And the said Earl believes many instances may be given where this prerogative hath been exercised by former princes of this realm, in as extensive a manner; and particularly in the reigns of King Henry the Eighth, King James the First, and his late Majesty King William. The said Earl begs leave to add, that in the whole course of his life he hath always loved the established constitution, and in his private capacity as well as in all public stations, when he had the honor to be employed, has ever done his utmost to preserve it, and shall always continue so to do."

PICTS' HOUSES

(Vol. viii., p. 264.)

The mention there made of the recent discovery of one of these subterranean vaults or passages in Aberdeenshire, induces me to ask a question in regard to two subterranean passages which have lately been discovered in Berwickshire, and which so far differ from all others that I have heard or read of, that whereas all of them seem to have been built at the sides with large flat stones, and roofed with similar ones, and then covered with earth, those which I am about to mention are both hewn out of the solid rock. They are both situated in the Lammermoor range of hills. Those persons who have seen them are at a loss to know for what purpose they could have been excavated, unless for the purpose of sepulture in the times of the aborigines, or of very early inhabitants of Britain, as they in many respects resemble those stone graves which are mentioned in Worsaae's Description of the Primæval Antiquities of Denmark, translated and applied to the illustration of similar remains in England by Mr. Thoms.

One of these cavities is situated on a remote pasture farm, among the hills belonging to the Earl of Lauderdale, called Braidshawrigg; and was discovered by a shepherd very near his own house, within less than a quarter of a mile up a small stream which runs past it, and on the opposite side of the water, a few yards up the steep hill. The shepherd had observed for some time that one of his dogs was in the habit of going into what he supposed to be a rabbit hole at this place, and when he was missing and called, he generally came out of this hole. At last, curiosity led his master to take a spade and dig into it; and he soon found that, after digging down into the soil to the rock, the cavity became larger, and had evidently been the work of human hands. Information was given to Lord Lauderdale, and the rubbish was cleared away. It (the rubbish) did not extend far in, and after that the passage was clear. The excavation consists of a passage cut nearly north and south (the entrance being to the south) through various strata of solid rocks, partly grauwacke, (or what is there called whinstone), and partly grey slate: the strata lying east and west, and nearly vertical. The whole length of it is seventy-four feet. From the entrance the passage, for four or five yards, slopes downwards into the hill; it then runs horizontally the length of sixty-three feet from the entrance, when it changes its direction at right angles to the westward for a distance of eleven feet; when it ends with the solid rock. It is regularly from three feet four inches to three feet six inches wide, and about seven feet high, the ceiling being somewhat circular. The floor is the rock cut square. The time and labour must have been great to cut this passage, as not more than one man could conveniently quarry the rock at the same time. It might have been supposed that this was a level to a mine, as copper has been worked in this range farther eastward; but the passage does not follow any vein, but cuts across all the strata, and keeps a straight line, till it turns westward, and then in another straight line; and the floors, sides, and roof are all made quite regular and even with a pickaxe or a hammer. There does not appear to have been at any time any other habitation than the shepherd's house, and another cottage a little lower down the stream, in the neighbourhood. The discovery of this cavern recalled to the recollection of myself, and some of my family, that a few years ago, in cutting a road through the rock into a whinstone quarry, about four miles south of Braidshawrigg, near a mill, we had cut across the east end of a passage somewhat similar to the one before mentioned, but running east and west; that we had cleared it out for a short way, but as it then went under a corner of one of the houses belonging to the mill, we stopped, for fear of bringing down the building, as this passage, though cut out of the solid rock, was not a mine, but had been worked to the surface; and, if it ever had been used for purposes of sepulture, must have been roofed with flagstones, and then covered with earth like other Picts' houses. But these roof-stones must have been carried away, and the whole trench was filled with rubbish, and all trace of it on the surface was obliterated. This passage we have lately opened, and cleared out. To the westward it passes into the adjoining water-mill, which is itself in great part formed by excavation of the rock; and the east wall of the upper part of the mill is arched over the passage. Beyond the west wall of the mill which adjoins the stream, there is a continuation of the trench through the rock down to the water, which serves to take away that which passes over the millwheel at right angles to where the rock has been cut away to make room for the millwheel itself. That which has been cut away in making the trench, is a seam of clay slate about three feet six inches in breadth, between two solid whinstone rocks. The length of the passage, from the east end, which terminated in rock, to the mill, is sixty-three feet. The mill is thirty feet, and the cut beyond it twelve feet: in all, one hundred and five feet. The average depth is about twelve feet; but as it slopes down to the stream, some of it is sixteen feet deep. It has been suggested that it might have been dug out in order to obtain the coarse slate; but the difficulty of working a confined seam like this, in any other way than by picking it out piecemeal with immense labour, seems impossible. It can never have been meant to convey water to the mill, as the highest part begins in the solid rock, and the object must always have been to keep the water on the highest possible level, until it reached the top of the millwheel. Nothing was found in either of these excavations.—After this long discussion, Query, What can have been the purpose for which these laborious works can have been executed?

