Item 2 - Letter from W. E. Crowfoot to W. Aldis Wright

1 folded sheet

Beccles.—Cowell has replied to his query about the word ‘lian’. Discusses the etymology of the word ‘spinnage’, popularly used to refer to rickets. Relates Mr Gillett’s theory about the miraculous draught of fishes (Luke v).

(Sent by Aldis Wright to Robert H. Groome and returned with 8/1.)

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Transcript

Beccles. Novr 7. 1877.

My dear Sir—

Many thanks for your kindness in enquiring of Professor Cowell as to the word “lian”—his reply so far as it goes confirms the opinion I had always entertained regarding “Venta”.

As to the popular use of the word “Spinnage”. A medical man is often told by a poor woman when he enters her cottage that she fears her child has got the “Spinnage”—upon examination he finds the child suffering from “Rickets” and his attention is particularly directed by the mother to a cross-like depression depression at the pit of the stomach occasioned by a sinking in of the crusiform† cartilage of the sternum towards the spine; the child has at the same time the ribs flattened laterally and the breast bone prominent; what is commonly called pigeon breasted: the spine is also more or less curved and he presents all the characters of Scrophula. As to the ety-mology of the word. “Rickets” is no doubt derived from “Ράχις—the spine”. Analogy would therefore lead me to believe that we must look for “Spinnage” in the latin “Spina” possibly “Spinam agens” or “Spine ache” may have originated the word but this is only my own idea and therefore not worth much. If spelt phonetically the correct orthography would be “Spinnage”. Has your attention ever been called to the words used by Our Ld to Simon in the 5th chapter of Luke as to the casting the nets into the sea previous to the miraculous draught of fishes? Mr Gillett has suggested an ingenious theory to account for Simon’s request to Our Saviour “Depart from me” viz—that Our Ld had requested him to cast “τα δίκτυα” into the sea; and that he re-plied they had toiled all night and taken nothing nevertheless at his request he would cast in “το δίκτυον” and when he saw the result in the miraculous draught of fishes he was so shocked at the grievous sin which he had committed in not having sufficient faith entirely to fulfil his Lord’s command; that upon recognising his divinity instead of saying “My Lord and My God” he said “Depart from me”.—

Do not trouble yourself to answer this; as I shall conclude if I hear nothing that you consider the observation of no value.—

Believe me
Very truly yours,
W. E. Crowfoot

Wm Aldis Wright. Esqr.

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Black-edged paper. Aldis Wright has written at the head, ‘Please return’.

{1} Probable reading, but the first letter is unclear.

† Sic.

Sent with Add. MS b. 74/8/1 and 3.

This description was created by A. C. Green in 2022.