I. HOSPITALITY AND ITS TOKENS 1 II. ANCIENT TAVERN SIGNS 23 III. ECCLESIASTICAL HOSPITALITY AND ITS SIGNS 47 IV. SECULAR HOSPITALITY: KNIGHTLY AND POPULAR SIGNS 75 V. TRAVELING WITH SHAKESPEARE AND MONTAIGNE 101 VI. TAVERN SIGNS IN ART--ESPECIALLY IN PICTURES BY THE DUTCH MASTERS 127 VII. ARTISTS AS SIGN-PAINTERS 141 VIII. THE SIGN IN POETRY 167 IX. POLITICAL SIGNS 187 X. TRAVELING WITH GOETHE AND FREDERICK THE GREAT 217 XI. THE ENGLISH SIGN AND ITS PECULIARITIES 235 XII. THE ENEMIES OF THE SIGN AND ITS END 259 ENVOY: AND THE MORAL? 277 BIBLIOGRAPHY 291 INDEX 297 Illustrations OLD DUTCH SIGNS _Frontispiece_ _From a painting by Gerrit and Job Berkheyden_ ZUM SCHIFF, IN STUTTGART _Title-Page_ ZUM OCHSEN, IN BIETIGHEIM, WÜRTTEMBERG vi THE COCK, IN FLEET STREET, LONDON 2 ADAM AND EVE 5 _From an engraving by Hogarth_ ELEFANT AND CASTLE, LONDON 7 _From an old woodcut_ ENGEL, IN MURRHARDT, WÜRTTEMBERG 11 ZUM GOLDNEN ANKER IN BESIGHEIM, WÜRTTEMBERG 20 ENGEL, IN WINNENDEN, WÜRTTEMBERG 24 ZUM RAD, IN RAVENSBURG, WÜRTTEMBERG 37 ZUM WILDEN MANN, IN ESSLINGEN, WÜRTTEMBERG 38 ROMAN TAVERN SIGN FROM ISERNIA, ITALY 43 CAMPANA AND CANONE D’ORO, IN BORGO SAN DALMAZZO, ITALY 44 LAMM, IN ERLENBACH, WÜRTTEMBERG 48 ZUM RITTER, IN DEGERLOCH, WÜRTTEMBERG 65 THE GOOD WOMAN, OLD ENGLISH SIGN 67 HIE ZUM KINDLI, IN THE COLLECTION OF THE ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY IN ZÜRICH 71 ADLER, IN LEONBERG, WÜRTTEMBERG 76 ZUM RÖSSLE, IN BOZEN, AUSTRIA 83 LE CHAT QUI DORT, MUSÉE CARNAVALET, PARIS 89 AFFENWAGEN, OLD SWISS SIGN 91 EAGLE AND CHILD, GUILDHALL MUSEUM, LONDON 100