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MP& cailRIISICOIPIEIEE. lSO¥E
This Portrait of M11 BROWN then -worthy Secretary
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r<>EA3TN£S ECK^TEn,
TAVERN ANECDOTES,
AND
REMINISCENCES
OF
THE 01UG1N Or
SIGNS, CLUBS, COITEE-HOUSES, STREETS,
CITY COMPANIES, WARDS, &c.
INTENDED AS
A lOUTJ-GE-BO OK.
FOR LONDONERS AND THEIR COUN1RY COU&INi)
.-------_».-----—
BY ONE OF THE OLD SCHOOL.
" Wliot t_r In*, travell\l life's dull round,
\V hete'er his various tour
has been
May sigh, to think how oft he totmrt
His warmest welcome—at an
urn "
Shensione
LONDON
PRINTED I OR WILLI VM COLL,
JO, NEW GAIL V1REL1
PRINTBD BYG. H. DAVIDSON,
1KELAND YARD, DOCTOKS' COMMONS,.
PREFACE.
Just as we were thinking of writing a preface,
one of the luckiest of our
literary " reminiscences'''
came pat to our purpose. '' Prefaces to
books
(says a learned author) are like srGKS to public-
houses ! thpy are
intended to give one an idea of
Ihe kind of entertainment to be found
within;" but
whether this very appropriate quotation be founded
in truth,
or not, we leave to the superior sagacity of
those who may take the trouble
to peruse the fol-
lowing sheets.
In our humble opinion the preface apologetic is,
of all the prefaces that
are penned, the most irk-
some to an author, and the least satisfactory to
his
readers ; but as there are few which do not contain
more or less
matter of an excusatory character,
that amiable weakness of our nature (by
cynics
miscalled vanity), with which authors are so pre-
eminently gifted,
will not receive a shock quite so
iV
PREF.lt'fc.
(errible as it otherwise might, and the confession to
which we are coming-
will consequently be rendered
in some measure endurable.
Ye good-natured souls, then,-—" the liberal and
discerning public" we
mean, of course,—whose
breasts overflow with the milk of human
kindness,
we throw ourselves at your feet, and ask forgive-
ness for
having ushered into the world a production
which our modesty compels us to
admit is imper-
fect. That we have sms of commission to answer
for before
your august tribunal there can be little
doubt, but our sins of omission are
far more nu-
merous still. We have ostentatiously presumed to
call this
volume " Tavfkn Anecdotes," and yet
where is there one among you wiio could
not fur-
nish us with some anecdote equally rare and inte-
resting as the
best which we have collected ? We
have pompously professed to give the "
Origin of
Signs;" yet how barren our resources were, your
prolific brains
and retentive memories will too
clearly testify ! We have descanted on "
Clubs,"
and yet how many good things have we passed by
unnoticed, that in
all those right merry societies
have from time immemorial " set the table in
a
roar!" We have talked of streets and buildings,
as though we knew the
ichnography of London to
an inch; yet how miserably w e have fallen short
in
PREF.-tC*..
**
relating all the wonderful things that have hap-
pened on their respective
sites, must be too fevident
to every one who knows any thing about
metropo-
litan localities ! But, generous patrons, while we
acknowledge
our faults, let it not be supposed that
we are prompted to the act by any
abject motive.
No; humble as we are, we verily believe that in
this
melange, perhaps too hastily thrown together,
there will be found many
matters worthy of your
attention ; and we hesitate not in declaring, that
our
object in coming to your confessional is for tlitf
public good.
In one word, then, as pro bono publico is our
motto,we. earnestly
entreatyour assistance. Having
acknowledged the incompleteness of our first
at-
tempt, our highest aim will he to render future
editions of " Tavern
Anecdotes" worthy of the en-
couragement you may kindly show to this; and
we
therefore invite you, most respectfully, to favour us
with whatever
communications of interest may oc-
cur to you as likely to enrich the work,
and make
it the depository of stray notices on the various sub-
jects
which it professes to treat of. We are not
such niggards as to ask you to pay
the postage:
let your communications be but gratuitous, and we
shall be
thankful; while you will experience the
gratification of knowing that your
services will en-
Vi
PREFACE.
lighten the public—mark that !—and you will have
the satisfaction of
seeing your labours in print—a
point of no trifling importance to the
aspiring minJ
of a young writer, and by no means to be sneered
at even by
an old one, troubled with the cacoethes
scribendi.
Communications to be addressed to the " Edi-
tor of Tavern Anecdotes, at
the Publisher's, 10,
Newgate-street."
N. B. Our Readers will not fail to observe, that we have
already availed
ourselves of the friendly offices of one Cor-
respondent, who supplied us
with the supplementary matter,
inserted under the head " Addenda."
Nov. 1, 182J.
INTRODUCTION.
—♦—
I'm amused at the signs,
As I pass through the town,
To see the odd
mixture—
A Magpye and Crown;
The Whale and the Crow,
The Razor and Hen
;
The Leg and Seven Stars,
The Axe and the Bottle;
The Tun and the Lute
;
The Eagle and Child;
The Shovel and Boot.
British Apollo, 1710.
The absurdities which Tavern Signs present are
often curious enough, but
may in general be traced
to that inveterate propensity which the vulgar of
all
countries have, to make havoc with every thing in
the shape of a
proper name.
What a Magpie could have to do with a Crown,
or a Whale with a Crow, or a
Hen with a Razor, is
as difficult to conjecture, as to trace the
corruption
B
ii
INTRODUCTION1.
of language, in which the connexion more probably
originated. The sign of
the Leg and the Seven Stars
was merely an orthographical deviation from
the
League and the Seven Stars, or Seven United Pro-
vinces ; and the Axe
and Bottle was, doubtless, a
transposition of the Battle-axe, a very
appropriate
and significant sign in warlike times. The Tun
and Lute seem
quite emblematical of the pleasures
arising from the association of Wine and
Music.
The Eagle and Child had some meaning, but no
application ; but, when we
approach the Shovel and
Boot, nonsense again triumphs, and we labour
in
vain to come at any rational definition of the
affinity.
The Swan with two Nechs has long been an object
of mystery to the curious;
but this mystery has
been explained by the alteration of a single
letter.
The sign was originally written, the Swan with two
Nicks; the
meaning of which we find to be thus
fully explained in a communication to the
Anti-
quarian Society, by the late Sir Joseph Banks.
At a meeting of the Antiquarian Society, held in
the year 1810, Sir Joseph
Banks presented a curious
roll of parchment, exhibiting the marks or
nichs
made on the beaks of the swans and cygnets in the
rivers and lakes
in Lincolnshire; accompanied with
an account of the privileges of certain
persons for
keeping swans in these waters, and the duties of
the king's
swanherd in guarding these fowls against
INTRODUCTION.
"»
depredators; also for regulating their marks, and for
preventing any two
persons from adopting the same
figures and marks on the bills of their
swans.
The number of marks contained in the parchment
roll amounted to two
hundred and nineteen, every
one of which were distinct, although confined to
the
small extent of the bill of the swan. The outline
was an oblong
square, circular at one end, and
containing dots, notches, arrows, or such
like
figures, in order ta constitute a difl'erence in the
marks of the
swans belonging to different indi-
viduals.—So late as the 12th of Queen
Elizabeth,
laws were enacted for the preservation of the swans
in
Lincolnshire.
The sign of the Goat and Compasses has been
supposed to have arisen from
the resemblance be-
tween the bounding of a goat, and the expansion of
a
pair of compasses; but this is more fanciful than
appropriate.
This sign is of the days of the Commonwealth,
when it was the fashion of
the enthusiasts of that
period to append scriptural quotations to the
names
given them by their parents, or to adopt them en-
tirely instead.
This rage for sacred titles induced
them to coin new names also for places
and things.
The corruption from " God encompasseth us," to
Goat and
Compasses, is obvious, and seems quite
natural; and it is not unlikely that
Praise God
Barebones preferred drinking his tankard of ale at
b2
}v
INTRODUCTION.
the " God encompasseth us," rather than frequent a
house retaining its old
and heathenish title.
Richard Flecknoe, in his " Enigmatical Cha-
racter," published in 1665,
speaking of the " fanatic
reformers," observes, " As for the signs, they
have
pretty well begun their reformation already, chang-
ing the sign of
the Salutation of the Angel and our
Lady into the Soldier and Citizen, and
the Katherine
Wheel into the Cat and Wheel; so as there only
wants their
making the Dragon to kill St. George,
and the Devil to tweak St. Dunstan by
the nose, to
make the reformation complete. Such ridiculous
work they make
of their reformation, and so zealous
are they against all mirth and jollity,
that they would
pluck down the sign of the Cat and Fiddle too, if it
durst
but play so loud as they might hear it."
The Bag of Nails, at Chelsea, is claimed by the
smiths and carpenters in
its neighbourhood, as a
house originally intended for their peculiar
accom-
modation ; but, had it not been for the corruption of
the times, it
still would have belonged to the Bac-
chanals, who, in the days of the rare
Ben Jonson,
were accustomed to make a holiday excursion to
that pleasant
part of the environs of London. One
age has contrived to convert Bacchanals
into Bag-
o'-Nails; may not a future age take the liberty of
converting
the term Bacchanalians into that of
Bag-o' -nmlians ?
The very common sign of the Chequers, which
INTRODUCTION.
Ik
■we see either on the door-posts or window-shutters
of most public-houses,
has given rise to much con-
jecture and discussion among the learned, as to
its
origin. One writer supposes that they were meant
to signify that the
game of draughts was allowed to
be played within; another has been informed,
and
that by •' a high and noble personage," that in the
reign of Philip
and Mary, the Earl of Arundel of
that time had a grant for the licensing of
public-
houses, and that the chequer-board, being a part of
the armorial
bearings of that nobleman, this mark
was attached to his sign by the
publican, in order to
shew that he possessed a licence.
Unfortunately for both of these solutions, and
also for the honours of the
" Howards," the Anti-
quarian Society were lately presented by Sir
W.
Hamilton with a view of a street in Pompeii, in
which we find that
shops with the sign of the chequers
were common among the Romans. The true
origin
of this emblem, therefore, still remains involved in
uncertainty,
if not obscurity.
The most witty, though assuredly not the most
genuine explanation, was
that given by the late
George Selwyn, who frequently expressed his
asto-
nishment how antiquarians could be at any loss to
discover why
draughts were an appropriate emblem
for drinking houses.
In the year 1807, an annotator on Beloe's Ancc-
VI
INTRODUCTION.
dotes of Literature says, " I remember many years
ago passing through a
court in ^Rosemary-lane,
where I observed an ancient sign over the door
of
an alehouse, which was called the Four Alls. There
was the figure of a
King, and on a label " I rule
all;" the figure of a Priest, motto, "I pray
for all;"
a Soldier, " I fight for all;" and a Yeoman, " I pay
all." About
two years ago I passed through the
same thoroughfare, and looking up for my
curious
sign, I was amazed to see a painted board occupy
its place, with
these words inscribed, " The Four
Awls."
In Whitechapel-road there is a public-house,
which has a written sign, "
The Grave Morris." A
painter was commissioned to embody the inscrip-
tion
; but this knight of the brush was not possessed
of a poet's eye, and
therefore could not depict the
form of things unknown or imaginary. In
this
dilemma he had recourse to a friend, who had
studied more
particularly " the signs of the times,"
who immediately extricated him out of
his difficulty,
and the painter forthwith delineated, in his best
manner,
'' The Graaf Maurice" which is frequently
mentioned in the " Epistolm
Ho-elianm."
Curiositus fur the Ingenious.
TAVERN ANECDOTES,
------♦------
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
BULL AND MOUTH, Bull axd Mouth-Street.
This sign, like those noticed in the " Introduction,"
exhibits an instance
of the corruption and perversion
of language. Every body knows that a bull
has a
mouth, but every one does not know that there is
such a place as
Boulogne, where there is a harbour,
which necessarily must have an entrance,
commonly
called a mouth.
The original name of this was Boulogne Mouth,
in allusion to the town and
harbour of Boulogne;
but the gne being generally pronounced by the
Lon-
doners on, it gradually became an, and it only re-
quired the small
addition of d to make and of it;
the first part being before this made a bull
of, it was
ultimately converted into the Bull and Mouth,—the
unmeaning
title which it now bears. This is a house
of much business, from whence
several of the mails,
and various other coaches, to all parts of the
king-
dom, take their departure. The late proprietor,
8
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
Mr. Willan, who conducted this respectable concern
for many years,
realised a considerable property,
and died at a good old age ; since which it
has been
disposed of, and being a large concern, several gen-
tlemen
became joint purchasers.
JOHN 0' GROAT'S HOUSE, Windmill-Street.
James the Fourth, of Scotland, sent Malcolm
Gavin and John de Groat, two
brothers, into Caith-
ness, with a letter written in Latin,
recommending
them to the kind regards of the people of that coun-
ty. They
became possessed of lands in the parish
of Anisley, on the banks of the
Pentland firth, which
was equally divided between them. In course of
time
there were eight families of the same name,
who shared alike, and lived
comfortably and in
peace for many years. These were accustomed to
meet, to
celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of
their progenitors. At one of
these meetings it be-
came a matter of dispute which of them was
entitled
to enter first, and take the head of the table; which
had likely
to have terminated fatally, but for the
presence of mind of John de Groat,
proprietor of
the ferry, who remonstrated with them; pointed out
the
necessity of unanimity, as regarded their own
happiness, their respectability
among their neigh-
bours, and general safety from the inroads of
those
clans, who might envy them, and take advan-
tage of their
dissensions. He then proposed the
building of a house, to which they should
contribute
equally pand he promised that at their next meeting
ORIGIN OF SIGNS*
$
he should so order matters, as to prevent any dis-
pute about
precedency.
Having gained their assent, he proceeded to build
a house, with a distinct
room, of an octagonal form,
having eight doors and eight windows, in which
he
placed a table of oak, with eight sides. At the
next annual meeting he
desired each to enter singly
at different doors, and take the head of the
table,
himself entering the last, and taking the remaining
unoccupied
seat. By this ingenious manoeuvre they
were all placed on an equal footing,
and good hu-
mour and harmony were restored and established.
THE COCK,
The ancient emblem of France, but now adopted
in England as a sign, in
allusion to the origin of
cock-fighting.—When Themistocles led an army
of
his countrymen against their barbarian neighbours,
he saw two cocks in
furious combat. This spectacle
was not lost upon the general, who made his
forces
halt, and thus addrsssed them:—" These cocks, my
gallant soldiers,
are not fighting for their country,
or their paternal gods ; neither do they
endure thus
for the monuments of their ancestors, for their off-
spring,
or for glory, in defence of liberty. The only
motive is, the one is
heroically resolved not to yield
to the other."—This opportune harangue made
a
strong impression, rekindled their ardour, and led
them on to conquest.
After their successive victo-
ries over the Persians, the Athenians decreed
that
one day should be set apart in every succeeding
10
T.tVEKN ANECDOTES.
year for the public exhibition of cock-fighting-, the
expenses of which
were to be defrayed by the state.
On the 4th of April, 1789, died, in a most
awful
manner, John Ardesoif, Esq. a young man of large
fortune. He had won
much upon a favourite cock,
but the loss of the last bet so enraged him, that
he
had the poor fowl tied to a spit, and roasted alive
before a large
fire. Its cries were so affecting, that
some gentlemen present interfered,
which so exas-
perated him, that he seized a poker, and declared
that he
would kill the first who touched it; but, in
the height of his passion, he
suddenly dropt down
and died!—If such inhuman feelings are cherished
by
this sport, how can it be encouraged or de-
fended 1
THE GREYHOUND.
The sign of the Greyhound is very common
throughout England, and seems a
very appropriate
one in a sporting country, such as Great
Britain
anciently was, and still continues to be. The grey-
hound, under
the ancient name of the gazehound,
was one of the earliest dogs of the chase,
and from
the nature of his first appellation, was originally
intended to
run by sight. He was the companion
of royalty in field sports. King John
received grey-
hounds in lieu of fines and forfeitures ; but it is
not
certain whether he received them only because he
could obtain nothing
better. The dog of that day
was long haired, and resembling, but
probably
larger than the one used by warreners ; and in the
oldest
pictures now extant, the spaniel, and some-
ORIGIN OF SIGffS.
tt
times the pointer, accompanied the sportsman in
what was then termed
coursing.
The greyhound forms part of the armorial bear-
ings of some noble
families. The talbot forms that
of the Earl of Shrewsbury, in which town
there is
a large and respectable inn, long established, bear-
ing this
latter sign.
THE HORSE.
The sign of the Horse, under various colours,
black, grey, sorrel, pied,
and white, is very general
in London, and other towns. This noble
animal
has always been justly held in high estimation, pos-
sessing so
many qualities, that render him valuable
to man, either for his amusement,
for domestic
purposes, or for carrying him through the field of
danger.
His utility, and the attachment he shews
to a kind master, one would think,
should ensure
him kind treatment, and render parliamentary in-
terference
unnecessary between a horse and his
owner. Numerous works abound with
interesting-
anecdotes of the horse and the dog, which are fami-
liar to
every one. Some, like Caligula, have treated
the horse not only with
kindness, but with venera-
tion ; and it is with feelings of no very
agreeable
nature that we hear of men inheriting high notions
of honour,
&c. shewing themselves destitute of the
amiable feelings, in their
conduct toward this noble
animal.
Dr. Hawkesworth, iu the thirty-seventh number
of " The Adventurer," has
immortalized Tregouville
12
T4VJS.RN .4NEC]J0TES.
Frampto.i, who was keeper of the running horses to
William the Third,
Queen Anne, George the First,
and George the Second, who died at the age
of
eighty-six, on the 12th of March, 1727. The allu-
sion is to the
treatment of his horse Dragon, whom
the doctor feelingly represents as
speaking from the
- elysiutn of beasts and birds. " It is true/'
replied
the steed, " I was a favourite; but what avails it to
be the
favourite of caprice, avarice, and barbarity ?
My tyrant was a man who had
gained a considera-
ble fortune by play, particularly by racing. I had
won
him many large sums ; but being at length ex-
cepted out of every match, as
having no equal, he
regarded even my excellence with malignity, when
it
was no longer subservient to his interest. Yet
still I lived in ease and
plenty; and as he was able
to sell even my pleasure, though my labour
was
become useless, I had a seraglio, in which there was
a perpetual
succession of new beauties. At last,
however, another competitor appeared; I
enjoyed
a new triumph by anticipation; I rushed into the
field, panting
for the conquest, and the first heat I
put my master in possession of the
stakes, which
amounted to one thousand guineas. Mr.------, the
proprietor of the mare that I had distanced, not-
withstanding this
disgrace, declared, with great
zeal, that she should run the next day against
any
gelding in the world for double the sum. My
master immediately
accepted the challenge, and
told him that he would the next day produce a
geld-
ing that should beat her; but what was my asto-
nishment and
indignation when I discovered that he
most cruelly and fraudulently intended
to qualify
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
J3
me for the match upon the spot, and to sacrifice my
life at the very
moment in winch every nerve should
be strained in his service. As I knew it
would be
in vain to resist, I suffered myself to be bound:
the operation
was performed, and I was instantly
mounted, and spurred on to the goal.
Injured as I
was, the love of glory was still superior to the de-
sire of
revenge ; I determined to die as I had lived,
without an equal; and having
again won the race,
I sunk down at the post in an agony, which soon
after
put an end to my life."
" When I had heard this horrid narrative, which
indeed I remembered to be
true, I turned about in
honest confusion, and blushed that I was a man I"
MUNDAY'S COFFEE-HOUSE,
Late of Round-Col bt, Strand, now in Maiden-Lane,
Was formerly kept by John, familiarly styled
Jack Munday, where the
sporting and betting gen-
tlemen might be met with every evening;
where
Dick, alias Captain England, Dennis O'Kelly, Hull,
the Clarkes,
Tetherington, and others of turf noto-
riety resorted, and were ready to lay
bets to any
amount, or to favour those who required it with a
bet on
either side of the question. The company
were also amused by the general fund
of sporting
anecdotes of old Medley; here the big Butcher
challenged Dick
England as being a thief, and al-
luded sarcastically to his origin, which
compelled
the " captain" to have recourse to the argumentwm
fisticvm
instanter; and the renowned knight of the
14
T.iVKRN .4NECD0TES.
cleaver *eeling convinced, by many knock-down
arguments, which softened
him much, at last ac-
knowledged that he had spoken falsely; but in
this
lie lied again.
GOLDEN CROSS, Charing-Cross,
An inn of very considerable business, where many
coaches arrive, and from
whence as many depart to
all parts of the country. Here Dick England,
the
noted gambler and black-leg, was accustomed to
resort, and was
constantly on the watch for raw
Irishmen coming to town by the coaches, whom
he
invariably contrived to pluck. His rapid success
soon enabled him to
repair to an elegant house in
St. Alban's-stieet, where he engaged various
mas-
ters to teach him the polite arts, and he gained a slight
knowledge
of the French language. In the years
1779 and 1783, he was, probably, at the
height of
his prosperity, for he then kept a good house and
table, sported
his vis-a-vis, and was remarkably
choice in the hackney3 he rode, giving
eighty or
ninety guineas for a horse, a price supposed equal
to 200
guineas at the present time. He also fre-
quented Munday's coffee-house, as
before noticed,
where there was an ordinary on certain days at
four
o'clock, when he generally presided. On these oc-
casions his manner
was polite, and his conversation
shrewd, evincing the industry he used to
supply the
defects of education, of which he affected at times to
make a
shew, by introducing classical terms in his
conversation. Being at times the
hero of his own
story, he unguardedly exposed some of his own cha-
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
15
racteristic traits, wliicli his acquired self-posesssion,
in general,
enabled him to conceal. His conduct
among men of rank and family, with whom
he hap-
pened to associate in the way of his profession, was
so polite and
guarded, that he gained general re-
spect ; but he was resolute in enforcing
payment of
sums he had won. One evening he met a young
tradesman at a
house in Leicester-fields, to have an
hour's diversion at rattling the bones,
when he con-
trived to lose a few score pounds, for which he gave
a draft
upon Haulrey's; but requested to have his
revenge, in a few more throws, when
he soon re-
gained what he had lost, and as much in addition.
Upon which,
being late, he proposed for both to
retire, being past three in the morning;
but the
tradesman, conceiving himself tricked, refused pay-
ment of what
he had lost. England then tripped
up his heels, rolled him in the carpet,
took a case-
knife from the sideboard, which he flourished over
him, and
using menacing language, at last cut off
the young citizen's long hair, close
to the scalp.
Dreading worse proceedings, the youth, on being
allowed to
gain an erect posture, gave a check for
the amount, wished the captain a good
morning
civilly, and although he frequently saw England
afterward, never
spoke of the circumstance.
England bad at one time a fat cook, whom he,
after a little acquaintance
with her, elevated from
the kitchen to the head of his table. George
Mahon,
one of his competitors, was a frequent visitor at his
table; and
she proved so unfaithful, as to tamper her
affections, and in a few weeks she
eloped witli
Mahon; which England soon discovered, but con-
16
TAVERN ANKCDOTES.
cealed his knowledge of the affair, until he had an
opportunity of taking
some revenge on the ena-
moured swain. He persuaded Mahon to meet him
at
an inn at Barnett, on a pretended trotting match,
when he threw him on the
floor, and with a sharp
knife he had provided bereft him of his queue,
and
kicked him into the street. England afterwards re-
marked, " Had it
been my wife, I could have for-
given him ; but to seduce my w—, it was not
to be
endured." At loading a dye he was unrivalled ;
but his despatches
produced him the most, as he
would often swear, " By J—s, there is
nothing
equal to a few pigeons, with a pair of despatches."
At Newmarket
he quarrelled with a gentleman
blackleg, whom he accused with having loaded
dice
always with him ; and received for answer, " that
if he had, he knew
who made them for England."
Being at York, during the races, along with
Mr.
Maynard, his brother-in-law, they joined their ten
pounds, and
proposed going to the hazard table.
On sallying out, they inquired where Hell
was kept
this year? A sharp lad (for there are few flats in
York)
answered, " It is kept at the Clerk's of the
Minster, in the Minster-yard,
next the Church!"
England fought a duel, at Cranford-bridge,
June 18, 1784, with Mr. Le
Rowles, a brewer at
Kingston, from whom he had won a large sum, for
which
a bond had been given; and not being paid,
after a considerable time, he
arrested his late friend,
which ended in the duel, fatally to Mr. Le
Rowles.
England fled to Paris, and was outlawed; but it is
reported, that
in the early period of the Revolution,
he furnished some useful intelligence
to our army,
ORIGIN OF SIGN1!.
1'
in the campaign in Flanders, for which he was
remunerated by the British
Cabinet. While in
France, he was several times imprisoned, and
once
ordered to the guillotine, but pardoned, through
the exertion and
influence of one of the Convention,
who also procured a passport, by which he
once
more reached his native country. After an absence
of twelve years, he
was tried for the murder; and
found guilty of man-slaughter, fined one
shilling,
and sentenced to one year's imprisonment.
During his trial he conducted himself respect-
fully ; and, after his
release, he passed the remain-
ing part of his life in obscurity, at his
house in
Leicester-square, where he lived to the age of
eighty, and was
found, on being called to dinner,
lying dead on his sofa.
MRS. BUTLER'S, Covent-Garden,
Alias <f The Finish."
Some place that's like the Finish, lads,
Where all your high pedestrian
pads,
That have been up, and out all night,
Running their rigs among the
rattlers,
At morning meet—and, honour bright—
Agree to share the blunt and
tattlers.
Tom Crab's Memorial to Congress.
This lately celebrated house of call for the turn
outs, was kept, until a
few years ago, by Mrs. But-
ler, who has retired from a publican's life,
although
not from public life, as we hear of her occasionally
at the
meetings of the Committee of Drury-lane
c
18
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
Proprietors, of which property she has purchased
some shares. Her
successor, either not being pos-
sessed of the same knack in managing a house
ot
such a description, or from the " powers that be"
not tolerating that
in another which they winked at
in her, has been compelled to shut up shop,
and the
house, which was formerly the nightly resort of
statesmen, poets,
players, pugilists, and any one
who had the privilege of the entre, and knew
the
signal for admission, or paid due attention to the
white-pated waiter.
This lately privileged house is
now occupied by a vender of coffee and tea,
hot
rolls and butter, with which the frequenters of the
market, and
others, may be accommodated in sea-
sonable hours; i.e. from five a.m. to
nine P.M. It
is situated about half way between Southampton-
street and
the Hummums, on the south side of the
market.
This lady had considerable influence in the neigh-
bourhood, and was of
great service to the popular
candidate, during elections for Westminster.
The
late Mr. Fox, and the sprightly Sheridan, were con-
stant frequenters
of her parlour, on these and other
occasions. Mr. K—n, Mr. B—y—e, and
\arious
other tragedians and comedians, might be met with,
after they had
strutted their hour on the stage.
These, and others, resorted here to finish
the
evening.
THE FLYING HORSE.
The Flying Horse seems to have no affinity to
any
thing connected with inns, unless it has been origi-
nally intended to
represent the Pegasus of the
ORIGIN Oh' SIGNS.
J 9
ancients; in which case it is not so unmeaning*
sign ; for,
If with water you fill up your glasses,
You'll never write any thing wise
;
For wine is the horse of Parnassus,
Which hurries a baid to the
skies.
GUY FAWKES.
This title seems to have been adopted by some
loyalist,
shortly after the discovery of the Gun-
powder Plot, for blowing up the King,
(James I.)
Prince Henry, and all the Lords and Commoners
who might be then
assembled at the opening of the
Session of Parliament. The 5th of November
brings
annually before our eyes various grotesque figures,
destined to the
flames, reminding us of the provi-
dential escape of the King and Parliament.
" The
dreadful secret," says Hume, " though communi-
cated to above twenty
persons, had been religiously
kept for above a year and a half. No remorse,
no
pity, no fear of punishment, no hope of reward, had
as yet induced any
one conspirator either to aban-
don the enterprise, or make a discovery of
it. The
holy fury had extinguished in their breasts every
other motive,
and it was an indiscretion, at least,
proceeding chiefly from those very
bigotted preju-
dices and partialities, which saved the nation.
In
consequence of an anonymous and warning letter
being received by Lord
Monteagle, a catholic, which
being made known to the King, he caused a
search
to be made in the cellars under the house on the
day preceding the
meeting of Parliament, where
C 2
20
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
was found Guido Fawkes, with matches ready to
set fire to the train. He
was tried and executed in
Old Palace-yard, in 1606."
THE HOLE IN THE WALL.
There are various houses known by this name.
That
in Chancery-lane, nearly opposite to the gate
leading into Lincoln's Inn
Old-square, is kept by
Jack Randall, who has obtained the proud title
of
the Nonpareil, he having fought above a dozen
pitched battles, with the
most of his opponents
superior to him in weight, and proving the victor
in
every rencounter. He weighs about ten stone six
pounds, and his height
is about five feet six inches ;
but he has now retired from the ring, having
netted
some blunt.
Then blame me not, smells, kidt, or lads of the fancy,
For opening a lush
crib m Chancery-lane ;
An appropriate spot 'tis, you doubtless all can see,
Since heads I've oft
placed there, and let out again.
There is also a noted " Hole in the Wall" in
Fleet-street, where
compositors have long held their
orgies, and where many a portentous question
re-
lating to the price of their labotir, has been debated
in full
conclave
THE MAGDALEN.
A house, under the above title, in the \icinity of
the
Magdalen Asylum, for females who are desirous
of escaping from the miseries
of prostitution, and
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
21
being restored again to respectable society, lias evi-
dently adopted the
name from the circumstance of
contiguity. The excellent institution alluded
to has
been productive of much good, in restoring many a
Wandering
daughter to the arms of a fond parent;
and it well deserves the support of
the affluent, the
liberal, and the humane.
Nothing but being in the neighbourhood of such
an institution could have
rendered such a sign in
any way appropriate for a public-house; for
we
have never perceived any thing in the manner of
conducting such
concerns as was conducive to vir-
tue, but rather destructive to the morals
of youth,
and particularly of females.
THE NEW YORK COFFEE-HOUSE,
So named, in reference to the Trans-atlantic capi-
tal. This house, which
is in the vicinity of the Royal
Exchange, is much frequented by commercial
men
belonging to or connected with America, where the
various English and
American papers may be re-
ferred to. Turning over one of the latter files,
viz.
the New York Evening Post, the other evening, I
lighted upon the
following instance of Yankee wit:
" An American officer, bearer of a flag to the
British lines, was
afterwards invited to dinner by the
British commander. The wine being in
circulation,
a British officer was called upon to give a toast,
when he
proposed, ' Mr. Madison, dead or alive,'
which the American drank with
apparent indiffe-
rence. When the Yankee was requested to pro-
0g
TiiVfi'R'fc .4KEdD0*E&.
pose a toast, lie gave, ' The P— R—, drunk or
sober.' ' Sir,' said the
British officer, " that is an
insult.' ' No, answered Yankee, coolly, ' it is
only
a reply to one.'"
THE GRENADIER.
This sign is of frequent observation at places
where the
military are, or have been resident, and
seems to have been adopted in
compliment to the
private soldier, as others have been to that of
their
commanders.
GUY, EARL OF WARWICK.
There are many signs in the country put up
in
remembrance of the above nobleman, who rendered
himself so famous in
the transactions of his times ;
none of which have figured more in
traditionary
history, than his encounter with the dun cow, and
his defeat
of Colbrand, the Danish giant.
GUY'S HEAD.
This sign is doubtless intended to do honour (o
the
philanthropy of Mr. Thomas Guy, who founded
the hospital in the Borough which
bears his name,
and which cost the sum of £18,793.16*. Id.; and the
sum
left for the endow ment of it was £219,499 0*. id.
Had he been of the Romish
church, he might have
been honoured with a niche in their calendar,
where
many have been placed for acts neither of so bene-
volent or noble a
nature. Mr. Guy had agreed to
marry a female servant, whose manners
pleased
OKI GIN OF MG1**>.
23
l,im. Some days before the time intended to cele-
brate the nuptials, he
had ordered the pavement
before his door to be repaired to a particular spot
;
having left home, his servant discovering a broken
flag beyond the spot
pointed out by her intended,
desired it also to be replaced by another, thus
pre-
maturely assuming an authority, by telling the
workmen to say to Mr.
Guy, " 1 bid you, and he
wont he angry." On his discovering of her
con-
duct, he renounced his engagement, and devoted
his ample fortune to
public charity. What a lesson
this to aspiring spinsters!
ST. DUNSTAN.
St. Dunstan was born on the 19th May, 924, at
Glastonbury, and educated in
the abbey. He be-
came a great scholar, and skilled in painting,
sculp-
ture, music, and in the art of refining arid forging
metals, so
that he was first deemed a conjurer, and
then named a saint. He made two
large bells for
the church of Abingdon. Edmund made him ablot
of
Glastonbury; Edred, his successor, made him
royal confessor, confidant, and
prime minister ;
Edwy ordered him into exile; but Edgar recalled
him, and
promoted him successively to the bishop-
rics of Worcester and London; and to
the archie-
piscopal chair of Canterbury, which he filled twenty-
seven
years, and died 19th May, 988.
When a boy, he is stated by the monks of his
time to have studied theology
so sedulously, as to
reduce him to the point of death, when he was
sud-
denly restored by a divine medicine sent by an
24
TAVEHN ANECDOTES.
angel in a storm. In the impulse of gratitude, he
instantly started from
bed, and hastened to the
church; but was met by the way by the devil,
sur-
rounded by a number of black dogs, who endea-
voured to stop him. He
prayed for help, and was
enabled to cudgel the devil and his dogs so
hear-
tily, that they were glad to leave him and his assist-
ing angel
masters of the field. The angel finding
the doors of the church fastened,
took him up,
and conveyed him through the roof.
The arch-enemy at another time made an attack
upon his chastity. While the
saint was at work at
his forge, the devil appeared before him in the
form
of a beautiful woman; but the saint was too sharp
for him, for
immediately recognising Satan, he took
his tongs, red-hot from the fire, and
revenged the
insult, by heartily pinching the devil's nose. There
is in
Goldsmith's-hall, London, a painting, repre-
senting angels rejoicing at the
saint's conquest of
Satan. St. Dunstan is said to have invented
the
jEolian harp, which was the first cause of his being
considered
divinely gifted: for he is said to have
been able to play upon the harp
without touching it:
St. Dunstan's harp, fast by the wall,
Upon a pin did hang-a;
The harp itself, with ty and all.
Untouched by hand did twang-a.
THE CROWN AND ANCHOR, Stbanb.
The union of these titles, as applied to
other
houses, appears appropriate enough; but this tavern
being in the
parish of St. Clement Danes, seems to
ORIGIN Ob' S16JNS.
25
have derived its second title from the legend of
St. Clement; which
states, that he was cast into the
sea with an anchor about his neck, and that
on the
first anniversary of his death the sea retired three
miles from the
shore, and discovered on the place
where he suffered a superb temple of fine
marble,
in which was a monument of the saint; and that
for several years
the sea withdrew for seven days in
succession. In allusion to this, the
device of the
anchor may be seen on the boundary marks of the
parish, and
in various parts of the church of St.
Clement Danes, Strand.
St. Clement, a Roman, is stated to have been
converted by St. Peter, and
he was a zealous coad-
jutor of the Apostles.—{See Philip iv. 3.)
Several
works are attributed to him ; but his Epistle to the
Church at
Corinth only is considered genuine. It
is generally believed that this great
and good man
died a natural death, about a.d. 100, at the com-
mencement
of the reign of the Emperor Trajan.
THE DEVIL TAVERN, Fleet-Strlet.
The Devil tavern is stated, by Mr. Pennant, as
being near Temple-bar. It
occupied the ground
which is now named Child's-place. This tavern,
well
known to the facetious Ben Jonson, and others,
had for a sign the Devil, and
St. Dunstan tweaking
him by the nose with a pair of hot tongs. The
cele-
brated libertine, Lord Rochester, also takes notice
of this
notorious scene of revelry.
This tavern appears to have been open in the
26
TAV4.RN liNECDOTES.
days of Goldsmith, who notices Dr. Kenriok, the
lecturer, at the above
tavern, which the doctor enti-
tled the School of Shakspeare, in the poem
of
" Retaliation." It does not appear in any of " the
books," whether his
Satanic majesty was pleased
with, or patronised the said tavern; but,
doubtless,
he looked in there at times to see his friends, per-
haps under
cover of the smoke they raised. Ben
Jonsou passing along Fleet-street, near
to the above
tavern, observed a countryman staring at a grocer's
sign; he
tapped him on the shoulder, and asked
him what so engaged his attention?
"Why, mas-
ter," he replied, " I be admiring that nice piece of
poetry
over the shop." " How can you make that
rhyme V said Ben; " the words are, '
Coffee and
tea to be sold." " Why thus," replies Ralph:—
" Coffee and tea
To be s-o-l-d."
This so pleased the poet, that Ralph was taken into
his service
immediately, and he continued to serve
him until Jonson's death.
The late Duke of Montague, of facetious memory,
gave an entertainment at
the Devil tavern, to seve-
ral nobles and gentry, whom he knew to be
convi-
vialists, and fond of their bottle; among whom was
Heidegger, the
Swiss musician, who was soon sewed
up, and carried to bed. While in sound
sleep, the
duke caused a cast to be taken from his face, from
which a mask
was afterwards made by the duke's
order. From Heidegger's valet the duke
learnt the
dress he meant to go in to the next masquerade at
the King's
Theatre, and hr procured one like it, in
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
27
which he attired a person of the same .stature, who
went along with the
duke to the same masquerade.
When his Majesty entered, Heidegger ordered
the
music to strike up the national anthem of " God
Save the King;" and
had no sooner turned round
than the masked Heidegger called to play, "
Over
the Water to Charlie," which astonished all those
who were not in the
secret. Heidegger ran to thu
gallery, storming, while his Majesty and others
en-
joyed a hearty laugh. After putting them to rights,
as he thought
finally, he retired to one of the
dancing rooms, when the mask again placed
himself
in the front of the gallery, and ordered them pe-
remptorily to
give, " Over the Water to Charlie."
They paused ; but conceiving they must
obey, began
it again, which threw the company into some con-
fusion,
Heidegger again returned to the gallery,
and rated the musicians roundly.
Here the duke
whispered to him, that his Majesty was very angry,
and he
had better apologise, and then dismiss the
musicians. He approached the King,
and had just
finished an humble apology, when the mask ad-
vanced to do
the same, adding, that it was not his
fault, as that devil had taken his
likeness; which so
confounded Heidegger, that he stared, grew pale,
and
was utterly speechless. The duke, thinking
the joke had been carried far
enough, whispered in
his ear the plot that had been carried on, and
re-
lieved him from his distress. Heidegger was ex-
ceedingly harsh
featured, but could joke upon his
own ugliness. The Earl of Chesterfield lost
a bet
with him, by not being able to produce one so ugly
as he. A woman
was found very strangely fea-
28
TiVtRN 4NECD0TLS.
tured; but, upon placing her cap on his head, lie
appeared uglier than
ever.
THE MARINER.
This sign, like that of the " Jolly Sailor," " Ma-
riner's Compass," "
Ship," " Boat," " Barge," &c.
lias been adopted in seaport towns,
evidently in
compliment to the seafaring man, as others have
adopted the
names of some favourite or fortunate
admiral, commodore, captain,
&.c.
THE GUILDHALL COFFEE-HOUSE.
This, I believe, is the only house in London
under its title; its vicinity
to Guildhall, in King-
street, sufficiently denotes its origin. It is
fre-
quented much by lawyers and their clients, who
have business in the
courts of law held in the city;
or having occasion to attend the
commissioners of
bank? upts, whose office, newly erected in
Basinghall-
street, forms one of the important modern improve-
ments in
the city.
THE iMANSION-HOUSE.
The vicinity of this public-house to the residence
of the chief
magistrate, also denotes its origin. It
is much resorted to by parties who
are brought by,
or the bringer of others before the Lord Mayor, m ^
his
judicial capacity. And here some differences^
that can be made up, are
settled over a jug of heavy,
OKIGIX OF SIGN'S.
29
a drop of max, with a bit o' sume-ut to eat, and
something to the officer
for his trouble.
At one of the public dinners at the Mansion-
house, during Wilkes's
mayoralty, Boswell per-
ceiving George Colman at a loss for a seat,
having
secured good room for himself, called to him, and
gave him a seat
by his side; remarking, at the same
time, how important a matter it was to
ha\e a
Scotchman for his friend at such a table. Shortly
after this they
happened to be helped to something
by a waiter who was a foreigner, to whom
Mr. Bos-
well spoke in German ; when Mr. Colman observed,
that he thought
he had mistaken the place. " I did
think I was at the Mansion-house, but I am
cer-
tainly at St. James's, for here are none but Scots
and Germans!"
THE ADMIRAL DEAIvE.
This sign also figures occasionally by the water-
side, in honour of the
brave admiral of that name.
Quaint conceit of an old writer on Queen Eliza-
beth and Sir Francis
Drake:—
O, Nature ! to Old England still
Continue these mistakes:
Still give us
for our kings such queens,
And for our dux such drakes!
THE DOG AND DUCK.
This sign seems to have been adopted by some
publican, whose house being
contiguous to a pond
30
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
or river, was the resort of those accustomed (o the
cruel sport of
duck-hunting; a practice still kept
up, and, to the disgrace of the
metropolis, has been
lately seen taking place on the morning of a
Sunday,
in the New River, a short way above Islington.
The Dog and Duck,
in St. George's-fields, was long
known as a house of resort of the
metropolitans.
THE CATHERINE WHEEL.
The Catherine Wheel is used for a sign to several
public houses, and is
also given to a species of five
works. Catherine, the virgin and martyr,
was
born, according to her legend, at Alexandria, and
of so wonderful a
capacity, that having soon after
her conversion to Christianity, A. D. 805,
disputed
with fifty heathen philosophers, she not only van-
quished them
by the strength of her reasoning, but,
in the end, painted to them the Divine
truths of the
Gospel in such glowing colours, that she converted
them all
to the true faith. For this offence, so hei-
nous in the eyes of the Emperor
Maxentius, that
tyrant caused her instantly to be cast into prison;
where
the Empress, and one of the principal gene-
rals, who visited her out of
curiosity, were likewise
converted by the irresistible power of her
eloquence
and learning; which was deemed so great an aggra-
vation of her
crime, that the emperor not only con-
demned the virgin saint to a cruel
death, but caused
the fifty philosophers to be burnt alive.
The Emperor Maxentius then ordered the saint '*
1o be tortured with four
cutting wheels, in which
ORIGIN* OK SIGN'S.
31
were saws of iron, sharp nails, ami sharp knives;
the wheels turned one
against another, and the
saws, knives, and nails met.
She was tied to one of the wheels, that the other
being turned the
contrary way, her body might he
torn in different places with the sharp
instruments,
and was afterwards beheaded ; but angels, we are
assured,
rescued her remains, and conveyed them
to Mount Sinai; where in the
beginning- of the
ninth century, they were happily discovered, in
an
uneorrupted state.
That these sacred relics should work miracles was
a natural consequence,
and pilgrimages to her tomb
became frequent, until the year 1063 ; when
travel-
ling on this devout errand having become extremely
dangerous, on
account of the hordes of Arabs which
infested the way, an order of
knighthood, upon the
model of that of the holy sepulchre, was
established,
and placed under the immediate protection of St.
Catherine,
whose name they bore. These knights
bound themselves, by the most solemn
oaths, to
guard the shrine of their murdered saint, and keep
the roads
leading to it secure of access. Their
habits were white, in token of the
spotless purity of
their patroness, and were ornamented with a half
wheel,
armed with spikes, and traversed with a
sword stained with blood, to keep
them in constant
remembrance of the horrid death intended to her,
and of
the providential escape she experienced from
such barbarity, by the
intervention of a divine
agency.
Such is the outline of the legend of St. Catherine,
of whom nothing
appears upon record before the
32
T^VRRK ANECDOTES.
alleged discovery of her uncorrupted remains; a
circumstance that has
given rise to much contro-
versy, even as to the actual existence of this
saint.
SAINT ANDREW.
St. Andrew was the younger brother of Simon,
surnamed, by our Lord, Peter.
The Scotch have
chosen him ae their tutelar saint; and it is
asserted,
that his remains were deposited in the County of
Fife, in the
year 368. The town and univ ersity of
St. Andrew, in Fifeshire, are named in
commemo-
ration of him.
St. Andrew, upou the dispersion of the Apostles,
traversed the vast
northern regions of Scythia,
surmounting every difficulty : he passed over
the
countries of Thrace, Macedonia, &c.; and at Patra,
he was so
wonderfully successful in the execution
of his heavenly trust, that Ageas,
the pro-consul,
condemned him to be scourged, and then crucified ;
which
sentence was put in force with peculiar
cruelty. Seven lictors alternately
exerted their
strength on the shoulders of the apostle ; and in
order that
his death, after such torture, should be
the more lingering amd painful, he
was fastened to
the cross with cords instead of nails. He remained
in this
state of agony two days, preaching and in-
structing the surrounding populace
in that faith,
which enabled him to sustain his sufferings without
a
murmur: a faith, which afforded to him the con~
summation of his riches, in a
prospect of eternal
life with his Saviour, whose doctrines he had so
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
33
strenuously inculcated. His body was embalmed,
an»d honourably entombed by
a Christian lady of
qui ality and fortune; and some time afterwards
his
rel-ics were removed, by Constantine the Great, to
Byvzantium. St.
Andrew is known, in all paintings,
pictures, &c. by his bearing his
cross, in the form of
thes letter X.
TILE KING'S HEAD
>At various times, houses of accommodation have
bee^n opened under the
above sign, and we may
fairrly infer that the. keepers were not
republicans,
ancd that few, if any, were set up, for the first
time,
duiring the usurpation of Cromwell. The King's
Hesad, in the.
Poultry, is much frequented by the
citiizens who are fond of turtle ; and
during elec-
tions, for the office of alderman, &c. it is
generally
selected by one of the candidates for the meeting
of their
committee.
ROBIN HOOD, Windmill-Street.
Every one is familiar with the history of Robin
Hoood. About half a
century ago there existed a
debbating society in London, called " The
Robin
Ho«od Society," which gave name to the house
wh' ere it met.
fTlie Hon. Charles Townshend hearingit asserted,
thajt when Jeacock, the
baker, was president, there
wass better speaking at the Robin Hood than at
St.
Stephen's Chapel; he replied, " You are not to
34
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
wonder that people should go to the laker for
oratory, when so many come
to the House of Com-
mons for bread."
THE ALPHABET.
This seems to have bees originally Alpha, Beta;
if so, it had a sacred
allusion, like many others of
Commonwealth origin. A house so called, in
the
neighbourhood of Clare-market, has the whole of
the letters, from
great A to little z, over the door,
as a distinguishing sign. In the seventh
chapter of
Ezra, the twenty-first verse contains all the letters
of the
alphabet.
THE CROSS INN.
The Cross has, very naturally, been made the
emblem of our Christian
faith, from the earliest
ages of Christianity: it has adorned our
cathedrals,
churches, chapels, and other places dev oted to reli-
gion ;
and has been adopted in former times by
various professions, and amongst
others by the
keepers of inns for the accommodation of pilgrims,
who
would, most likely, prefer sojourning at a house
bearing so distinguishing a
mark of Christianity.
In these latter times there are many who
exhibit
this sign, without any other intention than merely
to distinguish
one particular house from another.
The Romish church celebrates a feast on the 3d
of May, named the "
Invention of the Cross." It
is said, that on this day St. Helena found the
true
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
35
cross on Mount Calvary, deep in the ground. Three
crosses were found; but
the cross of Christ was
soon distinguished from those on which the
two
thieves were crucified, by a sick woman touching it,
and being
immediately healed. The custody of the
cross was committed to the Bishop of
Jerusalem ;
and on every Easter Sunday it was exposed to
view, and
pilgrims from all countries were indulged
with small pieces of it, enchased
in gold, or gems,
notwithstanding which, it is said, it never
lessened,
being possessed of a wonderful and secret power of
vegetation.
The cross became the private mark,
or signal, whereby Christians
distinguished each
other from their Pagan enemies in times of
perse-
cution, and their public emblem in times less danger-
ous ; and is
still the sign used in Christian churches,
to mark those who are baptised.
Wherever the
Gospel was preached]1 a pious cure caused crosses
to be
erected, as standards, round which the faith-
ful might assemble the more
conveniently to hear
divine truths; and by degrees this symbol was
fixed
in every place of public resort, as may be
remarked in many towns in Great
Britain, where
crosses are or have been erected in the centre of
four
streets, pointing directly to the four cardinal
points, where engagements
were entered into, whe-
ther of a religious or worldly nature. Royal
pro-
clamations still are made, in the first place, at such
as remain, or
on the spot where they formerly stood,
which still retains the title. Every
church-yard
formerly had a cross, on which the deceased body
was laid,
while the preacher gave his lesson on the
mutability of life. At the turning
of every public
t>2
36
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
road a cross was placed, for resting the bearers,
and for reminding the
traveller of a crucified Sa-
viour. The boundaries of parishes were
distin-
guished by crosses, at which, during their perambu-
lations, the
people alternately prayed and regaled
themselves.
The grants from sovereigns or nobles, and all
engagements between
individuals, were also marked
with the cross; and in all cases, even to this
day,.
where the parties could not write, this emblem was
aud is considered
an efficient substitute for the
subscription of a name.
THE KING'S ARMS.
