"The maimed souldier comming from the warre; The woefull wight, whose house was lately burnd; The sillie soule; the woful traueylar; And all, whom Fortune at her feet hath spurnd; Lament the losse of Liberalitie; _Its_ ease to haue in griefe some companie." {255} While on the opposite page we have "_it_ soule" for "_its_ soule," thus: "But as a woefull mother doeth lament, Her tender babe, with cruel death opprest; Whose life was spotlesse, pure and innocent, (And therefore sure _it_ soule is gone to rest): So Bountie, which herselfe did upright keepe, Yet for her losse, loue cannot chuse but weepe." May not this lead to the conclusion that it was to avoid confusion with the ellipsis of _it is_, that the possessive case was thus written _it_? S. W. SINGER. _"Hip, hip, hurrah!"_ (Vol. viii., pp. 20. 185.).--No one, I think, who heard the cheering of the ships' companies at the late naval review can doubt that CHEVERELL'S explanation of "hip, hip," is the true one. They are not _words_, but interjectional _sounds_; with no other meaning than to prepare for and _time_ the coming "hurrah!" When the men are ready to cheer, the boatswain's mate gives the signal "hip, hip," and then follows the general "hurrah!" This practice is adopted in public assemblies for the same reason--to ensure concert and unity in the final cheer. "Hurrah!" also I take (_pace_ Sir F. Palgrave) to be a mere _sound_: a _natural_ exclamation of pleasure, with no more instrinsic meaning than "Oh!" or "Ah!" for pain, or "Bah!" for contempt. It surely can have no connexion with the phrase of old Norman law--"clameurs de haro:" for "haro" is an exclamation of dissent and opposition. "Crier _haro_ sur quelqu'un," is to excite mischief and scandal against him--the very reverse of _hurrah_! C.