Chapter XV (4)

=Tattersall in the Rostrum.=--“Gentlemen, what can you hesitate about? Only look at her! She is one of the most beautiful creatures that I have ever had the honour of submitting to your notice! So gentle in her paces; indeed, so safe a goer, that a child might ride her. Her pedigree is excellent--she is thorough-bred from her ear to her hoof; and the Herald’s College could not produce a more sound and satisfactory one--she comes from a good house, I pledge, my word, gentlemen. My Lord Duke, will you allow me to say £250 for your Grace? She will, notwithstanding the excellence of your Grace’s stud, be an ornament to it. She is a picture--complete to a shade; in fact, I could gaze upon her for ever, and always be struck with some new beauty she possesses. Thank you, My Lord Duke, I was certain your Grace would not let such an opportunity pass. There is not a horse-dealer in the kingdom who can show such a fine creature! She is above competition--I may say, she is matchless! The Regent’s Park might be betted to a mole-hill with safety that she has no parallel. Sir Henry, let me call your attention to CLEOPATRA! She is like her namesake in the olden times--but beautiful without paint! She is pure Nature, and no vice! Her action, Sir Henry--yes, her action--I could dilate upon it for a quarter of an hour--but _puffing_ is out of the question--you shall judge for yourself. Run her down, John--The Graces, I am sure, _Sir Harry_, were they to behold her movements, would be out of temper with her captivating excellence! _Taglioni_, I must admit, can perform wonders with her pretty feet, but _Cleopatra_, my Lord Duke, can _distance_ the whole of them put together; and positively leave the Opera House with all its talent, in the back ground. In fact, I am deficient in words to display her immense capabilities--£300, _Going!_ £300. Thank you, my Lord Duke, she must be yours. For the last time, going at £310; but I will do the handsome thing, I will allow you five minutes to compose your mind--I am well aware that such unparalleled beauty is very dazzling--therefore, before you lose sight of this handsome creature, I do impress upon you, to remember that the opportunity once lost--£320; Sir Harry, I am obliged to you--the world has always acknowledged you as a man of great taste in matters of this kind; and without flattery, you have never shown it more than in the present instance--according to the poet, ‘Beauty; or, Loveliness, needs not the foreign aid of ornament, but is, when unadorned, adorned the most!’ _Going_--CLEOPATRA, my Lord Duke, will be in other hands if your Grace does not make up your mind in your usual princely style of doing things--a good bidding will make CLEOPATRA your own for ever, therefore, now’s the time to put on the _distancing_ power, and your Grace will win the race in a canter! £340, my Lord Duke, I can only express my gratitude to say, that you have done me honour--_Going!--Going!!--Going!!!_--in fact, gentlemen, I am like an artist in this case, I do not like to leave such a delightful picture and I could _dwell_ upon the qualities of CLEOPATRA to the very echo that applauds again and again! But most certainly I have given you all a fair chance--CLEOPATRA is on the _go_--are you all silent--_going_ for £340, after all, what is that sum for one of the greatest English beauties ever submitted to the inspection of the public! £350, thank you, Sir Charles--worth your money at any price. I have witnessed your notice of CLEOPATRA for some time past--she will bear looking at, again and again! Charming CLEOPATRA! I am glad to see she has so many suitors for her _hand_--I beg pardon, gentlemen--a slip will happen to the best of us--her _feet_ I should have said, but nevertheless, I am happy to see she has a host of admirers. I cannot _bid_ myself, or else I would ‘make play’ and CLEOPATRA should become a noble prize--£370. Bravo! my Lord Duke! for £370 positively, yes, positively, ’pon my honour, positively the last time--or else the beautiful CLEOPATRA goes into the _keeping_ of my Lord Duke. You are sure, gentlemen, that you have all done? Don’t blame me, but blame yourselves! Going _once_! Going _twice_! Going _three times--Going--Gone!!!_ CLEOPATRA belongs to the Duke. ‘JERRY expressed himself so much pleased with his visit to TATTERSALL’S, that he observed to LOGIC, during his stay in London he should often frequent it.’ ‘I delight,’ said HAWTHORN, ‘to be in the company of sportsmen; and no objects afford me greater satisfaction than the sight of a fine hunter,--the view of a high-mettled racer,--and the look of a _perfect_ greyhound.’ ‘I admire them also,’ replied the CORINTHIAN; ‘and TATTERSALL’S will always prove an agreeable lounge, if no direct purpose call a person thither. If nothing more than INFORMATION be acquired, that _alone_, JERRY, to a man of the world, is valuable at all times. Besides, TATTERSALL’S gives a _tone_ to the _sporting_ world, in the same way that the transactions on the ROYAL EXCHANGE influence the mercantile part of society. It has likewise its ‘_settling days_,’ after the great races at _Newmarket_, _Doncaster_, _Epsom_, _Ascot_, _&c._ I do not know about the _bulls_ and _bears_;[41] but if it has no _lame ducks_ to _waddle_ out, it has sometimes _Levanters_ that will not _show_ for a time, and others that will _brush off_ altogether. But this does not happen very often; and TATTERSALL’S has its ‘_good_ MEN’ as well as the _’Change_, and whose ‘_word_,’ will be taken for any amount. It has also its Subscription-room, which is extremely convenient for gentlemen and other persons who feel any inclination to become acquainted with the events of the sporting world, at the moderate charge of _one guinea_ a year. Indeed,’ continued TOM, ‘there is an air of sporting about this place altogether; elegance, cleanliness, and style, being its prominent features. The company, I admit, is a _mixture_ of persons of nearly all ranks in life; but, nevertheless, it is that sort of _mixture_ which is pleasingly interesting; there is no _intimacy_ or _association_ about it. A man may be well known here; he may also in his turn _know_ almost everybody that visits TATTERSALL’S; and yet be quite a _stranger_ to their habits and connections with society. It is no matter who _sells_ or who purchases at this repository. A _bet_ stands as good with a LEG, and is thought as much of, as with a PEER,--MONEY being the _touchstone_ of the circumstance. The ‘best judge’ respecting sporting events is acknowledged the ‘best man’ here; every person being on the ‘look out’ to see how he _lays_ his _blunt_. The DUKE and the _Parliamentary Orator_, if they do not know the properties of a horse, are little more than cyphers; it is true they may be _stared_ at, if pointed out as great characters, but nothing more. The _nod_ from a _stable-keeper_ is quite as important, if not more so, to the Auctioneer, as the _wink_ of a RIGHT HONOURABLE. Numbers of persons who visit TATTERSALL’S are, or wish to, appear _knowing_: from which ‘_self_’ importance they are often most egregiously duped. In short, if you are not as familiar with the _odds_ upon all events as CHITTY in quoting precedents--show as intimate an acquaintance with the _pedigree_ and _speed_ of race-horses as a GULLEY--and also display as correct a knowledge of the various capabilities of the prize pugilists as a JACKSON--if GAIN is your immediate object, you are ‘of no _use_’ at TATTERSALL’S,’ ‘Yes,’ said LOGIC, with a grin, interrupting TOM; ‘there are to be found here as many _flats_ and _sharps_ as would furnish the _score_ of a musical composer; and several of these _instruments_ have been so much played upon, and are so wretchedly out of _tune_, that the most skilful musician in the world cannot restore them to perfect _harmony_.’ ‘It is,’ resumed the CORINTHIAN, ‘an excellent mart for the disposal of carriages, horses, dogs, &c., and many a fine fellow’s _stud_ has been _floored_ by the hammer of TATTERSALL. There is a capacious TAP attached to the premises, for the convenience of servants of gentlemen in attendance upon their masters, or for any person who stands in need of refreshment. TATTERSALL’S, for the purposes intended, is the most complete place in the Metropolis; and if you have any desire to witness ‘real life’--to observe _character_--and to view the favourite _hobbies_ of mankind, it is the resort of the _pinks_ of the SWELLS,--the _tulips_ of the GOES,--the _dashing_ heroes of the military,--the fox hunting clericals,--sprigs of nobility,--stylish coachmen,--smart guards,--saucy butchers,--natty grooms,--tidy helpers,--knowing horse-dealers,--_betting_ publicans,--neat jockeys,--sporting men of all descriptions,--and the picture is finished by numbers of real gentlemen. It is the tip-top sporting feature in London.’ ‘It must have been the work of some time,’ said JERRY, ‘to have formed such a famous connection.’ ‘Yes,’ replied TOM; ‘you are quite right. It is not the _work_ of a day. The name of TATTERSALL is not only high, but of long standing in the sporting world; and everything connected with this splendid establishment is conducted in the most gentlemanly manner. The founder of these premises was during his time, viewed as one of the best judges of horse-flesh in the kingdom; and, as a proof of it, he made his fortune by a horse called HIGHFLYER.’”

