* * * * *
_M. or N._ (Vol. i., p. 415.; Vol. ii., p. 61.; Vol. iii., p.
323.).--With reference to the initials or letters M. and N. found in the
Catechism and the Marriage Service of our Common Prayer Book, it has
struck me that a fancy of mine may satisfy some of those who wish to
find more than a mere caprice in the selection of them.
It is remarkable that in the Catechism we read N. or M., while in the
service for Matrimony M. is for the man, N. for the woman.
I have imagined long ago that "N. or M." may mean "_n_omen viri; aut
_m_ulieris:" that M. may stand for "maritus" in the other place, and N.
for "nupta."