Minor Notes.

Inscriptions on Buildings.—The following inscriptions are taken from buildings connected with the hospital of Spital-in-the-Street, co. Lincoln.

On the chapel:

"Fvi A^o Dni	1398	Dom Dei & Pavpervm.
Non Fvi	1594
Svm	1616
Qvi Hanc Devs Hvnc Destrvet."

On the wall of a cottage, formerly one of the alms-houses:

"Deo et Divitibvs.
A^o Dni 1620."

On the wall of a building now used as a barn, but formerly the Court-house, in which the Quarter Sessions for the parts of Lindsey were formerly held, before their transfer to Kirton in Lindsey:

"Fiat Ivstitia.
1619."
"Hæc Domvs
Dit, Amat, Pvnit, Conservat, Honorat,
Eqvitiam, Pacem, Crimina, Jvra, Bonos."

L. L. L.

Epitaphs.—The following specimen of rural monumental Latin is copied from a tombstone in the churchyard of Henbury, Gloucestershire:

"Hic jacet
Requiesant in pace,
Henricus Parsones.
Qui obtit XXV. die Junes,
Anno Dominii MDCCCXLV,
Ætatis suæ XX.
Cujus animia proprietur Christus."

The following is from the churchyard of Kingston-Seymour, Somersetshire:

"J. H.

He was universally beloved in the circle of

His acquaintance; but united

In his death the esteem of all,

Namely, by bequeathing his remains."

J. K. R. W.

Numbers.—We occasionally see calculations of how often a given number of persons may vary their position at a table, and each time produce a fresh arrangement. I believe the result may be arrived at by progressive multiplication, as thus:

Twice 1	2
	3
Giving for three persons	6	changes.
	4
Giving for four persons	24	changes.
	5
Giving for five persons	120	changes.
	6
Giving for six persons	720	changes,

and so on. Probably also change-ringing is governed by the same mode of calculation.

J. D. Allcroft.

Celtic Language.—As fraus latet in generalibus in linguistics as in law, I beg to suggest that, instead of using the word Celtic, the words Gaelic, Cymbric, Breton, Armorican, Welsh, Irish, &c. might be properly appropriated. The mother Celtic is lost,—her remains are to be found only in the names of mountains, rivers, and countries; and our knowledge of this tongue is derived from an acquaintance with her two principal daughters, the Gaelic and Cymbric (=Kymric). The Gaelic tongue has been driven by Germanic invasion into Ireland (Erse), and into the Highlands of Scotland (Gaelic). The Cymbric tongue first took refuge in Belgium, known afterwards as Breton, and still lives as Welsh and Bas-Breton, which (and not the Gaelic) is nearest of kin in some words to the Latin and Italian.

To understand this subject, the profound induction of Eichhoff must be studied carefully.

T. J. Buckton.

Lichfield.

Illustration of Longfellow—"God's Acre."—Longfellow's very beautiful little poem, commencing:

"I like that ancient Saxon phrase, which calls

The burial-ground God's acre."

is doubtless familiar to all your readers. It may interest some of them to know, that the "ancient Saxon phrase" has not yet become obsolete. I read the words "GOTTES ACKER," when at Basle last autumn, inscribed over the entrance to a modern cemetery, just outside the St. Paul's Gate of that city.

W. Sparrow Simpson.