Benjamin is a fishmonger at 5, Duke’s-place.
Mordecai keeps a clothes-shop near Shoreditch church.
Absalom is a tailor at No. 9, Bridge-road, Lambeth.
Peter is a cotton-dyer in Brick-lane.
I am, &c.,
Sam Sam’s Son.
Anonymiana.
The Jews-harp.
The Jews-trump, or, as it is more generally pronounced, the Jew-trump, seems to take its name from the nation of the Jews, and is vulgarly believed to be one of their instruments of music. Dr. Littleton renders Jews-trump by sistrum Judaicum. But there is not any such musical instrument as this described by the authors that treat of the Jewish music. In short, this instrument is a mere boy’s plaything, and incapable of itself of being joined either with a voice or any other instrument. The present orthography seems to be a corruption of the French, jeu-trump, a trump to play with: and in the Belgick, or Low-Dutch, from whence come many of our toys, a tromp is a rattle for children. Sometimes they will call it a Jews-harp; and another etymon given of it is Jaws-harp, because the place where it is played upon is between the jaws. It is an instrument used in St. Kilda. (Martin, p. 73.)