The same remarks may apply to this as to the
" King's Head."
A certain amorous king holoiag dalliance with a
fair damsel at a public
court ball, one of the cour-
tiers wishing to retire to some tavern for
refresh-
ment, inquired of another what house he would
recommend; who
wittily replied, " that he had
better not go to tha King's Arms, as they were
full,
but that the King's Head was empty!"
THE DEVIL AN» BAG OF NAILS.
Some years since, a board with this designation
appeared by the turnpike,
just beyond the Queen's
garden wall at Pimlico; but modern refinement
has
farther encroached on the liberty originally taken
with his Infernal
Majesty, as to lea\e him now entirely
ORIGIN Of SIGNS.
37
out. About fifty years ago the original sign might
have been seen at the
front of the house, which was
a Satyr of the Woods, and a group of jolly
dogs,
ycleped Bacchanals. But the Satyr having been
painted with cloven
feet, and painted black, it was
by the common people called the Devil; while
the
Bacchanalians were transmuted, by a comical pro-
cess, into a bag of
nails. By this appellation the
house was known for many years; till the
refiners
of times and manners thought fit to eject the Devil
from the sign
altogether, and retain only the most
unmeaning part of it, that of the Bag o'
Nails.
THE MITRE INN.
This appears to have been an ancient sign, coeval
with the introduction
and establishment of prelacy
in England. There is a good inn so named, in
the
city of Oxford.
Hearne copied the following anecdote from a
paper, in the hand-writing of
Dr. Richard Rawlin-
son :—" Of Daniel Rawlinson, who kept the Mitre
Tavern
in Fenchurch-street. and of whose being
sequestered in the rump time 1 have
heard much.
The Whigs tell this, that upon the King's murder,
he hung his
sign in mourning: he certainly judged
right. The honour of the mitre was much
eclipsed,
through the loss of so good a parent of the church
of
England.
Those rogues say, this endeared him so much to
the churchmen, that he soon
throve amain, and got
a good estate."
38
TAVEBN ANECDOTES.
THE ROYAL OAK.
This sign was set up soon after the restoration of
Charles II. in allusion
to his being concealed in an
oak from the observation of his pursuers.
Hence
styled " Royal."
The restoration of our ancient monarchical con-
stitution, and with it our
episcopal establishment,
diffused gladness throughout the kingdom. "
Tra-
ditions remain of men, particularly Oughtred, the
mathematician, who
died of pleasure, when informed
of this happy and surprising
event."—Hume.
The common people still continue the practice of
wearing oak leaves in
their hats; thus perpetuating
the remembrance of Charles' concealment in
the
oak, after the battle of Worcester. The dress he
wore, by way of
disguise, is thus described in a
tract of that period, now scarce:—" He had
on a
white steeple crowned hat, without any other lining
besides grease,
both sides of the brim so doubled
up with handling, that they looked like two
water
spouts ; a leather doublet, full of holes, and almost
black with
grease about the slee\es, collar, and
waist; an old green woodriff's coat,
threadbare,
and patched in most places ; with a pair of breeches
of the
same cloth, and in the same condition, the
tops hanging down loose to the
middle of the leg;
hose and shoes of different parishes; the hose were
■
grey stirrups, much darned and clouted, especially
about the knees; under
which he had a pair oi
flannel stockings of his own, the tops ot them
cut
off; his shoes had been cobbled, being pierced both
on the soles and
scams, and the upper leathers so
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
39
cut and slashed, to fit them to his feet, that they
were quite unfit to
befriend him, either from the
water or dirt. This exotic and deformed
dress,
added to his short hair, cut off by the ears, his face
coloured
brown, with walnut-tree leaves, and a
rough crooked thorn stick in his hand,
had so
metamorphosed him, that it was hard even for those
who had before
been acquainted with his person,
and conversant with him, to have discovered
who
he was."
This celebrated tree was situated near to Bosco-
bel, in the parish of
Donnington. By some it is
stated to have been in a flourishing state;
while
others assert, with apparently more reason, that it
was old, and so
much decayed, that Charles con-
cealed himself in its hollow trunk. The
remains
of the tree were enclosed by a handsome wall, with
the following
inscription in gold letters, on the stone
over the arch of the door: "
felicissimam arborem
QUAM IN ASYLUM PONTENTISSIMI REGIS CAROLI
11NDI DEUS, OP! MAX. PER QUAM
REGES REGNANT.
HIC CRESCERE VOLUIT, &C
A modern tourist asserts that this ancient tree is
no longer standing, but
that a young and thriving
sapling, taken from it, fills its place within the
en-
closure, the wall of which has been taken down and
nearly rebuilt.
We may here remark that guineas were first intro-
duced in the reign of
this prince; and the figure of
Britannia on the copper coin was first used by
his
order, in compliment to the fine form and graceful
symmetry of his
accomplished cousin, Frances
Stuart.
.MS
TAVERN ANKCDOTgS.
SI". I1EIXNA,
Discoverer of the holy cross, or the true cross of
Christ, the chief part
of which remained ill the
custody of the Bishop of Jerusalem, by whom
it
was annually exhibited at Easter, until Cosroes,
king of Persia,
plundered Jerusalem, and seized
the sacred relic, about the year of Christ
615.
Heraelius, the Roman emperor,-vanquished Cosroes,
and resolved to
remove this object of veneration to
Mount Calvary; for which purpose he
attired him-
self iu his imperial robes, but he could not lift the
holy
wood from the ground. A voice from Heaven
admonished him, that Christ
himself, lowly and
meek, and mounted on an ass, had entered Jerusa-
lem,
while Heraelius had attempted to pollute the
hallowed cross. The emperor
immediately dis-
robed himself, and then, with the greatest ease,
conveyed
the wood to the appointed place. The
ideutity of the cross being thus
ascertained, it was
deposited in the great church of the twelve
apostles
at Constantinople. This is the legendary narrative
of the
circumstance, that gave rise to the festival ol
the " Exaltation of the
Cross."
There is an inn, with tea-gardens attached, about
half way between London
and Deptford, which
has borne this designation for many years; but it
does
not appear whether it was intended to ho-
nour the above saint, or in
allusion to the island
of that name, which serves as a watering place
to
oriental voyagers, as this does for a resting place,
or half-way house
for the cockney, or yokel
traveller.
0H1GIN OF SIGNS.
41
THE GREEN MAN AND STILL.
Mr. Jekyll meeting his friend Lord Erskine, said,
" May I congratulate
you, my lord, on having the
green ribbon?" " Yes," replied his lordship, "
yet
I am. the same man still." " Then," rejoined the
humorous barrister, "
it will be a most evident sign
of your deserts, and therefore you must be
the
Green Man and Still.
THE MEKMAID, Hackney,
A creature much talked of, but seldom, if ever,
seen, has induced some few
to adopt the title as a
novel distinction. Here are very neat gardens,
and
the large room is well adapted for public meetings.
The county
meetings are frequently held here, at
which the " members" and others aftend
to inform
their constituents what they have done, and are
told in return
what they have not done, and ought
to do.
At the Mermaid Inn at Rochester, a clergyman
called some time since, and
ordered dinner for the
Bean of Canterbury, whom he said he had met on
the
road; the Canon of Winchester; the Provost
of Lichfield; the Rector of
Orpington; the Vicar
of Romney ; and one of the King's Chaplains ; all
of
which livings were held by the dean. The land-
lord made ample provision; and
when the dean
arrived, he found a large table set out, and expressed
his
surprise that Boniface had shown him into a
room intended for a large party.
" No, please your
42
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
reverence, for Parson Singlechurch called about
two hours ago, and told
tne to provide for your
honour, and the Canon of Winchester, and I
know
not how many more." " Well, well," interrupted
the dean, who soon
perceived the joke, " I see I
ought to have asked Mr. Singlechurch to
dinner."
ST. JAMES'S COFFEE-HOUSE.
A well regulated house, elegantly appointed in
all things fitting for the
vicinity of a royal palace,
and the resort of many noble and
distinguished
characters.
Dr. Goldsmith, and some of his friends, occa-
sionally dined at the St.
James's coffee-house. One
day it was proposed to write epitaphs on him;
his
country, dialect, and person, furnished objects of
witticism. He was
called on for retaliation; and
at their next meeting produced the poem,
entitled
" Retaliation," in which the following persons are
humorously
characterised: — the Master of the
Coffee-house; Dr. Bernard, dean of Derry;
Ed-
mund Burke, Esq.; Messrs. William and Richard
Burke; Richard
Cumberland, Esq.; Dr. Douglas;
David Garrick, Esq.; John Ridge, Esq. an
Irish
barrister; Mr. Hickey, the eminent attorney; Sir
Joshua Reynolds;
Thomas Townsend, Esq. M.P.
for Whitchurch; Dr. Dodd; Dr. Kenrick, who
read
lectures at the Devil tavern, which he entitled
" The School of Shakspeare;"
James Macpherson,
Esq. the author or translator of " Ossian's Poems;"
Mr.
Hugh Kelly, author of " False Delicacy," &c.;
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
43
Mr. W. Woodfall, printer of the Morning Chronicle;
Mr. Whitefoord, a
humorous writer for the Puhlic
Advertiser; and Mr. Woodfall, the printer of
the
latter journal.
THE BIBLE.
A house, the only one we know of the name, is
situated m Shire-'ane,
Temple-bar. This was for-
merly a house of call for printers, and probably
was
so titled in honour of the typographic art, without
intending any
respect for religion, the sacred writ-
ings being among the first books that
gave employ-
ment to that class of artizans.
THE LION INN.
This is a very general sign thioughout the conn-
try. Being a national
emblem, it is used by various
tradesmen; but we do not see how it is
character-
istic of the trade of a publican; it is more appio-
priate to
the profession of a sailor or a soldier.
THE RED LION, Druea-Lane.
Where the Red Lion, staring o'er the way,
Invites each passing stranger that can pay ,
Where Calvert's butt, and Parson's black champaign,
Regale the drabs and bloods of Drury-lane;
There, in a lonely room, from bailiffs snug,
Ihe Muse found Scroggen stretch'd beneath a rug ,
4/f
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
A window, patch'd with paper, lent a ray,
That dimly shew'd the state in which he lay;
The sanded floor that grits beneath the tread,
The humid wall with paltry pictures spread;
The royal game of Goose was there in view,
And the Twelve Rules the royal martyr drew ;
The Seasons, fram'd with listing, found a place,
And brave Prince William shew'd his lamp-black face:
The morn was cold; he views with keen desire
The rusty grate unconscious of a fire;
With beer and milk arrears the frieze was scor'd,
And five crack'd tea-cups dress'd the chimney-board;
A nightcap deck'd his brows instead of bay,
A cap by night—a stocking all the day!
Dr. Goldsmith, doubtless from his own experi-
ence of the drudgery of
composing and compiling
for the Row, at per sheet, described the case
of
authors, and the whole fraternity of bookmakers,
when he wrote the
Epitaph on Edward Purdon:—
Who long was a bookseller's hack,
He led such a damnable life in this world
I don't think he'll wish to come back.
HOLY ROOD HOUSE.
Holy Rood was an image of Christ on the cross,
placed on what was called
the rood-loft, built in
churches, over the passage that leads to the
chancel.
The most famous of these crucifixes was found at
Boxley Abbey, in
Kent: it was called the " rood
of grace;" and, by the aid of springs, the
eyes and
lips were moved, and the head turned at the plea-
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
t#
sure of its keeper. This identical image was ex-
hibited at Paul's Cross
in the year 1537, and after
a sermon was delivered upon the relic, it was
broken
in pieces. At this place was erected a wooden
pulpit, on stone
steps, and covered with lead, in
which the most eminent divines were
appointed to
preach every Sunday morning; and they were at-
tended by the
court, the lord mayor and aldermen,
and the principal citizens.
THE FORTUNE OF WAR.
This title is of considerable antiquity, and pro-
bably originated with
some veteran warrior, who
had obtained prize-money sufficient to enable
him
to retire, and become publican. In Giltspur-street
there is a house
retaining that name: it is at the
corner of Cock-lane, of ghost
notoriety.
In front of this house there is still retained an
ancient figure, said to
represent a glutton, and being
the spot where the great fire terminated, was
in-
tended to remind the citizens of the sin of eating
and drinking
inordinately; which was said, by
some of the good fto'ks of that time, to
have caused
the visitation of this dreadful calamity, which com-
menced at
Pudding-lane, and ended at Pie-corner.
However calamitous in its immediate conse-
quences, subsequent generations
felt its beneficial
effects, in its completely putting a stop to the
plague,
which in the previous year had swept off 08,590
individuals; while
in the great fire, only six persons
lost their lives.
Ifr
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
Out of the ashes of this fire have arisen most of
our fine public
buildings, the streets have been
greatly widened, and other improvements
made,
rendering the metropolis as agreeable a capital as
any in the
world.
THE CASTLE TAVERN, Holeorn.
A general house of resort for the gentlemen of
the " Fancy," conducted in
a most respectable way
by one who has figured in the prize ring, but has
now
retired from it, excepting acting occasionally as a
second, or
exhibiting at the Fives'-court for a be-
nefit. This house has been kept by
two others con-
nected with the ring, but had not become the head
quarters
until the present landlord, Mr. Thomas
Belcher, became its owner. Here the "
Fancy" meet
very frequently; and the curious stranger, who
may wish to hat
e a peep at life, need be under no
apprehension in visiting the house, as Tom
is a
civil landlord, and preserves good order in his crib.
On many
evenings there may be heard some good
singing; on e\ery night good humour
prevails, with
a mixture of chaffing ; store of good liquors are kept
for
the thirsty; and the hungry may have a bit of
something good for the maw,
from a well supplied
larder. On the near approach of any great match,
the
house is crowded by the curious, the adven-
turous better, the veteran
pugilist, and the juvenile
aspirant; and on the night immediately
preceding,
numbers throng thither to form parties, and to
learn, if
possible, the scene of action, which is
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
47
dispersed about, yet still left as a matter of uncer-
tainty, as it always
is; for, although a place may
be intended, something may occur to prevent
its
taking place; yet if the company can ascertain
which way the keeper of
the ring is to bend his
course in the morning, they can generally form
a
pretty good guess of the probable spot. Tom being
a responsible man, is
often a holder of considerable
stakes, and many nights after a mill the
Castle is
much frequented, in order to settle bets, blow a
cloud, or wet
the whistle, with from port to humble
daffy. " On such a night as this" the
President of
the Daffy Club is sometimes invisible at the farther
end of
the room, " so thick a cloud serene bedims"
the orbs. Portraits, in attitude,
of many of the
most famous heroes of the fist, adorn the long room;
among
whom we notice, Jem Belcher, Burke, Mr.
Jackson, Tom Belcher, old Joe Ward,
Dutch Sam,
Gregson, Humphreys, Mendoza, Cribb, Molyneux,
Gulley, Randall,
Turner, Martin, Harmer, Spring,
Neat, Hickman, Painter, Scroggins, Tom Owen,
&c.
and other sporting prints, &c. particularly of the
famous dog
Trusty, the present of Lord Camelford
to Jem Belcher, and the victor in fifty
battles.
Many of these heroes may occasionally be seen in
■propria
persona, blowing a steamer, quaffing the
heavy wet, blue ruin, or other
liquid, as suits their
fancy, without any dread of other than a
friendly
shake of their mawleys.
Last Friday night a bang-up set
Of milling blades at Belcher's met,
All
high-bred heroes of the ring,
Whose very gammon would delight one;
48
TAVERN ANKCDOTES.
Who, nurs'd beneath the Fancy's wing,
Show all her feathers but the white one.
Brave Tom, the Champion, with an air
Almost Corinthian, took the chair,
And kept the coves in quiet tune,
By shewing such a hst of mutton,
As on a point of order soon
Would take the shine fiom Speaker Sutton.
And all the lads look'd gay and bright,
And gin and genius flash'd about,
And whosoe'er grew unpolite,
The well-bred Champion serv'd him out.
-----------------Tom's words, you know,
Come, like his hitting, strong but slow.
----------------His fame I need not tell,
For that, my friends, all England's loud with ;
But this I say, a civiller swell
I'd never wish to blow a cloud with.
Cribb's Memorial to Congress,
THE WRESTIJERS.
Wrestling has been one of the athletic sports of
the good people of
England for some centuries, and
the sign of two men, in attitude for the
throw, may
be met with in various counties, particularly in
Somerset;
whence the term to throw a somerset,
or, as some write it, summerset.
Exhibitions of this
kind were common among the roj al sports.
In the jear 1520, Francis I. and Henry VIIT.
attended by their respective
courtiers, met on a
plain near Calais, which, by the historians, was
named
" T,he Field of the Cloth of Gold," on account
ORIGIN OK SIGNS.
49
of the splendour of the dresses, and tlie various
appointments. Mareschal
de Fleureuyes, who was
present, mentioned one circumstance, which is
not
related by any of the writers. " After the sports
the kings retired to
a tent, and drank together.
Henry, seemingly elated with the success of
his
party, who beat the French wrestlers, wished to
have a turn up with
the French king, and gave the
challenge, ' My brother, J must wrestle with
you,'
which Francis accepted; and being more expert
than Henry expected,
he threw the king of England
with great violence. Henry wished to have
another
chance ; but the courtiers interfered, and prevented
the royal
wrestlers from coming again to the
scratch."
THE RED LION INN. Hakpioj.-Couiii,
The resort of the frequenters of Moulsey Hurst,
and the house of call for
the " Fancy," where there
is always plenty of good store for the
victualling
office, either on sporting day or holiday; and the
liqueurs,
&c. may be obtained as free from aqua
pura here, notwithstanding its
contiguity to the
Thames, as at any of the metropolitan houses of call
for
strangers.
NELL GWYNNE, Jew's-Row, Chelsea.
The name of this house appears to have been
first adopted, when this
celebrated favourite of
Henry the Eighth, of wife-killing notoriety, was
in
the zenith of her influence, and most likely had
h
SO
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
only the portrait of her as a sign; but the public
being accustomed to
give her the familiar name <>i
Nell, instead of Eleanor, it also became
the common
name of the house.
THE BLACK SWAN.
A house, with this sign, situated in Brown's-
lane,
Spitalfields, became the place of meeting of a
society, chiefly composed of
the middling classes.
In the year 1717, a Mathematical Society was
esta-
blished by Joseph Middleton; and, in the year
177*2, another society
was isvtorpoTated with it;
and in 1782 they removed to this house. In
1783
an Historical Society, held in Carter's-rents, Spital-
fields, joined
these, bringing their library along with
them, when they printed their
regulations. Many
eminent mathematicians have been members of
this
society. Their library and apparatus, in the year
1795, was valued at
£501 16*. Qd.
THE BROWN' BEAR.
There are various houses in London having the
figure of a Bear, white,
black, aud brown; it is
difficult to conjecture how that has been
adopted.
It may be appropriate enough, if, in allusion to the
disposition
of some of the keepers of such houses,
whose manners are not of the most
gentle kind. A
house, well known by the frequenters of Bow-street,
called
the Brown Bear, is nearly opposite to the
Public-office, and is much resorted
to by those who
have business at the said office; and here many
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
51
matters are made up between plaintiff' and de-
fendant, who retire hither
to settle differences, over
a drop of that which probably gave rise to
them.
If a night's accommodation is required, a good bed
may be obtained
by paying for it; and there is no
danger of one's running out in his sleep,
unless
at the window, for due care is taken of that by a
careful waiter
securing the door upon you, which
also prevents your being intruded upon
during the
hours of rest: a matter of security to those who
chance at
times to leave their l,ed-room doors open
during the night, in a strange
place.
THE BLACK BELL.
In the time of Stow, the historian of London,
there was an inn of this
name nearly opposite to the
spot where the Monument now stands. It was
a
large house of stone, and was before the residence
of the famed Edward
the Black Prince, which pro-
bably induced the new proprietor to set up the
sign
of the Black Bell.
THE CROWN INN.
In 1246 there was an inn, or hosterie, with this
sign, at the east end of
the Crown-field, an open
space in Cheapside, so called after it. This
emblem
and ornament of royalty has been adopted by many
besides
innkeepers, and varied, in several modes of
arrangement, with other articles
relating to the bu-
siness ; viz. the Bible and Crown, (t. e. church
and
t2
52
TAVKRN ANECDOTES.
state,) at a metropolitan bookseller's in St. Paul's
Church-yard; the
same, with the addition of the
Constitution, at a loyal bookseller's in
Comhill; the
Crown and Anchor, Crown and Thistle, Rose and
Crown, &c.
in various parts of town and country.
THE SARACEN'S HEAD.
An inn, so named, has been on Snow-hill, near to
St. Sepulchre's church,
for a great length of time,
and most probably had its origin from this
circum-
stance : — The mother of St. Thomas k Becket,
whose father was a
Saracen, became the wife of the
meek saint, when on one of his journies into
the
Holy Land; and it was usual in those times to
adopt signs, in honour
of persons high either in the
church or the state.
GERARD'S HALL INN.
This ancient inn is situated in Basing-lane, (for-
merly called
Turnbase-lane.) It was built by the
father of Sir John Gisors, who, in 1245,
was Lord
Mayor, and Constable of the Tower, and should
therefore, more
properly, be named Gisors' Hall
Inn.
Stow says, " Sure I am I have not yet read of
any Basing, or Gerard the
Giant, having any thing
there to do." He describes it as a great
house,
built upon arched vaults of stone, brought from
Caen, in Normandy.
These vaults escaped the
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
5^
preat fire, and still exhibit the style of the old
English
architecture.
A large fir-pole, which was thirty-nine feet long,
and fifteen inches
thick, stood in the hall, which was
reported to have been used by Gerard as a
weapoa
of warfare, was evidently a maypole, which was
used in this parish
like all the others, and set up
before the principal house. There was a
ladder of
the same length in the hall, for the purpose of
getting to the
top of the pole, and of the hall, for
decorating them at Christmas with holly
and ivy.
THE ANGEL, Bisbops&ate-Steeet.
This was the sign at which the Parish Clerks,
who were incorporated in
1232, by Henry III. kept
their hall. They kept the account of
christenings,
casualties, &c. and published the bills of
mortality;
and, among other privileges of their charter, they
were
exempted from parish duties in that wherein
they officiated ; they attended
at funerals, and pro-
ceeded on foot before, singing, until they
reached
the church; and had also public feasts, with music
and song.
POPE'S HEAD TAVERN
Was originally a part of a vast structure of stone,
supposed to have been
the residence of King John.
Latterly it has been almost entirely rebuilt, and
the
court, or alley, named after the tavern; since which
it has become the
resort of stock-brokers, notaries,
54
TAVEHX (iNEfDOTE*..
and merchants. His holiness is now not much
honoured, by having his head
put up for a sign by
publicans, or others.
THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.
A sign, so named, is observable on the road (o
Greenwich. It is a
representation of the globe,
with a man walking on the lower part; i. e.
anti-
podes to our part of it. This is more whimsical
than witty, unless
it alludes to a person in a state of
inebriation, who sometimes is said to
suppose him-
self walking on the crown of his head.
We all know that the world is nearly round;
therefore there is no upper
nor under part, but in
idea, from our situation upon it.
The celebrated Anson, in his voyages round the
world, had accumulated much
wealth, but unfor-
tunately was addicted to gaming, and lost much
money
among the sharpers of London and Bath;
which induced one to make the
observation, " that
his lordship had been »ound the world, and over
the
world, but never had been in the world."
THE MAGPIE AND CKOWN.
A ridiculous association, but when once joined
not to be separated without
injury to the concern,
as it happened in the case of a Mr. Kenton, who
was
originally waiter at a house of this name in
\ldgate, famous for its ale,
which was sent out in
great quantities. The landlord becoming rich.
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
<>5
pride followed, and he thought of giving wing to
the Magpie, retaining
only the royal title of the
Crown. The ale went out for a short time, as
usual,
but it was not from the Magpie and Crown, and the
customers fancied
it was not so good as usual, con-
sequently the business fell off. The
landlord died,
and Kenton purchased the concern, caught the
Magpie, and
restored it to its ancient situation ;
the ale improved in the opinion of the
public, and
its consumption increased so much, that Kenton, at
his death,
left behind him property amounting to
£600,000, chiefly the profits of the
Magpie and
Crown ale.
THE MAGPIE AND STUMP.
This bird sometimes does rest on a stump, so
that
the association is not improper, although unmean-
ing. A house so
named, in Newgate-street, serves
good liquors, and as a booking-office for
errand-
carts.
THE MARQUIS OF GRANBY.
This British hero, whose head figures as a sign
to
many public houses, once went to Frank Hayman,
the painter for the
gardens at Vauxhall, to sit for his
portrait, to be placed in the rotunda.
The marquis
having some notion of boxing, proposed a bout with
the
painter, who had a fancy also for the science.
Hayman declined it, on account
of his gout and
age; but the marquis pleaded that exercise would
do him
good, and that having heard of his skill in
56
TAVERN ANkCDOTESj.
the art, he wished to have a fair trial with him-
The painter was
compelled, at last, to set to with
the marquis, before he sat to him ; and
after several
bouts, with equal chances, Hayman hit the marquis
so violent
a blow, that he was floored in an instant.
The painter, seeing the marquis's
plight, endeavoured
to raise him, but in the attempt he had the
misfor-
tune to fall upon the man of war, so that the noise
brought up
Mrs. Hayman, in a state of alarm, who
found the two heroes rolling together
on the carpet.
Might not some publican take the hint from this for
a new
sign, for a new or an old house?
THE LONDON 'PRENTICE.
A house so styled is situated in Old-street-road,
near to Slioreditch
church.
This may have allusion to the rising of the city
apprentices, or, perhaps,
more probably taken from
Hogarth's representation of the Industrious and
the
Idle Apprentices. Chaucer, in describing an idle
apprentice, says,
A 'prentice whilom dwelt in Our citee,
At every bndale would he sing and hoppe;
He loved bet the taverne than the shoppe,
For when ther any riding was in Chepe,*
Out of the shoppe thither would he lepe,
And 'till that he all the sight ysein,
And danced wel, he would not come agen.
* Chepe, the ancient name of Cheapside, which being, as it is now,
the
chief thoroughfare m London, was the spot where tilts and Tom
naments were
held, and other diversions going on, which attracted
the notice ol the
inhabitants and strangers from all parts.
ORIGIN OF SIGN'S.
57
THR NAG'S HEAD TAVERN.
A house so entitled, and of much note in
former
times, stood opposite to the cross in Cheapside. A
■view of this
ancient house w as preserved in a print
of the entry of Mary de Medici, "
Mere du Roy,"
when she paid a visit to her son-in-law and daugh-
ter, the
unfortunate Charles I. and his fair queen.
The cross erected by Edward I. to
the memory of
Queen Eleanor, stood opposite to the end of Wood-
street ;
but it was destroyed in 1643, by the orders
of the Parliament. Nearly
opposite the end of the
Old Change stood another, called the Old
Cross,
which was taken down in the reign of Richard II.
when a conduit was
erected in its place. At present
the Nag's Head, in the Borough, is a house
well
frequented by the men of Kent.
MOORGATE COFFEE-HOLSE.
This house is situated at the east end of
Fore-
street, opposite to which stood the postern or gate
so named, which
was built by Thomas Falconer,
mayor, in the year 1415, and kept in repair
by
various of his successors, until 1672, when it was
rebuilt with stone,
having a lofty arch and two
posterns, it being- the intention of the citizens
to
convert Moorfields into a hay-market. The gate
subsequently became the
residence of one of the
city officers, who again rented it out as a
coffee-
house ; but that gate sharing the fate of the other
gates, about
the middle of the last century, tire
coffee-house was of course removed, but
still re-
58
TAVERK ANECDOTES.
tains Hie name. Near to this spot tlie city wall
commenced, a part of
which remained until within
about ten years back, when old Bethlehem was
re-
moved (the back of which rested upon a portion of
the wall,) to make
way for the present improve-
ments.
THE PUNCH-BOWL.
Thin, and the Bottle, the Tun, and the Barrel,
are
appropriate enough emblems for public-houses,
although not so common as
others less appropriate.
A man having stolen a silver ladle from a
tavern,
was tried before Lord Mansfield. The counsel for
the prosecution
was very severe upon the prisoner,
who, he was informed, had been an
attorney. His
lordship, in a half whisper, interrupted the
counsel,
begging him not to misrepresent matters; '" for if,"
said his
lordship, " the fellow had been an attorney,
he would not have been content
with the ladle, but
would have taken the bowl also."
THE PAINTED TAVERN.
There was anciently a house so named in a
lane
adjoining the Three Cranes Wharf, which was of
note in the time of
Richard II. The three cranes
were the machines used in landing wines, and
this
wharf being in the " manor of the Vintre,'' was one of
those, in
olden times, allotted by royal order for
the landing of wines. In this
vicinity stood the
great house called the " Vintrie," underneath
which
were very extensive wine-vaults.
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
&§
Sir John Gisors, lord mayor, and constable of
the Tower, resided m this
house in 1314; and, in
the year 1356, Sir Henry Picard, vintner,
lord
mayor, and then occupier, did here, " in one day,
sumptuously feast
Edward, king of England; John,
king of France; the King of Cipres (then
arrived
in England); David, king of Scots; Edward, prince
of Wales; with
many noblemen, and others. And
after the sayd Henry Picard kept his hall
against
all comers whosoever, that were willing to play at
dice or hazard.
In like manner the Lady Margaret,
his wife, did keep her chamber to the same
intent."
JONATHAN'S COFFEE-HOUSE,
In Change-alley, Cornhill, was formerly the ren-
dezvous of dealers in the
funds, and the term A Key
is still a cant phrase for the Stock Exchange,
and
hence a petty speculator in the funds is styled " a
dabbler in the
alley." A stock-broker is one who
buys and sells stock for another: his
commission is
one-eighth per cent.—A stock-jobber is one who
buys and
sells on his own account, buys in when
low, and endeavours to sell out at a
profit.—A
gambler in the funds is one who speculates to buy
or sell at a
future time for a present price, who
may lose or gain according as the prices
then fall
Or rise. This being illegal, no action for recovery
of loss can
be maintained.—The buyers are styled
hears, as they endeavour to trample down
the
prices; the sellers are named bulh, for a like
reason, as they attempt
to toss them as high as
60
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
possible.—One who becomes bankrupt is termed a
lame duck, and lie is said
to waddle out of the alley.
Those who have thus waddled are not again
admitted
to the Stock Exchange.
THE HAT.
This sign seems to have been adopted by one of
the trade turned publican,
or as a house of call for
the hat-makers.
EPISODE OF A HAT.
" Pat Jennings m the upper gallery sat,
But leaning forward Jennings lost his hat,
Down from the gallery the beaver flew,
And spurned the one, to settle in the two.
How shall he act t Pay, at the gallery dooi,
Two shillings for what cost, when new, but four;
Or 'till half price, to save his shilling, wait,
And gain his hat again at half-past eight ?
Now while his fears anticipate a thief,
John Mullins whispers, " take my handkerchief."
" Thank you," cries Pat, " but one won't make a line;"
" Take mine," cried Wilson, and cried Stokes" take mine."
A motley cable soon Pat Jennings ties,
Where Spitalfields with real India vies ;
Like Iris' bow down darts the painted hue,
Starr'd, striped, and spotted—yellow, red, and blue,
Old calico, torn silk, and muslin new.
George Green below, with palpitating hand,
Loops the last 'kerchief to the beaver's band.
Up soars the prize: the youth, with joy unfeign'il,
Regain'd the felt, and felt what he regain'd;
While, to th' applauding galleries, grateful Pat
Made a low bow, and touch'd the ransom'd hat."
ORIGIN Oh SIGNS.
61
THE FEATHERS.
The Feathers, and Plume of Feathers, like the
Crown, are evidently of
royal descent, being the
emblem of the Prince of Wales, which is the
title
of the eldest son of the British sovereign. This
sign is very common
in Wales, and on the borders.
There is an excellent house, for the
accommodation
of gentlemen and travellers, in the city of Chester,
so
named. It is also very general throughout the
country.
The Prince of Wales has the same origin and
allusion.
THE HAT AND FEATHERS.
This may have originally been the sign of
th«
Hat, to which the addition of the Feathers has been
made, in
compliment to the Prince of Wales, in
order to distinguish the house from
that of the Old
Hat, which had been adopted by others in opposi-
tion to
the New Hat, as has been the case with
many other houses, when another took
the same
name, with the title of new, which consequently
gave the title of
old, or original, to the first of the
name; or it might have a military
origin, being the
upper ornament of a foot soldier.
THE HAT AND TUN.
A house so named is in the vicinity of Hatton-
garden,
was evidently intended to allude to the
family of the Hattons, whose mansion
formerly
62
T1VEBN ANECDOTF.S.
stood near the spot. The house lias been recently
rebuilt, and a spacious
room on the one pair appro-
priated for parties.
THE GROVE.
A house in the country may be so named with
propriety; but to give such a
title to a house in a
crowded capital, the chief room of which is
situated
under ground, is rather paradoxical.
The Grove in Spring-gardens may have, at a
distant period, been situated
in a garden, but at
present we have to enter a house surrounded by
others,
and to descend into a cellar, which is indeed
painted with shrubbery; but the
only fragrance that
can le inhaled is that of the weed, arising in
spiry
columns, from numerous tubes of clay, rendering
at times the well
painted walls, and the physiogs of
the nearest friends, invisible. However,
good ale
may be had there.
THE CHEQUERS.
There was formerly an inn so named in Chequer-
yard, which took its name
from the sign of the
house, which was a brewery at first, tut an inn
at
last. The checquers, or azure, form one of the
quaiterings of the
Howard family, collaterally de-
scended from the Warrens, earls of Surry,
who
had the grant of licensing public-houses; and it is
conjectured, that
as these were the armorial bear-
ings of that family, this mark of
distinction was
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
63
attached to such houses, in order to facilitate the
collection of the
duties and dues payable by the
innkeeper for his licence, &c.
THE AUCTION MART COFFEE-HOCSE.
This forms part of the Mart in Bartholomew-
lane, and is frequented by
those who come there,
either to buy or dispose of the various
property
submitted to sale. The Mart is a convenient build-
ing, and well
adapted for its avowed purpose.
THE HORNS TAVERN.
In London, and its vicinity, there are many
houses so named, appropriated
to the accommoda-
tion of the public, the most noted of which are,
the
Horns tavern, in the vicinity of St. Paul's, and
the Horns at
Kennington. Most of the public-
houses at Highgate have a large pair of horns
fixed
on the end of a long staff, by which it has been an
ancient custom
to swear persons that they will
never eat brown bread when they can get white
:
and never kiss the maid when they can kiss the
mistress. If it is a
female to whom the burlesque
oath is administered, the words " man and
master"
are substituted; but they are permitted to add to
each article, "
unless they like the other better,"
the hand of the party being on the horns
all the
time; after which they must kiss the horns, and pay
one shilling,
to be spent in the house.
64
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
The town of Hornchurch, near Romford, was
formerly called Horn monastery,
from a largo pair
of leaden horns, which tradition says a pious
king
caused to be placed there, and changed the name of
Hore church,
(spelling obsolete), which it had ob-
tained from being built by a frail
sister, as an atone-
ment for her backslidings, into that of Horn church.
SIMON, THE TANNER OF JOPPA.
In Long-lane, Southwark, there is a house so
named, probably having its
origin in the times
when Scripture names were adopted for men
and
things.
In Acts, c. x, v. 32, we read, that the Apostle
Peter dwelt for some time
at the house of Simon, a
tanner.
THE BOAR'S HEAD TAVERN.
There are several with that sign in London, but
the most noted was that
immortalized by our Shaks-
peare, which was situated in Eastcheap.
Here
Falstaff and his merry mates used to repair; and
although the memory
of the house is only preserved
here by the figure of a boar's head cut in
stone, in
front of one of the modern houses erected on its
scite, yet we
shall not cease to laugh at the humour
of the jovial knight, the hostess,
Bardolph, and
Pistol, as exhibited to us by the bard of Avon.
The famous
Hal, prince of Wales, was not the only
one of his family given to youthful
frolic and riot.
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
65
John and Thomas, his brothers, kicked up such a
row one morning, between
two and three, that the
mayor was compelled to interfere, which the
princes
considered insulting to persons of their quality, and
the
magistrates were had before Gascoigne, chief
justice; here they defended
their conduct, and
proved that they performed a duty incumbent upon
them,
by preventing any farther breach of the
peace, and they were most honourably
dismissed.
THE RAINBOW; or, NANDO'S COFFEE-HOUSE.
This house is situated in Fleet-street, near to the
Inner Temple gate, and
is of very ancient date,
being one of the first in England. In the year
1667
it was kept by one James a Barbe ; when it was pre-
sented by the
inquest of the ward of St. Dunstan's
in the West," for making and selling a
sort of liquor
called coffee, as a great nuisance and prejudice to
the
neighbourhood."
THE HUMMUMS, OLD AND NEW.
Two houses so named are situated in Covent-
garden, and are well known as
affording excellent
accommodation to gentlemen and families, and
where
there are commodious hot and cold baths.
Dr. Shaw, in his Travels, says, that " hummums
is a corruption of hammum,
the Arabic term for a
bath, or bagnio.
The first bagnio or bath, for sweating and hot
bathing, in England, it is
believed, was that in
F
66*
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
Bagnio-court, Newgate-street, which afterwards
became a hotel or lodging
house ; after which the
Hummums in Covent-garden were opened on the
same
plan.
THE QUEEN'S ARMS, Newgate-Street.
This is a house of respectable business, and has
been the resort of many
who have since figured at
the bar and in the senate, and have shone in
the
world of letters. There was formerly one of the
Schools of Oratory,
conducted upon the same plan
as the celebrated Robin Hood, near to
Temple-bar,
where many eminent public characters were wont
to meet, to
discuss and declaim.
The Queen's Arms, on the south side of St.
Paul's Church-yard, is a good
tavern for gentle-
men, and has spacious rooms for parties, &c.
The
statue of Queen Anne, in the church-yard opposite
this house, may have
given rise to the adoption of
this sign. It is sometimes remarked of this
statue,
that the queen has her back to the church, and her
face toward the
gin-shop, one of which is nearly
facing the statue.
THE APPLE TREE.
The probability is, that this name has been ob-
tained from one of these
trees growing near to the
house, and serving as a guide to it. A house
so
named, nearly facing the entrance to the House of
Correction,
Coldbath-fields, was kept, in 1741, by
ORfGIN OF SIGNS.
67
Topham, the strong man, who exhibited here, and
in the neighbourhood; he
lifted, with ease, three
hogsheads of water, weighing 18.36 lbs. ; he
pulled
against one horse, and would have succeeded
against two, or even
four, had he taken a proper
position; but in pulling against two he was
jerked
from his seat, and had one of his knees much hurt.
He rolled up a
large pewter dish with his fingers ;
he lifted a table six feet long nith his
teeth, with
half a hundred weight at the farther end of it, and
held it in
a horizontal position; at one blow he
struck a bar of iron, one inch in
diameter, against
his arm, and bent it like a bow. When at the
Virgin inn,
at Derby, where he was exhibiting, the
ostler having insulted him, he took a
spit from off
the kitchen shelf, and bent it round his neck; which
he
undid again, when the company had enjoyed
the laugh at the ostler with the
iron cra^ at. One
night, finding a watchman asleep in his box
in
Chiswell-street, he lifted both with ease, and
dropped box and man over
the wall of Tindal's
bnrying-ground, without disturbing the repose of
the
guardian of the night, who was sadly frightened
when he awoke. When he « as a
publican, two men
having quarrelled would fight, and on his
interfering
they shewed fight to him, when he seized each by
the nape of
the neck, and knocked their heads to-
gether, until they apologised and
called for quarter.
A blow from him would have been fatal to any of
the
heroes of the fist of the present day; he was
very irritable, but had
attained considerable self
command, and would lock himself in a room
until
he got calm. Being jealous of his n ife, he beat her
r 2
68
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
so severely, that remorse, and the dread of the con-
sequences, operated
so strongly upon him, that he
put an end to his own existence. It is said,
that on
being opened his ribs were found connected as one
solid bone.
There were several signs in London, some years
since, which alluded to
Topham's strength. The
last was one in East Sniithfield, where he was
re-
presented as " The strong Man pulling against two
Horses."
THE WHITE HART.
There are several of this name in London, &c.;
that in Holborn is a
house of considerable Standing
and business.
The White Hart, in Bishopsgate, is of very an-
cient date; in front of the
present building is the
date, 1480. This spot being the boundary of
the
hospital or priory of Old Bethlem, it is considered
that this building
must have been part of the same,
and probably the hostellary or inn for the
enter-
tainment of strangers, as was the custom in those
days.
PEEL'S COFFEE-HOUSE.
This is a house much frequented by strangers and
citizens, where the mind
as well as the body can be
well entertained. Regular files of all the town
and
country newspapers are kept for the amusement or
reference of
visitors, who are desirous of learning
ORIGIN OK SIGNS.
W
the news of their particular county or town, or of
knowing what property
is to he disposed of in or
out of London, &c. By referring to these
files, any
person who has sent an advertisement to a paper
may know if it
has appeared at the time ordered.
Here is also good accommodation as to heds,
and a
good bill of fare.
THE HALF MOON TAVERN, Aldehsgate-Street,
Now a private dwelling, nearly opposite to Lau-
derdale House, (now a
distillery), is a very ancient
structure, where the wits, or rather the
toad-eaters
of the time of Charles, used to resort: Duke Lau-
derdale
being one of the wits of the court, and one
of the cabal in the time of
Charles II.
THE BELLE SAUVAGE INN.
This is situated in a yard so named, on the north
side of Ludgate-hill,
and is a house of considerable
business, and whence several coaches take
their
departure to various parts of the country. The
painter of the first
sign not being aware of the
origin of the name, exhibited the figures of a
Bell
and a Wild Man, or Savage; but this is now dis-
used, it is presumed,
in consequence of the infor-
mation given respecting it in " The
Spectator;"
who gives the true derivation of it to be from an
ancient
French romance, in which is a description
of a beautiful woman being found in
a wilderness
in a savage state, there styled La Belle Sau.va.ge.
f&
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
This inn appears to have been bestowed on the
Cutler's Company, in trust
for charitable uses, by
Mrs. Craithorne, a painting of whom is in their
hall
in Cloak-lane.
THE ALBANY HOTEL
Is situated to, the east of Burlington House,
in
Piccadilly. It was first possessed by Lord Mel-
bourne, and afterwards
by the Duke of York and
Albany; who having quitted it, the present
pro-
prietors built on the gardens, and converted the
whole into chambers,
for the occasional residence
of such nobles and gentry as have no regular
town
residence.
THE FOX.
This sign is more common in the country than in
large towns;
and very naturally so, the country
being the scene of the chase.
THE FOX AND GRAPES.
This has doubtless a fabulous origin. Every
person
is familiar with the fable of the fox, when
he found he could not reach what
he longed for,
immediately pronounced them sour. Such a feeling
in mankind
exhibits any thing but philosophy.
THE GRAPES.
In Pannier-alley, which leads from Paternostev-
row into
Newgate-street, is the figure in stone of a
ORIGIN OF SIGMS.
boy, naked, and sit'" -.g upon a pannier, with a bunch
of grapes held
oetween his hand and foot, which is
supposed to have been originally a sign
to some
tavern. This marks the highest spot of ground in
London, as is
announced underneath by the follow-
ing couplet:—
When you have searched the city round,
Yet still this is the highest
ground.
OLD PARK'S HEAD.
The aged have been held in reverence by the
well bred of all nations and
ages, but they have
differed in the manner of shewing their respect.
Some
considering the latter years of an old man
miserable to himself, deem it an
act of kindness to
shorten his days; while others, who entertain a
diffe-
rent opinion of the present and future state, do all
in their power
to render the latter days of the man of
grey hairs agreeable. Had Parr been a
native of
some of the uncivilised tribes, he might not have
had the chance
of living so long; but being born in
a country where age is respected, he
fell ripe, and
full of years.
The rage for novelty, perhaps, more than a re-
gard for the venerable in
years, has induced the
adoption of his head for a sign, as it is not
altoge-
ther appropriate ; for it does not often happen, that
constant
frequenters of a bar, either of a public -
house or a court of justice, live
to a great age.
A house, situated in Aldersgate-street, has
adopted this sign, on the
window of which is an
*fy
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
ill painted figure of the ancient gentleman; under
which are the following
half borrowed and half
original lines:—
Your head cool,
Your feet warm ,
But a glass of good gin
Would do
you no harm.
BUTLER'S HEAP.
So named, after the celebrated author of " Hudi-
bras."
A house of good repute, so entitled, is
situated in a court leading from
Basinghall-street
to Coleman-street, in the city; where parties can
be
accommodated with a choice of chops, steaks, or
other eatables, and whatever
they may wish for
from the bar or the cellar.
CHALK FARM,
A well known tavern and tea-gardens, in the
fields near to Primrose-hill,
alias Cockney-mount,
between Hampstead and Highgate, much resorted
to by
those who cannot settle a dispute without the
use of powder and shot. It was
at this celebrated
arena that two little men, of great minds, met
some
time ago: the one, in defence of his character as a
reviewer; and the
other, of his, as a moral poet.
It was reported, that the seconds in this memo-
rable affair deeming that
the world could ill spare
either of the knights, had determined that
they
should do no harm to each other, and presented
them each with a
pistol, well charged and primed,
ORIGIN OF SIONS.
?3
but without ball. Before either could take aim,
some friendly but
ungallant officer from a public
office made his appearance, and bound them to
the
peace, much against their will. On drawing the
pistols, the officer
found one charged with the leaf
of a northern review ; and the other with a
leaf of
certain amatory epistles, in harmonious rhyme!
This house is said to have taken its name from
the farm being of a chalky
soil; or, query, do they
use double, or no chalk to their customers,
who
frequent this house either for amusement or mis-
chief?—This place was
first distinguished by the
assassination of Sir Edmondbury Godfrey.
BAPTIST HEAD COFFEE-HOUSE.
A respectable house of accommodation for gen-
tlemen and travellers,
bearing this sign, is situated
m Aldermanbury. It is of considerable
standing,
and the name was, doubtless, adopted in allusion
to St. John,
and most likely had its origin in the
days of the Commonwealth, when the
example of
the Protector was imitated by all ranks, by chris-
tianising
persous and things. So much for the effect
of the example of a court upon the
manners and
conduct of a people,
THE COCK AND PIE.
About the middle of last century a house, famed
for conviviality, so
named, stood on the scite of
Rathbone-place. This house was the resort of
the
■T*f
TtVERN ANECDOTES.
" Fancy" of those days. Busts of several of the
heroes of the
ring—Broughton, Slack, G. Taylor,
Stevenson, and a train of their coadjutors,
who
exhibited in the neighbouring booth, or at Brough-
ton's amphitheatre
in Tottenham-court-road, were
exhibited in the garden of this house; these
were
cast in Plaster of Paris, and fancifully coloured,
A row of venerable
elms connected this house with
another, then celebrated for the manufacture
of
Bath buns and Tunbridge-water cakes.
THE WHITE HORSE.
A house so named is situated in the neighbour-
hood of Warwick House (Lord
Holland's) at Ken-
sington. Here Addison frequently retired to
write.
Several of the " Spectators" were written in this
house. The old
house, which was of wood, has
been very lately pulled down, and a
commodious
house of brick built immediately behind it, which
was finished
before the old one, which projected
into the road, was pulled down, by which
the road
has been widened and improved. The old sign,
however, is not
lost, but is preserved as a memorial
of the times that are gone.
THE CHERRY TREE.
A house so named is situated in Bowling-green-
lane, Clerkenwell. It would
appear to have taken
its name from a number of trees bearing that
fruit
growing upon the grounds, which are still exten-
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
T&
sive, although they have been larger. There are
still a tree or two of
that kind on the grounds,
which seems to sanction the idea.
There appears to have been a bowling-green
here, which gave name to the
lane so called.
There are still subscription grounds for the game
of nine-pins,
knock-'em-downs, &c.; and the house
being retired, is much resorted to by
the Clerken-
wellers, and others, who are fond of a little amuse-
ment and
exercise.
THE LAMB.
This figure ol innocence would appear a more
appropriate sign tor a church
or chapel than an
alehouse, yet it is very common. Had it origi-
nated,
like many others, in the da)rs of the pilgri-
mages, it was a very
significant mark tor a house ol
rest, and if the host and hostess were like
tem-
pered, the sojourner might expect civil treatment,
and small charges.
It might have allusion more
particularly to the wool trade; and the history
of
St. Agnes will apply to both. This saint, who suf-
fered martyrdom when
only fourteen years of age,
in the year 306, is usually painted with a lamb
at
her side. It is reported that her parents, shortly
after her execution,
went to pray at her tomb, and
continuing all night, they saw a glorious
company
of angels, among whom was their ovin daughter,
with a snow--white
lamb by hei. The Roman ladies
still offer yearly two of the purest lambs at
St.
Agnes' altar, from whence they are taken, by the
order of the Pope,
and placed m a rich pasturage
7<J
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
Tin til the time of sheep-shearing, when they are shorn,
and the wool is
hallowed, and made into a fine white
cloth, which is consecrated every year
by the Pope,
for the purpose of being sent to every archbishop,
to be worn
as a pall; for which an exorbitant price
is required, and no one can exercise
metropolitan
jurisdiction without one.
THE PLOUGH.
This agricultural emblem has been set up by
many publicans and innkeepers
in various parts of
the country. " Generous Britons" justly " venerate
the
Plough." 'The inn at Cheltenham, so named,
is well known to the fashionable
world as a house
of good accommodation, and is much frequented by
persons
of rank, &c. during the season.