    J. S. S.

PRONUNCIATION OF "HUMBLE."

(Vol. viii., pp. 229. 298.)

It is my misfortune entirely to differ from Mr. Dawson (p. 229.) and Mr. Crossley (p. 298.) as to the pronunciation of humble; and permit me to say (with all courtesy) that I was unfeignedly surprised at the latter's assertion, that sounding the h is "a recent attempt to introduce a mispronunciation," as I have known that mode of pronunciation all but universally prevalent for nearly the last forty years; and I have had pretty good opportunities for observing what the general usage in that respect was, as I was for some years at a very large public school, then at Oxford for more than the usual time, and have since resided in London more than twenty-five years, practising as a barrister in Westminster Hall, and on one of the largest circuits. If, therefore, I have not had ample means of judging as to the pronunciation of humble, I know not where the means are to be found; especially as I doubt whether humble and humbly are anywhere so frequently used as in courts: a counsel rarely making a speech without "humbly submitting" or making a "humble application." Now the result of my experience is, that the h is almost universally sounded; and at this moment I cannot call to mind a single gentleman who omits it, who does not also omit it in many other instances where no doubt can exist that it ought to be sounded.

Mr. Dawson believes the sounding the h to be "one of those, either Oxford, or Cambridge, or both, peculiarities of which no reasonable explanation can be given." Now I believe Mr. Dawson is right in supposing that that usage is general both at Oxford and Cambridge, and I rather think that not only an explanation of the fact may be given, but that the fact itself, that in both the Universities the h is sounded, is extremely cogent evidence that it is correct. It cannot be doubted that the fact that a word is spelled with certain letters is clear proof that, at the time when that spelling was adopted, the word was so sounded as to give a distinct sound to each of the letters used, and that clearly must have been the case with words beginning with h especially. When, therefore, the present spelling of humble was adopted, the h was sounded. Now, whilst I freely admit that the utterance of any word may be changed—"Si volet usus, quem penes arbitrium est, et jus et norma loquendi"—still it cannot be questioned that the usage must be so general, clear, and distinct among the better educated classes (where-ever they may have received their education) as to leave no reasonable doubt about the matter; and that it lies on those who assert that such a change has taken place, to show such a usage as I have mentioned. And when the number of the members of the Universities is considered, and their position as men of education, it must at least admit of doubt whether, if a general usage prevailed among them to pronounce a particular word in the manner in which it originally was pronounced, this would not alone prevent a different pronunciation among others from having that general prevalence, which would be sufficient to justify a change in the utterance of such word.

But let us consider whether the usage of the Universities is not very cogent evidence that the h is generally sounded throughout England, 1. Each University contains a large number of the higher and better educated classes. 2. The members come from all parts of England indiscriminately. 3. Infinitely the majority come from schools; and some of the large schools have generally many members at each University. By such persons the pronunciation of the schools cannot fail to be represented. 4. Every one on entering the University is expected at least to know his own language. 5. There is no instruction, as far as I know (however much the fact may be to be regretted), ever given in English at either University. 6. There is a perpetual change of about a third of the members every year, few remaining above three years. Now can any one, who candidly considers these facts, doubt that a usage in pronouncing a particular word at either University if generally prevalent, is very strong evidence that the same usage is generally prevalent throughout England; but if any one does entertain such a doubt, surely it must be done away, when he finds that the same usage prevails at both Universities; though there exists such a degree of rivalry between them as would prevent the one from adopting from the other any usage which was liable to any the least doubt, and though there is no communication between them that could account for the same usage prevailing in both.

Mr. Crossley appeals to the Prayer Book as a decisive authority, and instances "an humble," &c. If any one will examine the Prayer Book, he will find that it is no authority at all; as "an" is at least as often used erroneously before h as not. In reading over the first sixty-eight Psalms, I found the following instances—Ps. xxvii. 3. and Ps. xxxiii. 15., "An host of men;" Ps. xlvii. 4. and Ps. lxi. 5., "An heritage;" Ps. xlix. 18., "An happy man," Ps. lv. 5., "An horrible dread;" Ps. lxviii. 15., "An high hill." And in the same Psalms I only found one instance of a before h, viz. in Ps. xxxiii. 16., "A horse;" and in this case the Bible version has "An horse." In the first Lesson for the 19th Sunday after Trinity, Dan. iii. 4., "An herald," and 27., "An hair of their head," occur; and in the next chapter (iv. 13.), "An holy one." It is plain from these instances (and doubtless many others may be found), that the use of "an" before h, in the Bible or Prayer Book, can afford no test whatever whether the h ought to be sounded or not.

    S. G. C.

After the sensible Note of your correspondent E. H., it is perhaps hardly necessary to say more on the subject of aspirated and mute h. If these remarks, therefore, seem superfluous, they may easily be suppressed, and that too without any offence to the writer.

