whencesoever they come, indicate that London was formerly known by this satirical name; _and hence a Londoner came to be called a cockney_. The French have an equivalent word, _coqueliner_, to pamper, cherish, or dandle, whence our _cocker_. From the above circumstances it is probable that a cockney became at length a term of contempt; one of the earliest proofs of which is Chaucer's use of it in the _Reve's tale_, v. 4206: "I shall be halden a daffe or a _cokenay_." In the _Promptuarium parvulorum_, 1516, 4to, it is explained to be a term of derision. In Shakspeare's time it signified a child tenderly brought up, a dearling, a wanton. See Barret's _Alvearie_; and a little before it had been used in a bad sense, from an obvious corruption. See Hulæt's _Abcedarium_, 1552, folio. In this place too Mr. Steevens's quotations from Meres and Deckar might be introduced. The next sense in which _cockney_ was used seems to be conveyed in the line cited by Mr. Tyrwhitt from _Pierce Plowman's Visions_: "And yet I say by my soule I have no salt bacon, Ne no _cokeney_ by Christe coloppes to make:" as well as in those from the tournament of Tottenham; "At that feast were they served in rich array, Every five and five had a _cokeney_:" where in both instances, with deference to the respectable authorities of Dr. Percy and Mr. Tyrwhitt, it signifies a _little cock_. In the latter quotation it might mean a peacock, a favourite dish among our ancestors; and this conjecture is countenanced by the words _served in rich array_. This mode of forming a diminutive with respect to animals is not unfrequent. Thus in the _Canterbury tales_, l. 3267: "She was a primerole, a _piggesnie_." And here again some apology may be necessary for differing from Mr. Tyrwhitt, who supposes that Chaucer "meant no more than _ocellus_, the eyes of that animal being remarkably small, and the Romans using _oculus_ as a term of endearment." But the objection to this ingenious explanation is, that _nie_ cannot well be put for _eye_; that in this case the word would have been _pigseye_, and that it is rather formed from the A. S. pɩᵹa, a girl. See Lye's _Saxon dict._ Similar words were afterwards constructed, but without due regard to the above etymology. For example, "Prythee sweet _birdsnye_, be content."--Davenport's _City night cap_, Act III. Scene 1. "Jella, why frownst thou? say sweet _biddiesnie_?"--Davies's _Scourge of folly_. "Ay _birdsneys_, she's a quean."--Shadwell's _Virtuoso_, Act III. And in Congreve's _Old bachelor_, Fondlewife calls his mate _cockey_. It is observable that in all the above instances these appellations are only used to females. It is not improbable therefore, that, in an abstract sense, _cockney_ might sometimes be used in speaking to male children as a term of endearment; and it may be necessary to make this remark here, for the purpose of anticipating any suggestion that it is connected with the present subject.