On the true Derivation of some modern English words, From Burn's History of the Poor Laws. IN N the rating of wages it is fet forth, how much by the day fhall be taken by tilers, and other coverers of fern and ftraw, and their knaves. The Saxon knapa, or knafa, fignifies a servant. And the thatchers to this day have an inftrument that holds their straw, which they call knape. What is obfervable here is, the generous notions entertained by our ancestors, with refpect to an action bafe and ignoble: they would not fuppofe it to belong to a freeman, but appropriated it to the inferior rank of people. A knavish action was fuch as was fit only for one of the meaner fervants. A villain was a degree lower than the thatcher's fervant; for he was the drudge of his lord, not even fufceptible of property in many cafes, but was himself of the goods and chattels of his mafter; therefore an offence, accompanied with extraordinary aggravation, was termed villainous as much as to fay, iniquity degrades a man, and ranks him among the vulgar,-So a man who was devoid of courage, and confequently unfit for the military profeffion, was denominated a cow-herd (for that, moft probably, is the genuine etymology of what we now call coward.On the other hand, thefe inferior perfons were not behind-hand with the great men (for there never wanted humour even among the common people): if a man was half an ideot, or remarkably deformed in body, they would ftyle him my lord. And by way of ridicule of their jovialnefs and hofpi : tality, when a man was in liquor, they would call him as drunk as a lord.-Thefe, and many other like expreffions and customs, which have come down to our days, were originally feudal, having relation to the military inftitution and the diftinction betwixt lord and vaffal. And here it is obfervable upon the fubject of cloathing, how the reftrictions as to the goodness or quantity of cloth in their garments, vanifhed by degrees, as manufactures increased; until at length, in queen Elizabeth's reign, the current received a contrary direction, and the wearing of the manufac tures was enjoined: concerning which the first act that hath occurred is that 13 Eliz. c. 19. by which it is required, that every perfon above the age of fix years (except maidens, ladies, and gentlewomen: and lords, knights, and gentlemen of 20 marks a year) fhall wear upon the fabbath, and holiday, upon their head, one cap of wool, knit, thicked, and dreffed in England, on pain of 3s. 4d. The form of which cap may be feen in fome of the pictures of those days. And here curiofity will fuggeft certain reflections upon that noble fubject of painting. Why are perfons pictured in Grecian or Roman habits, and in fuch habits as never were worn in any age? Would it not be infinitely more entertaining, to fee every perfon drawn in his own proper drefs? It would be a work becoming the pencil of a skilful artist, from fuch paintings as may be yet found, from hiftory, from acts of parliament, and other fumptuary laws, to exhibit a series of perfons, of both fexes, in the habits of their refpective ages, at proper intervals. A TABLE A TABLE exhibiting the Standard. Weight, Value, and a comparative View of English Silver Money from King William I. Anno 1066, to King George III. Anno 1763. Number of Shil-Weight of 201 Weight of Value of the Proporlings, &c. the Shillings in the fine Sil-fame 20 fhil- tion of pound, or 12 tale of ftand-ver contain-lings in tale Money ounces Troy of ard Silver at ed in twenty in our pre- at each ftandard Silver, each pe has been coined riod. Queens Reigns, or the Dwts. Oz. Dwts. S. d. Shillings in fent money. period tale at each period. Oz. Dwts. Grs. Oz. Dwts. Grs. 1. s. d. Value of Value of the ounce the ounce of ftand- of fine Silard Silver ver ateach in present period. to our Money. prefent Money. S. d. s. d. I. 28th Edw. IV. 12,9062 0 3,1000 10 19 6 3 1 2 3,0614 18 8 2 2 Example. The famous chapel (adjoining to the eaft end of Westminster Abbey) built by King Henry VII. A. D. 1503, Every fingle article of the above table, I have calculated from datas collected chiefly from thofe excellent coin notes Camden observes, he never could find an hereditary furname in England before the conqueft: the furnames in Doomsday book were brought in by the Normans, who not long before had taken them, but they were moftly noted with a de, as John de Babington, Walter de Hugget, Nicholas de Yateman, &c. or Ricardus filius Roberti, &c. and that they were not fettled