After life’s endless babble they sleep well. Now the word _endless_ here is extremely awkward; for if the babble never ends, how can anything come after it? To digress for a moment, I may observe that this line gives a good illustration of the process by which what is called Latin verse is often constructed. Every person sees that the line is formed out of Shakspere’s “After life’s fitful fever he sleeps well.” The ingenuity of the transference may be admired, but it seems to me that it is easy to give more than a due amount of admiration; and, as the instance shows, the adaptation may issue in something bordering on the absurd. The language of the shop and the market must not be expected to be very exact: we may be content to be amused by some of its peculiarities. I can not say that I have seen the statement which is said to have appeared in the following form: “Dead pigs are looking up.” We find very frequently advertised, “_Digestive_ biscuits”—perhaps _digestible_ biscuits are meant. In a catalogue of books an “Encyclopædia of Mental Science” is advertised; and after the names of the authors we read, “invaluable, 5_s._ 6_d._;” this is a curious explanation of _invaluable_. The title of a book recently advertised is, “Thoughts for those who are Thoughtful.” It might seem superfluous, not to say impossible, to supply thoughts to those who are already full of thought. The word _limited_ is at present very popular in the domain of commerce. Thus we read, “Although the space given to us was limited.” This we can readily suppose; for in a finite building there can not be unlimited space. Booksellers can perhaps say, without impropriety, that a “limited number will be printed,” as this may only imply that the type will be broken up; but they sometimes tell us that “a limited number _was_ printed,” and this is an obvious truism. Some pills used to be advertised for the use of the “possessor of pains in the back,” the advertisement being accompanied with a large picture representing the unhappy capitalist tormented by his property. Pronouns, which are troublesome to all writers of English, are especially embarrassing to the authors of prospectuses and advertisements. A wine company return thanks to their friends, “and, at the same time, _they_ would assure _them_ that it is _their_ constant study not only to find improvements for _their_ convenience.…” Observe how the pronouns oscillate in their application between the company and their friends. In selecting titles of books there is room for improvement. Thus, a _Quarterly Journal_ is not uncommon; the words strictly are suggestive of a _Quarterly Daily_ publication. I remember, some years since, observing a notice that a certain obscure society proposed to celebrate its _triennial anniversary_. A few words may be given to some popular misquotations.