only to be found in the sign-board of the tavern, but in the foaming bowl of punch, which is to be procured there.

As this work professes to embrace a little of every thing, the origin of some of the most remarkable tavern appellations and public-house signs will now be noticed, satisfied that the reader will feel an interest in the same; for

"Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round,

Where'er his various tour has been,
May sigh, to think how oft he found

His warmest welcome at an Inn."

Shenstone.

THE HUMMUMS.

(Old and New.)

The two houses so named are situated in Covent Garden, and are famed for their good beds, and hot and cold baths, likewise for their general good fare.

Dr. Shaw, in his Travels, says, that hummums is a corruption of hammum, the Arabic term for a bath or bagnio.

The first bagnio, or bath, for sweating or hot bathing in England, it is believed, was that in Bagnio Court, Newgate Street, which af terwards became a hotel, or lodging house, after which the Hummums in Covent Garden were opened upon the same plan.

THE FINISH.

"Some place that's like the Finish, lads,
Where all your high Pedestrian Pads,
That have been up and out all night,
Running their rigs among the rattlers,
At morning meet-and, honour bright-
Agree to share the blunt and tattlers."

Tom Crib's Memorial to Congress.

This house, frequented by the Peep O'Day Boys, is thus denominated, because they there terminated their bacchanalian orgies. When kept by the celebrated Mother Butler, it was frequented by the Sheridans and the Foxes; now, by the London shopmen and barbers' clerks. It is near the Hummums.

THE FLYING HORSE.

The Flying Horse was originally intended to represent the Pegasus of the ancients; consequently it is not so unmeaning a sign as it has been thought to be; for

"If with water you fill up your glasses,
You'll never write any thing wise;
For wine is the horse of Parnassus,
Which hurries a bard to the skies."

THE HAT AND TUN.

A house so named in the vicinity of Hatton Garden, was evidently intended to allude to the family of the Hattons, whose mansion formerly stood near the spot. The house has been recently rebuilt, and a spacious room on the one pair appropriated for parties.

SIMON THE TANNER OF JOPPA.

In Long Lane, Southwark, there is a house so named, probably having its origin in the times when Scripture names were adopted for men and things.

In Acts, c. x. v. 32, we read, that the apostle Peter dwelt for some time at the house of Simon, a tanner.

THE BEAR AND RAGGED STAFF.

This being part of the armorial bearings of the Earls of Warwick, has been set up in honour of that noble house; while others bear the name of the "Earl of Warwick," and "Guy, Earl of Warwick." The arms were, doubtless, the original sign, but latterly only the name has been used.

BRACE, KING'S BENCH.

This place was originally kept by two brothers of the name of Partridge, from whom it obtained the present title, being a pun upon their name, they being a Brace of Partridges.

THE GRAVE MORRIS.

A house so named, stands opposite the London Hospital. A painter was commissioned to embody the inscription; but this knight of the brush was not possessed of a poet's eye, and therefore could not depict the form of things unknown or imaginary. The sign is in "The Grave Morris." consequence written up,

In Junius's Etymologicon," Grave is explained to be Comes, or Count, as Palsgrave is Palatine Count; of which we have an instance in Palsgrave-head Court, Strand, so called in memory of the Palsgrave, Count, or Elector Palatine, who married Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James 1st. Their issue was, the Palsgrave Charles Louis, the Grave Count, or Prince Palatine Rupert, and the Grave Count, or Prince Maurice.

THE SWAN WITH TWO NECKS.

This sign has long been an object of mystery to the curious; but this mystery has been explained by the alteration of a single letter. The sign was originally written "The Swan with two Nicks;" the meaning of which, we find, to be thus fully explained, in a communication to the Antiquarian Society, by the late Sir Joseph Banks.

At a meeting of the Antiquarian Society, held in the year 1810, Sir Joseph Banks presented a curious roll of parchment, exhibiting the marks or nicks made on the beaks of the swans and cygnets in the rivers and lakes in Lincolnshire; accompanied with an account of the privileges of certain persons for keeping swans in these waters, and the duties of the king's swan-herd in guarding these fowls against depredators; also, for regulating their marks, and for preventing any two persons from adopting the same figures and marks on the bills of their swans.

