went into the same very substantially, with flaggons of wine, making merrie, and drinking by the way, in the same riddle or sives, to the Kirk of North Barrick in Lowthian; and that after they had landed, tooke handes on the lande and daunced this reill or short daunce, singing all with one voice,

"At which time, she confessed that this Geilles Duncan (a servant girl) did goe before them, playing this reill or daunce uppon a small trumpe called a Jews-trumpe, until they entred into the Kirk of North Barrick. These confessions made the King in a wonderfull admiration, and sent for the said Geilles Duncan, who upon the like trumpe did play the saide daunce before the Kinge's Majestie; who in respect of the strangenes of these matters tooke great delight to be present at their examinations."

It may be as well to mention that in the Belgic or Low Dutch, from whence come many of our toys, a tromp is a rattle for children. Another etymon for Jews-harp is Jaws-harp, because the place where it is played upon is between the jaws. To those who wish to learn more upon the subject, I beg to refer them to Pegge's Anonymiana; Dauncy's Ancient Scottish Melodies; and to my edition of Chettle's Kind-Harts Dream printed by the Percy Society.

Edward F. Rimbault.

[We are indebted also to Trebor, E.W.D., J.F.M., and F.P. for replies to this Query. They will perceive that Dr. Rimbault had anticipated the substance of their several communications.]

ÆLFRIC'S COLLOQUY.

I must trouble you and some of your readers with a few words, in reply to the doubt of "C.W.G." (No. 16. p. 248.) respecting the word sprote. I do not think the point, and the Capital letter to saliu in the Latin text, conclusive, as nothing of the kind occurs in the A.-S. version, where the reading is clearly, "swa hwylce swa, on watere swymmath sprote." I have seen the Cottonian MS., which, as Mr. Hampson observes, is very distinctly written, both in the Saxon and Latin portions; so much so in the latter, as to make it a matter of surprise that the doubtful word saliu should ever have been taken for salu, or casidilia for calidilia. The omission of the words sprote and saliu, in the St. John's MS., would only be evidence of a more cautious scribe, who would not copy what he did not understand.

Your correspondent's notion, "that the name of some fish, having been first interlined, was afterwards inserted at random in the text, and mis-spelt by a transcriber who did know its meaning," appears to me very improbable; and the very form of the words (sprote, saliu, supposing them substantives), which have not plural terminations, would, in my mind, render his supposition untenable. For, be it recollected, that throughout the answers of the Fiscere, the fish are always named in the plural; and it is not to be supposed that there would be an exception in favour of sprote, whether intended for sprat or salmon. Indeed, had the former been a river fish, Hulvet and Palsgrave would have countenanced the supposition; but then we must have had it in the plural form, sprottas. As for the suggestion of sprod and salar, I cannot think it a happy one; salmon (leaxus) had been already mentioned; and sprods will be found to be a very confined local name for what, in other places, are called scurfes or scurves, and which we, in our ignorance, designate as salmon trout. In the very scanty A.-S. ichthyologic nomenclature we possess, there is nothing to lead us to imagine that our Anglo-Saxon ancestors had any corresponding word for a salmon trout. I must be excused, therefore, for still clinging to my own explanation of sprote, until something more specious and ingenious shall be advanced, but in full confidence, at the same time, that some future discovery will elucidate its truth.

S.W. Singer.

Feb. 19. 1850.

REHETING AND REHETOURS.

As Dr. Todd's query (no. 10. p. 155.) respecting the meaning of the words "Reheting" and "Rehetour," used by our early English writers, has not hitherto been answered, I beg to send him a conjectural explanation, which, if not conclusive, is certainly probable.

In the royal household of France, there was formerly an officer whose duty it was to superintend the roasting of the King's meat; he was called the Hâteur, apparently in the sense of his "hastening" or "expediting" that all-important operation. The Fr. Hâter, "to hasten or urge forward," would produce the noun-substantive Hâteur; and also the similar word Hâtier, the French name for the roast-jack. If we consider Rehâteur to be the reduplicate of Hâteur, we have only to make an allowable permutation of vowels, and the result will be the expressive old English word "Rehetour," an appropriate name for the royal turnspit. Wycliffe uses it, I think, in the sense of a superfluous servant, one whose duties, like the Hâteur's, were very light indeed. He compares the founding of new Orders in an overburthened Church-establishment to the making of new offices in a household already crowded with useless (and consequently idle and vicious) servants. The multitude of fat friars and burly monks charged upon the community were "the newe rehetours that ete mennes mete," &c.

The term, thus implying an useless "do-nothing," would soon become one of the myriad of choice epithets in the vulgar vocabulary, as in the instances from Dunbar and Kennedy.

In a better sense, a verb would be derived, easily; "to rehâte," or "rehete," i.e. "to provide, entertain, or refresh with meat," and thence, "to feast with words," as used by Chaucer and the old Romancists.

Mr. Halliwell's authorities for rendering the participle "Rehating" by "Burning, or smarting," are not given; but if such a meaning existed, it may have a ready explanation by reference to the Hâuteur's fireside labour, though suggestive of unskilfulness or carelessness on his part.

John Westby Gibson.

5. Queen Square, Aldersgate Street, Feb. 8. 1850.

In answer to Dr. Todd's inquiries, I would say, first of all, the "rehatours" of Douglas and the other Scots are beside his question, and a totally different word. Feelings cherished in the mind will recur from time to time; and those malevolent persons, who thus retain them, were said to re-hate, as they are now said to re-sent.

But the verb really in question is, per se, a perfectly plain one, to re-heat. The difficulty is as to its use. The primary use, of course, is to heat again. The nearest secondary use is "to cherish, cheer, or comfort, to refocillate;" which is too plain to require more words. Another secondary meaning is "to re-vive or to re-kindle" in its metaphoric sense. This may be said well, as of life, health, or hope; or ill, as of war, hatred, grief; or indifferently, as of love. What difficulty Mr. Tyrwhitt could find in "the revival of Troilus's bitter grief" being called "the reheating of his sore sighs," I cannot imagine. Even literal heat is not wanting to sighs, and is often ascribed to them by poets: and lovers' sighs are warm in every sense. I think Tyrwhitt has thrown upon this passage the only darkness that involves it.

Now comes the more difficult point, which alone concerns Dr. Todd in his highly interesting labours upon Wycliffe. And the method which, until better advised, I should be inclined to follow with those passages, is