=Tattler.=--A watch. “Time’s a tell tale.”

=Teazer of the Catgut.=--A hardworking fiddler.

=Thames.=--“_He’ll never set the Thames on fire_,” _i.e._, He will never make any figure in the world. This popular phrase is as to the word “THAMES” altogether a misapplication. The _temse_ was a corn sieve which was worked in former times over the receiver of the sifted flour. A hard-working active man would not unfrequently ply the _temse_ so quickly as to set fire to the wooden hoop at the bottom; but a lazy fellow would never--no never set the _temse_ on fire! The play on the word _temse_ has engendered many stupid imitations as “He will never set the Mersey--or the Humber, &c., on fire,” which has no meaning. Dutch, _teme_; French, _tamis_; Italian, _tamiso_, a sieve.

=Thigh of Mutton and Smash.=--A boiled leg of mutton, with turnips and caper sauce, &c. A prominent article among _pot-house_ gamblers.

=Thimble.=--A watch.

=Third of Daffy.=--Third part of a quartern of gin.

=Timber Merchant.=--A dealer in the old-fashioned brimstone matches.

=Tip your Rags a Gallop.=--To run away.

=Tip.=--Money. _To be in Tip-street_, to have plenty of money, “a consummation devoutly to be wished.”

Toddle.--To move your pins.

=Toggery.=--Wearing apparel; from the Roman _toga_.

=Tom King.=--_The Jolly Dog_--“When did Tom King ever fail when the object was to serve a friend and promote mirth?” Zounds! for a quiz, a hoax, a joke, a jest, a song, a dance, a catch, a tale, a race, or a row. Tom King would not turn his back on any man in England. A’n’t I the choice spirit of the day, the jolly dog, the roaring boy, the knowing lad, the rare blood, the prime buck, the rum soul, the funny fellow? Emperor of the Cockonians! Chairman of the Jacks! General of the Lumber Troop! Master of the Mugs! Chief of the Eccentrics! Member of Daffy’s! President of the Flounder Club! Chairman of the Owls! Chancellor of the Two o’Clock Club! Vice-Chairman of the Hard-up Club! Captain of the Rag and Famish! Chairman of the Never Sinks! Founder of the Snugs! Member of the Beef-steak Club! Past Primo of all the BUFFALOES Lodges held within the precincts of the City of Lushington! Noble Grand of the Oddfellows! Past-Arch of the Druids! And Vice of half the Freemasons’ Lodges in the United Kingdom! And though last, not least, in love, Founder of the Moral Philosophers’ Club! Oh, d----n! Tom King is the Jolly Dog! of the day.

