It is not declared with what motive "Mr. GUTCH" (No. 17. p. 270.) has
laid before the readers of "NOTES AND QUERIES" the alleged derivation
of N.E.W.S.
It must therefore be supposed, that his object was to have its
justness and probability commented upon; and it is quite time that
they should be so, since the derivation in question has of late become
quite a favourite authoritative dictum with etymology compilers.
Thus it may be found, in the very words and form adopted by your
correspondent, in Haydn's _Dictionary of Dates_, and in other
authorities of equal weight.
This sort of initial-letter derivation was probably brought into
fashion in England by the alleged origin of "Cabal," or, perhaps, by
the many guesses at the much disputed word "Æra." I shall take the
liberty of quoting a few sentences with reference to such etymologies,
_as a class_, which I find in an unpublished manuscript upon a kindred
subject.
"Besides, such a splitting up of a word of significant and
perfect meaning in itself is always a bad and suspicious mode
of derivation.
"It is generally an after-thought, suggested by some
fortuitous or fancied coincidence, that appropriateness of
which is by no means a sufficient proof of probability.
"Of this there can scarcely be a better example than the
English word 'news,' which, notwithstanding the felicity of
its supposed derivation from the four cardinal points, must,
nevertheless, so long as the corresponding words 'nova,'
'nouvelles,' &c. exist, be consigned to its more sober and
common-place origin in the adjective '_new_.'"
To this it must be added that the ancient orthography of the word
_newes_, completely upsets the derivation Mr. Gutch has brought before
your readers. Hone quotes from "one Burton, printed in 1614: 'if any
one read now-a-days, it is a play-book, or _a pamphlet_ of _newes_."
I had been in two minds whether or not to send this communication,
when the scale is completely turned by the apropos occurrence of a
corroboration of this latter objection in "NOTES AND QUERIES" of this
day. Mr. Rimbault mentions (at p. 277.), "a rare black letter volume
entitled _Newes from Scotland_, 1591."
Here is one more proof of the usefulness of your publication, that I
am thus enabled to strengthen the illustration of a totally different
subject by the incidental authority of a fellow correspondent.