One would suppose that this title had been given
to this house as a
landmark to the agriculturist, as
also the sign of the Harrow, Barley-mow,
Hay-
rick, Wheatsheaf, &c. which all have an allusion to
farming.
On the second Monday in December, called in
the north Plough Monday, the
fool ploughman goes
about, accompanied by a number of sword
dancers,
dragging a plough, some in a very grotesque dress,
the Bessy
being habited like an old woman, and the
fool nearly covered with skins, with
a hairy cap,
and the tail of some beast projecting from behind.
The office
of one is to go round rattling a box, and
collecting small donations among
the lookers on at
the dance.
ORIGIN OF SIGKS.
77
ABERCROMBIE TAVERN.
This title has been assumed in honour of the
brave and skilful hero who
fell in Egypt, fighting
the battles of his country, in the late war. An
ele-
gant marble monument, to perpetuate his fame, is
erected in St.
Paul's Cathedral.
A house in Lombard-street bears the above name.
Here was lately a society
held, who entitled them-
selves the " House of Lords," who met, like
many
others, for the purposes of harmony, and occasional
debate. Admission
cost three shillings each, which
was spent in wine or negus, as soon as the
treasurer
had sufficient funds to pay for a bottle or a bowl;
and the
noble lord on the wooden chair distributed
to each of the nobles present a
glass, while the toast
went merrily round. The writer, on being enno-
bled
a few years back, became, during the cere-
mony, so amused with the
appearance of nobility,
that he could not maintain his gravity, which at
last
infected the messenger at arms, so that he could not
proceed with the
instructions; the infection became
general, and it was at last got through
with some
difficulty. Several thousands were enrolled, among
•whom were
many names of some consideration, who
relished a bit of humour.
THE ANTELOPE.
A house of call for the thirsty, so named, is
situated in White-hart-yard,
Drury-lane. Here
the celebrated comedian, Macklin, used to frequent;
tV
TAVERN 4NECD0TFS.
and, as is the case in other well regulated houses,
the chair was
invariably resigned to the most ve-
nerable. The chair is still shewn, in
which sat for
many an evening " the Jew that Shakspeare drew,"
enlivening
the company with his wit.
THE BUSH.
In the olden times, when the good people of Eng-
land were not so
conversant with letters as at pre-
sent, is was customary to hang out a sign
without
any inscription, which latter would have been use-
less to the
illiterate; and this being familiar to all,
was adopted by the wine-tonners,
as well as the
sign of the Grapes, to point out the place where a
dTop of
the genuine juice might be had. A land-
lord who keeps a good cellar soon
becomes known
to the lovers of good liquor; and our worthy fore-
fathers
were not behind us in taste, for they could
distinguish a house of this sort
instinctively from
another, without looking out for a sign ; and
hence
originated with them the very old proverb, " Good
wine needs no
bush."
The Bush tavern, in the city of Bristol, is a good
house for commercial
travellers, and others.
JOHNNY GILPIN.
At " merry Edmonton" is a house, having for .its
sign a representation of
the adventure of the re-
nowned citizen, Johnny Gilpin, so humorously
de-
scribed bj the poet Cowper. near to which Ihe fair
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
®9
was accustomed to be held until within a few years
back, when a band of
most daring thieves made an
attack upon every person, male and female,
robbing
and rudely treating erery one that came in their
way, which
induced the county magistrates to pro-
hibit the holding of a fair at any
future period.
THE BEAR AND RAGGED STAFF.
This being part of the armorial bearings of
the
Earls of Warwick, has been set up in honour of
that noble house; while
others bear the name of the
" Earl of Warwick," and " Guy, Earl of
Warwick."
The arms were, doubtless, the original sign, but
latterly only
the name has been used.
THE HAND AND SHEARS.
A house of call for the gentle craft, the knights
of the thimble, with tie
above sign, is situated very
appropriately in Cloth-fair, Smithfield. The
sign
of the Goose (not a feathered one) would be a
proper sign for a new
house of call for the same
profession, or that of the Cabbage; but as
these
might give offence to the fraternity, we do not per-
ceive that any
one has ventured to adopt either.
Many jokes have been passed upon these
adorners
of our persons; but the following instance of fool
wit not being
familiar to every one, we give it, as it
seems to fit well:—
Chancellor Talbot had a steward, who had for-
merly been a tailor; his
lordship also kept a Welsh
80
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
jester, named Rees Peugelding, who had a small
farm on the estate, for
which he was in arrears of
rent. The steward owing the jester a good
turn,
distrained upon him, at the same time saying, " I'll
fit you,
sirrah!" " Then," replied the fool, " it
will be the first time in your life
that you ever fitted
any one."
Lady Holland's mob, as it is commonly called,
generally make for this
house on the eve of opening-
Bartholomew fair.
THE MAY-POLE.
In various parts of the country May-poles may
be observed at all times of
the year, and some per-
sons have adopted the title for their houses, as
a
house of resort during the merry-making in the
beginning of May, and at
other times of jollity.
The last May-pole in London was stationed
where
the New Church in the Strand, opposite Somerset-
house, is now
erected.*
Amidst the area wide they took their stand,
Where the tall May-pole once o'erlook'd the Strand.
Pope.
In old authors the name of ale-stake is often to
be met with, as
signifying a May-pole, to point out
the places in the villages where
refreshments were
to be obtained.
* This pole was taken down in 1717; its height above ground was
originally
above one hundred feet; it was afterwards fixed in Wan-
atead Park, Essex, as
the suppoiter of a very large telescope,
ORIGIN OK SIGNS.
81
The only thing remarkable on May-day in (lie
metropolis now, is the
grotesque appearance of the
chimney-sweepers, who make a parade with
rude
music, shovel and brush, &c. dancing before the
doors of their
customers, soliciting money to make
up for the deficiency of their trade at
this and the
approaching season.
GEOBGE AND BLUE BOAR,
An association not quite so classical as that of
the
George and Dragon.
The George and Boar might have reference to
royalty hunting the wild boar;
but why it is termed
blue, can only be accounted for in the whim of
the
painter giving it that colour when depicting the
sign, as I believe
the most prying naturalist never
saw a living one of that colour.
A good tavern, so titled, is situated in Holborn,
from whence a number of
coaches start, particu-
larly for the west. There is good
accommodation
for travellers and others, and the viands, wines,
and
liqueurs, are of the best quality.
GEORGE INN.
This has undoubtedly been set up in compliment
to the late sovereigns of
Great Britain of that name,
and like the King's Head, the King's Arms,
8^c.
originated in loyalty to the powers that be. In the
country they are
more numerous in proportion than
in the capital, as it frequently has
happened that
G
82
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
where a sovereign happened to stop, either from
choice or accident, the
Boniface of the time has
taken advantage of the circumstance, and set
up
the royal insignia, having been once honoured by
the visit of a crowned
head.
Bishop Newton relates an anecdote of his late
majesty, George III. on his
coronation :—
" His whole manner, on his ascending and seat-
ing himself on his throne,
was justly admired and
commended by every one. When the king ap-
proached
the communion table, in order to receive
the sacrament, he inquired of the
archbishop whe-
ther he should not lay aside the crown. The arch-
bishop
asked the bishop of Rochester, but neither
of them could say what had been
the usual form.
The king determined within himself that humility
best
became such a solemn act of devotion, and laid
it down during: the
administration." His after
life gave evident proof that this considerate
act
were not from the impulse of the moment, but from
an inherent feeling
of the importance of sacred
duties, and the proper observance of the
ceremonies
of religion.
A good commercial inn, so named, in the Borough
High-street, is well
known, whence several coaches
and many waggons depart, laden with the
merchan-
dise of the metropolis ; in return for which they
bring back,
from various parts of Kent, &c. that
staple article of the country, for
which we are in-
debted to the good quality of the London porter.
ORIGIN OK SIGNS.
83
THE KING OF DENMARK.
We do not see how a foreign monarch can consi-
der himself honoured by
having his head placed
over the door of a public-house in this
country,
where he never, perhaps, has been, and conse-
quently could not
have favoured the particular
house with a visit. It may have originated in
com-
pliment to the Danes, when they invaded this coun-
try ; if so, it
must be of rather ancient origin, but
the sign is not very common.
One house of the name, in the Old Bailey, is well
known by the peep-o'-day
boys, and the ladies on
the pavd. Being what is commonly called a "
night-
house," it is much resorted to by the hackney-
coachmen by night
and day. Some scenes of life,
high and low, may be witnessed here at times;
and
on a busy night the door is often beset by a motley
crowd, as eager to
get admission, for tne purpose of
getting a drop, as the admirers of the
drama to ob-
tain admission into a theatre on a particular night.
Query.—Are night-houses tolerated by the powers
that be, or do they know
of the scenes that occur at
these late hours ? Regular houses are strictly
looked
after.
THE AXE INN.
There is a good inn so named in Aldermanbury.
The name must have had its
origin in the olden
time, when the axe formed the chief instrument of
war.
In modern times, the various instruments of
modern warfare have been set up
by the keepers of
g2
84
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
iniisj»&c. in compliment to the army, by whom they
are much benefitted
when quartered in their neigh-
bourhood. In allusion to the army, we have
the
sign of the Gun, the Mortar (at Woolwich), the
Cannon, the Dragon, the
Grenadier, the Sharp-
shooter, the Volunteer, &c; and we generally
find
these situated near to barracks, or such places
where the military
have been stationed. Thus the
army and navy have been both considered by
the
publican, who doubtless had an eye to his own
interest, when he
adopted either of the titles.
THE SHIP INN.
In maritime towns this sign is very common, and
nothing could be more
appropriate. The Ship inn,
at Dover, is well known to travellers ; being a
large
and commodious house, and in the direct line of
communication with
the Continent, it receives as
great a variety of persons as any house of
accom-
modation in the kingdom, from the crowned head,
or his
representative, to the scientific traveller, or
man of business. A commercial
nation like Great
Britain, whose navy has always been her pride and
best
bulwark, will always respect this sign, whether
it appear in the figure of
the Old Harry, the modern
first-rater, frigate, sloop, &c.
A stranger, taking a sail down the river Thames
from London-bridge, must
be struck with surprise
at the number of shipping in the river
appearing
like a forest of masts, giving a grand idea of the
extent of the
commerce of London; and our ene-
ORIGIN OF SIGNii.
85
mies f^e often been compelled to acknowledge the
importance of the British
navy in many conflicts,
when they have reluctantly yielded to British
skill
and valour.
THE PITT'S HEAD.
Statesmen, warriors, poets, and players, have
had their busts and
portraits placed in halls, public
buildings, and private collections, in
honourable
remembrance of their patriotism, valour, genius, or
dramatic
talent.
The above sign has been adopted in honour of
the great Earl of Chatham,
whose virtues, as a
statesman and a man, have been justly held in
the
highest estimation by an admiring and grateful na-
tion. We may refer
to anecdotes of this great man,
published in three vols. 8vo. for many good
things.
Contrasted with such a character, we subjoin a
few lines upon another
statesman, not quite so
virtuous:—
On Sir R— W—'s Marriage with Miss iSkerretl.
You can't conceive why, in decline of life,
Sir Blue String should betroth
a second wife;
You can't suppose he feels an amorous rage,
Thus swelled by
fat, and thus excused by age.
He surely don't; but wonder not, my
friend,
In this the knight pursues his constant end :
He, long enured to
plunder and to fraud,
Unmov'd by virtue, and by shame unaw'd,
Converts to
private use a public wh—e,
That he may rob the public one way more,
The
only way he had not done before.
86
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
THE BLUE LAST.
The Last is, doubtless, an appropriate sign for a
house of call for the
sons of St. Crispin; but why
it should have the addition of blue appended
we
feel some difficulty in accounting, as we never have
seen one either
painted or dyed in use among the
craft.
Crispin and his brother Crispianus were born at
Rome, and in the year 303
went to Soissons, in
France, on a Christian mission ; but they
were
shortly after beheaded by order of Rictionarius, the
governor of the
place. While there the brothers
worked as shoemakers, and hence it is
probable
that this saint has been selected as the tutelar of
the gentle
craft of cordwainers. The feast of St.
Crispin is held on the 25th of
October, a memorable
day in the annals of British warfare, immortalized
by
the bard of Avon, by the speech he has put in
the mouth of Henry V. before
the battle of Agin-
court:—
This day is called—the feast of Crispian:
He, that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Wdl stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He, that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his friends,
And say—to-morrow is saint Crispian:
Then wdl he strip his sleeve, and show his scars,
And say, these wounds I had on Crispin's day.
Old men forget; yet all shall not forget,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day . Then shall our names,
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
87
Familiar in their mouths as household words,—
Harry the king, Bedford, and
Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloster,—
Be in their flowing
cups freshly remember'd.
THE ANGEL INN.
The sign of the Angel is very general through the
country. St. Michael
being considered the highest
of the heavenly host, we think it most probable
that
the honour was intended chiefly for him, and we
find that churches
were dedicated to him, particu-
larly such as were erected on elevated spots;
as St.
Michael's Mount, Cornwall, and one in Normandy,
which seem to
confirm the idea of his being deemed
the highest of the celestial host. St.
Michael was
the reputed guardian of the church, and the first
day held in
honour of this saint was in the year 487,
then styled " St. Michael and his
Angels." This
day is better known now as a settling day, being
quarter
day, for payment of rent, than as a day of
feasting; but those who have their
rents ready, and
have a little to spare, still contrive to have a goose
to
dinner on that day, being the season when they
are in the highest perfection;
for,
--------------------By custom, right divine,
Geese aie ordain'd to bleed at Michael's shrine.
It was anciently the custom for landlords to treat
their tenants with a
goose on that day; but this,
like many others of the good customs of our
fore-
fathers, has fallen into disuse, and the tenant must
now buy one for
himself, or dine as he can.
88
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
The Angel inn, at Islington, has been lately re-
built in a handsome
stile. Another, under the
name, is situated near to St. Giles's church.
THE GOOSE AND GRIDIRON.
There is a sign of some standing of this name on
the north side of St.
Paul's Church-yard, well
known as a booking-house for coaches, &c.
for
Hammersmith, and the villages to the west of
London.
The goose, solus, might be in some degree appro-
priate for a house of
call for taylors, but being
accompanied by a cooking utensil, it must
have
allusion to feasting, for which the good citizens are
rather
famed.
Would not a spit, a roasting-jack, be a more pro-
per associate for this
bird ? Perhaps it means to
intimate, that those, who are fond of a taste,
may
be gratified with a leg or wing done upon the grid-
iron, and well
seasoned or devilled; if so, it was no
bad idea in the original inventor, as
this proves a
good stimulus to drinking.
THE FREEMASONS' TAVERN.
A very commodious and handsome house, so
named, is situated in Great
Queen-street, Lincoln's
Inn-fields. This being the head quarters of
the
society of which his present Majesty was lately
grand master, they
have a hall appropriated to their
use, which is, on other occasions, at the
disposal of
ORIGIN OK SIGNS.
89
the lessee, who rents the premises of the society, to
which the building
belongs. There are held many
of the public meetings for charitable and
religious,
as well as political, literary, and scientific purposes
;
assemblies and balls are also frequently held here,
to which purpose the
large room is well adapted.
At a public dinner, a visitor will be much
gratified
by the expedition with which the " good things" are
served up,
and with the good things that are said
after the glass begins to
circulate.
For the history of freemasonry, we refer the
reader to " Preston's
Illustrations of Masonry;"
for,
I know no woi'd, boast no directing sign,
And not one token of the race is
mine ;
Whether with Hiram, that wise widow's son,
They came from Tyre to
royal Solomon:
Two pillars raising, by their skill profound,
Boaz and
Iachin thro' the east renowned ;
Whether the sacred books their rise
express,
Or books profane, 'tis vain for me to guess ;
It may be lost in
date remote and high,
They know not what their own antiquity;'
It may be,
too, derived from cause so low,
They have no wish their origin to show
;
If, as crusaders, they combined to wrest
From heathen lords the land
they long possess'd ;
Or were, at first, some harmless club, who
made
Their idle meetings solemn by parade,
Is but conjecture ; for the
task unfit,
Awe-struck and mute, the puzzling theme I quit;
Yet, if such
blessing from their order flow,
We should be glad their moral code to know
;
90
TAVERN ANLCDOTEb.
Trowels oi silver are but simple things,
And aprons worthless as their
apron strings -
But if, indeed, you have the power to teach
A social
spirit, now beyond our reach;
If man's warm passions you can guide and
bind,
And plant the virtues in the wayward mind;
If you can wake to
Christian love the heart,
In mercy something of your power impart.
THE GRAVE MAURICE.
A house so named stands opposite the London
Hospital, to wbich we made
allusion in the " Intro-
duction." As its origin appears to have
puzzled
more heads than that of the painter there noticed,
we subjoin the
following particulars:—
In Junius's Etymologicon, Grave is explained to
be Comes, or Count, as
Palsgrave is Palatine
Count; of which we haYe an instance in
Palsgrave-
head-court, Strand, so called in memory of the
Palsgrave, Count
or Elector Palatine, who mar-
ried Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James
I.
Their issue were, the Palsgrave Charles Louis,
the Grave Count or Prince
Palatine Rupert, and
the Grave Count or Prince Maurice, who all
distin-
guished themselves during the civil wars in the
reign of Charles
I.
The Princess Sophia, their youngest sister, was
the mother of King George
I. and, had she lived,
would have been Regent of England, after
Queen
Anne; so that the Grave or Prince Maurice was a
collateral ancestor
to his present Majesty.
The two princes, Rupert and Maurice, for their
ORIGIN Ob SIGNS.
91
courage, and the generosity with which they es-
poused the cause of their
uncle, the unfortunate
Charles, were, after the restoration, the darlings
of
the people; and, as we have an idea that the mount
at Whitechapel was
raised to overawe the city, the
latter, before he proceeded to the west,
might have
the command of the works on the east side of the
metropolis,
and a temporary residence on the spot
where his sign was so lately
exhibited.
Rupert and Maurice defeated Colonel Sands at
Worcester; took Cirencester,
Litchfield, and Bristol;
besieged Latham-house; and brought off the
king
from Oxford. At the battle of Nazeby, Grave Mau-
rice commanded the
right wing of the grand royal
army. At the close of the troubles of this
reign,
these two brave princes retired with their friends to
Norton-house,
fourteen miles from Newark ; where
they requested, and obtained permission
from the
parliament, to retire from the kingdom.
We find little more account of either of them
until the year 1652, when
Prince, or Grave Rupert,
with the Swallow, and a prize laden with
tobacco,
and some smaller vessels, and his brother Grave
Maurice with him,
endeavouring, in the West In-
dies, to give what annoyance they could to the
ene-
mies of Charles II.; where the brave prince, the
Grave Maurice, lost
his life in a hurricane, and was
drowned.
The sign of the Grave Maurice, of which we have
been speaking, remained
against the house till the
year 1806, when it was taken down to be
repainted.
The hero it represented appeared in a hat and fea-
ther, like a
drum major, dressed in a blue coat, &c.
92
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
The tradition of the neighbourhood is, that it is the
portrait of a Prince
of Hesse, who was a great
warrior, but of so inflexible a countenance, that
he
was never seen to smile in his life, and that he was
therefore most
properly termed Grave.
But leaving this rumour, in which truth and fic-
tion seem to be blended,
we must, as we are upon
the subject of signs, remark, that the
Palsgrave,
his father, however unfortunate in the events of his
life, was
once a popular character in England; and
a tavern, denominated from his
portrait, stood on
the site where Palsgrave-place is now erected.
Another,
called the Palatine's Head, was to be seen
near the French Change, Soho. The
head of the
Queen of Bohemia, his wife, long stood in the front
of a
public house, which was once part of her palace,
in Wych-street.
THE HORSE SHOE.
Whether this was originally set up as a house of
accommodation for the
farriers, we have no histori-
cal evidence, hut there are many of the
name,
where there is no farrier's forge near them.
A superstition still exists among publicans, and
others, that if they
happen to find a horse's shoe,
which has been thrown by one of these
quadrupeds,
and nail it on the step of the door, they will prove
fortunate
in business, &c.
Iu the neighbourhood of Tower-hill, near to the
Mint, is a house with the
sign of the Hoop and
Horse-shoe: a strange association, unless the
ori-
ginal setter up intended to monopolize the trade,
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
93
and endeavour to accommodate the coopers and
farriers under one roof; but
the more probable
occasion of this being put up in this
neighbourhood
seems to be, that such articles are of use, when old,
for
manufacturing into muskets, of which there are
many manufactories near to the
Tower.
VALENTINE AND ORSON.
There is a house so named in long-lane, Ber-
mondsey. It would appear to
have originated with
some romantic reader, who had been affected with
the
tale of these two brothers, who were sons of
the emperor of Constantinople,
Alexander, who
married the beautiful sister of Pepin, king of
France,
named Bellisant; who being banished by
the emperor during her pregnancy,
having been
falsely accused by his prime minister, she took
refuge in the
forest of Orleans, in France, where
she was delivered of male twins: one of
which was
taken from her by a she bear, and suckled by it for
some time,
hence called Orson. The'other being
discovered by the king, Pepin, her
brother, during
her search after Orson, was brought up at the court
of his
uncle. Orson being a terror to the neigh-
bourhood, when he grew up, was
overcome by his
brother, and tamed so far as to be brought to
court.
Shortly after overcoming the green knight, he re-
ceived the hand
of the Lady Fezon, previous to
which he had attained the power of speech;
and
Valentine married Eglantine, the king's daughter,
when they discovered
that they were cousins.
94
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
QUEEN'S HEAD, Lower-Stheet, Islington.
This ancient wooden fabric, if tradition may be
relied on, was once the
residence of Lord Burleigh,
treasurer to Elizabeth, as also of her favourite,
the
Earl of Essex, and was often visited by the "Virgin
Queen." The
architecture is of the age of Eliza-
beth, being built of wood, and
ornamented with
various figures, as was the custom of that period.
When
first erected it must have been level with the
road, or perhaps had to be
approached by steps;
but the various alterations in the road, the
bringing'
in the New River, &c. have caused the road to be
elevated,
sc that there is now a descent of a few
steps (four feet) to get into the
house.
This house is an attraction to many, on account
of its antiquity, and the
goodness of the home-
brewed. Like other buildings of the same time,
it
has panelled wainscotting of oak, and the ceilings
are stuccoed; that
in the parlour is adorned with
dolphins, cherubims, acorns, &c.; and
these are
bordered by a wreath of fruit and foliage. Near to
the middle of
the ceiling is a medallion of a Roman
head, crowned with bays; there is also
a small
shield, with the initials I. M. round which is
cherubim and glory.
The supporters of the chim-
ney-piece are two stones, curiously carved
into
figures and festoons. The stone slab over the fire-
place represents
the story of Dana'e and Acta»on, in
relief, with the figures of Venus,
Bacchus, and
Ceres ; but now mutilated from the lapse of time,
&c. The
centre of this building projects several
feet, forming a porch, supported in
front by two
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
95
caryatides of carved oak, crowned with Ionic scrolls.
Above it consists of
three stories, each one project-
ing over the other, as was the ancient
custom of
building in London, &c. The windows also project,
and are
supported by wooden brackets and carya-
tides, grotesquely carved. This
ancient, and yet
substantial house, is the most perfect specimen of
the
ancient architecture, which modern improve-
ments has allowed to remain,
either in the vicinity
of the metropolis or in the country, and will
afford
the curious traveller a treat, and a retreat.
THE SHIP AND SHOVEL.
This is a sign appropriate for a house by the side
of a navigable river.
One so named is situated
near to Dagenham Beach, in Essex, eleven
miles
from London, where Parish and Hadbrook fought a
hard contested
battle of forty-one rounds, on the
13th of March, 1820, which terminated in
favour of
Parish, in thirty-eight minutes. The Ship and
Shovel was the
house of call for that day,
WHITE CONDUIT HOUSE.
So named from a spring of fine water in the
vicinity, over which was
erected a building, com-
posed of flint and stone, and being mixed
with
chalk, it had a light white appearance. The work-
men were regaling
themselves upon the completion
of this building, at the instant Charles I.
was be-
headed at Whitehall. Some part of this building-
96
T4VERN ANF.CDOTfeS.
still remains, and is used as a shed for tools, &c for
the labourers.
The water, which, till within about
three years back, still flowed, has now
entirely dis-
appeared; the canal which is cut through the hill,
nearly
direct under it, seems to have cut off the
spring.
The gardens here are extensive, and the looms
capacious for parties or
clubs. In the long room is
a good organ, with which the visitors are
entertained,
by a performer engaged by the proprietor on the
summer
evenings.
Of late seveial balloons have set off from these
gardens, which, being
extensive, are favourable for
admitting a great number of spectators, who
pay
three shillings, or three and sixpence entrance.
NOBIS INN.
A man, of the name of Nobis, having opened a
public
accommodation on the high road leading
from Pappenburgh, his neighbours
caused him no
little vexation by their opposition, &c.; but this,
and
other difficulties, he overcame by industry and
perseverance ; and after he
had established himself,
he made the following addition to his signboard
:—
" Si Dens pro nobis, quis contra nobis." If God be
for us, who can be
against us.
THE GOLDEN BALL.
This is a sign of several public houses,
originally
set up in honour of royalty. The emperor Con-
stantine, when at
York, was presented by the
origin or signs.
97
British soldiers with a Hesa, or golden ball, sym-
bolic of Hie
sovereignty he had obtained over Great
Britain. With this he was so much
pleased, that
upon embracing Christianity he had a cross placed
upon it,
and it was carried before him in all the
royal processions; since which it
has been used by
all the other Christian sovereigns in this country,
as a
symbol of royal majesty.
THE COCK AND BOTTLE.
A house in the Strand, nearly opposite to South-
ampton-street, has this
sign, but how it originated
we cannot rationally account for. It is now
repre-
sented by the figure of Chanticleer, and a Bottle
under him. Either
might do well enough for a sign,
but the association appears quite absurd.
Perhaps,
like many others, a corruption may have crept in,
as in the Axe
and Bottle ; and it may have been the
Cock and Battle, alluding to the battle
royal,
wherein sometimes thirty of these birds were cruelly
set to strive
together, and from which only one
could escape alive. Cock-throwing was one
of the
ancient amusements, which was yet more cruel than
cock-fighting,
where one had a chance of escape;
but the poor creature thrown at being
fixed, had no
such chance, but was tormented to death. This is
now in
disuse, and the school boys now throw at a
wooden one. Even the lowest of
those, near Lon-
don, substitute the throwing a bludgeon at boxes,
knives,
oranges, &c. which are styled cocks, as may
be witnessed at all the fairs
in the neighbourhood.
ii
98
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
Many publicans in the north have a more appro-
priate sign, which might be
styled Cork and Bottle,
being the representation of a brisk bottle of
beer,
throwing the cork to a considerable height, and the
strong beer
flowing over the bottle.
THE EAGLE AND CHILD.
This is part of the crest of the Earls of Derby,
which was adopted by that
noble family from the
following circumstance:—In the time of Edward
III.
Sir Thomas Latham, who had only a legitimate
child, named Isabel, had
also an illegitimate son by
Mary Oskatel. This boy he ordered to be laid at
the
foot of a tree on which an eagle had built a nest,
and pretending to
have found the child in this situ-
ation, he prevailed upon his lady to adopt
it, and
assumed for his crest an eagle looking backward,
as for something
lost, or taken from her. This boy,
afterwards named Sir Oskatel Latham, was
long
considered the heir to the estate ; but Sir Thomas,
a little before
his decease, disclosed the fraud, and
left the chief of his property to his
daughter Isabel,
whom Sir John Stanley married. The crest was
afterwards
altered by the descendant of the family
to an eagle preying upon a child.
THE LONDON TAVERN.
This elegant house is situated in Bishopsgate-
street Within, near to
Cornhill. Here the accom-
modations are of the most superior kind, either
for
ORIGIN OF SU5NS.
99
individuals, small or large parties. The large
room, where many of the
public meetings and city
leasts are held, has often within its walls
hundreds
of persons of all ranks, convened together for the
purpose of
charity, patriotic and public affairs, or
the enjoyment of the pleasures of
the dance. In
digging the foundation for this house, the remains
of a
chapel were discovered, but its name and
founder could not be traced. Near to
it other
ruins were found, which had been obscured by the
gradual rising
of the ground.
THE CITY OF LONDON TAVERN.
This has been recently rebuilt in a manner suited
to the capital of
Britain, and rivals the former in
its accommodations, &c. In estimating
the ex-
penses attendant on this house, it has been calcu-
lated that
above one hundred thousand pounds
would be requisite for building,
furnisbing, and
laying in a stock of wines, &c. It is
situated
opposite to Threadneedle-street.
THE BULL INN, Whitechapel.
This inn, about seventy years ago, was the resort
of the Essex farmers,
who came to London once a
week to dispose of their corn,' &c. The
landlord,
named Johnson, who was formerly " Boots" at this
inn, being in
good credit with his customers, they
occasionally left their samples with
him, and he
acted as a middle-man so much to their satisfaction,
h2
100
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
that he shortly after opened an, office upon Bear-
quay, styling himself "
The Factor of the Essex
Farmers." Having no rival, he acquired a
good
fortune, which he left to his son; it afterwards
descended to his
grandson, whose partner, a Mr.
Neville, afterwards assumed the name of
Claude
Scott; and with the money bequeathed by the
father of his partner,
carried on an extensive busi-
ness as a corn-factor.
THE BOAR'S HEAD TAVERN, Eastcheap.
Mr. Pennant says, that a friend of his, who used
to frequent the old
house, when it was a tavern,
informed him, that the sign was originally
above
the chimneypiece in the great eating-room. The
head of a boar is
still preserved in the front of two
houses in Great Eastcheap, so placed as
to cover
part of the house (No. 210,) and of the adjoining
house, which
were since built upon the spot whereon
stood the said tavern.
Our readers will doubtless recollect Shakspeare's
Falstaff. The house
given to the church by the
above Walter Warden, was the very house
occu-
pied by Mrs. Quickly, who, in the second part of
Henry IV. exclaims
against Falstaff to the Chief
Justice:—" O, my most worshipful lord, an't
please
your grace, I am a poor widow of Eastcheap, and
he is arrested at
my suit."
iC.J. "For what sum?"
Mrs. Q. " It is more than for some, my lord; 'It
is for all, all I have:
he hath eaten me otrt of house
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
101
and home; he hath put all my substance into that
fat belly of his!"
Id the church-yard behind this tavern there was
formeily a tablet with
this inscription:—" To the
Memory of Robert Preston, late Drawer at
the
Bear's Head Tavern in Great Eastcheap, who de-
parted this Life March
16, A.D. 1730, aged twenty-
seven Years." Also several lines of poetry,
setting
forth Bob's sundry virtues, particularly his honesty
and sobriety;
m that,
Tho' nurs'd among full hogsheads, he defied
The charms of wine, as 1*611
as others' pride.
He possessed also the singular virtue of drawing
good wine, and of taking
care to " fill his pots," as
appears by the concluding lines of
admonition:—
Ye that on Bacchus have the like dependance,
Pray copy Bob in measure and
attendance.
THE JEW'S HARP.
There was a house so named situated near to the
top of Portland-place, but
now moved more to the
eastward, in consequence of the laying out of
the
grounds for the Regent's Park. It was long known
and resoTted to as a
tea-garden, &c. by parties on
holidays, and well spoken of for good
entertain-
ment. Mr. A. Onslow, when Speaker of the House,
was wont to go
to this house, in plain attire, and
take his seat in the chimney-corner in
the kitchen,
joining familiarly in the humours of the customers,
and was
for two or three years a great favourite
102
lAVfcRN ANECDOTES.
with the landlord, his family and visitors; who, not
knowing his name,
usually spoke of him as " The
Gentleman." Mr. Onslow being seen one day
in
his state carriage going to the House by the land-
lord, mine host was
somewhat alarmed at the dis-
covery, and hurried home to tell his family what
he
had discovered, which disconcerted them not a
little, knowing with how
little ceremony they had
hitherto treated him. The Speaker came as
usual
in the evening to the " Harp ;" but finding, from
the reserved
manners of the landlord, his wife, and
the children, >vho were accustomed
to climb upon
his knees, and take liberties with his wig, Kc. that
his
name and character had become known to the
circle, paid his bill, and,
without taking any farther
notice, left the house, to which he never
afterwards
returned.
THE SUN.
Many tavern-keepers have adopted the sign,
under which several have
painted, " The best Ale
sold here under the Sun."
Rich, the celebrated comedian and harlequin, re-
turning one evening from
the theatre in a hackney-
coach, gave orders to be driven to the Sun
tavern,
in Clare-market. On passing one of the windows,
which happened to
be open, he sprung out of the
coach into the room. The coachman, on pulling
up
at the door, and letting down the step, was asto-
nished to find his
coach empty, and after cursing his
fare for a bilker, remounted his box, and
was about
to drive oft', when Rich, who in (he meantime had
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
103
jumped back again, ordered Jarvis to turn and set
him down, which he did
with no very pleasant ideas
of his customer; who, upon getting out, began
to
rail at the coachman for being so very stupid, and
then offered him the
fare. This Jarvis declined
accepting, saying, that his master had ordered
him
not to take any money that night. Rich answers,
that his master must
be a fool, and makes an offer
of a shilling to the coachman; who in the
meantime
had gained his box again, but he declined taking
any thing;
adding, " I know you well, notwith-
standing your shoes, and so, Mr. Devil,
you are
outwitted for once."
BRACE TAVERN, King's Bench.
Originally kept by two brothers of the name of
Partridge, from whom it
obtained the present title,
being a pun upon their name, they being a brace
of
Partridges.—The following appropriate Parody of
one of Moore's Irish
Melodies is, we think, drawn
with characteristic fidelity, and deserves to be
in-
serted here:—
THE BENCHER; on, WHITEWASHING-DAY.
Air—Though dark are our sorrows, to-day we'll forget them.
Though num'rous our debts are, yet soon we forget them,
When free from a baliff s or turnkey's rude powers ;
For never were
hearts, if the nabmen would let them,
More form'd to be jovial and light than
our's.
But though without cash
We oft cut a dash,
And credit
besprinkles our path with flowers,
104
TAVERN ANECDOTES,
Yet the day will come
When we're found at home I
Oh! the joy that we
taste, like the light of the poles,
Is a flash amid darkness, too brilliant to stay;
But though 'twere the
last little spark in our souls,
Let us light it up now—for 'tis Whitewashing
Day !
I he devil take tradesmen, who say we're ungrateful,
Though wo fly from the grabs, to our friends we are true'
It we can't pay,
we can't! then what is more hateful
Than taking one's body for sums over due
!
Vile creditors blight
Our prospects outright;
And when they have
naii'rf us, cry, " Pay me, sir, pay !"
So, unless we give bail,
We're
lugg'd off to jail :
But since I'm now up, were I summon'd next minute,
I'd laugh, drink, and sing, look cheerful and gay,
And shew what the head
of a Benclter has in it,
Who has pass'd the ordeal of Whitewashing Day'
We no longer are gieeii, and our sprees are recorded
By men who have sujf'er'd too much to forget;
With hope they were gull'd,
and with promise rewarded,
While our quarterly pilgrimage spung'd out the
debt f
Their hearts may be broke,
Yet ue laugh at the joke,
For nothing
can make an Old Bencher pay;
He's up and he's down
To the tricks of the
town ;
He lives by his wits, and plays a bold part,
With an impudent air that ne'er will decay;
Though his poverty's great,
still greater's his art,
For he clears off all scores by Whitewashing Day
!
ORIGIN OK SIGNS.
lOA
THE BELL.
Bells, in superstitious times, were held in great
veneration,
and it excites no wonder tlwt such
should be adopted as a characteristic and
distin-
guishing sign by the publican; hence we have the
Bell, Loth old
and new, in all parts of the country.
The Ring of Bells, Five BeHs, and Eight
Bells,
allude io the practice of playing on a number of
bells, which are
either carried about by the player,
or in some houses kept for the professor
or the
amateur, to amuse the frequenters of the house.
Around the fare of blue-ey'd Sue,
Did auburn ringlets curl,
Her lips seem'd coral dipp'd in dew,
Her teeth, two rows of pearl.
Joe, of the Bell, whose wine, they
saul,
Was new in cask, as he in trade,
Espous'd this nonpareil;
" You keep the bar," said Joe, " my dear,
But
be obliging, Sue, d'ye hear,
And prove to all who love good chter,
They're
welcome to the Bell."
A London rider chanc'd to slip
Behind the bar, to dme,
And found sweet Susan's yielding lip
Much mellower than her wine.
As Joe stepp'd id, he stamp'd and
tore,
And for the London beau, he swore
He'd dust his jacket well.
" Heyday!" says Sue, " what's this, I
trow!
You bade me be obliging, Joe :
I'm only proving to the beau,
He's welcome to the Bell."
106
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
THE BOLT-IN-TUN.
There is a well-known inn so named in Fleet-
street. The representation of
this sign is an arrow
entering into a barrel, or hogshead, by the
bung-
hole, apparently shot from a bow at this instead of a
target. Bolt
was an old name for the arrow, and
ton, or tun, a common term for a pipe of
wine ;
hence the name of Vintner, or Wintonners, the title
of the Company
of Vintners in the City of London-
Query. Were the bowmen of former days in the
habit of trying their skill
in this way? or, before
cork-screws were common, might it not be
the
practice to draw the bung, by forcing an arrow
into it ?
Bolt-court, Fleet-street, nearly opposite, is re-
markable as being the
residence of our great lexi-
cographer and moralist, Dr. SamuelJohnson,
whose
life has been ably written by James Boswell, Esq.
of Auchinlek, (his
companion to the Hebrides,)
and by Sir John Hawkins, Knt.
Many years before Johnson's decease, his house
in Bolt-court had been an
asylum for several
necessitated persons; among whom was Mr. Robert
Levett,
whose sudden death is recorded in some of
the finest lines that were ever
produced in the
English language.
In the beginning of the year 1782, death deprived
the doctor of his old
friend and companion ; he
who had, for near forty years, had the care of
his
health, ,and had attended him almost constantly
every morning, to
enquire after the state of his
body, and pour out his tea; the mute, the
officious,
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
107
and the humble Dr. Levett. Of this disastrous
e\ent, which happened at
seven in the morning, on
the 17th of January, the doctor was informed,
by
a special messenger sent to Mr. Thrale's, where
the doctor was on a
visit, and had just finished his
breakfast. Immediately on receiving the
news, he
reclined back in his chair, and produced the follow-
ing- lines,
which were committed to paper by Mrs.
Thrale :—
Condenm'd to hope's delusive mine,
As on we toil from day to day,
By sudden blast, or slow decline,
Our social comforts drop away.
Well tried through many a varying year,
See Levett to the grave descend;
Officious, innocent, sincere,
Of every friendless name the friend.
Yet still he fills affection's eye,
Obscurely wise, and coarsely kind,
Nor, letter'd arrogance, deny
Thy praise to merit unre&n'd.
When fainting nature call'd for aid,
And hov'ring death prepar'd the
blow,
The vig'rous remedy display'd,
The power of art, without the sbow.
In mis'ry's darkest caverns known,
His useful care was ever nigh;
Where hopeless anguish pour'd his
groan,
And lonely want retir'd to die.
No summons mock'd by chill delay,
No petty gain disdain'd by pride ;
The modest wants of ev'ry day,
The toil of ev'ry day supply'd.
108 TAVERN
ANECDOTES.
His virtues walk'd their narrow round,
Nor made a pause, nor left a void
;
And sure the eternal Master found
The single talent well employ'd.
The busy day, the peaceful night,
Unfelt, uncounted, glided by:
His frame was firm, his pow'rs were
bright,
Though now his eightieth year was nigh.
Then with no throb of fiery pain,
No cold gradations of decay,
Death broke at once the vital chain,
And freed his soul the nearest way.
CASTLE AND FALCON INN, Aldebsgate-Stheet.
Opposite to this inn formerly stood Aldersgate,
which shared the fate of
the other gates in the be-
ginning of the late reign. During the reign
of
Queen Elizabeth it was occupied by the celebrated
printer, Mr. John
Day. In an old book printed by
him is a portrait in the title, representing
him with
a whip in his hand in a room at the top of the gate,
where his
boys slept; the sun appears to be shining
upon them, and he awakens them with
these words,
" Arise! for it is day."
THE COAL-HOLE, Stbasd.
This house is situated on the south side of the
Strand, near to the Savoy,
and is much frequented
by theatrical gentlemen after their hours of
exhi-
bition upon the stage. Being erected on the spot
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
109
which was formerly a coal-wharf and store-house,
it was not
inappropriately named the Coal-hole.
It was at this house that " The Wolves" held
their club, the leader or
patron of which was Kean,
the actor. So disorderly and uproarious,
however,
was this society, that it became a nuisance even to
a Coal-hole,
and it was accordingly broken up.
THE THATCHED-HOUSE TAVERN.
The famous and noble Order of Bucks now holds
its meetings at this tavern,
which is in St. James's-
street. This society formerly held its meetings
at
the Sun, in Monkwell-street; but, as it increased iu
number and
respectability, it was removed nearer to
the court, for the accommodation of
the nobility and
gentry, of which it is composed.
THE MOOMIAKEBS.
A house, with this sign, stands near Suffolk-street,
Soutlvwark, and is
well known to the inhabitants of
that district. The natives of most counties
are
honoured by some ludicrous appellation by their
neighbours, and a
moon-raker has long been syno-
nymous with a Wiltshireman. What it
really
originated from we do not pretend to know; but
the countrymen
themselves say, that they obtained
it from the following circumstance:—A
party of
Wiltshire smugglers having deposited their casks
of contraband
spirits in a pond, were in the act of
raking them out, on a moonlight night,
when some
110
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
excisemen came near. Upon the latter demanding
what they were about, one
of the smugglers, with
affected naivete, replied, " Whoy, don't you
zee
that cheese there 1" Then a boy belonging to the
party taking the
hint, and splashing the water with
his rake, cried out, " Lord! lord! there
be a
thousand little cheeses now, feyther; rake away!"
The idea that these
pretended simpletons had
actually mistaken the reflection of the moon for
a
cheese, so diverted the excisemen, that they laughed
heartily, and went
away ; and by this manoeuvre,
they say, the smugglers' kegs remained in
safety,
for another and more favourable opportunity.—As,
however, we have
been favoured with a different
version of the moon-raking story, in verse, we
beg
to introduce it here, leaving the truth (if any truth
there be
belonging to it) to be discovered by more
diligent searchers into " origins
and inventions."
THE MOON-RAKERS.
Not far from Sarum's city, whose high spire
Serves as a landmark to the
country round—•
Tho' at a distant ken
It seems scarce bigger than a
pin,
Piercing the clouds, or glitt'ring in the sun—
Full many a hardy
husbandman is found :
Twas there, in days long' past, a wealthy squire
A
quiet life of gainful thrift had run,
And therefore reckon'd poverty a
sin
In other men,
Who ne'er could boast of barns o'erstock'd with
grain,
Or count their fleecy treasures on the plain :
For he had flocks of
sheep and herds of swine,
But mostly did he prize his herds of kine—
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
Ill
And well he might, since he so wond'rous rich
Had grown, by making tons on
tons of cheese ;
No wonder cheese, then, did his mind bewitch,
No wonder Doll and Bet were
made to squeeze
And press the creamy curds with ail their might,
Nor was it wonderful he dreamt of cheese at night.
One night, it seems, our squire had gone to rest
With nought but thoughts
of cheese within his breast,
(And doctors tell us, cheese will not
digest)
When, starting from a dream—" Thieves! thieves !" he
cried—
" They're in the storehouse, cairying off the cheese !
Here, Jack! Dick!
Will!"—Jack, with a yawn, replied,
" Ees—ees—Zur! I be coinin'—what'athe
matter?"
(Just at that moment Jowler gave a sneeze)
" What, can't you hear the
thieves 1"—" Noa, nought
but clatter
That all the volk be makin in the house ;
But, howsomdever, pretty soon
we'll try
If there be any rogues—for Will and I
Would sarve 'em just as puss would sarve a mouse."
Down stairs they ran, and to the store-house hied,
Then search'd it round
and round, but all in vain,
No thieves were there,
Yet none could
swear
Whether some cheeses might not have been ta'en.
But as they pass'd the pond, the squire 'spied
What seem'd to him, as tho'
the rogues, in haste,
Had unintentionally giv'n a clue,
By which the stolen treasure might be trac'd—
The fact was, Luna had the
water grac'd
With something cheese-like, both in form and hue.
" Gadzooks ! the squire cried, " go fetch your rakes—
Who would have thought the rogues had been such cakes
112 TAVERN
ANECDOTES.
To put their cheeses here—
But that they have, 'tis clear:
The rakes
were quickly brought, and at it hard they
went,
But not a cheese they caught, tho' all on raking bent.
For hours
they toil'd—indeed, till morning grey
Too plainly show'd that raking was in vain,
For Luna stole to bed at break
ot day,
And left the rakers spent with fruitless pain!
Oh, had you seen each worthy with his rake,
Now buoy'd with hope, and now despairing grown,
You must have pitied him,
for mercy's sake—■
And yet you might have crack'd your sides, I own '.
To paint their looks,
their gestures, ev'ry feature,
Would challenge Hogarth's utmost stretch of art,
Altho' so true he
pictur'd human nature—
So earnestly the clodpoles play'd their part.
But I'll not dwell on all
they did or said,
Suffice it that I tell you, they found out
Their error after Luna went to
bed,
And wisli'd that they had been there too, no doubt.
THE CROWN AND ANCHOR.
The association of the navy with the crown is
natural. The most noted
house with this sign is in
the Strand, and is famous for the meetings
of
modern reformers. Among the puhlic characters
who have occasionally "
held forth" here, for the
public good, none are more distinguished for
manly-
independence and general consistency than Sir
Francis Burdett.
Whatever opinion may he formed
of his political bias by adverse parties,
certain it is
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
113
that history does not furnish a brighter example of
steady perseverance in
the cause of rational liberty,
than has been shewn by him in his long and
popular
career. Alas ! how few there are who figure away
for a time as "
friends of the people," that deserve
a similar encomium. The following
epigrammatic
lines were written on the duel which the baronet
fought with
a person named Paul, and on his being
supposed to have pensioned the noisy
demagogue,
Peter F------!
Knights of the post of old strove alt
By robbing Peter to pay Paul;
Sir
Francis Burdett nicks it neater,
He pistols Paul, and pensions Peter.
THE ROSE TAVERN.
There are several taverns in London, and else-
where, with this sign, the
emblem of England. A
remarkable event took place in the year 1649, at
the
Rose tavern, which w as situated two doors from
Allhallows church, Barking,
at the bottom of
Seething-lane, Tower-street. The parish officers,
and
several of the inhabitants, being at a parish
feast in this house, all
perished by the explosion of
twenty-seven barrels of gunpowder, which took
fire
in a ship-chandler's in Tower-street. The landlady
was found, on
clearing away the rubbish, sitting
upright in the bar, and the waiter, with a
pot in his
hand, standing without; both preserved from contu-
sion by the
crossing of timbers, but both dead through
suffocation; and a cradle, w ith a
child in it, was
l
114
TAVERN ANEGDOTKS.
earried by the explosion to the top of the leads of
Allhallows church,
whence it was taken down next
day, and, to the surprise of every one, it was
found
to have suffered no injury.
When Pope wrote his poem of " Windsor Forest,"
he often took some
refreshment at the sign of the
Rose, in Wokingham, Berkshire, a town on
the
skirt of Windsor Forest, where he was sometimes
accompanied by Swift.
The landlady, a Mrs.
Mogg, was a good-tempered woman, and very
handsome.
Being confined by rain one afternoon,
they to amuse themselves, celebrated
her charms
in the well-known ballad of " Sweet Molly Mogg
of the Rose,"
each writing a verse alternately.
Within a very short distance from the town,
on the
forest, Pope had a low bench fastened to the trunk
of an oak tree,
where he was accustomed to sit
and admire the surrounding scenery. Some
time
after his death a board was nailed to the tiee about
twelve feet
abo\e the ground, with the following
inscription painted on it:—
BENEATH THE BRANCHES OF THIS TRE";
POPE SAT AND SANG.
Mrs. Mogg continued tq be landlady of the Rose
many years after Pope and
Swift's decease.
Gay has also celebrated the charms of Mrs. Mogg
in a humourous song,
entitled,
MOLLY MOGG.
Says my uncle, I pray now discover,
What has been the cause of your woes ;
That you pine and you whine like a
lover?
I've seen Moll) Mogg of the Rose.
UglUIN OF SiCKS.
l\$
0 nephew, yam grief ts but fully,
In town you may find better progg ,
Half-a-crown there will get you a
Molly,
A Molly much better than Mogg.
The school-boy's delight is a play-day,
The school-master's joy is to flog,
A fop's the delight of a lady ,
But mine is in sweet Molly Mogg.
VVill-o'-wisp leads the tray'ler a-gadding,
Thro1 ditch, and thro*
quagmire, and bog,
But no light C|n e'er set me a-maddmg,
Like the eyes, of my sweet Molly
Mogg-
For guineas in other men's breeches,
Your gamesters will paum apd will
cog,
But I envy thenj none of their riches,
So I paum my sw.gef Mqlly Mogg.
The heart that's half wounded is ranging,
It here and there leaps like a frog ,
But my heart can never be
changing,
'Tis so fix'd on my sweet Molly Mogg.