=Top of the Tree.=--The heads of their profession.

=Tooth Picker.=--An Irish watchman’s shillelah.

=Tothill Fields.=--Situate between Pimlico and the Thames, formerly a great rendezvous for beggars, thieves, &c.

=Tow Street.=--Being decoyed or persuaded by any person.

=Town Tabby.=--Dowager of quality.

=Traps.=--Constables.

=Translator of Soles.=--A cobbler that can _vamp_ up old shoes to look like new. A _prime_ piece of deception; and those persons who purchase second-hand shoes soon find it out on a wet day.

=Trotters.=--The feet. _Walk your trotters_, to be off. _Trotter-cases_, shoes. _Trotter shakers_, dancers.

=Turkey Merchant.=--A poulterer.

=Turf--The.=--The race course; the profession of horse racing, which is done on turf or grass. One who lives by the turf, or one on the turf, is one whose chief occupation or means of living is derived from running horses or betting on races. All men are equal on the _turf_ and under it.--_Lord George Bentinck._

U.

=Umbrella.=--Otherwise _mush, spread, summer cabbage, water-plant, gingham, &c._ The first person who used an umbrella in the streets of London was Jonas Hanway, founder of the Magdalene Hospital, who died 1786.

=Uncle.=--The pawnbroker. _See_ MY UNCLE.

=Under a Cloud.=--In debt and difficulties. Not able to show out, or come to the front in daylight.

=Undergoing a Three Months’ Preparation.=--The modern “New way to pay old debts,” or taking the Benefit of the Act! Sometimes resorted to by an honest man overwhelmed by the harpies of the law, but more generally in use among swindlers, scamps, blacklegs, rogues, and vagabonds of every description.

=Under the Rose.=--_Sub rosa._--Secretly, confidentially. Amongst the ancients the rose was an emblem of silence.

=Under the Screw.=--In prison.

=Uneasiness.=--Trouble. _To have the uneasiness_, to be vexed, restless. _A copy of uneasiness_, a copy of a writ.

=Up.=--Knowledge. _To be up_, to understand. _Up to trap_, aware of things.

=Uphills.=--False dice that run high.

=Upper Benjamin.=--A great coat.

=Upper Crust.=--The lions or crack men of the day.

=Upper Story, or Garret.=--Figuratively used to signify the head.

=Upper Ten Thousand.=--The aristocracy.

=Uppish.=--Testy, apt to take offence, proud, arrogant.

=Upstarts.=--Persons lately raised to honours and riches, from mean stations.

=Used Up.=--Killed; a military saying, originating from a message sent by the late General Guise, on the expedition at Carthagena, where he desired the Commander-in-chief to order him some more grenadiers, for those he had were all _used up_!

V.

=Vale, Samuel.=--Low comedian, died March 24, 1848, aged 51.

=Various Classes of Society.=--“‘Now my dear Coz,’ said TOM, ‘as we shall soon have to intermix with the ‘_various classes of society_;’ and although it is not absolutely necessary that you should be able to dispute the accuracy of a _Greek quotation_ with a PORSON--contend with a MOZART upon the fundamental _principles of harmony_--enter into a dissertation on the properties of _light and shade_ with a REYNOLDS--quote _precedents_ with a SPEAKER of the House of Commons--argue _law_ with an ELDON--display a knowledge of _tactics_ with a WELLINGTON--write _poetry_ with a BYRON--relate _history_ with a GIBBON--contest _grammatical points_ with a HORNE TOOKE--_wit_ and _eloquence_ with a CANNING--support the _Old English Character_ with a WYNDHAM--_dance_ with an OSCAR BYRNE--_fence_ with an O’SHAUNESSY--_set-to_ with a BELCHER--_sing_ with BRAHAM--contest the _law of nations_ with a LIVERPOOL--_erudition_ with a JOHNSON--_philosophy_ with a PALEY--the _wealth of nations_ with a SMITH--_astronomy_ with an HERSCHEL--_physiognomy_ with a LAVATER--_equity_ with a ROMILLY--and so on to the end of the Chapter of Talents in the Metropolis;--although it is not necessary, I again repeat, my dear Coz, that you should be able to rival all the traits of excellences possessed by the above characters, yet it is essentially requisite that you should have some knowledge of their respective qualities, and be sensibly alive to their immediate value, and the impression they have made on the minds of mankind.’ ‘Hold, hold!’ said JERRY, smiling, and making a low bow at the same time; ‘there is one person among these distinguished men that you have forgot to mention--who shall dispute _taste_ with CORINTHIAN TOM?’ The latter hero gave rather a graceful _nod_ in return for this unexpected compliment, which, it would seem, augured to TOM a kind of budding of the lively genius of his cousin’s mind.”

=Vauxhall Gardens=--were sold by auction, 9th September, 1841, for £20,000. The last performance took place 25th July, 1859. The ground has been since sold for building purposes.--In allusion to the _thinness_ and artist-like manner in which the _ham_ was brought to table. LOGIC offered to bet JERRY “that it was not _cut_ with a _knife_, but _shaved_ off with a _plane_: and, if necessary, from its transparent quality, conceived it might answer the purpose of a _sky-light_!” _Vauxhall Slices!_ or _Ham Shavings!_ are terms well understood to this day.

