ng, of Guilds, or communities formed for secular or
religious purposes, none of which could be legally set up without
the King's licence. Trade companies were founded, and still exist,
in various parts of the kingdom, as "Gilda Mercatorum;" and there is
little doubt that this was the origin of the municipal or governing
corporate bodies in cities and towns whose "Guildhalls" still
remain--"gildated" and "incorporated" were synonymous terms.

In many places, at one time of considerable importance, where Guilds
were established, though the latter have vanished, the name of their
Halls has survived.

Your correspondent "A SUBSCRIBER AB INITIO" is referred to Madox,
_Firma Burgi_, which will afford him much information on the subject.

T.E.D.

Exeter.

_Treatise of Equivocation_.--In reply to the inquiry of your
correspondent "J.M." (No. 17. p. 263.), I beg to state that, as my
name was mentioned in connection with the Query, I wrote to the Rev.
James Raine, the librarian of the Durham Cathedral Library, inquiring
whether _The Treatise of Equivocation_ existed in the Chapter Library.
From that gentleman I have received this morning the following
reply:--"I cannot find, in this library, the book referred to in
the 'NOTES AND QUERIES,' neither can I discover it in that of Bishop
Cosin. The Catalogue of the latter is, however, very defective. The
said publication ('NOTES AND QUERIES') promises to be very useful."
Although this information is of a purely negative character, yet
I thought it right to endeavour to satisfy your correspondent's
curiosity.

BERIAH BOTFIELD.

Nortan Hall.

_Judas Bell_ (No. 13. p. 195.; No. 15. p. 235.).--The lines here
quoted by "C.W.G.," from "a singular Scotch poem," evidently mean to
express or examplify discord; and the words "to jingle _Judas bells_,"
refer to "bells _jangled, out of tune, and harsh_."

The Maltese at Valletta, a people singularly, and, as we should
say, morbidly, addicted to the seeming enjoyment of the most horrid
discords, on Good Friday Eve, have the custom of _jangling_ the church
bells with the utmost violence, in execration of the memory of Judas;
and I have seen there a large wooden machine (of which they have
many in use), constructed on a principle similar to that of an
old-fashioned watchman's rattle, but of far greater power in creating
an uproar, intended to be symbolical of the rattling of _Judas's
bones, that will not rest in his grave_. The Malt