The origin of "news" may now be safely left to itself, one thing at
least being certain--that the original purpose of introducing the
subject, that of disproving its alleged derivation from the points of
the compass, is fully attained. No person has come forward to defend
_that_ derivation, and therefore I hope that the credit of expunging
such a fallacy from books of reference will hereafter be due to "NOTES
AND QUERIES".

I cannot avoid, however, calling Mr. Hickson's attention to one or two
of the most glaring of his _non-sequiturs_.

I quoted the Cardinal of York to show that in his day the word "newes"
was considered plural. MR. HICKSON quotes _me_ to show that in the
present day it is used in the singular; therefore, he thinks that the
Cardinal of York was wrong: but he must pardon me if I still consider
the Cardinal an unexceptional authority as to the usage of his own time.

MR. HICKSON asserts that "odds" is not an English word; he classifies it
as belonging to a language known by the term "slang," of which he
declares his utter disuse. And he thinks that when used at all, the word
is but an ellipsis for "_odd chances_." This was not the opinion of the
great English lexicographer, who describes the word as--

"Odds; a noun substantive, from the adjective odd."

and he defines its meaning as "inequality," or incommensurateness. He
cites many examples of its use in its various significations, with any
of which MR. HICKSON's substitution would play strange pranks; here is
one from Milton:--