Mercer

Mr. Mercer, who in 1846 was the principal civil officer of Government at Badulla, sent me a jagged fragment of an elephant’s tusk, about five inches in diameter, and weighing between twenty and thirty pounds, which had been brought to him by some natives, who, being attracted by a noise in the jungle, witnessed a combat between a tusker and one without tusks, and saw the latter with his trunk seize one of the tusks of his antagonist and wrench from it the portion in question, which measured two feet in length.

And certainly our current language differs considerably from that which was used and spoken when I was born. For we Englishmen are born under the domination of the moon, which is never steadfast but ever wavering, waxing one season and waning and decreasing another season. And that common English spoken in one shire varies from another, to such an extent that in my days it happened that certain merchants were in a ship on the Thames to sail over the sea to Zealand, and for lack of wind, they tarried at headland, and went to the shore to refresh themselves. And one of them named Sheffield, a mercer, came into a house and asked for food, and specifically he asked for 'egges', and the good woman answered that she could speak no French. And the merchant was angry, for he could also speak no French, but wanted to have 'egges', and she didn't understand him. And then at last another said that he wanted 'eyren', then the good woman said that she understood him well. Lo! what should a man in these days now write, 'egges' or 'eyren'? Certainly it is hard to please every man, because of diversity and change of language.

... Acolastus-Polypragmon-Asotus, is here present (by the help of his mercer, tailor, milliner, sempster, and so forth) at his designed hour...

He passed, dallying, the windows of Brown Thomas, silk mercers.