among the common people till about the reign of king Edward II. Surnames not from fire, but because fuperadded to the Chriftian name. Places anciently gave names to perfons, and not the contrary: William, fon of Roger Fitz Valerine, The custom of taking names from towns and villages in England is a fufficient proof of the ancient defcents of thofe families who are ftill inhabitants of the fame places. Some took their names from their offices; others from forefts; others from woods; others from hills, dales, trees, &c. others from fifhes. From the alteration of names in early times it is, that at this day many families, who have neglected to keep up their pedigrees, are at a lofs to account for the fimilar bearing of arms, whofe names are fo widely different, while yet they might all originally be defcended from one and the fame common ancestor. Little (for inftance) would any one think to look for the family and arms of Botteville, in the prefent viscount Weymouth; and this only, because in the reign of Edward IV. John, de Botteville refided at one of the inns at court, and from thence was named John of Th'Inne (Thynne); and as little would he fufpect that that poor deferted and expofed infant at Newark upon Trent, commonly called Tom among us, fhould afterwards be metamorphofed into the great Dr. Thomas Magnus. and embellishments. in the time of king Henry I. being Of ancient Palaces, their gardens born in the caftle of Howard, in Wales, did from thence affume the HE hotel de St. Paul, built name of the place of his birth, and T by Charles V. was, as is fpe tranfmitted the fame to his pofterity. Edward of Caernarvon, fo called from the place of his nativity; fo Thomas of Brotherton, from the village in Yorkshire wherein he was born; and John of Gaunt, from the city of Gaunt in Flanders, where he was born.. cified in his edict of 1364, intended to be the hotel of great diverfions. Like all the royal houfes of thofe times, it had large towers: fuch additaments being thought to give an air of domination and majefty to the building. The gardens, inftead inftead of yews and lindens, were planted with apple, pear, and cherry-trees, and vines, befides beds of rosemary and lavender, peafe and beans, and very large arbours or bowers. The inner courts were lined with pigeon-houses, and full of poultry, which the king's tenants were obliged to fend, and here they were fattened for his table, and thofe of his houfhold. The beams and joifts in the principal apartments were decorated with tin fleur de lys's gilt. All the windows had iron bars, with a wire lattice to keep the pigeons from coming to do their ordure in the rooms. The glazing was like that of our ancient churches, painted with coats of arms, emblems, and faints. The feats were joint ftools, forms, and benches; the king had armed chairs, with red leather and filk fringes. The beds were called couches, when ten or twelve feet fquare, and thofe of only fix feet fquare, couchettes; these large dimenfions fuited a cuftom which fubfifted for a long time in France, that guests particularly valued were kept all night, and in the fame bed with the mafter of the house. Charles V. ufed to dine about eleven, fupped at seven, and all the court were ufually in bed by nine in winter, and ten in fummer. "The queen, (fays Christina Pilan) agreeable to an old and laudable cuftom, for preventing any idle or loofe thought at table, had a learned man, who during the meal related the actions, or made an elogium of fome deceafed perfon, efpecially of one eminent in piety.' It was in Charles's reign that the mode arofe of emblazoning apparel; the women wore their hufband's fhield on the right fide of VOL, VII. 3. Nothing fhall enter into the compofition of beer but good malt and hops, well gathered, picked, and cured, without any mixture of buck-wheat, darnel, &c. to which end the hops fhall be infpected by juries to fee that they are not used after being heated, mouldy, damp, or otherwife damaged. 4. No beer yeft fhall be hawked about the streets, but fhall be all fold in the brew-houses to bakers and pastry cooks, and to no others, 5. Beer yeft brought by foreign ers fhall be infpected by a jury before it is.expofed to fale.. 6. No brewer fhall keep in or about his brewhoufe any cows, oxen, hogs, geefe, ducks, or poultry, as being inconfiftent with clean linefs. 7. There fhall not be made in any brew-house more than one brewing of fifteen septiers at the moft, of ground malt, in a day.. N [This |