DISSERTATIONONCoaches.

"I think, there beSixRichmonds in the Field:Fivehave I slain to-day instead of him[326]."

Let this pass for truth; yet was Lord Elphinston's case the most remarkable, and most deserving of favour to his posterity, on account of the insults offered to his body, under a supposition that it was the body of the King. After the death of James IV. a long Minority ensued, and consequently a Regency; but what reward the Family ofElphinstonhad, or what weight they bore in the Reign of James V. or in that of Queen Mary, History is not minute enough to inform us; though we find, that the Great Grandson of the first Peer slain at Flodden-Fieldwas of the Privy Council, and High Treasurer to James VI. (anno 1599) before his accession to the Crown of England. This King was too well read not to have known what passed in the Reign of his Great Grandfather respecting the first LordElphinston; and I am willing to suppose the Descendants of that Peer were equally informed of the fact above related; and that the Lord TreasurerElphinstonmodestly imputed his elevation ultimately to that circumstance, and allusively took the Motto before us.

Lest this surmise should not be satisfactory, I will offer another on a very different ground, arising from theCrest, which is, "A Lady from the middle richly attired, holding aCastlein her Right Hand, and in her Left a Branch ofLaurel." This throws the matter open to another conjecture; for the Bearing of theLady, with theCastlein her Right Hand, may well be supposed to relate to Alliances; several of the Ancestry of the Family, which came originally from Germany in the time of Robert the Bruce (in theReign of our Edward II.) having married Heiresses[327], whereby they obtained Lands, Castles, Power, and Nobility. These events often repeated, which may be termed the effects ofchance, give us latitude to suppose the Motto may, on the other hand, relate to those casual means, whereby the Family rose to the honour of the Peerage.

These are the only two conjectures I have to offer; and I do not at present meet with any other historical matter to warrant a third.

Leslie, Earl ofRothes.—The Motto of this Family is "Grip (or Gripe) Fast[328]," andseems to contain a double allusion; first to the old Motto "Firmâ Spe," and afterwards to some parts of the additional Armorial Appendages. I call it the old Motto, from the account Mr. Nisbet gives of the original Bearing and its adjuncts;viz."Argent, on a Fess, between two Cross-Croslets Azure, Three Buckles Or." Crest, "A Griphon's (or Griffin's) Head couped Proper, charged with a Cross-Croslet fitched Argent." Motto, "Firmâ Spe."[329]Herein the Cross-Croslets repeated, taken together with the new Motto, admit of a religious allusion, asholding fastthe Faith of Christ withfirm Hope, expressed allegorically by the Head of the Griffin. It may therefore be conceived, that the change of the Motto might take place after the Family, on being ennobled, chose Griffins for Supporters; thereby giving a loose and whimsical translation, if I may call it so, of "Firmâ Spe," by the words "Grip Fast." The ancient Bearings of the Cross-Croslets are now discharged, nothing remaining on the Fieldbut aBend, instead of aFess, charged with Three Buckles; so that the meaning, couched under the Cross-Croslets, the Griffin's Head, and the original words of the Motto, is entirely lost: and at present nothing remains but a quaint allusion to the group of those chimerical Animals. TheBuckles, borne first on theFess, and afterwards on theBend(a Change not uncommon as a Difference, in token of Cadency or Cadetship in Scotland), may likewise have regard to that strong metaphorical description of Christian Defence against the Powers of Darkness in the Sixth Chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, or to the First Epistle to the Thessalonians (Chap. v. 21). "Hold fast that which is good;"viz. the Faith and Hope in the Cross of Christ. In support of this idea, as being primarily religious, it appears that one subordinate Branch of the Family (Leslieof Talloch) bears for a Crest, not a Griffin's, but "An Eagle's Neck, with Two Heads erased Sable;" with the Motto "Hold Fast:" and another has for its Motto "KeepFast:"[330]so thatGrip, orGripe Fast, may be considered as a mere canting Motto, arising from old Heraldic wit.Leslieof Burdsbank, carries the quartered Coat of the Earl of Rothes, with Differences; with theCrest, "A Buckle Or," and the Motto "Keep Fast."

I close this attempt (for I call it nothing more) with a singular Motto of a Private Family.

Haig, or perhapsHaigh, of Bemerside, has for the Family Motto "Tyde what may," founded on a Prophecy of Sir Thomas Lermont (well known in Scotland by the name of "Thomas the Rhymer," because he wrote his Prophecies in Rhyme), who was an Herald in the Reign of Alexander III. He is said to have foretold the time of his own death; and particularly, among other remarkable occurrences, the Union of England and Scotland, which was not accomplished till the Reign of James VI. some hundreds of years after this Gentleman died. These Prophecieswere never published in a perfect state; but the Epitome of them is well known in Scotland, though Mr. Nisbet says it is very erroneous. The original, he tells us, is a Folio MS. which Mr. Nisbet seems to have seen; for he adds, "Many things are missing in the small book which are to be met with in the original, particularly these two lines, concerning his (Sir Thomas Lermont's) neighbour, Haig of Bemerside:

'Tyde what may betide,Haig shall be Laird of Bemerside.'

