nifies the mouth of a river, either where it empties itself into the sea, or some greater river, as at Cricklade, Leechlade, &c.

Marsh, from the Saxon, signifying fenny, watery, hence Marshfield, Saltmarsh, &c.; also Mere, a lake or pond, is found in many names of places, as Haslemere.

Rig, Ridge, seem to be derived from the Saxon, signifying the back; hence our phrase, a ridge of hills, and this is denoted in the names where it is found, as Lindridge, Eldridge, &c.

Sel, signifies good, large, or spacious, which it denotes in various names, as Selby, Selwood, i.e., a great wood.

Stead or Sted, signifies a place, and is in many names, Grimstead, Hampstead, &c.

Stan, a stone, and hence the names of many places and persons, Stanton, i. e., Stony-town, Stanley, Stony-field, Stanstead, Stonyplace, &c.

South, Sut, and Suth, are all from the Saxon South, as Sutton, South-town, Suthwell, South-well, &c. So also Sus in Sussex, i. e., South Saxony; hence also Suffolk, or the South Folk, in opposition to Norfolk, or the North Folk.

Thorp, a village, some villages and small towns are called so yet, as Thorp, near Chertsey, in Surrey. Adlestrop seems to be contracted from Adelsthorp; also the surname Longthorp, Colthorpe, &c., denotes such families as had originally the lordship of some one or more of those thorps.

Ton, signifies a town. This is one of the most common terminations of the names of places, as Hampton, Boston, Taunton, &c.

Weald, Wald, Walt, are all derived from a forest or wood, and imply the same thing in places which have these words in their names, as Walton, Waltham, Walden, &c.

Wie, Wich, signify sometimes a village, sometimes a port or harbour, and often a castle; hence Harwich, Norwich, Warwick, Wycomb, &c.

Win, a battle; hence this syllable in the names of places imports some battle to have been fought there, or victory obtained, as Winborn, Winchester, &c., and in the names of persons it implies that some of the ancestors of the family had been great warriors and victorious, as Edwin, Baldwin, Godwin.

Worth, signifies a court or forum, which is implied to have been in those places, the names of which are terminated herewith, as Wandsworth, Petworth, &c.

The reader who would wish to investigate more fully the various parts which serve to form our local names, is referred to a very learned little book upon the subject, which has recently been translated from the German. It is entitled, A Treatise on the Local Nomenclature of the Anglo-Saxons, as exhibited in the "Codes Diplomaticus Evo Saxonici," and will be found full of interesting information.

ADDITIONAL.

Such towns, cities, or villages, whose terminations are chester, caster, or cester, show that the Romans, in their stay among us, made fortifications about the places where they are now situated. In the Latin tongue, castra is the name of these fortifications. Such are Castor, Tadcaster, Chester, Doncaster, Leicester. Don* signifies a mountain, and ley, or lei, ground widely overgrown, in our ancient tongue. Wye, wick, or wich, means a place of refuge, as in the termination of Warwick, Sandwich, Greenwich, Woolwich. Thorp, before the word village was borrowed from the French, was used in its stead, and is found at the end of many towns' names; for instance, Bishopthorpe, Middlethorpe, Saddlethorpe, Thorpe-arch. Bury, burgh, bery, signifies metaphorically a town, having a wall about it; sometimes a high or chief place, likewise a place of burial: see Bury St. Edmunds. Wold means a plain open country, but is in many instances applied to hills; take for instance, the Yorkshire Wolds. Combe, a valley between two hills; knock, a hill, for instance, Knock lofty; hurst signifies a woody place, such as Mid-hurst, Chisel-hurst. Magh, a field, innes, an island; worth, a place situated between two rivers; and ing or ings, a track of meadows. The word win, at the beginning or ending of the names of places, implies, that some great battle was fought, or a victory gained there. The word is from the Saxon winnan, to win, or overcome. Bourn, or bourne, signifies a brook, stream, or rivulet, and terminates the names of many towns and places, such as Mary-le-bourne,† Hol-bourn, or Old-bourne, Eastbourne, Sitting-bourne, &c.

ADDITIONAL.

Waltham, from Wealdnam.
Worcester, from Wirecaster.

Wolverhampton, from Vulfrene's-hampton.
Farnham, from Fernham, a bed of Ferns.

Surrey, from Suthrey, the south side the river.

Seymour, from Saint Maur.

Selvedge, Salvedge, or safe edge.

Rosemary, from Ros-mare.

Rosamond, from Rosa Mundi.

Gibraltar, from Ghibal Tariff.

To cabbage, should be kabage, a northern word for steal.

*It must here be observed, that Doncaster derives its name from the river Don, therefore the above is not an invariable rule.

See Mary-le-bone.

EPITHETS AND PHRASES.

EPITHETS.

The meaning of the word Wretch is one not generally understood. It was originally, and is now, in some parts of England, used as a term of the softest and fondest tenderness. This is not the only instance in which words in their present general acceptation bear a very opposite meaning to what they did in Shakspeare's time. The word Wench, formerly, was not used in that low and vulgar acceptation it is at present. Damsel was the appellation of young ladies of quality, and Dame a title of distinction. Knave once signified a servant; and in an early translation of the New Testament, instead of " Paul the Servant," we read “Paul the Knave of Jesus Christ." On the other hand, the word Companion, instead of being the honourable synonyme of Associate, occurs in the play of Othello, with the same contemptuous meaning which we now affix, in its abusive sense, to the word "Fellow" for Emilia, perceiving that some secret villain had aspersed the character of the virtuous Desdemona, thus indignantly exclaims:

"O, Heaven! that such Companions thou'dst unfold,
And put in every honest hand a whip,

To lash the rascal naked through the world!"

