Hume (vol. ii. p. 430.) merely says that he was born while his mother was in sanctuary in London, and his father was a fugitive from the victorious Earl of Warwick.
Commynes (book iii. chap. 5.) also says that she took refuge "es franchises qui sont à Londres," and "y accoucha d'ung filz en grant povreté."
Chastellain, at p. 486. of his Chronique, says: "Elle alla à Saincte-Catherine, une abbeye, disoient aucuns: aucuns autres disoient à Vasemonstre (Westminster), lieu de franchise, qui oncques n'avoit esté corrompu."
I should be glad to have some more definite information on this point, if any of your readers can supply it.
A Leguleian.
Name of Infants.—In Scotland there is a superstition that it is unlucky to tell the name of infants before they are christened. Can this be explained?
R. J. A.
Geometrical Curiosity.—Take half a sheet of note-paper; fold and crease it so that two opposite corners exactly meet; then fold and crease it so that the remaining two opposite corners exactly meet. Armed with a fine pair of scissors, proceed now to repeat both these folds alternately without cessation, taking care to cut off quite flush and clear all the overlappings on both sides after each fold. When these overlappings become too small to be cut off, the paper is in the shape of a circle, i. e. the ultimate intersection of an infinite series of tangents. Perhaps Professor De Morgan will give the rationale of this procedure.
C. Mansfield Ingleby.
Birmingham.