and of the Samts 



53 



Jesus Hominum Consolator;" that is, Jesus, the 

 Saviour or Consoler of menj or, as it has been still 

 n?ore erroneously said to mean — I have suffered. The 

 cypher is of Greek, not of Latin or English origin. 

 It was formerly the custom to place this monogram at 

 the beginning of the alphabet in ancient horn-books, 

 and at the head of documents and parish accounts. 

 Mr. North, in his Chronicle of the Church of 

 S. Martin, at LeicesterV' speaking of this subject, 

 remarks : — " The placing of a sacred name or mono- 

 gram at the head of a document was not at all 

 unusual at the period now under notice (a.d. 1546), 

 nor indeed at a much later date. Thus we have here 

 J. H. C. interlaced. At the head of the accounts of the 

 Churchwardens of Melton Mowbray, made viij. De- 

 cember, 3 Edward vj\, is the word ^ Jesus;' and, not 

 to multiply instances^ the accounts of the Chamber- 

 lains of the borough of Leicester for the year 1578-9, 

 and several subsequent years, are headed ^ Ema- 

 nuelL' " This custom is curiously refeiTed to by 



* Page 90. 