Thus, from the circumstance of marking these swans with nicks, originated the sign of the "Swan with two Nicks," now corrupted into the "Swan with two Necks."

GOAT AND COMPASSES.

This sign, so well known to those who visit Chelsea, is derived from the days of the Commonwealth, when it was the fashion of the

enthusiasts of that period to append scriptural quotations to the names given them by their parents, or to adopt them entirely instead. This rage for sacred titles, induced them also to coin new names for places and things. The corruption "God encompasseth us," to "Goat and Compasses," is obvious, and seems quite natural; and it is not unlikely, that "Praise God barebones," preferred drinking his tankard of ale at the "God encompasseth us," rather than frequent a house retaining its old and heathenish title.

BAG OF NAILS.

The Bag of Nails, at Chelsea, is claimed by the smiths and carpenters in its neighbourhood as a house originally intended for their peculiar accommodation; but had it not been for the corruption of the times, it still would have belonged to the Bachanals, who, in the days of the rare Ben Jonson, were accustomed to make a holiday excursion to that pleasant part of the environs of London. One age has contrived to convert Bacchanals into Bag o' Nails; may not a future age take the liberty of converting Bachanalians into that of Bag o'-Nailians?

JOHN O' GROAT'S HOUSE.

James 4th, of Scotland, sent Malcolm Gavin, and John de Groat, two brothers, into Caithness, with a letter written in Latin, recommending them to the kind regards of the people of that county.They became possessed of lands in the parish of Anisley, on the banks of the Pentland Firth, which was equally divided between them. In course of time there were eight families of the same name, who shared alike, and lived comfortably and peaceably for many years. These were accustomed to meet, to celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of their progenitors. At one of these meetings it became a matter of dispute which of them was entitled to enter first, and take the head of the table; which had like to have terminated fatally, but for the presence of mind of John de Groat, proprietor of the ferry, who remonstrated with them; pointed out the necessity of unanimity, as regarded their own happiness, their respectability among their neighbours, and general safety from the inroads of those clans, who might envy them, and take advantage of their dissensions.

He then proposed the building of a house, to which they should contribute equally; and he promised at their next meeting he should so order matters, as to prevent any dispute about precedency.

Having gained their assent, he proceeded to build a house, with a distinct room of an octagonal form, having eight doors and eight windows, in which he placed a table of oak, with eight sides, At the next annual meeting he desired each to enter singly at different doors, and take the head of the table, himself entering the last, and taking the remaining unoccupied seat. By this ingenious manoeuvre they were all placed on an equal footing, and good humour and harmony were restored and established.

Such, reader, was the origin of the sign of "John o' Groat's house."

VALENTINE AND ORSON

There is a house so named in Long Lane, Bermondsey. It would appear to have originated with some romantic reader, who had been affected with the tale of these two brothers, who were sons of the Emperor of Constantinople, Alexander, who married the beautiful sister of Pepin, king of France, named Bellisant; who being ba

nished by the Emperor during her pregnancy, having been falsely accused by his prime minister, she took refuge in the forest of Orleans, in France, where she was delivered of male twins: one of which was taken from her by a she-bear, and suckled by it for some time, hence called Orson. The other being discovered by the king, Pepin, her brother, during her search after Orson, was brought up at the court of his uncle. Orson being a terror to the neighbourhood when he grew up, was overcome by his brother, and tamed so far as to be brought to court. Shortly after overcoming the Green Knight, he received the hand of the Lady Fezon, previous to which he had attained the power of speech; and Valentine married Eglantine, the king's daughter, when they discovered they were cousins.

THE GUY'S HEAD.

