about 1782, on the site of which was erected the house now occupied in the same business.

BOAT'S PAINTER.

At the trial of a smuggler in Sussex, some time ago, it was deposed by a witness, that there was nothing in the boat but the tubs and the painter. Upon which the counsel, whose duty it was to cross-examine the witness, got up and said "You say there was nothing in the boat but the tubs and the painter; I wish to know what became of him, did he run away."-(Here there was great laughing). It was then explained to the learned counsel, that the painter mentioned was nothing but a rope!

The rope, which is coiled up in the boat, and which is constantly employed in hawling, &c., is called the boat's painter, because, from its being saturated with tar, and its continual friction against the boat, the latter becomes daubed or painted with the adhesive or greasy matter with which the rope is covered,

HAMMER-CLOTH.

This covering to the coachman's seat, or box, is derived from the German hammer, which implies a coat, or covering.

ATTORNEY.

In the time of our Saxon ancestors, states a work entitled Saxon Anomalies, the freemen in every shire met twice a year, under the presidency of the Shire Reeve, or Sheriff, and this meeting was called the Sheriff's torn. By degrees the freemen declined giving their personal attendance, and a freeman who did attend carried with him the proxies of such of his friends as could not appear: he who actually went to the Sheriff's torn, was said, according to the old Saxon, to go" at the torn," and hence came the word attorney, which signified, one that went to the torn for others, carrying with him a power to act or vote for those who employed him.

I do not conceive (continues the writer), that the attorney has any right to call himself a solicitor, but where he has business in a court of equity. If he choose to act more upon the principle of equity than law, let him be a solicitor by all means, but not otherwise, for law and equity are very different things, neither of them very good, as overwhelmed with forms and technicalities; but upon the whole, equity is surely the best, if it were but for the name of the thing.

TAILOR.

A tailor now means a maker of clothes, whereas its origin is the French word tailler, to cut, or cut out, whence it appears the

trade of clothes-making was divided into a great many branches, such as planner, cutter-out, sewer, &c., or that every body originally made his own clothes, and merely employed the tailor to give him the most fashionable outlines of a suit.

STATIONERS.

Anterior to the invention of Printing, there flourished a craft or trade, who were denominated Stationers; they were scribes and limners, and dealers in manuscript copies, and in parchment and paper, and other literary wares. It is believed by our antiquaries, that they derived their denomination from their fixed locality or station in a street, either by a shop or shed, and probably, when their former occupation had gone, still retained their dealings in literature, and turned to booksellers.* This denomination of Stationers indicating their stationary residence, would also distinguish them from the itinerant venders, who, in a more subordinate capacity at a later period, appear to have hawked about the town and the country, pamphlets and other portable books. In the reign of Philip and Mary, "the Stationers" were granted a charter of incorporation, and were invested with the most inquisitorial powers.

APOTHECARY.

The character of an apothecary is so legibly imprinted on his front, that all his efforts to conceal it are useless. There is a bustling importance about him, which did not belong to the fraternity of former times. It is said by a waggish writer, that the apothecary of former times was a very humble being, and carried his drugs about with him in an earthenware vessel; and from a-pot-he-carries, was derived the cognomen of Apothecary. This, however, the modern sons of Galen would spurn, and would inform you that they receive their appellation from Apothecarius, an ancient and eminent compounder of drugs.

YEOMAN.

The title of Yeoman was formerly one of more dignity than now belongs to it! It signified originally a Yewman, so called from bearing the bow in battle. Hence, at first, a Yeoman was at least of equal consequence with an Esquire, and, as a proof of

*Pegge, in his Anecdotes of the English Language, has somewhat crudely remarked, that the term Stationers was appropriated to booksellers in the year 1622; but it was so long before. It is extraordinary that Mr. Todd, well read in our literary history, admits this imperfect disclosure of Pegge into the "Dictionary of the English Language.' The terms Stationer and bookseller, were synonymous, and in common use in the reign of Elizabeth, and may be found in Baret's Alvearie, 1573.

this, we have, even now, Yeoman of the Guards, of the Chamber, &c., all persons of rank.

MEN MILLINERS.

In former times, the ancient sisterhood of Tire Women, or Dressers, served only in the shops where ladies purchased their gewgaws; but when the Milaners, or persons from Milan, in Italy, first introduced their fashions into this country (and from whence the term Milliner is derived), it is supposed they also furnished us with the idea of employing the male sex for the vending of various articles of millinery, as is the custom in that country. They were first introduced into England in 1345. The ancient fraternity of Tire Women became totally extinct about 1765.

GROCER.

This term, as applied to the venders of sugar, treacle, spices, &c., originally meant nothing more than a dealer by the groce, or in the gross, but which is now applied peculiarly to those who deal in the above articles. There are several other trades which bear a name, the limit or cause of which is now no more. Fosbroke says the Medicamentarii of the ancients very nearly resembled our modern Grocers.

