25 FEBRUARY 1928, Page 18

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.1 Sm,—The various versions of

". The Rag-andBone Man's Epitaph " are very interesting. If I am not mistaken, however, the original and probably true version appeared in

the Spectator about forty years ago, and is as follows :— " Here -lies Old Jones, Who all his life collected bones, . Till death, that grim and beny spectre, That all-aniassing bone collector, Boned Old Jones, so neat and tidy, And here he lies all bona fide."

Oxford.