The London Gazette, established in 1665.
Buy a White Line or a Jack Line, or a Cloathes Line.
Any old Iron take money for?
Delicate Cowcumbers to pickle!
Any Bakeing Peares?
New River Water!
The cry of “Marking Stones,” which marked black or red, and preceded the daintier cedar-encased lead pencil of our own time, is not mentioned by Laroon. J. T. Smith,[5] says that the colour of the red marking-stone was due to “Ruddle,” a colour not to be washed out, and that fifty years ago (he wrote in 1839) it was the custom at cheap lodging-houses to mark with it on linen the words, “Stop thief!”
The following lines are from a sheet of London Cries, twelve in number, undated, but probably of James the Second’s time:—
Buy marking-stones, marking-stones buy,
Much profit in their use doth lie;
I’ve marking-stones of colour red,
Passing good, or else black lead.
In the British Museum is a folio volume containing another curious little collection, on three sheets, of early London cries; also undated and of foreign
