This does not appear in Sparrow's form of 1684, neither does the following address, at the close, by the "chaplain, standing with his face towards them that come to be healed."
"The Almighty God, who is a most strong tower to all them that put their trust in Him, to whom all things in heaven, in earth, and under the earth do bow and obey, be now and evermore your defence, and make you know and feel that there is none other Name under heaven given to man, in whom, and through whom, you may receive health and salvation, but only the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."
Objectionable as the ceremony was, there can be no doubt that a much more Protestant character was given to it by these alterations.
LANCASTRIENSIS.
M. or N. ([Vol. i., p. 415.]; [Vol. ii., p. 61.]; [Vol. iii., p. 323.]).—With reference to the initials or letters M. and N. found in the Catechism and the Marriage Service of our Common Prayer Book, it has struck me that a fancy of mine may satisfy some of those who wish to find more than a mere caprice in the selection of them.
It is remarkable that in the Catechism we read N. or M., while in the service for Matrimony M. is for the man, N. for the woman.
I have imagined long ago that "N. or M." may mean "nomen viri; aut mulieris:" that M. may stand for "maritus" in the other place, and N. for "nupta."
TYRO ETYMOLOGICUS.
N. stands (as it constantly did in MS.) for "nomen" or name; M. for N. N., "nomina" or names. You will observe that in black letter the forms of N and M are so very similar that by an easy contraction double N would pass into M, and thus the contracted form N. N. for "nomina" might have come into M. Corroborating this is the fact that the answer to What is your name? stands thus: Answer N. or M., and not M. or N.
J. F. T.