Free School in Drax, endowed by Robert Reed,
whom tradition states to heave been a foundling amongst the _reeds_ on
the banks of the Ouse, about half a mile distant. Such information will
place me under great obligation.

T. Dyson.

Gainsboro.

_Ancient Catalogue of Books._--A few days since I made the acquisition
of a curious old catalogue {200} of books, interleaved, and containing
about 200 pages, with the following title:

"Catalogus Variorum, in quavis Facultate et materia Librorum
incompactum Officinae Joannis Maire, quorum Auctio publice
habebitur in aedibus Joannis Maire, hora octava matutina et
secunda postmeridiana ad diem ----, 1661. Lugduni Batavorum, ex
Typographia Nicolai Herculis, 1661."

On the back is the following notice to "buyers:"

"Monitos volumus Emptores, hosce Libros ea vendi conditione, ut
cum eorum traditione pretium praesenti pecunia persolvatur. Et si
quis Libros a se emptos intra sex septimanarum spatium, a prima
Auctionis die numerandum, a Bibliopola non exegerit, eos cum
emptoris prioris damno aliis vendere integrum erit ac licitum.

"Monentur etiam et rogantur, ut ante meridiem ad horae octavae,
post meridiem vero ad secundae punctum praesentes sese sistere
dignentur."

Can any of your readers give me particulars about this John Maire?

W.J.

Havre.

* * * * *

REPLIES.

SHAKSPEARE'S USE OF THE WORD "DELIGHTED."

(Vol. ii., pp. 113. 139.)

Although Mr. Hickson's notion of the meaning of _delight_, in the three
passages of Shakspeare he has cited, is somewhat startling, it was not
to be summarily rejected without due examination; and yet, from a
tolerably extensive acquaintance with old English phraseology, I fear I
cannot flatter him with the expectation of having it confirmed by
instances from other writers.

I believe that _lighted_ is rather an unusual form to express
_lightened_, _disencumbered_, but that it was sometimes used is
apparent; for in Hutton's _Dictionary_, 1583, we have "Allevo, to make
light, to light."--"Allevatus, lifted up, _lighted_." And in the
_Cambridge Dictionary_, 1594, "Allevatus, lifted up, _lighted_, raised,
eased or recovered." The use of the prefix _de_ in the common instance
of _depart_ for to _part_, _divide_, is noticed by Mr. Hickson; and
_demerits_ was used for _merits_ by many of our old writers as well as
Shakspeare. I find _decompound_ for _