Chapter XV. gives us an account of GERVOLDUS, who ruled this abbey eighteen years, dying A.D. 806. He had been ambassador from Charlemagne to Offa, King of Mercia. The son of Charlemagne demanded the daughter of Offa in marriage, who refused his consent, unless his own son should receive the hand of Bertha, the daughter of the French king. Charles, in consequence, inhibited the subjects of Offa from trading on the French coast. This inhibition was, however, withdrawn through the mediation of the Abbot Gervoldus, who seems to have been in great favour with Charles. I need hardly say, that throughout the chronicle there is a tolerable sprinkling of the marvellous. {487} I give you the following as a warning to all dishonest bell-founders. The pious builder of a church being desirous, according to custom, of putting a bell in the turret, engaged a skillful craftsman to carry into effect his design. This man, "at the instigation of the devil," stole some of the metal with which he had been furnished for the work; and the bell was, in consequence, mis-shapen and of small size. It was, however, placed in the turret; but, as a divine punishment for his crime, whenever the bell was struck, the dishonest founder was thereupon seized with frenzy, uttering strange words and barking like a dog! GASTROS. * * * * * ORIGIN OF THE WORD "NEWS." I have great respect for "Mr. SAMUEL HICKSON," but I cannot treat his derivation of the word "News" with any respect (No. 27. p. 428.). I wish "Mr. HICKSON" had been a little more modest in his manner of propounding his novelty. Can any thing be more dogmatic than his assertions? which I will recapitulate as much as possible in his own words, before I proceed to deal with them. 1. "I have never had the least doubt that this word is derived immediately from the German." 2. "It is, in fact, 'das Neue' in the genitive case;" and "Mr. H." proceeds to mention the German phrase, "Was giebt's Neues?" as giving the exact sense of our "What is the news?" [which cannot be gainsaid; but I shall have a word to say presently about _neues_ in that phrase being the genitive case.] 3. "That the word is not derived from the English adjective 'new,'--that it is not of English manufacture at all--I feel well assured." 4. "In that case '_s_' would be the sign of the plural; and we should have, as the Germans have, either extant or obsolete, also 'the new.'" [I do not see the _sequitur_.] 5 "'News' is a noun singular, and as such must have been adopted bodily into the language."