[_Livery_, i.e. _delivery_, from the French _livrer_, to deliver. To the origin of this word (says Junius) these words of Chaucer allude, "that is the conisance of my _livery_, to all my Servants _delivered_." Richardson also gives the following quotation from Spenser explanatory of it:--"What _livery_ is, wee by common use in England know well enough, namely, that it is allowance of horse-meate, as they commonly use the word in stabling, as to keepe horses at _livery_:--the which word, I guesse, is derived of _livering_ or delivering forth their nightly foode. So in great houses the livery is said to be served up for all night, that is, their evening's allowance for drinke. And livery is also called the upper weede which a serving man weareth, so called (as I suppose) for that it was delivered and taken from him at pleasure."--_Spenser on Ireland._] Replies. MABILLON'S CHARGE AGAINST THE SPANISH CLERGY.--CAMPANELLA AND ADAMI.--WILKES MSS. It may seem a little too late to notice a criticism nearly two years old; but, though I had casually looked at "NOTES AND QUERIES," it is but lately that I have, with very great pleasure, read through the volumes which have appeared. I was therefore ignorant of some remarks relating to myself, which from time to time have been made. Greatly as I am open to the charge of too frequent inaccuracy in what I have published, I can defend myself from some strictures of your correspondents. The first of these is contained in a letter signed CANTAB (Vol. i., p. 51.), and relates to a passage in my _History of the Middle Ages_, where I have said, on the authority of Mabillon, "Not one priest in a thousand in Spain, about the age of Charlemagne, could address a common letter of salutation to another." CANTAB produces the passage in Mabillon, which contains exactly what I have said; but assigns as a reason for it, that the Christians, that is, the clergy, had wholly devoted themselves to the study of Arabic and Hebrew books. And this excuse CANTAB accepts. "They were devoting all their energies to Arabic and Chaldean science, and in their pursuit of it neglected other literature. A similar remark might be made respecting many distinguished members of the university to which I belong." In order to make this a parallel case, it should be asserted, not that many senior wranglers would be at a loss in a Greek chorus, but that they cannot write a good English letter. CANTAB seems to forget, that in the age of Charlemagne, all that was necessary towards writing a Latin letter in Spain was to substitute regular grammar for the corrupt _patois_, the _lingua Romana rustica_, which was soon to become Castilian. The truth is, that the reasons assigned by Mabillon's authority, whoever it might be, is wholly incredible. I am not convinced that it was more than a sarcasm on the ignorance which it affects to excuse. Does CANTAB believe that the whole body of the