A Vauxhall supper usually consisted of:--

Lilliput chickens boil’d,
Bucellas warm from Vauxhall ice;
And hams that flit in airy slice,
And salads scarcely soil’d.--_London Mag., Sept., 1824._

=Velvet.=--The tongue. “_To be upon velvet_,” have the best of a bet or match.

=Venus.=--Love; the Goddess of Love; courtship. _My Venus turns out a whelp_, _i.e._, my swans are changed to geese; my cake is dough. In dice the best cast--three sixes--was called “Venus,” and the worst--three aces--was called “Canis.” My win-all turns out to be a lose-all!

=View-Holloa= of a fox is “Tally-ho!” or, as _Jemmy Green_ would have it, “_Tally-man!_” of a _hare_, “Gone away!” but the “Who-hoop” signifies the death of each.

=Viper and File.=--The biter bit.--Æsop says a viper found a file, and tried to bite it, under the supposition that it was good food; but the file said that its province was to bite others, and not to be bitten.

=Vowel.=--“_To vowel a debt._” Where the acknowledgment of the debt is expressed by the vowels I.O.U.

Let old I.O.U.’s be forgot,
And never brought to mind,
Let Writs and Judgments be forgot
And the Bills that I have signed

W.

=Waifs and Strays.=--The juvenile homeless poor. Waifs are goods found but not claimed. Strays are animals that have wandered from their proper enclosures to the grounds of some one not their owner.

=Walking Poulterer.=--One who steals fowls, and hawks them from door to door.

=Walking Stationer.=--A hawker of books, prints and dying-speeches, &c.

=Walking-up against the Wall.=--To run up a score, which in alehouses is commonly recorded with chalk on the walls of the bar.

=Wapping Great.=--Means astonishingly great. Saxon, _Wafian_, to be astonished.

=Ware Hawk.=--An exclamation used by thieves to inform their confederates that some police officers are at hand.

=Warming-pan.=--A large old fashioned watch.

=Watch, Chain and Seals.=--A sheep’s head and pluck.

=Watchmaker.=--A stealer of watches--he _makes_ them in a crowd!

=Water Sneaksman.=--A man who steals from ships or crafts on the river.

=Ways and Means.=--To raise the supply of ready money for the current expenses of the day.

=Wear the Breeches.=--To be White Serjeant.

=Weasel.=--“_To catch a weasel asleep._” To catch a person nodding; to find he has not his weather-eye open--_Nunquam dormio!_

=Weather-Eye.=--“_I have my weather-eye open._” I have my wits about me; I know what I am after: I can see the difference between a clock and a cabbage.

=Wedge.=--Silver plate, because melted by the receivers of stolen goods into wedges.

=West-End Tailor--A.=--“CORINTHIAN TOM had just ordered his servant to bring him ‘_The Weekly Dispatch_,’ to see how sporting matters had been going on in the Metropolis during his absence from town, when Mr. Primefit--the West-End _Schneider_!--_Par excellence!_--was announced to MR. HAWTHORN to be in waiting to receive his commands.

“MR. PRIMEFIT, according to the ‘_counter-talking_ part of the community,’ had done, all his ‘dirty work;’ and among the _needles_--otherwise _sharps_--at the West-end of the Town, who must sport a genteel _outside_, no matter at whose _suit_, it was observed, between a grin and a pun, that he had not only got rid of all his ‘_bad habits_,’ but had likewise outlived his _sufferings_. It was said of this celebrated ‘apparel furnisher,’ that, if he received the cash for ONE coat out of _three_, nothing was the matter! In his _intercourse_ with people of fashion, the character that ran before him was a perfectly gentlemanly tradesman. He had one _point_ in view on setting out in life, and he never lost sight of it. To ask his customers for payment was to _lose_ their custom. Though for the first seven years DICKEY PRIMEFIT was engaged in _cutting-up_ his cloth, he was _hurried_ beyond _measure_, by those ‘troublesome customers,’ _John Doe_ and _Richard Roe_, who were continually at his elbow, _nudging_ him to take ‘measure of their suits’ in preference to every other person; his law expenses and ‘MUM _tip_’--that is _rhino_ to _silence_, or, shut-up the _gab_ of the _bum-traps_--in consequence, were frightful; yet DICKEY braved the fury of the woollen-draper’s ‘storm’ with the utmost composure. With a placid countenance he never refused credit to any British officer, either in the sea or land service, let the distance or uncertainty be what it might. The _reference_ of one gentleman to another was quite sufficient to MR. PRIMEFIT; and the _garments_ were made and sent home without further enquiry or delay. Of course, in return, the _charges_ of DICKEY were never overhauled; indeed, what GENTLEMAN would have behaved so _ungentlemanly_ to a tradesman who was all civility, politeness, and _accommodation_, from one end of his pattern-card to the other? The business of MR. PRIMEFIT, therefore, became so extensive, that he sent clothes to all parts of the world. In London, no _gentleman_, who had been once in the books of DICKEY, would listen to the name of any other tailor, which rendered PRIMEFIT the ‘_go_ for a tasty cut, best materials, and first-rate workmanship.’ DICKEY had a ‘soul above buttons,’ he had no narrow ideas belonging to him: and he flattered himself that, ultimately, it would _all be right_. ‘_No gentleman_,’ MR. PRIMEFIT would often assert, when he has been blamed for giving such an extensive loose sort of credit, ‘_I am convinced, but will act as such, sooner or later_, towards me!’ So it proved. Things, at length, took the expected turn. Many long out-standing bills came in. His capital accumulated. His business also increased in so extraordinary a manner that several clerks were necessary to keep it in order, and ensure punctuality. DICKEY was almost as true as a clock to his time, in attending to orders. His character for fashion was so _emphatic_, that numbers of stylish tradesmen, who found it necessary to have a ‘bettermost coat’ by them, for ‘high days and holidays’ regardless of the charge, employed MR. PRIMEFIT. The sunshine of prosperity was now so complete, that not a single _bum-trap_ had crossed the threshold of DICKEY’S door, in the way of _private_ business, for many a long day past. In short, MR. PRIMEFIT had realised the climax of his exertions--he had _measured_ his way into a carriage. DICKEY was principally distinguished for the _cut_ of his coats. To CORINTHIAN TOM he was peculiarly indebted, as a leader of the fashion. It was owing to this circumstance that MR. PRIMEFIT waited in person at CORINTHIAN HOUSE; indeed, the active use of the scissors and parchment had long been removed from the hands of DICKEY, and his principal occupation now consisted of _talking_ over the versatility of fashion to his customers, and giving directions to his men. But the slightest idea that might drop from CORINTHIAN TOM respecting the advantages of dress was what DICKEY could not resist, and he, therefore, ordered his carriage immediately to attend upon the rustic JERRY at once.

