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

public-house sign two doors from Temple Bar, Fleet Street. The sign represents St. Dunstan seizing the devil by the nose. (See under Devil, Proverbial Phrases.)
   The Dog and Duck. Tea gardens at Lambeth (suppressed); to signify that the sport so called could be seen there. A duck was put into water, and a dog set to hunt it; the fun was to see the duck diving and the dog following it under water.
   The Red Dragon. The cognisance of Henry VII. or the principality of Wales.
   The Spread Eagle. The arms of Germany; to indicate that German wines may be obtained within.
   The Fox and Goose. To signify that there are arrangements within for playing the royal game of Fox and Goose.
   St. George and the Dragon. In compliment to the patron saint of England, and his combat with the dragon. The legend is still stamped upon our gold coin.
   The George and Cannon. A corruption of “George Canning.”
   The Globe. The cognisance of Alfonso, King of Portugal; and intimating that Portuguese wines may be obtained within.
   The Goat in Golden Boots. A corruption of the Dutch Goed in der Gouden Boots (the god Mercury in his golden sandals).
   The Goat and Compasses. A Puritan sign, a corrupt hieroglyphic reading of “God encompasses us.”
   The Black Goats. A public-house sign, High Bridge, Lincoln, formerly The Three Goats- i.e. three gowts (gutters or drains), by which the water from the Swan Pool (a large lake that formerly existed to the west of the city) was conducted into the bed of the Witham.
   The Golden Cross. This refers to the ensigns carried by the Crusaders.
   The Grecian Stairs. A corruption of “The Greesen or Stairs” (Greesen is gree, a step, our de-gree). The allusion is to a flight of steps from the New Road to the Minister Yard. In Wickliffe's Bible, Acts xxi. 40 is rendered- “Poul stood on the greezen.”

“Let me speak like yourself, and lay a sentence
Which, like a grize or step, may help these lovers
Into your favour.”
Shakespeare: Othello, i. 3.

   The Green Man. The late game-keeper of the lord of the manor turned publican. At one time these servants were dressed in green.
   The Green Man and Still- i.e. the herbalist bringing his herbs to be distilled.
   The Hare and Hounds. In compliment to the sporting squire or lord of the manor.
   The Hole-in-the-Wall (London). So called because it was approached by a passage or “hole” in the wall of the house standing in front of the tavern.
   The Iron Devil. A corruption of “Hirondelle” (the swallow). There are numerous public-house signs referring to birds; as, the Blackbird, the Thrush, the Peacock, the Martin, the Bird-in-the-Hand, etc. etc.
   The Three Kings. A public-house sign of the mediæval ages, in allusion to the three kings of Cologne, the Magi who presented offerings to the infant Jesus. Very many public-house signs of the mediaeval period had a reference to ecclesiastical matters, either because their landlords were ecclesiastics, or else from a superstitious reverence for “saints” and “holy things.”
   The Man Laden with Mischief. A public-house sign, Oxford Street, nearly opposite to Hanway Yard. The sign is said to have been painted by Hogarth, and represents a man carrying a woman and a good many other creatures on his back.
   The Marquis of Granby (London, etc.). In compliment to John Manners, eldest son of John, third Duke of Rutland- a bluff, brave soldier, generous, and greatly beloved by his men.

“What conquest now will Britain boast,
Or where display her banners?
Alas! in Granby she has lost
True courage and good Manners.”

   The Packhorse. To signify that pack-horses could be hired there.
   The Palgrave's Head. A public-house sign near Temple Bar, in honour of Frederick, Palgrave of the Rhine.
   The Pig and Tinder Box. A corrupt rendering of The Elephant and Castle; the “pig” is really an elephant, and the “tinder-box” the castle on its back.
   The Pig and Whistle. Wassail is made of apples, sugar, and ale.
   The Plum and Feathers. A public-house sign near Stoken Church Hill, Oxford. A corruption of the “Plume of Feathers,” meaning that of the Prince of Wales.
   The Queen of Bohemia. In honour of Lady Elizabeth Stuart. (See Bohemia.)
   The Queer Door. A corruption of Cœur Doré (Golden Heart).
   The Rose. A symbol of England, as the Thistle is of Scotland, and the Shamrock of Ireland.
   The Red Rose. The badge of the Lancastrians in the Civil War of the Roses.
   The White Rose. The badge of the Yorkists in the Civil War of the Roses.
   The Rose of the Quarter Sessions. A corruption of La Rose des Quatre Saisons.
   The Salutation and Cat. The “Salutation” (which refers to the angel saluting the Virgin Mary) is the sign of the house, and the “Cat” is added to signify that arrangements are made for playing cat or tipcat.
   The Saracen's Head. In allusion to what are preposterously termed “The Holy Wars;” adopted probably by some Crusader after his return home, or at any rate to flatter the natural sympathy for these Quixotic expeditions.
   The Ship, near Temple Bar, and opposite The Palgrave's Head; in honour of Sir Francis Drake, the circumnavigator.
   The Ship and Shovel. Referring to Sir Cloudesley Shovel, a favourite admiral in Queen Anne's reign.
   The Seven Stars. An astrological sign of the mediaeval ages.
   The Three Suns.