"And," continues Mr. Nisbet, "his Prophecy concerning that ancient Family has hitherto been true; for since that time till this day (1702) the Haigs have been Lairds of that place."[331]

"Cave Adsum" is the Motto ofJardin, of Applegirth, Bart. in Scotland. The Ingredients (as they may be called) to which it alludes, are very dispersed, and to be collected from the Supporters, the Bearing, andCrest: the Arms having "Three Mullets charged on the Chief;" the Supporters, "An Armed Man and a Horse;" and the Crest, "A Mullet or Spur-Rowel." This might allude to Justs and Tournaments[332].

I shall conclude with one Irish Motto; that ofFitzgerald—"Crom a Boo;" a Cri de Guerre, or Term of Defiance.A Boomeansthe Cause, or theParty, andCromwas the ancient Castle of the Fitz-Geralds. SoButleraBoomeant the Ormond Party, the Cri on the other side; by which they insulted each other, and consequently frays and skirmishes ensued[333].

Simon Fitz-Alan had a Son Robert, who, being of a fair complexion, was calledBoyt, orBoyd, from the Celtic or Gallic wordBoidh, which signifies fair oryellow[334], fromwhich he assumed his Sur-name, and from him all the Boyds in Scotland are descended[335].

Canmoreis a Sobriquet. So mightGoldBerry, from the colour of Boyd's hair. Sobriquets common in England and France; there was scarce a French King without some addition, relative to their persons, or to their good or bad qualities.

Goldberryis a Slughorn, for the Motto isConfido, as applying to the confidence the Chief had in the Vassals belonging to the Clan; though by the modern Crest (a Thumb and two Fingers pointing to Heaven) it seems to admit of a religious interpretation.

Every thing has History belonging to it, though perhaps it is seldom worth investigation; and what follows will, I suspect, be thought not unlike Gratiano's reasons;viz. "As two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff; you shall seek all day ere you find them, and when you have them, they are not worth the search[336]." But, as the History of Coaches in general, and particularly of Hackney Coaches, has never been drawn together, I shall attempt to do it as an historical detail of that species of luxury. . The Nobleman, and the man of fortune, steps into his own carriage; and the humblerorders of men into their occasional coach, even with the gout upon them, when walking is out of the question; without ever thinking with the smallest gratitude of those who introduced or improved such a convenience; and all this because these Vehicles are now too common to attract our notice further than their immediate use suggests.

It is the business of Antiquaries to rescue subjects of this sort from oblivion, as to their origin, their improvements, &c. to the present hour; who of course must leave it to others of the same class, to shew their decline; for it is not improbable that even the present gay families, or their posterity, may be witnesses of such a revolution.

The first Wheel-Carriages of the Coach kind were in use with us in the Reign of King Richard II., and were calledWhirlicotes; though we cannot but suppose they were such as, but for the name of riding,our ancestors might as well have walked on foot. Let us hear the account given either by Master John Stowe, or some of his Editors, on this matter, who tells us that "Coaches were not known in this Island; but Chariots, orWhirlicotes, then so called, and they only used of Princes, or men of great estates, such as had their footmen about them. And for example to note, I read[337]that Richard II. being threatened by the Rebels of Kent, rode from the Tower of London to the Miles-End, and with him his Mother, because she was sick and weak, in a Whirlicote.... But in the year next following, the said Richard took to wife Anne, daughter to the King of Bohemia, who first brought hither the riding upon side-saddles; and so was the riding in thoseWhirlicotesand Chariots forsaken, except at Coronations, and such like spectacles. But now of late," continues he, "the use of Coaches brought out of Germany, is taken up and made so common, asthere is neither distinction of time, nor difference of persons, observed; for the world runs on wheels with many whose parents were glad to go on foot[338]."

We may hence suppose that theWhirlicotewas not much more than a Litter upon Wheels, and adapted both to state and invalidity, among the higher orders of mankind; for we have seen that they gave place even to riding on Horseback, among the Ladies, as soon as proper Saddles were introduced.

The wordCoachis evidently French, from their wordCarrosse, and was formerly often writtenCarroche, as it appears in Stowe's Chronicle, where the two words appear almost in the same sentence. The French word, nevertheless, is not radically such, but formed from the ItalianCarroccio, orCarrozza, for they have both; and that even the latter is a compound ofCarro Rozzo, it being aredCarriage, whereon the Italians carried the Cross when they took the field. So says Mr. Menage[339]; and if so, this Vehiclepassed from Italy to Germany, from thence to France, and at length to us. According to Mr. De Caseneuve, the ItalianCarrociohad four wheels; and he adds to what Mr. Menage has said, that they carried their Standards upon it[340].

