J. MN.

Culprit, Origin of the Word.—­Long ago I made this note, that this much used English word was of French extraction, and that it was “qu’il paruit,” from the short way the clerk of the court has of pronouncing his words; for our pleadings were formerly in French, and when the pleadings were begun, he said to the defendant “qu’il parait”—­culprit; and as he was generally culpable, the “qu’il parait” became a synonyme with offender.

T.

Cambridge.

    [Does not our ingenious correspondent point at the more correct origin
    of culprit, when he speaks of the defendant being “generally
    culpable?”]

Collar of SS.—­In the volume of Bury Wills just issued by the Camden Society, is an engraving from the decorations of the chantry chapel in St. Mary’s Church, Bury St. Edmund’s, of John Baret, who died in 146-; in which the collar is represented as SS in the upright form set on a collar of leather or other material.  It is described in the will as “my collar of the king’s livery.”  John Baret, says the editor of the Wills, was a lay officer of the monastery of St. Edmund, probably treasurer, and was deputed to attend Henry VI. on the occasion of the king’s long visit to that famed monastic establishment in 14—.

BURIENSIS.

The Singing of Swans.—­“It would,” says Bishop Percy (Mallet’s North.  Antiq., ii. p. 72.), “be a curious subject of disquisition, to inquire what could have given rise to so arbitrary and groundless a notion as the singing of swans,” {476} which “hath not wanted assertors from almost every nation.” (Sir T. Browne.)

  “Not in more swelling whiteness sails
  Cayster’s swan to western gales, [3]
  When the melodious murmur sings
  ’Mid her slow-heav’d voluptuous wings.”

T.J.

[Footnote 3:  “It was an ancient notion that the music of the swan was produced by its wings, and inspired by the zephyr.  See this subject, treated with his accustomed erudition, by Mr. Jodrell, in his Illustrations of the Ion of Euripides.”—­Bulwer’s Siamese Twins.]

Sir Thomas Herbert’s Memoirs.—­In consequence of the suggestion of [Greek:  D.] (Vol. ii., p. 220.), I have applied to the owner of Sir T. Herbert’s MS. account of the last days of Charles I., and the answer which I have received is as follows: 

“I found the first part of Sir Thos.  Herbert’s MS. (56 pages) is not in the edition of Woods Athenae Lord W. has; but I found a note in a pedigree book, saying it was printed in 1702, 8vo.  I suppose it can be ascertained whether this is true.”

Perhaps some of your readers may know whether there is such a volume in existence as that described by my friend.

ALFRED GATTY.

Portraits of Stevens and Cotton and Bunyan.—­The plan of “NOTES AND QUERIES” appears well adapted to record the change of hands into which portraits of literary men may pass.  I accordingly offer two to your notice.