This sign was intended to do honour to the philanthropy of Mr. Thomas Guy, who founded the hospital in the Borough, which bears his name, and which cost the sum of 18,7931. 16s. 1d.; and the sum left for the endowment of it was 219,4991. Os. 4d. Had he been of the Romish church, he might have been honoured with a niche in their calendar, where many have been placed for acts neither of so benevolent or noble a nature.

BLACK DOLL AT RAG SHOPS.

The Black Doll, used as a sign by the dealers in rags, originated with a person who kept a house for the sale of toys and rags in Norton Falgate, about sixty years ago. An old woman brought him a large bundle for sale, but desired it might remain unopened, until she called again to see it weighed. Several weeks elapsed without her appearing, which induced the master of the shop to open the bundle, when he found a black doll, neatly dressed, with a pair of gold earings appended This he hung up over his door, for the purpose of being owned by the woman who left it. Shortly after this she called, and presented the doll to the shopkeeper, as a mark of gratitude for his having, by its means, enabled her to find out her bundle. The story having gained circulation, this figure has been generally used by dealers in rags, ever since this original instance of honesty in this class of merchants.

PUBLIC-HOUSE CHEQUERS.

Few people, it is presumed, are aware of the origin of the Checquers, which are seen on the sides of the doors, or window shutters of public-houses.

In the reign of one of our Henries, the Excise of the country was farmed (as was customary in former times), by an Earl of Holdernesse, whose arms were the chequers, and which in those days every licensed house was obliged to display, or suffer the consequence, which was a heavy penalty. The custom alone has continued to this day, the penalty not being exacted.

THE BELL SAVAGE.

The etymology of the Bell Savage, on Ludgate Hill, has been variously, but very incorrectly given; the following, however, may be relied on as correct.

The Bell Savage, now called le belle Sauvage, took its name from those premises once being the property of lady Arabella Sa

vage, who made a deed of gift of them to the Cutler's Company; corroborative of which, a painting may be seen in Cutler's Hall, representing her ladyship, accompanied by her conveyancer, presenting the said deed of gift to the Master and Wardens of the aforesaid company.

THE BOLT-IN-TUN.

A game, the Roman and Grecian youth were wont to exercise themselves in. The bolt was a short javelin, and the tun was placed as a kind of target; he who threw the bolt through a small hole in the tun, being declared victor.

THE BULL AND MOUTH, AND BULL AND GATE.

The two inns here named, are a strong specimen of the corruption so prevalent in the designation of public resorts in and about the city of London, indeed throughout the whole country. The original names were Boulogne-Mouth and Boulogne-Gate, in commemoration of the destruction of the French flotilla at the mouth of Boulogne harbour, and of the capitulation of the town being signed at the gate of Boulogne, in the reign of Henry 8th.

THE GOOD WOMAN, i. e. THE SIGN OF A WOMAN

WITHOUT A HEAD!

In the old ballad of the "Wanton Wife of Bath," are the following lines

"I think, quoth Thomas, Women's Tongues,

Of Aspen-leaves are made,”

Which of all moveables in nature are decidedly the most so: Gay's
Pippin Woman in his Trivia is of a piece with the case cited from
Ovid, and from whence originated the sign of the Good Woman,

"The crackling crystal yields, she sinks, she dies;
Her head chopp'd off from her lost shoulder flies:
Pippins she cried, but death her voice confounds;
And pip-a-pip along the ice rebounds."

It may not be amiss here to inform the Fair of Britain, that although taking off the heads of females is somewhat out of fashion, yet, nevertheless, the laws allow their husbands to administer moderate correction; modicam castigationem are the very words of the law.

DOG AND DUCK TAVERN.

The sign of this once very popular tavern, took its name from a famous dog which hunted ducks in a sheet of water on this spot. Over a low small-gabled-end fronted house, was seen, in an oblong square place, moulded in a kind of red composition, the dog and

duck.

SPREAD EAGLE.

The Spread Eagle, which constitutes with some variation the arms of Austria and Prussia, originated with Charlemagne, the first Emperor of Germany, who added the second head to the Eagle, to denote that the Empires of Rome and Germany were in him united. This was A. D. 802.