1 know that by wits 'tis recited,
That women, at best, are a
clog,
But I'm not so easily fnghtei!,
From loving my sweet Molly Mogg.
A letter v»ben I am inditing,
Comes Cupid, and gives me a jog,
And 1 fill all my paper with wilting,
Of nothing but sweet Molly Mogg
I feel I'm in love to distraction,
My senses aie lost m a fog,
And in nothing can find satisfaction,
But in thoughts of my sweet Molly Mogg.
I 2
116
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
If I would not give up the three Graces,
I wish I were hang'd like a
dog,
And at court all the drawing-room faces,
For a glance at my sweet Molly
Mogg.
For these faces want nature and spirit,
And seem as cut out of a log;
Juno, Yenus, and Pallas's merit,
Unite in my sweet Molly Mogg.
Were Virgil alive with his Phillis,
And writing another eclogue,
Both his Phillis and fair Amaryllis,
He'd give for my sweet Molly
Mogg.
When Molly comes up with the liquor,
Then jealousy sets me a-gog ;
To be sure she's a bit for the vicar,
And so 1 shall lose Molly Mogg.
117
ACCOUNT
OF
COFFEE AND COFFEE-HOUSES.
Tbe first coffee-house in ihe metropolis was estab-
lished in the
Tilt-yard in 1652. In Paris coffee-
was not known until several years
afterwards.
Thevenot, the traveller, was the first who brought
it into
France; and a Greek servant, named Pesqua,
whom Mr. Daniel Edwards, a Turkey
merchant,
brought into England in 1652, for the purpose of
making his
coflee, was the first person who set up
coffee-man, and introduced the drink
among us.
The first mention of it in our statute book is in
the year 1660, when a
duty of four-pence was laid
on every gallon of coffee made and sold.
One of the oldest coffee-houses in the metropolis
was kept by a barber,
named James Farr, at the
sign of the Rainbow, opposite Chancery-lane,
which
still goes by the same name. In 1708 he was pre-
sented by the
inquest of St. Dunstan in the West
for making and selling a liquor called
coffee, as a
great nuisance, and prejudicial to the neighbour-
hood. Who
would then have imagined, that in the
progress of fifty succeeding years such
nuisances
would have increased to no less a number than three
thousand. In
1768, when the signs were taken
down, to give free circulation to the air in
the
streets of the metropolis, and the numerous taverns
decreased,
coffee-houses continued to multiply, in
118 TAVERN
nk*ECDOTES.
consequence of the opinions of the College of Phy-
sicians, who stated
publicly that coffee was a whole-
some beverage. It was then received into
general
estimation, and continued to be drank with avidity
until the
present day ; when it appears by the re-
gister of the licensing office, that
there are unwards
of nine thousand coffee-houses existing in London.
The French first conveyed some plants to Mar-
tihico in 1727, whence it
probably spread to the
neighbouring islands. The word " coffee" is
ori-
ginally Arabic, and the Turks pronounce it cahuck,
and the Arabs
cahuel; which some authors main-
tain to be a general name for any thing that
pro-
motes appetite ; and others say that it is a name for
any thing that
gives strength and vigour. Another
coffee-house was established in 1669;
since which
■period, more particularly of late years, the number
of
coffee-bouses has become increased almost be-
yond belief, and the quantity
of the article con-
'siimed (including the whole of Europe) far
exceeds
that Of tea, the chief consumption of which is con-
fined to the
British dominions.
The circumstance that first made it known in this
country, consigned it
primarily to the hands of the
'clergy. "The $ridr of a convent having
remarked
the cordial and exhilarating effects of the leaves
trpon goats
Who broused upon them, tried the effect
lof an infusion of the berry upon
some of his monks,
Vho Vere more disposed to drowsiness than to
pfayer.
This had the desired effect, for they be-
came vigilant in their devotions,
and thus the repu-
tation of the berry became notorious, and it
was
brotrglit into general use. Coffee has been known
COFFEE-HOUSES*.
H9
among the Turks and eastern nations above three
hundred and fifty years,
and in Europe above one
hundred and fifty years.
LLOYD'S COFFEE-HOUSE.
This important establishment derived its
name
from the person who was the first keeper of it. It
became the resort
of merchants, brokers, and under-
writers, who at first mutually agreed to
share alike
in the losses sustained at sea. It is now the centre
mart of
mercantile intelligence, and the Minister
of the day generally communicates
any important
news to the Chairman of the Committee at Lloyd's,
from
whence it soon spreads through the mercantile
world, and the reporter is sure
of belief, if he can
say he had his news from Lloyd's. The committee
have
correspondence with all parts of the world;
and for extent of information,
utility, power, and
commercial sway, there is not a place in the world
tan
vie with this and the " Royal Exchange," with
which it is intimately
connected.
THE CHAPTER COFFEE-HOUSE.
This is situated in Chapter-house-court, and has
also an entrance from
Paternoster-row. Here are
kept files of the chief newspapers, and various
pe-
riodical reviews and magazines are taken in, for the
amusement of the
numerous frequenters of thie
literary coffee-house.
The London booksellers, usually denominated
" The Trade," generally nwet
here, for the purpose
$$0
TAVKRN ANECDOTES.
of agreeing upon giving out a book to print, in
which they have shares, or
for dividing a work,
when printed, and on other business connected
with
the trade.
It is much frequented by literary characters, and
the accommodations are
good in every respect.
STEEL-YARD COFFEE-HOUSE, Upper Thames-
Street.
So named, being the resort of the merchants of
Cologne, Triers, Hamburg,
Hunondale, and Mun-
ster, who were the proprietors of the steel-yard
in
the neighbourhood.
In 1282 the city of London obliged these mer-
chants, who were known by
the name of the Com-
pany of the Steel-yard, to pay two hundred and
ten
marks for the repairs of one of the rity gates,
called Bishop's-gate, and
engage to keep the same
in repair in future. It divided
Bishopsgate-street
without, from Biphopsgate-street which was within
the
walls.
SIGN AT RAG SHOPS.
The Black Doll, used as a sign by the dealers
in
rags, originated with a person who kept a house for
the sale of tojs
aud rags in Norton Falgate, about
sixty years ago. An old woman brought him
a
large bundle for sale, but desired it might remain
unopened until she
called again to see it weighed.
Several weeks elapsed without her appearing,
which
induced the master of the shop to open the bundle,
OLD SIGNS.
121
when he found a black doll, neatly dressed, with a
pair of gold ear-rings
appended. This he hung up
over his door, for the purpose of being owned
by
the woman who left it. Shortly after this she called,
and presented the
doll to the shopkeeper, as a mark
of gratitude for his having, by its means,
enabled
her to find out her bundle. The story having
gained circulation,
this figure has been generally
used by dealers in rags ever since this
original in-
stance of honesty in this class of merchants.
OLD SIGNS.
Before 1766, the signs are described as large,
finely gilt, and very
absurd. Golden perriwigs,
saws, axes, razors, trees, lancets, knives,
cheese,
salmon, blacks' heads with gilt hair, half moons,
sugar-loaves,
and Westphalia hams, were repeated
unmercifully fromWhitechapel to
Piccadilly. One
perambulating the streets must have felt rather
un-
pleasantly during a high wind, when hundreds of
signs were swinging on
rusty hinges above him,
threatening a descent; and penthouses and
spouts
pouring cascades upon his luckless head. In 1718,
the sign and
front of a house in Fleet-street, oppo-
site Bride-lane, fell down, and
killed two young
ladies, the king's jeweller, and a cobbler. Many
other
accidents having occurred by the falling of
signs, the city at last compelled
shopkeepers to fix
their signs against the walls withovit projection ;
and
spouts were so constructed, as to discharge the
water without saluting
passengers.
122 TAVERN
-tXFXDOTES.
CLUBS.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
On observing the ruling spirit of each, we can
perceive what a powerful
influence they must have
exercised on the character of the times,
especially
of those in London, who flourished about the end
of the
seventeenth century. Although they have
Hot published their " transactions"
and " reports,"
by which the " world has been defrauded of many
a high
design," yet, agreeable to the judicious
remarks of a writer, in a periodical
of the present
day, " perhaps the influence of such clubs was
stronger
when confined to viva voce and extempore
communications between themselves
and the public,
than can be justly claimed by any of the
modern
philosophical institutions. It is undeniable, that
much truth
evaporates in conversation, and is lost;
but it is equally so, that much
truth is compressed
in written documents, and is never found.
" Tims, one year's transactions of the Kit-Cat and
the Golden Fleece, may
have told more effectually
on the age, than one year's transactions of
the
Royal Society. Those members spoke, and what
they said is forgotten.
These members wrote, and
what thpy did write, if not forgotten, is at least
not
remembered. But the clubs to which I allude
civbs.
123
exerted a living influence: they blended with the
spirit of the age; they
coloured it, and were coloured
by it; in every company some unknown
member
lurked; their jokes, their gibes, their criticisms,
their maimers,
their speculations, their opinions,
sometimes won, and sometimes forced their
way
into ordinary life; and thus the dress, the language,
the deportment,
the current ideas of the day were
all, by means nnperceived by dim-eyed
moralists,
charactered by these all-powerful associations of
convivial
spirits."
The object of clubs is often asserted to be, the
promotion of trade, human
conversation, and the
communication of curious and scientific matter
;
but, according to an old writer, he gives this
opinion, that " most
considerate men, who have
ever been engaged in such sort of
compotations,
have found, by experience, that the general end
thereof is a
promiscuous encouragement of vice,
faction, and folly, at the unnecessary
expense of
that time and money, which might be better em-
ployed in their
own business, or spent with much
more comfort in their own families. But as
all ages
have been made merry by the fantastical whimsies
and ridiculous
affections of such humoursome
societies, as have made themselves a town-talk
by
their singular follies, inebrious extravagancies,
comical projections,
vicious encouragements, and
uncommon practices, I am persuaded to believe,
it
x:an be thought no breach of morality or good man-
ners to expose the
vanity of those whimsical clubs,
who have been proud to distinguish
themselves by
such amusing denominations, that the most morose
I3S4 TAVKRN
ANECDOTES.
cynic would be scarce able to hear their titles,
without bursting into
laughter ; nor have the
frantic customs, jocular diversions, and
preposterous
government of such fuddle-cap assemblies, been
less
remarkable than their several distinctions. If
these remarks were considered
justly applicable to
the societies and clubs of the last century,
with
what additional force may they be applied to those
of the present day
; but few of whom have any
other object in view than present gratification,
and
spending an idla hour that would otherwise hang
heavy on their hands ;
and many of which originate
with a landlord, or some one having an interest
in
a particular house, to which they wish to draw
custom; yet, while we
condemn the principle of
some, we cannot withhold our commendation
of
others, who combine philanthropy with their hila-
rity, making stated
or occasional collections among
themselves for the relief of the distressed,
the in-
firm, and the aged, who have claims upon the
public
benevolence.
THE TERRIBLE CLUB.
ARTICLES.
Imprimis. That the club do meet at midnight in
the Great Armory-hall in
the Tower (if leave can
be obtained) the first Monday in every month.
II. That the president be seated upon a drum, at
the upper end of
the table, accoutred with a helmet,
a basket-hilt sword, and a buff belt.
III. That the president be always obliged to pro*
CLUBS.
125
vide for the first and standing dish of the club, a
pastie of bull-beef
baked in a target, made for that
purpose.
IV. That the members do cut their meat with
bayonets instead
of knives.
V. That every member do sit to the table, and
eat with his hat, his
sword, and his gloves on.
VI. That there be no liquor drank but rack-
punch, quickened with
brandy and gunpowder.
VII. That a large mortar be made use of for a
punch-bowl.
THE FOX-HUNTERS' CLUB.
Their attire should be the same as their hunts-
man's, and none should be
admitted into this green
conversation piece except he had broke his
collar-
bone thrice ; a broken rib or two might also admit
a man, without
the least opposition. The president
must necessarily have broke his neck, and
have
been taken up for dead once or twice; for the more
maims this
brotherhood shall have met with, the
easier will their conversation flow and
keep up ;
and when any of these vigorous invalids had
finished his
narration of the collar-bone, this natu-
rally would introduce the history of
the ribs.
Besides, the different circumstances of their falls
and
fractures would help to prolong and diversify
their relations.
There should also be another club, who had not
succeeded so well in
maiming themselves, but are,
however, in the constant pursuit of these
accom-
plishments.
HI TAVERN
ANECDOTES.
THE LAZY CLUB.
The members of this fraternity generally met
attired in
their night-gowns, with their stockings
about their heels, and frequently
with only a single
stocking on. Their salutation on their entrance,
was a
yawn and a stretch, and then without farther
ceremony, each took his place at
the lolling table.
THE FREE AND EASY CLUB.
Numerous houses in London have their " Free
and Easies," which meet on
various evenings, ac-
cording as suits the neighbourhood, the publican,
or
his favourite chairman, and his fellow chaunters.
Some pretty good singing of
glees, catches, and
songs, may be heard at some of these meetings.
Saturday evening, as it suited the pockets of the
frequenters of such, was
generally the fullest
meeting nights in most; but the late stir among
the
magistracy, about late hours, has curtailed their
• hours of harmony
without " the city ;" but, within,
the publican sometimes ventures to allow
harmony
to go on somewhat beyond the hour of eleven, ft
is very amusing to
a stranger, who has patience fp
hear a bad singer, who is sometimes called
,on, in
compliment to his vanity, attempting a ,soag which
requires both
science and voice to render it toler-
able, and aping the tone, shake, and
action of some
of the first singers on the stage ; yet so polite are
these
gentlemen auditors, that they are ready wjth
their plaudits on the conclusion
of the strain, as
they feel convinced that he has done his best, and
say,
" the best can do no better.'' Should the
OMJBS.
iff
often-repeated toast follow, " May our «ad*aw»HS
to please le crowned with
success," another plandU
succeeds, as the sentiment shews that the
performer
had the desire to please.
Mr. Crabbe thus describes a club of this sort, in
the country;—
The club, whereto their friends in town
Our country neighbours once a month come down;
We term it " Free and Easy," and yet we
Find it no easy matter to be free.
Even in our small assembly, fneDds among,
Are minds perverse, there's something wiU be wrong ;
Men are not equal, some will claim a right
To be the kings and heroes of the night—
Will their own themes and favourite notions itart,
And you must hear, offend them, or depart.
Man feels his weakness, and to numbers rui',
Himself to strengthen, or himself to shun ;
But tho' to this our weakness may be prone,
Let's learn to live, for we must die alone'
THE HUM-DRUM CLUB.
This was accustomed to meet at a house in Ivy-
lane,
where the original Dolly accommodated the
public with chops and steaks. The
house is now
occupied as a warehouse, by Messrs. Sherwood
and Co.
booksellers, but the name is still retained,
being gradually moved from house
to house, until
it reached its present situation in Queen's-head-
passage,
leading from Newgate-street to Pater-
noster-row. This club was inimical to
noise, and
was composed of very peaceable gentlemen, who
met to smoke
their pipes till midnight, and were
128 TAVERN
ANECDOTES.
never known to have a dispute or an angry word
amongst them; because, like
a similar club, called
the Mum Club, they looked wise and said nothing.
THE KIT CAT CLUB.
This was formed in the year 1703, by a number
of noblemen and gentlemen,
who were zealous for
the protestant succession in the house of Hanover.
It
took its name from Christopher Kat, a pastry-
cook, who lived near the
tavern, in King-street,
Westminster, where the club met, who supplied
the
society with pastry. Jacob Tonson was their book-
seller, and his
descendants are in possession of tlie
original members of this club. The
design of these
personages was to recommend and encourage true
loyalty, by
the influence of wit and humour.
Sir Samuel Garth distinguished himself by the
extempore epigrams he made
on their toasts, which
were inscribed on their drinking glasses.
Their
portraits (in number forty-eight) were painted by
Sir Godfrey
Kneller. The room in which those
paintings were first hung being (oo low to
admit
half-lengths, they were painted somewhat shorter,
which gave rise to
the name of Kit-Cat given to
all portraits of that length.
THE DAFFY CLUB.
This club, which is of rather modern date, and
the
account of which we quote from the work of a
well-known flash linguist, is
held at the Castle
Tavern, Holborn. The title is a new term, lately
coined
in the Mint of the Fancy, for it does not
cttrfis.
129
appear m any oi the works ot the great lexico-
graphers. However, the
article which gives name
to the club is of rather ancient date. It is
known
in various circles, by sundry names, such as, White
Wine, Old Tom,
Max, Blue Rum, a Flash of
Lightning, Jacky, Stark Naked, and
Fuller's
Earth; but generally by the old name, " Gin."
Being a sporting
club, they deemed this old fa-
shioned title not quite so agreeable to the
lis-
tener, to which the term Gin Club would have
been rather unmusical;
and, as sporting characters,
they would be nothing without being flash,
they
determined to meet under the title of the Daffy
Club. This club is
without any written or printed
rules; no fines are exacted for
non-attendance, their
only rule is, to do what is right; yet they are
very
remarkable for accommodation, as they show their
good breeding in the
case of an inventive relator of
a story, doing it rather too brown (such as
stating,
with a face of day, that in the country he ran a
mile in two
minutes and three-quarters,) so as
almost to spoil the steadiness of the mugs
of the
club; the president therefore gently reminds them,
that as being
staunch members, of course they will
accommodate the gentleman in his story.
Very
few evenings pass over without one such bouncer
mating his
appearance, and causing the gentle
chaff to circulate, " Do you believe it
V
Every member is expected to be in spirits ; and
the Dailies seldom drink
by halves, but generally
together, by way of trio; and it rarely
happens
that a Daffyonian is under the necessity of muzzing
solus, " I'll
take a third I" is the assent made,
K
130
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
whenever the office is given to have a taste. Har-
mony is the basis of
the Daffies ; and between the
different heats of betting, some good
characteristic
chaunting often adds an interest to the scene at
the
castle; and the president is always ready to further
the wishes of the
company by his throwing off,
without the least hesitation.
THE KING'S CLUB.
This was formed soon after the restoration of
Charles
II. Men of all qualities and professions
were admissible, provided they were
sumamed
King, which they deemed sufficient evidence that
the applicant was
untainted with republican prin-
ciples.
THE LOOKERS-ON CLUB.
" The fundamental article in the constitution of this
society, is the
prohibition of every kind of noise.
Any elevation of voice above a certain
pitch, ia
illegal, and punishable. The abuse of superlatives
is also
cognizable among us, and no man is allowed
to say, that his house is the
pleasantest in the
neighbourhood, that his dogs run the best, or that
his
crops are the most plentiful. Whatever carries
the notion of a challenge with
it, or can lead to a
wager, we are pledged to discountenance. We
admit
neither toasting nor singing upon any pre-
text, and it would be as great an
offence to raise a
horse laugh in a Quaker's meeting, as to encourage
*ny
rude expression of joy among us.
fttCBS.
131
THE SILENT CLUB.
This society was instituted in the year 1694, and
consisted of twelve
members, who met in Dumb-
alley, in Holborn. They considered themselves
as
the relics of the old Pythagoreans, and had this
maxim in common with
them, that " Talking spoils
company." The president was one who had
been
born both deaf and dumb, owing that blessing to
nature, which the
others owed to industry.—The
following extract is upon record:—
" I find, upon inquiry, that the greatest part of us
are married men, and
such whose wives are re-
markably loud at home. Hither we fly for
refuge,
and enjoy at once the two greatest and most valu-
able blessings,
company and retirement."
THE LAWYERS* CLUB.
This club is thus described in the Spectator,
No.
372:—" You must know, sir, that this club con-
sists only of attornies, and
at this meeting every
one proposes to the board the cause he has then
in
hand, upon which each member gives his judgment,
according to the
experience he has met with. If it
happens that any one puts a case, of which
they
have had no precedent, it is noted down by their
chief clerk, Will
Goosequill, (who registers all
their proceedings,) that one of them may go
with ft
next day to a counsel. This is, indeed, commend-
able, and ought
to be the principal end of their
meeting; but had you been there, to have
heard
them relate their methods of managing a cause,
their manner of
drawing out their bills, and, in
K2
132
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
short, their arguments upon the several ways of
abusing their clients,
with the applause that is given
to him who has done it most artfully, you
would
before now have given your remarks.
They are so conscious that their discourses ought
to be kept a secret,
that they are very cautious of
admitting any person who is not of their
profession.
When any who are not of the law are let in, the
person who
introduces him, says, he is a very
honest gentleman, and he is taken, as
their cant is,
to pay costs. I am admitted upon the recom-
mendation of
one of their principals, as a very
honest, good-natured fellow, that will
never be in a
plot, and only desires to drink his bottle, and smoke
his
pipe."
THE LITTLE CLUB.
" They began by sending invitations to those not
exceeding five feet in
height, to repair to the
assembly, but many sent excuses, or pretended
a
non-application. They proceeded to fit up a room for
their
accommodation, and in the first place, had all
the chairs, stools, and tables
removed, which had
served the more bulky portion of mankind for
many
years, previous to which they laboured under very
great
disadvantages. The president's whole person
was sunk in the elbow chair, and
when his arms
were spread over it, he appeared (to the great
lessening of
his dignity) like a child in a go-cart.
It was also so wide in the seat, as
to give a wag
occasion of saying, ' That notwithstanding the-
president
sat in it, there was a sede vacante.'
Clubs.
133
" The tabic was so high, that one who came by
«hance to the door, seeing
our chins just above
the pewter dishes, took us for a circle of men
that
sat ready to be shaved, and sent in half a dozen of
barbers. Another
time, one of the club spoke con-
tumeliously of the president, imagining he
had been
absent, when he was only eclipsed by a flask of
Florence, which
stood on the table, in a parallel
line before his face. We therefore new
furnished
the room in all respects proportionably to us, and
had the door
made lower, so as to admit no man
above five feet high, without brushing his
foretop ;
which, whoever does, is utterly unqualified to sit
among
us."—See The Guardian, Nos. 91, and 92,
for farther particulars of this
curious club.
THE TALL CLUB.
" When a man rises beyond six feet, he is an
hypermetic, and may be
admitted into the tall club.
We have already chosen thirty members, the
most
sightly of all her majesty's subjects. We elected a
president, as
many of the ancients did their Kings,
by reason of his height, having only
confirmed him
in that station above us, which nature had given
him; he is
a Scotch Highlander, and within an
inch of a show. As for my own part, I am
but a
sesquipedal, having only six feet and a half in
stature. Being the
shortest member of the society,
I am appointed secretary. If you saw us all
to-
gether, you would take us for the sons of Anak.
Our meetings are held
like the old gothic parlia-
134 TAVERN
ANECDOTESj
ments, i>ub dm, in the open air, but we shall make
an interest if we
can, that we may hold our assem-
blies in Westminster Hall, when it is not
term time.
I must add to the honour of our club, that it is one
jo{ our
club who is now finding out the longitude.
The device of our public seal, is
a crane, grasping »
pigmy in his right foot."
THE MORAL PHILOSOPHERS' CLUB.
RULES.
I. We, being a laudable society of moral philo-
jiophers,
intend to dispute, twice a week, about
religion and priestcraft, leaving
behind us old
wives' tales, and following good learning and sound
sense;
and if so be that any other persons have a
mind to be of the society, they
shall be entitled so
to do upon paying the stun of three shillings, to
be
spent by the company in punch.
II. That no member be intoxicated before nine of
the clock, upon
pain of forfeiting three-pence, to be
spent by the companj in punch.
III. That as members are sometimes apt to go
away without paying,
every person shall pay six-
pence upon his entering the room; and all
disputes
ehall be settled by a majority, and all fines shall be
paid in
punch.
IV. That sixpence shall be every night given to
,the
president, in order to buy books of learning for
the good of the society ;
the president has already
•pa-t himself to a good deal of expense in
buying
■books for the club, particularly the works of Tnlly,
CLUBS.
*W&
Socrates, and Cicero, which he will soon read to
the society.
V. All those who bring a new argument against
religion, and
who, being philosophers and men of
learning, as the rest of us are, shall be
admitted to
the freedom of the society upon paying sixpence
only, to be
spent in punch.
VI. Whenever we are to have an extraordinary
meeting, it shall be
advertised by some outlandish
name, in the newspapers.
Saunders Macwild, President.
Anthony Blewit, Vice,
his X mark.
William Tubpin, Secretary.
THE TWO-PENNY CLUB.
Laws enacted by a knot of artisans and mecha-
nics, who used to meet every
night for the preser-
vation of friendship and good neighbourhood :—
I. Every member at his first coming in, shall Tay
down his
two-pence.
II. Every member shall fill his own pipe, out of
his own
box.
III. If any member absents himself, he shall
forfeit a penny for the
use of the club, unless in
case of sickness, or imprisonment.
IV. If any member swears, his neighbour may
give him a kick upon the
shins.
V. If any member tells stories in the club, that
are not true, he
shall forfeit for every third lie, an
halfpenny.
IS6 TAVtRN
VNLCDOTES.
VI. If any member strikes another wrongfully*
he shall pay his club
for him.
VII. If any member brings lus wife into the
club, he shall pay
for whatever she drinks, or
smokes.
VIII. If any member's wife comes to fetch him
home from the
club, she shall speak to him without
the door.
IX. None shall be admitted into the club, that is
of the same trade
with any member of it.
X. None of the club shall have his clothes or
shoes, made or
mended, but by a brother member.
THE CLUE OF SMOKEKS.
That there have been clubs so designated is most
certain ; but the
practice of smoking is too univer-
sal to misapply the term when speaking of
clubs in
general.
A club there is of smokers, dare you come
To that close crowded, hot,
narcotic room1
When, midnight past, the very candles seem
Dying for air,
and giv <j a ghastly gleam;
When curling fumes in lazy wreaths
arise,
And prosing topers reel their winking eyes;
When the long tale
renewed, when lact they met,
Is spliced anew, and is unfinished yet;
When
but a few are left the house to tire,
And they half sleeping by the sleepy
fire ,
Even the poor ventilating vane that flew
Of late, so fast, is now
grown sleepy too.
Crabee
CLUBS.
1W
THE BEEF-STEAK CLUB.
This club met in a house in Ivy-lane, now occu-
pied by a bookseller as a
warehouse. Smollett,
Johnson, and many of their friends, were members
of
it, as well as the absent and eccentric Rev. G.
Harvest, of whom many
anecdotes are related.
One evening, while walking in the
Temple-gardens,
he picked up a pebble of so peculiar a form, that
be
thought of presenting it to the virtuoso, Lord
Bute. On being asked what
o'clock it was, he
pulled out his watch, and in a few minutes after
threw
it into the river, and deliberately put the
pebble into his fob. One day,
being in a boat, his
wig fell off into the water, and he jumped after
it,
not seemingly aware of his danger, and was got
out with difficulty.
Being along with Lord Sand-
wich at Calais, and parading on the
ramparts,
musing on something that engrossed his attention,
he parted from
his lordship, and, as he could not
speak French, he was at a loss to find his
way to
the inn ; at last, recollecting that it was the sign of
the Silver
Lion, he clapped a shilling in his mouth,
and assumed the attitude of a lion
rampant. A
soldier meeting him, supposed him deranged, led
him back to the
inn from whence he supposed he
had escaped from his keepers.
Having to preach at a visitation, he provided
three sermons for the
occasion, which having men-
tioned to some of his brethren, they determined
on
playing him a trick. Accordingly, they got the
sermons from his pocket,
and displaced the pages,
sewing them up again. When he began his sermon
138
TAVERN ANfcCDOTi-S.
all seemed right; but when he reached the thirdf*"
page he became
confused, but still continued, until
the archdeacon, clergy, churchwardens,
and the
congregation, all took themselves off, when the
sexton admonished
him that he was addressing
himself to empty pews, which he would not
other-
wise have observed.
THE NO NOSE CLUB.
A whimsical gentleman, as related in " The
Secret History of the clubs in
London," having a
desire to see a large party of noseless persons
to-
gether, invited as many as he met with in the
streets, or elsewhere,
to dine with frm on a parti-
cular day at a tavern, where he formed a
brother-
hood, bearing the above designation.
The gentleman against the time having ordered a
very plentiful dinner,
acquainted the vintner who
were like to be his guests, that he might not
be
surprised at so ill-favoured an appearance, but pay
them that respect,
when they came to ask for him,
that might encourage them to tarry. When
the
morning came, no sooner was the hand of Covent-
- garden dial upon the
stroke of the hour prefixed,
but the No Nose Company began to drop in
apace,
like scaldheads and cripples to a mumper's, asking
for Mr.
Crumpton, which was the feigned name the
gentleman had taken upon him,
succeeding one
another so thick, with jarring voices, like the
brazen
strings of a cracked dulcimer, that the drawer
could scarce shew
one up stairs before he had
another to conduct; the answer at the bar being
t»
CLUBS.
139
All that enquired, " That Mr. Crumpton had been
there, and desired every
one that asked for him
would walk up stairs, and he would wait upon
them
presently." As the number increased, the surprise
grew the greater
among all that were present, who
stared at one another with such unaccustomed
bash-
fulness, and confused address, as if every sinner
beheld their own
iniquities in the laces of their
companions. However, seeing the cloth laid
in
extraordinary order, every one was curious, when
once entered, to
attend the sequel. At length a
■snorting old fellow, whose nose was utterly
swallowed
up by his cheeks, as if his head had been troubled
with an
earthquake, having a little more impudence
than the rest of the Muffletomans,
" Egad," says he,
" if by chance we should fall together by the ears,
how
long might we all fight before we should ha\ e
bloody noses." " Adsflesh,"
says another, '■ now
you talk of noses, I have been looking this half
hour
to find one in the company." " God be
praised," says a third, that we have no
noses, w«j
have every one a mouth, and that, by the spreading of
the
table, seems at present to be the most useful
member." " A mere trick, I dare
engage," says a
bridge-fallen lady, " that is put upon us by
some
whimsical gentleman, that loves to make a jest of
other people's
misfortunes." " Let him jest and
be damnpd," cries a dub-snouted bully, " if
he
comes but among us, and treats us handsomely; if
he does not, I'll pull
him by the nose, till he wishes
himself without one, like the rest of the
com-
pany." " Pray, gentlemen and ladies," cries an old
drowthy captain of
Whitefnais, who had forsaken
140
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
the pleasures of women for those of drinking,
" don't let us sit and choak
at the fountain head;"
and with that they knocked for the drawer,
and
asked him, if they might not call for wine, without
the danger of
being stopped for the reckoning;"
who answered, " yes, for what they pleased;
only
the gentleman desired it might be the forfeiture of
a quart, if any
one should presume to put their
nose in the glass!"
This club continued their monthly meetings for
one merry year, when its
founder and patron died,
and then the flat-faced community were
unhappily
dissolved.
At their last meeting an elegy was recited, of
which we subjoin an
extract:—
Mourn for the loss of such a generous friend,
Whose lofty nose no humble
snout disdain'd ;
But though of Roman height, could stoop so low,
As to
soothe those who ne'er a nose could show.
Ah! sure no noseless club could
ever find
One single Nose so bountiful and kind ;
But now, alas'. has sunk
into the deep,
Where neither kings nor slaves a nose shall keep ;
But
where proud beauties, strutting beaux, and all
Must soon into the noseless
fashion fall;
Thither your friend in complaisance is gone,
To have his
nose, like your's, reduced to none.
THE CLUB OF UGLY FACES.
Iu the same work, the tallyman of this club is
described as having a "
superabounding snout; a
second had a chin as long as a grave patriarchal
CLUBS.
HI
beard, and in shape like a shoeing horn; a third,
disfigured with a mouth
like a gallon pot, when
both sides are squeezed nearly close together ;
a
fourth, with a nose like the pummel of an andiron,
and as full of warts
as the beak of a cropper pigeon;
a fifth, with eyes like a tumbler, one
bigger than the
other; a sixth, with a pair of convex cheeks, as if,
like
jEoIus, the god of the winds, he had stopped
his breath for a time, to be the
better able to dis-
charge a hurricane; a seventh, with as many wens
and
warts upon his forehead, as there are knots and
prickles upon an old
thornback; an eighth, with a
pair of skinny jaws, that wrapped over in folds
like
the top of an old boot, or the hide of a rhinoceros ;
a ninth, with a
tusk strutting beyond his lips, as if
he had been begot by a man-tiger; a
tenth, with a
hair-lip, that had drawn his mouth into as many
corners as a
minced pie, made by the hussifly wife
of a formal mathematician; the
eleventh, with a
huge Lauderdale head, as big in circumference as
the
golden ball under St. Paul's cross, and a face
so fiery, that the ruddy front
of the orbicular lump
which stood so elevated upon his lofty
shoulders,
made it look like the flaming urn on the top of the
Monument; a
twelfth, with a countenance, as if his
parents, when he was young, had
clapped his chin
upon an anvil, and gave him a knock upon the
crown with a
smith's sledge, that had shortened his
phiz, and struck all his features out
of their proper
places; with many other such comical, clownish,
surly,
antic, moody, booby faces, that the wooden
gravers, who cut the prints for
the frightful heads
upon the stone bottles, and the carvers who used to
142' TAVERN
ANFCDOTES.
notdh out preposterous cherubs upon baseviols, and
stern whiskers upon
barbers' blocks, were often in-
troduced upon their club-nights, by some
interest
or other, on purpose to oblige their fancy with new
originals,
that each might sell their commodities for
the singularity of the faces with
which they had
adorned them."
This club continued but a few years, in conse-
quence of the president
(who was esteemed tlm
ugliest man of bis day) leaving the chair, as
he
considered they had behaved very unhandsomely in
black-balling a
candidate, who was every way qua-
lified ; the club lost its principal
deformity, and the
members felt no longer a pride in belonging to it;
the
secretary-treasurer gave in his resignation ; and
the funds, amounting to
seventeen shillings and
four-pence, were divided equally among
thirty-
seven persons, and the club of ugly faces became
extinct.
THE MAN-HUNTING CLUB.
This club was held at a tavern near to the Tennis-
court Playhouse, at the
back of Luicoln's-inn-fields.
It was composed, originally, of a number of
young
rakes, in the offices of law and equity in Chancery-
lane, and its
vicinity. The first who attended was
entitled to the chair for the evening;
and one of
their whimsical pastimes was, that the chairman
should nominate
two or three couple of hair-brained
puppies, at the hour of ten or eleven at
night, who
were immediately to sally forth, like hounds,
wolves, or
tigers, in search of prey, and return
CLUBS.
143
betimes, to give a relation of their sport, for th«
amusement of the
club.
These would lay upon the borders of the fields,
until they heard thp tread
of a single person going
along the foot path, when they would start
up,
draw their swords, and give chase, bawling out,
" That's he, bloody
wounds—that's he!" Upon
which away would run the person, as if the
devil
drove him ; and, in order to escape the fury of his
assailants, he
would " spur on nature with his fear
to such a violent speed, that with
overstraining the
poor hunted runaway (especially if a coward)
generally
performed an act, that made him perfume
the air as strong as either a fox or
a pole-cat;"
and happy would he be to reach a street, and
betake himself
to an alehouse, to recover breath
and courage, and to mundify his breeches,
and still
farther relieve himself, by relating to the company
how he had
been beset, and how bravely he had
defended himself against a gang of rogues,
or a
drunken company of madmen. Should these men-
hunters happen to meet
with a sturdy fellow, who
would rather shew fight than owe his safety to
his
heels, they would cowardly sheer off, crying they
were mistaken in
their man; but whoever run for
it, they pursued as close as if they were
fully re-
solved both for robbery and murder; that their
game being
terrified with dreadful apprehensions,
would scour o'er the field like an
insolvent debtor
before a herd of bailift's, or a new-married seaman
from
a gang of press-masters ; and when the rake-
helly hunters had thus delighted
themselves with
the mad recreation of three or four chases, and
141
TAVERN 4NFCD0TFS.
tired with theii sport, they would return to the
club, and entertain their
associates with the parti-
culars of their pastime.
THE SURLY CLUB.
This wrangling society was chiefly composed of
master carmen, lightermen,
old Billingsgate por-
ters, and rusty tun-! ellied badge watermen, and
was
kept at a mimgril tavein, near Bilhngsgate-
dock, where city dames used to
treat their journey-
men with sneakers of punch, and new oysters.
The principal ends that the members proposed in
thus convening themselves
together once a week,
were—to exercise the spirit of contradiction ;
and
to teach and perfect one another in " the art and
mystery" of foul
language, that they might not
want impudence to abuse passengers upon
the
Thames, gentlemen in the street, lash their horses
for their own
faults, and curse one another heartily,
when they happened to meet and jostle
at the corner
of a street. He that put on a countenance like a
boatswain
in hard weather, and growled and snarled
like a mastiff over a bullock's'
liver, was a mem-
ber fit for the thwarting society; and the more
indirect
answers, or surly impertinent returns he
could make to any question, the more
he was re-
spected for his contradictory humour and cross-
grained
abilities; for if any grumbling associate
was so far corrupted with good
manners, as to make
a civil reply to any thing that was asked him, he
was
looked upon to be an effeminate coxcomb, who,
CLUES.
145
had sucked m too much of his mother's milk, and
for his affectation of
gentility was turned out of the
company; for, by the orders of the society,
their
whole evening's Conversation was to consist of
nothing but surly
interruptions and cross purposes.
And when any new candidate made a tender of
his
services to the noisy board, if the responses that he
gave upon his
knotty examination were not as op-
posite to their queries as the petulant
answers of a
provoked wife to the whimsical interrogatories of a
drunken
husband, he was rejected, as unworthy of
any post in this contumacious
assembly.
This growling society existed but for a few years,
and were at last
indicted for a nuisance.
THE VIRTUOSOS' CLUB.
This club was originally established by a few of
the chief members of the
Royal Society ; its design
was to propagate new whims, advance
mechanical
exercises, and to promote useless as well as
useful
experiments.
Some, by those hermetical bellows called an
eolipile, would be trying with
an empty bottle whe-
ther nature would admit of a vacuum ; others,
like
busy chancellors, would be handling their scales,
to discover nicely
the difference in the weight be-
tween wine and water; a third sort of
philosophers
would be condensing the smoke of their tobacco
into oil upon
their pipes, and then assert the same,
in spite of her nine lives, to be rank
poison to a
cat; a fifth cabal, perhaps, would be a knot of ma-
L
146
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
thematicians, who would sit so long wrangling about
squaring the circle,
that at last, with drinking and
rattling, they were ready to let fall a
nauseous per-
pendicular from their mouths.
On a full night, when some eminent maggot-
monger, for the satisfaction of
the society, had ap-
pointed to demonstrate the force of air by
some
hermetical pop-gun, to show the difference of the
gravity between the
smoke of tobacco and that of
coltsfoot and bittany, or to try some other such
like
experiment, this club was always composed of such
an odd mixture of
mankind, that, like a society of
ringers at a quarterly feast—here sat a nice
beau,
next to a dirty blacksmith; there a purblind philo-
sopher, next to
a talkative spectacle-maker; yonder
a half-witted whim of quality, next to a
ragged
mathematician. Ou the other side, a consumptive
astronomer, next to
a water-gruel physician ; above
them a transmutator of metals, next a
philosopher's
•stone hunter; at the lower end a prating engineer,
next to
a clumsy-footed mason; at the upper end
of all, perhaps, an atheistical
chemist, next to a
whimsy-headed lecturer ; and these, the learned of
the
wiseacres, wedged nere and there with quaint
artificers, and noisy operators
in all faculties; some
bending beneath the load of years and
indefatigable
labour; some, as thin-jawed and heavy-eyed, with
abstemious
living and nocturnal study, as if, like
Pharaoh's lean kine, they were
designed by Heaven
to warn the world of a famine; others, looking as
wild,
and deporting themselves as frenzically as if
the disappointment of their
projects had made them
subject to a lunacy. Many jests used to be put by
CLUBS.
14*
the ridiculers of ingenuity upon this grave assem-
bly of virtuosos, till
at length, quite tired with the
affronts of the town, and their own
unprofitable
labours, they dwindled from an eminent club of
experimental
philosophers into a little cynical cabal
of half-pint moralists, who for a
time met every
night at the same tavern, over their fivepenny
nip-
perkins, and set themselves up for nice regulators
of their natural
appetites, refusing all healths, each
taking off his thimble-full, according
to the liberty
of his own conscience; paying, just to a farthing,
what he
called for; and starting at a minute, so as
they might have one leg in bed
exactly as Bow bell
proclaimed the hour of nine. This club fell thus
into
decay, and was gradually dissolved.
THE OVERSEERS' CLUB.
In the early part of the reign of Queen Anne,
this club was established in
the parish of St. Mar-
garet's, in Westminster. One of these
gentlemen
having bought a tobacco-box at Charlton fair, pre-
sented it to
the club, and at the end of his year of
service had his name, &c.
engraved upon a piece of
silver, and fixed on the box; and it has been
custo-
mary for every succeeding chairman, on going out
of office, to add
a piece of silver, with his name, or
some particular event of the year,
inscribed upon it.
The original box being at last so covered with
these, it required several additions to contain the
annual inscriptions, and it now stands above two
feet high. It is now valued to be intrinsically worth
12
148 TAVERN
ANECDOTES.
four hundred guineas : the original box, and its
covering, being full of
these inscriptions, executed
upon silver.
THE GOLDEN FLEECE CLUB.
This rattle-brained society of mechanic worthies
was originally held at a
house in Cornhill, so
entitled. They were most solemnly established by
the
whimsical contrivance of a merry company of
tippling citizens and jocular
change brokers, that
they might meet every night, and wash away
their
consciences with salubrious claret; that the mental
reservations,
and fallacious assurances, the one had
used in their shops, and the deceitftd
wheedles, and
stock-jobbing honesty, by which the other had out-
witted
their merchants, might be no impediment to
their night's rest; but that they
might sleep without
repentance, and rise next day with a strong
pro-
pensity to the same practice.
JSach member, on his admission, had a charac-
teristic name assigned to
him. Example:—Sir
Timothy Addlepate, Sir Nimmy Sneer, Sir Talka-
tive
Do-little, Sir Skinny Fretwell, Sir Rumbus
Rattle, Sir Boozy Prateall, Sir,
Nicholas Ninny
Sipall, Sir Gregory Growler, Sir Pay-little, &c.
This
club flourished until the decease of the leading
member, who laid violent
hands upon himself; when
the dull fraternity, through the want of a
merry
Zany, to exercise their lungs with a little seasonable
laughter, and
neglecting to be shaved and blooded,
fell into such a fit of the melancholy
dumps, that
several of the order were in danger of a straw bed
and a dark
room, if they had not neglected their
CLUBS.
H9
nocturnal revels, and forsaken frenzical claret for
sober water-gruel, and
worse company for the pe-
nitential conversation of their own families; so
that
upon these misfortunes the knights put a stop to
their collar days,
laid aside their instalment, pro-
claimed a cessation of bumpers for some
time, till
those who were sick recovered their health, and
others their
senses ; and then the better to prevent
the debasement of their honour, by
its growing too
common, they adjoured their society from the Fleece
in
Cornhill to the Three Tuns in Southwark, that
they might be more retired from
the bows and com-
pliments of the London apprentices, who used to
salute
the noble knights by their titles, as they
passed to and fro about their
common occasions.
THE EVERLASTING CLUB.
So notorious was this society in former days, that
if a man were an idle
worthless fellow, who neglected
his family, and spent most of his time over a
bottle,
he was called, in derision, a member of the Ever-
lasting Club;
which is thus described:—
" The Everlasting Club consists of an hundred
members, who divide the
whole twenty-four hours
among them in such a manner, that the club sits
day
and night from one end of the year to another: no
party presuming- to
rise till they are relieved by
those who are in course to succeed them. By
this
means a member of the Everlasting Club never
wants company; for
though he is not upon duty
himself, he is sure to find some who are; so that
if
150
TAVERN ANECDOTES.
he bo disposed to take a whet, a nooning, an even-
ing's draught, or a
bottle attcr midnight, he &oes
to the club, and finds a knot of friends
to his mind.
" It is a maxim in this club, that the steward
never dies; for as they
succeed one another by way
of rotation, no man is to quit the great
elbow-chair,
which stands at the upper end of the table, till
his
successor is in readiness to fill it; insomuch that
there has not been
a Sede vacante in their memory.
" This club was instituted towards the end, or, as
some of them say, about
the middle of the Civil
Wars, and continued without interruption till
the
time of the Great Fire, which burnt them out, and
dispersed them for
several weeks. The steward at
that time maintained his post till he had like
to have
been blown up with a neighbouring house, which
was demolished in
order to stop the fire: and would
not leave the chair at last, till he had
emptied all
the bottles upon the table, and received repeated
directions
from the club to withdraw himself. This
steward is frequently talked of in
the club, and
looked upon by every member of it as a greater
man than the
famous captain mentioned in my Lord
Clarendon, who was burnt irr his ship
because he
would not quit it without orders. It is said that
towards the
close of 1700, being the great year of
jubilee, the club had it under
consideration whether
they should break up or continue their session;
but,
after many speeches and debates, it was at length
agreed to sit out
the other century. This resolution
passed in a general club nemine
contradicente.
" It appears by their books in general, that, since
their first
institution they have smoked fifty tuns of
CLUBS.
HI
tobacco, drank thirty thousand butts of ale, one
thousand hogsheads of red
port, two hundred bar-
rels of brandy, and a kilderkin of small
beer.
There had been likewise a great consumption of
cards. It is also
said, that they observe the law in
Ben Jonson's club, which orders the fire
to be
always kept in, focus pet e?mis esto, as well for the
convenience of
lighting their pipes, as to cure the
dampness of the club-room. They have an
old
woman, in the nature of a vestal, whose business is
to cherish and
perpetuate the fire, which burns from
generation to generation, and has seen
the glass-
house fires in and out above an hundred times.
" The Everlasting Club treats all other clubs with
an eye of contempt, and
talks even of the Kit-Cat
and October as a couple of upstarts. Their
ordi-
nary discourse, as much as I have been able to learn
of it, turns
altogether upon such adventures as have
passed in their own assembly; of
members who
have taken the glass in their turns for a week toge-
ther,
without stirring out of the club; of others who
have not missed their
morning's draught for twenty
years together; sometimes they speak in
raptures
of a run of ale in King Charles's reign; and some-
times reflect
with astonishment upon games at whist,
which have been miraculously recovered
by mem-
bers of the society, when in all human probability
the case was
desperate.
" They delight in several old catches, which they
sing at all hours, to
encourage one another to
moisten their clay, and grow immortal by
drinking;
with many other edifying exhortations of the like
nature.
152
TtVERN ANECDOTES.
" There are four general clubs held in a year, at
which time they fill up
vacancies, appoint waiters,
confirm the old fire-maker or elect a new one,
settle
contributions for coals, pipes, tobacco, and other
necessaries.
" The senior member has outlived the whole club
twice over, and has been
drunk with the grand-
fathers of some of the present sitting members."
But were we to enumerate all the clubs which in
this mushroom age have
sprung up in and about
town, our volume might be filled with a bare
cata-
logue cf their names. Heroes of all professions,
and men of all
pretensions, have clubbed together ;
some few forming societies for mutual
protection,
but far more, for the purpose of organizing frater-
nities of
special plunderers ; while numerous others
are of so nondescript a character,
and are composed
of such heterogeneous parts, that it would puzzle
the
Pope, or Old Nick himself, to assign a motive
for their thus congregating, or
to point out one atom
of benefit that can possibly be' derived from
their
associated orgies.
So, vale' vale! clubs and clubbers,
Whate'er I say, you'll flock
together;
For be your pastime pipes or rubbers,
Each bird will seek its kindred
feather.
15*
LONDON STREETS,
l(c.
THEIK NAMES, AND ORIGIN
As ours is decidedly a lounge-book, which is to
be taken up whenever a fit
of ennui is likely to come
on, and to be laid by as soon as more
important
studies or business render it necessary, we shall not
apologise
for branching out into a subject that may
not be within the strict letter of
our title, but pro-
ceed, though not exactly secundum artem, with
such
matter as we conceive most likely to interest those
persons for whose
amusement (and may we not add
instruction too ?) the volume has been
compiled.
When we look at the vast metropolis of Britain,
and reflect on the mighty
changes which have been
there effected by the wonder-working hand of
com-
merce—when, stretching far and wide, we see new
streets rising up,
where lately the verdant grass
covered the hills and plains—while the tide
of
wealth, in the homely shape of bricks and mortar,
seems " rolling for
ever on"—may it not be recrea-
tive to the mind to take a retrospective view
of what
London was in the olden time, and amuse ourselves
by tracing the
origin of the names which distinguish
some of its most busy marts and
bustling thorough-
fares ' Truly we think so; and that others have
held
similar opinions, will be evident from the very
1$4 LONDON
STREETS, &C.
first article, which picturesque and animated sketch
we have gleaned from
the pages of that excellent
draughtsman, Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
LITTLE BRITAIN.
" In the centre of the great City of London lies a
small neighbourhood,
consisting of a cluster of
narrow streets and courts, of very venerable
and
debilitated houses, which goes by the name of Little
Biitain. Christ
Church School and St. Bartholo-
mew's Hospital bound it on the west;
Smithfield
and Long-lane on the north; Aldersgatc-street, like
an arm of
the sea, divides it from the eastern part
of the city; whilst the yawning
gulph of Bull-and-
Mouth-street separates it from Butcherhall-lane,
and
the regions of Newgate. Over this little territory,
thus bounded and
designated, the great dome of St.
Paul's, swelling above the intervening
houses of
Paternoster-row, Amen-corner, and A ve-Maria-lane,
looks down
with an air of motherly protection.
