#tell tale

If I had ye gift of tongue
I would declare & do no wrong
Who ye are yt com by stealth
to impare my Masters welth

Detector Lock, made by John Wilkes, c.1680, Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The lock has a dial to show how many times the lock has been opened, alerting the owner if it was unlocked in his absence. Cocking the soldier’s hat locks the door quickly. The soldier’s leg kicks out to reveal the keyhole.

More information here: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78423/detector-lock-wilkes-john/
Video at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/w/video-wilkes-detector-lock/