interest was made in his behalf for this purpose by Mr. Pope, Lord Gower, and others. Instances of the failure of similar applications, made in favour of characters still more distinguished than Johnson then was, are also on record. So cautious and reserved were literary institutions, a little more than half a century ago, in bestowing their honours!

ETYMONS OF SEVERAL WORDS AND TERMS.

ADORE.

Is derived from adorare, and this from ad os, a respectful mode of salutation, by carrying the hand to the mouth.

ALLODIAL.

Allodial, or free lands, is derived from odhal, implying freeholds in Norway, the first being a transposition of the syllables of the latter; hence, fee-odh, feodum, feudal, denoting stipendiary property, a fee being a stipend.

AMAZON.

The Amazons were a warlike women, and derived their name, says Heathen Mythology, from the Amazon river in Asia, which flowed through a territory they inhabited. They are said to have had bloody wars with their neighbours; but were at length almost destroyed by Hercules.

ADIEU!

Adieu, although admitted into the English vocabulary, is nevertheless a French word; of course signifying, farewell: it is from ad Deum te commendo, i. e., "I commend you to God:"

"An adieu should be heard in a sigh,

If the tongue pours not on the ear:
If utter'd at all-on the lips it should die,
If written-be quench'd by a tear."

ALKALI.

This term, so often made use of by chemists, is of Arabian origin, and is derived from kali, the name of a species of vegetable,

from which soda is generally extracted. If we believe AlbertusMagnus, the word signifies fax amaritudinis, the dregs of bitterness, the particle AL having, as he says, been added by the Arabs, with the design of expressing the superiority of the article obtained from that plant, over the plant itself.

ALLIGATOR.

Our dictionaries supply no materials towards the etymology of this word, which was probably introduced into the language by some of our own early voyagers to the Spanish and Portuguese settlements in the newly discovered world. They would hear the Spaniards discoursing of the animal by the name of el lagarto, or, the lizard; Lat. lacerta; and on their return home they would inform their countrymen, that this sort of crocodile was called an alligator. It would not be difficult to trace other corrupted words in a similar way.

ANGEL.

Angel in its primitive sense signifies a messenger, and frequently signifies men when, from the common notion of the term, it is conceived to denote ministering spirits. Angels, as celestial intelligences, have been the objects of over-curious inquiry, and of worship. Paul says, "Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility, and the worshipping of angels, intruding into those things he hath not seen."—Colossians xi. 17.

APRON,

Napery is defined by Skinner, Linteaminta domestica; and the word apron, notes Whitaker (Craven, p. 232), has plainly lost a letter, probably by a mistake in dividing it from the prefix A Naperoun, or an apron. In 1388, the Prior and Convent of Durham made a life-grant of the office of Keeper of the Napry in the Hostillar's Hall.-(Hist. Dunelm. Scrip. Tres. p. clviii.)

ARAB.

The Arabs trace their descent from Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar. These children of the tent have always preserved their ancient name, for the word Arab signifies a robber, and robbers the Arabians always were, and still remain so,

ARTICHOKE.

The English name of this vegetable is a corruption of its Arabic name, Karchiof-as the Jerusalem Artichoke is a cor

ruption of the Italian Girasole, or Sun-flower. When this vegetable was first introduced into this country by Mr. John Calleron, he asked a party to dine, and giving one to a gentleman greatly skilled in the vegetable kingdom to eat, be began to devour the leaves at the wrong end, which occasioned some of the company to laugh immoderately. The gentleman observing his mistake, said, "Well, I am happy as long as the error has occasioned a hearty laugh." "Yes," replied Mr. Calleron, "and egad I think also, it has been a hearty joke!"

BACHELOR,

Dr. Johnson, after noticing various proposed derivations of this word, concludes, the most probable one seems to be from bacca laurûs; bachelors being young are of good hopes, like laurels in the berry.

BANTAMS.

The small fowl, designated by the name of Bantam, derives its appellation from Bantam, in the Isle of Java; and was first introduced into this country in 1683, when an embassy arrived in England from thence.

BEVERAGE.

This term, as applied to everyday potations, is derived from the Italian, bevere, to drink.

BEEVER, OR BEEVOR.

"He wore his Bevor up."