" This quarter derives it appellation from having
been, in ancient times,
the residence of the Dukes
of Britanny. As London increased, however,
rank
and fashion rolled off to the west, and ti ade creep-
ing on at their
heels, took possession of their
deserted abodes. For some time Little
Britain
became the great mart of learning, and was peopled
by the busy and
prolific race of booksellers; these
also gradually deserted it, and
emigrating beyond
the great strait of Newgate-street, settled down
in
Paternoster-row, and St. Paul's Church-yard;
where they continue to
increase and multiply even
at the present day.
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN.
155
" But (hough thus fallen into decline, Little
Britain still bears traces
of its former splendour.
There are several houses ready to tumble
down,
the fronts of which are magnificently enriched with
old oaken
carvings of hideous faces, unknown birds,
beasts, and fishes; and fruits and
flowers, which it
would perplex a naturalist to classify. There are
also,
in Aldersgate-street, certain remains of what
were once spacious and lordly
family mansions, but
which have in latter dajs been subdivided
into
several tenements. Here may often be found the
family of a petty
tradesman, with its trumpery
furniture, burrowing among the relics of
antiquated
finery, in great rambling time-stained apartments,
with fretted
ceilings, gilded cornices, and enormous
marble fire-places. The lanes and
courts also con-
tain many smaller houses, not on so grand a scale,
but,
like your small ancient gentry, sturdily main-
taining their claims to equal
antiquity. These have
their gable ends to the street; great bow
windows,
with diamond panes set in lead; grotesque carvings;
and low
arched doorways.*
*' In this most venerable and sheltered little nest
have I passed several
quiet years of existence ;
comfortably lodged in the second floor of one of
the
smallest, but oldest edifices. My sitting room is an
old wainscotted
chamber, with small pannels, and
set off with a miscellaneous array of
furniture. I
have a particular respect for three or four high-
* It is evident that the author of this interesting communication
has
included in his general title of Little Britain, many of those
little lanes
and courts that belong immediately to Cloth-fair.
156 LbNDON
STREETS, &C.
backed claw-footed chairs, covered with tarnished
brocade; which bear the
marks of having seen
better days, and have doubtless figured in some
of
the old palaces of Little Britain. They seem to me
to keep together,
and to look down with sovereign
contempt upon their leathern-bottomed
neighbours;
as I have seen decayed gentry carry a high head
among the
plebeian society with which they were
reduced to associate. The whole front
of my sitting
room is taken up with a bow window, on the panes
of which
are recorded the names of previous occu-
pants for many generations ; mingled
with scraps of
very indifferent, gentleman-like poetry, written
in
characters which lean scarcely decipher; and which
extol the charms of
many a beauty of Little Britain,
who has long, long since, bloomed, faded and
passed
away. As I am an idle personage, with no appa-
rent occupation, and
pay my bill regularly every
week, I am looked upon as the only
independent
gentleman of the neighbourhood; and being curious
to learn the
internal state of a community so
apparently shut up within itself, I have
managed to
work my way into all the concerns and secrets of
the place.
" Little Britain may truly be called the heart's
core of the city ; the
strong hold of true John
Bullism. It is a fragment of London as it was
in
its better days, with its antiquated folks and fashions.
Here flourish
in great preservation many of the
holyday games and customs of yore. The
inhabit-
ants most religiously eat pancakes on Shrove
Tuesday; hot
cross-buns on Good Friday, and
roast goose at Michaelmas: they send love
letters
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 157
on Valentine's-day; burn the Pope on the fifth of
November, and kiss all
the girls under the misseltoe
at Christmas. Roast beef and plum pudding
are
also held in superstitious veneration ; and port and
sherry maintain
their grounds as the only true
English wines; all others being considered
vile out-
landish beverages.
" Little Britain has its long catalogue of city
wonders, which its
inhabitants consider the wonders
of the world; such as the great bell of St.
Paul's,
which sours all the beer when it tolls; the figures
that strike
the hour at St. Dunstan's clock; the
Monument; the lions in the Tower; and
the wooden
giants in Guildhall. They still believe in dreams
and
fortune-telling, and an old woman that lives in
Bull-and-Mouth-street makes a
tolerable subsistence
by detecting stolen goods, and promising the
girls
good husbands. They are apt to be rendered un-
comfortable by comets
and eclipses; and if a dog
howls dolefully at night, it is looked upon as
a
sure sign of a death in the place. There are even
many ghost stories
current, particularly concerning
the old mansion houses; in several of which
it is
said strange sights are sometimes seen. Lords and
ladies, the former
in full-bottomed wigs, hanging
sleeves and swords; the latter in lappets,
stays,
hoops, and brocade, have been seen walking up and
down the great
waste chambers, on moonlight
nights; and are supposed to be the shades of
the
ancient proprietors in their court dresses.
" Little Britain has likewise its sages and great
men. One of the most
important of the former is a
tall dry old gentleman, of the name of
Skryme,
158 LONDON
STRFETS, &C.
who keeps a small apothecary's shop. He has a
cadaverous, countenance,
full of cavities and pro-
jections ; with a brown circle round each eye,
like
a pair of horn spectacles. He is much thought of
by the old women,
who consider him as a kind of
conjurer, because he lias two or three stuffed
alli-
gators hanging up in his shop, and several snakes
in bottles. He is
a great reader of almanacks and
newspapers, and is much given to pore over
alarm-
ing accounts of plots, conspiracies, fires, earth-
quakes, and
volcanic eruptions; which last pheno-
mena he considers as signs of the
times. He has
always some dismal tale of the kind to deal out to
his
customers, with their doses ; and thus at the
same time puts both soul and
body into an uproar.
He is a great believer in omens and predictions ;
and
has the prophecies, of Robert Nixon and Mother
Shipton by heart. No man can
make so much out
of an eclipse, or even an unusually dark day ; and
he
shook the tail of the last comet over the heads
of his customers and
disciples, until they were
nearly frightened out of their wits. He has
lately
got hold of a popular legend or prophecy, on
which he has been
unusually eloquent. There has
been a saying current among the ancient
Sybils,
who treasure up these things, that when the grass-
hopper on the
top of the Exchange shook hands
with the dragon on the top of Bow Church
steeple,
fearful events would take place. This strange con-
junction, it
seems, has as strangely come to pass.
The same architect has been engaged
lately on the
repairs of the cupola of the Exchange, and the
steeple of
Bow Church ; and, fearful to relate, the
THKIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 159
dragon and the grasshopper actually lie, cheek by
jowl, in the yard of his
workshop!
" ' Others,' as Mr. Skryme is accustomed to say,
' may go star-gazing, and
look for conjunctions in
the heavens, but here is a conjunction on the
earth,
near at home, and under our own eyes, which sur-
passes all the
signs and calculations of astrologers.'
Since these portentous weathercocks
have thus laid
their heads together, wonderful events had
already
occurred. The good old king, notwithstanding that
he had lived
eighty-two years, had all at once given
up the ghost; another king had
mounted the
throne; a royal duke had died suddenly—another,
in France, had
been murdered ; there had been
radical meetings in all parts of the kingdom ;
the
bloody scenes at Manchester; the great plot in
Cato-street; and, above
all, the Queen had re-
turned to England 1 All these sinister events
are
recounted by Mr. Skryme with a mysterious look,
and a dismal shake of
the head; and, being
taken with his drugs, and associated in the minds
of
his auditors with stuffed sea-monsters, bottled
serpents, and his own visage,
which is a title-page
of tribulation, they have spread great gloom
through
the minds of the people in Little Britain. They
shake their heads
whenever they go by Bow Church,
and observe, that they never expected any
good to
come of taking down that steeple, which in old
times told nothing
but glad tidings, as the history
of Whittington and his Cat bears
witness.
" The rival oracle of Little Britain is a substantial
cheesemonger, who
lives in a fragment of one of the
old family mansions, and is as
magnificently lodged
160 LONDON
STREETS, &C.
as a round-bellied mite in the midst of one of his
own Chesliires. Indeed,
be is a man of no little
standing and importance ; and his renown
extends
through Huggin-lane, and Lad-lane, and even unto
Aldermanbury. His
opinion is very much taken in
affairs of state, having read the Sunday papers
for
the last half century, together with the Gentleman's
Magazine, Rapin's
History of England, and the
Naval Chronicle. His head is stored with
in-
valuable maxims, which have borne the test of time
and use for
centuries. It is his firm opinion, that
' it is a moral impossible,' so long
as England is
true to herself, that any thing can shake her: and
he has
much to say on the subject of the national
debt; which, some how or other, he
proves to be a
great national bulwark and blessing. He passed
the greater
part of his life in the purlieus of Little
Britain, until of late years,
when, having become
rich, and grown unto the dignity of a Sunday cane,
he
begins to take his pleasure and see the world.
He has therefore made several
excurs-ions to Hamp-
stead, Highgate, and other neighbouring towns,
where
he has passed whole afternoons in looking
back upon the metropolis through a
telescope, and
endeavouring to descry the steeple of St. Bartholo-
mew's.
Not a stage coachman of Buil-and-Mouth-
street, but touches his hat as he
pass es ; and he is
considered quite a patron at the coach-office of
the
Goose and Gridiron, St. Paul's Church-yard. His
family have been very
urgent for him to make an
expedition to Margate, but he lias g-reat doubts
of
the new gim-cracks the steam-boats, and indeed
thinks himself too old
to undertake sea voyages.
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN.
161
" Little Britain has occasionally its factions and
divisions, and party
spirit ran very high at one timo
in consequence of two rival " Burial
Societies'
being set up in the place. One held its meeting at
the Swan and
Horse Shoe, and was patronized by
the cheesemonger; the other at the Cock
and
Crown, under the auspices of the apothecary: it is
needless to say
that the latter was the most flourish-
ing. I have passed an evening or two
at each, and
have acquired much valuable information as to the
best mode
of being buried ; the comparative merits
of church-yards; together with
diverse hints on the
subject of patent iron coffins. I have heard
the
question discussed in all its bearings as to the
legality of
prohibiting the latter on account of their
durability. The feuds occasioned
by these societies
have happily died away of late; but they were for
a
long time prevailing themes of controversy, the
people of Little Britain
being extremely solicitous
of funeral honours and of lying comfortably in
their
graves.
" Besides these two funeral societies, there is a
third of quite a
different cast, which tends to throw
the sunshine of good humour over the
whole neigh-
bourhood. It meets once a week at a little old
fashioned
house, kept by a jolly publican of the
name of Wagstaff, and bearing for
insignia a re-
splendent half-moon, with a most seductive bunch
of grapes.
The whole edifice is covered with in-
scriptions to catch the eye of the
thirsty wayfarer;
such as, ' Truman, Hanbury, and Co's. Entire ;'
' Wine,
Rum, and Brandy Vaults;' ' Old Tom,
Rum, and Compounds;' &c. This indeed
has been
M
Idi LONDON STREETS,
&C.
a temple of Bacchus and Momus from time imme-
morial. It has always been m
the family of the
Wagstaffs, so that its history is tolerably preserved
by
the present landlord. It was much frequented
by the gallants and cavalieros
of the reign of Eliza-
beth, and was looked into now and then by the
wits
of Charles the Second's day. But what Wagstaff
principally prides
himself upon, is, that Henry the
Eighth, in one of his nocturnal rambles,
broke the
head of one of his ancestors with his famous walking
stall'.
This, however, is considered as rather a
dubious and vainglorious boast of
the landlord.
" The club which now holds its weekly sessions
here, goes by the name of "
The Roaring Lads of
Little Britain.1' They abound in old catches,
glees,
and choice stories, that are traditional in the place,
and not to
be met with in any other part of the
metropolis. There is a mad-cap
undertaker who is
inimitable at a merry song; but the life of the
club,
and indeed the prime wit of Little Britain, is bully
Wagstaff
himself. His ancestors were all wags
before him, and he has inherited with
the inn a
large stock of songs and jokes, which go with it
fiom generation
to generation, as heir looms. He
is a dapper little fellow, vvith bandy legs
and pot
body, a red face with a moist merry eye, and a little
shock of
grey hair behind. At the opening of every
club-night he is called in to sing
his ' Confession of
Fdith,' which is the famous old drinking trowl
from
Grammar Gurton's needle. He sings it, to be sure,
with many
variations, as he received it from his
father's lips; for it has been a
standing favourite at
the Half Moon and Bunch of Grapes ever since it
THKIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 163
was written; nay, he affirms that his predecessors
have often had the
honour of singing it before the
nobility and gentry at Christmas mummeries,
when
Little Britain was in all its glory *
" It would do one's heart good to hear on a club
* " As mine host of the Half-moon's Confession of Faith may
not be
familiar to the majority of readers, and as it is a specimen of
the current
songs of Little Britain, I subjoin it m its onginal ortho
graphy. I would
obaeive that the whole club alwajs join m the
chorus, with a feaiful thumping
on the table, and clattering of
pewter pot&:
I cannot eate but lytle meate,
My 3tomacke is not good,
But sure I thiuke that I could drinke
With him that weares a hood.
Though I go bare take ye no care,
I nothing am a colde,
I stuff my skyn so full within,
Of joly good ale and olde.
CBORUS.
Backe and syde go bare, go bare,
Boo4h foote and hand go colde,
But belly, God *eud thee good ale
ynougiie,
Whethei it be new or olde.
I love no rost, but a nut browne toste,
And a ciab laid in the fyre;
A Little breade shall do me steade,
Much breade I not desyre.
No frost nor snow, nor winde, I trowe,
Can hurtf* mee if I wolde,
I am 30 wrapt and throwly lapt
Of joly good ale and olde.
Backe and syde go baie, go bare, &c.
And Tyb my -wife, that, a3 her !>fe,
Loveth well good ale to seeke,
Full oft drinkt.3 shee, tyll ye may
see,
The teaiea inti d..wne her (jheeke,
M 2
164 LONDON
STREETS, &C,
night the shouts of merriment, the snatches of songy
and now and then the
choral bursts of half a dozen
discordant voices, which issue from this
jovial
mansion. At such times the street is lined with
listeners, who
enjoy a delight equal to that of
gazing into a confectioner's window, or
snuffing up
the steams of a cook shop.
" There are two annual events which produce
great stir and sensation in
Little Britain ; these are
St. Bartholomew's Fair, and the Lord Mayor's
Day.
During the time of the Fair, which is held in the
adjoining regions
of Smifhfield, there is nothing
going on but gossiping and gadding about.
The
late quiet streets of Little Britain are overrun, with
an irruption of
strange figures and faces; every
tavern is a scene of rout and revel. The
fiddle and
the song are heard from the tap-room, morning,
noon, and night;
and at each window may he seen
some group of boon companions, with half
shut
eyes, hats on one-side, pipe in mouth, and tankard
Chen doth shee trovile to me the bovtle,
Even a3 a mault worme sholde,
And sayth, sweete harte, I took my parte
Of this joly good ale and olde.
Backe and sj de go bare, go bare,
&c.
Now let them drynke, tyll they nod and winke,
Even as goode fellowes should doe,
The; shall not m) sse to have the
blisse,
Good ale doth bnng men to.
And all poore soules that have scowred
bowles,
Oi have them hietily trolde,
God save the lyves of them and their
wives,
Whether they be yonge or olde.
Backe and syde go bare, go hare,
&c.
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 165
inftand, fondling, and prosing, and singing maud-
lin songs over their
liquor. Even the sober decorum
of private families, which I must say is
rigidly
kept up at other times among my neighbours, is no
proof against
this saturnalia. There is no such
thing as keeping maid servants within
doors. Their
brains are absolutely set madding with Punch and
the Puppet
Show; the Flying Horses; Signior
Polito; the Fire Eater; the celebrated Mr.
Paap,
and the Irish Giant. The children, too, lavish all
their holyday
money in toys and gilt ginger-bread,
and fill the house with the Lilliputian
din of drums,
trumpets, and penny whistles.
"I'utthe Lord Mayor's Day is the great anni-
versary. The Lord Mayor is
looked up to by the
inhabitants of Little Britain as the greatest
poten-
tate upon earth ; his gilt coach with six horses as
the summit of
human splendour; and his proces-
sion, with all the Sheriffs and Aldermen in
his train,
as the grandest of earthly pageants. How they
exult in the
idea, that the King himself dare not
enter the city, without first knocking
at the gate of
Temple Bar, and asking permission of the Lord
Mayor: for if
he did, heaven and earth ! there is
no knowing what might be the conseqaence.
The
man in armour who rides before the Lord Mayor,
and is the city
champion, has orders, to cut down
every body that offends against the dignity
of the
city : and then there is the little man with a velvet
porringer on
his head, who sits at the window of
the state coach, and holds the city
sword, as long as
a pike staff—Od's, blood! if he once draws that
sword,
Majesty itself is not safe!
166 LONDON
STREETS, &C.
" Under the protection of this mighty potentate,
therefore, the good
people of Little Britain sleep
in peace. Temple Bar is an effectual harrier
against
all inferior foes; and as to foreign invasion, the
Lord Mayor has
but to throw himself into the
Tower, call in the train bands, and put the
standing
army of Beef-eaters under arms, and he may bid
defiance to the
world !
" Thus wrapped up in its own concerns, its own
habits, and its own
opinions, Little Britain has long
flourished as a sound heart to this great
fungous
metropolis. I have pleased myself with considering
it as a chosen
spot, where the principles of sturdy
John Bullism were garnered up, like seed
corn, to
renew the national character, when it had run to
waste and
degeneracy. I have rejoiced also in the
general spirit of harmony that
prevailed through-
out it; for though there might now and then be a
few
clashes of opinion between the adherents of the
cheesemonger and the
apothecary, and an occa-
sional feud between the burial societies, yet
these
were but transient clouds, and soon passed away.
The neighbours met
with good-will, parted with a
phake of the hand, and never abused each
other,
except behind their backs.
" I could give rare descriptions of snug junketting
parties at which I
have been present; where we
played at All-Fours, Pope-Joan,
Tom-come-tickle-
me, and other choice old games ; and where we
sometimes
had a good old English country-dance,
to the tune of Sir Roger de Coverly.
Once a year
also the neighbours would gather together and go
on a gipsy
party to Epping Forest. It would have
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 167
done any man's heart good to see the merriment
that took place here as we
banquetted on the grass
tinder the trees. How we made the woods ring
with
bursts of laughter at the songs of little Wag-
staff and the merry undertaker
! After dinner, too,
the young folks would play at blind-man's-buff
and
hide-and-seek: and it was amusing to see them
tangled among the
briars, and to hear a fine romp-
ing girl now and then squeak from among
the
bushes. The elder folks would gather round the
cheesemonger and the
apothecary, to hear them
talk politics; for they generally brought out
a
newspaper in their pockets, to pass away time in
the country. They would
now and then, to be
sure, get a little warm in argument; but their
dis-
putes were always adjusted by reference to a
worthy old
umbrella-maker in a double chin, who,
never exactly comprehending the
subject, managed,
some how or other, to decide in favour of
both
parties.
" All empires, however, says some philosopher
or historian, are doomed to
changes and revolutions.
Luxury and innovation creep in; factions arise;
and
families now and then spring up, whose ambition
and intrigues throw
the whole system into confu-
sion. Thus in latter days has the tranquillity
of
Little Britain been grievously disturbed, and its
golden simplicity of
manners threatened with total
subversion by the aspiring family of a
retired
butcher.
" The family of the Lambs had long been among
the most thriving and
popular in the neighbour-
hood: the Miss Lambs were the belles of Little
168 ► LONDON bTKJiRTS,
&C.
Britain, and every body was pleased when Old
Lamb had made money enough to
shut up shop,
and put his name on a brass plate on his door. In
an evil
hour, however, one of the Miss Lambs had
the honour of being a lady in
attendance on the
Lady Mayoress, at her grand annual ball, on
which
occasion she wore three towering ostrich feathers
on her head. The
family never got over it; they
were immediately smitten with a passion for
high
life ; set up a one-horse carriage, put a bit of gold
lace round the
errand boy's hat, and have been the
talk and detestation of the whole
neighbourhood
ever since. They could no longer be induced to
play at
Pope-Joan or blind-man's-bufl'; they could
endure no dances but quadrilles,
which nobody
had ever heard of in Little Britain; and they took
to reading
novels, talking bad French, and playing
upon the piano. Their brother, too,
who had been
articled to an attorney, set up" for a dandy and
a critic,
characters hitherto unknown in these parts;
and he confounded the worthy
folks exceedingly by
talking about Kean, the Opera, and the
Edinbro'
Review.
" What was still worse, the Lambs gave a grand
ball, to which they
neglected to invite any of their
old neighbours; but they had a great deal
of
genteel company from Theobald's-road, Red-lion-
square, and other parts
towards the west. There
were several beaux of their brother's
acquaintance
from Gray's-inn-lane and Hatton-garden; and not
less than
three aldermen's ladies with their daugh-
ters. This was not to he forgotten
or forgiven. All
Little Britain was in an uproar with the smacking
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN.
169
of whips, the lashing of miserable horses, and the
rattling and jingling
of hackney coaches. The
gossips of the neighbourhood might be seen
popping
their night-caps out at every window, watching the
crazy vehicles
rumble by; and there was a knot of
virulent old crones, that kept a look-out
from a
house just opposite the retired butcher's, and scan-
ned and
criticised every one that knocked at the
door.
" This dance was a cause of almost open war,
and the whole neighbourhood
declared they would
have nothing more to say to the Lambs. It is true
that
Mrs. Lamb, when she had no engagements
with her quality acquaintance, would
give little
hum drum tea junkettings to some of her old
cronies, ' quite/
as she would say, ' in a friendly
way ;' and it is equally true that her
invitations
were always accepted, in spite of all previous vows
to the
contrary. Nay, the good ladies would sit and
be delighted with the music of
the Miss Lambs,
who would condescend to strum an Irish melody
for them on
the piano; and they would listen with
wonderful interest to Mrs. Lamb's
anecdotes of
Alderman Plunket's family of Portsoken-ward, and
the Miss
Timberlakes, the rich heiresses of Crutched-
friars; but then they relieved
their consciences, and
averted the reproaches of their confederates,
by
canvassing at the next gossiping convocation every
thing that had
passed, and pulling the Lambs and
their route all to pieces.
" The only one of the family that could not be
made fashionable was the
retired butcher himself.
Honest Lamb, in spite of the meekness of his
name,
170 LONDON
STREETS, &C.
was a rough hearty old fellow, with the voice of a
lion, a head of black
hair like a shoe-brush, and a
broad face mottled like his own beef. It was
in
vain that the daughters always spoke of him as
' the old gentleman,'
addressed him as ' papa,' in
tones of infinite softness, and endeavoured to
coax
him into a dressing-gown and slippers, and other
gentlemanly habits.
Do what they might, there
was no keeping down the butcher. His
sturdy
nature would break through all their glozing. He
had a, hearty
vulgar good humour that was irrepres-
sible. His very jokes made his
sensitive daughters
shudder; and he persisted in wearing his blue
cotton
coat of a morning, dining at two o'clock, and
having ' a bit of sausage with
his tea.'
" He was doomed, however, to share the un-
popularity of his family. He
found his old com-
rades gradually growing cold and civil to him;
no
longer laughing at his jokes; and now and then
throwing out a fling at
' some people,' and a hint
about ' quality binding'. This both nettled
and
perplexed the honest butcher; and his wife and
daughters, with the
consummate policy of the
shrewder sex, taking advantage of the
circum-
stance, at length prevailed upon him to give up his
afternoon's
pipe and tankard at Wagstaff's; to sit
after dinner by himself and take his
pint of port—
a liquor he detested—and to nod in his chair in
solitary and
dismal gentility.
" The Miss Lambs might now be seen flaunting
along the street in French
bonnets, with unknown
beaux; and talking and laughing so loud that
it
distressed the nerves of every good lady within
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN-
171
hearing. They even went so far as to attempt
patronage, and actually
induced a French dancing-
master to set up in the neighbourhood; but
the
worthy folks of Little Britain took fire at it, and did
so persecute
the poor Gaul, that he was fain to
pack up fiddle and dancing pumps, and
decamp
with such precipitation, that he absolutely forgot
to pay for his
lodgings.
" I had flattered myself, at first, with the idea
that all this fiery
indignation on the part of the
community, was merely the overflowing of
their
zeal for good old English manners, and their horror
of innovation ;
and I applauded the silent contempt
they were so vociferous in expressing,
for upstart
pride, French fashions, and the Miss Lambs. But
I grieve to
say that I soon perceived the infection
had taken hold; and that my
neighbours, after
condemning, were beginning to follow their ex-
ample. I
overheard my landlady importuning her
husband to let their daughters have one
quarter at
French and music, and that they might take a few
lessons in the
quadrille. I even saw, in the course
of a few Sundays, no less than five
French bonnets,
precisely like those of the Miss Lambs, parading
about
Little Britain.
" I still had my hopes that all this folly would
gradually die away; that
the Lambs might move
out of the neighbourhood; might die, or might
run
away with attomies' apprentices; and that quiet
and simplicity might
be again restored to the com-
munity. But unluckily a rival power arose.
An
opulent oilman died, and left a widow with a large
jointure, and a
family of buxom daughters. The
172 LONDON
STREETS, «&C.
young ladies had long been repining in secret at the
parsimony of a
prudent father, which kept down all
their elegant aspirings. Their ambition
being now
no longer restrained, broke out into a blaze, and
they openly
took the field againt tire family of the
butcher.
" It is true that the Lambs, having had the first
start, had naturally an
advantage of them in the
fashionable career. They could speak a little
bad
French, play the piano, dance quadrilles, and had
formed high
acquaintances; but the Trotters were
not to he distanced. When the Lambs
appeared
with two feathers in their hats, the two Trotters
mounted four,
and of twice as fine colours. If the
Lambs gave a dance, the Trotters were
sure not to
be behind hand j and though they might not boast
of as good
company, yet they had double the num-
ber, and were twice as merry.
" The whole community has at length divided
itself into fashionable
factions, under the banners of
these two families. The old games of Pope
Joan
and Tom-come-tickle-me are entirely discarded;
there is no such thing
as getting up an honest
country-dance; and, on my attempting to kiss
a
young lady under the missletoe last Christmas, 1
was indignantly
repulsed, the Miss Lambs having
pronounced it ' shocking vulgar'. Bitter
rivalry
has also broken out as to the most fashionable part
of Little
Britain ; the Lambs standing up for the
dignity of Cross-keys-square, and the
Trotters for
the vicinity of St. Bartholomew's.
" Thus is this little territory torn by factions and
internal dissensions,
like the great empire whose
THBIH NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 173
name it bears ; and what will be the result would
puzzle the apothecary
himself, with all his talent at
prognostics, to determine; though I apprehend
that
it will terminate in the total downfal of genuine
John Bullism.
" The immediate effects are extremely unpleasant
to me. Being a single
man, and, as I observed be-
fore, rather an idle good-for-nothing personage,
I
have been considered the only gentleman by pro-
fession in the place. I
stand therefore in high favour
with both parties, and have to hear all their
cabinet
councils and mutual backbitings. As I am too civil
not to agree
with the ladies on all occasions, I have
committed myself most horribly with
botli parties,
by abusing their opponents. I might manage to
reconcile
this to my conscience, which is a truly
accommodating one, but I cannot to my
apprehen-
sions ; if the Lambs and Trotters ever come to a
reconciliation,
and compare notes, I am ruined.
" I have determined, therefore, to beat a retreat
in time, and am actually
looking out for some other
nest in this great city, where old English
manners
are still kept up; where French is neither eaten,
drank, danced,
nor spoken ; and where there are
no fashionable families of retired
tradesmen. This
found, I will, like a veteran rat, hasten away before
I
have an old house about my ears; bid a long,
though a sorrowful, adieu to my
present abode;
and leave the rival factions of the Lambs and the
Trotters,
to divide the distracted empire of Little
Britain."
174 LONDON
STREETS, &C.
DERIVATION OF THE NAMES OF PLACES IN
LONDON.
Addle-street. — Tradition reports that King
Adelstan, the Saxon, had a
house here, with a door
into this street, whence it derived its name.
In
ancient evidences it is written King Adell Street.
This Saxon prince
began his reign about the year
924.
Aldermanburv, the place where the mayor and
aldermen Tield their bury, or
court, in a hall which
formerly stood on the east side of that street.
Aldgate, t. e. Old Gate, was one of the four
original gates of the city,
being mentioned as early
as the reign of Edgar in 967. The late gate
was
rebuilt in 1609.
Adelphi.—This elegant pile of buildings was
erected by the two brothers,
Adams, architects, and
named in honour of them. It is built on the site
of
what was formerly called Durham-yard. The depth
of the foundations, the
massy piers of brick, and the
spacious vaults beneath, excite the wonder of
the
spectator, and the commendation of the artist. A
plan has of late been
in agitation for continuing a
terrace, &rc. to London-bridge, on the
east, and to
Westminster-bridge, on the west of it.
Ambury (the Almonry), Westminster.—This
was anciently styled the Almonry,
from being the
place where the abbey alms were distributed, and
has been
long occupied by very humble dwellings,
and still lower characters. It was on
this spot that
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN'.
1*5
Caxton first erected a printing press, in 1474, and
produced the first
book printed in Britain; viz. " The
Game and Play of the Chess."
Austin-friars.—There was a monastery bearing
the name of St. Austin, who
was the first Arch-
bishop of Canterbury (Durovemum). He was sent
by
Gregory I. from Rome, at the head of forty other
monks, to convert the
British, and succeeded well.
King Ethelbert became a convert through
their
preaching. St. Austin introduced chanting into
divine service, in
order to render it interesting as
well as instructive. Our Saxon progenitors
were
so taken with it, that a succession of priests were
employed in
singing during the night as well as the
day; and even penances might be
redeemed by
singing a certain number of psalms, or by a
frequent
repetition of the Pater-noster. St. Austin died on
the 26th of
May, 607, which is one of the holydays
in the calendar.
Battle-stairs.—The Abbot of Battle having a
house on the banks of the
river, a little below the
Bridge-house, gave name to the stairs. Hence
also
the title, Battle-bridge.
Bartholomew Fair.—The privilege of this fair
was granted, by Henry II., to
the priory of St. Bar-
tholomew, annually, at Bartholomew-tide, old
style.
The clothiers of England, and the drapers of Lon-
don, had their
standings, during the fair, in the
Priory church-yard, the gates of which
were closed
every night for safety. A Court of Pie Poudre
was, and
continues to be held, during the fair, at
which the steward of the Lord of
the Manor pre-
m 8
176 LONDON
STREETS, &C.
sides. It is now held at the sign of the Hand pikI
Shears, in Cloth-fair.
After the opening of the fair
it was customary for parties to wrestle before
the
Lord Mayor, who had a tent erected for himself,
and the aldermen,
&c, who accompanied him. Wild
rabbits were hunted for sport by tV mob;
and the
London scholars met at the priory, in order to dis-
pute on
grammar and logic. These have long since
given place to toymen, exhibitions,
&c.^
* In the present rage for mending poor men's morals, a strange
mie. anfl
cry has, all at once, been raised against Bartholomew Fair :
we are gravely
assured, that it is the real Pandora's box of the
British metropolis—the
hot-bed of vice, and the nursery of sin ; and
it is asserted, with mi air of
veracity, that this is to be ihe last fair
(18*25) 'which will be held in
honour of the saint in London.
Really, in our sober judgment, this attempt to
put down the me-
tropolitan saturnalia looks far more like puritanical
hypocrisy,
than the conservation of the public morals. We candidly
confess
we are enemies to all laws which would deprive the working
classes
of their long-established merry-makings, and shall therefore put
our
protest upon recoid. If our legislators will be legislating to
regu-
late men's amusements, we beg they will nt t let all their
legislation
be on the piohibiiory side; let them gi\e the poor fellows who,
by
the right of immemorial custom, look forward to its mirth, some
pastime
not less mirthful as its equivalent: otherwise, such legisla-
tion is the
veriest tyranny, and those for whom they legislate may
be said to be in the
lowest state of vassalage. "'Tis a poor heart
that never rejoices," says the
proverb; but one would imagine that
the moral menders of the present day
thought the virtue of humble
life consisted in the outward and visible sign
of sadness. We think
very differently; a contented heart and a cheerful
countenance for
us, all the world over. But is it not notorious, that at all
places
where many persons crowd together (it matters not for what
pm-
pose) there will be little irregularities, whether in front of
the
hustings at Coventgarden, or of St. James's Palace on a court-day,—
at
Bartholomew pair, or Parson Irving's chapel? Nay, if this be
made the sole
pietext for discontinuing the fair, then ought the
celebration of the Loid
Mayor's Day, with that gaudy pageant,
'yclept *' My kord Mayor's Show," to be
discontinued, notwith-
THEIR NitMES; AND OBTAIN. *77
Billingsgate.—Gate, in this instance, signifies
a quay, or wharf, to which
there is free access; it
had been long a small port for shipping, but in
1699
King William made it a free port for the sale of
fish. Quantities of
oranges and other fruit are
landed here ; and hence the Gravesend and
Margate
packets take their departure.
Bishopsgate, one of the city gates, supposed
to be built about the year
1200, by a bishop ; it was
standing they so materially tend to the honour, delight, and edifica-
tion
of all good citizens; for nobody can deny that this civic anni-
versary gives
rise to sundry acts of inordinate eating and drinking,
to boisterous mirth,
broken heads, picking of pockets, and various
other nuisances, so loudly
complained of, as exclusively belonging
to the holiday-folks at the tide of
St. Bartholomew. We wish
the nobs of the city would just take a retrospective
glance at the
merrymakings and rare doings that formerly took place among
the
populace ; and they will see, that in the " glorious days" it
was
thought no sin for the poor to laueh heaitily at Miater Punch, or
to
be filled with wonder by miraculous fire-eaters; that to eat
ginger-
bread, and quaff a tankard of ale, was no greater crime than to
de-
molish a haunch of venison and wash it down with three bottles
of
wine; nay, they will see too, that, with all the dignit> which
the
old English aristocracy possessed, they thought it no degradation
to
join in the national pastimes, or to patronize the motley crew,
who
created for them so much ** right merrie diversion."
But, while we are upon the subject, we would ask, whether
Bartholomew fur
might not be held without riot, disorder, or
nuisance of any kind, provided
the peace-officers did their duty; or
whether, in fact, there is one-tenth
part of the crime committed in
the precincts of the fair (in proportion to
the numbers which flock
thither,) that there is within a circuit of a hundred
yards round
either of the theatres, on any four da>s and nights during the
season I
Truly, this suppression scheme appears to us to be mere
aftectation-
of morality—a poor pretence for abridging the sons of labour
of
theii fair share of*mhth.—Remember, ye miith-destioyeis, that
" Care to
our coffin adds a nail, no doubt,
While every grin, so merry, draws one
out."
N
178 LONDON STRFETS,
&C.
situated near Bishopsgate church A stone in front
of a house on the east
side of the street points out
the spot.
Bread-street, Cheapside.—Anciently, in 1352,
the bakers, who supplied the
metropolis with the
staff of life, were obliged to bring their bread to
the
market which was held here. They were not then
allowed to sell bread
in their own shops or houses.
They had a hallmote every three months, in
which
all differences were adjusted. Thus it obtained,
and still retains,
the title of Bread-street.
Bucklersbury derived its name from one of the
name of Buckle, who here had
a large manor-house
built with stone. Buckle, it is stated, lost his
life
by the falling of a stone, when pulling down an old
tower, which was
built by Edward I. near to his
house, intending to replace it by a " goodly
frame
of timber." This, which he could not accomplish,
was done by
another, who espoused his widow.
Buckingham House, built by John Sheffield,
Duke of Buckingham, in 1703. He
married the
natural danghter of Charles II. who purchased the
house of the
duke's natural son, and it has since
been entitled the " Queen's House." The
duke
was a frequenter of the famous gaming-house and
the bowling-green
near Piccadilly, and at the end
of each season gave the party who usually
met
there a dinner, when his parting toast was, " May
as many of us as
remain unhanged next spring
meet here again." In the witty days of Charles,
a
wag wrote on the gate of the house, " This is the
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. I"9
house that Jack built;" which so amused the witty
duke, that he declared
he would as soon have been
the author of the joke, as the owner of the
mansion.
Bridgewater-square derives its title from the
Earls of Bridgewater, who
had a house near to
Barbican. In the reign of James II. there were
here
extensive orchards, producing a great quantity
of excellent fruit.
Butcher-h\ll-lane, in the time of Henry VIII.
was called Stinking-lane; no
doubt, appropriately
enough, there being then a number of
slaughter-
houses here. The butchers afterwards built their
hall in this
lane, since which it has borne its present
name.
Bridewell, and St. Bride's Church.—These
both derive their name from the
well, which was
dedicated to St. Bride or Bridget. Bridewell
Palace, which
formerly stood on the site of the
hospital, now consists of two courts
serving as
prisons, &c. for refractory city apprentices,
naughty
women, vagrants, &c. Decayed citizens have also
apartments
here, and are allowed to take appren-
tices to their various callings, who
are thereby
entitled to the city freedom, and to ten pounds,
on serving
seven years. The old church being
burnt by the great fire, the present was
built in 1680,
and has been several times repaired. This is now
seen to
great advantage from Fleet-street, in con-
sequence of an open space having
been left, since
the calamitous fire which lately destroyed several
houses
that stood in front of the church. The
n2
180 LONDON
STREETS, <SfC.
steeple, which is universally admired for the light-
ness and elegance of
its structure, was damaged
by lightning in 1764. The pump, which covers
St.
Bride's well, is under the east end of the w all of
the
church-yard.
Budge-row was so named of Budge Furre, and
of skinners dwelling there.
Bow-lan e derived its name from Bow church, to
which it leads. This was
founded in the reign of
the Conqueror, and called St. Mary de Axrubus,
or
St. Mary le Bow. It was burnt in 1666; and the
present church and
beautiful steeple erected by
Sir Christopher Wren.
Blind-chapel-court.—This court is situated in
Mark-lane; its original name
was Blanch Appleton,
and in the reign of Richard II. this manor
belonged
to Sir Thomas Roos, of Hamlake. In the reign of
Edward VI. it was
assigned as the residence of
basket-makers, wire-drawers, and foreigners,
such
as were not allowed to have open shops in London.
Barbican took its name from a watch-tower, or
burkkenning, which was
destroyed in the year 1267,
by Henry III.
Broken-wharf, Thames-street, so named from a
part of the wharf having
fallen into the Thames,
and remaining in that broken state a
considerable
time.
St. Mary Somerset church is opposite to Broken-
wharf. This took its name
from a person named
Somers, who had a hithe or wharf near, and was
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 181
anciently named Somershithe, which has been since
corrupted to
Somerset.
Covent-garden, formerly Convent-garden, be-
longing to the abbot and
convent of Westminster.
This now central piece of ground and market
be-
longs to his Grace the Duke of Bedford.
Crutched-friars, where was formerly a monas-
tery of the Holy Cross.
Crooked-lane. — This lane, which leads from
Fishstreet-hill to
Miles's-lane and Cannon-street, is
very aptly named, being short, with two
turnings
in it. In 1560 a musket burst, and caused the ex-
plosion of a
barrel of gunpowder in this lane, by
which the house of a Dutchman, named
Adrian
Arter, with four others, and a part of the church
wall, were blown
down. Eight men and one woman
were killed, and many persons wounded.
Cornhill.—Here, in early times, had been held
the corn-market; but, in the
days of Henry V. it
was the habitation of fripperers, or upholders
and
dealers in old clothes and furniture.
Lydgate, a monk of Bury, in his ballad styled
" Lyckpenny, (alias
Lackpenny,) says, that when
he called to buy " old apparel and household
stun'
here, he saw his own hood, which he lost in West-
minster-hall, and
was forced to pay its price, ere he
could get possession of it again."
Clifford's Inn was a house granted by Ed-
ward II. to the family of
Cliifords, and afterwards
leased, and sold to the students of the law.
182 LONDON
STHEETS, &C.
Charing (Village of).—This owed its name to
Edward I. who set up a cross
here to the memory
of his Chere Heine; which being pronounced nearly
as
given in our orthography, has obtained the
English name of Charing.
Cockpit (the), Whitehall.—Here the members
of the Privy Council meet, to
deliberate and decide
upon matters and cases regarding the colonies,
&c.
It is immediately over a passage leading into the
street before
Whitehall, and is considered as a part
of that ancient palace. Hence the
general orders
of council are dated from Whitehall, and the deci-
sions
regarding colonial jurisprudence are dated
from the Cock-pit.
Charter House, or more properly Chartreux,
(so called from the monastery
which stood there,
and was dissolved by Henry VIII.) was founded
and
endowed at the sole cost of Thomas Sutton, Esq.,
who purchased it of the Earl
of Suffolk, for 13,000/.
It was opened in October, 1614. The estate is
now
above 6000/. per annum.
Cannon-street.—This was formerly called Can-
wick, or Candlewick-street,
it being the residence of
the candle-makers, whose trade was of great
consi-
deration in superstitious times. The moderns have
corrupted the
name to Cannon-street, which would
lead some to believe that the deadly
engine of war-
fare had been manufactured here; though a more
natural
solution might be found from the Canons of
St. Paul's, where probably that
portion of the
clergy resided.
THEIR NAMfch, AND ORIGIN'.
183
Cheapside, being the site of a market formerly
held there, regulated by
the city. In the Saxon it
is called Ckepe, aud was sometimes called
West
Chepc, as opposite to East Chepe, which
crosses
Gracpchurch-street.
CLCRKtNWELL, or Clerke's Well, where the
clerks of London were accustomed
to meet annu-
ally for the purpose of enacting sacred dramas,
selected
from the histories of the Holy Scriptures,
Carter-lane, so named on account of being
occupied by stables for the
horses of carmen, &c.
Crutched (or Cross) Friars.—This derived its
name from an order of Friars
who came over from
Italy in 1169, and surprised the English by
theii
arrogance, in demanding a house to live in, asserting
that they were
privileged by the Pope to excom-
municate those who doubted them. Two
simple
citizens, named Ralph Hosier and William So-
bernes, whose wealth
was more abundant than their
wisdom, at last accommodated this fraternity
with a
house, aud joined the brotherhood. After the dis-
solution their
hall was converted into a glasshouse ;
but it was burnt, along with forty
thousand billets
of wood, in the year 1575.
Cripplegate, so named from the church dedi-
cated to St. Giles, who was
esteemed the patron of
cripples, from his having refused to be cured of
an
accidental lameness, that lie might be enabled to
mortify himself more
completely. This neighbour-
hood was consequently the rendezvous of
cripples
and beggars, soliciting charity at this entrance into
184 LONDON
STREETS, &C.
the city. St. Giles diet! at the mature age of eighty,
and was buried in
his»>own abbey, which the King
of France had built for him, on the site of
his her-
mitage, where he had lived tor some tirae in a state
of complete
retirement. This gate and the others,
excepting two, St. John's leading into
St. John's-
square, Clerkenwell, and that at Temple-bar, hare
been all
taken down, as well as the walls: a small
part of which could be lately seen
before Bedlam,
iu Moorfields, was removed ; it was so compact,
that it
required great force to separate each stone.
In St. Giles's Church the prince
of British poets,
Milton, was buried, in the year 1674. Although
no
monument was erected here to the memory of
the poet, he has been honoured
with one under the
sacred roof of Westminster Abbey, among the
illustrious
dead, of all ranks and stations.
Chiswell-street seems to have derived its name
from Richard Chiswell,
styled, by John Dunton,
" The metropolitan bookseller of England," who
was
not known to print a bad book, nor on bad
paper. Mr. Chiswell was buried, in
1711, in the
church of St. Giles, Cripplegate.
DuKE's-PLACE.Houndsditch.—Here was a priory,
founded by Matilda, Queen of
Henry I. A.D. 1108.
When these were dissolved by Henry VIII. he
granted
this to Sir Thomas Audley, subsequently
Lord Chancellor, who dying here, in
1564, left his
daughter sole heiress. By her marriage with
Thomas, Duke of
Norfolk, the Howard family he-
came its proprietors, and it was thus named
Duke's-
place. This place is now mostly inhabited by Jewi».
THEIfl NAMES, AND ORIGIN.
185
who have built an elegant synagogue here, about
thirty years ago, on the
site of the old one, which
was founded by Manasseh Ben Israel, on the
spot
assigned to the Jews by Cromwell, who professed a
friendship for the
sons of Israel. Here they are
subservient to Portsoken-ward, and are
amenable
to the Lord Mayor ; but they also have a jurisdic-
tion of their
own, and officers of the Jewish per-
suasion.
D .ukv-lane owes its name to Sir William
Drury, who was a commander in the
Irish wars.
In his house the unfortunate Earl of Essex, the
favourite of
Elizabeth, frequently held counsels with
his friends, relating to the rash
enterprise which
led to his fatal and untimely end. William, Lord
Craven,
rebuilt it in the sixteenth century ; but
some few years ago it was pulled
down.
Doctors' Commons, a college for students of
civil and ecclesiastical law,
so named from the doc-
tors in civil law commoning together, as in the
other
seats of learning. Here wills have been registered
from the year
1383.
Exeter 'Chance. — Lord Treasurer Burleigh
had formerly a noble mansion on
this spot, where ho
died in 1598. His son named it Exeter House.
When this
building arose, it retained the name,
which is also given to the street and
court in its
vicinity. The upper part is occupied by a collec-
tion of
wild beasts, for exhibition to the public; aud
the under part by various
retailers of cutlery, ho-
siery, gloves, walkiug-sticks, and articles of
tancy.
186 LONDON STREETS,
&C.
Fjnsbuky, iii former times named Fensbury,
being fenny and moorisL.
Fleet-dyke, or Ditch, was formerly called the
River of Fleet, being then
navigable for merchant
ships as far up as Holborn-bridge, where there
was
a bridge, whence Holborn-bridge.
Friday street, Cheapside, so named from its
being near to the fish-market,
which was formerly
inhabited by the fishmongers who supplied our
catholic
forefathers with fish on that day.
Fenchuuch-street, so named, being fenny or
moorish ground, through which
ran a stream called
Langbourn, whence Langbourn Ward.
Gray's Inn was a house belonging to the Grays
of Wilton, who resided there
from 1315, till the
reign of Edward III. when they demised it to
the
students of the law.
Grub-street, the proverbial residence of poor
authors, and which now gives
a name to mediocre
and silly productions, was formerly entitled
Grape-
street. Perhaps the corruption has arisen from said
authors writing
for merely the means of existence,
vulgarly called their grub, the juice of
the grape
never being tasted by them; consequently their
writings were
uninspired—mere matters of fact
shewing no signs of genius. The makers of
every
thing relating to archery anciently had their resi-
dences here; and
here lived, in total seclusion from
the sight of any living person, for the
space of forty-
four years, Henry Wclley, Esq. whose life being
THK1R NAMES, AND ORIGIN.
I8'
attempted by a younger brother, he resolved to se-
clude himself from the
world, notwithstanding he
was possessed of an ample fortune; this he
found
means to apply to charitable and pious purposes,
and in other
respects his life was most exemplary,
to the day of his death, which happened
on the
29th of October, 1636.
Grocer's-aixey.—This narrow passage, leading
from the Old Jewry, was
anciently called Coney-
hope-lane, from being a rabbit-market, at the
corner
of which was a chapel dedicated to St. Mary de
Coney Hope,
Gracechurch-street is supposed to have de-
rived its name from being
formerly the market for
hay and grass; as others, such as the
Poultry,
Bread-street, Fish-street, Milk-street, &c. have ob-
tained
their names from the articles sold in them.
Green Arbour-court.—This court leads from
the Old Bailey to Seacoal-lane,
down Break-neck-
steps. In this court Goldsmith lived when he wrote
the "
Vicar of Wakefield," and the " Traveller,"
in 1759. The court seems to have
derived its name
from a garden, in which was an arbour; the lane
named
from it being a mart for the sale of coals
brought to London coastwise; and
the stairs, or
steps, are said to have been named break-neck, from
the
circumstance of an over-driven ox running up
t he court, and endeavouring to
get down the steps,
missed its footing, and fell down, by which means
i(s
neck was broken.
188 LONDON
STREETS, &C.
■Holboiin was formerly a village called Old-
bonrne, from a stream which
broke out near the
place where the bars now stand, and ran down the
street
to Old-bourne-bridge, and so into the river of
Fleet, now Fleet-ditch. This
was long ago stopped
up at the head, and in other places. Holborn
was
first paved in 1536.
Hicks's Hall.—This building formerly stood in
St. John's-street, facing
West Smithfield; it was
built by Sir Baptist Hicks, afterwards
Viscount
Campden, who was for some time a merchant in
Cheapside, and died
in 1629. It was named after
the builder ; and the new building erected as
the
County Hall for Middlesex, in Clerkenwell-green,
still retains the
name.
HiiRLEY-srREET derived its name from the late
Earl of Oxford, the
ground-landlord, who left it to
his lady.
Houndsditch.—This is now a long and conve-
nient street, leading from
Bishopsgate-street to
Aldgate, but once the receptacle of dead dogs
and
carrion, from which it obtained its name. In this
filthy ditch the 1
ody of Edric, who murdered his
master, Edmund Ironside, was thrown, after
being
drawn through the city by the heels.
Hangman's Gains.—A striking instance of the
corruption of names is
observable in a lane, which
was in the neighbourhood of St. Catherine's by
the
Tower, originally named Hainmes and Guisnt-s,
from a number of people
who formerly lived there,
but took refuge in England after the loss of
Calais,
THEIR NAMKS, AND ORIGIN. 189
in the reign of Queen Mary, and had this quarter
allotted to them; but
latterly it was only known by
the name of Hangman's Gains.
