Chapter Protesilaos to Public-house Signs of P by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Ptolemaic System The system of Claudius Ptolemæus, a celebrated astronomer of Palusium, in Egypt, of the eleventh century. He taught that the earth is fixed in the centre of the universe, and the heavens revolve round it from east to west, carrying with them the sun, planets, and fixed stars, in their respective spheres. He said that the Moon was next above the earth, then Mercury, then Venus; the Sun he placed between Venus and Mars, and after Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, beyond which came the two crystalline spheres.
    This system was accepted, till it was replaced in the sixteenth century by the Copernican system.

Public The people generally and collectively; the members generally of a state, nation, or community.

Public-house Signs Much of a nation's history, and more of its manners and feelings, may be gleaned from its public-house signs. A very large number of them are selected out of compliment to the lord of the manor, either because he is the “great man” of the neighbourhood, or because the proprietor is some servant whom “it delighted the lord to honour;” thus we have the Earl of March, in compliment to the Duke of Richmond: the Green Man or gamekeeper, married and promoted “to a public.” When the name and titles of the lord have been exhausted, we get his cognisance or his favourite pursuit, as the Bear and Ragged Staff, the Fox and Hounds. As the object of the sign is to speak to the feelings and attract, another fruitful source is either some national hero or great battle; thus we get the Marquis of Granby and the Duke of Wellington, the Waterloo and the Alma. The proverbial loyalty of our nation has naturally shown itself in our tavern signs, giving us the Victoria, Prince of Wales, the Albert, the Crown, and so on. Some signs indicate a speciality of the house, as the Bowling Green, the Skittles; some a political bias, as the Royal Oak; some are an attempt at wit, as the Five Alls; and some are purely fanciful. The following list will serve to exemplify the subject:-
   The Angel. In allusion to the angel that saluted the Virgin Mary.
   The Bag o'Nails. A corruption of the “Bacchanals.”
   The Bear. From the popular sport of bear-baiting.
   The Bear and Bacchus, in High Street, Warwick. A corruption of Bear and Baculus- i.e. Bear and Ragged Staff, the badge of the Earl of Warwick.
   The Bear and Ragged Staff. The cognisance of the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of Leicester, etc.
   The Bell. In allusion to races, a silver bell having been the winner's prize up to the reign of Charles II.
   La Belle Sauvage. (See Bell Savage.)
   The Blue Boar. The cognisance of Richard III.
   The Blue Pig (Bevis Marks). A corruption of the Blue Boar. (See above.)
   The Boar's Head. The cognisance of the Gordons, etc.
   The Bolt-in-Tun. The punning heraldic badge of Prior Bolton, last of the clerical rulers of Bartholomew's, previous to the Reformation.
   Bosom's Inn. A public- house sign in St. Lawrence Lane, London; a corruption of Blossom's Inn, as it is now called, in allusion to the hawthorn blossoms surrounding the effigy of St. Lawrence on the sign.
   The Bowling Green. Signifying that there are arrangements on the premises for playing bowls.
   The Bull. The cognisance of Richard, Duke of York. The Black Bull is the cognisance of the house of Clare.
   The Bull's Head. The cognisance of Henry VIII.
   The Bully Ruffian. A corruption of the Bellerophon (a ship).
   The Castle. This, being the arms of Spain, symbolises that Spanish wines are to be obtained within. In some cases, without doubt, it is a complimentary sign of the manor castle.
   The Cat and Fiddle. A corruption of Caton Fidèle- i.e. Caton, the faithful governor of Calais. In Farringdon (Devon) is the sign of La Chatte Fidèle, in commemoration of a faithful cat. Without scanning the phrase so nicely, it may simply indicate that the game of cat (trap- ball) and a fiddle for dancing are provided for customers.
   The Cat and Mutton, Hackney, which gives name to the Cat and Mutton Fields.
   The Cat and Wheel. A corruption of “St. Catherine's Wheel;” or an announcement that cat and balance-wheels are provided for the amusement of customers.
   The Chequers. (1) In honour of the Stuarts, whose shield was “checky,” like a Scotch plaid. (2) In commemoration of the licence granted by the Earls of Arundel or Lords Warrenne. (3) An intimation that a room is set apart for merchants and accountants, where they can be private and make up their accounts, or use their “chequers” undisturbed. (See Lattice.)
   The Coach and Horses. This sign signifies that it is a posting- house, a stage-coach house, or both.
   The Cock and Bottle. A corruption of the “Cork and Bottle,” meaning that wine is sold there in bottles. Probably in some cases it may indicate that the house provides poultry, eggs, and wine.
   The Cow and Skittles. The cow is the real sign, and alludes to the dairy of the hostess, or some noted dairy in the neighbourhood. Skittles is added to indicate that there is a skittle ground on the premises.
   The Cross Keys. Common in the mediaeval ages, and in allusion to St. Peter, or one of the bishops whose cognisance it is- probably the lord of the manor or the patron saint of the parish church. The cross keys are emblems of the papacy, St. Peter, the Bishop of Gloucester, St. Servatus, St. Hippolytus, St. Geneviève, St. Petronilla, St. Osyth, St. Martha, and St. Germanus.
   The Devil. A