"NINE TAILORS MARE A MAN."
[To THE EDITOR OF THE SPEOTATOR."] STIL,-A propos of your review of "Henry Erskine and His Times," may I remark that"nine tailors," &c., has originally no sartorial reference at all 1' From Queen Elizabeth, who is said to have acknowledged an address from eighteen tailors, by saying, "Thanks, gentlemen, both," to Carlyle, the saying has been mistaken. The original word is " taler." I am not sure of the exact spelling, but it is connected with the " tally " or " tale " of Milton's shepherd; or it may be, "toilers." In some parts of England (and I fancy the custom still survives), on the death of a parishioner the church bell has been tolled, once, three times, Sm., according to the age of the dead person ; say, once for an infant, three times for a girl, but always nine times for a mon. So passers-by would say, when the bell had stopped, "Nine tale's; make a man."—I am, Sir, &c., Tymawr, Aborgwili, Carmarthen. A. WENTWORTH POWELL.
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