ll's remark, viz. that Johnson had
been "inattentive to metre."

C. FORBES.

Temple.

_Pronunciation of "Humble"_ (Vol. viii., p. 393.).--I venture once more to
trespass on your pages, in the hope of helping to settle the right
pronunciation of _humble_. In the controversy respecting it, the derivation
of the word should not be overlooked, as it is a most important point; for
I consider that the improper use of the _h_ has arisen from people not
knowing from whence the word was taken. Now, as I am of opinion that it
will go far to prove that the _h_ should be silent in _humble_, by giving a
list of the radical words in the English language in which that letter is
silent, and their derivations, I beg to do so: premising that they are
derived from the Celtic language, in which the _h_ is not used in the same
manner that it is in other languages:

_Heir_, from _oigeir_, i. e. the young man who succeeds to a property: the
word is pronounced _air_.

_Honest_, from _oinnicteac_, i. e. just, liberal, generous, kind.

_Honour_, from _onoir_, i. e. praise, respect, worship.

_Hour_, from _uair_, pronounced _voir_, i. e. time present, a period of
time, any time.

_Humble_, from _umal_, i. e. lowly, obedient, submissive.

_Humour._ The derivation of this word is obscure, but in the sense of
_mirth_ it may be derived from _uaim-mir_, i. e. loud mirth, gaiety.

The compounds formed from these words have the _h_ silent; and every other
word beginning with {552} that letter should have it fully sounded. Such
being my practice, I cannot be accused of cultivating the _Heapian
dialect_, which I hold to be equally abominable with the improper use of
the letter _h_.

FRAS. CROSSLEY.

May not the following be the true solution of the question? All _existing_
humility is either pride or hypocrisy; pride aspirates the _h_, hypocrisy
suppresses it. I always aspirate.

M.

_Continuation of Robertson_ (Vol. viii., p. 515.).--The supplementary
volume proposed by MR. TURNBULL, which is wanted extremely, was never
published, owing to the fact that eighty subscribers could not be found to
indemnify him for the expense of printing.

G.

_Nostradamus_ (Vol. vii., p. 174.).--My edition of _Nostradamus_, 1605
(described in "N. & Q.," Vol. iv., p. 140.), has the quotation in question;
but the first line has "le sang du juste," not "le sang du jusse."

The ed. of 1605 is undoubtedly genuine. Besides the twelve centuries of
prophecie