A very interesting Greek inscription that reads the same either backwards or forwards is found in many English and foreign churches--"Nipson anonemata me monan opsin." In the Greek lettering the reversal is complete, but in English characters the "ps" is two letters instead of one, and when read backwards becomes "sp." The significance is, "Cleanse thy sins and not thy face only." It appears ordinarily on the font, and, less usually, on the sacred vessels, and may be taken as a fair equivalent of the scriptural precept, "Rend your heart and not your garments." Examples will be found in England in Hadleigh Church, Suffolk; West Shefford, Berks; Clipston Church, Northampton; Worlingworth Church, Suffolk; Harlow, in Essex; Melton Mowbray, in Leicestershire, and other places. One notable and interesting example of its introduction was on the font of the Basilica of the Heavenly Wisdom at Constantinople, but on the conversion of this building into a mosque this font was destroyed. FOOTNOTES: [4:A] "A dictionary of the English language, in which the words are deduced from their originals, and illustrated in their different significations by examples from the best authors." This early edition is in two massive quarto volumes, and the later abridgments that are now alone seen give no conception of the value of the original work. [4:B] The two illustrative quotations appended are from the writings of Bacon and Addison respectively. The first runs as follows:--"The proverb is true that light gains make heavy purses; for light gains come thick, whereas great come but now and then"; while the second, from Addison, declares that "the proverb says of the Genoese that they have a sea without fish, land without trees, and men without faith." This latter would appear to be rather an epigram than a proverb. [5:A] We shall later on, when we deal with proverbial philosophy suggested by the various traits of animal life, find that the cat furnishes material for several popular sayings. The particular facts here brought out are the two antagonistic points in the feline economy--a great liking for fish, and a great disliking to getting wet, so that "I dare not" becomes the insurmountable obstacle to "I would." In a sixteenth century manuscript this adage is given as "a cat doth love the fishe, but she will not wett her foote," and, with various slight modifications of diction, the proverb is an oft-quoted one. [10:A] A great use is made in the Bible of this thought-compelling antithesis. One illustration will suffice: "There is a shame that bringeth sin, and there is a shame that is glory and grace." [10:B] "The stone that is rouling can gather no mosse, Who often remooueth is sure of losse, The riche it compelleth to paie for his pride; The poore it vndooeth on euerie side." [11:A] "In manye suche parablis he spak to hem the word, as thei myghten here, and he spak not to hem withoute parable."--_Wiclif's translation of the Bible._