“TOM and JERRY, previously to the arrival of the _apparel-furnisher_, had been discussing the advantages resulting from _dress_ and ADDRESS; and the CORINTHIAN had also been pointing out to his Coz not to _skim_ too lightly over so important a subject, but to peruse with most marked attention that _grand living_ BOOK of _books_:--MAN!!!”

=Whetstone Park.=--A lane between Holborn and Lincoln’s-Inn-Field’s. Formerly famed for being the resort of women of the town.

=Whistling Shop.=--A place in which spirits are sold without a licence. “Who that has ever visited a Friend undergoing a three months’ purification in the Fleet or King’s Bench, but has been introduced to a _Whistling Shop_; and who that has been initiated into its sacred rites, would basely betray his knowledge. No one at all ambitious of bearing the character of the real thing. Neither Mr. Brown nor Marshal Jones would thank any _Paul Pry_ for splitting on this point. Any reader that may not have visited a _Whistling Shop_, cannot do better than put a little of the _bustle_ in his poke; call on the first Friend he has in _Limbo_, and get introduced to one as quickly as possible; and thus do a double good, furnish himself with a little useful information, and cheer a Pal in distress at the same time.

=Whitechapel.=--Anything low, mean, or paltry. _A Whitechapel portion_, a smock, and what nature gave. _Whitechapel breed_, fat, ragged, and saucy. _Whitechapel Beau_, one who dresses with a needle and thread, and undresses with a knife. _A Whitechapel Brougham_, a costermonger’s donkey-barrow.

=Wipe.=--A nose handkerchief.

=Wrench, Benjamin.=--Comedian; original Corinthian Tom at the Adelphi, died November 24, 1843, aged 67.

=Wrekin Tavern.=--In Broad Court, Drury Lane, was much frequented by first-rate theatricals, authors, poets, painters, gentlemen of the press, men of the world, and intelligent persons in general, and was a house of entertainment of no common description, kept at the time by a Mr. Williams, a person connected with literary pursuits. It was to the Wrekin Tavern that Edmund Kean was conveyed on the ever-memorable night of the 24th of March, 1833, when he partly played Othello to his son Charles’s Iago, at Covent Garden Theatre. And described thus by his biographer:--

“After making one or two feeble steps towards his son, and attempting the speech of:--

Villian, be sure thou prove my love a whore;
Be sure of it; give me the ocular proof, &c.

“When his head sunk on his son’s shoulder, and the tragedian’s acting was at an end. He was able to groan out a few words in Charles’s ear--‘I am dying--speak to them for me;’ after which (the audience refusing in kindness, to hear any apology) he was borne from the stage. His son, assisted by other persons, carried him to his dressing-room, and laid him on a sofa. He was as cold as ice; his pulse was scarcely perceptible; and he was unconscious of all that was going on around him. In this state he remained some time, when the remedies which were applied having restored him to his senses, he was taken to the ‘Wrekn’ Tavern, near the theatre, and Messrs. Carpue and Duchez, the surgeons, were sent for. From the Wrekin Tavern, he was after a week’s stay, removed to Richmond: where he died on the fifteenth day of May, 1833.”

The Wrekin Tavern--the Times--and the Proprietors underwent many changes from good, bad, and very indifferent; in fact, the character of house and company was entirely altered--_O tempora! O mores!_ Here Johnny Broome, the pugilist, who was born at Birmingham, 1817, and the successful hero of six or seven battles in the P.R., and also the prime mover in “The Great Brighton Card Cheating Case,” committed suicide by cutting his throat, May 31, 1855.

LONDON:
E. A. Beckett, Printer, 111 & 113, Kingsland Road, E.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] _Books published by G. Virtue, Ivy-lane, Paternoster-row_:--

BOXIANA; or, Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism; including every Exploit from the Days of Figg and Broughton to the present year (1829); with Biographical Memoirs of all the Boxers, particulars of their age, weight, style of fighting, &c.; and interspersed with a variety of Sporting Anecdotes, never before published. By PIERCE EGAN.

Also in royal 8vo. price £1 16s., embellished with 36 beautifully
coloured, characteristic plates and woodcuts, from scenes in real
life, by I. R. and G. Cruikshank.

