is a plagiarism from George Alexander Stevens’s ‘Distress upon Distress; or Tragedy in True Taste.’ This is more of “cabbage,” and less of coincidence, than the line in one of the ‘Roxburgh Ballads’ anent tailors, wherein we find an allusion in the phrase “turn up my ten toes,” which is, as nearly as possible, a translation of part of the ladies’ threat in the ‘Lysistra’ of Aristophanes. Altogether a volume might be filled with examples to prove that poetry and tailoring have one spirit in common. But it is time to turn from poetry to prose, and come more nearly to our subject “touching tailors.” We will take individually those whose great deeds have shed glory on the craft. First on the roll of fame is noble Hawkwood. SIR JOHN HAWKWOOD, THE HEROIC TAILOR. “The dew of grace bless our new knight today.” BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER: _Knight of Malta_. On the 10th day of August, 1668, Mr. Samuel Pepys passed a portion of his morning at Goring House, the mansion of Lord Arlington, a nobleman who conversed with him amicably, and introduced him to other lords, with whom the gallant secretary prattled after his fashion, to say nothing of the flattery and compliments paid him by Lord Orrery. In the afternoon we find him at Cooper’s, the miniature painter’s, who was painting the portrait of that excellent lady Mrs. Pepys. The portrait was excellent in every way, save that it was not like Mr. Pepys’s wife, and that she wore a blue garment, which he could not bear. However, the courteous husband paid £38. 3_s._ 4_d._ for the picture, crystal, and case, that he might, as he prudently says, be out of the painter’s debt; and thereupon he adds:—“Home to supper, and my wife to read a ridiculous book I bought today of the History of the Taylors’ Company.” The title of the book which Mrs. Pepys read aloud to her husband, and which is a book that a lady might well blush to read either aloud or to herself, runs as follows:—‘The Honour of the Merchant Taylors; wherein is set forth, the noble arts, valiant deeds, and heroic performances of Merchant Taylors in former ages; their honourable loves and knightly adventures, their combating of foreign enemies, and glorious successes in honour of the English nation; together with their pious acts and large benevolences, their building of publick structures, especially that of Blackwell Hall, to be a market-place for the selling of woollen cloaths. Written by William Winstanley. London, 1668, 8vo. With the head of Sir Ralph Blackwell, with a gold chain, arms of London on the right, and of the Merchant Taylors on the left.’