ers_, I shall be happy to receive a note from him
with his name and address, when I will give him the name and address of my
informant in return. By this means I may be able to relieve his shoulder
from a portion of its burden, and myself from any farther imputations of
"mythic accompaniments," &c., which are unpalatable phrases even when
coming from a gentleman who only discloses his initials.

ALFRED GATTY.

Ecclesfield.

_Chronograms_ (Vol. v., p. 585.) and _Anagrams_ (Vol. iv., p. 226).--Though
we have ceased to practise these "literary follies," they are not without
interest; and you will perhaps think it worth while to add the following to
your list:

"Hugo Grotius, his _Sophompaneas_.
By FranCIs GoLDsMIth."

has no date on the title-page, the real date of 1652 being supplied by the
chronogram, which is a better one than most of those quoted in "N. & Q.,"
inasmuch as all the numerical letters are employed, and it is consequently
not dependent on the typography.

James Howell concludes his _Parly of Beasts_ as follows:

"Gloria lausque Deo saeCLorVM in saecVla sunto.

A chronogrammaticall verse which includes not onely this year, 1660,
but hath numericall letters enow [an illustration, by the way, of
_enow_ as expressive of number] to reach above a thousand years
farther, untill the year 2867."

Query, How is this made out? And are there any other letters employed as
numerical than the M, D, C, L, V, and I? If not, I can only make Howell's
chronogram equivalent to 1927.

The author, in his _German Diet_, after narrating the death of Charles, son
of Philip II. of Spain, says:

"If you desire to know the yeer, this chronogram will tell you:

fILIVs ante DIeM patrIos InqVIrIt In annos,"

which would represent the date of 1568.

The same work contains an anagram on "Frere Jacques Clement," the murderer
of Henry III. of France: "C'est l'enfer qui m'a cree."

J. F. M.

_Abigail_ (Vol. iv., p. 424.; Vol. v., pp. 38. 94. 450.).--Can it be shown
that this word was in general use, as meaning a "lady's maid," before the
time of Queen Anne. It probably was so used; {43} but I have always thought
it likely that it became much more extensively employed, after Abigail
Hill, Lady Masham, became the favourite of that queen. She was, I believe,
a poor cousin of Sarah Jennings, Duchess of Marlborough, and early in life
was employed by her in the humble capacity of lady's mai