Ivy-lane obtained its present name from the ivy
which ornamented the
fronts of the houses occnpied
by the prebends of St. Paul's. These being
des-
troyed by the great fire, this lane was in no way
distinguished until
the meeting of the literary club,
of which Dr. Johnson was a principal
member, at a
house then known by the name of Dolly's, now
used as a
bookseller's warehouse.
Jeumyn-street.—This, and St. Alban's-street,
were named after Henry
Jermyn, Earl of St. Al-
ban's, who had a house at the top of
Jermyn-street.
It was thought he was married privately to Hen-
rietta
Maria, queen dowager of Charles; and he,
although a subject, ruled her,
notwithstanding she
had before ruled a king.
Iioivdon-house-yard.—Here was formerly the
town-house of the Bishop of
London, which being-
consumed in the great fire, the house in
Aldersgate-
street, formerly called Petre-house, was rented for
the town
residence of the bishop, since which it
obtained the title of " London
House."
Lombard-street, Fleet-street. — In this street
the old Lombards anciently
kept their mistresses.
A complaint was made to Edward III. by the
White,
or Carmelite Friars, who had a handsome
church near Water-lane, that many
naughty women
lived there, whose irregularities and noise inter-
rupted
them in their devotions, and the Lord
190 LONDON STREETS,
<fcc.
Mayor wa9 ordered to have them removed ; but
this neighbourhood has still
been the haunt of the
lewd, notwithstanding attempts to dislodge them,
on
recent occasions.
Leaden-hall-market derives its name from a
building of great antiquity,
which was erected in
this street, with liat battlements leaded at the
top,
in which was the warehouse for selling of leather,
the Colchester
baize-hall, the meal warehouse, and
the wool-hall.
Labour-in-vain-hill, formerly called Old Fish-
street-hill, was so named
from the steep ascent by
modern appropriation.
Miles's-lane, more properly St. MichaePs-lane,
as it derived its name from
the church of St.
Michael's, Crooked-lane; which latter addition has
been
given it, in consequence of its vicinity to tins
lane, which is remarkable
for its turnings, and its
manufacture of fishing-tackle, bird-cages,
hand-
mills, &c. In this church was buried, in 1385, the
remains of
the gallant Sir William Wallworth, who
killed the rebel Wat Tyler in
Smithfield. Sir
William bequeathed all his lands and tenements,
per annum
20Z. 13*. 4rf. to this church, to find five
meet chaplains; and Walter
Warden, the proprietor
of the celebrated Boar's-head tavern, gave all
that
tenement to the same church, towards the finding of
one chaplain.
Maze (the), Borough, was so named from the
Abbot of Battle having a
luxuriant garden here, in
which were many fanciful and intricate
windings.
T-HEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 191
Mews (the).—This is a name now given to the
royal stables at
Chariug-eross. Mews is a terra
used in falconry, and here the ting's falcons
were
kept since the reign of Richard II. as were also
the hoises of Henry
VIII.; and although no
falcons are now to be found there, the title is
re-
tained ; and every range of stabling adjoining a
square, or principal
street in the fashionable part of
the metropolis, is now termed a mews.
May Fair.—There was formerly a fair held on
the site of May-fair Chapel,
on the first days in
May, until the year 1565, and on the spot now
oc-
cupied by ShepherdVmarket. There was a pond
used for duck-hunting.
Several disorders, and
some murders, having taken place here, it was
par-
tially put down by the magistrates in 1708. In
consequence of the
buildings increasing in the
western part of the metropolis, it assumed its
pre-
sent improved appearance; but it still retains the
name, although the
sports have been so long dis-
continued.
Mincing-line, originally called Minchun-lane,
on account of belonging to
the niinchuns, or nuns
of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate-street.
Moor-fields, in 1477, were a moorish rotten
piece of ground, and
impassable but for causeways
made for that purpose, and so continued till
1605.
Monkwell-street.—Near to this was anciently
a church, named in the old
records St. Olave de
Mucwell, by reason of its proximity to
Mucwell-
street. The site of the church, which was destroyed
192 LONDON' STREETS,
&C.
in 1666 by fire, and never rebuilt, is now a place
of burial. In
Windsor-court, in this street, is a
meeting-house, opened by Mr. Doolittle,
being the
first place of worship for dissenters opened in the
metropolis;
and here the celebrated Dr. James
Fordyce preached for many years. In this
street is
also Barber-Surgeons' Hall, considered one of the
best works of
Inigo Jones.
MiNoniES (the), was an abbey of nuns of the order
of St. Clare, suppressed
in 1539, by Henry VIII.
Millbank, Westminster.—The north bank of the
Thames, and so named from a
mill having formerly
stood on the site of a large house (the last in
West-
minster) called Millbank House, which was rebuilt
by the Grosvenor
family. The ancient horse-ferry
was between this house and the church of St.
John.
Old Barge-yard.—This is situated in Buck-
lersbury, which was formerly
open thus far, and
barges were towed up nearly to it. In the time
of
Stowe, there was the sign of the Old Barge upon
the spot.
Old Change, being the King's Exchange, which
was kept there for the
coining of money in the
reign of Henry III.
Old Jewry.—This derived its name from the
Grand Synagogue, which stood
here until the ex-
pulsion of the Jews from the kingdom in the year
1391;
when the brothers of the sack, an order of
friars, got possession of it.
These held it but a
short time; for as it joined the house of Eobert
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 193
Fitzwalter, the banner-bearer of the city, he ob-
tained it from them. In
1349 it was possessed by
Ro .ert Large, lord-mayor, and shortly
afterwards
by Sir Hugh Clapton ; and, finally, was converted
into a
tavern, known by the name of the Windmill.
Paternoster-row and Ave-Maria-lane were
so called from the stationers, or
text-writers, who
dwelt there, and who wrote and sold all sorts of
books
in use; viz. ABC, with the Pater Noster,
Ave, Creed, Graces, &c. There
dwelt also turners
of beads (for Catholics) and they were
called
Paternoster-makers.
Piccadilly owes its name to a taylor, who in-
vented new ruffs,
turn-overs, or capes; he built
Piccadilla Hall, where Sackville-street now
is.
The first good house built here was Burlington
House, being then the
farthest house west, the noble
Owner being determined, he said, that no
one
should build beyond. In 1642 it was built as far
as Berkely-street; at
present it reaches to Hyde
Park, ending with Apsley House, late the
resi-
dence of Lord Bathurst, but now the residence of
the Duke of
Wellington.
Petty France, near to Broadstreet-lmikhngs,
City, and another part in
Westminster, were so
named ; the first being the residence of the
French
Protestant refugees, of whom some thousands look-
up their
residence in that vicinity and in Spital-
fields, previous to the revocation
of the edict of
Nantz. From that circumstance it should be, and
doubtless
was first, styled Petit Ft ance.
o
i9l LONDON
STREETS, <&C.
Pudding-lane was anciently named Rothei-
lane, or Red-rose-lane, from a
sign of the Red-rose ,
but it obtained its present title from the butchers
of
Eastcheap, who had here their scalding-houses for
hogs, from whence the
puddings, and other rubbish,
were put into dung-boat5 on the Thames.
Here
commenced the great fire, in 1666.
Poultry, so named from being the site of the
market for the sale of
poultry in former times.
Poplar.—This is a chapelry, in the parish of
Stepney, and was anciently a
royal manor, and so
named from the number of poplar trees growing
upon
it.
Queen-hithe.—This hithe, or wharf, was anci-
ently called Edred's hithe.
King Stephen gave it to
William de Ypres, who bestowed it on the
Convent
of the Holy Trinity without Aldgate. Henry III.
to whom it
afterwards fell, compelled the ships of
the Cinque Ports to bring all their
corn to this
wharf, and it then obtained the name of Queen's
hithe; the
receipts of which, it is believed, formed
part of the queen's pin-money.
Rood-lane.—This lane, which leads out of Little
Tower-street into
Fenchnrch-street, was so called
on account of a rood or cross being placed in
the
church-yard while the church was rebuilding, to
which purpose the
oblations then offered to the rood
were applied. This was a common mode of
raising
money for religious and charitable uses. We,
although we alter the
mode, still continue the prac-
tice, in shape of Easter offerings, &c.
&c.
THEIR NAMES, AND ORKHff. 195
Royal Exchange,—This building was erected
by the late Sir Thomas Gresham,
who was the son
of poor parents. His mother took him into a field
one day,
and there left him to his fate ; a boy play-
ing in the field being amused
with the chirping and
leaping of a grasshopper, was induced to follow
it,
by which means he was led to the spot where young
Gresham had been
left by his unnatural parent, and
the life of this afterwards eminent
merchant was
thus preserved. In allusion to this, Sir Thomas
adopted the
grasshopper for his crest, which is
placed as a vane on the top of the tower
of the
Royal Exchange, in Cornlnll.
Red Liom-court.—There is a court so named at
the east end of Allhallows
church. Here was anci-
ently the figure of a great lion, of timber, " at
a
gate leading into a large court, where there are
divers fair and laige
shops, furnished with broad-
cloths, and other draperies."
Red Cross and White Cross-streets derive
their names from there being
crosses erected there.
The red cross stood at the north end of the street
so
named, near to the pump.
St. Mildred's-court was originally styled
Scalding-alley, from its being
the place where fowls
were scalded before being exposed to sale in
the
Poultry. It has since changed its name to that of*
the church, which
it is said was founded by the
daughter of Merowald, a Saxon prince. The
last
was burnt in 1666, and the present completed in
1076.
0 2
196 LONDON .STRKFT.S,
Ac.
Si^E-LANt, Bucklersbury, is another instance of
modern corruption. It was
formerly called Penny-
Rich-street, but latterly St. Osyth's, vulgo
Size-
lane.
Savage-gardens.—This is part of the property
of the dissolved monastery of
the Brothers of the
Holy Cross, or Crutched-friars, which Henry VIII.
gave
to Thomas Wyatt, the elder, who built a man-
sion on the spot. Lord Lumley,
who distinguished
himself at the battle of Flodden-field, became
its
future possessor ; after which it came into the pos-
session of Sir
Thomas Savage, created Earl Rivers
in the reign of Charles I. whose name it
has still
retained.
Spice Islands.—A spot on the south side of the
Commercial-road was so
named, in consequence of
the city soil being deposited there, but it is
now
built upon.
Silver-street.—This street leads out of Wood-
street, Cheapside, and was
so named from being the
residence of silversmiths.
Sopar-lane (now Queen-street) was named in
the time of Edward II. from one
Alen de Sopar,
and not from being the residence of soap-makers,
as has
been supposed, for soap-making was not
known much al ove a century and a half
ago, when
" John Lambe, dwelling in Grasse-street, (Grace-
church-street,)
set up a boiling-house; before which
London was supplied from Bristol with
this article,
which was then sold, the mottled for a penny, and
the black
for a halfpenny the pound.
THMR NAMKSi, AND ORIGIN. 197
Shoreditch.—Tins street, which is a continua-
tion of Bishopsgate-street
Without, has been com-
monly reported to have obtained its iwme from
the
husband of the unfortunate Jane Shore ; but it
owed its title to its
lord, Sir John Sordich, a man
learned in the laws, who was in the confidence
of
Edward III. and sent by that prince to Pope Cle-
ment VI. with a
remonstrance against the Pope's
presentation to English benefices of
foreigners; who,
being non-residents, could not perform any of the
duties,
although they took the profits of the livings,
which they expended in another
country.
Barlo, a citizen and inha1 itant of this place, in a
shooting-match at
Windsor before Henry VIII. for
his expertness in archery was named by the
King
" Duke of Shoreditch," on the spot; and this title
was retained by
the Captain of the London Archers
for many years after.
Saint Stephen's.—The House of Commons is
frequently alluded to by public
speakers and the
public prints by this title. King Stephen built a
chapel,
the remains of which join the south-east
angle of Westminster-hall, and
dedicated it to the
martyr Stephen. It was rebuilt in 1347 by Ed-
ward
III. but was not used as a place of meeting
of the representatives of the
British nation until
after the reign of Edward VI.
Soho-SQUARE was originally named Monmouth-
square; but after the death of
the duke, brother to
James II. it was called Soho: this being the
watch-
word at the unfortunate battle of Sedgemoor, in thef
West of
England.
198 LONDON
STREETS, &C.
St. John's-gate.—This has obtained its name
evidently from St. John the
Evangelist, who was
miraculously delivered from a barbarous death
ante
porta Latino,; i. e. before the, gate Latin. In a
very ancient black-letter
book, called " The Lives
of the Saints," it is said, that " The Emperor
Do-
mycan commanded Johan shold be brought to
Rome, and whan he was there
they brought him
tofore the gate called Porte Latyn, and put hym in
a
tonne fal of brenning oyle; but he never felte
harme ne payne, and wythout
suffryng ony harmc
he yssued out. In that place crysten men dyd to
make a
faire chyrche; and this day made a so-
lemyne feste, as it were the day of
his marterdom."
From this book it appears that he was called
Johan
Portlatyn, from the circumstance of his being cast
into the burning
oil before the gate of Port Latyn.
The historical evidence for the event
itself is, how-
ever, by Dr. Doddridge thought to be very uncer-
tain. St.
John's-gate is still standing to the north-
west of Smithneld; under it is an
entrance to a
public-house, called the St. John of Jerusalem. A
figure of
this gate has for a long time been the fron-
tispiece to the " Gentleman's
Magazine, by Sylvanus
Urban, Gent.;" and we learn it was
originally
printed in St. John's-square, where there are several
printers
at this day.
Somerset-house, Strand.—This house was ori-
nally built by the protector
Somerset, who, however,
did not enjoy it, as he suffered on the
scaffold
in loo2, and on his death it became the property of
the crown.
The tower, and part of the church of
THEIR NAMKS, (VD ORIGIN.
1<J9
St. John of Jerusalem, Clerkenwell, were blown up,
and the materials used
for the building, as were the
charnel-house and chapel, and the cloisters, on
the
north of St. Paul's. The present elegant structure
was raised under
the direction of that eminent
architect, Sir W. Chambers. The navy, stamp,
and
other public-offices, now occupy various parts of
this spacious
building. Here also the Royal
Academy, the Royal Society, and the
Antiquarian
Society, have apartments.
Savoy (the).—Henry III. made a grant of all
the houses upon the banks of
the Thames, where
this house lately stood, to Peter of Savoy, uncle
to
Eleanor, his queen. Peter here founded the Savoy,
and conferred it on
the fraternity of Mountjoy. It
was rebuilt in a magnificent style before
1356, when
it was assigned as the residence of John, king of
France, while
a prisoner in this country. The
mob, under Wat Tyler, nearly demolished
it.—
Henry VII. and VIII. repaired it; the latter sup-
pressed it; but his
daughter Mary again restored
it, and her maids of honour furnished it with
all
kinds of necessaries as an hospital. Elizabeth again
suppressed it;
since which time it has been used as
barracks, and a military prison. Since
the erection
of Waterloo-bridge it has been pulled down, to
make room for
improvements in that quarter. St.
Mary le Savoy church was originally the
chapel to
the hospital.
St. Margauet Pattens.—This church is in
Rood-lane; and, according to Stowe
and others, had
the latter title, from pattens being sold near to it.
200 LONDON
STRfcETS, &C.
,*.Sr. Marfin's-le-grand.—Wythred, King of
Kent, founded a college here in
the year 700; it
was rebuilt about V056. William the Conqueror
made it
independent of every other jurisdiction,
and other monarchs confirmed all its
privileges.
Having the privilege of sanctuary, it became the
resort of
criminals of every stamp. In 1457,
its privileges were regulated by royal
authority.
It was surrendered, and pulled down, in 1548
Henry VII. made a
grant of it to the monastery oi
Westminster, and it is still under the
government
of the dean of that abbey, and independent of the
City of
London. The householders have a vote
for the members for Westminster. The
church,
with three others, Bow, St. Giles's, Cripplegate,
and Barkin, had
the curfew bell sounded, long
after the others had been discontinued, in
order to
w am the inhabitants to keep within, and not sub-
ject themselves
to insult and robbery during the
night. Although the bell is not now sounded,
the
inhabitants are reminded, at the hour of nine, by
the guardian of the
night, to " take care of their
lights above and below."
St, Martin Orgar.—This ancient church is
situated in St. Martin's-lane,
Cannon-street, named
Orgar, from its founder Ordgarus. Not being all
burnt
in the great fire, it was repaired partially by
a body of the French
protestants: the ancient
rectory being joined to St. Clement's, in the
lane
opposite. It is now (1825) prilling down [entirely.
The site of the
old church is used as the parish
burying ground.
THEIR NAMES, .4ND ORIGIN. 201
St. Edmund, the King.—This church, which is
situated in Lombard-street, is
of singular construc-
tion, the architecture of which it would be no
easy
matter to describe, so as to be understood. The
altar is in the
northern part of the church, and the
pulpit and desk stand where the altar is
usually
placed ; yet we ha\e no doubt but the pious wor-
shipper, who
possesses a sincere heart, will find that
Our Father is as easdy found in the
north as in the
east; and the Great Omnipotent is better pleased
with the
devotion of the soul, than with the position
of the body. St. Edmund was a
Saxon king, of
the East Angles, and was killed by the Danes, with
arrows,
after being tied to a tree, at Hoxton, in
Suffolk, in the year 870, for his
adherence to the
Christian faith.
St. Lawrence Jewry.—This church is situated
in Cateafon-street; it was
dedicated to St. Law-
rence, a native of Huesca, in Arragon, who
suffered
under the Emperor Valerian, by being cruelly
broiled alive upon a
gridiron until he died. It is
styled Jewry, from the number of Jews who
for-
merly resided near to it, and to distinguish it from
St. Lawrence
Poultney, now demolished. This
latter was so designated from Mr. John
Poultney,
who founded a college there.
Southwark.—This borough was, according to
Pennant, named by our Saxon
forefathers Suth-
verke, or the Southwork, in allusion to some
fortifi-
cations south of the capital. It now is the twenty-
sixth ward of
the city, named " Bridge Ward."
-Many dealers in hops and wool, tanners,
hatters,
£Q£ LONDON STREETS,
&C.
rope and sail-makers, reside here ; also scver.il
brewers, the chief of
whom is the extensive concern
of Barclay, Perkins, and Co. whose beer and
stout
are held in such estimation by the public, that one-
third more is
consumed of their brewing, than of
any other brewer in London.
St. M*rv Woolnoiith Church is situated in
Lombard-street, at the corner of
St. Swithin's-lane.
Alter the great fire, to this was added that of
St.
Mary Woolchurch, so called on account of having
a large beam in the
church-yard for weighing wool,
being in the immediate vicinity of the
Woolstaple,
formerly here.
St. Nicholas Cole Abbey.—This, according to
Stoue, was named Cold-bay,
being, like Cold-
harbour, exposed to the weather.
Temple (the) derives its name from the Cru-
saders, the Knights Templars,
who came into this
country in the reign of Stephen. Their first house
was
situated in Holborn; and in 1185 they founded
this, called the New Temple;
but the order being
suppressed in 1310, it became the property of
several
noblemen, until it was given to the Students of Com-
mon Law in
the reign of Edward III. The church,
which was founded by the Templars in the
time of
Henry II. is built on the model of the Holy Sepul-
chre, and
contains the tombs and effigies of several
Knights Templars. The organ is
deemed one of the
best in the world. Here, among the illustrious
dead, lie
entombed the learned and amiable Selden,
and the able and upright Plowdcn.
The entrance
their names, and origin. 203
into the Temple, from Fleet-street, is the work of
Sir Christopher Wren,
and was built in 1684. The
figure of the Lamb, over the archway, was
the
armorial ensign of the Knights Templars.
Tower (the).—This once important fortress ori-
ginated with William the
Conqueror, who employed
Gundulph, Bishop of Rochester, as architect.
The
first built was the White Tower. It was first in-
closed by William
Longchamp, Bishop of Ely, and
Lord Chancellor in the reign of Richard I.
who
erected the walls, and made the ditch, into which
the water from the
Thames was afterwards intro-
duced. Other works were added by various
sove-
reigns. The contents within the walls are twelve
acres, five roods;
circumference, outside of the
ditch, one thousand and fifty-two feet. Henry
III.
farther enclosed it with a wall of mud outside the
ditch, but the
citizens pulled this down, as it en-
croached on the city « all, for which
the King fined
them one thousand marks. Edward IV. built the
bulwark, now
the Lion's Tower. Charles II. caused
the ditch to be cleansed, in 1663, and
rebuilt the
wharfs with brick and stone, and erected the sluices
for
admitting the water into the ditch. James II.
began the grand Storehouse,
which was finished by
King William, who also built the small
Armoury,
where he, and Mary, his queen, once dined in great
state, having
all the workmen as their attendants,
dressed in white gloves, and aprons, the
habit of
Free-masons. Besides houses for the officers, and
banacksfor the
military, here is the Record-office,
the Ordnance-office, and the
Jewel-office. The
204 LONDON
STREETS, (&C.
Mint, which was formerly within these walls, is
now transferred to an
elegant building, lately
erected in the vicinity of the Tower. The
various
armouries are objects of great curiosity, containing
many ancient
suits and pieces of ordnance, and
other instruments of older warfare. The
small
Armoury is the store for instruments of modern war-
fare, many of
which are arranged, so as to form
curious figures. In the Jewel-office are
kept the
imperial crown, globe, sceptre, and the other orna-
ments of
majesty, which are now only used at the
coronation or when the King goes in
state to the
Parliament-house Within are deposited numerous
articles of
warfare, captured during the many wars
in which this country has been
engaged, and the
whole is well worthy the inspection of the curious,
the
building and its contents being so intimately
connected with the history of
our country.
Tkipe-yard, Petticoat-lane, is another instance
of the corruption of the
moderns. It doubtless
should be named Strype's yard, from the historian
of
that name, who had a house in this lane, where
he died in the year 1757.
Turnmill-street, so named from the brook
which passes near it, on which
were formerly seve-
ral mills. The brook is now named the Fleet. A
, small
brook, which formerly rose near to Middle-
row, Holborn, descended to the
Fleet at Holborn-
bridge; and the few houses then on its banks ob-
tained
the name of the village of Oldbournc, now
modernized into Holborn.
THEIR NAMES, AND ORIGIN. 205
Watling-street.—This was anciently called
Atheling (i. e. Noble) street,
afterwards corrupted
to Watheling-street, and now to Watling-street.
This
gave name to the Roman road, which was so
called.
London Stone, in Cannon-street, being in the line
of this street, has been
supposed to he the standard
from which the Romans computed their distances
;
while others believe it to be a relic of heather, super-
stition, and to
have belonged to the Britons; but its
origin and use are both involved in
uncertainty. It
formerly stood in the middle of the street, but is
now
cased with another s>tone, and placed against
the church wall
opposite.
Jack Cade struck this stone with his sword when
he exclaimed, " Now is
Mortimer lord of this city !"
and some suppose that he looked upon this
action as
a confirmation of his authority, and all proclama-
tions to the
people were delivered from it.
Wardrobe-court, Doctors'-commons, so named
from being on the site of a
house built by Guy, Earl
of Warwick ; whose son sold it to Edward III.
who
kept his wardrobe in the said house.
Warwick-lane derived its name from Richard
Nevil, the great Earl of
Warwick, who had here
his town-house, or inn. In the famous Convention
of
1458 he came to town with six hundred men, all
in red jackets embroidered,
with ragged staves,
and was lodged in this lane. In his house six
oxen
were eaten at a breakfast, and every tavern was
full o{ his meat. "
He that had any acquaintance
in that house, might have there so much of
sodden
S90& tONDOS
STREETS, Ac.
and rost meate as he could pricke, and carry upon
a long dagger." A small
stone statue, placed in
the side front of a tobacconist's, at the corner of
the
lane next to Newgate-street, preserveth the memory
of this "
king-making earl."
Westmorland-buildings, so named from the
earls of that title having a city
mansion here.
Well-street, Jewin-street.—Stovse descrile^
Crowley's, or Crowder's well,
here, to be a fair
pool of clear water, which was filled up in the
reign
of Henry VI. and the spring arched over with steps
to go down to it,
at the expense of the executors of
Sir R. Whittington. About thirty years
since, a
handsome stone pump was erected upon it.
Westminster.—Henry VIII. in the thirty-
seventh year of his reign, erected
this into a
Bishopric, and shortly after took up his residence
in St.
James's Palace, and enclosed the Park.—
Edward VI. dissolved the charter, by
which the
title of " city" was lost to it; although, as a matter
of
courtesy, it still retains the same.
207
WARDS
OF THF
CITY OF LONDON.
London and its liberties are divided into twenty-
six wards. There appears
no doubt that the divi-
sion into wards, or aldermanries, is as remote
as
the early Saxon times, and that as the population
increased, these were
progressively augmented;
for we find, that in the reign of Henry I. the
prior
of the church of the Holy Trinity was admitted to
a seat in the City
Council as alderman of Portsoken
ward. Each ward is governed by an alderman,
and
a number of common-council men, with subordinate
officers.
Aidgate Ward, so named from its being con-
tiguous to the old eastern gate
of the city; it sends
six common-council men, and is divided into
seven
precincts, lying chiefly in the parishes of St. James,
St. Catherine
Cree Church, St. Andrew Under-
shalft, St. Catherine Undershalft, St.
Catherine
Coleman, and in Duke's-place.
Aldersgate Ward. — The ancient gate which
stood in the street so named,
gave the title to thisi
ward, and divided it into " within" and "
without."'
Within contains four preciuets, viz.—St. Leonard,
208
WARDS OF THK
Foster-lane; St. John Zachery, St. Mary Staining,
and St. Anne. Without is
comprised by four pre-
cincts, in the parish of St. Botolph. The
ward
returns four common-council men.
Bishopsgate Ward derived its name from the
gate, which divided it into two
parts, distinguished
by the names of Bishopsgate Within and Bishops-
gate
Without. The latter contains four precincts;
the former contains the
following five: viz.—All-
hallows, St. Peter, St. Martin Outwich, St.
Helen,
and St. Ethelburge. The whole ward returns four-
teen
common-council men.
Broad-strei.t Ward returns twelve common-
council men, and is divided into
ten precincts; viz.—
St. Mildred Woolchurch, St. Christopher, St.
Bar-
tholomew Upper, St. Bartholomew Lower, St.
Margaret Lothbury, St.
Bennet Fink, St. Martin
Outwich, St. Peter le Poor, and
Allhallows,
London-wall.
Billingsgate Ward returns ten common-council
men, and is divided into
twelve precincts; viz.—
Billingsgate, St. Mary at Hill, Smart's-quay,
Love-
lane, the three precincts of Botolph's, Billingsgate,
the two of St.
Andrew Hubbard, and three of St.
George, Botolph-lane, Pudding-lane, and
Rood-
lane.
Bridge Ward Within returns fifteen members
lo the common-council; it is
divided into fourteen
precincts; viz.—three of London-bridge, three
of
Thames-street, three of New Fish-street, two (upper
and lower) of St.
Leonard, Eastcheap, and the
CITY OF LONDON.
209
upper precincts of St. Bennet, Gracechurch-street,*
and Allhallows,
Lombard-street.
Bassishaw Ward derives its name from Basing's
haugh, or hall, of which it
is a corruption. The
two precincts of Basinghall-street comprise the
whole
of this ward, which returns four members to
the court of common-council.
Bridge Ward Without is so named from its
being wholly in the county of
Surrey; it compre-
hends the principal part of the borough and
liberties
of Southwark. Although it is so extensive, it has
never had the
privilege of electing an alderman, but
the city has been accustomed to confer
the govern-
ment of this ward upon the senior alderman of the
court, who
is styled the " Father of the City," as
an honourable sinecure, which
relieves him from the
fatigues of general business. The district known
by
the name of the Borough Liberty comprises the
greater part of the five
parishes of St. Olave, St.
Saviour, St. John, St. Thomas, and St. George.
Bread-street Ward was named from Bread-
street, which was " itself so
called of Bread in old
time there sold, for it appeareth by records, that
in
the year 1302, which was the 30th of Edward the
First, the bakers of
London were bounden to sell no
bread in their shops or houses, but only in
the mar-
ket." This ward returns twehe common-council
men, and is divided
into thirteen precincts.
Candlewick-street Ward was so named from
Candlewick-street (now called
Cannon-street), which
was chiefly inhabited by candlewrights in wax
and
p
210
WARDS OF THE
tallow. Though small, it returns eight common-
council men, and is divided
into seven precincts:
viz. St. Mary Abchurch; St. Lawrence Poulteney;
St.
Martin Ongar; St. Clement, Eastcheap; St.
Leonard, Eastcheap; and the east
and west pre-
cincts of St. Michael.
Castle-Baynard Ward toek its name from an
t)ld castle, originally built on
the banks of the river
by Baynard, one of the military characters who
came
over with William the Norman. The ward
returns ten common-council men, and is
divided
into ten precincts.
Cheap Ward.—This ward, which is in the centre
of the city, is so named
from being the site of the
second Chepe, or market, that of East Chepe
being
the first. It returns twelve common-council men,
and is divided into
nine precincts: viz. St. Mary-le-
Bow, Allhallows; St. Lawrence,
Cateaton-street;
St. Martin, Ironmonger-lane; St. Mary Colechurch;
St.
Mildred, Poultry; St. Stephen and St. Bennet;
and St. Pancras,
Sopar-lane.
Coleman-street Ward returns six common-
council men, and is divided into
six precincts: viz.
St. Margaret, Lothbury; St. Olave, Jewry; and
the four
of St. Stephen, Coleman-street.
Cordwainer-street Ward derived its name
from the street of that name,
where the cordwainers,
or shoemakers, curriers, and workers of
leather,
resided: this street is now called Bow-lane. The
ward returns
eight members to the common-council,
and it is divided into eight precincts:
viz. St. Mary,
TITY OF LONDON.
211
AWermanbury,upper and lower; Allhallows, Broad-
street : St. Mary-le-Bow,
St. Antholin, Upper and
Lower St. Pancras, St. Bennet Sherehog and
St.
John, and St. Thomas the Apostle and Trinity.
Cornhill Ward was " so called of a corne
market, time out of mind, there
holden." It is
divided into four precincts, and returns six mem-
bers to
the common-council.
Cripplegate Ward is divided into two parts
distinguished by Without and
Within, in allusion
to the gate where cripples were wont to beg.
It
returns twelve common-council men. — fVithin is
divided into nine
precincts: viz. St. Lawrence; St.
Mary Magdalen, Milk-street; St. Peter; St.
Mi-
chael, Wood-street; St. John Zachary ; St. Alban,
Wood-street; St.
Olave, Silver-street; St. Alphage
and Aldermanbury.—Without consists of four
pre-
cincts : viz. Redcross-street,Whitecross-street, Fore-
street, and
Grub-street.
Dowgate Ward was so named from the ancient
water-gate (Dwyr-gate), which
formed the termina-
tion of the Middlesex branch of the
Watling-street,
and was, in all probability, the place of the British
tra-
jeclus, or ferry, into Surry. It returns eight com-
mon-council men,
and is divided into eight precincts.
Farringdon Wards, Within and Without, were
originally but one ward, which
derived its name from
William Farindon, or Farendon, goldsmith,
and
sheriff in the reign of Edward the First; and it
descended to his
heirs, and continued under the
p2
2l£
WARDS OF THE
government of that family for upwards of eighty-
two years. In consequence
of the increase of the
population, this extensive ward was divided into
two
in the 17th of Richard the Second, and the ward
Within returns
seventeen memhers to the common-
council, and is comprised in eighteen
precincts: viz.
St. Peter; St. Matthew, Goldsmith's-row; Saddler's
Hall,
Gutter-lane; St. Austin; St. Michael-le-
Quern, North and South; St. Faith,
Paternoster-
row; St. Faith, St. Paul's church-yard ; St.
Martin,
Ludgate,North and South; first and second of Christ
Church; St.
Sepulchre, Monkwell-street; and St.
Anne, Blackfriars.
Farringdon Without returns sixteen memhers
to the common-council; it is a
very extensive and
populous liberty, and is divided into
fourteen
precincts.
Langboirn Ward " is so called, of a long borne
(bourn) of sweete water
which, in olden time, break-
ing out into Feuchurch-street, ran down it
and
Lombard-street, to the west end of St. Mary's
Woolnoth Church; where,
turning south and
breaking itself into many small shares, rills,
or
streams, it left the name of Share-borne-lane, or
Southborne-lane,
because it ran south to the river
Thames." This ward returns ten
common-council
men, and is divided into twelve precincts : viz.
St. Mary
Woolnoth, North and South; Nicholas-
lane, Birchin-lane, Lombard-street,
Clement's-lane;
Allhallows, Lombard-street; St. Bennet,
Grace-
church-street ; St. Dionis, Bank Church; St. Gabriel
and Allhallows
Staining.
CITY OF LONDON.
213
Lime-street Ward has neither a church nor a
complete street within its
limits, although it extends
into several parishes. It returns four
common-coun-
cil men, and is divided into four precincts.
Portsoken Ward lies wholly without the city,
and extends from Aldgate to
Whitechapel-bars east-
ward, and from Billingsgate to the Thames north
and
south. Stow says, " This Portsoken, which
soundeth as much as the ' Franchise
at the Gate,'
was some time a guild, being named by Edgar
' Knighten
Guilde.'" Since the year 1531, this ward
has been governed by an alderman,
five .common-
council men, and subordinate officers. It is divided
into
five precincts: viz. Houndsditch, High-street,
the Bars, Tower-hill, and
Convent-garden.
Queenhithe Ward. — This ward derived its
title from the wharf or hithe
being named in honour
of one of our queens, to whom it for some time
be-
longed. It had, at one time, very considerable traf-
fic, but is now
of less consequence, the number of
wharfs having increased so much. The w ard
returns
six members to the court of common-council, and is
divided into
nine precincts.
Tower Ward derived its name from its conti-
guity to the Tower, and sends
twelve members to the
court of common-council. It is divided into
twelve
precincts: viz. Dolphin, Mincing-lane, Salutation-
road, Dice-quay,
Bear-quay, Petty Wales, Seeth-
ing-lane, Mark-lane, and Angel.
Vintry Ward was, according to Stow, so named
" of vintners, and of the
vintne, a part of the banke
214
LIS* OF THE
of the river Thames, where the merchants of JJour-
deaux craned their
wines out of lighters and other
vessels. It returns nine members to the
common-
council, and is divided into nine precincts.
Walbrook Ward took its name from the rivulet
which entered the city from
Moorfields, and, divid-
ing into two parts afterwards, flowed into the
Thames
at Dowgate. It sends eight members to the com-
mon-council, and is
divided into seven precincts:
viz. two of St. Swithin, St. Mary
Woolchurch,
St. Stephen Walbrook; St. John Baptist, St. Mary
Bothaw, and
St. Mary Abclmrch.
LIST OF THE CITY COMPANIES,
IN THEIR ORDER OF SENIORITY,
W ITH THE DATES OF THEIR INCORPORATION, SITES
OF HALLS, &C
The associations of early times were called guilds,
fellowships, or
fraternities, secular and ecclesiasti-
cal. The secular guilds, &c.
included the merchants
and traders, and were called Gilda Mercatoria;
and,
as the chief towns increased in population, the arti-
sans, dealers,
and craftsmen, procured charters for
monopolizing the business of their own
burghs or
cities. Although called merchant guilds at first, yet
the
maintenance of their particular " arts and mys-
teries" was generally mixed
with ecclesiastical ob-
CITY COMPANIES.
215
servances, and they were not considered entirely
secular until after the
Reformation.
The earliest certain notice which Mr. Madox could
find of a guild, or
fraternity of tradesmen, in this
country, is m the record of a payment of
sixteen
pounds into the Exchequer, in the reign of Henry
the First, by
Robert, the son of Leuestan, as the rent,
or ferme, for the Guild of Weavers
of London. The
earliest dated patent of incorporation, now pre-
served, is
that granted to the goldsmiths and the
skinners by Edward the Third, in 1327.
The first
twelve of the city companies on the list are the chief,
and to
one of these the lord mayor elect must belong
before he can be sworn in.
1. The Mercers were first incorporated in the
17th of Richard the Second
(1393). Their hall and
chapel are in Cheapside. This company consists of
a
principal warden and three others, a court of
assistants, and a livery,
forming together a body of
about 110 persons.—The name of Mercers
was
anciently given to dealers in toys and small wares,
Their hall was
rebuilt in its present form shortly after
the great fire. Many eminent men
have belonged
to this company. The celebrated Whittington, Gre-
sham, and
above sixty other Lord Mayors, have
been of this respectable company.
2". The Grocers were incorporated by Edward
the Third (1345); their hall
is in the Poultry, in
Grocer's-liall Court. It consists of a master,
three
wardens, fifty-two assistants, and an extensive livery.
Grocers were
originally called Pepperers, being
extensive dealers in that article, Their
hall was
formed, in 1411, out of a chapel purchased of Fitz-
216
IIST OF THE
^waiter for 340 marks: after being new-fronted, it
was employed many years
as the Bank, of England.
The old building, at the north-east corner of the
gar-
den, it is believed, was part of the mansion of the
said Fitzwalter,
and consequently the most ancient
building within the walls of the city.
3. The Drapers, by Henry the Sixth (1439),
governed by a
master, four wardens, and a court of
assistants. Their hall is situated in
Throgmorton-
street.
4. The Fishmongers, by Henry the Eighth(1536).
Their hall is in
Thames-street (Upper), near to Lon-
don-bridge. It consists of a prime warden
and five
others, a court of assistant*, and a livery.
5. The Goldsmiths, in the reign of Edward the
Third (1326). Their
hall is in Foster-lane, Cheap-
side. It is governed by a prime warden,
three
others, and a large court of assistants.
6. The Skinners, by Edward the Third (1327).
Their hall is on
Dowgate-hill. It is governed by a
master, four wardens, and about sixty
assistants.
7. The Merchant Tiylo.rs, confirmed in the
28th of Edward the First,
but more regularly by
Edward the Fourth (1466), and re-incorporated
by
Henry the Seventh (1503), and governed by a
master, four wardens, and
about forty assistants.
Their hall is in Threadneedle-street.
8. The Haberdashers, first by Henry the Sixth,
(1447), and confirmed
by Henry the Seventh. Their
.IjaJl is in Maiden-lane, Wood-street. Governed
by
CITY COMPANIES.
217
a master, four wardens, and about twenty assistants ;
and the livery
amount to about 350 persons.
9. The Saltehs had a livery from Richard the
Second (1394), and were
first regularly incorporated
by Elizabeth (1558). Their hall is in
Oxford-court,
St. Swithin's-lane. It is governed by a master, two
wardens,
and assistants.
10. The Ironmongers, by Edward the Fourth
(1464); confirmed by
Philip and Mary (1558), by
Elizabeth (1560), and by James the Second
(1685).
Their hall is situated on the north side of
Fen-
church-street.
11. The Vintners, formerly composed of Vinti-
narii and Tabernarii,
incorporated by Edward the
Third (1365) ; but it was not until 1437, in the
reign
of Henry the Sixth, that they had their charter as
the master,
wardens, &c. of the Mystery of Vint-
ners. Freemen of this company may
retail wine
without a licence. Their hall is in Upper Thames-
street, near
to the Southwark-bridge. A master,
three wardens, and twenty-eight
assistants, govern
this company.
12. The Clothworkers, by Edward the Sixth
(1482), and got their
present title from Elizabeth,
whose charter was again confirmed by Charles
the
First (1634). Their hall is on the east side of Minc-
ing-lane. A
master, four wardens, and about forty
assistants, govern this company.—This
is the last of
the Twelve.
13. The Dyers, said to have been one of the
twelve, was incorporated
by Edward the Fourth
218
LIST OF THE
(1472). Their hall is in Great Elbow-lane, Daw-
gate-hill.
14. The Brewers, by Henry the Sixth (1438),
and confirmed by Edward
the Fourth, with a power
to make by-laws. Their hall is on the north side
of
Addle-street. The patrons of this company were—
The Blessed Virgin, and
St. Thomas-a-Beckett,
whose arms were incorporated with theirs; but
Henry
the Eighth having unsainted Thomas, he
granted the brewers a new crest.
15. The Leather-sellers.—Stow states their
incorporation to
be in the 21st of Richard the
Second, yet Maitland states it to have been by
char-
ter of Henry the Sixth, in 1442. Henry the Seventh
empowered the
company to inspect all leather made
of sheep, lamb, and calf skins. Their
hall, which
was in St. Helen's, Bishopsgate-street, was pulled
down about
thirty-four years ago, and their meet-
ings are now held in an ancient
building in Little
St. Helen's.
16. The Pewterers, by Edward the Fourth
(1474). The wardens
are empowered to inspect all
articles made of pewter. Their hall is in
Lime-
street.
17. The Barbers received their first charter from
Edward the Fourth
(24th Feb. 1641-2); they were
then styled Barber Surgeons, as the two arts
were
practised by the same person. In 1745 the barbers
were formed into a
separate company. Their hall,
which is a very handsome building, is founded
partly
on the ancient wall on the west side of Monkwell-
CITY COMPANIES-
219
street, and adorned with some very fine paint-
ings, &c.
18. The Cutlers, by Henry the Fifth (1417).
Their hall is in
Cloak-lane. In this is a portrait
of Mrs. Crawthorne, who bequeathed the
Belle
Saurage lun, intrust, to this company, for charitable
purposes.
19. The Bakers, originally distinguished by
White Bakers and
Brown Bakers: the first, who
made the wheaten bread, were incorporated
by
Edward the Second (about 1307); the second, who
made the brown bread,
by James the First (1621).
Their hall is in Harp-lane.
20. The Wax-chandlers, by Richard the Third
(1483). Their hall
is in Maiden-lane, Wood-street.
21. The Tallow-chandlers, by Edward the
Fourth (1460), and
confirmed by James the First.
Elizabeth, about 1576, empowered the master
and
wardens to be searchers, &c. oi all vinegar, soap,
butter, oil,
hops, &c.; but, the city opposing the exe-
cution of this, it has been
abrogated. Their hall is
on Dovvgate-hill, on the west side.
22. The Armourers and Braziers (originally
named Armourers only), by
Henry the Sixth (1423).
Their hall is in Coleman-street, at the north
end.
23. The Girdlers, by Henry the Sixth (1449),
and by Elizabeth, along
with the " Pinners and
Wire-Dlrawers," in October, 1568. Their hall is
in
Basinghall-street.
220
LIST OF THE
24. The Butchers is very ancient, being fined
as " adulterine" in
tlie 26th of Henry the Second.
Their old hall was in Butcherhall-lane; their
pre-
sent one is in Pudding-lane.
25. The Saddlers existed as a company in the
reign of Richard the
Lion-hearted, but were only
legally incorporated in the time of Edward the
First.
Their hall is in a small court between Foster and
Gutter Lanesj
Cheapside.
26. The Carpenters, by Edward the Third
(1344), and
reincorporated by Edward the Fourth
(July, 1478). Their hall, now let as a
carpet ware-
house, is in London-wall.
27. The Cordwainers, by Henry the Fourth
(1410), as the "
Cordwainers and Cobblers," but
afterwards as Cordwainers alone. Their hall is
in
Distaff-lane.
28. The Painter Stainfrs, by Elizabeth (1582);
and James the First
passed an act that no plasterer
should practise painting in the city unless
he had
served, or was serving, a seven years' apprentice-
ship to the "
trade." Their hall is on the west side
of Trinity-lane, and contains a great
number of fine
paintings by some of the first masters.
28. The Curriers, by James the First (1605J{
Their hall, which was " new
built and glassed" in
1670, is situated in a small court on the south
side
of London-wall.
30. The Masons, by Henry the Fourth, under
the title of Free Masons, but
in the charter of
CITY COMPANIES.
8»$
Charles the Second (1677) styled " Masons" only.
Their hall is in
Masons'-alley, Basinghall-street, but
it is now let as a carpet
warehouse.
31. The Plumbers, incorporated in 1611: their
old hall was in
Anchor-lane; their present hall is in
Great Bush-lane, Cannon-street.
32. The Innholders, incorporated by Henry the
Eighth (15)5), and
they are governed by a master,
three wardens, and twenty assistants, and have
a
livery of 139 members, whose fine upon admission
is £10. Their hall,
which is a convenient and hand-
some building, is situated in Elbow-lane.
33. The Founders, by James the First (1614);
and all brass weights
made within three miles round
London must be stamped with their mark.
Their
hall is in a court in Lothbury, and has been long let
to a
congregation of Protestant Dissenters.
34. The Poulterers, incorporated in 1504. They
have no hall,
although they have a livery.
35. The Cooks, in the year 1480, and had con-
firmatory
charters from Elizabeth and James the
First. Their hall, which stood nearly
opposite to
Little Britain, in Aldersgate-street, being burnt
down about
forty years ago, the site has been
occupied by other houses.
36. The Coopers, by Henry the Seventh (1501),
and, by the 28th
of Henry the Eighth, empowered
to ' search and gauge' all barrels, &c.
made for
the sale of ale, beer, &c. in London, and two miles
round,
and that no brewer shall expose to sale any
222
LIST OF THE
barrel, &c. until marked by the Coopers, or forfeit
for each 3s. id.
Their hall is on the west side of
Basinghall-street, and in it, for several
years past,
the State Lottery has been drawn.
37. The Tylers and Bricklayers, in the year
1568.
Bricklayers-hall is in a court on the south
side of Leadenhall-street; it was
built, in 1627, of
timber, lath, and plaster, and has been long
deserted
by the company, and is now a Jews' synagogue.
38. The Bowyers, in the 18th of James the First,
when bows were of
little use, fire-arms being intro-
duced. They have a livery, but no
hall.
39. The Fletchers {from jleche, an arrow) is only
a prescriptive
company, although possessing both
arms and a livery. They had formerly a hall
in
St. Mary-Axe.
40. The Blacksmiths, by Elizabeth, in 1571, and
confirmed by James
the First. Their hall, which has
been long unoccupied, stands on the west
side of
Lambert-hill, and is fast hastening to decay.
41. The Joiners, by Elizabeth (1569), as " the
faculty of the
Joiners and Cielers of London." Al-
though they at present have no hall, they
had one
destroyed in the great fire; and another, which lately
stood on
the east side of Joiners'-buildings, Upper
Thames-street, met with the same
fate in December,
1811.
42. The Weavers, or Fellarii, existed as a guild
in the reign of
Henry the First, who received of
them an annual rent of £16. Henry the
Second
CITY COMPANIES.
223
confirmed their franchises in his thirty-first year;
but the jealousy of
their rights causing many dis-
putes, this company was, by an act of the 7th
of
Henry the Fourth, put under the governance of the
city magistracy, who
have since regulated the con-
cerns of this trade. Their hall is on the east
side of
Basinghall-street.
43. The Woolmen, only by prescription, and
have neither hall nor
livery.
44. The Scriveners (originally styled " the
Writers of the
Court Letters of the City of Lon-
don"), by James the First (1616). They had
a hall
in Noble-street, but necessity reduced them to dis-
pose of it to
the coachmakers.
45. The Fruiterers, in 1605: they have a livery,
but they have no
hall.
46. The Plasterers, by Henry the Seventh
(1501); confirmed by
Charles the Second (1667).
By an act of common-council in the 6th of
William
and Mary, no person can exercise the trade without
being free of
this company. Their hall is in Addle-
street, north side ; and, being
latterly occupied as a
dancing-room, &c. has lost much of its
decoration.
47. The Stitioners, on the 4th of May, 1556,
in the reign of Philip
and Mary, confirmed by Eliza-
beth, and by an act in the time of William and
Mary.
They had their livery in the 2d of Elizabeth. James
the First
granted them the rightof printing "Prym-
ers, Psalters, and Psalms," and "
all manner of
Almanackes and Prognostycacions,"and " Books and
224
LIST OF THE
Pamphlets tendyng to the same purpose." Their right
was tried by Mr. Thos.
Carnan, bookseller, early in
the reign of George the Third, and the monopoly
of
almanacks was dispelled. Every book or pamphlet
published must be
entered at their hall in Ludgate-
hill, and eleven copies of the work left
there, which
gives a security against piracy under certain penal-
ties.
The hall is handsome, and contains some good
paintings.
48. The Embroiderers, by Elizabeth (1561).
Their hall is in a
court on the north side of Gutter-
lane, Cheapside, but is now rented by a
merchant.
49. The Upholders, by Charles the First (1627),
and the
50. Musicians, by James the First (1604): both
of these have a
livery, but no hall.
51. The Turners, by James the First. They
have a livery, and a small
hall on College-hill.
52. The Basket-makers, only by prescription,
and have neither
livery nor hall.
53. The Glaziers, by Charles the First. They
have a livery, but no
hall since the fire of 1666.
54. The Horners, in 1638, but they have no
livery nor hall.
55. The Farriers, in 1673. They have a livery,
but no hall.
56. The Paviors are a company by prescription,
yet have neither a
livery nor a hall.
CITY COMPANIES.
225
57. The Loriners or Lorimers, makers of spurs,
&c., by Queen
Anne, in 1712. They have a livery,
but no hall.
58. The Apof hecakies, originally with the Gro-
cers, in 1606 ; but,
eleven years afterwards, James
the First granted them a distinct charter: its
mem-
bers are exempted from all ward and parish offices.
Their hall is in
Water-lane, Blackfriars, and con-
tains some fine paintings; there are also
labora-
tories for preparing medicine, drugs, &c, which are
sold, as
warranted genuine, to the public, and to the
profession.
