swinger, shall breed any urdam, durdam, brabblement, or squabblement, he shall have his lugs tacked to the muckle trone, with a nail of twal-a-penny, until he down of his hobshanks and up with his mucle doubs, and pray to heaven neen times, Gold bles the king, and thrice the muckle Lord of Relton, pay a groat to me Jammey Ferguson, bailiff of the aforesaid manor.  So ye heard my proclamation, and I’ll haam to dinner.”

Perhaps some of your correspondents north of the Tweed can give the meaning (if there be any) of a few of the choice expressions contained in this document.

MONKBARNS.

Seats in Churches.—­The following curious notice of seats in churches occurs in Thompson’s History of Swine; which is quoted by him from Whitaker’s Whalley, 2nd edit. 4to. p. 228.:—­

“My man Shuttleworth, of Harking, made this form and here will I sit when I come; and any cousin Nowell may make one behind me, if he please, and my son Sherburne shall make one on the other side; and Mr. Catteral another behind him; and for the residue the use shall be, first come first speed; and that will make the proud wives of Whalley rise betimes to come to church.”

Which seems to convey the idea, that it was at that time customary for persons to make their seats in the churches.  Query, When did pews come into general use?

R.W.E.

Hull.

    [The earliest notice of pews occurs in the Vision of Piers Plouman,
    p. 95., edit. 1813:—­

      “Among wyves and wodewes ich am ywoned sute
      Yparroked in puwes.  The person hit knoweth.”

    See also The History of Pews, a paper read before the Cambridge
    Camden Society, 1841.]

{57} Flemish Account.—­T.B.M. (Vol. i., p. 8.) requests references to early instances of the use of this expression.  In the History of Edward II., by E.F., written A.D. 1627 (see “NOTES AND QUERIES” Vol. i., pp. 91. 220.), folio edition, p. 113., I find “The Queen (Isabella) who had already a French and an Italian trick, was jealous lest she should here taste a Flemish one;” because she feared lest the Earl of Henault should abandon her cause.  This instance is, I think, earlier than any yet referred to.

S.G.

Use of Monosyllables.—­The most remarkable instance of the use of monosyllables that I remember to have met with in our poets, occurs in the Fire-worshippers in Lalla Rookh.  It is as follows:—­

  “I knew, I knew it could not last—­
  ’Twas bright, ’twas heav’nly, but ’tis past! 
  Oh! ever thus, from childhood’s hour,
    I’ve seen my fondest hopes decay;
  I never lov’d a tree or flow’r
    But ’twas the first to fade away. 
  I never nurs’d a dear gazelle
    To glad me with its soft black eye,
  But when it came to know me well,
    And love me, it was sure to