There have been some strange guesses. Some have thought the Goat and Compasses to be a corruption of "God encompasseth us," but it has been much more directly traced as follows, by Sir Edmund Head, who has communicated the same to Mr. P. Cunningham: "At Cologne, in the church of Santa Maria in Capitolio, is a flat stone on the floor, professing to be the Grabstein der Brüder und Schwester eines ehrbaren Wein- und Fass-Ampts, Anno 1693; that is, I suppose, a vault belonging to the Wine Coopers' Company. The arms exhibit a shield with a pair of compasses, an axe, and a dray, or truck, with goats for supporters. In a country, like England, dealing so much at one time in Rhenish wine, a more likely origin for such a sign could hardly be imagined."
The Pig in the Pound might formerly be seen towards the east end of Oxford-street, not far from "The Mischief."
The Magpie and Horseshoe may be seen in Fetter-lane: the ominous import attached to the bird and the shoe may account for this association in the sign: we can imagine ready bibbers going to houses with this sign "for luck."
The George, Snow-hill, is a good specimen of a carved sign-stone of--
"St. George that swing'd the dragon, And sits on horseback at mine hoste's door."
[59] Communicated to the _Builder_ by Mr. Rhodes.
Anacreontic _Ad Poculum_, by Morris, 150.
Barry's Travellers' Club-house, 233, 234.
Beef-steak Society, History of the, 123-149.
Betting, extraordinary, at White's, 111, 116, 117.
Blue-stocking Club, at Mrs. Montague's, 199.
Bowl, silver, presented by the Steaks to Morris, 154.
Box of the Past Overseers' Society, Westminster, 193-196.
Brookes, the Club-house proprietor, 89, 90.
Brummel and Alderman Combe at Brookes's, 101, 102.
Burke and Johnson at the Literary Club, 208.
Byron and Dudley, Lords, at the Alfred, 208.
Calves' Head Club, Origin of, 27, 28, 32.
Canning, Mr., at the Clifford-street Club, 169-171.
Cavendish and the Royal Society Club, 79.
Celebrities of the Literary Club, 214, 215.
Celebrities of the Royal Naval Club, 231.
Celebrities of the Royal Society Club, 75, 76.
Celebrities of Tom's Coffee-house Club, 162, 163.
Child's Coffee-house and the Royal Society Club, 66.
Covent Garden Theatre and the Steaks, 296.