Sovereign. So called because when first struck, in the reign of Henry VIII., this gold coin had upon it a representation of that sovereign in his royal robes.
Sovereign Pontiff. The superior title of the Pope. See “Pontiff.”
Spa. From the town of the same name (which expresses the Flemish for “fountain”) in Belgium, the fashionable Continental resort during the seventeenth century.
Spa Fields. From an ancient public resort known as the “London Spa,” in connection with a medicinal well discovered during the thirteenth century. An account of the “Spa Fields Chapel,” originally a theatre, purchased by the Countess of Huntingdon, the name has survived to our own time.
Spagnoletto. See “[Lo Spagnoletto].”
Spain. Called by the Carthaginians[Carthaginians] “Hispania,” from the Punic span, rabbit, on account of the wild rabbits which abounded in the peninsula. See “[Iberia].”
Spaniards. This famous “house of call” for pedestrians across Highgate Heath was originally the private residence of the Spanish Ambassador to the Court of James I.
Spaniel. From Hispaniola, the old name of Hayti Island, in the West Indies, whence this breed of Spanish dog was introduced to Europe.
Spanish Main. The ancient designation of the waters around the West Indian Islands in the Caribbean Sea that rightly belonged to Spain.
Spanish Place. From the residence of the Spanish Ambassador during the eighteenth century. The private chapel attached to this mansion formed the nucleus of the present Catholic church.