Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 10.djvu/159

 9* s. x. A. 23, 1902.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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interests of which he worked for many years with such zeal and success.

Lastly, he was a very dear friend, whose memory I, in common with a rapidly diminish- ing number of Birmingham men, still cherish and respect. C. T. SAUNDERS.

Goethe has much to say about Lavater, with whom he worked, in the 'Dichtung und Wahrheit.' The following remarks, noted by that faithful and diligent diarist J. P. Eckermann, on 17 February, 1829, are interest- ing as criticism :

" Viel iiber den Grosskophta gesprochen. ' Lava- ter,' sagte Goethe, ' glaubte an Uagliostro und dessen Wunder. Als man ihn als einen Betriiger entlarot hatte, behauptete Lavater, die* sei ein anderer Cagliostro, der Wunderthiiter Oagliostro sei eine heilige Person."

This is not like poor disillusioned Tom Pinch, who mournfully concluded "there never had been a Pecksniff." When Ecker- mann inquired whether Lavater had a bent (Tendenz) for nature, the poet replied :

"Durchaus nicht, seine Richtung ging bloss auf das Sittliche, Religiose. Was in Lavaters ' Phy- siognomik' iiber Tierschadel vorkommt, ist von mir."

FRANCIS P. MARCHANT. Brixton Hill.

[Reply also from C. W. S.]

ARMS ON FIREBACK (9 th S. x. 29). The Sussex iron-masters had three favourite sets of devices for these chimney-backs, namely, royal or other armorial bearings, mytho- logical subjects, and Scriptural stories, so that those described by COLONEL doubtless come under the first head of armorial bear- ings. To judge from their frequent resem- blance, so far as the objects depicted are con- cerned, to the signboard, the designs on the fireback were probably often co-existent with those on the house-sign. The " Rope and Anchor," or the " Anchor and Cable," as it was also sometimes called, was a very common sign, being generally represented with a piece of cable turned round the stem In the scarce print of Fish Street Hill and the Monument, in which the signs are distinctly affixed to the houses, the "Anchor and Cable " is the fourth house from the Monu- ment, towards Eastcheap. An early leaden token in the Beaufoy Collection bears Gothic characters on its obverse side, and four fleur- de-lis pointing inwards on the reverse. As to the three swords, would they not be the Essex county arms, namely, three seaxes or swords or scythes ? In Lower Thames Street, opposite Billingsgate Market, is a tavern with the sign of the "Cock," immediately

within the doorway of which may be seen a large, much oxidized plate of Sussex iron, probably an old fireback, which was dug up on the site of the present tavern in 1888. It appears to have been through the Great Fire of London, but is not so much damaged as to render the devices upon it unrecognizable. The plate is in design a cartouche, and bears a lion rampant, the cartouche being sur- mounted by a crest consisting of the Tudor rose dexter, and the cock sinister, accosted, all in low relief, with the initials W. M., and date 1586, just legible. The landlord (this was about 1890) had a tradition that the tavern was formerly known by the sign of the " Rose and Cock," which would lead one to suppose that the blurred relief, doubt- less caused by fire, discernible at the dexter angle of the plate is that of the " Rose " in association with the " Cock " (cf. ' The Dis- appearance of a Celebrated Banking Firm,' ante, p. 114). Perhaps another fireback was the old cast-iron sign which used to distin- guish the "Iron Warehouse" of Messrs.- Crowley in Upper Thames Street. It repre- sented the sign of the " Doublet," and bore the date 1720 and the initials T. C. beneath. But if I remember aright it has long dis- appeared. J. HOLDEN MACMlCHAEL.

CARDINAL ALLEN (9 th S. x. 107). A pedigree and full account of the Allen family will be found in the ' History of Poulton-le-Fylde ' (Chetham Society, vol. viii. new series).

HENRY FISHWICK.

In 1842 the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge commenced a ' Biographi- cal Dictionary,' which ceased to appear after the completion of the letter A. In the first volume there is a long account of his life and writings. I may also refer your corre- spondent to ' N. & Q.,' 1 st S. ii ;, iii. ; 5J S. vi. 6 th S. vii., for much valuable information and references to authorities.

EVERARD HOME COLEMAN. 71, Brecknock Road.

"ONLY TOO THANKFUL" (9 th S. ix. 288, 370, 457 ; x. 13). It is not safe to assume that any response to a question of DR. MURRAY'S can add to his exhaustive stock of present information ; but as he has himself given warrant to outsiders by his question as to "only too," may I say that I have always regarded it as equivalent to the French "il n'est que trop vrai," or phrases of that kind? The "too" in that case would mean " more than it ought to be," or " more than is desirable," or "more than would be supposed," &c. ; and the " only," " nothing else is true of