In this list it will appear difficult, at first sight, in looking at a piece of plate to ascertain its age, to determine whether it was manufactured between the years 1636 and 1655, or between 1696 and 1715, the Court hand being used in both these cycles: but instead of the lion passant and leopard's head in the former, we shall find the lion's head erased, and Britannia, denoting the alteration of the standard during the latter period.

The letters used as dates in the foregoing list are only those of the Goldsmiths' Hall in London, as denoted by the leopard's head crowned. Other Halls, at York, Newcastle, Lincoln, Norwich, Bristol, Salisbury, and Coventry, had also marks of their own to show the year; and have stamped gold and silver since the year 1423, perhaps earlier. Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin have had the same privilege from a very early period: and, more recently, Chester, Birmingham, and Sheffield. Thus it will be seen, that four marks or punches are used on gold and silver plate, independent of the makers' initials or symbol, viz.:

The Standard Mark.-For gold of the old standard of 22 carats, and silver of 11 oz. 2 dwts.;

The Duty Mark.-The head of the sovereign, to indicate that the duty has been paid: this mark is not placed on watchcases, &c.

The Date Mark, or variable letter, denoting the year as fixed by each Hall.

HABERDASHERS.

Minshew derives it from Habt ihr das, Teut. Possibly the real derivation is berdash, an old English neck-dress, whence a seller of this article was called a berdasher or haberdasher. But a word of so complex a structure, not apparently reducible to significant elements, must be strongly suspected of corruption, and the origin would naturally be looked for in France, from whence we derive the names of so many of our tradesmen, as butchers, tailors,

cutlers, chandlers, mercers, &c. Now the Dictionnaire de Languedoc has, "Debassaire, bonnetier, chaussetier, fabricant de bas," from debasses, stockings. With us, "The haberdasher heapeth wealth by hats," but he usually joins with that business the trade of hosier; and possibly, when the meaning of the French term was not generally understood in this country, the name of the article dealt in might have been added to give significance to the word, and thus might have formed hat-debasser, or hat-debasher, haberdasher.

The Haberdashers were incorporated into a company in the year 1447; but it is probable that their number was not great, since in the reign of Henry VI. there were not more than a dozen Haberdashers' shops in the whole city. How much they must have increased during the reign of Elizabeth may be inferred from the complaints made against them, that the whole street from Westminster was crowded with them, and that their shops made so gay an appearance as to seduce persons to extravagant expenditures. The business of the haberdasher was not, however, confined to the lighter articles of a lady's wardrobe, as at present, but extended to the sale of daggers, swords, knives, spurs, glasses, dials, tables, balls, cards, puppets, inkhorns, toothpicks, fine earthen-pots, salt-cellars, spoons, tin dishes; and even mousetraps, bird-cages, shoeing-horns, lanterns, and Jews'-trumps, contributed to that gay appearance which the haberdashers' shops are said to have made in the reign of our maiden queen.

MERCERS' COMPANY.

This, which is one of the twelve principal companies, or such, says Pennant, who are honoured with the privilege of the Lord Mayor's being elected out of one of them. Mercer by no means implied a dealer in Silks, for Mercery signified all sorts of small wares, toys, and haberdashery. This company was incorporated in 1393.

MERCHANT-TAILORS' COMPANY.
"A remnant of all shall be saved."

When Dr. South was appointed chaplain to the Merchant Tailors' Company, he took the above appropriate text, when he preached his inauguration sermon.

This company in former times was merely denominated the Tailors Company, until Henry VII., who was himself a member of it, gave them the title of Merchant Tailors; this was in the year 1501. Edward, the Black Prince, was a member of this farfamed company, and most of the kings of England, since the reign of Edward III., down to George IV. Continental Sovereigns, Princes, Marshals, and Generals, have been, and are enrolled in the same. This is also one of the twelve principal companies.

LORINER.

Among the various companies of the city of London, some of which have very peculiar, and not generally understood names, this is one. Loriner is from the French Lorimer, signifying a maker or manufacturer of bridle bits, stirrups, and other saddler's ironmongery. The time has gone by with the Loriner's Company, as well as with others, when they granted their freedom or livery to those only who were of the trade by which the company was denominated.

PUBLIC-HOUSE SIGNS, &c.

"I'm amused at the Signs
As I pass through the town,
To see the odd mixture-
A Magpye and Crown,
The Whale and the Crow,
The Razor and Hen,

The Leg and Seven Stars,
The Axe and the Bottle,
The Tun and the Lute,

The Eagle and Child,
The Shovel and Boot."

Bristol Apollo, 1710.

Public-house Signs, especially in and about the metropolis, present some laughable absurdities, a specimen of which is given in the above compound of rhyme and prose. Englishmen, it is said, are fond of contradictions, a corroboration of the truth of which is not 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.

An hotel, situated in Covent Garden, and famed for its hot and cold baths. Dr. Shaw, in his Travels, says, that hummums is a corruption of hammum, the Arabic term for a bath or bagnio. Parson Ford, who so conspicuously figures in Hogarth's Modern Conversation, died in the latter house. The first bagnio, or bath, for sweating or hot bathing in England, it is believed, was that in Bagnio Court, Newgate Street, which afterwards became an hotel, or lodging-house, after which the Hummums in Covent Garden were opened upon the same plan.

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.

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. This sign is obviously a Rebus.

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 x. 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 consequence written up, "The Grave Morris."

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 I. 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 circumtance 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. The house is now called the "Compasses."

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 Bacchanals, 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 Bacchanalians into that of Bag o'-Nailians?

JOHN O' GROAT'S HOUSE.

James IV. 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

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