the word "news" is not "derived immediately from the German," and "has not been adopted bodily into our language;" that the English "new" and German "neu" have, however, of course the same origin, their common root being widely spread in other languages, as [Greek: neos], Gr.; norus, Lat.; neuf, Fr., &c.; that "news" is a noun of plural form and plural meaning, like goods, riches, &c.; that its peculiar and frequent use is quite sufficient to account for its having come to be used as a singular noun ("riches," by the way, may be prefixed sometimes to a singular verb, as "riches is a cause of corruption"); that Mr. HICKSON might as well say that "goods" is derived immediately from "gutes," the genitive of "gut;" and "riches" from "reiches," the genitive of "reich:" and also that if "s" in "goods," and "es" in "riches" are signs of the plural, "we should have, as the Germans have, either extant or obsolete," the "good," "the rich," (not that I quite understand this part of "Mr. HICKSON's" argument): and, lastly, I assert that I believe that Neues, in the phrase "Was giebt's Neues?" is not the genitive, but the nominative neuter, so that the phrase is to be literally translated "What is there new?"

As regards the derivation of "News," I wish you had allowed the question to rest as it stood after the sensible remarks of "A.E.B." (No. 23. p. 369.). Pray excuse me, Sir, for expressing a hope that you will ponder well before you again allow us to be puzzled on so plain a subject, and give circulation and your sanction to paradoxes, even though coming from one so entitled to attention as "Mr. HICKSON."

The early communication between the English and German languages, of which "Mr. HICKSON" puts forward the derivation of "news" from "neues" as an instance, may be an interesting and profitable subject of inquiry; but as I think he has been singularly unfortunate in the one instance, so I do not think him particularly happy in his other. I see no further resemblance between Heywood's "Song in praise of his Mistress," and the early German poem, than what might arise from treatment of the same and a very common subject.

I am not enough of an etymologist to give you the root of the word "noise." But my faith in "Mr. HICKSON" in this capacity is not strong enough to lead me to believe, on his dictum, that "news" and "noise" are the same word; and when, pursuing his fancy about "neues," he goes on to say that "noise" is "from a dialect from which the modern German pronunciation of the dipthong is derived," I fear his pronunciation of German is faulty, if he pronounces eu in "Neues" like oi in "noise."

[We differ from our correspondent on this point, and think that here, at all events, Mr. HICKSON has the advantage of the argument.]

I beg to repeat that for "Mr. HICKSON" I feel great respect. If he knew my name, he would probably know nothing about me; but I happen to know of him, what perhaps, some of your readers do not, that he has unostentatiously rendered many considerable services not only to literature but to our social and political interests. In my humble opinion, his recent essay in your columns on The Taming of the Shrew is a contribution to our literary history which you may be proud of having published. But I feel that I cannot too strongly protest against his derivation of "News."

CH.

REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES.

Dr. Whichcot and Lord Shaftesbury (No. 24. p. 382., No. 27. p. 444.).—I am obliged to "COLL. REGAL. SOCIUS" for his notice of my inquiry. The Lord Chamberlain and Chancellor of Cambridge University mentioned in Lord Lauderdale's letter to Dr. Whichcot, is the Earl of Manchester. Shaftesbury was never either Lord Chamberlain or Chancellor of Cambridge.

I may mention that Whichcot's intimacy with Lord Shaftesbury would probably have been brought about by his being incumbent of the church of St. Lawrence Jewry, Shaftesbury having his London house in the latter part of his life in Aldersgate Street.

If it is not committing unpardonable trespass on that useful part of your publication in which books and odd volumes are asked for, I will go on to say that I should be glad to have a copy of the volume of Whichcot's Sermons (1698) which the third Lord Shaftesbury edited, at a reasonable price.

CH.

Elizabeth and Isabel (No. 27. p. 439.).—Mr. Thomas Duffus Hardy, in his evidence on the Camoys Peerage case (June 18. 1838, Evidence, p. 351.) proved that the names of Isabella and Elizabeth were in ancient times used indifferently, and particularly in the reigns of Edward I. and Edward III. Mr. Hardy says in his evidence:—

"In the British Museum there is a Latin letter of Elizabeth of Austria, Queen of Charles IX. of France, to Queen Elizabeth of England. In the Latin she is called Elizabetha, and she signs her name Ysabel. In the Chronicle de St. Denis, in the year 1180, it is stated, 'Le jor martmes espousa la noble Roine Ysabel,' 'Upon this day, Queen Elizabeth was married;' and in Rigordus de Gestis Philippi Augusti Regis Francois it is stated, 'Tune inuncta fuit Elizabeth uxor ejus venerabilis foemina;' and Moreri says she is called 'Elizabeth or Izabeau de Hainault, Queen of France, wife of Philippe Auguste.' Camden, in his Remains, says, 'Isabel is the same as Elizabeth;' that the Spaniards always translate Elizabeth into Isabel, and the French into Izabeau. I have seen in the British Museum a deed, in which the name Elizabetha is written in Latin; on the seal it is Isabella. In the Inquisitiones post Mortem I have frequently seen Ysabella returned in one country and Elizabetha in an other for the same person. I have something like a dozen other instances from Moreri, in which he says that Elizabeth and Isabella or Isabeau are the same. Elizabeth or Izabeau de France, dau. of Lewis VIII. and Blanche of Castella; Elizabeth or Isabelle d'Aragon, Queen of France, wife of Philippe III., surnamed le Hardie; Elizabeth or Isabeau de Bavière, Queen of France, wife of Charles VI.; Elizabeth or Isabeau d'Angoulême, wife of King John of England; Elizabeth or Isabeau de France, Queen of England, dau. of Philippe IV.; Elizabeth or Isabelle of France, Queen of Richard II.; Elizabeth or Isabelle de France, Queen of Navarre; Elizabeth or Isabelle de Valois, dau. of Charles of France; Elizabeth or Isabelle de France, dau. of Philippe le Long, King of France; Elizabeth or Isabelle de France, Duchess of Milan; Elizabeth or Isabelle, Queen of Philippe V. of Spain."

WM. DURRANT COOPER.

81. Guildford Street, May 4. 1850.

Elizabeth—Isabel.—The Greek word [Greek: Elisabet] (Luke, i. 5. &c.) from which Elizabeth, or Elisabeth, must have been adopted as a Christian name, is used by the LXX. (Exodus, vi. 23.) to express the Hebrew [Hebrew: Elisheba], the name of Aaron's wife. This at once directs us to the verb [Hebrew: shaba], or rather to its Niphal, [Hebrew: nishba], for the Kal form does not occur, to swear; for the combination of letters in [Hebrew: el isshaba], God will swear, or God sweareth, is the same as that in the proper name. Now let us transpose the verb and its nominative case, and we have [Hebrew: ishaba el], which a Greek translator might soften into [Greek: Isabel].

The use of [Greek: Elisabet] both by the LXX. and the Evangelist, makes it probable that the mother of John the Baptist, who was of the daughters of Aaron (Luke, i. 5.), was known amongst her own people by the recognized and family name of Elisheba, as Anna no doubt would be Hannah ([Hebrew: hanah]), and Mary, Miriam ([Greek: Mariam], Luke, i. 27.). And this is confirmed by the Syriac version, the vernacular, or nearly so, of Our Blessed Lord and His disciples,