BLACK PRINCE.

From this time (Crecy), says a writer in the Quarterly Review, the French began to call the young Prince of Wales, Le Noir, or the Black; and in a record, 2 Richard II. n. 12, he is called the Black Prince. Yet this title does not appear to have originated, as generally supposed, from his wearing black armour, nor indeed is there anything to show he ever wore such at all. When, however, he attended at tournaments in France or England, he appeared in a surcoat with a shield, and his horse in a caparison, all black, with white feathers on them, so that it must have been from the covering of his armour that he was so called. Yet in the field of battle, and on all other occasions, his surcoat or guipon was emblazoned with the arms of England labelled. The terrible effect of his prowess seems to have given another meaning to his epithet; for Froissart, having described the battle of Poictiers in 1356, adds, “Thus did Edward the Black Prince, now doubly dyed black by the terror of his arms."

ICH DIEN—" I SERVE." The motto of the Prince of Wales, which was originally adopted by Edward the Black Prince in

proof of his subjection to his father, Edward III., and has been continued without interruption down to the present time. Sir H. Nicolas, in the “ Archæologia,” expresses his belief that both the Prince of Wales' feathers, and the mottoes “Ich Dien” and “Houmont,” were derived from the House of Hainault, possibly from the Comté of Ostrevant, which formed the appanage of the eldest sons of the Counts of that province.

SEMPER EADEM.

Semper Eadem, i.e., “always the same,” was first used as the motto of the arms of England, Dec. 13th, 1702.

BISHOP OF OSNABRUGH.

The bishopric of Osnabrugh was founded by Charlemagne, and was filled by various princes until 1625, when Cardinal Francis William, Count of Wurtemberg, was elected by the chapter. It was held by the late Duke of York, and is an alternative between the Roman Catholics and Protestants, made so at the treaty of Westphalia, in 1648. On that occasion, the house of Brunswick made some great sacrifices for the sake of a general peace, in consideration of which the See of Osnabrugh was given, to be held alternately by the Brunswick family, and others of the

German empire. But, although this bishopric is alternately hereditary in our royal family, it is not so with regard to its Roman Catholic bishops; for they are chosen out of different families by a chapter of twenty-five canons. When they have a Popish bishop, he is a suffragan to the Archbishop of Cologne; but the Protestant bishop, who is a temporal prince indeed, has little to demonstrate him an ecclesiastic but the title. The bishopric is 45 miles long and 25 broad, and is in one of the fruitfullest parts of Westphalia.

DUKE OF CORNWALL. In a Parliament held in 1337, King Edward III. created Prince Edward, his eldest son, Duke of Cornwall, being the first in England that bore the title of duke. He was vested with the dukedom by a wreath on his head, a ring on his finger, and a silver verge in his hand; since which time, the eldest son of the King of England is born Duke of Cornwall; the title of Prince of Wales being given some days after.

MAYOR. There are in England only two Lord Mayors, i.e., of London and York, the chief magistrates of other cities and towns being simply mayors. Ireland has a Lord Mayor of Dublin only; and the same office is

represented in Scotland by the Lord Provost, who reigns over Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Perth.

ALDERMAN.

Formerly one of the three degrees of nobility among the Saxons. Athelm was the first, Thane the lowest, and Alderman the same as earl among the Danes, and answering to our earl or count at present. It was also used in the time of King Edgar for a judge or justice ; in which sense Alwin is called aldermannus totius Anglie. But now aldermen are associates to the chief civil magistrates of a city, or corporate town. The number of these magistrates is not limited, but more or less according to the magnitude of the place. Those of London were first appointed in 1242, and are twenty-six in number, each having one of the twenty-six wards of the city committed to his care. Their office is for life; so that when one of them dies or resigns, a wardmote is called, who return two persons, one of whom the Lord Mayor and Aldermen choose to supply the vacancy.* By the charter of the city of London, all the Aldermen who have been Lord Mayors, together with the three eldest ones not arrived at that dignity, are justices of the peace.

* This is not the case now, each ward returning its own Alderman.

SHERIFF.

The title sheriff is a corruption from Shire Reeve, from the Saxon, meaning the Reeve or Governor of the Shire. He is the chief civil officer in each county, and is entrusted with the execution of the laws and the preservation of the peace, for which purpose he has at his disposal the whole civil force of the county

He is a kind of superior constable, through whom all writs are issued.

LORD MAYOR.

Mayor, formerly major, i. e., the first or senior Alderman. The Lord Mayor of London, as the chief magistrate is called, is, properly speaking, only Mayor of London and Lord of Finsbury. This latter title was conferred, on the gift of the manor of Finsbury, by Richard II., in consequence of Sir William Walworth (then Mayor of London) killing Wat Tyler in Smithfield.

SECRETARY OF STATE. This office is comparatively modern in point of importance. There was only one until the reign of Henry VIII., who added another. Queen Anne appointed one for Scottish affairs, but this office was