=A New Edition of Life in London=; or, the Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq., and his elegant Friend, Corinthian Tom, in their Rambles and Sprees through the Metropolis. By Pierce Egan.

Also, just published, uniform with the above, price £1 16s., embellished with 36 richly coloured scenes from real life, and spirited wood cuts, by R. Cruikshank.

“Begar here’s Monsieur Tonson come again.”

=Pierce Egan’s Finish= to the =Adventures= of =Tom, Jerry=, and =Logic=, in their Pursuits through Life In and Out of London. Being the Second Part, or Continuation of ‘Life in London,’ calculated to attract the Corinthian, entertain the Sportsman, relieve the cares of the Merchant, a specific against Ennui, delight the Country Folks, please Everybody, and ‘No Mistake.’

Also, by the same Author, and uniform with the above.

=The Life of an Actor, Peregrine Proteus.= Illustrated by Twenty-seven coloured Scenes, representing the Vicissitudes of the Stage; and nine beautiful wood cuts. By Pierce Egan, Author of ‘Life in London,’ ‘Tom and Jerry,’ &c. Price £1 1s. in boards; or in nine parts, at 2s. 6d. each.

“The present work is one of the best exemplifications of Mr. Egan’s peculiar talents. It is impossible for us to do justice to the spirit of the designs, many of which would not discredit the pencil of Hogarth.”--_Monthly Critical Gazette._

[2] =Quarterly Review=, the organ of the Tory party, first appeared in February, 1809, under the editorship of William Gifford, the celebrated translator of “Juvenal.” He died 31 December, 1826.

[3] =Edinburgh Review= was founded October, 1802, by Francis Jeffrey, Scotch lawyer, critic, and politician, Francis Horner, Brougham, Rev. Sidney Smith, and other Whigs.

[4] =Fistulæ and Piles.=--Mr. Van Butchell, Surgeon Accoucheur No. 2, Half Moon Street, Piccadilly, having, without cutting or confinement, in the short space of three weeks, cured me of the above-named complaints (under which I had laboured for nearly four years). I am prompted by gratitude to him publicly to state, that I had previously consulted several Surgeons, who pronounced my cure impossible, without submitting to the painful operation of cutting, to which dangerous experiment I had always been averse, and therefore despaired of ever regaining my health, till, on applying to Mr. Van Butchell, to whom I was strongly recommended, he, in the short space above-mentioned, realized his assurances by performing a perfect cure.

Newhaven, Sussex.
THOMAS EAGLES, Butcher & Salesman.

[5] =John Abernethy=, Surgeon and Physiologist, 1764-1831.

[6] =William Blackwood=, Scotch bookseller, born 1776; established “Blackwood’s Magazine,” 1817, died 1834.

[7] POCKET-BOOK. Townsend’s first introduction to the police, it seems, was owing to his knowledge of the numerous persons hanged, transported, &c.; he having kept a regular journal to that effect. This calender of offences gave him a great superiority over his fellows.

[8] JAMES GILLRAY, the famous caricaturist, 1785-1815.

[9] In Cheyne walk, Chelsea, was the museum and coffee house of Don Saltero, renowned in the swimming exploits of Dr. Franklin. The landlord, James Salter, was a noted barber, who made a collection of natural curiosities, which acquired him the name (probably first given him by Steele,) of Don Saltero.--_See_ _Tatler_, Nos. 34, 195 and 226.--The quiet tavern remains, but the museum was dispersed by auction about the year 1807. Another wonder was the Old Chelsea Bun-house, which possessed a sort of rival museum to Don Saltero’s. It was taken down in 1839.--_John Timbs Curiosities of London._

[10] This is certainly good and correct advice, but, perhaps the metaphor might have proved rather more _illustrative_, if the old adage had been quoted, that, “_when at_ ROME _do as_ ROME _does_!”

[11] =Pea-Green Hayne.= _See_ page 195.

[12] =Parson Colton=:--Rev. Caleb C. Colton, A.M., eccentric clergyman; published “Lacon; or, Many Things in Few Words; addressed to Those Who Think.” 1820-25.--Died by suicide 29th April, 1832.

[13] =The Three R’s.=--Sir William Curtis being asked at a City Banquet to give a toast said--“I will give you Gemmen the three R’s, that’s Reading! Riting!! and Rithmetic!!!”

[14] =None but himself can be his parallel.=--Louis Theobald’s--_The Double Falsehood_, Act iii. Sc. 2.

“Quæris Alcidæ parem?
Nemo est nisi ipse.”
SENECA, _Hercules Furens_, Act. i., Sc. 1.

[15] =This Piece=--that is to say the Adelphi Dramatic Version, as written, printed, and published by Mr. W. T. Moncrieff, at No. 104, Drury Lane. 1824.

[16] Not out of _wind_, nor beat to a _stand-still_; but sorry that I am compelled to _forfeit_ on the 1st of January, 1821, being out of _condition_ to appear _bang-up_ at the _scratch_!

[17] =Jack Randall=, the _Nonpareil_, of the Ring, was then keeping the Hole-in-the-Wall, in Chancery Lane. _See_ RANDALL, page 199.

[18] =Crooky Booked= it, _i.e._, Cruikshank made a mental note; or, sketch of the circumstance at the time:--“When found, make a note of.”

[19] =Leicester Fields.=--Now Leicester Square, so called from a family mansion of the Sydneys, Earls of Leicester, which stood on the north-east side.

