Luckily for us living in these latter days, we can extract amusement from topics of this nature, which would have subjected our forefathers to severe pains and penalties; and looking at the character and mischievous tendency of _The Hanover Rat_, I am curious to know if Mary Cooper, the publisher, was put under surveillance for her share in its production; for to me it appears a more aggravated libel upon the reigning family than that of the _Norfolk Prophecy_--for the publication of which, Boswell says, the great Samuel Johnson had to play at hide and seek with the officers of justice. The advent of both Pretenders was preceded by _straws_ like these cast out by their adherents, to try _how the current set_. The present _jeu d'esprit_, however, is a double-shotted one: for, not content with tampering with the public allegiance, this aboriginal rat seems more innocently enjoying a laugh at the Royal Society, and its ingenious _fellow_ Mr. Baker, in as far as regards the aforesaid elaborate treatise upon _polypes_. J. O. * * * * * FONT INSCRIPTIONS. (Vol. vii., p. 408.) MR. ELLACOMBE desires examples of these. I can supply the following:-- At Bradley, Lincolnshire, is a very large font, of the Decorated period, with this inscription round the bowl in black letter: "Pater Noster, Ave Maria, and Criede, leren ye chyld yt es nede." This is an early instance of the use of _English_ for inscriptions. The sketch was engraved in the work on _Baptismal Fonts_. At Threckingham, Lincolnshire, I believe I succeeded in deciphering an inscription round the font, which was said to have been previously studied in vain. It is somewhat defaced; but in all probability the words are,-- "Ave Maria gracia p... d... t..." _i. e._ of course, "plena, dominus tecum." The bowl of the font is Early English; but the base, round which the inscription runs, appears to be of the fifteenth century. At Burgate, Suffolk, an inscription in black letter is incised on the upper step of the font: "[Orate pro an--b'] Will'mi Burgate militis et d[=n]e Elionore uxoris eius qui istum fontem fieri fecerunt." Sir William Burgate died in 1409. It is engraved in the _Proceedings of the Bury and West Suffolk Archaeological Institute_. At Caistor, by Norwich: "Orate pro animab ... liis ... ici de Castre." At Walsoken, Norfolk: "Remember the soul of S. Honyter and Margaret his wife, and John Beforth, Chaplain." with the date 1544. At Gaywood, Norfolk, is a font of Gothic design, lust probably of post-Reformation date. On four of the eight sides of the bowl are these inscriptions: "QVI . CREDIDE "VOCE . PATER RIT . ET . BAPTI NATUS . CORPORE ZATVS . FVERIT FLAMEN . AVE. SALVVS . ERIT." MAT. 3." "CHRISTVM . IN "I . AM . THY . GOD DVISTIS . QVOT AND . THE . GOD QVOT . BAPTI OF . THY . SEEDE. ZATI . ESTIS." GEN." {483}