this style was used by Henry VII., as appears from his contract with the Abbot of Westminster (Harl.  MS. 1498.).  Selden tells us that the emperors had from early times been styled “Defensores Ecclesiae;” and from the instances cited by Mr. Luders, it appears that the title of “Most Christian” was appropriated to kings of France from a very ancient period; that Pepin received it (A.D. 755) from the Pope, and Charles the Bald (A.D. 859) from a Council:  and Charles VI. refers to ancient usage for this title, and makes use of these words: 

    “—­nostrorum progenitorum imitatione—­evangelicae
    veritatis—­DEFENSORES—­nostra regia dignitas divino Christianae
    religionis titulo gloriosius insignitur—.”

Mr. Luders refers to the use of the words “Nos zelo fidei catholicae, cujus sumus et erimus Deo dante Defensores, salubriter commoti” in the charter of Richard II. to the Chancellor of Oxford, in the nineteenth year of his reign, as the earliest introduction of such phrases into acts of the kings of England that he had met with.  This zeal was for the condemnation of Wycliff’s Trialogus.  In the reign of Hen.  IV. the writ “De Haeretico comburendo” had the words “Zelator justitia et fidei catholicae cultor;” and the title of “Tres Chretien” occurs in several instruments of Hen.  VI. and Edw.  IV.  It appears very probable that this usage was the foundation of the statement made by Chamberlayne and by Mr. Christopher Wren:  but that the title of Defender of the Faith was used as part of the royal style before 1521, is, I believe, quite untrue.

W.S.G.

* * * * *

MEANING OF JEZEBEL.

(Vol. ii., p. 357.)

There appear to be two serious objections to the idea of your correspondent W.G.H. respecting the appearance of Baal in this word:  1.  The original orthography ([Hebrew:  ’iyzebel]); whereas the name of the deity is found on all Phoenician monuments, where it enters largely into the composition of proper names, written [Hebrew:  b`l]:  and, 2.  The fact of female names being generally on these same monuments (as tombstones and so forth) compounded of the name of a goddess, specially Astarth ([Hebrew:  ’atiorit] or [Hebrew:  `a]).  I do not know that we have any example of a female name into which Baal enters.

The derivation of the word appears to be that given by Gesenius (s.v.); that it is compounded of the root [Hebrew:  zabal] (habitavit, cohabitavit) and the negative [Hebrew:  ’eiyn], and that its meaning is the same as [Greek:  alochos], casta:  comp. Agnes. Isabel, in fact, would be a name nearer the original than the form in which we have it.

SC.

Carmarthen, Oct. 29. 1850.

Jezebel.—­W.G.H. has been misled by the ending bel.  The Phoenician god Bel or Baal has nothing to do with this name,—­the component words being Je-zebel, not Jeze-bel.  Of the various explanations given, that of Gesenius (Heb.  Lex., s. voc.) appears, as usual, the simplest and most rational.  The name [Hebrew:  ’iyzebel] (Jezebel) he derives from [Hebrew:  ’iy] (i) “not” (comp.  I-chabod, “In-glorious”) and [Hebrew:  zabal] (zabal), “to dwell, cohabit with.”