[20] THE PLATE in question occurs at page 276 of the work, and is entitled--“LIFE IN LONDON.--_Peep O’ Day-Boys; A Street Row, the Author losing his ‘reader;’ Tom and Jerry showing fight, and Logic floored._” N.B.--A Catnachian pirated copy of the Plate will be found at page 36 and 99, of the present work.--But a far better idea of this, and all the other Plates by the Brothers Cruikshank: in Colours after the Originals, will be found in the reprint of LIFE IN LONDON: Published by Chatto and Windus, Piccadilly. Crown 8vo., cloth extra 7s. 6d.--_Editor._

[21] Mr. Jones of the firm of Sherwood, Jones and Co., Publishers, Paternoster Row, London.

[22] Literary.

[23] A half-penny.

[24] Short-hand.

[25] One pound note. An author, indeed, with money in his pocket-book, would be a novelty in Life in London. But in the North, they are not quite so SCOTT free in this respect. Merit is at all times, worthy of reward.

[26] MR. PARRY, the celebrated composer of the Welsh Melodies and several other popular pieces of music; a gentleman well known in the musical world, and who has risen to the well-merited eminence he now enjoys entirely from the possession of superior talents. MR. PARRY was originally the master of the Derbyshire Band, and the fife was the first instrument he excelled upon, when quite a boy; but his performances on the flageolet are exquisitely fine, and the admiration of all those persons who have heard him.

[27] PAINTINGS OF HOGARTH AND HAYMAN.=At the sale of the movable property, Oct., 1841, twenty-four pictures by William Hogarth [1697-1764] and Francis Hayman, R.A., historical painter [1708-1776] produced but small sums: they had mostly been upon the premises since 1742; the canvas was nailed to boards, and much obscured by dirt. Those by Hogarth fetched as follows.--A Drunken Man, £4 4s.; A Woman pulling out an Old Man’s grey hairs, £3 3s.; Jobson and Nell in the _Devil to Pay_, £4 4s.: The Happy Family, £3 15s.; Children at Play, £4 11s. 6d. Those by Hayman:--Children Bird’s-nesting, £5 10s.; Minstrels, £3; The Enraged Husband, £4 4s.; The Bridal Day, £6 6s.; Blindman’s Buff, £3 8s.; Prince Henry and Falstaff, £7: Scene from the Rake’s Progress, £9 15s.; Merry-making, £1 12s.; The Jealous Husband, £4; Card-party, £6; Children’s Party, £4 15s.; Battledore and Shuttlecock, £1 10s.; The Doctor, £4 14s. 6d.; Cherrybob, £2 15s.; The Storming of Seringapatam, £8 10s.; Neptune and Britannia, £8 15s. Four busts of Simpson, the celebrated Master of the Ceremonies, were sold for 10s.; and a bust of his royal shipmate, William IV.--not a sovereign!--only 19s. Among the Vauxhall composers were Arne, Boyce, Carter, Mountain, Hook (father to Theodore Edward) and Signor Storace. Male singers: Beard, Tommy Lowe, Webb, Charley Dignum, Vernon, Incledon, Braham, Pyne, Sinclair, Tinney--Pretty Jane Robinson, Paul Bedford, W. H. Williams, Sharp, Weekes, &c. Females: Miss Brent, Mrs. Wrighten, Mrs. Weischel (mother of Mrs. Billington), Mrs. Mountain, Mrs. Crouch, Mrs. Bland, Miss Tryer (afterwards Mrs. Liston), Miss Graddon, Miss Love, Miss Tunstall, Miss P. Horton, &c. Italian Operas were performed here in 1829. The band were the last to wear the semi-circular or cocked hat:--

“By the high dome that trembling glows
With lamps, cock’d hats, and shiv’ring bows,
How many hearts are shook!
A feather’d chorister is there,
Warbling some tender, grove-like air.
Composed by Mr. Hook.”--_London Magazine_, Sept., 1824.

[28] =Vauxhall Slices! or Ham Shavings!=--_See_ page 213. _Apropos_ to the subject we here insert the following _J’eu d’esprit_: from BELL’S LIFE IN LONDON: August 2, 1829.

A NEW SONG TO AN OLD TUNE.

[Mr. Moncrieff, the Dramatist, having received an invitation to supper from the Proprietors of Vauxhall, returned one of the Gentlemen the following extemporaneous answer:--]

By thy cold fowls, each worth, at least a _crown_--
And by thy _ham_ which makes these fowls go down--
By thy French rolls--thy beef and pickled ghirkins--
By thy brown stout, by _Barclay_ brew’d and _Perkins_--
And by thy lettuce, from the isle of Cos--
Thy pepper, vinegar, and mustard, pos.--
In that same place thou hast appointed me,
This ev’ning, truly, will I meet with thee!

By thy old port, and thy particular sherry,
With which men, for six shillings, oft get merry--
By thy Sauterne, thy Hock, and thy Bucellas,
Thy real Champagne--Nectar of good fellows--
By thy best _Chateau Margaux_; and again,
By Mr. Simpson,[A] blandest, best of men!
In that same place thou hast appointed me,
This ev’ning, truly, will I meet with thee.

By thy Italian singers, whose fine throats
Produce such a vast quantity of notes--
By thy _Hydraulics_ and thy _Cosmoramas_,
Delight of all town-visiting clods and farmers--
By thy famed fire-works, pleasing great and small--
And by thy _rack-punch_, greatest charm of all!
In that same place thou hast appointed me,
This ev’ning, truly, will I meet with thee!

[A] M.C., and Inspector of the Gardens.

[29] The late John Camden Hotten’s Introduction to the new edition of “Life in London.” Chatto & Windus: Piccadilly.