Another writer says the term Grocer was originally employed to distinguish a dealer in goods in gross quantities, in opposition to the mere retailer; though now extended to all who deal in either way in the "mystery of grocery," a term in this instance, by the bye, rather oddly applied. The more ancient designation, however, of this fraternity, was that of the " Pepperers," on account of pepper being the principal article in which the grocer dealt. The fraternity were first incorporated as Grocers by a charter from Edward III., in 1345, which was renewed and confirmed by several succeeding monarchs. A pepperer was still, however, not unfrequently a distinct business, and continued so till as late a period as 1559. In that year a quantity of pepper, having been taken in a Spanish carrack, was purchased from the queen at a good price, by certain exclusive dealers in that article. The grocers, however, endeavoured to undersell the pepperers, by making other importations of their own, which caused the latter to petition her Majesty, that no pepper might be imported for three years, which would enable them to keep their engagement with her Majesty; and to induce her to do so, they promised not to raise the price of pepper above 3s. in the pound.

TINKER.

The trade of a tinker yet exists, though its respectability, if it ever had any, has disappeared; but the practice which caused the

name has been long disused. A tinker was one who tink'd, because formerly the tinkers went about giving warning to their vicinity by making a tinkling noise on an old brass kettle.

OSTLER.

An innkeeper is comparatively a modern title-host, or hosteler, is the ancient one; but in the shape of ostler, it has now universally become the name of the host of the horses, not of the men -a singular proof of the active humanity with which ancient innkeepers attended to their guests, and as remarkable a proof of the additional pride of modern landlords.

BUTLER.

A Butler, who is now the superintendent of all the eating and drinking, but under the modern appellation of House Steward, in the house to which he belongs, was originally the mere bottler of the liquors-a pretty good proof of the wetness of our ancestors.

MANTUA-MAKER.

The names of places are sometimes preserved in trades, and the objects of trade, where no longer the slightest connection exists between them. Thus we have a Mantua-maker, a name at first given to persons who made a particular cloak or dress worn at Mantua, in Italy.

MILLINER.

Milliner, so called because the Milanese were the first Milliners, or, as they were called, Milaners; deriving their name from the sale of a particular dress first worn at Milan, in Italy.

CORDWAINER.

Cordwainer, or Cordovaner, or fine maker of shoes from Cordova, or Spanish leather. The Cordwainers' Company have a goat's head for their crest, and repeated in their arms.

DENTIST.

This term, by which the tooth-reviser is designated, is derived from the French word dent, i. e., tooth; and the concluding syllable is added, as in art-ist, or chym-ist, or any other word terminating with ist; merely for the sake of harmony.

COSTERMONGER.

This a corruption of Costard-monger; Ben Jonson uses it both ways, and it is noticed of his costermonger, by Mr. Archdeacon

Nares, that "he cries only pears." That gentleman rightly defines a costard-monger, or coster-monger, to be "a seller of apples;" he adds, one who generally kept a stall." He says of Costard, that, " as a species of apple, it is enumerated with others, but it must have been a very common sort, as it gave a name to the dealers in apples."

HUXTER.

Holme, in his heraldic language, says of a huxter, "He beareth gules, a man passant, his shirt or shift turned up to his shoulder; breeches and hose azure, cap and shoes sable, bearing on his back a bread basket full of fruits and herbs, and a staff in his left hand, or." Huxter, or hutler, is a Saxon word, and implies a dealer in bread and vegetables.

PEDLAR.

This is a corruption from Paddler, i. e., one who goes from place to place an Itinerant. Holme in his heraldic language describes the pedlar thus-"He beareth argent, a crate-carrier, with a crate upon his back, or; cloathed in russet, with a staffe in his left hand; hat and shoes, sable."

PORTER.

One who attended at the ports (originally) for the departure or arrival of vessels, being employed to carry luggage or packages to and fro; hence he was called a porter. Holme says, "He beareth vert a porter carrying a pack argent, corked sable; cloathed in tawney, cap and shoes sable. This is the badge and cognizance of all porters and carriers of burthens;" but that there may be no mistake, he adds, "they have ever a leather girdle about them, with a strong rope of two or three fouldings hanging thereat, which they have in readiness to bind the burdens to their backs when called thereto."

BARBER.

Holme derives the denomination Barber from barba, a beard, and describes him as a "cutter of hair;" he was also anciently termed a poller, because in former times to poll was to cut the hair; to trim was to cut the beard, after shaving, into form and order.

BARBER'S POLE.

The origin of the Barber's Pole is to be traced to the period when the barbers were also surgeons, under the denomination of Barber-surgeons, or Barber-chirurgeons, none other in former times being allowed to "let blood." To assist this operation, it being necessary for the patient to grasp a staff, a stick or a pole was always kept by the Barber-surgeon, together with the fillet