Lichfield, Jan. 11. 1850.
_Golden Frog._--In the church of Boxstead, in the county of Suffolk,
there is a large and very handsome monument of marble, in a niche of
which stands, in full proportion, a man in armour, his head bare, with
moustaches and a tuft on his chin; in his right hand he holds a
truncheon, and by his side is his sword; his armour is garnished with
gold studs, and his helmet stands on the ground behind him; from his
right ear hangs a _gold frog_.
This monument was erected in memory of Sir John Poley, of Wrongay, in
Norfolk, knight, who died in 1638, at the age of upwards of eighty,
having served much abroad under Henry IV. of France, Christian King of
Denmark, &c., and in Queen Elizabeth's service against the Spaniards.
"Illius ante alios cepit cum dextera Gades
Militis Angliaci, et fulmina sensit Iberis."
I send you this detail, in hopes that some of your correspondents may be
able to explain the ornament in his ear, whether it be the badge of any
order, and whether any other instance is known of its use. There is in
Boxstead Hall, the seat of the very ancient family of Poley, a portrait
of Sir John having the same ornament.