A Glossary of Obscure Words and Phrases in the Writings
of Shakespeare and his Contemporaries. By Charles Mackay, LL.D. (Sampson Low and Co.)—The peculiarity of Dr. Mackay's glossary is that it is constructed on the principle of referring these same "obscure words" to the ancient language of the British people as spoken before the irruption of the Danes and Saxons." Here, then, is a new light on the "extermination question." Let us see what Dr. Mackay makes of his derivations. " Rabble " is from the Keltio rabhd, "incoherent or confused talk." That may be. But what are we to say of this,—"Rhapsody, a burst of speech more or less unin- telligible and incoherent, is from the same ancient root" ? Not from OalitocASs, therefore, which is one of the misleading resemblances so common in etymology. Robin Hood 18 resolved into Robin Og, i.e., young Robin, is jeune Robin. "From the early Keltic or Gaulish asainn, or 'sainn came the Latin sine, and not from sinere." After this we must pronounce Dr. Mackay to be still "in the gall of bitterness." Fancy the Romans waiting till they learnt a certain Gaulish word before they could use a word for " without " ! " Sentry " comes from sean, old, or weary, and &ion, a path, a beat,—the weary man on the beat. " Tragedy " does not come from TpayceSia, but from the Gaelic trivigh, pity. The curious thing is that Dr. Mackay is per- fectly serious. Indeed, a joke in the shape of a large octavo of 452 pages would be a little cumbrous. Dr. Mackay has done some good work in other lines. But this book is a sad mistake.
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