iate it with the old-fashioned carpet brush, neither has the
modern knife cleaner much in common with the old knife board. There are
some articles, however, which have become quite obsolete, and their
names are fast disappearing from inventories of household goods, and,
like the older antiquarian relics, are likely soon to be forgotten. In
the foregoing chapters mention has been made of the collectable objects
of household use, dating from the period of bronze to modern times, and
no doubt there are many other articles which have entirely disappeared
on account of their perishable nature, or from their very character,
there being nothing to suggest their retention. It may be useful for
purposes of reference to note the following articles of furniture,
kitchen utensils, and mechanical contrivances, which were mentioned in a
book published about one hundred years ago--house furnishings, about the
ancient uses of which we hear nothing at the present time.

AMPLE--An ointment box, formerly carried by a medical man.

APPLE-GRATE--A sixteenth-century cradle of iron in which to
roast apples.

BOMBARD--A large leathern bottle for carrying beer; a term also
applied to ancient ale-barrels.

CANISTER--The ancient canister was a pannier or basket, the
name being appropriated to its modern use when tea came into
the market.

CHAFING-DISH--The name appropriated to modern cooking vessels
was originally applied to a dish upon which perfumes were
burnt, and in Roman times was an ensign of honour.

COMFIT BOXES--Boxes divided into compartments in which were
rare spices, handed round with dessert.

FINGER-GUARD--Horn finger-guards were formerly used by writing
masters to protect their nails when nibbing pens.

FIRE-SCREEN--Fire-screens are noted as early as the fourteenth
century, long before they were filled with needlework; they
were made of wicker, described by a sixteenth-century writer as
"a little wicker skrene sett in a frame of walnut tree."

SCRIP--Scrips were hung from girdles, and differed, among the
chief varieties being the shepherd's scrip, the pilgrim's
scrip, and the traveller's scrip, a kind of purse or wallet.

STANDISH--The old name for an ink horn or vessel, afterwards
applied to the stand or dish, or, as we call it now, inkstand,
which contained the box or vessel for ink, and another