REPLIES.

COLLEGE SALTING.

In reply to the query of the Rev. Dr. Maitland (No. 17. p. 261.), I would remark, that Salting was the ceremony of initiating a freshman into the company of senior students or sophisters. This appears very clearly from a passage in the Life of Anthony a Wood (ed. 1771, pp. 45-50.). Anthony a Wood was matriculated in the University of Oxford, 26th May, 1647, and on the 18th of October "he was entered into the Buttery-Book of Merton College." At various periods, from All Saints till Candlemas, "there were Fires of Charcole made in the Common hall."

"At all these Fires every Night, which began to be made a little after five of the clock, the Senior Under-Graduats would bring into the hall the Juniors or Freshmen between that time and six of the clock, and there make them sit down on a Forme in the middle of the Hall, joyning to the Declaiming Desk: which done, every one in Order was to speake some pretty Apothegme, or make a Jest or Bull, or speake some eloquent Nonsense, to make the Company laugh: But if any of the Freshmen came off dull or not cleverly, some of the forward or pragmatical Seniors would Tuck them, that is, set the nail of their Thumb to their chin, just under the Lipp, and by the help of their other Fingers under the Chin, they would give him a chuck, which sometimes would produce Blood. On Candlemas day, or before (according as Shrove Tuesday fell out), every Freshman had warning given him to provide his Speech, to be spoken in the publick Hall before the Under-Graduats and Servants on Shrove-Tuesday night that followed, being alwaies the time for the observation of that Ceremony. According to the said Summons A. Wood provided a Speech as the other Freshmen did.

"Shrove Tuesday Feb. 15, the Fire being made in the Common hall before 5 of the Clock at night, the Fellowes would go to Supper before six, and making an end sooner than at other times, they left the Hall to the Libertie of the Undergraduats, but with an Admonition from one of the Fellowes (who was the Principall of the Undergraduats and Postmasters) that all things should be carried in good Order. While they were at Supper in the Hall, the Cook (Will. Noble) was making the lesser of the brass pots full of Cawdle at the Freshmens Charge; which, after the Hall was free from the Fellows, was brought up and set before the Fire in the said Hall. Afterwards every Freshman, according to seniority, was to pluck off his Gowne and Band, and if possible to make himself look like a Scoundrell. This done, they were conducted each after the other to the high Table, and there made to stand on a Forme placed thereon; from whence they were to speak their Speech with an audible voice to the Company: which, if well done, the person that spoke it was to have a Cup of Cawdle and no salted Drinke; if indifferently, some Cawdle and some salted Drinke; but if dull, nothing was given to him but salted Drinke or salt put in College Bere, with Tucks to book. Afterwards when they were to be admitted into the Fraternity, the Senior Cook was to administer to them an Oath over an old Shoe, part of which runs thus: Item tu jurabis, quot penniless bench non visitabis, &c.: the rest is forgotten, and none there are that now remembers it. After which spoken with gravity, the Freshman kist the Shoe, put on his Gowne and Band, and took his place among the Seniors."

Mr. Wood gives part of his speech, which is ridiculous enough. It appears that it was so satisfactory that he had cawdle and sack without and salted drink. He concludes thus:—

"This was the way and custome that had been used in the College, time out of mind, to initiate the Freshmen; but between that time and the restoration of K. Ch. 2. it was disused, and now such a thing is absolutely forgotten."

The editors in a note intimate that it was probable the custom was not peculiar to Merton College, and that it was perhaps once general, as striking traces of it might be found in many societies in Oxford, and in some a very near resemblance of it had been kept up until within a few years of that time (1772).

C.H. COOPER.

Cambridge, Feb. 23. 1850.

"E.V.," after quoting the passage given by Mr. Cooper from Anthony Wood, proceeds:—

It is clear from Owen's epigram that there was some kind of salting at Oxford as well as at Cambridge; is it not at least probable that they were both identical with the custom described by old Anthony, and that the charge made in the college book was for the cawdle mentioned above, as provided at the freshman's expense; the whole ceremony going under the name of "salting," from the salt and water potion, which was the most important constituent of it? If this be so, it agrees with Dr. Maitland's idea, that "this 'salting' was some entertainment given by the newcomer, from and after which he ceases to be fresh;" or, as Wood expresses it, "he took his place among the seniors."

The "tucks" he speaks of could have been no very agreeable addition to the salted beer; for, as he himself explains it, a few lines above, "to tuck" consisted in "setting the nail of the thumb to their chin, just under the lip, and by the help of their other fingers under the chin, they would give him a mark, which sometimes would produce blood."

Before I leave Anthony Wood, let me mention that I find him making use of the word "bull" in the sense of a laughable speech ("to make a jest, or bull, or speake some eloquent nonsense," p. 34.), and of the now vulgar expression "to go to pot." When recounting the particulars of the parliamentary visitation of the University in 1648, he tells us, that had it not been for the intercession of his mother to Sir Nathan Brent, "he had infallible gone to the pot." If Dr. Maitland or any of your readers can give the history of these expressions, and can produce earlier instances of their use, they would greatly oblige me.

P.S. I ought to mention, that "Penniless Bench" was a seat for loungers, under a wooden canopy, at the east end of old Carfax Church: it seems to have been notorious as "the idle corner" of Oxford.

E.V.

QUERIES ANSWERED, NO. 5.

