the right hand upon
a book containing the four gospels. This opinion, however, appears to
be a mistake, for the term is borrowed from the ancient usage of
touching upon these occasions the _corporale_, or cloth, which covered
the consecrated elements."--P. 191.

R. V. T.

Mincing Lane.

The old custom of taking the judicial oath by merely laying the right hand
upon the book, is undoubtedly, thinks ERICA, of Pagan origin. In my humble
opinion it is far too common with us to ascribe things to Pagan origin. I
would venture to assert that the origin of this form of judicial oath may
be traced to Deuteronomy xxi. 1-8., where at the sacrifice offered up in
expiation of secret murder, the rulers of the city nearest the spot where
the corpse was found were in presence of the corpse to wash their hands
_over_ the victim, and say, "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our
eyes see it."

CEYREP.

_Mayors and Sheriffs_ (Vol. viii., p. 126.).--In answer to a SUBSCRIBER,
there can be little or no doubt, I consider, but that the mayor of a town
or borough is the principal and most important officer, and ought to have
precedence of a sheriff of a town or borough. By stat. 5 & 6 Wm. IV. cap.
76. sec. 57., it is enacted, "That the mayor for the time being of every
borough shall, during the time of his mayoralty, have precedence in all
places within the borough." As sheriffs of towns, and counties of towns, do
not derive their appointments from the Crown, but from the councils of
their respective towns, &c. (see sec. 61. of the {606} above Act), I do not
imagine that they can legally claim precedence of mayors, on the alleged
ground of any "representation of Majesty," in the face of the particular
enactment above quoted; which, indeed, seems to me to give to the mayor
within his own borough precedence of a high sheriff of a county, if present
on any public occasion. I am not aware that the sheriff of borough, as
such, can "_claim_ to have a grant of arms, if he has not any previous;"
although I have no doubt he may readily obtain one, upon payment of the
usual fees.

C. J.

_Mousehunt_ (Vol. viii., p. 516.).--

"A Mousehunt is a little animal of the species of weasel; it has a very
slender body, about the length of a rat, with a long hairy tail, bushy
at the end; the back is of a reddish-brown colour, the hair long and
smooth; the belly is white, as are also its feet; it runs very swiftly,