ANAGRAM ( Gk. tivel, ana, backward 4- yooki 'ua, gra mma, writing). The transposition of the letters of a word, phrase, or short sentence, so as to form a new word or sentence. It originally signified a simple reversal of the order of letters, but has long borne the sense in which it is now used. The Cabalists attached great importance to anagrams, believing in some relation of them to the character or destiny of the persons from whose names they were formed. Plato enter tained a similar notion, and the later Platonists rivaled the Cabalists in ascribing to them mys terious virtues. Although now classed among follies, or at best among ingenious trifles, ana grams formerly employed the most serious minds, and some of the Puritan writers even commend ed the use of them. Cotton Slather, in his elegy on the death of John Wilson, the first pastor of Boston, in New England, mentions: Ms care to guide his flock and feed his lambs By words, works, prayers, psalms, alms, and anagrams.
The best anagrams are such as have, in the new order of letters, sonic signification appropriate to that from which they are formed. It was a great triumph of the mediaeval anagrammatist to find in Pilate's question, "Quid est reritas?" (chat is truth?) its own answer : "Est vir gun adest" (It is the man who is here). Anagrams, in the days of their popularity, were much em ployed, both for complimentary and for satirical purposes; and a little straining was often em ployed in the omission, addition, or alteration of letters, although, of course. the merit of an
anagram depends much upon its accuracy.
Isaac D'Israeli (Curiosities of Literature, Vol ume HI.) has a chapter on anagrams, which, as an exercise of ingenuity, he ranks far above acros tics. Among a great many considered by him worthy of record, are the following: the mis tress of Charles IX. of France was named Marie Touehet; this became le charme tout ("1 charm every one"). The flatterers of James 1. of Eng land proved his right to the British monarchy, as thy descendant of the mythical King Arthur, from his name Charles James Stuart, which be comes claims Arthur's scat. Au author, in dedi cating a book to the same monarch, finds that in James Stuart he has a just master. But per haps the happiest of anagrams was produced on a singular person and occasion. Lady Elea nor Davies, the wife of the celebrated Sir John Davies, the poet, was a very extraordinary char acter. She was the Cassandra of her age, and several of her predictions induced her to imagine that she was a prophetess. As her prophecies in the troubled times of Charles I. were usually against the Government, she was at length brought by them into the Court of High Commis sion. The prophetess was not a little mad, and fancied the spirit of Daniel was in her, from an anagram she had formed of her name,