Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/424

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. VIL MAY 25, 1901.

place, and that the said John of Old Hold was indeed the same person as John the son of George above mentioned being true is now greatly increased by the information lately received from MR. C. R. HAINES, namely, that Nicholas Haynes, of Hackney (died in 1593, as ME. C. H. CROUCH states), left but one son (Richard), who in his turn left but one daughter, thus putting Nicholas, as grandfather to the Governor, entirely out of the question.

Cannot some one in England prove or dis- prove the supposition as to George ?

Thanking my correspondents, I will add that their information has proved to be a valuable supplement to the body of matter relative to trie Haynes family contained in 'The New England Historical and Genea- logical Register ' matter that should be con- sulted by Englishmen as well as Americans interested in that family's history.

P. S. P. CONNER.

Rowlandsville, Maryland.

ANULO-HEBREW SLANG : " KYBOSH " (9 th S. vii. 188, 276). I have frequently heard the ex- pression "It's all sky-bosh " (not "kybosh"), as meaning "It's all nonsense '(or rubbish). I am, however, acquainted with the use of "kybosh " in a different sense ; thus to " put the kybosh on " a person is, as I have always understood, to attempt to "gammon" or deceive one in the way of trade by word of mouth. W. I. R. V.

DANTEIANA (9 th S. vii. 201, 316). I am obliged to MR. YARDLEY and MR. HOPE for their courteous strictures on two points in my article at the first reference. With equal courtesy let me reply to both. 1. MR. YARD- LEY credits me with implying rather more than I intended. In saying that Dante and Shakespeare and Chaucer madeTheseus a duke ( = dux) in the sense of leader, I by no means wished to question the fact since adduced by MR. YARDLEY that there were several Dukes of Athens in the Middle Ages. My conten- tion was limited to the statement just re- peated. "Dante makes Theseus Duke of Athens, as did also Shakespeare," wrote Tomlinson. It must be remembered that Theseus was the hero of Athenian legend, renowned for his leadership in his wars with the Amazons, in addition to his exploit with the Minotaur. His attributed dukedom is therefore as much poetical fiction as his personality. But I am still of opinion that the poets dubbed him duke in the meaning of leader, commander, general. I am quite aware, however, that there was a goodly line of historic Pukes of Athens, the last of whom

was strangled by Mahomet II., but this in no manner invalidates my surmise anent Dante's Duca d' Atene. 2. MR. HOPE quotes Mr. Paget Toynbee as counter-evidence to the assumed visit of Dante to Oxford. There is a wide gulf fixed between the "extremely doubtful T ' of Mr. Toynbee and the " probable " of Mr. Gladstone and Dean Plumptre. I prefer probability to extreme doubt.

J. B. McGovERN. St. Stephen's Rectory, C.-on-M., Manchester.

It may be worth while to correct a slight inaccuracy in my letter. The Duke of Athens, father of the Constable of France, was not driven out of Greece. He was killed in battle there, and his family and his followers were expelled. The first duke flourished about the beginning of the thirteenth century, and there were at least five dukes before the Con- stable. So it is clear that the title existed in the time of Dante and before his birth.

E. YARDLEY.

DEFENDER OF THE FAITH (1 st S. ii. 442, 481 ; iii. 9, 28, 94, 157). Mr. S. Kitchin, a friend and neighbour of mine, has been giving his attention to the royal title of " Fidei Defen- sor." He contends that the title was absolutely abolished by 1 arid 2 Philip and Mary, and was never legally revived. I referred him to a very interesting contribution on the sub- ject by a famous antiquary of his day, MR. W. SIDNEY GIBSON, of Newcastle, which appears in ' N. & Q.,' 1 st S. ii. 481, and he has sent the following letter to the Newcastle Leader, which appears in the issue of that paper for 20 March. It seems desirable that the question should again be argued in the pages of 'N. & Q.'

FIDET DEFENSOR.

SIR, As a question was asked last night in the House of Commons by Mr. William Redmond re- specting the use of the above title on the new coin- age, a brief note on the subject may be of interest to your readers. The title of " Defender of the Faith" was bestowed on Henry VIII. by Pope Leo X., and was cancelled by Paul III. when Henry renounced the supremacy of the Pope in England. The King, much annoyed bv the Pope withdrawing the title, caused an Act of Parliament to be passed, 35 Henry Vlli. c. 3, which annexed to the Crown of England for ever the style of "Supreme Head" of the Church of England and " Defender of the Faith.' The best authorities, such as the ' PJncyclo- psedia Britannica' and ' Chambers's Encyclopedia,' state that it is under the above-mentioned Act that the title of "Fidei Defensor" has ever since been used by the sovereigns of this country. That state- ment is not correct.

The Act in question was only in force for eleven years. It was repealed by 1 and 2 Philip and Mary, c. 3, sec. 20, in the following words: The "Act for the ratification of the King's Majesty's style shall henceforth be repealed, frustrate, void, and