Minor Notes.
Gray—"The ploughman homeward plods."—On looking over some MSS. which I had not seen for years, I met with one of which the following is a copy:
"A person had a paper folded with this line from Gray marked on it—
'The ploughman homewards plods his weary way.'
A poetical friend, on looking at the quotation, thought it might be expressed in various ways without destroying the rhyme, or altering the sense. In a short time he produced the following eleven different readings. It is doubtful whether another line can be found, the words of which admit of so many transpositions, and still retain the original meaning:—
1. The weary ploughman plods his homeward way.
2. The weary ploughman homeward plods his way.
3. The ploughman, weary, plods his homeward way.
4. The ploughman weary homeward plods his way.
5. Weary the ploughman plods his homeward way.
6. Weary the ploughman homeward plods his way.
7. Homeward the ploughman plods his weary way.
8. Homeward the ploughman weary plods his way.
9. Homeward the weary ploughman plods his way.
10. The homeward ploughman weary plods his way.
11. The homeward ploughman plods his weary way."
I know not whether this has ever appeared in print. To me it is new, at least it was, as I now recollect, when I read it several years ago; but as the exercise is ingenious, I thought I would trespass on "N. & Q." with it, so that, if not heretofore printed or known, it might be made "a note of."
A Hermit at Hampstead.
Poetical Tavern Signs.—Passing through Dudley the other day, I jotted down two signs worthy, I think, of a place in "N. & Q."
No. 1. rejoices in the cognomen of the "Lame Dog" with the following distich:
"Step in, my friend, and rest awhile,
And help the Lame Dog over the style."
No. 2., with a spirited representation of a round of beef, invites her Majesty's subjects thus: