“A Crown Ile bet That None can get The ale that’s in this Jug, Nor drink his fill Without he spill And shall not use a plug.” A puzzle jug in the possession of the Vintners’ Company is in the shape of a milkmaid bearing a pail. The pail is set on a swivel, and when the drinker tries to swallow the liquor, the pail sends its contents over his chest. [Illustration: Masonic Pitcher.] Cream-ware pitchers bearing Masonic emblems are frequently found, usually having also the name of the person by whom they were ordered, or for whom they were made. These rather egotistical lines were prime favorites among these pitcher-buying Masons: “The world is in pain Our Secret to gain, But still let them wonder & gaze on, For they ne’er can divine The word nor the sign Of a Free and Accepted Mason.” Another much-used set of Masonic verses runs thus: “We help the poor in time of need The naked cloath, the Hungry feed; ’Tis our Foundation stone. We build upon the noblest plan, Where Friendship rivets man to man And makes us all as one.” And a third: “To judge with candour and to speak no wrong, The feeble to support against the strong, To soothe the wretched and the poor to feed, Will cover many an idle, foolish deed.” Some of these Masonic pitchers are of enormous size, as if the buyers wished as much of a pitcher as possible for their money. Many of them were printed at the Worcester factory. I have also seen some fine designs that had been drawn with a pen by hand in mineral colors and then fired in. Pitchers and mugs of Chinese porcelain are also seen with decorations of Masonic emblems and mottoes. Sailor pitchers are found in comparatively large numbers, with touching prints of a sailor bidding an affectionate farewell to his lass, under a flag and over an anchor, accompanied by such appropriate verses as the following: “When this you see Pray think of me And keep me in your mind; Let all the world Say what they will, Think of me as you find.” Or this legend, a misquotation from Charles Dibdin’s song: “D’ye see a cherub sits smiling aloft To keep watch o’er the life of poor Jack.” This is often accompanied by the figure of a fat little cherub perched in the rigging of a ship. These Sailor pitchers were brought home frequently at the end of a voyage as gifts for a sweetheart or a wife, as is plainly seen by these verses printed with a picture called “The Sailor’s Return”: