“Who lazily imp their wings with other men’s plumes, wherewith they soar high in common esteeme, yet have not the ingenuity with that son of the Prophet to confesse, Alasse! it was borrowed.”

A.B.R.

* * * * *

QUERIES UPON CUNNINGHAM’S HANDBOOK OF LONDON.

We promised to make a few QUERIES on this amusing volume, and thus redeem our promise.

Mr. Cunningham has been the first to point out the precise situation of a spot often mentioned by our old dramatists, which had baffled the ingenuity of Gifford, Dyce, and in fact of all the commentators,—­the notorious Picthatch.  He thus describes it:—­

“Picthatch, or Pickehatch.—­A famous receptacle for prostitutes and pickpockets, generally supposed to have been in Turnmill Street, near Clerkenwell Green, but its position is determined by a grant of the 33rd of Queen Elizabeth, and a survey of 1649.  What was Picthatch is a street at the back of a narrow turning called Middle Row (formerly Rotten Row) opposite the Charter-house wall in Goswell Street.  The name is still preserved in ‘Pickax Yard’ adjoining Middle Row.”

Why then, among the curious illustrations which he has brought to bear upon the subject, has Mr. Cunningham omitted that of the origin of the name from the “picks upon the hatch?” which is clearly established both by Malone and Steevens, in their notes upon “’twere not amiss to keep our door hatch’d,” in Pericles.

The following is an excellent suggestion as to the origin of the—­

“Goat and Compasses.—­At Cologne, in the church of Santa Maria in Capitolio, is a flat stone on the floor professing to be the Grabstein der Brueder und Schwester eines ehrbaren Wein-und Fass-Ampts, Anno 1693; that is, as I suppose, a vault belonging to the Wine Coopers’ Company.  The arms exhibit a shield with a pair of compasses, an axe, and a dray, or truck, with goats for supporters.  In a country like England, dealing so much at one time in Rhenish wine, a more likely origin for such a sign could hardly be imagined.  For this information I am indebted to the courtesy of Sir Edmund Head.”

Can Mr. Cunningham, Sir E. Head, or any of our correspondents point out any German “Randle Holme” whose work may be consulted for the purpose of ascertaining the arms, &c. of the various professions, trades, &c. of that country?

Why has not Mr. Cunningham, in his description of St. James’ Street, mentioned what certainly existed long after the commencement of the present century, the occasional “steps” which there were in the foot-path—­making the street a succession of terraces.  This fact renders intelligible the passage quoted from Pope’s letter to Mr. Pearse, in which he speaks of “y’e second Terras in St. James’ Street.”  Why, too, omit that characteristic feature of the street, the rows of sedan chairs with which it was formerly lined?  The writer of this perfectly remembers seeing Queen Charlotte in her sedan chair, going from the Queen’s Library in the Green Park to Buckingham House.