"Fortune, Infortune, Fort une."
In this epitaph, the first two words are intelligible enough, and allude to certain reverses of fortune which had chequered the life of the princess; but the expression fort une reads somewhat enigmatical, and I shall be obliged to any of your readers who can give the meaning of it.
HENRY H. BREEN.
St. Lucia, June, 1851.
22. Unde derivatur Stonehenge.
—Antiquaries and topographers generally (Stukeley and Sir R.C. Hoare included) have been hitherto content to consider this word as a compound of stan and henge, Anglo-Saxon;—that is, "hanging stone." Now this etymology of the word has always appeared to me very unsatisfactory. The cross stones do not hang; they lie on the uprights, and are kept in their places by mortice holes. An ingenious friend of mine has, by what I consider a happy train of reasoning, arrived at another and a better conclusion. Every one knows that our German ancestors used the word horse adjectively. And we still have it so in use to designate many things as the largest of their kind; as horse-chestnut, horse-daisey, horse-mushroom, horse-emmet, &c. &c. Horsa and hengst or hengist, are convertible terms or if any difference, the latter word is used for stallion. If so, then, is it not reasonable to suppose that the stones of this Druid temple would provoke the largest idea of magnitude, and thence be called Stone-Hengst, or more euphoniously, Stone-henge,—stallion stones?
P. P.
23. Marriage of Bishops.
—I should feel obliged to any of your correspondents who would supply me with an example from early Church history of a bishop or priest marrying after ordination.
Deacons were expressly allowed to marry by the Council of Ancyra; but I should wish an example of either of the others.