SPINSTER.

Formerly it was a maxim, that a young woman should never be married till she had spun herself a set of body, table, and bed linen. From this custom all unmarried women were termed spinsters, an appellation they still retain in all deeds and law proceedings.

ROUNDHEAD.

The first origin of this party epithet, well known as being used during the troubles in the reign of Charles I., was introduced by Captain Hyde, drawing his sword amidst the mob at Westminster, on 28th December, 1641, and saying, he would crop the ears of those round-headed dogs that bawled against the bishops. The apprentices wore their hair cut round. From this trifling circumstance originated the distinction of "Roundheads" and "Čavaliers." Others, however, state, that it originated with the fanatics in the time of Charles I. ignorantly applying the text, " Ye know that it is a shame for men to have long hair," cut theirs very short. It is said, the queen once seeing Pym, a celebrated patriot thus cropped, inquired who that round-headed man was; from

this incident the distinction became general, and the party were called roundheads.

CUTPURSE.

This term, which we meet with so often in Shakspeare's plays, and indeed in many works of more modern authors, is derived from the circumstance of persons in former days having their purses hanging in front, from their girdles, from whence they were cut by the Pickpurse, or Cutpurse, of former times.

MISER.

The term Miser, which we well know, signifies a man who makes his money his god; is derived from Miseriï, i. e., Misery, or Miserable.

MYRMIDON.

Myrmidon is derived from Myrmidons, a people of Thessaly, who by miracle, being ants (states the Heathen Mythology), were turned into men at the request of Eacus, when the most destructive plague had destroyed the old inhabitants. They followed Achilles to the siege of Troy. Hence the term Myrmidon has been applied to followers, or hangers-on.

ASS.

The Ass is of Assyrian origin, and from the former syllable also derives its name. Nature, foreseeing the cruel usage which this useful servant to man should receive at man's hands, did prudently in furnishing him with a tegument impervious to ordinary stripes. The malice of a child, or a weak hand, can make but feeble impression on him. To a common whip or switch, his hide presents an absolute insensibility. His back offers no mark to a puny foeman. You might as well pretend to scourge a schoolboy with a tough pair of leather breeches on. His jerkin is well

fortified.

-on him is ne'er engender'd

The hatefull vermine that doth teare the skin."

And truly, when one thinks on the suit of impenetrable armour with which Nature (like Vulcan to Achilles) has provided him, these subtle enemies to our repose would have shown some dexterity in getting into his quarters. The term Ass, as applied to the disciples of folly, has been of very long standing, having its origin, no doubt, in their proverbial stupidity. So, to conclude with a pun,-“Ass in præsenti seldom makes a WISE MAN in

futuro.'

ASSASSIN.

There was, says Hume, a petty prince in Asia, commonly called "The Old Man of the Mountain," who had acquired such an

ascendency over his fanatical subjects, that they paid the most implicit deference to his commands; esteemed`assassination meritorious, when sanctioned by his mandate; courted danger, and even certain death, in the execution of his orders; and fancied that, when they sacrificed their lives for his sake, the highest joys of paradise were the infallible reward of their devoted obedience. It was the custom of this prince, when he imagined himself injured, to despatch secretly some of his subjects against the aggressor, to charge them with the execution of his revenge, to instruct them in every art of disguising their purpose; and no precaution was sufficient to guard any man, however powerful, against the attempts of those subtle and determined ruffians.

The greatest monarchs stood in awe of this Prince of the Assassins or Hassassinah (for this was the name of his people; whence the word has passed into most European languages), and it was the highest indiscretion in Conrade, Marquis of Montserrat, to offend and affront him. The inhabitants of Tyre, who were governed by that nobleman, had put to death some of this dangerous people. The prince demanded satisfaction; for, as he piqued himself on never beginning any offence, he had his regular and established formalities in requiring atonement. Conrade treated his messengers with disdain. The prince issued his fatal orders. Two of his subjects who had insinuated themselves in disguise among Conrade's guards, openly, in the streets of Sidon, wounded him mortally; and when they were seized and put to the most cruel tortures, they triumphed amidst their agonies, and rejoiced that they had been destined by heaven to suffer in so just and meritorious a cause.

A DUN!

Some erroneously suppose, that the word dun comes from the French donner, to give, implying a demand; but the true origin of this word, or epithet, so frequently used, is from one John Dunn, a famous bailiff, or sheriff's officer, of the town of Lincoln; so extremely active and dexterous at the management of his rough business, that it became a proverb, when a man refused, or perhaps could not pay his debts, "Why don't you dunn him?" that is, "Why don't you send Dunn to arrest him?" Hence it became a custom, and a proverb, and is as old as the days of Henry VIII. But the word dun is not merely confined to demanding payment with importunity, but to any other thing demanded in a similar manner.

BAILIFF.

Bailiff (states the Cabinet Lawyer) is of doubtful etymology, and applies to offices very different in rank and jurisdiction. Thus, the sheriff is Bailiff to the Crown, in the county of which