the ruins almost unhurt, and who had not been married, as he had been led to suppose at the time that the accident happened.]

ANECDOTES OF THE ORIGIN OF WORDS.

LADY is a word which gives us a most pleasing idea of the customs of our Saxon ancestors. The term is compounded of two Saxon words, leaf or laf, signifying a loaf of bread, and dian, to give or to serve. Now, it must be known, that it was the fashion in times of old for those families whom Heaven had blessed with affluence, to give away regularly a portion of bread to those poor neighbours who might stand in need of assistance, and on such occasions, the mistress of the household herself officiated, distributing with her own hands the daily or weekly dole. Hence was she called the laf-dy, or the bread-giver; and in course of time, the word was abbreviated to its present form. A writer of the last century, in reference to this derivation of lady, observes that 'the meaning is now as little known as the practice which gave rise to it; yet it is from that hospitable custom that, to this day, the ladies, in this kingdom alone, serve the meat at their own tables.' It is to be feared that, in the great manorial families referred to, even this remnant of the old custom is not now very general. It was certainly so, however, in Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's time, for we are informed by her late noble editor, that, in her youth, she received regular instructions in the art of carving or serving meat. And Lady Mary was a duke's daughter. But, changed as such fashions may now be, there are still, we are happy to think, many true ladies in this much-abused world of ours-many generous bread-givers-many who feed the hungry and befriend the friendless.

It has always puzzled us very much to tell why the

letter e in certain words should have the sound of o, or rather, why the words in question were not spelt with the last of these letters instead of the first. One of the words to which we refer is sew. Etymology supports us in our suggestion, that this word should properly be spelt with an o, for it is actually derived from the word sow-a swine, a pig, a grunter. The thing came about in this way-sus (in the second case suis) is the Latin for a sow, and the bristles of this animal being formerly used for sewing instead of needles-as they are by shoemakers in our days-the word suo, to sew, was founded upon sus. Of course, our English sew came from the Roman suo, with which it is identical in meaning. Is it not odd to think that the term designative of the elegant, and not less useful than elegant employment of ladies' fingers, should be derived from the name or rather the bristles of a hog?

We have now to notice two words of very curious etymology, and of very similar meaning. These are, parasite and sycophant-terms descriptive severally of characters of a very contemptible kind. Parasite is compounded of the Greek words para, near, and sitos, corn; and Potter, in his Antiquities of Greece, presents the following account of the way in which the compound term acquired its present signification. After telling us that the name of parasiti at first denoted simply those persons who held the honourable office of collectors of the corn allotted for public sacrifices, the public storehouse,' he continues, 'where they kept the grain, was called parasition. Diodorus, the Sinopesian, says, that in every village of the Athenians, they maintained at the public charge certain parasiti or grain-collectors, in honour of Hercules; but afterwards, to ease the commonwealth of this burden, the magistrates obliged some of the wealthier inhabitants to take them to their tables, and entertain them at their own cost; whence this word seems in later ages to have signified a trencherman, a flatterer, or one that for the sake of a dinner conforms himself to every man's humour? This is a very rational

account of the manner in which gentlemen who looked after the corn of the gods came to have their designation of parasites changed in meaning, so as to signify toadeaters, as we call gentry of the parasitical order now-adays. The mode, however, in which the word sycophant acquired its odious meaning, is much more simple and clear. But we defy our unclassical readers to guess from its etymology how sycophant came to bear the sense of a flattering tale-bearer. It is compounded of two wordssukon, a fig, and phaino, to shew. From this pair of roots, one might expect sycophant to have meant a grocer, for he is your true fig-exhibitor. Nevertheless, mark how simple and appropriate the origin of the present signification is! It was forbidden by law to export figs from Athens. Man, however, has always been a smuggling animal; and as the Athenians did not like the restrictive enactment in question, they were apt now and then to try to evade it in a quiet way. But wherever smugglers are, there will be found informers also; and accordingly, the poor fig-exporters were sometimes caught. The only revenge they could take, was to fix on these informers the title of sycophants, or fig-showers, in a contemptuous sense; and by and by, the word was applied to denote all contemptible tale-bearers and flatterers whatever.

The next word that occurs to us is cardinal, which is derived from the Latin cardo (in the second case cardinis), a hinge. Certain virtues are called cardinal, because all others hinge on them; and the highest dignitaries of the Church of Rome received the same appellation, because the possession of these virtues was supposed to constitute their title to that lofty ecclesiastical grade. In like inanner, the simple numbers (up to 10) are termed cardinal, because all others hinge on and are compounded of them. The appellation of dauphin, borne by the eldest son of the king of France for many centuries, is very generally believed to arise from the province of Dauphiné, in France. But in reality, the title of dauphin, as borne by a prince, would appear to have given the province its name, The title is said to have originated in the circum

stance of one of the lords of that district, who flourished in the ninth century, having caused a dolphin to be painted on his shield, as an emblem of the mildness of his reign, these animals being reputed by the ancients as extremely friendly to man; and his successors, in honour of his memory, adopted the animal's name--corrupted through time to dauphin-as a title of dignity. One of the chain of dauphins, however, in the fourteenth century, becoming disgusted with life through the loss of his only son, whom he let fall into the river Isere, as he was playing with him at an open window, transferred his dominions to Charles, Duke of Normandy, grandson to Philip of Valois, king of France, upon condition that the title of dauphin should be, in all time coming, borne by the eldest son of France. In memory of the true origin of the term, the crown of the French heir-apparent is composed of four dolphins. The Latin form of dauphin is delphinus, and hence the term Delphin Classics, which denotes a splendid edition of the ancient authors, compiled, for the use of the dauphin, by the best French scholars of the reign of Louis XIV. The Delphin Classics have been frequently republished in this country, and are works certainly of great value and utility. Not their slightest recommendation, is the very valuable series of indices appended to them. These times of ours have made, whether for good or for evil, such sweeping changes on old forms, that the Delphin Classics are likely to be the only visible memorial that such a title as dauphin was ever borne by the youthful majesties of France.

The appellations of kings and courts are things akin to each other, and we may, without harsh transition, explain to our readers the title of (Sublime) Porte, which they may often have seen applied to the court of the Turkish Empire. The principal gate at the entrance of the seraglio at Constantinople, is a noble structure of marble, built by Mohammed II., as recorded thereon by an inscription in gold and azure. This gate is called, by way of eminence, the Porte, from the Latin porta, a gate; and from this, one of the most prominent objects about

the royal residence of the Grand Turk, does his court derive its common name. Formerly, the gate in question was guarded by fifty mutes, who conversed in signs, and the inmates of the dwelling within were as fettered captives. But, in this respect at least, our age has seen a great and good reformation. The chains of prejudice have been thrown off, and the women of Turkey are in progress of being restored to the freedom which has been so long withheld from them. The prince, it is said, has set the example by opening the porte, and permitting those within to enjoy, at their will, the blessed air of heaven.

END OF VOL. XVII.