A comparative statement of the number of those who ask questions, and those who furnish replies, would be a novel contribution to the statistics of literature. I do note mean to undertake it, but shall so far assume an excess on the side of the former class, as to attempt a triad of replies to recent queries without fear of the censures which attach to monopoly.

To facilitate reference to the queries, I take them in the order of publication:—

1. "What is the earliest known instance of the use of a beaver hat in England?"—T. Hudson Turner, p. 100.

The following instance from Chaucer (Canterbury tales, 1775, 8°. v. 272.), if not the earliest, is precise and instructive:

2. "Has Cosmopoli been ever appropriated to any known locality?"—John Jebb, p. 213.

Cosmopolis has been used for London, and for Paris (G. Peignot, Répertoire de bibliographies spéciales, Paris, 1810. 8°. pp. 116, 132.) It may also, in accordance with its etymology, be used for Amsterdam, or Berlin, or Calcutta, etc. As an imprint, it takes the dative case. The Interpretationes paradoxæ quatuor evangeliorum of Sandius, were printed at Amsterdam. (M. Weiss, Biographie universelle, Paris, 1811 28. 8°. xl. 312.)

3. References to "any works or treatises supplying information on the history of the Arabic numerals" are requested by "E.N." p. 230.

To the well chosen works enumberated by the querist, I shall add the titles of two valuable publications in my own collection:

DICTIONNAIRE RAISONNÉ DE DIPLOMATIQUE—par dom de Vaines. Paris, 1774. 8°. 2 vol.

ELÉMENTS DE PALÉOGRAPHIE, par M. Natalis de Wailly. Paris, Imprimerie royale, 1838. 4°. 2 vol.

The former work is a convenient epitome of the Nouveau traité de diplomatique. The latter is a new compilation, undertaken with the sanction of M. Guizot. Its appearance was thus hailed by the learned Daunou: "Cet ouvrage nous semble recommandable par l'exactitude des recherches, par la distribution méthodique des matières et par l'élégante précision du style." (Journal des savants, Paris, 1838. 4°. p. 328.)

A query should always be worded with care, and put in a quotable shape. The observance of this plain rule would economise space, save the time which might otherwise be occupied in useless research, and tend to produce more pertinency of reply. The first and second of the above queries may serve as models.

Bolton Corney.

REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES.

Old Auster Tenement (No. 14. p. 217.).—I think that I am in a condition to throw some light on the meaning of this expression, noticed in a former Number by "W.P.P." The tenements held in villenage of the lord of a manor, at least where they consisted of a messuage or dwelling-house, are often called astra in our older books and court-rolls. If the tenement was an ancient one, it was vetus or antiquum astrum; if a tenure of recent creation (or a new-take, as it is called in some manors), it was novum astrum. The villenage tenant of it was an astrarius. "W.P.P." may satisfy himself of these facts by referring to the printed Plautorum Abbrevietis, fo. 282.; to Fleta, Comment. Juris. Anglicani, ed. 1685, p. 217.; and to Ducange, Spelman, and Cowel, under the words "Astrum," "Astrarius," and "Astre." In the very locality to which "W.P.P." refers, he will find that the word "Auster" is "Astrum" in the oldest court-rolls, and that the term is not confined to North Curry, but is very prevalent in the eastern half of Somerset. At the present day, an auster tenement is a species of copyhold, with all the incidents to that tenure. It is noticed in the Journal of the Archæological Institute, in a recent critique on Dr. Evans's Leicestershire words, and is very familar to legal practitioners of any experience in the district alluded to.

E. Smirke.

Tureen (No. 16. p. 246.).—There is properly no such word. It is a corruption of the French terrine, an earthen vessel in which soup is served. It is in Bailey's Dictionary. I take this opportunity of suggesting whether that the word "swinging," applied by Goldsmith to his tureen, should be rather spelt swingeing; though the former is the more usual way: a swinging dish and a swingeing are different things, and Goldsmith meant the latter.

C.

Burning the Dead.—"T." will find some information on this subject in Sir Thomas Browne's Hydriotaphia, chap. i., which appears to favour his view except in the following extract:

"The same practice extended also far west, and besides Heruleans, Getes and Thracians, was in use with most of the Celtæ, Sarmatians, Germans, Gauls, Danes, Swedes, Norwegians; not to omit some use thereof among Carthaginians, and Americans."

The Carthaginians most probably received the custom from their ancestors the Phoenicians, but where did the Americans get it?

Henry St. Chad.

Corpus Christi Hall, Maidstone, Feb. 8. 1850.

Burning the Dead.—Your correspondent "T." (No. 14. p. 216.) can hardly have overlooked the case of Dido, in his inquiry "whether the practice of burning the dead has ever been in vogue amongst any people, excepting the inhabitants of Europe and Asia?" According to all classical authorities, Dido was founder and queen of Carthage in Africa, and was burned at Carthage on a funeral pile.

If it be said that Dido's corpse underwent burning in conformity with the custom of her native country Tyre, and not because it obtained in the land of her adoption, then the question arises, whether burning the dead was not one of the customs which the Tyrian colony of Dido imported into Africa, and became permanently established at Carthage. It is very certain that the Carthaginians had human sacrifices by fire, and that they burned their children in the furnace to Saturn.

A.G.

Ecclesfield, Feb. 8. 1850.