It is very dangerous to dogmatise on the English language. We really have no authority to which we can confidently appeal, except the usage of good society: "Quem penes arbitrium est, et jus et norma loquendi." Unfortunately, however, every man is convinced, that in his own society that usage is to be found; and your correspondents, who have agreed in approving the Heapian pronunciation, will probably, on that ground, still retain the same opinion.

The only words in the English language, in which h is written, but not pronounced, are words derived from Latin through the French; but of these, many in English retain the aspirate, though in French nearly all lose it. The exceptions collected by E. H. satisfactorily prove that we do not follow the French rule implicitly. They indeed carry the non-aspiration farther than to words of Latin derivation. They omit the aspirate to nearly all words derived from Greek. This we never do. I think that E. H.'s rule, of always aspirating h before u, is not entirely without exceptions. Except in Ireland, I never heard humour or humorous aspirated, though in humid and humect the h is always sounded. If this be right, it depends solely on the usage of good society, and not on rules laid down by Walker or Lindley Murray, whose authority we do not acknowledge as infallible. I may here remark, that no arguments can be drawn from our Liturgy or translation of the Bible that would not prove too much. If, because we find in our Liturgy "an humble, lowly, and obedient heart," we are to read "an 'umble," we must also read "an 'undred, an 'ouse, an 'eap, an 'eart;" for an was prefixed in our Liturgy as well as in our translated Bible to every word beginning with h, and not (as one of your correspondents supposes) only to words beginning with silent h. Among young clergymen there is a growing habit (derived I suppose from Walker, or other such sources) of indulging in the Heapian dialect. I think Mr. Dickens will have done us more good by his ridicule, than will ever be effected by serious arguments; and I feel as much obliged to him as to E. H. To show how dangerous it is to be bound by a mere grammarian authority, a disciple of Vaugelas or Restaut (no insignificant names in French philology) would be led to read les héros as if it were "les zéros."

    E. C. H.

SCHOOL LIBRARIES

(Vol. viii., p. 220.)

I can answer Mr. Weld Taylor for at least one public school having no library, nor any books for other purposes than tasks, i.e. Christ's Hospital, London: whether any other metropolitan schools are provided with books I do not know. When I was at the above school, at all events, we had no books except for learning out of; whether reform has crept in since I was there, twenty-five years ago, I cannot say. I speak of then, not now.

I remember very well a dusty cupboard with "Read, Mark, Learn," painted in ostentatious letters on it. And these profound words were just like a park gate with high iron railings, where you may peep in and get no farther—no more could we: for we never saw the inside of it, and nobody could say where the key was, therefore what flowery pleasaunce of knowledge it contained nobody perhaps knows to this day. I also remember how greedily any entertaining book was borrowed, begged, and circulated; and thumbed and dog's-eared to admiration. Rasselas and Gulliver's Travels, Robinson Crusoe, or Sandford and Merton, poor things! they became at last what might be supposed a public arsenal of umbrellas would at the last.

When I reflect on that time, and the dreary winter's evenings, trundled to bed almost by daylight, my very heart sinks. What a luxury if some Christian had been allowed to read aloud for an hour, instead of lying awake studying the ghastly lamp that swung from the ceiling in the dormitory; or if some one with a modicum of information had given half an hour's lecture on some entertaining branch of science. Perhaps these antique schools are reformed in some measure, or perhaps they are waiting till their betters are.

I observe, however, that certain parish work-house schools have, within these few days, taken the hint. Perhaps our public schools, for some are very wealthy, may be able to afford to follow their example.

    E. H.

Wimborne Minster, Dorset.

Marlborough College possesses a library of about four thousand volumes, entirely the munificent contribution of Mr. M

Geachy, one of the council. The boys of the fifth and sixth forms are allowed access daily at certain fixed hours, the librarian being present. In addition to this, libraries are now being formed in each house, which are maintained by small half-yearly subscriptions, and which will contain books of a more amusing character, and better suited for the younger boys.

    B. J.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE

Albumenized Paper.—If this subject be not already exhausted, the following account of my method of preparing the material in question, which differs in some few important particulars from any I have seen published, may be of interest to some of my brother operators.

I have, after a very considerable number of experiments, succeeded in producing the very highly varnished appearance so conspicuous in some of the foreign proofs; and although I cannot say I admire it in general, more especially as regards landscapes, yet it is sometimes very effective for portraits, giving a depth of tone to the shadows, and a roundness to the flesh, which is very striking. Moreover, a photographer may just as well be acquainted with every kind of manipulation connected with the art.

Having but a very moderate amount of spare time, and that at uncertain intervals, to devote to this seductive pursuit, I am always a great stickler for economy of time in all the processes, as well as for economy of material, the former with me having, perhaps, a shade more influence than the latter.