The term Beever, or Bevor, as worn by the knights of old, says Dr. Meyrick, was so called in contradistinction to the common vizor, and is derived from the Italian bevere, to drink. The knights, when thirsty, in the absence of a proper vessel, drank from their Bevor.

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BELLEROPHON.

As this vessel, or ship of war, will have a place in history, as being that which received "Le Grand Nation's" fallen emperor as a prisoner, when he surrendered to the British nation; it is thought the derivation of the name may not be unacceptable.

Bellerophon, son of Glaucus and Eurymedes, had the misfortune to kill his brother Pyrrhus as he was hunting, upon which he took refuge with Prœtus, king of Argos, whose wife, Stenobia, *"I throw myself on the generosity of the British nation."

Napoleon's Letter to the Prince Regent.

made him offers, which he rejected. She, stung with indifference, accused him to her husband of attempting her chastity, on account of which he underwent numberless misfortunes.

There is somewhat of an affecting coincidence between the mythological circumstance which gave a name to the ship, and the extraordinary man who became its inhabitant for a period, which cannot fail to strike the most indifferent reader; and especially those who were his ardent admirers.

BLOOD.

The word blood is derived from the Saxon blod. The month of November was called by the Saxons blot-monath, because in this month they killed great abundanceof cattle for winter store; or, according to some, for purposes of sacrifices to their deities.

BOH!

Fosbroke says that this word, used to frighten the children, was the name of Boh, a great general, the son of Odin, whose very appellation struck immediate panic in his enemies.

BENEVOLENCE AND BENEFICENCE.

Benevolence and beneficence are ordinarily used as synonymous; a little attention, however, to the root, or rather roots, whence each has its rise, will serve to show that the difference is great, and that it is highly improper to place the one instead of the other. Benevolence is compounded of bene volo, I wish well; beneficence of bene facio, I do well; and if, therefore, wishing well, and doing well, are not one and the same act, the words benevolent and beneficent are expressive of two different and distinct actions, one of the mind, the other of the body.

BAYONET.

The side-arms used by infantry, and called Bayonets, are thus denominated because they were first made at Bayonne, in France.

BOTHER.

"Don't bother me," or, do not annoy me at both ears; hence the corrupted word, bother.

BUMPER.

Bumper is a corruption of bon pere, good father, i. e., the Pope, whose health was always drank by the monks, after dinner, in a full glass.

CLOACINA.

Cloacina was a goddess, whose image Tatius, a king of the Sabines, found in the common shore, and he on that called it, i. e., the common shore, the "Temple of Cloacina."

CAROL.

We have our "Christmas Carols;" few, perhaps, know the derivation of the word. Bourne says, carol is derived from cantare, to sing, and rola, an interjection of joy.

CARAVAN.

It is scarcely necessary to inform the reader, that a caravan in the Eastern world signifies a number of merchants travelling in company. This they do in order to defend themselves against the Arab robbers, which they could not do singly, or in small parties; likewise, to render one another assistance in passing the Great Desert, should they be overtaken by the overwhelming seas of sand; as well as to assist each other, in case of their beasts of burden being overcome by fatigue and thirst. The word caravan is derived from the Turkish term kervan, which signifies a number of persons assembled to journey together.

CHRISTMAS.

In most Celtic languages Christmas Eve is called the Night of Mary. It is still observed with great pomp in the Isle of Man, the peasants vying with each other in bringing tapers to church, and in singing carols there. The festival itself is variously named. Our own Christmas comes nearest to the German provincialism, Christ fest. The Romance languages merely retain the Latin name, the French deviating from it most widely in Noël. The Welsh Nadolig is from the same source. The German Weihnachten has been derived from Wein, as if expressing the festal character of the day. But it is clearly from the inseparable compound Weih, which denotes sanctity or holiness, and occurs so often in German ecclesiastical words. Its composition with the word night rather than day, is referable to the morning mass, with which the solemnity so beautifully begins. In Portugal, Pascoa, as the proper term for Easter, is by an easy corruption applied also to the two other great festivals. Christmas is therefore Pascoa do natal.

CIVILATION.

Civilation is a modern word, and in polite slang is equivalent to "elevation," or the quality of being tearfully tipsy. It is used