Now I cannot find hanap in any dictionary to which I have access; but I find hanaper in every one.  Johnson, and others, give the word Hanaper as synonymous with treasury or exchequer.  They also contract Hanaper into Hamper.  For example, in Dyche’s English Dictionary, 17th ed.  Lond. 1794, we have,—­

“Hamper, or Hanaper, a wicker basket made with a cover to fasten it up with; also, an office in Chancery; the clerk or warden of the Hanaper receives all monies due to the king for seals of charters, &c.... and takes into his custody all sealed charters, patents, &c.,... which he now puts into bags, but anciently, it is supposed, into Hampers, which gave the denomination to the office.”

And perhaps it may be remarked here, since we commonly say of a man in difficulties that he is “exchequered” or in “chancery,” that so we probably intend to express the same, when we say a man is hanapered, or hampered.

Thus, there is no difficulty about the meaning of Hanaper; and its connection with treasure is plain and clear enough:  and, with respect to cups, though chiefly used for drinking, the presentation of them with sums of money in them has ever been, and indeed is, so very customary, that it is needless to occupy space here with instances.  But I cannot distinctly connect the hanap of the exhibition with hanaper:  and I perhaps ought to look in another direction for its true signification and etymology.

ROBERT SNOW.

[Our correspondents who have written upon the subject of Hanap are referred to Halliwell’s Archaic Dictionary, where they will find “HANAP, a cup. Test.  Vet. p. 99.;” to Ducange, s.v.  “HANAPUS, HANAPPUS, HANAPHUS, vas, patera, crater, (Vas ansatum et pede instructum, quo a poculo distinguitur), ex Saxonico Hnaep, Hnaeppa, Germ. Napf, calix patera;” and to Guenebault, Dict.  Iconographique des Monuments, who refers again for particulars of this species of drinking cup to the works of Soumerard and Willemin.]

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Life of W. Godwin.—­“N.’s” inquiry (No. 26. p. 415.) for an account of the life of W. Godwin, and more particularly of his last hours, leads me to express hope in your columns that the memoirs of Godwin, which were announced for publication shortly after his death, but which family disputes, as I have understood, prevented from appearing, may not much longer be denied to the public.  I am not aware of any better account of Godwin’s life, to which “N.” can now be referred, than the sketch in the Penny Cyclopaedia.

CH.

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