59. The Shipwrights, by James the First (1605);
admitted to a livery
in 1782. They had a hall at
Ratcliffe-cross, but it has been pulled down, and
not
rebuilt.
60. The Spectacle-makers, in 1630; but they
have neither
livery nor a hall.
61. The Clock-makers, in 1632. They have a
livery, and no hall.
62. The Glovers, in 1638, and have a livery;
but their hall, then in
Beech-lane, Barbican, having
fallen into decay, has been converted into
tene-
ments.
63. The Comb-makers, in 1636; but have neither
livery nor hall.
64. The Felt-makers, or Hat-makers, were for-
merly incorporated
with the Haberdashers ; but
James the First, in 1604, gave them a separate
char-
ter : they have a livery, but no hall.
226
UST OK THE
65. The Frame-work-knitters, in 1663. They
have a livery, but no
hall.
66. The Silk-throwers, or Throwsters, in 1630.
No hall nor
livery.
67. The Silkmen, in 1631; but have neither hall
nor livery.
68. The Pin-makers, in 1636. They have no
livery, but have a
hall in Pinner's-court, Old Broad-
street, long rented by a congregation of
Protestant
Dissenters.
69. The Needle-makers, by Oliver Cromwell,
in 1656. They have a
livery, but no hall.
70. The Gardeners, in 1616; but have neither
hall nor livery.
71. The S0 4p-makers, in 1638, and have neither
hall nor livery.
72. The Tin-plate-workers, in 1670, and have
neither hall nor
livery.
73. The Wheelwrights, in 1670, and have a
livery, but no
hall.
74. The Distillers, in 1638, and have a livery,
but no hall.
75. The Hat-band-makers, in 1638, but have
neither livery nor
hall.
76. The Patten-makers, in 1670. They have a
livery, but no hall.
CITY COMPANIES.
227
77. The Glass-sellers, in 1064, and have *
livery, but no hall.
78. The Tomcco-piPE-MAKERS of London and
Westminster, in 1663; but have
neither hall nor
livery.
79. The Coach and Harness-makers, in 1671,
and have a livery, and
the hall in Noble-street, pur-
chased of the Scriveners, and now rented to
various
persons.
80. The Gun-h vkers, in 1638 ; but have neither
hall nor livery.
81. The Gold and Silver-wire-drawers, in
1623, and
re-incorporated in 1693.
82. The Long-bow String-makers are a com-
pany by prescription
oaly.
83. The Card-makers, in 1629.
84. The F\m-m\kgks of London and West-
minster, in 1709.
85. The Woodmongers, in 1606.
86. The Starch-makers, in 1662.
87. The Fishermen, in 1687; but neither of
these eight last have
hall or livery.
88. The Parish Clerks, by Henry the Third,
as the fraternity of St.
Nicholas, but were dissolved
in the time of Edward the Sixth. James the
First
re-incorporated them in 1611, and Charles the First
confirmed the
grant in 1636. It includes all the
clerks in the parishes within the bills of
mortality,
Q2
228
LIST OF THE
which they have the privilege of printing. Their
hall is an old building,
on the west side of Wood-
street, and lately occupied by a
whalebone-cutter,
excepting one room, in which the* company occa-
sionally
meet on business, or to improve their
voices.—Clerkenwell derives its name
from this
ancient fraternity annually performing " Scriptural
Dramas," in
the open air, near to the well, which
still exists at the bottom of the
Green, to the right.
89. The Carmen, made a fellowship of the city,
by an act of the
common-council, in the reign of
Henry the Eighth, joined with the Jewtlllrs
in
1606, and named Woodmongers; but the latter
having thrown up their
charter in 1668, the Carmen
were re-coustituted by the common-council, and
the
regulation of the body vested, by act of Parliament,
in the 13th of
George the Second, in the city magis-
trates.
90. The Porters, commonly styled Fellowship
Porters, were
constituted by the common-council in
1646. There are Tackle Porters and
Ticket Porters:
the former must be freemen, and appointed by the
twelve
principal companies; and each person must
give bond, with four sureties, for
£500, to make
good losses by damage or otherwise; the latter must
also be
freemen, and give bond, with two sureties,
for £100, to the corporation, by
whom they are ap-
pointed. These work under the Tackle Porters,
and wear a
'metal badge, with his name and num-
ber.' An alderman, named by the court,
is the gover-
nor, and his decision of matters betwern them is
CIH COMPANIES.
229
final. Their liall is on St. Mary's-hill, near Billings-
gate.
91. The Watermen's Compan\, though last in
order of precedency, was
incorporated by Parlia-
ment in 1556, when it was decreed, that their
wher-
ries should be twelve feet and a half long, and four
feet and a half
broad in the midship, or be liable to
forfeiture. The act of the 34th of
George the Third
confirmed the regulation of this body to the
city
magistrates; and any impropriety of conduct exhi-
bited between
Windsor and Gravesend, on the river,
or at any of the plying-places, is
punishable by fine
or imprisonment. No apprentice to a waterman to
have
the sole care of a boat until he is seventeen ;
but, if his son, at sixteen;
penalty, 10*. There are
about 12,000 generally belonging to the
company,
2000 of whom are non-freemen, and 2000 appren-
tices ; and, by an
act of William and Mary, the
Lords of the Admiralty have power to apply for
a
certain number, when they have occasion for their
assistance in the
navy. Their hall is situated, also,
on St. Mary's-hill, Billingsgate.
230
ANECDOTES
COP.NECTBD WITH
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, CLUBS, &c.
A MAN HUNG FOR LEAVING HIS LIQUOR :
Origin of the Saying.
Stow mentions a custom which prevailed at the
hospital of Matilda, at St
Giles's, by which " the
prisoners conveyed from the city of London
towards
Teybourne, there to be executed for treasons, felo-
nies, and
other trespasses, were presented with a
great bowl of ale, thereof to drink
at their pleasure,
as to be their last refreshing in this life." I
believe
it was from the circumstance of a malefactor's refus-
ing to
partake of this farewell draught, whereby he
reached Tyburn sooner than was
usual, and just time
enough to get hung before a reprieve, which had
been
sent after him, arrived: hence he was said to
have been " hung for leaving
his liquor."
The Harleian MSS. give another illustration, but
not quite so
satisfactory:—" At Puxley-green, near
Stoney-Stratford, but in
Northamptonshire, near
Whetlewood-forest, here was an ale-house kept
by
Jane Tompson ; there met a company together,
and, drinking healths, one of
the company refused
to drink off his mug or glass, upon which one
said,
that man was to be hanged that refused to drink off
his cup: so they
agreed together, that one was to be
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 231
judge, another sheriff, and the others to be of the
jury, and whoever
refused was to be tryed; and one
refused, and they brought him m guilty.
After that
they got a cord and bunged up the man that refused
to drink ;
and the woman came in and said they
would spoyle her cord, and cut the cord
and let him
down, else he had died. Afterwards they appeared,
being
indited at the assizes: the judge called one
' Brother Judge/ a miller, of
Parksonham, who
was.one of the company, named Percivall; there-
fore, to
this day, it is called Puxley law, if a man
refuse to drink off his
glass."
ADVICE TO TAPSTERS IN GENERAL.
Ye tapsters, who 're wont to draw porter or ale,
And would probably wish
to draw more,
You may hear of a plan, from a very short tale,
Which, "t is likely, you
ne'er heard before:—
Giles Trickham, an hostler, the world did begin,
Till, on strength of each
traveller's bounty,
He set up a pot-house, and there he laid in,
I think, the worst ale in the
county.
Giles' maxim was this;—if his profits were great,
The sooner he 'd taste
the world's pleasures :
And hence, like some other wise men in the state,
He would oftentimes deal
in half-measures !
To a customer once, as conversing they stood,
Giles bragg'd (for he always
would speak
Of his trade in the handsomest terms that he could)
That he drew his three
hogsheads a w eek.
232 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
" That's a vast deal indeed," quoth the other? " yet,
still,
As you do n't seem a man to mind trouble,
I 'm certain of this, that you
may, if you will,
Draw nearly that quantity double."
'• I suppose," replied Giles, with a wink of his eye,
" That you mean me
to mix certain drugs
To make people drink."—" Why no, truly, not I;
What 1 meant was, by
filling your mugs!"
BURTON ALt AND DR. FISCHER.
When the Austrian archdukes passed through
Burton, Dr. Fischer, who feels
the pulses of their
royal highnesses at every stage, inquired of
an
innkeeper, what the town of Burton w as celebrated
for: " The strength
of its ale," replied Boniface;
" Ha, ha!" said the doctor, " all ting in
England,
long and strong, trink, trink, trink! Ve foreigner
need strong
constitution to stay long at von place,
and long purse to go to another."
DR. RADCLIFFE.
This celebrated bon-vivant was not on friendly
terms with Lord Chief
Justice Holt; notwithstand-
ing, he attended the lady of the judge, during
a
severe illness, with more assiduity than was custom-
ary with him. On
some of his bottle companions
expressing their surprise at this, the doctor
replied,
" That he knew the judge hated his wife; therefore
he was
determined to keep her alive, in order to
plague him."
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HQDSKS, &C> 233
POLITENESS AND RUDENESS.
Mr. Hayman, who well merited the title of bear,
was in the habit of
associating with the polite Car-
lini, who always insisted on seeing him home
from
the Turk's Head, in Gerrard-street, Soho-square.
On parting at
Hayman's door, his usual manner of
thanking his escort w as, "There, Mr.
Carlini, now
you may go and be d------d ; good night." To which
the polite foreigner always replied, " Tankee, Mr.
Hayman," made his how,
and retired.
INTLUENCE OF GKOG.
In the Indian campaign of 1756, when Admiral
Watson and Colonel Clide were
advancing to retake
Calcutta, they were interrupted by a pretty
strong
fort; and, being defended by eighteen cannon, with
possession of
forty barrels of gunpowder, it was
necessary to reduce it before they
advanced far-
ther. A sailor, named Strachan, strolling insensibly
near to
the fort, and suddenly scaling the breach,
found himself surrounded by
several of the garri-
son ; on which he drew his cutlass, exclaiming, "
The
place is our's I" He defended himself until some of
his comrades,
hearing his shouts, joined him, and
rushed in and carried all before them.
The admiral
called Strachan to account for his acting without
orders; upon
which he rather sulkily replied, " That
if there was any harm in what he had
done, and he
should be flogged, he never would take another fort
by
himself again in his life." This reply disarmed
the admiral.
234 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
A SIMPLE WAITER.
A veteran who had lost an eye in the service of
his country supplied the
deficiency of appearance
by a ylass one. When undressing at an inn,
he
gave it to a simple lad who was waiting upon him,
desiring him to lay
it upon the table. This done,
the simpleton continued waiting, when the
officer
asked, " What the devil do you wait for now?"—
" Only for the
other eye, sir!"
TOAST AT A COUNTRY CLUB.
The clerk of a country club, who was a school-
master, being called on to
give a toast, produced the
following:—" Addition to the friends of Old
Eng-
land, Subtraction to her wants, Multiplication of
her blessings,
Division among her foes, sx>A Reduc-
tion of her debts and taxes."
BILLS AKD ACCEPTANCES.
Two city merchants con\ersing upon business at
the door of the New-York
Coffee-house, one of them
made some remarks on the badness of the times;
and
perceiving, at the moment, a flock of pigeons pass-
sing over their
heads, he exclaimed, " How happy
are these pigeons ! they have no acceptant
es to pro-
vide for." To which the other replied, " You are
rather in
error, my friend, for they have their bills
to provide for as well as we
!"
RESIGNATION.
Beau Nash and Hajman, after enjoying them-
selves at a tavern, were
endeavouring to get home
as well as they could ; but, Nash having fallen
into
TAVERNS, CCFKKK-HOUSES, &C. 235
tlie kennel, his frieud Hayman could do no less than
essay to get him on
his legs again. In the attempt
he found himself prostrate beside him, for
which
Nash consoled his friend by muttering out, " What's
the use of
troubling yourself: the watch will come
by soon, and they will pick us both
up ?"
LAUGH FOR LAUGH.
The celebrated Selden relates a story of a blind
fiddler, who, in
performing before a large company,
was much laughed at on account of his
sorry scrap-
ing: the boy who led him perceiving this, said,
" Father, let
us be gone ; they do nothing but laugh
at us:" to which the cautious musician
replied,
" Hold thy peace, boy: by and by we shall have
their money, and
then we shall laugh at them '."
COSWAY AND HAYMAN; OR, THE MONKEY AND
THE BLAR.
Cosway, whose dress and manners were very dif-
ferent from those of
Hajman, having been at court
one day, came to the club which was held at
the
Turk's Head, Gerrard-street, in the evening, dressed
in red-heeled
shoes, and otherwise a la macaroni.
The room being full, he could not get
seated:
" Canst thou find no room?" said Hayman, sneer-
ingly; " come
hither, my little Jack-a-dandy, and
sit upon my knee, my little monkey."—" If
I did,"
returns Cosway, " it would not be the first time
that the monkey
has rode the bear."
DAUCOURT,
The playwright, when he gave a new piece, and it
did not ' take,' consoled
himself by supping and
236 ANECDOTE* CONNECTED WITH"-
spending the evening, with a few friends, at the sign
of the Bagpipes.
After the rehearsal of a comedy, to
be performed for the first time that
evening, he in-
quired of one of his daughters, under ten years of
age,
what opinion she had formed of it. She shook
her head, and said, "Ah, father!
you will go and
sup to-night at the Bagpipes."
BOTTLE CIRCULATING QUICKLY.
At a dinner-party, of which Hugh Boyd was one,
the company, having drank
rather too freely, came
to high words, and one threw a decanter at the
head
of a person, which Hugh parried oft' very dexter-
ously with his
hand, observing, at the same time,
" That if the bottle should continue to ny
about so
rapidly, not one of them would be able to keep it
up for the
evening."
ENIGMA ON A CORKSCREW.
Though I, alas! a pris'ner be,
My trade is others to set free:
No slave his lord's behest obeys
With such insinuating ways.
My genius, piercing, sharp, and bright,
Wherein the men of nit delight.
The clergy keep me for'their ease,
And turn and wind roe as they please.
A new and wondrous art I show,
Of raising spirits from below;
In scarlet some, and some in white,
They rise, walk round, yet ne'er affrigjtt.
In at each mouth the spirits pass,
Distinctly seen, as through a glass ;
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 237
O'er head and body make a rout,
And drh e, at last, all secrets out;
And still, the more I show my art,
The more they open every heart.
Although I 'm often out of case,
I'm not asham'd to show my face;
4nd the plain squire, when dinner's done,
Is never pleas'd till I make one.
I twice a day a hunting go,
Nor ever fail to seize my foe ;
And, when I have him by the poll,
L drag him upwards from his hole ;
Though some are of so stubborn kind,
I'm forc'd to leave a limb behind.
I hourly wait some fatal end,
For I can break, but never lend.
BEAR AND STEAK.
Wilkes happening to meet with a friend in the
city, they went into Dolly's
Chop-house; and, being
seated near to a purse-proud citizen, they were
much
annoyed by his bawling for his steak. In order to
divert the
attention of the citforalitlle, Mr. Wilkes
endeavoured to commence a dialogue
with him, but
was answered in such a surly manner that made
him decline
farther communication with him. On
the steak being brought in, Mr^W. remarked
to his
friend, " That there was a difference between the
city and the
bear-garden; for there the bear was
brought to the stake, but here the steak
was brought
to the bear,"
238 .ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
retaliation: a jokl rou joke.
In the days of Charles the Second it was a
custom,
on the health of a lady being drunk, for the gentle-
man to throw
some part of his dress into the fire; and
the example was followed by each
gentleman pre-
sent parting with the same article. Sir Charles Sed-
ley
being at a tavern with several friends, one of
them observing a rich lace
cravat round the neck of
Sir Charles, on giving a toast, after dinner,
threw
his own cravat into the fire, in honour of the lady he
named ; and
the others were compelled to do the
like. Sir Charles remarked that it was a
good joke,
but he promised that he should have his joke in
turn, and was
not long without the opportunity; for,
meeting with the same party at dinner,
as soon as
the cloth was drawn, he called the waiter and desired
him to
send for a tooth-drawer, and, having given
the health of Nell Gwynne, he had
a decayed tooth
extracted and throw n into the fire. The otheis
re-
luctantly complied, begging to be excused, but Sir
Charles was
inexorable, exhorting them respectively
to patience under their suffering,
for it was only his
joke in turn.
HUNGER THE MOTHER OF INVENTION.
The late Duke of Chandbs having engaged Dr.
Arne, and several other
musical performers, to assist
at an oratorio in the chapel of Whitchurch,
such
numbers had come to Cannons, the seat of the duke,
that they could
not procure any provisions from the
house. The doctor and his party repaired
to the
inn at Edgware, where they found only a solitary
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 239
leg of mutton on the spit at the kitchen fire, and that
was bespoke by a
party of gentlemen. The doctor,
rubbing his elbow, said to the narrator, "
I'll have
that mutton ; give me a fiddle-string." Having trot
one, he cut
it in small pieces, and. slily sprinkling it
over the mutton, left the
kitchen, and waited pa-
tiently till the waiter served it up ; when he
heard
one of the party exclaim, " Waiter, this meat is full
of maggots!
take it away." The doctor, waiting
the expected opportunity, called to the
waiter to
bring it to him; who answered, " O, Sir, you can't
eat it, for
it is full of maggots!"—" Oh, never mind;
fiddlers have strong stomachs !"
replied the doctor:
so, bearing it off, he scraped away the
supposed
maggots, and they dined heartily on the mutton.
A landlord, who boasted much of the goodness of
his ale, being requested
by a traveller to warm a
pot for him, took the liberty of passing a curse
on
the stomach that would not w arm the ale; which was
met by a rejoinder
from the traveller, cursing " the
ale that would not warm the stomach "
1VINE AND WALNUTS.
Wine and Walnuts, I own, are a feast quite divine,
When your walnuts are
good, and well-flavour'd
your wine;
But the trash which you give us is truly infernal,
For your
wine has no spirit—your walnu ts no kernel!
GAILOPPERS AND TROTTERS.
Bannister happening to meet a young gentleman
in company who had taken
more than he could
240 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
well carry, and who had, in consequence, remarked
upon his own folly, in
spending a fortune which his
father, a tripe-man, in Clare-market, had left
him,
Charles inquired how he had spent the money, and
was answered, that
he had got rid of it by horse-rac-
ing. "Never mind," says Charles," you have
lost that
by galloppers which your father gained by trotters.
A HARD PUN.
A late Lord Chancellor, going to attend at a public
dinner at a city
tavern, stumbled on going up stairs.
His successor, being in company,
rendered him
assistance, else he might have reached the bottom
of the
staircase. On recovering his equilibrium he
remarked, " My Lord, we have
tried many hard
cases, but I find this staircase the hardest of all \"
QUANTITY OF WINE.
A late Baron of the Exchequer being of a party
where the merits of wine
was the subject of discus-
cion, one observed to him, that a certain
quantity
did a person no harm. This his lordship admitted,
but added, "
That it was the uncertain quantity that
did all the mischief.
EPITAPH ON AN INNKEEPER AT EXON.
Life's an Inn—my house will show it,—
I thought so once, but now I know
it.
Man's life is but a winter's day :
Some only breakfast and decay
;
Others to dinner stay, and are full fed;
The oldest man but sups, and
then to bed.
Large is his debt who lingers out the day!
He who goes
soonest has the least to pay.
T.AVfcRNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 241
EPITAPH ON THOMAS THATCHER,
On a Tombstone in Winchester Cathedral Churchyard.
Here sleeps in peace a Hampshire grenadier,
Who caught his death by
drinking cold small-beer;
Soldiers, be warn'd by his untimely fall,
And,
when you 're hot, drink strong, or none at all.
Added by Dr. Warton:—■
An honest soldier never is forgot,
Whether he die by musket or by pot.
DR. JOHNSON'S APPROPRIATION OF CLARET, PORT,
AND BRANDY.
The biographer of the doctor has said, " that
many a day he fasted, many
years he abstained
from wine; but when he did eat, it was vora-
ciously,
and when he drauk, it was copiously. As
a proof that he was not insensible to
the relative
effects of liquors, he thus apportioned them: —
claret for
boys, port for men, and brandy for he-
roes. Burke, when he heard the doctor
thus »de-
cide, said, ' Then let me have claret: I love to be
a boy—to
have the careless gaiety of boyish days.'
' I should like to drink claret
too,' replied Johnson,
' if it would give me that; but it does not—it
nei-
ther makes 1 oys men, nor men boys. You and I
would be drowned in
claret, before it would have
any effect on us.'"
RHYMING HOST AT STIUTTORD.
At the Swan Tavern, kept by Lound,
The best accommodation's found—
R
242 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH ~
Wine, spirits, porter, bottled beer,
You'll find in high perfection here.
If, in the garden with your lass,
You feel inclin'd to take a glass,
There tea and coftee, of the best,
Provided is for every guest;
And, females not to drive from hence,
His charge is only fifteen pence.
Or, if dispos'd a pipe to smoke,
To sing a song, or crack a joke,
You may repair across the green,
Where naught is heard, though much is seen :
There laugh, and drink, and smoke away,
And but a mod'rate reck'ning pay,—
Which is a most important object,
To every loyal British subject.
In short,
The best accommodation's found,
By those who deign to visit
Lound.
ALE, BY THE POUND, IN OXFOBD.
An Oxford publican, who lived near the Pound,
humorously had put over his
door, " Ale sold by
the Pound." His ale and wit being alike pithy,
the
young Oxonians were often induced to remain there
beyond the college
hours. On this account, one of
the Proctors besought the Vice-Chancellor to
de-
prive the seller hy the Pound of his license; and
Boniface was
summoned before his Honour. As
soon as he came into the presence, he began
spitting
about the room. Mr. Vice asked what he meant
by such conduct; and
was answered, that he came
there on purpose to clear himself.—Vice. " I
am
TAVERNS, COFFEK-HOI'SKS, &C. 2-13
jnformed that you sell your ale by the pound (mean-
ing weight)." " No,
ant please your worship."—
Vice. " How do you, then?" " Very well, I
thank
you, Sir." These replies exciting the risibility of
the Vice, he
bade Boniface " Get away, for a rascal:
I shall say no more to you at
present." On crossing
the quadrangle, Mr. Boniface met the Proctor who
had
informed against him, and told him that tlie
Vice wanted to speak to him;
and, having accom-
panied the informer into the presence, he addressed
the
Vice, saying, " Here he is, Sir—here he is."—
" Who, Sir?"—" Why, Sir, the
rascal. You sent
me for one, and I have brought you the greatest one
I
know of."
RATHER GIVE TH\N' RECEIVE.
A hamper I receiv'd of wine,
" As good," Tom says, " as e'er was tasted;"
And Tom may be suppos'd to know;
For he contriv'd his matters so,
As every day with me to diue—
Much longer than the liquor lasted.
If such are presents—while I live,
Oh ! let me not receive, but give.
GOING AND RETURNING.
A bon-vivant one evening told one of his bottle
companions, that he
intended to leave the sum of
£20, to be spent at his funeral. His
companion
asked, " Whether the said money was to be spent
in going or
returning ?" and was answered, " Going,
to be sure; for, when you return, you
know I shan't
be with you."
a 2
244 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
THE TOBSCCO-FI1>E.
0 precious pipe, the darling of my leisure !
How I can draw and whiff thee with mouth-pleasure!
Thee, first in morning
tasted, last at night,
And oft betwixt, keeps all in smoking plight.
With
thee—I well enjoy the morning air ;
Without thee—find but small refreshment
there :
Without thee—truly, breakfast is not food;
Without thee—dinner is
as little good ;
Without thee—afternoon is dull enough;
Without thee—tea
is poor insipid stuff;
Without thee—ev'ning's irksome, sad, and
drear;
Without thee—supper tastes like dinner—queer;
Without thee—bed
affords scarce rest at all,
1 use my pillow, but the comfort's small:—
When weary most, cast
down, perplex'd, distress'd,
With thee in hand, andreach'd to mouth,
I'mbless'd.
When thirsty—canst with streams of smoke supply;
If
hungry—thou its pangs canst pacify;
If heated—thy fine smoke can heat appease;
If starv'd with cold—thy soothing warmth gives ease;
If angry—thou c^nst anger suffocate ;
If mirthful—thou canst make me more sedate;
If sad—thy balmy fumes ha\e pow'r to cheer;
If medium-temper'd—thou canst keep me there !
O precious pipe! thy worth what pen can name?
Though made from clay, myself am from the same.
With thee I cannot part, until I've done
With ev'ry clay-made blessing 'neath the sun.
Thee, fairer than the rest, I'll still enjoy,
As long as I can clay-made lips employ;
Then, when these fail me, I must thee resign,
And, to thy mother claj, give this of mine.
TAVERNS, COKfEE-HOLSES, &C. 245
REGULATOR COACH.
A traveller in one so named, and which was not
particularly fast in its
movements, inquired of a
gentleman, next to him, the name of the coach
they
were in. " The Regulator, Sir ; and don't you see
that it is very
properly named, for all the others go
hy it."
THE DRUNKARD.
Bill Soaker lay stretch'd on the bed of grim death,
By brandy burnt up,
and a-gasping for breath ;
A friend, in great fervour, besought him to
think
On his awful approach to eternity's brink.
Says Bill, " For such
matters I duly have car'd,
And am for a world of pure spirits prepar'd !"
DEAN SWIFT AT THE SIGN OF THE THREE CROSSES.
The Dean was wont to stop at road-side public-
houses, when on his
pedestrian tours. While at one,
known by the sign of the Three Crosses,
between
Dunchurch and Daventry (in allusion to three roads
intersecting),
he could not obtain the attention of
the landlady to get him breakfast, who
at last told
him, " she must not leave her customers for such
as he." Upon
which, the Dean took out his diamond,
and wrote, on a pane of glass,
To the Landlord.
There hang three crosses at thy door,—
Hang up thy
wife, and she'll make four !
NOBLE TASTE FOR WIT.
A nobleman, eagerly listening to the witty sayings
of Foote, thus
expressed his gratification ;—" You
see, Foote, that I swallow all the good
things."—
216 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
" Do you, my lord duke? then I congratulate your
grace on your digestion;
for, I believe, you never
threw up one of them in your life."
A JOVIAL PIUEST's CONFESSION.
I desire to end my days in a tavern drinking;
May some Christian hold for
me the glass, when I am
shrinking,
That the Cheruhim may cry, when they see me
sinking,
" God be merciful to a soul of this gentleman's way
of thinking!"
a publican's hint to his customers.
Hung up in the tap of a public-house,
at Noting-
ham, a black board, spotted with briny-white tears,
with this
notice:—This monument is erected to the
memory of Mr. Trust, who was, some
time since,
most shamefully and cruelly murdered by a vil-
lain, called
Credit, who is prowling about, both in
town and country, seeking whom he may
devour.
BISHOP OF C4MBRIDGE.
This title is not limited to the wearer of lawn
sleeves; for, "~apud
Cantahriyiensis," port wine,
mulled and burnt, with roasted lemons studded
with
cloves added to it, is dignified with the title of
bishop:—
" Perfum'd with Macassar or the otto of roses,
We'll pass round the bishop, the spice-breathing cup,
And take of that med'cine such wit-breeding doses,
We'll knock down gay Bacchus, or he shall knock us up."
IN HEALTH, YET OUT OF ORDER.
A gentleman, of the sister country, being at a
public meeting at the City
of London Tavern, in
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOU&KS, &C. 247
the course of his speech made a digression or two,
which caused some
remarks from the company;
but, still continuing wide of the subject relating
to
the meeting, the noble chairman at last interrupted
him with, " I am
very sorry, Sir; but I must say,
that you are very much out of order."-—•"
Oh!" re-
plied Mr. O'L------, " you may make yourself aisy
on that score, my lord, for I never was in better
health in all my
life."
ANOTHER GLASS, AND THEN.
A country parson, as fond of drinking as of
preaching, had a clerk who
often partook of a bottle
along with him. Having dined with his clerk
on
the Saturday, Amen detained the parson longer
than he intended, with "
Another glass, and then."
On leaving, he invited the clerk to dine with
him
on the Sunday, promising him a dish of which he
knew him to be
particularly fond. Amen was ra-
ther sparing in his breakfast, anticipating
the treat
he was promised ; and, before the service had con-
cluded, he
turned the hour-glass more than once,
and gave a significant look up to the
parson, who
now retorted Roger's answer, " Another glass, and
then." After
having sufficiently punished the ex-
pectant appetite of his " dearly-beloved
Roger," he
at last gave the welcome " Amen," which was loudly
and heartily
responded; and the pair retired to din-
ner, with what appetite they
could.
PUN-CRACKING.
Two young bucks enjoying their pint of port
after dinner, one of them took
up a nut, and ad-
248 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
dressed his friend : " What would this nut say, if
it could speak?"—"Why,"
answered the other,
" it would say, Give me none of your jaw."
THE TOPER AND THE FLIES.
A group of topers at a table sat,
With punch, that much regales the thirsty soul;
Flies soon the party
join'd, and join'd the chat,
Humming, and pitching round the mantling bowl.
At length those flies got drunk, and, for their sin,
Some hundreds lost
their legs, and tumbled in;
And, sprawling midst the gulf profound,
Like
Pharaoh, and his daring host, were drown'd.
Wanting to drink, one of the men
Dipp'd from the bowl the drunken host,
And drank ; then, taking care that none weie lost,
He put in every mother's son again.
Up jump'd the Bacchanalian crew, on this,
Taking it very much amiss,
Swearing, and in the attitude to strike.
" Lord!" quoth the man, with
gravely-lifted eyes,
" Though I don't like to swallow flies,
I did not know hut others might >."
OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN.
While a chymical lecturer was describing the
nature of gas, a
blue-stocking lady anxiously in-
quired of a gentleman, what he meant by
oxy-gin
and hydro-gin. " Why, madam," replied he, " they
are nearly alike
; only oxy-gin is pure gin, ai?d
hydro-gin is (/in. and water."
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOl'SES, &C. 249
OLD TOPING SUSAN.
Dead-drunk old Susan oft was found ;
But now she's laid beneath the ground,
As door-nail dead—alas the day!
Her nose was red, and moist her clay.
From morn to night, of care bereft,
She plied her glass, and wet her throttle ;
Without a sigh her friends she left,
But much she griev'd to leave her bottle.
A SKILFUL PACKER.
An Irish gentleman, putting up at one of the
fashionable hotels, felt
aggrieved at the high charge
for small bottles of wine. The owner of the
hotel
coming into the coffee-room, when a friend was
drinking a bottle
with him, he thus addressed mine
host:—-" I beg pardon, Sir; but, as the
gentleman
and I have laid a wager, will you have the polite-
ness to tell
me what profession you were bred to 1"
" To the law," was the reply. " Well,
Sir, I have
lost, for I bet that you were Lred a packer."—" A
packer, Sir!
What induced you to think so?"—
" Really, Sir, I guessed so from the
appearance of
your wine-measures ; for I thought that no one but
a skilful
packer could possibly put a quart of wine
into a pint bottle."
ON-MR. DAY'S BILKING HIS LANDLORD.
Here Night and Day conspire a secret flight;
For Day, 'tis said, is gone
away by night.
The Day is past; but, landlord, where's your rent ?
You
might have seen that Day was almost spent.
Day sold at length, put off
whate'er he might:
Though it was ne'er so dark, Day would be light.
250 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
WIT AND WINE.
Wine is such a whetstone for wit, that, if it be
often set thereon, it
will ultimately wear out the
steel, and barely leave a back, where there was
an
edge.
JOHN STUBBs's SIGN.
At Sevenoaks, in Kent, was a sign with the fol-
lowing lines, the produce
of the landlord's own
brains:—
I, John Stubbs, Hveth here,
Sells good brandy, gin, and beer;
I made my
horde a little whyder,
To lette you knoue I sell good syder.
EPIT4PH ON A DRUNKARD.
In the Cathedral of Sienna is the following me-
mento to Italian Philpots,
not less useful to our
native Tobys:—
Wine gives life—it was death to me ; I could not behold
the dawn of
morning m a sober state; even my bones are
now thirsty. Stranger, sprinkle my
grave "with wine:
empty the flaggons, and come.—Farewell, topers !
A SPIRITLESS WIFE.
" Is my wife out of spirits 1" said Jack, with a sigh,
As her voice of a
tempest gave warning.
" Quite out, Sir, indeed," said the maid, in reply,
" For she emptied the
bottle this morning."
A MASK NATURAL.
A celebrated toper, intending to go to a masque-
rade, consulted an
acquaintance in what disguise
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOtTSKS, &C. 25\
he would advise him to go, and received for answer,
" Go there sober, for
once in your life, and I shall
undertake that not one of your friends will
know
you."
EPITAPH ON THE WIFE OF MR. DEATH, A PUBLICAN
IN NORFOLK.
Here lies Death's wife; when this way next you
tread,
Be not surpris'd should Death himself be dead.
"the word" not current.
A besotted fellow, in order to raise the wind
for
an additional glass, took his tvife's Bible to the ale-
house ; but
the landlord would not let him have any
more on the faith of the deposit. "
What do you
mean?" said the fellow; " are you so unbelieving,
that neither
my word, nor the Word of God, will
pass current with you V
Longfellow's inn.
Tom Longfellow's name is most justly his due—
Long
his neck, long his bill, which is very long too ;
Long the time ere your
horse to the stable is led,
Long before he's rubb'd down, and much longer
till
fed;
Long indeed you may sit in a comfortless room,
Till from kitchen,
long dirty, your dinner shall
come ;
Long the often-told tale that your host will relate,
Long his
face, while complaining how long people
eat;
Long may Longfellow long, ere he see me again ;
Long 'twill be ere
I long for Tom Longfellow's inn.
252 ANECDOTFS CONNECTED WITH
CAUSE AND EFFECT.
A physician, calling upon a gouty patient, was
surprised to find him
recovered, and a bottle of
Madeira before him, which he invited the doctor
to
partake of, as it was the first of a pipe he had just
had broached. The
doctor remarked, that " these
pipes were the cause of all his suffering."—"
Well,"
replied the gay incurable, " fill up your glass: since
we have now
found out the cause, the sooner we get
rid of it the better!"
BEN JONSON, AND RALPH THE WAITER.
Ben, being solicited to say grace before King
James, gave the following
extempore :—
Our King and Queen the Lord God bless,
The Palsgrave, and the
Lady Besse ;
And God bless ev'ry living thing,
That lives, and breathes,
and loves the King ;
God bless the Council of Estate,
And Buckingham, the
fortunate ;
God bless them all, and keep them safe—
And God bless me, and
my friend Ralph.
His Majesty requested to know who his friend
Ralph was, and was told, by
Ben, that he was the
drawer at the Swanne tavern, at Charing-cross,
who
drew him good Canarie.
The King presented Ben with £100 for this piece
of spontaneous drollery ;
but we hope that this in-
formation will not excite the cupidity of the
present,
or future laureates, to venture upon an extempo-
raneous grace,
lest they should fail, through their
incapacity, or the defect of liberality
in the party
lauded.
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 253
MY LANDLADY'S NOSE.
My landlady's nose is in noble condition,
For longitude, latitude, shape,
and position;
'Tis as round as a horn, and as red as a rose;
Success to
the bulk of my landlady's nose !
Old Father O'Flaherty, when on the fuddle,
Pulls out a cigar, and looks up
to her noddle ;
For the old boy swears, when he gets a full dose,
By "
Margery's firebrand," my landlady's nose.
Ye wishy-wash buttermilk-drinkers, so cold,
Come here, and the virtues of
brandy behold;
There's red burning Etna—a mountain of snow,
Would be
thaw'd into streams by my landlady's nose!
My landlady's nose unto me is a treasure,
A care-killing nostrum, a
fountain of pleasure;
If I wish for a laugh, to discard all my woes,
I
only look up to my landlady's nose.
wine versus eyes.
A gentleman having experienced a benefit
from
following the advice of his physician, in abstaining
from the use of
wine, which had affected his eye-
sight, called on him, in order to thank
him, but
was surprised not to find him at home, but in a
neighbouring
tavern, very merry over a bottle,
with a friend, notwithstanding he was
labouring
under the same infirmity as himself; and he ex-
pressed bis
astonishment that the son of Esculapius
did not follow his own prescription.
The doctor
replied, " As you love your eyes better than wine,
I advise you
not to drink it; but as, you see, I love
my wine better than my eyes, I do
drink it."
254 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
BILL OF FARE.
Here, waiter! I'll dine in this box—
I've look'd at your long bill of fare—
A Pythagorean it shocks,
To view all the rarities there.
I'm not overburden'd with cash—
Roast beef is the dinner for me;
Then why should I eat calipash ? •
Or why should I eat calipee ?
Your trifle's no trifle, I ween,
To customers prudent as I am;
Your peas in December are green,
But I'm not so green as to buy 'em :
With ven'son I seldom am fed—
Go, bring me the sirloin, you ninny !
Who dines at a guinea a head
Will ne'er by his head win a guinea.
Horace in London.
QUID PRO QUO.
The brother of a celebrated actor, the Rev. Mr.
Foote, being in a
coffee-house, drinking pretty
freely, and giving loose to his tongue, was
reproved
by one of the " Friends," who sat near him, who
observed, that he
was a " scandal to his cloth."
" No, friend," replied Foote, lifting his arm
above
his head, and exhibiting a rent or two; " you see
that my cloth is a
scandal to me."
FUNMNG EPITAPH ON A LANDLORD.
While fumbling round the tap-room, Death tapp'd
him on the head ;
So here he lies, quite flat and stale, because, d'ye
see, he's dead!
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 255
BliRKSHIRE PUBLICAN.
Friend Isaac,'tis strange you, that live so near Bray,
Should not set up
the sign of the Vicar;
Though it may be an odd one, you cannot hut say
It must he the sign of
good liquor.
Reply.
Indeed, Mister Poet, your reason's but poor;
For the Vicar would think it a sin,
To stand, like a booby, and stare at
the door,
'Twere a sign of bad liquor within !
COFFEE-HOUSE BETS.
A gentleman betted twenty guineas, at a coffee-
house in the city, that he
would walk along Bro-
kers'-row, in Moorfields, without being
solicited
either to look at or buy a single article ; and made
the same
bet that he would, immediately after, go
over the same ground, and receive an
invitation
from every trader in " household goods." To win
the first
wager, he assumed the appearance of a tax-
gatherer, with book open, pen in
hand, and ink-
horn at button-hole ; all shunned and shrunk from
him ; and
he, consequently, won this bet. He then
resumed his former character, and,
taking a young
lady with him who had a matrimonial appearance,
recent or
intended, he was saluted by every dealer
in chips, and again won the
wager.
ADVICE RESPECTING CHAMBERMAIDS.
Oh, let not your passion for Betty, the maid,
E'er cover your cheeks with a blush!
When beauty ennobles, immediately
fade
Birth, parentage, duster, and brush.
256 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
How many, like you, Sir, have stoop'd for a prize,
When they thought a
cook's figure bewitching! '
Or, feeling the force of a housekeeper's eyes,
Have married the maid of
the kitchen!
Then let not your pride from her presence recoil—
Her smiles all impediments soften ;
And who is more likely to make the pot
boil
Than she, who has boil'd it so often"!
Her pedigree, too, may, for aurjht that you know,
Be worthy your tenderest love ;
Then raise her at once, from the regions
below,
To shine in the regions above.
GUN NOT CHARGED GOING OFF.
A person went into the shop of a gunsmith, and
examined several
fowling-pieces, but fixed his at-
tention at last upon a very curious one.
The vendor
not liking the appearance of his customer, desired
him to take
care of it, and replace it where he had
taken it from. " Why," says the
person, " the
piece is not charged, and so there is no danger of
its going
off."—" Yea," replied the vendor, for I
had such another in my possession but
yesterday,
which was stolen from me ; so you see that a fowling-
piece may
go off uncharged."
THE BARBER'S SIGN.
In the London-road, there was formerly a sign,
representing Absalom
hanging on a tree, with these
lines.—■
Oh, Absalom! my &on, my son,
If thou hadst worn a wi^,
Ihou hadst not been undone !
Taverns, coffee-houses, &c. 257
CURRAN's OPINION Or PUNCH.
Curran attributes the first impulse of his genius
to the inspiration of
punch. His first effort to
speak in public was at a debating society,
where
his friend, Mr. Apjohn, finding him fail completely,
advised him to
aspire no higher than a chamber-
counsel, as nature seemed not to have
intended him
for an orator.
ORIGIN OF " BUMPER."
At the time when the English folks were good
Catholics, it was customary
to drink the health of
the Pope out of a full glass, in French au
bonpire,
which has been transformed into the English bumper.
In the midland counties any thing large is called
a bumper: a jolly-sized
girl, a bumping lass; an
unpolished huge rustic, a bumpkin; and the
transi-
tion is easy in naming a large glass, filled to the
brim, a
bumper.
THE RAPID FORTUNE.
Says Tom to Dick, " Your thrifty sire, in trade,
For your dear sake, a rapid fortune made;
You drank, wench'd, gambled, mortgag'd house
and land,
And from the turf to gaol drove four in hand."
" Have done,"
says Dick, " nor with your gammon
stun me:
My fortune was so rapid, it outrun me."
A BUTT, OR STAVE.
A youth being hardly pressed to sing in a com-
pany where Mr. Colman
formed one of the party,
s
258 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
solemnly assrired the company that he could not
gratify them; and at last,
rather testily, added,
" that they were only wishing to make a butt
of
him." " O, no," says Colman; " my good Sir, we
only want to get a stave
out of you."
THE KISS-CARRIER.
A young girl running after her, ass, which was
hastening homewards, met a
gentleman on the road,
who inquired of her about one of her
companions,
when he received a satisfactory answer. " Be so
good," says
he, " as to carry a kiss to her from me,
while he attempted to salute her;"
but she evaded
his grasp, and accosted him sarcastically,—" Why
then, Sir,
since you seem to be in such a hurry, had
you not better kiss my ass, for you
see she will be
into town before me."
SHUTER AND GARRICK.
Ned Shuter being one night exceedingly merry
at the Bedford Coffee-house,
a conversation ensued
upon the merits of Garrick, as an actor, which
they
all agreed were very great; but some one remark-
ing that it was
somewhat extraordinary, that, being
so great an actor himself, he happened to
be very
unlucky in his pupils,—" Why, so it is," says Ned ;
" though the
little one is a great one, be is some-
thing like the famed running-horse,
Childers, who,
though the best racing-horse in England, could never
get a
colt." ■
WATER-DRINKER.
The late Earl of Kelly, who was not one of the
•most abstemious, was
advised by his mother to copy
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 259
the example of a person, who enjoyed sound health
by living upon herbs and
drinking nothing stronger
than water. His lordship replied by begging to
be
excused imitating a person who ate like an ass, and
drank like a.
fish.
ORIGIN OF THE SAYING, " UNDER THE ROSE."
It is stated, that roses were first brought to Eng-
land in the year 1522,
but were not very plentiful
for some considerable time afterwards. The Pope,
in
the year 1526, gave orders that one or more should
be placed over the
confessionals in the abbeys and
churches, where the " workers of iniquity"
went to
confess their sins to the priest: hence they were
said to confess
" under the rose.
HOGARTH A GRECIAN.
The celebrated Hogarth seems to have embraced
every opportunity of
exhibiting his talent for wit.
Having to invite a party to dine with him at
the
Mitre Tavern, he engraved a card, on which was
represented, within a
circle, a pie, with a mitre at
the top, and the supporters, dexter and
sinister, a
knife and fork; and underneath, in Greek charac-
ters, the
motto, " Eta beta pi."
HALF-PRIMED.
Mr. Colman being one of a convivial party, and
having, as he thought, as
much as he could conve-
niently carry, was about to leave, when the
host
strongly pressed him to remain, as he appeared as
yet not
half-primed. " Not half-primed!" replied
the wit; I am both loaded and
primed, and if you
wait but an instant you shall see me go off."
s 2
260 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
BACCHANALS.
A publican, accustomed to the unseemly practice
of blowing the froth off a
pot of porter, on bringing
one to a customer, received what is
classically
termed " a douse in the chops." On Mr. Boniface's
demanding a
reason for such a compliment, he was
answered, " that he had only received
Mow for
Mow."
FAR GONE.
A party dining at a tavern, most of them got top
heavy, and on leaving the
house two of them missed
their footing, and rolled down stairs. The one
hap-
pened to stop at the first landing-place, while the
other went to the
ground floor. On some of them
coming down to assist, the first one observed,
that
he was dead drunk. " Allowed," says a wag;
" but yet he is not so far
gone as the gentleman
below."
WINE AND WIT.
Dr. Busby, while master of Westminster School,s
invited the father of one
of the boys, who came to
see him, to take a glass of wine with him.
While
conversing, the doctor sent for the boy, and thus
addressed him :—"
Since your father is here, take
a glass of wine. Pauc-um vini acuit
ingenium*."
The boy immediately answered, " Sedplus vini plus
ingeniif." "
Hold, my young fellow," interrupted
the doctor, although you argue
mathematically, yon
shall have but one glass."
* A little -wine sharpens wit,
t But the more wine the more wit,
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C 261
LINES WRITTEN ON THE WINDOW OF AN INN,
IN FRENCH, TRANSLATED.
He that's determin'd ne'er to see an ass,
Must bar his doors, and break his looking-glass.
CUCKOLD.
Two countrymen conversing together, the one
inquired of the other, how
many cuckolds he sup-
posed there might be in the parish, not
including
himself. " Not including me !" ejaculated Hodge,
seemingly
offended at the exception; which the
other immediately made amends for by
saying,
" Nay, don't be vexed: include yourself, and how
many then I"
LINES WRITTEN BY A COMMERCIAL MAN ON
TRAVELLING THROUGH KENT.
Some of the landlords in Kent ought to be sent to
perdition,
-For their bad fare, bad beds, and their gross impo-
sition.
Example.
If you wish for to feel how fleas bite, hop, and skip,
Go to Dover, and
lodge at the sign of the Ship;
Where, to add to your comfort, the landlord
enlarges
Your bill of bad fare by exorbitant charges.
If you are not
satisfied with a trial at Dover,
Try Ramsgate; at the King's Head you'll be
sweetly
done over.
MAKING TODDY.
A North Briton having drank rather plentifully
of the " mountain dew" over
night, in the city of
Perth, felt the pain of thirst early in the
morning,
262 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
and repaired to the river Tay, in order to allay it.
One of his companions
seeing him in the act of
lapping up the water with his hand, asked him,
"
What are you about, Donald ?"—" Making Tod-
dy," was Donald's answer. " But
where is the
whisky 1" — " Why," replies Donald, continuing
his cooling
mixture, " you know I drank that last
night!"
A BROAD WAY TROUBLESOME.
A person having got very drunk, but not dead
drunk, reeled out of a
tavern, and set himself to go
homeward. Having taken a peep at the moon,
he
was, as Burns says, " unable to tell whether of horns
she had three or
four; but he found out the right
road, as it were by instinct. Having gone a
good
distance, as he thought about two miles, which did
not exceed
one-quarter straight forward, he met a
man, of whom he inquired the length of
road he had
to go, to reach his home; who informed him, that he
had a good
and long two miles of road to go over
yet. " O, good luck to you, my friend!"
replies
he, " it is not the length of the road that troubles
me, but
the"breadth of it;" at the same time, making
a start to go forward, he gave
proof of this by his
first motion being zig-zag from right to left.
DRUNKEN DISCOVERY.
A physician, after having indulged rather freely
with a party at an inn,
was sent for by a lady; but,
on reaching the house, he found himself
scarcely
able to go in; when, having made shift to reach the
parlour,
where the lady was reclining upon a sofa,
he found his faculties so out of
order, that he was
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 263
unable to form or express any opinion upon the case
before him. Having
seized the lady's hand in this
condition, he, in allusion to himself, said,
in a rather
low tone of voice, " Drunk, upon my honour!" and
made an
abrupt retreat.
Being sent for, on another occasion, by the same
lady, he hesitated going;
but he summoned up cou-
rage, and had an apology prepared; which he
was
saved the mortification of offering, by the lady's
whispering to him,
" My dear doctor, how could
you possibly find out my condition the other
even-
ing : it certainly gave a proof of your skill; but I
engage your
silence on this subject." The physi-
cian thus acquired additional
reputation, from a cir-
cumstance which might have proved fatal to a
man
who had not fortune on his side.
A CREDULOUS LANDLADY.
The landlady of a certain inn, who could neither
read nor write, but could
chalk and reckon pots and
pints with any one, was in the habit of getting
the
news read to her in the morning, before her hus-
band got up, by a
near neighbour; who, in order to
amuse her one morning, told her a strange
story
about a man falling from the top of a house, four
stories high, who
had his fall broken by a flock of
swallows flying past at the moment he was
coming
down. This she related to her husband, who, of
course, doubted the
truth of the narrative, as he
could not find it in the paper. She then
passion-
ately declared him to be a provoking credulous fel-
low, that she
believed would not even think her
264 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
dead, although he heard her swear it. Mine host
calmly replied, that he
would rather hear any other
person swear it than herself.
WINE AND MUSIC.
A professional singer being informed that Jack
Banister generally sang
best when he was half-seas
over, resolved on swallowing a decent quantity
of
port, in order to try if it would have the same effect
upon him, but
found out very soon that it operates
very differently upon some individuals.
