>I have just discovered that if I create a cursor with a name beginning with a number, I get a syntax error, i.e
>
>CREATE CURSOR 123457 (tField c(10) )
>
>returns a syntax error but
>
>CREATE CURSOR abcdef (tField c(10) )
>
>does not.
>
>Is this new, or merely something I have not run across before?
>

It has to do with names in VFP - valid names must start with an underscore or an alpha character. It's clearly documented in the VFP On-Line Help under the topic Creating Visual FoxPro Names:

Creating Visual FoxPro Names

Data containers and some parameters to commands and functions require a name. When you create a name in Visual FoxPro, apply the following rules:

Use only letters, underscores, and numbers.


Begin the name with a letter or underscore.


Use 1 to 128 characters, except for field names in free tables and index tags — those can be 10 characters at most.


Avoid words reserved by Visual FoxPro.
File names follow your operating system's conventions.