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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. i. MAY 28,

odorem suavitatis; ad aurem sinistram, Tu autem effugare diabole ; appropinquabit enim judicium Dei."

Why the inscription " Sal et saliva " should

be on the font, or why the oil should not be

mentioned, I cannot say. J. T. F.

Bishop Hatfield's Hall, Durham.

The meaning of the words "Sal et saliva," found on the font in St. Margaret's Church, Ipswich, is easily explained. In the Catholic rite of baptism the officiating priest puts salt into the mouth of the child, as a sign that he is to be freed from the corruption of sin, and anoints his ears and nostrils with spittle, after the example of our Lord, who thus restored sight to the blind man. I may add that the antiquity of these rites is proved from their being contained in the Sacramen- tary of Pope Gelasius, who died in 496.

D. OSWALD HUNTER-BLAIR, O.S.B. Oxford.

See 'The Catholic Christian Instructed,' pp. 15-17. ST. S WITHIN.

In the ancient form of baptism the priest placed salt in the child's mouth, " Sacerdos

ponat de ipso sale in ore ejus, ita dicens,

ST., Accipe salem sapientise," &c. Afterwards he placed some of his own saliva in his left hand, and with his right thumb touched therewith the ears and nostrils of the child, " Deinde sputet Sacerdos in sinistra manu, et tangat aures et nares infantis cum pollice dextro cum sputo." See, e.g., the 'York Manual,' Surtees Soc., pp. 6, 10, 9*, 10*.

W. C. B.

A short account of the old English bap- tismal rite may be seen in Dr. Swete's 'Church Services before the Reformation,' published by S.P.C.K. Those who wish to con- sult the very interesting 'Ordines Romani' can do so in Mabillon's 'Museum Italicum' (1724). The whole of the second volume deals with this subject. Bingham's 'Antiquities' is also helpful. C. DEEDES.

Chichester.

See Trench, 'Miracles,' p. 353, ed. 1854, and ' Diet. Chr. Ant.,' p. 1838b. Rabanus Maurus (circa 850 A.D.) mentions both rites and their mystical significance. CHAS. P. PHINN.

Watford.

"As THE CROW FLIES" (10 th S. i. 204, 296, 372). The phrase was used in 1829 in a judg- ment given by Mr. Justice Parke, afterwards Lord Wen sley dale :

"I should have thought that the proper mode of admeasuring the distance would be to take a straight line from house to house, in common parlance, as the crow flies." 9 Barnewall and Cresswell's Reports, 779.

The following story is told, I believe, of the late Archbishop Temple, and I daresay of other bishops, with varying details. A parson applied for leave to reside outside his parish at a house which he stated to be " only two miles off the parish church as the crow- flies." Leave was tersely refused, on the ground that the parson was not a crow.

H. C.

It is no easy task to take a direct line " as the crow flies " across the open country. I once tried it for three miles or so under the following circumstances, and still retain a very vivid recollection of the plight I was in when I reached my destination.

In June, 1875, while my brother and I were at a neighbouring village, we received telegraphic intelligence that my father's house had been struck by lightning, and was on fire. We started for the nearest point from which we could observe the position of West Haddon, and, having located it by the smoke, tore headlong across country. Through hedges, across fields of mowing grass, over brooks, ditches, and other obstacles, we re- lentlessly pursued our course, and I am not aware that we once deviated from the direct line. I have performed many cross-country runs, both before and since then, but only in this one instance could I strictly apply the term " as the crow flies." JOHN T. PAGE.

West Haddon, Northamptonshire.

STOYLE (10 th S. i. 349). Inquiries were made in 7 th S. xii. 167 for the Stqyte family of Uffington and Stamford, co. Lincoln, and in 9 th S. x. 448 for the Stoyles family of London. If either should be considered of service to your correspondent, I would gladly send him a MS. copy.

EVERARD HOME COLEMAN. 71, Brecknock Road.

AINOO AND BASKISH (10 th S. i. 264, 297). This very interesting subject has been fully dealt with by the Canadian scholar Dr. John Campbell, of the Presbyterian College, Mont- real, who most kindly furnished me with the pamphlets in which he had worked out the place and relationship of these and other non- Aryan languages, which he denotes the Khitan family, and classifies as follows :

I. OLD- WORLD DIVISION.

1. Baskish.

2. Caucasian (Georgian, Lesghian, Circas- sian, Mizjeji).

3. Siberian (Yeniseian, Yukahirian, Koriak, Tchuktchi, Kamtschadale).

4. Japanese (Japanese, Loochoo, Ainoo, Korean).