-------- Original Message --------
Jerry,
Thanks for bringing up Boyd's note. I had misread it and thought he was
quoting Joyce rather than M'Diarmid. I think a quick Google search
solves
the problem. We know that VN was an avid reader of Notes and Queries,
and
this search (only in snippet view) seems to reveal that the passage he
quotes appeared there. See here:
http://books.google.com/books?ct=result&q=%22antecedently+token%22
So I would guess this this is the most likely source of his knowledge.
Perhaps someone can track down the particular issue of N&Q and
quote the
whole entry. I'd be interested to see if N&Q says "venitseason" (as
VN does)
or "venit season" (as it appears in M'Diarmid's book.
Matt