Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 1.djvu/523

 9 th S. I. JUNE 25, '98.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

515

carefully at it I think he will find the wore is spelt theire (thei-re). I have met with no such variant as he gives. J. S. UDAL.

Fiji.

JOHN WEAVER, DANCING MASTER (9 th S. i 448). This eminent dancing master was the son of Mr. Weaver, whom the Duke o' Ormond, then Chancellor of Oxford, licensee in 1676 to exercise the same profession within that university. He was a resident at Shrews- bury in 1712, when his advertisement appearec in No. 334 of the Spectator, and was referrec to by Steele in No. 466. He was the author of several ballets, or by him termed " scenica' dancing." He is also said to have been the first restorer of pantomimes. He died 28 Sept. 1760, and was buried in St. Chad's Church, Shrewsbury. For a list of his works see
 * N. & Q.,' 2 nd S. iii. 89, 138, 297 ; xi. 123, 423.

EVERARD HOME COLEMAN. 71, Brecknock Road.

KISFALUDY (9 th S. i. 448). The key to the accentuation of Hungarian names is that they should be divided, when compound, into their elements. In the above and some others commencing with the same prefix, such as Kismartony, the first syllable forms a word by itself (meaning little) and is practically unaccented, the main stress falling upon the first syllable of the words Faludy, Martony. The rhythmical effect is similar to that of such an English name as Great Missenden. Simple as this is, all the biographical diction- aries I have seen go wrong over the accentua- tion of Kisfaludy ; one of them (Smith) has even reduced it from four to three syllables. Altogether our works of reference are not to be congratulated on the way they have treated Hungarian proper names, though perhaps this is in part due to the fact that place and personal names have preserved in many cases an old orthography quite different from that used in writing Hungarian to-day. Thus, to give only one example, the sound which is now represented by the German o was anciently written with eo or ew, and is still so rendered in many names Eotvos, for in- stance, and the queer - looking Thewrewk, which in modern spelling would be Torok. JAS. PLATT Jun.

OXFORD UNDERGRADUATE GOWNS (9 th S. i. 247, 292, 415). This gown seems to get " fine by degrees and beautifully less " as time rolls on, and a more unbecoming costume could not well be devised. It now resembles the ancient article of attire called a "spencer" which Phiz depicts Ralph Nickleby as wear- ing. In my time, some forty-five years ago,

it was not nearly so much curtailed and in Ackermaim's 'Oxford,' circa 1808, the com- moner is depicted as wearing a rather graceful gown. The leading-strings are, I suppose, to represent the need for guidance in the shoals of a university career. The liripipe is a pendant from the ancient form of the hood. JOHN PICKFORD, M.A. Newbourne Rectory, Woodbridge.

HYDE (9 th S. i. 429). Sir Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, was descended from the Hydes of West Hatch, co. Wilts, a branch of the Hydes of Norbury and Hyde, Cheshire. The relationship between the Earl of Claren- don and the Berkshire Hydes is through marriage. Humphrey Hyde, of King's Lisle, co. Berks, son of Sir George Hyde, of Dench- worth, in the same county, married Anne, eldest daughter of Sir Laurence Hyde, of the Close, Salisbury, brother (I think) of Henry Hyde, of Purton and Hinton, co. Wilts, father of the Earl. JOHN RADCLIFFE.

TODMORDEN (9 th S. i. 21, 78, 114, 217, 272, 417). MR. MITCHINER has not succeeded in quoting me correctly. What I said was that it is a mere " assumption (to suppose) that one letter, say an r, can turn into another, as d, without any provocation, reason, or neces- sity." The last six words in this sentence, being important, have been suppressed.

He now finds that "corruption, under traditional passage and slovenly expression, seems to follow some sort of order." This is rather a timid way of putting it, but it is in complete accordance with my statement, and is generally accepted.

The circumstances under which certain letters (more correctly, certain sounds which those letters symbolize) turn into certain other letters or sounds are perfectly well known, and have frequently been explained. Hundreds of examples are given in my Principles of English Etymology.' The shange from b to p is not only common, but nevitable under certain circumstances, and .t is amusing to see such an example brought forward as a new discovery. It is thousands of years old.

That is the whole point. Sound-changes ! ollow definite laws. Some changes are common, whilst others never occur at all. We are asked to believe that Tormorden )ecame Todmorden ; and the answer is that t contradicts all experience. R only becomes d when a vowel follows and when the r is ioubled. Almost the only known example is mddock for parrock ; though we find, con- 'ersely, porridge for poddige, which again tands for pottage, and porringer f or poddinger,