108 JOHN DUNCAN, WEAVER AND BOTANIST. 



Meen," a form as near to the original Anglo-Saxon mona, 

 and the Gothic mena, as our modern English one, which we 

 have no more reason to plume ourselves upon than the 

 Aberdonians on theirs. 



Another early cognomen that our harmless astronomer 

 received, was the strange one of "the Nogman" by which 

 he was generally known in several districts, but which 

 none of his nicknamers could explain. The explana- 

 tion, however, is not far to seek. Another name for the 

 stile, index, or pin of a sun-dial that throws the shadow is, 

 as we have seen, the Greek word gnomon, whence the art 

 of dialling was called gnomonics. This odd-looking word, 

 John, with his home education, faithfully pronounced every 

 letter of, and inverting, from his short sight, the first two 

 letters, called it "nogmon." As he talked a great deal about 

 it in connection with his dials, the queer-sounding word was 

 eagerly caught up by the bumpkins, and speedily transferred 

 to the man himself, under the idea that it was a personal 

 designation, denoting a kind of man, a " nogman." 



It was more truly descriptive than they knew, for the 

 Greek word yvw/wov, or gnomon, means one that knows, a 

 knowing man, which John surely was. It is not a little 

 curious that this quiet wanderer on the earth's surface 

 should have received a name almost identical with that of 

 the Rosicrucian guardians of hidden treasure, the Gnomes 

 who dwelt in the earth's centre. But John " the nogman " 

 was a true gnome in more than in oddness of aspect ; for 

 he was a guardian of real gold, "the hidden treasures of 

 wisdom and knowledge." 



