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only obtainable in any considerable number, before that time, by theupper classes of society.* Horn and wood were the materials of whichspoons were ordinarily made, down to Elizabeth’s reign, when pewterbecame common, and was much improved. We find in that queen’s Pro-gresses “ a dozen of horn spoons in one bunch,” mentioned as the“ instruments meetest to eat furmety poragebut the tables of thegreat were liberally supplied with spoons of gold and silver, in manyinstances expensively wrought, t

Like cups, spoons were customary christening presents; they were,

Rot. Pari. vol. v. page 507.” “ Among the expenses of Ochin and Martyr, in 1547, is a

payment of 2s. 8 d. for two ‘ payer of Tunbridge knives.’”

We can only conclude, that all these knives were for the girdle; and that ThomasMatthews was the first man in England who made the common table-knife.

* Such was the scarcity of knives, that one was thought worthy of the acceptance of aqueen, as a new-year’s gift. A cutler presented “ a meate knyfe, with a fan haft of bone,with a conceyt in it,” to Queen Elizabeth. This, by the by, would be no criterion, unsupportedby other evidence; for so willing was this princess to allow tributes, that her majestycondescended, on one of these occasions, to receive from “ Smyth her dustman two boltes ofcambrick.”

Paul Hentzner , describing the ceremony of setting out Queen Elizabeth’s dining-table,says, “ At last came an unmarried lady, and along with her a married one, bearing a tasting-knife. The lady taster gave to each of the yeomen of the guard, (who brought in the dishes),a mouthful to eat of the particular dish he had brought, for fear of any poison.”

t The Hengrave Inventory contains

“ A dosyn of spones with lyons; poyse xix. ounces, ->

“ A dosyn of spones with fyshes; poyse xxvj. ounces, [parcel gylte.

“ ij. dosyn of spones with flat knobbes; poyse xlix. ounces, J

And “ xij. apostle spones; poyse xxviij. and a halfe, all gylte.”

The observations in this Volume apply almost exclusively to the introduction of the variousarticles into England; or we might go back to the time of King Solomon , in whose housethere were spoons and snuffers of gold.—1 Kings, vii. 50.