style.

William Winthrop.

La Valetta, Malta.

Minor Notes.

Whipping a Lady.—The following is from a MS. Diary of the Rev. John Lewis, Rector of Chalfield and Curate of Tilbury:

"August, 1719. Sir Christopher Hales being jilted by a lady who promised him marriage, and put him off on the day set for their marriage, gave her a good whipping at parting. Remember the story."

Is there any corroboration of this?

E. D.

Mother of Thirty Children.—An instance has come under my notice of a woman, whose maiden name was Lee, born in Surrey; married, first, Berry, with whom she lived thirty years, and had twenty-six children (four times twins): all survived infancy. Married, secondly, Taylor, by whom she had four children. Died at Stratford, aged eighty-four. Within a few weeks of her death, was as upright as a young woman. At the time of her death, there were one hundred and twenty-two of her descendants living. She lived most of her married life near Whitechapel and Radcliffe, and was buried in the Brickfield burying-ground. She had sixteen boys and fourteen girls.

Leyton.

"Ought" and "Aught."—I regret to observe that ought is gradually supplanting aught in our language, where the meaning intended to be conveyed is "anything." Todd's Johnson gives authorities, but may they not be errors of the press? I am aware that use has substituted nought for naught in the sense of "not anything", the latter now expressing only what is "bad," and convenience may justify that change, nought being not otherwise used. Let me add that I am the more

in fear for our old servant aught, who surely has done nought worthy of excommunication, from observing that such a writer as the Rev. Chevenix Trench has substituted ought for aught to express "anything." If convenience is allowed to justify our having nought and naught, it surely claims that we should keep aught and ought each for its appropriate signification in writing, impossible as it is to distinguish one from the other in speech.

Υ.

Nilbud.

Walton.—The following note is written on the fly-leaf at the end of Hieron's Sermons, 1620:

"Mr. Gillamour.—I pray you be entreated to lend my wife what silver you think fittest upon this or other bookes to supplie our present wants, soe as I may have them againe when I restore it to you; you shall doo mee a greate curtesie, and I shall be very thankfull to you.