s ye tonge is worst or best,--an
Yll tonge oft doeth breede unrest."

Boys, in his "Collections for the History of Sandwich," published in
1792, remarks that the ducking-stool was preserved in the second storey
of the Town Hall, along with the arms, offensive and defensive, of the
Trained Bands. Boys's book includes some important information on
old-time punishments. In the year 1534, it is recorded that two women
were banished from Sandwich for immorality. To deter them from coming
back to the town, it was decided that "if they return, one of them is to
suffer the pain of sitting over the coqueen-stool, and the other is to
be set three days in the stocks, with an allowance of only bread and
water, and afterwards to be placed in the coqueen-stool and dipped to
the chin." A woman, in the year 1568, was "carted and banished." At
Sandwich, Ipswich, and some other places, as a punishment for scolding
and other offences it was not an uncommon thing to compel the
transgressors to carry a wooden mortar round the town.

[Illustration: SANDWICH DUCKING-STOOL.]

Respecting the cost of erecting a ducking-stool, we find a curious and
detailed account in the parish books of Southam, Warwickshire, for the
year 1718. In the first place, a man was sent from Southam to Daventry
to make a drawing of the ducking-stool of that town, at a cost of three
shillings and twopence. The sum of one pound one shilling and eightpence
is charged for labour and material in making and fixing the engine of
punishment. An entry of ten shillings is made for painting it, which
appears a rather heavy amount when we observe that the carpenter only
charged a little over a pound for labour and timber. Perhaps, like the
good folk of Sandwich, the authorities of Southam had their chair
ornamented with artistic portraits and enriched with poetic quotations.
The blacksmith had to furnish ironwork, etc., at a cost of four
shillings and sixpence. For carrying the stool to its proper place
half-a-crown was paid. Lastly, nine shillings and sixpence had to be
expended to make the pond deeper, so that the ducking-stool might work
in a satisfactory manner. The total amount reached L2 11s. 4d. At
Coventry, in the same county, we find traces of two ducking-stools, and
respecting them Mr. W. G. Fretton, F.S.A., supplies us with some curious
details. The following notes are drawn from the Leet Book, under date of
October 11th, 1597: "Whereas there are divers and sundrie