country of the painted people." It is a matter of history, that the
people of Britain dyed their bodies with various colours.

_Tin_ is from the Celtic _tin_, to melt readily, to dissolve. It is also
called _stan_: Latin, _stannum_.

Hercules is from the Phoenician or Celtic, _Earr-aclaide_, pronounced
_Er-aclaie,_ i. e. the noble leader or hero.

Melkarthus is derived from _Mal-catair_, pronounced _Mal-cahir_, i. e. the
champion or king of the city (of Tyre).

Moloch cannot be identical with the Tyrian Hercules, as Moloch was the god
of fire: probably a name for the sun, from the Celtic _molc_, i. e. fire.

FRAS. CROSSLEY.

* * * * *

{346}

YEW-TREES IN CHURCHYARDS.

(Vol. viii., p. 244.)

Whilst offering a solution to the Query of R. C. WARDE, as to the placing
yew-trees in churchyards, I am obliged to differ from him _toto coelo_, by
considering the derivation of the name of the plant itself, though I must
candidly confess that the solution of the Query and the derivation of the
word are my own.

_Yew_ is ancient British, and signifies _existent_ and enduring, having the
same root as _Jehovah_; and _yew_ is Welsh for _it is_, being one of the
forms of the third person present indicative of the auxiliary verb _bod_,
to be. Hence the yew-tree was planted in churchyards, not to indicate
_death_, despair, but _life_, hope and assurance. It is one of our few
evergreens, and is the most enduring of all, and clearly points out the
Christian's hope in the immortality of the soul: _Resurgam_.

Whilst on the word _yew_, I may perhaps observe that I am hardly inclined
now (though I once was so) to derive from it, as the author of the
_Etymological Compendium_ does, the name _yeoman_: I think that yeoman is
not _yew_-man, "a man using the yew-bow," but _yoke_-man, a man owning as
much land as a _yoke_ of oxen could plough in a certain time.

J. G. CUMMINGS.

The following extract frown the _Handbook of English Ecclesiology_, p.
190., may be of some assistance to your correspondent:

"YEW. These were planted generally to the south of the church, to
supply green for the decoration of churches at the great festivals;
this tree being an emblem of immortality. It is a heathen prejudice
which regards it as mournful. It is not probable yews were used as
palms; the traditional name given to the withy showing that this was
used in the procession on that festival."