the last century, and the writer of the
article, having seen it stated that a certain
fact was to be found in Nicolai, jumped
to the conclusion that it was the name of
a place, and wrote, ``It was at Nicolai
that this method of writing was first
introduced to the Greeks by Xenophon
himself.'' Tn another part of the same
article the oldest method of shorthand
extant, entitled ``Ars Scribendi Characteris,''
is said to have been printed about
the year 1412--that is, long before printing
was invented. In the _Biographie Univer

selle_
there is a life of one Nicholas Donis,
by Baron Walckenaer, which is a blundering
alteration of the real name of a
Benedictine monk called Dominus Nicholas.
This, however, is not the only time that
a title has been taken for a name. An
eminent bookseller is said to have
received a letter signed George Winton,
proposing a life of Pitt; but, as he did not
know the name, he paid no attention to
the letter, and was much astonished when
he was afterwards told that his
correspondent was no less a person than
George Pretyman Tomline, Bishop of
Winchester. This is akin to the mistake
of the Scotch doctor attending on the
Princess Charlotte during her illness, who