156 D^on Notes and Queries. for any peculiarity sufficiently remarkable to warrant memorialization. Failing this, we must go outside local environment, and in doing so encounter a field without hounds ; but we assume in preference to an event not imme- diately touching the Borough some religious scene could be chosen. Honiton, however, alSbrds no historical event which could be deemed completely or even partially in accord with the seal or any particular aspect, the denotation of which could be considered consonant. Religion uncloses an exten- sive field. The Annunciation occurs naturally, but the condition of the right hand figure raises an effectual barrier to the application of this or any other conspicuous religious in- cident. Fruitlessly looking to history and the locality, as well as to an extent, the area beyond, to reveal *' the burden of the mystery," and abandoning as hopeless further research into the unlimited, there is nothing confronting us but the " honi " legend to suggest a solution. To develop this association the hand must be scanned as symbolic, the right hand figure as of the natural, and the half figure as of the supernatural order. When the evil fell upon the women of Honiton the legend tells us they repaired to St. Margaret's, where by penance and prayer the Deity was propitiated. From this we infer that the scene of the device is this very chapel, and that the form on the right was designed for one of the distressed ladies who sought the removal of her affliction and as the pregnancy evinces obtained it. The hand must be held to symbolize the Deity, and we are to presume that the intercession of St. Margaret, the patron Saint of chapels, with whom we identify the half figure, was invoked. As the regular enlargement of this interpretation, the device depicts the Deity heeding the petition of the woman, interveniently transmitting the desired grace through St. Margaret, who, in a vision, is appearing to the suppliant to communicate the result of her advocacy. In support of this construction may be adduced: (i) The device might reasonably be held to possess an affinity with the locality. (2) Neither the town nor its history yields any other consonant interpretation. (3) Notwithstanding its absurdity the conjecture that the " honi *" derivation was the accepted root at the date of the seal. (4) As the legend was presumably credited with the baptism of the Borough, the incident it afforded was amply significant to