[30] Mr. Pierce Egan says:--“Mr. Barrymore’s Burletta was _thought of_, written, and got up, in five days. As a friend, I attended the rehearsals, notwithstanding I had previously made an outline of a Drama for myself.”

[31] AN ITALIAN TURN-UP.

_Surprising Novelty in the Sporting Circle._

On Tuesday next, at Seven o’Clock in the Evening,

_A special grand combat will be decided at the_

WESTMINSTER PIT,

FOR ONE HUNDRED GUINEAS,

Between the extraordinary and celebrated creature, the famed Italian Monkey:

JACCO MACCACCO,

And a Dog of 20lbs. weight, the property of a Nobleman well-known in the circle.

[32] Tom Cribb, born at Hanham, Gloucestershire, July 8, 1781. His last fight was with Molineux, a black, for £600, at Thistleton Gap, September 28, 1811. Presented by the Sporting World with a cup of the value of eighty guineas, December 2, 1811, at the Castle Tavern, Holborn. Which he received from the hands of Mr. Emery, the comedian, who made the following complimentary address:--“THOMAS CRIBB, I have the honour this day of being the representative of a numerous and most respectable body of your friends; and though I am by no means qualified to attempt the undertaking which has devolved on me, by a vote of the subscribers, yet the cause will, I am confident, prove a sufficient excuse for my want of ability. You are requested to accept this CUP, as a tribute of respect for the uniform valour and integrity you have shown in your several combats, but, most particularly, for the additional proofs of native skill and manly intrepidity displayed by you in your last memorable battle, when the cause rested not merely upon individual fame, but for the pugilistic reputation of your native country, in contending with a formidable foreign antagonist. In that combat you gave proof that the innovating hand of a foreigner, when lifted against a son of Britannia, must not only be aided by the _strength_ of a LION but the HEART also.

“The fame you have so well earned has been by manly and upright conduct, and which I have no doubt will ever mark your very creditable retirement from the ring or stage of pugilism. However intoxicated the _cup_ or its _contents_ may at any future period make you, I am sufficiently persuaded the gentlemen present, and the sons of John Bull in general, will never consider you have a _cup_ too much.”

Tom Cribb took a farewell benefit under the auspices of the Pugilistic Association, at the National Baths, Westminster Road, November 12, 1840. Died in High Street, Woolwich, May 11, 1848. Monument erected to his memory in Woolwich Churchyard, May 1, 1851.

[33] ALL-MAX IN THE EAST.--The very antipodes of the _Almack’s in the West_--was held at the Coach and Horses public house, Nightingale-lane, East Smithfield, which was kept by a person of the appropriate name of MACE. Here it required no patronage;--a card of admission was not necessary; no enquiries were made, and every _cove_ that put in his appearance was quite welcome, colour or country considered no obstacle; and _dress_ and ADDRESS completely out of the question. _Ceremonies_ were not in use, therefore no struggle took place at ALL-MAX for the master of them. The parties _paired off_ to _fancy_; the eye was pleased in the choice, and nothing thought of about birth and distinction. _All was happiness!_--every body free and easy, and freedom of expression allowed to the very echo. The group motley indeed;--Lascars, blacks, jack tars, coalheavers, dustmen, women of colour, old and young, and a sprinkling of the remnants of once fine girls, &c. were all _jigging_ together, provided the _teazer of the catgut_ was not _bilked_ out of his _duce_. _Gloves_ might have been laughed at, as dirty hands produced no _squeamishness_ on the heroines in the dance, and the scene changed as often as a pantomime, from the continual introduction of new characters. _Heavy wet_ was the cooling beverage, but frequently overtaken by _flashes of lightning_.

“I am quite satisfied in my mind, said LOGIC to TOM, it is the LOWER ORDERS of society who really enjoy themselves. They eat with a good appetite, _hunger_ being the sauce; they _drink_ with zest, in being _thirsty_ from their exertions, and not _nice_ in their beverage, and, as to _dress_, it is not an object of serious consideration with them. Their minds are daily occupied with work, which they quit with the intention of _enjoying_ themselves, and _enjoyment_ is the result; not like the rich, who are out night after night to _kill_ time, and what is worse, dissatisfied with almost every thing that crosses their path, from dulness of _repetition_.”

“There is too much truth about your argument, I must admit,” replied CORINTHIAN; “and among the scenes that we have witnessed together, where the LOWER ORDER have been taking their _pleasure_, I confess they have appeared ALL HAPPINESS. I am sorry I cannot say as much for the higher ranks of society.”

[34] E. L. Blanchard’s History of the Adelphi Theatre.

[35] Mr. Edmund Kean.

[36] Mr. Joseph Munden.

[37] It is well-known that the dust hill at the bottom of Gray’s Inn Lane, near Battle Bridge, was sold for some thousands of pounds, and was shipped off to Russia, to aid in the rebuilding of Moscow.--_Pierce Egan._

[38] Our thanks are due, and are hereby given to Crawford John Pocock, Esq., of Cannon Place, Brighton, for the loan and use of his--what we feel almost inclined to consider--unique copy of Catnach’s broadside of “Life in London.”--PRICE TWO PENCE.

[39] TESTAMENT, is perfectly correct. The words _will_ and _testament_ are generally used indiscriminately; but they are not words exactly of the same import. A _will_, is properly limited to land; a _testament_, to personal estate, as money, furniture, &c., &c.

[40] Carey Street, and its immediate neighbourhood, abounded in spunging-houses.

[41] CORINTHIAN TOM, it appears, was rather in doubt whether _bulls_ or _bears_ were disposed of by MR. TATTERSALL.