Mathew, a Cornish Family (Vol. ix., pp. 22. 289.).—I fear I cannot give the Rev. H. T. Ellacombe much information on the point he desires of the descent of the Devon and Cornwall branches of the Mathew family, which I yet entertain the hope some of your readers having access to the Cambrian genealogical lore at Dinevawr, Penline, Margam, Fonmon, and other places, may be able to graft correctly on their Welsh tree.
I was unable to corroborate in the British Museum the marriages given in the Heralds' Visitation of Devon, with Starkey and Gamage. Did a son of Reynell of Malston by an heir of Mathew take that name?
Mr. Ellacombe will find by the Heralds' Visitation that both of the West of England branches settled before 1650 in Cornwall, the one at Tresingher, the other at Milton; but that of the former, William married Elizabeth Wellington, and John married Rebecca Soame, both reverting to settle in Devonshire, from whom, perhaps, his ancestress derives.
B.
Birkenhead.
"Πίστις," unde deriv. (Vol. ix., p. 324.).—The perfect impossibility of deriving this word from Ἵστημι is at once evident, on the following grounds: 1. To obtain the letter π, recourse is had to the compound form ἐφίσταμαι; but where have we a similar instance, in any derived word, of the ε in ἐπὶ being thus absorbed, and the π taken to commence a fresh word? 2. Allowing such an extraordinary process, what possible meaning of ἐφίσταμαι can be adduced in the slightest degree corresponding to the established interpretation of πίστις?
Throwing aside the termination -ις, we obtain the letters πιστ-, which a very slight knowledge of etymology enables us to trace back to πείθω; for the stem of this verb is ΠΙΘ (cf. Aor. 2. ἔπιθον), and the formation of the adjective πίστος from πε-πειστ-αι is clearly analogous to that of the word in question, the long syllable and diphthong ει being altered into the short and single letter ι, to which many similar instances may be adduced.
Φ.
There is no doubt as to the derivation of πίστις from πείθω. Compare κνῆστις from κνάω or κνήθω, πρῖστις or πρῆστις from πρήθω, πύστις from πυνθάνομαι. Verbs of this form introduce the ς into the future and other inflected tenses, as πείσω, πεύσομαι.
L.