Banister
and Colman being together when they heard of the
gentleman's
experiment, enjoyed a hearty laugh ;
when Colman remarked that the poor
fellow was
not quite up to the thing, for he ought to have swal-
lowed a
pipe each day, and then he would have
piped well.
IMPROMPTU,
On seeing Cribb's new House, the Union Arms,
Panton-street.
The
Champion, I see, is again on the list,
His standard—■" The Union Arms;"
His customers still he will serve with
his fist,
But without creating alarms.
Instead of a floorer he tips them a glasSj
Divested of joking or fib ;
Then," Lads of the Fancy," don't Tom's house
pass,
But take a hand at the game of Cribb.
GOOD ACCOMMODATION.
A traveller stopped at an inn, which appeared to
him a quiet one, suitable
to his mind^ On entering
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 265
the parlour he rang the bell, and inquired of the
servant for the master ;
who answered, that he was
just gone out. " Your mistress '." " She has
just
gone out too, Sir."—" Well, have you any fire V
" Why, that is just
gone out too, Sir."—" So, so,"
says he; " then I also must go out, and seek
for
other accommodation."
ORIGIN OF THE NINE Or DIAMONDS BEING CALLED
THE CURSE OP SCOTLAND.
After the battle of Culloden Duke William wrote
his sanguinary order, for
military executions, on the
back of a card, which happening to be the nine
of
diamonds, this card has ever since been styled the
" Curse of
Scotland."
grace's cards.
The six of hearts is known in various parts of
Ire-
land, more particularly in Kilkenny, by the above
name. In a MS. of
1720 it is stated, that Baron
Grace was solicited, with promises of royal
favour,
to espouse the causev of King William; the Baron,
in the warmth of
the moment, wrote this reply on
the back of a card (the six of hearts) :—"
Tell your
master I despise his offer, and that honour and con-
science are
dearer to a gentleman than all the wealth
and titles a prince can bestow."
This was conveyed
by an emissary of Puke Schomberg's.
THE PRUDENT SPECULATOR.
During the South-Sea bubble mania all the coffee-
houses, taverns, and
eating-houses, in Change-alley
and the neighbourhood, were crowded with
specu-
266 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
fetors daily; and many, who had business to transact,
could not even get a
corner of a table to write their
orders or transfers upon: this induced a
little hump-
backed man to offer his protuberance, as a desk, for
the
accommodation of the frequenters of the alley,
who could not gain admission
into a house, by which
he made his fortune: thus proving himself a
more
prudent speculator than thousands, who were ruined
by the mania of
that day.
OPTICAL DECEPTIONS.
Tom runs from a wife to get rid of his trouble-
He drinks, and he dunks,
till he sees all things
double ;
But when he has ceased wine and brandy to mingle,
Ob, what
would he give to see himself single !
SMALL BEER. AND STRONG BEER.
The famous Tom Thyme, remarkable for his hos-
pitality, being accosted at
his gate, in the country,
by a beggar, who humbly solicited a mug of
small
beer from his worship,—" How now I" says Tom,
" what times are
these, when beggars must be
choosers ? I say, William! bring this fellow a
mug
of strong beer!"
COFFEE-HOUSE IMPERTINENCE; ITS EXPOSURE
AND REPROOF.
A gentleman, writing a lettef in a coffee-house,
perceived a tall fellow
standing behind him, and
taking that liberty which Parmenio used with
his
friend Alexander, instead of putting a seal upon the
lips of the
curious impertinent, thought proper to
reprove the unmannerly fellow, if not
with delicacy,
TAVERNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 267
at least with poetical justice, by concluding the let-
ter thus:—"I would
say more, but an impudent
puppy is looking over my shoulder and
reading
every word I write."—" You lie!" exclaims the
self-convicted son
of impudence.
WIT AND WISDOM.
The celebrated Quin, once disputing, in a coffee-
house, with a gentleman,
concerning the execution
of Charles the First, was asked, as a finishing
ques-
tion, " By what laws the said king was put to
death 1" To which Quin
immediately replied, " By
all the laws he left them."
VIRTUES OF WINE.
An Asiatic chief being asked his opinion of a pipe
of Madeira wine, with
which he had been presented
by an officer of the East India Company's
service,
said, " That he thought it a juice extracted from
women's tongues
and lions' hearts; for, after he had
drank a sufficient quantity of it, he
could talk for
ever, and also fight the devil \"
ALE, PORTER, AND BEER.
Malt liquor appears to have been used in London
as early as the fifth
century; and, before the Nor-
man conquest, there were considerable breweries
in
London, chiefly of ales, the prices of which were
regulated by the
magistrates as early as A. D.
1256.
Beer does not seem to have been generally used
until the time of Henry the
Seventh; when the
breweries, which were then called Berehouses, situ-
268 ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH
ated on the hanks of the Thames, at St. Catharine's,
Wapping, were twice "
spoiled by the king's offi-
cers," either for smuggling the liquor, or
sending it
out too weak for use.
The beverage of porter obtained its appellation,
about the year 1730, from
these circumstances:—
Prior to the above-mentioned period, the malt
li-
quors in general use were, ale, beer, and two-
penny, and it was
customary to call for a tankard,
or pint, of half-and-half (i. e. half of
beer and half
of two-penny). In course of time, it also became
the
practice to ask for a pint, or tankard, of three-
threads, meaning a
third of ale, beer, and two-
penny : and, thus, the publican had to draw
from
three casks to serve one customer. To avoid this
trouble and waste, a
brewer, whose name was Har-
wood, conceived the idea of making a liquor to
par-
take of the united flavours of ale, beer, and two-
penny: he
succeeded, and called it " entire, or en-
tire butt beer;" meaning, that it
was drawn entirely
from one cask, or butt. Being a healthy,
nourishing
liquor, it was very suitable for porters, and
other
hard-working people; hence, it acquired the title of
Porter. It has
formerly been asserted, that the
Thames water alone would make good porter;
but
Whitbread's, which is one of the largest breweries
in London, is in
part supplied from the New River,
and partly from a spring on the premises.
One of
Mr. Watt's steam-engines works the machinery. It
pumps the water,
wort, and beer; grinds the malt,
stirs the mash-tubs, and raises casks out of
the cel-
lars. It is able to do the work of seventy horses,
although of a
small size, being only a 24-inch
T^VEHNS, COFFEE-HOUSES, &C. 269
cylinder, and makes little more noise than a spin-
ning-wheel. The Company
of Brewers were incor-
porated in the 6th year of Henry the Sixth.
In
1552, Judd heing then Lord Mayor, an order was
made, by the court, to
prevent the adulteration of
hops, and searchers appointed to destroy such
as
were deemed unwholesome. The Flemish hops im-
ported were at length so
mixed, that, in 1591, the
brewers remonstrated to Lord Burleigh, his
majes-
ty's minister, " that certain statutes were made for
the assize of
bread, ale, and beer, which was regu-
lated by the rising and falling of
corn, Gd. in the
quarter, and which they were content to abide by;
but
that the last LoTd Mayor, Sir John Abbot, un-
der a certain statute, made in
the 23d year of Henry
the Eighth, did publish, by proclamation, that
no
brewer should make but two sorts of beer or ale;
viz. the strong and
the double, and that the same
should be sold after the rate of 6s. Sd. per
barrel for
the best, and 3s. id. of double beer or ale, and not
abore; at
which rates, malt being now at 13s. per
quarter, hops from £3 6s. Sd. to £4
10s. per cwt.
which heretofore v, ere sold at 6s. Sd. and yet one
cwt.
then was worth three cwt. of the hops now to
be purchased, barrels and coals
at twice their for-
mer cost, and all other articles in equal advance,
the
brewers could not sell such goods as are fit for
the said city, without their
undoing." By the sta-
tutes above alluded to, when wheat was 4s.
per
quarter, ale was sold at Id. per gallon. In the reign
of Henry the
Eighth, a quarter of wheat was sold
for 6s. Sd.; malt, from 4s. to 5s.; oats,
2s. Sd.; one
cwt. of the best hops, 6s. Ad.
ADDENDA.
—♦—
To the Publisher of Tavern Anecdotes, £c.
Sir,
The moment I saw the above work an-
nounced, it awakened many pleasing
recollections,
so intimately connected with my own views, that I
felt no
hesitation in communicating them to you;
and, although I doubt not that these
amusing sub-
jects have fallen into more able hands than mine,
that never
excelled in sketching characters, costume,
or customs, yet I ventured to
promise my mite.
I therefore take up my pen to perform that promise
;
indeed, I have often thought that, if time, talent,
and my avocations
would permit, it would prove to
me a pleasing pursuit.
To begin, then: Coffee-houses, clubs, signs, &c,
compose so extensive
a field in the lexicon of anec-
dote, that it becomes a matter of difficulty
to deter-
mine at which part of the subject I should com-
mence ; but,
fortunately, I am relieved from this
dilemma by an article " on Coffee,"
written by an
ingenious friend, the author of " the Lounger's
Common-Place
Book:"—
272
COFFEE.
The seed of a tree or shrub of the jessamine
species,
originally a native of Arabia, but now
thriving in the West Indies, where it
becomes an
important article of English commerce. The flower
is yellow,
and the berry juicy, containing two seeds;
these, when gathered, have a
farinaceous, bitter
taste, but are wholly without that peculiar smell
and
flavour imparted to them by fire, and for which an
infusion or
decoction of them is so generally ad-
mired. This fashionable beverage,
almost a neces-
sary of life, to the merchant, the politician, and
the
author, on its first introduction in Asia, caused a
violent religious
schism among the Mahometan doc-
tors, almost as early as the thirteenth
century, al-
though it was not till towards the middle of the six-
teenth,
that a coffee-house, properly so called, was
established at Constantinople;
its discovery was
announced by a miraculous legendary tale, which
each
sect relates in its own way.
" A dervise," says a certain heterodox Mussulman,
" overflowing with zeal,
or with bile, was sorely trou-
bled, on observing, that his brethren were not
ani-
mated by a spirit so active as his own: he saw, with
concern, that
they were listless and drowsy in the
performance of their religious
exercises; their ecsta-
sies, their bowlings, their whirlings round,
their
vertigoes, their bellow ings, and laborious breath-
ings, in which,
at a certain period, the Turkish
priests equalled, or surpassed, the most
enthusias-
tic of the followers of Barclay and of Fox.
" The dissatisfied dervise, taking a solitary walk,
to soothe his
disturbed spirits or cool his heated
01- lOFbEK.
278
imagination, observed, that the cattle became sud-
denly and remarkably
playful, after feeding on a
certain leaf; judging, by analogy, that the
same
effect might be produced on other animals, he gave
his companions a
strong infusion of it: their heavi-
ness and torpor were almost instantly
removed,
and they performed the parts allotted to them with
exemplary
activity and vigour: the leaf, so power-
ful in its effects, proved to be the
shrub from which
coifee-hemes, afterwards, were gathered."
" Listen not to such profane heresies," says an
orthodox doctor of Mecca.
" It was in the six
hundredth and fifty-sixth year of the Hegira
(about
the middle of the thirteenth century of the Christian
era), that
Abouhasan Sehuzali, on a pilgrimage to
the tomb of our most holy prophet,
sinking under
fatigue, extreme heat, and old age, called unto him
Omar, a
venerable scheick, his friend and com-
panion, and thus addiessed him:—
" 'Teacher of the faithful! the angel of death has
laid his hand upon me;
cleansed from my corrup-
tions in the \\ aters of Paradise, I hope soon to be
m
the presence of our Prophet; but I cannot depart in
peace, till I have
done justice to thy zeal, thy faith,
and thy friendship : perse\ ere in the
path thou hast
so long trod, and rely on him who diove the infidels,
like
sheep, befoie him, to extricate thee from all thy
difficulties. Farewell!
sometimes think of Abou-
hasan; pity his errors, and do justice to his
good
name.' He would have spoken further, but Ins
breath failed, his eyes
became dim, and, pressing-
that hand he was to press no more, he expired
with-
out a groan.
T
274
OF COfKEE.
" Having performed the last office of friendship,
Omar pursued his way;
hut, a few days after, lost
in devout contemplation, or overwhelmed with
sor-
row, he wandered from his associates in the caravan,
and was not
sensible of the danger of his situation,
till involved in one of those
whirwinds, which, rais-
ing into the air the sandy soil of that country,
gene-
rally prove destructive.
" Falling on his face, the fury of the blast, and
the thick cloud of sand,
passed over him. Almost
suffocated with dust, notwithstanding the
precaution
he had taken, separated from the companions of
his journey,
without water to moisten his parched
mouth, and fainting for want of
sustenance, he
gave himself up for a lost man ; the stream of life
was
propelled with difficulty, perception and sensa-
tion began to fail, and,
believing himself in the
agonies of death, he poured forth a mental
ejacula-
tion to the Allah.
" An angel of light immediately stood before him.
Waving Ins hand thrice
towards the holy city, and
pronouncing deliberately three mysterious words,
a
limpid stream suddenly gushed from the ground,
and a luxuriant shrub
sprung forth from the barren
sand of the desert; bathing the temples, the
eyes,
and lips of Omar, with the refreshing fluid, the
celestial messenger
disappeared.
" The cool stream, and the berries plucked from
the miraculous tree, soon
recovered the sinking
man; he poured forth his soul in thanksgiving,
and
sunk into a deep sleep, from which he awoke in full
\ igour and
spirits.
" Omar, with renewed strength, soon rejoined the
OF COFFEE.
275
caravan, and, relating the supernatural circumstance,
a mosque was erected
on the spot, by the zeal and
contributions of true believers. Coffee, that
wonder-
ful shrub, the peculiar gift of our Prophet, and,
more
particularly, the produce of his favoured country,
still continues
the solace, cordial, and comforter, of
his devoted followers."
This singular specimen of Turkish superstition, ia
which the Mahometan
appears to have encroached
on the prerogatives of the Vatican, is taken from
a
curious book, which, previous to the Gallic revolu-
tion, was in the
library of the King of France, and
presented to Louis the Fifteenth by Said,
an ambas-
sador from the Porte to the court of Versailles.
It is called, in the title-page, " Dgihan Numa;"
that is, a description of
the world; and was printed,
at Constantinople, in 1731, adorned with plates,
and
illustrated by maps. The author, or, rather, the com-
piler, was
Kiatib Cheleli, a learned doctor of the
Turkish law.
" Coffee," says this enlightened Mussulman, who,
shaking off the stupidity
and indolence of his coun-
trymen, assumes the character of a medical
inquirer,
after he has quitted that of an implicit believer;
" coffee is a
rejoicer of the heart, an enlivener of
conversation, a sovereign restorative,
after the fa-
tigues of study, of labour, or of love. Its
peculiar
characteristic is, to comfort the stomach, nourish the
nerves,
and to protect the frame against the debili-
tating effects of a hot climate
and a fiery atmos-
phere.
" Taken an hour after dinner, it prevents an
accumulation of crudities in
the first passages; is an
t'2
27$
OF COFFEF.
infallible remedy for the horrors of indigestion, anA
the megrims."
It was not probable that so wholesome and agree-
able an article of diet
would be long confined to
Asia. It is said to have been introduced to
the
fashionable circles of Paris, by Thevenot, in 1669,
but had been made
use of, in London, as an exotic
luxury, before that time.
The first coffee-house opened in the British me-
tropolis, was in
George-yard, Lombard-street, by
Resqua,* the Greek servant of a Turkey
merchant,
in the year 1C52. Its flavour was considered so deli-
cate, and
it was thought by the statesmen of those
days (no very reputable characters)
to promote soci-
ety and political conversation so much, that a duty
of
fourpence was laid on e>ery gallon made and sold.
But Anthony Wood earnestly insists, that there
was a house for selling
coffee, at Oxford, two years
before Resqua commenced the trade in
London;
'■ that those who delighted in novelty drank it at
the sign of the
Angel, in that university—a house
kept by an outlandish Jew."
In another part of his works he says, that " Na-
thaniel Conopius, a
native of Crete, and a fugitive
from Constantinople, but residing, in the
year 1648,
at Baliol College, Oxford, made and drank, every
morning, a
drink called coffee, the first ever made
use of in that ancient
university."
This popular beverage is mentioned in a tract
published by Judge Kumsey,
in 1659, entitled " Or-
ganiurr Salutus, or an instrument to clean the
sto-
* He is caHefi Pesqm m our foimer notice, p. 117.
OK roFFKE-HOUSES—CLUBS. 277
wach ; together with divers New Experiments on
the Virtues of Tobacco aud
Coffee."
It is observed, in this work, by a correspondent of
the author, " that
apprentices, clerks, and others,
formerly used to take their morning draught
in ale,
beer, or wine, which, by the dizziness they cause in
the brain,
make many unfit for business; but that
now they may safely play the good
fellow, in this
wakeful, civil drink; for the introduction of
which,
first, in London, the respect of the whole nation is
due to Mr.
Muddiford."
OF COFFEE-HOUSES.
I shall merely observe, that they have been mostly
frequented ,by our
first w its and literary characters,
such as Addison, Pope, Steele,
Atterbury, Swift,
Arbuthnot, &c. &c.; and those of later date
by
Johnson, Garrick, Wilkes, Smollett, Goldsmith,
Chatterton, &c.
Amongst the first, Wills' Cofiee-
house was the resort of the writers that
formed the
modern Augustan age.
OF CLUBS.
That veteran in literature, John Nicholls, says,
" Dr. Johnson's Literary
Clubs have been fre-
quently mentioned, but not always accurately
dis-
tinguished. The earliest of them was established,
by our great
moralist, in the winter of 1749, at the
King's Head, in Ivy-lane, with a view
to enjoy lite-
rary discussion and amuse his evening hours. His
278 Of COFFEE-HOUSES—CLUBS.
associates were, the Rev. Dr, Salter, father of the
master of the Charter
House; Mr. (afterwards Dr.)
John Hawkesworth; Mr. Ryland, a merchant, a
re-
lation of Johnson's; Mr. John Payne, then a hook-
seller, afterwards
chief accountant of the Bank;
Mr. Samuel Dyer, a learned young man,
intended
for the dissenting ministry; Dr. "William M'Ghie, a
Scots
physician; Dr. Edmund Barker, a young
physician; Dr. Richard Bathurst; and
Mr. (after-
wards Sir John) Hawkins. This club continued to
meet till
1756.
" The second, more peculiarly the Literary Club,
was established in 1763,
at the Turk's Head, in
Gerrard-street.
" The third, all the members of which were nomi-
nated by Johnson, was
held in Essex-street, and
consisted of a select number of his friends, who
en-
tered very heartily into his scheme, for the pleasure
of enjoying his
conversation, and of contributing
their quota to the general amusement; but
it was
' principally supported by the great talents of John-
son, whtr
formed the nucleus round which all the
subordinate members revolved.' This
club was first
projected in the winter of 1783, and began to assem-
ble
regularly at the beginning of 1784; when a set of
resolutions, composed by
Johnson, was unanimously
confirmed, and prefaced by the following motto:—
" ' To-day deep thoughts w ith me resolve to drench
In muth, which after
no repenting draws.' "
Milton.
279
THE FREE AND EASY COUNSELLORS UNDER
THE CAULIFLOWER.
The introduction of the portrait of the late Mr.
Christopher Brown into
this publication requires,
perhaps, some apology, or an explanation,
without
which, justice would not be done to his charac-
ter; for let it
not be imagined that Mr. Brown
was a wine-bibber—an advocate for, or
frequenter
of, taverns or coffee-houses, merely from the cir-
cumstance of
his Laving beep secretary, for many
years, of a respectable society, where
several emi-
nent tradesmen, particularly booksellers, retired,
after the
tatigues and labours of the day, to unbend,
over a bowl of Tabby's exquisite
punch,* or a
tankard of Whitbread's entire, at the Three Jolly
Pigeons,-)"
that will be remembered as long as Gold-
* Tabby, a famous punch-maker of that day, as the father of a late
eminent
publisher of penodicals, and many other respectable book-
sellers,
experienced, and whith, perhaps, caustd the interest in so
apparently tufting
a house to sell tor near £2000.
f The Three Pigeons is situate in Butcheihall lane, bounded by
Clmst
Chiuch and Snow hill on the west, St. Martin's le Giand and
Cheapside on the
east, by Newgate street and I\j lane (wliL.e Dr.
Johnson's club was held; and
Paternoster row (which we have al-
ready adverted to) on the south, and bj
Little Bntain_ou the north ;
of the last-mentioned, Washington living has
given an admirable
pictoie in his " Sketch-Book," which we have quoted (page
151) ;
but, as he has not given a portrait of the la»t resident bookseller
of
eminence, in that ancient mail of bibliopolists, he has left us
the
pleasing task of performing an humble attempt in that way . but
e\en
we, who knew the chaiacter, are almost spared the tiouble;
for, could the old
liteiaiy frequenters of Button's aud Wills' coffee-
houses again appear in
human shapes, with their large, wuy, white,
curled wigs, coats without a
collar, raised hair buttons, square pet-
280 THK KRKK VM> EASY COUNSKLLORS
smith's comedy of " She Stoops to Conquer" shall
be admired, and as long
as that sign shall conti-
nue to have a Toney Lumpkin for its advocate.
pendicular cut in front, with immense long hanging sleeves, cover-
ing a
delicate hand, fuither graced b} fine ruffles; a long waistcoat,
wiih
angled-off il.tps, descending to the centre of the thigh ; (he
smallclothes
slashed in front, and closed with three small buttons;
with accurate and
mathematically-cut, square-toed, sboit-quartered
shoes, with a large tongne,
to prevent a small-sized square silver
buckle hurting the instep or soiling
the fine silken hose, they would
present an exact and faithful portrait of
the late Edward Bal-
lard, standing at his shop, at the Globe, over against
the pump,
in Little Britain. He was the last remaining bookseller of
that
school, if we except the late James Buckland, at the sign of
the
Buck, in Palerno&ter-row, with one or two others, and put one
in
mind of Alexander Pope, in stature, size,dress, and appearance.
The
writer of this article recollects, when a boy, frequently calling at
his
shop and purchasing various books, in a new and unbound state,
when
they were considered to be out of print, and some of them
teally scarce. This
aiosefrom the obscurity of the once celebrated
Little Britain, and the great
age of its last resident bookseller, who
to the last retained some shares and
copyrights (notwithstanding he
and his brother had sold the most valuable to
Linlot), in school and
religions books; with the last remains of a stock,
principally
guarded and watched by an old faithful female servant. That
vene-
rable labourer injlie field of literature, Mr. John Nicholls, gives
the
following interesting account of the family :—
"The Bollards of Little Britain, famed, for moie than a centnry,
as the
supporters of littrature, were noted for the soundness of
their principles in
chuich and state. The father ot them was cele-
brated by John Duntou («);
and, of the second grandson, there
are a few Bibliomaniacs fctill living, who
rteollect his integiity
and civility. School-books and divinity catalogues
were their par-
ticular forte. The father, Sdinne!, who was many years deputy
of
the waid of Ahlersgate Within, died August 27, 1761. The only
son,
Edwaid, died Januaiy 2, 1795, at the age ot eighty eight, in the
same hoii^c
in which he was burn. He had outlived Ins mental
(a) Tbe original name, as ,ippeais bv the auction catalogues,
was
Buliard,
UNDER THE CAULIFLOWER. 281
Mr. Brown was of the old school of booksellers,
and, perhaps, there never
was an assistant, in any
establishment, that possessed more assiduity
and
integrity, with an acuteness of feeling for the in-
terest of his
employer that could not be exceeded;
it was unceasing for upwards of thirty
years; and
the business he got through, even at an advanced
period of
life, with clearness, precision, and expedi-
tion, was truly astonishing. The
writer of this
sketch remembers him, with all the early associa-
tions and
pleasing recollections of that period of his
life, above forty years back;
and, even then, his thin
spare form and bending figure would almost
con-
vey the idea that he was worn out by exertion. But
it was otherwise ;
for his cheerfulness and exertions
continued unabated for upwards of twenty
years
afterwards. It was owing to his natural cheerful-
ness, the suavity
of his manners, and amiability of
disposition (to which was added a great
portion of
humour), that he was chosen a permanent secretary
in the
society of " Free and Easy Counsellors under
faculties, and for some time used to be cai ried about in a chair. He
was
the last of the profession in Little Britain, once the grand
emporium of
books (b).
(6) ft is not many years since two booksellers, who resided there,
were
used to sport their rubric posts close to tach other, as Tom
Davies did in
Russeli-sUeet. Ptrhaps Sewell, in Comhill, was the
last who exhibited the
leading authors in his shop in that way.
How tew icmember when it was not an
uncommon thing to do so!
Note—The wiiter recollects Mr. Buckland, ot Paternoster-row,
and one or
two persons in the Strand, adopting these rubric posts,
that pi evented many
good works being soiled, by placing them in
the windows.
282 THE FREE -1ND EASY COUNSELLORS
the Cauliflower;" * and never was there a society con-
ducted with more
decorum and prudence. It con-
sisted of steady men of business, who at that
day
retired from fatigue, and enjoyed a glass in mo-
deration, a pipe, and
a cheerful song; and the
writer, with hundreds of others, well remem-
bers
the vocal powers of Mr. Brown, when poured
forth in favour of Anacreon, or
the gods and god-
desses;! but, to turn to his more serious avoca-
tions,
as a man of business, as a faithful assistant,
as an affectionate husband and
father, no man could
possibly stand higher. Of his talents and industry
we
shall endeavour to give a faint idea. So long
ago as the year 1784, he
presented the figure that
has already been described, and of which our
por-
trait may be relied upon to be an accurate resem-
blance, and, we
trust, an acceptable one, both to
the young as well as to the old fry. Nursed
in the
cradle of the wholesale book trade, Mr. Brown had,
at the above
period, been many j ears an assistant
to the late Mr. Thomas Longman, of
Paternoster-
row, until the death of that truly-respectable gen-
tleman,
by whom he was not forgotten in his last
moments for his long and faithful
services; nor did
Mr. Brown quit that great establishment for
several
years, nor until a vast extension of the wholesale
foreign and
domestic trade, and a new and general
* The large cauliflower painted on the ceiling was intended to
repiesent
the cauliflower-top on the gallon of porter, which was
paid for by every
member who sat under it at his initiation.
+ Loyal, Anacreontic, and classical songs, upon the gods and god-
desses,
were the worthy president's favourites.
UNDER THE CUUUFLOWEH. 283
system of publishing modern works, and his good
old age, rendered it
necessary for him to retire into
the bosom of his family. *
A few years subsequent to the above period, Mr.
Brown's friend, Evans,
whom he used occasionally
to assist, resigned business in favour of an only
son,
who was unfortunate; when the whole of the finest
and best selected
wholesale book connection in the
trade was handed over to the respectable
firm of
Messrs. Longman, Hurst, and Co. This, with the ori-
ginal capital,
stock, and connections, of that house,
together with subsequent exertions in
increasing the
wholesale country and foreign trade, and in pub-
lishing
the most expensive, valuable, and useful
works, has rendered an
establishment, formerly
conducted by two principals and three
assistants,
now the first of its kind in the world ! And it
affords us
peculiar satisfaction to state, that the
eldest son of our old friend is a
partaker of the
harvest reaped in the field where his father was so
many
years a faithful steward and a constant
labourer.
In my youthful days Spouting-CIubs were greatly
in vogue; but the vein of
ridicule thrown on them
in the prologue to " The Apprentice/' not only
* His fiK'iul, Mr, Thomas Evans, frequently offered to forward
his
piospects tu business, by advancing hnn money for that pur-
pose ; but Mr.
Brown a8 constantly refused, saying, he could not
think of leaving Mr.
Longman : nor did he evei attempt to do so.
284 PROLOGUE TO THE APPRENTICE.
checked the mania at the time, but brought them
into a disrepute, from
which, fortunately, they have
not recovered.
PROLOGUE TO THE APPRENTICE.
Prologues precede the piece, in mournful verse,
As undertakers walk before
a hearse ;
Whose doleful march may strike the harden'd mind,
And wake its
feelings for the dead, behind.
To-night, no smuggled scenes from Prance we
show,
'Tis English—English, sirs!—from top to toe.
Though coarse the
colours, and the hand unskiU'd,
From real life our little cloth is
fill'd.
The hero is a youth,'—by Fate design'd
For culling simples,—but
whose stage-struck mind
Nor Fate could rule, nor his indentures bind.
A
place there is where such young Quixotes meet,
'Tis call'd the " Spouting
Club,—a glorious treat,"
Where 'prentic'd kings alarm the gaping street
■•
There Brutus starts and stares by midnight taper,
Who, all the day,
enacts—a woollen-draper.
There Hamlet s ghost stalks forth with doubled
fist,
Cries out with hollow voice,—" List, list, O list!"
And frightens
Denmark's prince, a young tobacconist.
The spirit, too, clear'd from his
deadly white,
Rises,------a haberdasher to the sight!
Not young attorneys have this rage withstood,
But change their pens for truncheons, ink for blood ;
And (stiange reverse !) die, for their country's good,
To check these heroes, and their laurels crop,
To bring 'em back to reason—and their shop,
Our author wrote;—O you, Tom, Jack, Dick, Will;
Who hold the balance, or who gild the pill'
OF SIGNS.
283
Who wield the yard, and simpering pay your com t,
And, at each flourish,
snip an inch too short,
Quit not your shops ; there thrift and profit
call,
Whilst here young gentlemen are apt to fall!
[Bell ring*.
But soft '—the prompter calls !—brief let me be—
Here
gioans you'll hear, and flying apples see,
Be damu'd perhaps ,
farewell.'—remember me !
OF SIGNS.
You have already, doubtlessly, given the origin of
many signs, and the
cause of the discontinuance of
those projections, that not only darkened the
metro-
polis, but, among other benefits, in heavy city show-
ers,
bestowed, gratis, those baths that were not con-
sidered the most salutary.
Striking instances of
this natvire were produced at the various inns,
&c,
where separate signs were hung across the street,
describing the
places of destination they had con-
veyances to; but what appears most
ridiculous
in the signs of our forefathers is, the inappli-
cability of
many of them. We shall instance a
few of them, particulary such as attach to
our lite-
rary friends.
Amongst the booksellers, of no very early date,
may be enumerated:
Crowder, at the sign of the
Loukiny-glass; but, as knowledge is the mirror
of
the mind, perhaps it was not objectionable. Next
comes Longman, at the
sign of the Ship; but, as the
members of that respectable house have
sailed
through with so high a character, no objection
286
OF SIGNS.
ought to be made to their symbol: but Baldwin, at
the sign of the Rose,
and Evans (with whom the
writer of this served his apprenticeship), at the
sign
of the Red Lion, cannot so well be accounted for.
Of Buckland, at the
sign of the Buck, except from
etymology or similarity of sound, we cannot
per-
ceive the sense. Key, at the sign of the Hare, per-
haps, may be more
allowable; for Jonathan, like his
Transatlantic namesake, was early in the
field of
the book tribe. White, at Horace's Head, in Fleet-
street, and
Rivingtons, at the Bible and Crown, in
St. Paul's Church-yard, were
classically and religi-
ously correct; the latter have continued their
sign
for about a century. Cobbett put up the Bible,
Crown, and
Constitution, in Pall-Mali! but, if we
may judge from his general nabits, he
could only
have done so, that he might be afterwards able to say
he had
pulled them down.
As the following title-pages, copied from old
books, give us a tolerable
idea of the whimsicality
of booksellers' signs, at a time when every
trades-
man had his distinguishing emblem, and may not be
altogether
unacceptable to the bibliomanist, they
are here preserved ; they w ill, at
least, be an excuse
for any absurdity that may present itself, in
that
way, in modern times:—
Barclay's Shyp of Folys. Imprentyd in the Cyte of
London, in Flete Stre,
at the signe of Saynt George, by
Richard Pynson, to hys coste and charge.
Date, 1509.
Berner's (Juliana) Booke of Hawking, Hunting, Fj sit-
ing. Imprynted at
London, in Flete Streate, at the
sygne of the Rose Garlande, by William
Copland.
of sicns.
287
Barnes' (Barnabe) Divine Centvrie of Spirituall
Sonnets. London, punted by
John Windet, dwelling at
Foule's Wharf, at the signe of the Crosse Keys.
The Workes of Geoffrey Chaucer. Imprinted at
London, by Wyllyam Benham,
dwelling in Paule's
Church Yarde, at the signe of the Reed Lyon.
Chaucer's Assemble of Foules. Imprynted in Lon-
don, in Flete strete, at
the s\gne of the Sonne, agaynst
the Condyte, by me, Wynkyn de Warde, the
xxiiii day
of Januaiy, in the yere of our Lorde, 1530.
Church} ard's General Rehearsall of Warres. Im-
printed in London, by
Edviaid White, dwellyng at the
little north door of Paule's Church, at the
signe of the
Gunne. 1379.
Goodall's Tryall of Trauell. London, printed by
John Norton, and are to be
sold by James Upton, at his
shop in Paule's Church Yard, at the sign of the
Fox,
16J0.
Hey wood's Pleasant Dialogues and D.rammas. Printed
by Thomas Slater, in
Duck Lane. 1G37.
Hayman's Quodlibets, &.c London, printed by Eliza-
beth All-de, for
Roger Mitchell, dwelling in St. Paul's
Church Yard, at the signe of the
Bull's Head.
Willfnde Holmes' Fall and Euil Successe of Rebel-
lion, &c. Imprinted
at London, by Henry Binnemann,
dwelling in Knightrider Streate, at the signe
of the Mer-
maide. 1573.
Ben Jonson's Poems. Printed for Thomas Passen-
ger, at the Three Bibles,
about the middle of London
Bridge. 1672.
2SS
at sigws.
Lydgate's Lyfe of our Ladye. Imprinted at London,
in Flete Strete, within
Temple Barre, at the sygne of
the Hand and Starre, by Richard Tottel.
1554.
Lovelace's Lucasta, Epodes, Odes, &c. London,
printed by Thomas
Harper, and are to be sold by Tho-
mas Ewster, at the Gun, in Ivie Lane.
1649.
The Legend of Captain Jones. London, printed for
Samuel Mosely, at the
Prince's Armes, in St. Paul's
Church Yard. 1659.
Lachryma" Musarum. To be sold by John Holden,
at the Blue Anchor, in the
New Exchange. 1650.
William L'Isle's Fovr Books of Du Bartos. London,
printed by T. Payne, for
Francis Eglesfielde, and are
to be sold at the sign of the Marygold, in
Paule's
Church Yard. 1637.
Literature from the North, and News from All Na-
tions. Printed for John
Dunton, at the Black Raven,
in the Poultry.
[I believe tins was the first review of books pub-
lished in London; but
Mr. Nicholls does not refer to
it in his entertaining book, " The Life and
Errors of
John DuBtoti." I remember meeting witli a copy of
Dunton's
review at Clonmell, in Iieland. It had a
copy of his sign " The Black Raven,"
as a frontis-
piece, and a very curious woodcut of a beehive, as
a
vignette.]
May's Victorious Reign of King Edward the Third.
To be sold at the signe
of the Talbot, without Alder*,
gate. 1635.
Maxwell's Laudable Life and Deplorable Death of
our peerless Prince Henry.
London, printed by Ed-
mond Allde, for Thomas Pauer, dwelling near
the
Royal Exchange, at the sign of the Cats and Parrot.
1612.
OF SIGNS.
289
Of Milton's Paradise Lost, it may uot be amiss to
insert the names and
signs of the early printers and
publishers. We find a copy noted in the "
Bibliotheca
Anglo Poetica,"—London, printed and are to be sold by
Peter
Parker, under'Creed Church, near Aldgate, and
by Robert Boulter, at the
Turk's Head, in Bishopsgate
Street, &c. 166T. 1st edition.
Another Edition, being also the first, with an altered
title-page. London,
printed by S. Simmons, and to be
sold by S. Thomson, at the Bishop's Head, in
Duck
Lane, &c. 1668.
Another Edition, to be sold by T. Helder, at the Angel,
in Little
Britain.
Anthony Munday's Banquet of Daintie Conceits. At
London, printed by J. C,
for Edward White, and are
to be sold at the signe of the Gunne, at the little
north
door of Paule's. Anno 1688
A Night's Search, by Humphrey Mill. London,
printed by Richard Bishop, for
Laurence Blaicklock,
at the Sugar Loaf, next Temple Barre.
Men, Miracles, &.c. Printed for William Sheares,
Jun., at the Blue
Bible, in Bedford Street, in Covent
Garden. 16S6
Manby's Triumph of Oliver Cromwell. London,
printed for John Tey, at the
White Lion, in the Strand,
near the New Exchange. 1652.
The Mysteries of Love and Eloquence; or, the Arts of
Wooing and
Complimenting, as they are managed in
the Spring Garden, Hide Park, the New
Exchange, &c.
&c. London, printed by James Rawlins, for
Obadiah
Blagrave, at the Black Bear and Star, in St. Paul's
Church Yard. 1685.
v
290
OF SIGNS.
M-ison's History of the Young Converted Gallant.
London, printed by F. L.,
for B. Harris, at the Sta-
tioners' Arms, in Sweeting's Rents, by the Royal
Ex-
change. 1676.
Niccol's London Artillery. Printed for William
Welby, and are to be sold
by him, at the signe of the
Swanne. 1616.
Naps upon Parnassus, &c. London, printed by ex-
press order from the
Wits, for N. Brook, at the Angel,
in Cornhill. 1658.
Sir Thomas Overbury's Exquisite and Singular Poem,
Of the Choice of a
Wife, &c. London, printed for Lau-
rence Lisle, and are to be sold at his
shop, at the sign
oftheTyger'sHead,in St Paul's Church Yard. 1614.
Ditto, his Wittie Conceits, &.c. Printed for Robert
Allott, at the
Bear, in St. Paul's Church Yard
The Vision of Pierce Plowman, newly imprynted
after the-author's olde
copy, &.c. Imprynted at London,
by Owen Rogers, dwelling near unto Great
Saint Bar-
tholomew's Gate, at the sygne of the Spred Egle. 1561.
Ditto Ditto. Imprynted at London, by Owen Rogers,
dwelling betwixt both
Sainct Barthelmewes, at the
sign of the Spread Eagle. 1561.
Phaer's Seven First Books of Virgil's Eneid. Lon-
don, printed for Richard
Jugge, dwellyng at the north
door of Poule's Church, at the sign of the
Bible. 1558.
Phaer and Twine's Virgil. London, printed for
Thomas Creede, dwelling at
the Old Change, at the
signe of the Eagle and Child. 1584.
OF SIGNi.
291
Peauham's Garden of Heroical Devices. London,
printed in Shoe Lane, at the
signe of the Faulcon, by
Wa. Bight. 1612.
Primrose's Chain of Pearls; or, a Memorial of the
Peerles, Graces, &c.
of Queen Elizabeth. London, sold
by Philip Waterhouse, at his shop, at the
signe of St.
Paul's Head, in Canning Street, near London Stone.
1630.
The Pleasaunt, Playne, and Pythye Pathway leading
to a Vertuos and Honest
Lyfe, no less Profitable than
Dilectable. Imprinted at London, by Nicholas
Hill,
for John Case, dvvellynge at the signe of the Baule, in
Paul's
Church Yard.
Thomas Powell's Passionate Poet. London, printed
by Valentine Simmes,
dwelling on Adling Hill, at the
signe of the White Swanne. 1601.
John Phillips's English Fortune-Teller. London,
printed by E. Brooksby, at
the Golden Bull, in Pye
Corner. 1703.
Pendragon; or, the Carpet Knight and his Kalendar.
London, printed for
John Newton, at the 3 Pigeons,
over against the Inner Temple Gate, in Fleet
Street.
1698.
Poole's English Parnassus. London, printed for
Thomas Johnson, at the
Golden Key, in St. Paul's
Church Yard. 1657.
Poetical Recreations. London, printed for Benjamin
Crayle, at the Peacock
and Bible, at the Webt end of
St. Paul's. 1688.
U2
292
ok signs.
Political Merriment; or, Truth Told to Some Tune.
Sold by S. Keimer, at
the sign of the Printing-Press, in
Paternoster Row, in the glorious year of
our preserva-
tion, 1714.
Samuel Perdage's Poems on several occasions.
Printed by W. G., for Henry
Marsh, at the Prince's
Amies, in Chancery Lane, and Peter Dring, in
the
Poultry, neer the Counter. 1658.
INDEX.
Page
Preface . •.....'»
Introduction......I
ORIGIN OF SIGNS.
Abercrombie Tavern ... 77
Admiral Drake.....29
Albany Hotel.....70
Alphabet, the.....34
Ane;el, the.....53,67
Antelope, the . . * . . 77
Apple tree......66
Auction-mart Coffee-house . 63
Axe Inn.......S3
Baptist Coffee-house ... 73
Bear and Ragged Staff . . 79
Belle Sanvage.....69
Bible, the.......43
Bell, the.......103
Black Bell......51
Black Swan......50
Blue Last.......86
Bolt-in-Tun......106
Boar's Head Tavern . 64, 100
Brace Tavern.....103
Brown Bear......50
Bull and Mouth.....7
Bull Inn.......99
Bush, the.......78
Butler's Head.....72
Castle Tavern.....46
Castle and Falcon . - . . 108
Catherine Wheel .... 30
Chalk Farm......72
Chapter Coffee-house . . . 119
Cherry-tlee.....74
Chequers, the] .... 62
Page
Coal-Hole..... 108
Cock........ 0
Cock and Bottle . . . • 97
Cock and Pie..... 73
Cross, the....... 34
Crown . . ■..... 51
Crown and Anchor . . 24,112
De\il Tavern..... 25
Devil and Bag of Nails . . 36
Dog and Duck..... 29
EaBle and Child .... 08
Feathers, the ..... 61
Flying-Horse..... 16
Fortune of War .... 45
Fox, the....... 70
Fox and Grapes . . . . ib.
Freemasons' Tavern . . . 8S
George and Bine Boar . . 81
George Inn...... 81
Gerard's Hall..... 52
Golden Ball...... 96
Golden Cross..... 14
Goose and Gridiron ... 88
Grapes, the...... 70
Green Man and Still ... 41
Grave Maurice..... 90
Grenadier....... 22
Greyhound...... 10
Grove, the...... 62
Guildhall Coffee-house . . 28
Guy, Karl of Warwick . . 22
Guy Fawkes...... 19
Guy's Head...... 22
Half-Moon Tavern ... 69
Hand and Shears . - . . 79
Hat, the...... . 60
Hat and Feathers .... 01
21)4
INDEX.
['.iff
Hat anil Tun ..... til
Hole in the Wall .... 20
Hoiyrood House . . .44, 49
Horns Tavern..... 63
Hoise........ 11
Horse-Shoe, the .... 92
Humrmims, Old and Ne\v . 65
Jew's Harp...... 101
Johnny Gilpin..... 78
John o'Groat's House . . a
Jonathan's Coffee-house . . 59
King's Head...... 33
King's Arms...... 36
Kin? of Dcnmai k .... 83
Lamb, the...... 75
Lion......... 43
Lloyd's Coffee-house . . .119
London Tavern..... 99
London'Pi entice .... 56
Magdalen ....... 20
Magpie and Grown . , . 54
Magpie and Stump ... 55
Mansion house..... 28
Mariner....... 28
Marquis of Granby ... 55
May-pole....... 80
Mermaid....... 41
Mitre........ 37
Moonrakcrs, the .... 109
Moorgate Cottee house . . 57
Mrs. Butler's, " The Finish" 17
Monday's Coffee-house . . 13
Nag's Head...... 57
Nell Gwynne..... 49
New York Coffee-house . . 21
Nobis Inn...... 96
Old Parr's Head .... 71
OkLSigns...... 121
Painted Tavern..... 59
Peel's Coffee-house ... 68
Pitt's Head...... 85
Plough, the...... 7fl
Pope's Head Tavern ... 53
Punch Bowl...... 58
Queen's Arms ..... 66
Queen's Head ..... 94
Rainbow, the..... 65
Red Lion ....... 43
Robin Hood ....*. 33
Rose Tavern...... 1.13
Royal Oak...... 38
Saracen's Head..... 52
Ship, the....... 84
Pajf
Ship and Shovel .... 85
Sign at Kag Shops . . . 120
Simon, the
Tanner ot Joppa 64
St. Andrew......32
St. Duustan......23
St. Helena......40
St. James's Coftee-honse . 42
Steelyard Coffee-house . . 120
Sun, the.......103
Thatched-house Tavern . . 109
Valentine and Orson ... 93
White Conduit
House ... 95
White Hart......6S
White Horse.....74
World turned Upside Down 54
Wrestlers.......48
CLUBS.......122
Beef-Steak Club .... 137
Daffy Club......128
Everlasting Club . ... 149
Fox-hunter's Club .... 125
Free and Easy
Club . . . 126
Golden-fleece Club ... 148
Hnm-iirnm Club .... 127
King's Club......130
Kit-Cat Club .....129
Lawyer's Club.....131
Lazy Club......126
Little Club......132
Lookers'-On Club .... 130
Man-Hunting Club .... 142
Moral Philosopher's
Club . 134
No-Nose Club.....138
Overseers' Club . . . M47
Smokers' Club.....136
Surly Club......144
Tall Club.......133
Terrible Club.....124
Two penny Club . . • . 135
Ugly-Face Club . . . .140
Virtuoso's
Club.....145
LONDON STREETS, their
Names and Origin . 153, 173
WARDS ot the CITY . 20, 214
CITY COMPANIES 214,-I'M
I ANECDOTES, connected
| with Tavern*, Coftee-
j houses, Club*, &c.
. . 230
A Binad Way troublesome . 2b2
INDEX.
295
Pjjje
A Butt, or Stave .... 257
Advice lespecting Chamber-
maids
.......255
Advice to Tapsters . . . 231
Ale by the Pound .... 242
Ale, Poller, and
Beei . . 267
A Haid Pun......240
A Man Hung for leaving his
Liquor.......230
Another Glass, and then . . 247
A Simple Waiter .... 23G
Bacchanals......200
Bear and Steak .... 237
Ben Jonaon and Ralph . , 252
Berkshire Publican . . . 255
Bill of Fare
...... 254
Bills and Acceptances . . 234
Bishop of Cambiidge . . , 246
Bottle
circulating quickly . 236
Bumper, Origin of ... 257
Burton Ale and Dr.
Fischer 232
Cruise and Effect .... 252
Claret, Port, and Brandy . 241
Coffee-house Bets . . . .255
Coffee-house Impertinence . 256
Credulous Landlady . . . 263
Curran's
Opinion of Punch . 257
Cuckold.......261
Dancourt and the Bagpipes . 235
Dean Swift at the Sign of
the " Three
Crosses" . . 245
Dr. Radclifie.....232
Drunkard, the .... . 245
Drunken Discovery . . . 262
Enigma on a
Corkscrew . 236
Epitaph on an Innkeeper . 240
Epitaph on a Hampshire
Gre-
nadier ..*.... 241
Epitaph on the Wife of Mr.
Rich........251
Epitaph on a Drunkard . . 250
Far Gone.......260
Gallopers and Trotters . . 239
Going and Returning . . . 243
Good
Accommodation . . 264
Grace's Cards.....265
Gun not Charged going off. 256
Half-primed......259
Hogarth a Grecian . . . ib.
Hunger, the Mother of Inven-
tion
........238
Impromptu on seeing Cribb's
new House.....264
Influence of Grog .... 2.J3
In Health, yet out of Order 240
John
o'Groat's House ... 8
John Sttibbs's Sign. . . . 25Q
Jovial Priest's
Confession . 246
Kiss-Can ier, the . - . . 258
Laugh for Laugh ....
235
Lines written by a Commer-
cial Man on Travelling
through Kent.....261
Lines written on the Win-
dow of an Inn .... 261
Longfellow's Inn . . .
.251
Making Toddy.....261
Mask, Natural, a . . . . 250
My Landlady'3 Nose . . . 25.1
Nine of
Diamonds the Curse
of Scotland, Origin of the
Saying.......265
Noble Taste far Wit ... 245
Old Toping Susan . . . .249
On Mr. Day's
bilking his
Landlord......243
Optical Deceptions . . . 26G
0\>gen and Hydrogen . A 248
Politeness
and Rudeness . 233
Piudent Speculator . . . 265
Publican's Hint to his
Cus-
tomers....... 246
Pun-Cracking.....247
Punning Epitaph on a Land-
lord ........254
Quantity of Wine .... 240
Quid pro Quo.....254
Rapid Fortune, the ... 257
Rather Give than Receive . 243
Resignation......234
Retaliation......238
Rhyming Host at Stratford . 241
Regulator Coach .... 245
Shuter and
Garrick . . . 258
Skilful Packer.....249
Small Beer and Strong Beer 266
Spiritless Wife, a . . . . 250)
The
Barber's Inn .... 256
The Monkey and the Bear . 235
The Toper and the
Fiies . 248
The Word not Current . . 251
Toast at a Country Club . .
234
Tobacco-pipe, the .... 244
" Under the Rose," Origin of
the Saying......259
Virtues of Wine .... 267
Page
Watei drinkei ... . 258
Wine and Music .... 264
Wine ami
Walnuts . . . 2,19
Wine and Wit.....260
Wit and Wisdom .... 267
Wine te> sw? Eyis . . . 25J
Wit and Wine . .
. . 250
890
INDEX.
Page
\DDENBA.....27i
Bookselleis' Signs .... 285
Clubs........277
Coffee, History of . . , .272
Coftee houses.....277
Spouting clobs.....281
3*he Free and Easy Couasel
lors under the Cauliflower 279
THE END
PRINTED BT O. H. U\flUSO»t
ikel\>d yard, dogtoi*s' commons.
