are locked, the Yeoman Porter applies five minutes beforehand to the serjeant of the guard at the Main Guard for the escort for the King’s keys. The serjeant acquaints the officer that the escort is called for, who furnishes a serjeant and six men for this duty, at the same time placing his guard under arms. When the keys return, the sentry at the guard-room challenges—“Halt! who comes there?” Yeoman Porter answers “The keys.” “Whose keys?” “King Edward’s keys.” Yeoman Porter places himself, with the escort, in front of the guard; the officer of the guard gives the word, “Present arms!” The Yeoman Porter then says in an audible voice, “God preserve King Edward!” and the whole guard answer “Amen!” The keys are then carried by the Yeoman Porter to the King’s House. A similar escort is called for in the morning at the opening, but no ceremony takes place then. The Yeomen of the Guard were first appointed by Henry VII, and made their first public appearance at his coronation. Since then there has been no Royal Pageant in which they have not been conspicuous. The word “Yeoman” of itself is a puzzle. It evidently signified an officer of high grade; we have “Yeomen of the Guard,” “of the Black Rod,” “of the Chamber,” “of the Pantry,” “of the Robes,” “of the Crown,” “of the Mouth.” But the derivation of the word is quite uncertain. The _Gentleman’s Magazine_ says (vol. xxix.) that it is of military origin, like “esquire,” and that as these were so called because they carried shields (_ecu_), so the yeomen were archers, who carried yew. But Johnson and Skeat both prefer _ga_ (A.S. “village”) _man_. Another question is, why are they called “Beefeaters”? a question not likely to be ever settled. When I was a child, my old rector, Archdeacon Bayley, told me with much impressment that because one of their duties was to watch the royal _beauffet_, they were called “beauffetiers,” and that it has got thus corrupted. And this is the derivation given to the first query in _Notes and Queries_ (I. iii. 167). Skeat (_Notes and Queries_, V. vii. 64) treats this with the utmost contempt. He says it was a mere guess of Steevens’s, that the yeomen didn’t wait at table, and that the word means “an eater of beef,” and by consequence “a jolly yeoman.” There are very many discussions running through _Notes and Queries_, and it seems to me that Skeat holds his ground well. There are 100 yeomen. The costume is said to be that of the private soldier of Henry VII’s time. It will be remembered that he may be said to be the first monarch who had a standing army. The _Naval and Military Gazette_ of 1876 has the following:—