The FrenchCharrette, from whence ourChariot[341], had but two wheels. But we may observe how our word is degraded, for it properly signifies aCart, though it had four wheels[342]. The French, since Coaches came into use, have been ashamed of the term, and call it a Carrosse Coupé, or Half-Coach. . By the above account theChariotseems to have been the elder Vehicle, or rather the Coach in its infancy; which will lead us towards the etymon of our wordCoach, and to the original nature of ourChariot, though both of them have the same common parent.

We may, however, collect enough from these accounts, to satisfy ourselves that the introduction of Coaches took place in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth; and Stowe's Continuator adds a very natural consequence:—That, after the Royal example, "divers great ladies made them Coaches, and rode in them up and down the countries, to the great admiration of all the beholders." After this, he tells us, they grew common among the Nobility and opulent Gentry; that within twenty years Coach-making became a great trade, and that Coaches grew into more general use soon after the accession of King James.

What sort of Carriages they originally were with us, in point of elegance, is not easily said; but in Germany, about that period, we are told they were—"ugly Vehicles made of four boards, which were put together in a very clumsy manner[343]." Of these, however, my Author adds, that John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, when he went toWarsaw to do homage for the Dutchy of Prussia, A. D. 1618, had in his train thirty-six of these Coaches, each drawn by six horses.

Either the Chariots of that time were usually more elegant, or the Denmarkers had more taste than the Germans; for the same Author tells us, that, when the King of Denmark passed through Berlin, in the Reign of the Elector John George, who died 1598, the King made his entry "in a black-velvet Chariot, laced with gold; drawn by eight white coursers, with bits and caparisons all of silver[344]."

The Chariot I take to have been a much more ancient Vehicle, and an open Vehicle; for we read of them in the Reign of our Henry VII. and even of our Richard II.

Queen Elizabeth, when she went to St. Paul's, 1588, after the Spanish Armada, was in aChariotsupported by four pillars, and drawn by two white horses[345].

It is generally agreed, by those Writers who have touched upon the subject, that Coaches were introduced into this Kingdom in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth; but they must have had an earlier appearance amongst us than Anderson, in his History of Commerce, vol. I. p. 421, allows, who affirms, that the first of them was brought hither by [Henry] Fitz-Alan, the last Earl of Arundel of that name, in the year 1580; which cannot be the truth; for his Lordship died 1579. This Earl, after having served Kings Henry VIII. and Edward VI. and Queen Mary, became likewise high in the favour of Queen Elizabeth, and was Lord Steward of her Household; but, finding himself supplanted by the Earl of Leicester, he went abroad A. D. 1566[346]. It is to be supposed that he travelled to the sea-coast in the accustomed manner on Horseback; but he is said to have returned in his Coach, which, Mr. Granger says, was the first Equipage of the kind ever seen in England[347]; but that Author has leftus without the date; so that we are yet to seek for that point.

Another Writer robs his Lordship entirely of the honour of such introduction; for Stowe's Continuator expressly says, that "In the year 1564 (two years before the Earl of Arundel went abroad), Guilliam Boonen, a Dutchman, became the Queen's Coachman, and was the first that brought the use of Coaches into England[348]." This very Coachman is said also to have driven the Queen's Coach, when she visited Oxford, 1592. Which of these two stories be true, the Relaters, Granger and Stowe, must answer for: but Anderson is palpably wrong in his date.

I can form no better an idea of our first Coaches than that they were heavy and unwieldy, as they continued to be for nearly two centuries afterwards; and I can at best but take the standard from the present StateCoaches of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Speaker of the House of Commons[349].

It cannot be any matter of surprize, after so luxurious a conveyance had found its way into the Royal Establishment, that it should be adopted by others who could support the expence, when not curbed by sumptuary laws; and we have accordingly seen, that Coaches prevailed much, early in the Reign of King James; but Hackney Coaches, which are professedly the Subject of this Memoir, waited till luxury had made larger strides among us, and till private Coaches came to market at second hand.

There having always been an imitative luxury in mankind, whereby the inferior orders might approximate the superior; so those that could not maintain a Coachde diein diemcontrived a means of having the useof onede horâ in horam. Hence arose our occasional Vehicles called Hackney Coaches.

The French wordHaquenée[350]implies a common horse for all purposes of riding, whether for private use or for hire; generally an ambler, as distinguished from the horses of superior orders, such as thepalfreyand thegreat horse. The former of these are often calledpad-nags, and were likewiseamblers; while horses for draught were calledtrotting-horses[351]: so that theHaquenéewas in fact, and in his use, distinct from all the rest, and inferior in rank and quality. This term for an ambling-nag occurs in Chaucer[352]. Thus we obtained ourHaquenéeorHackney Horseslong before we had any Coaches to tack to them; and the term had likewise, at the same time, made its way into metaphor, to express any thing much and promiscuously used. Thus Shakspeare, who never lived to ride in aHackney Coach, applies the wordHackneyto a common woman of easyaccess[353]: and again, in the First Part of Henry IV. (Act iii. Sc. 4), the King says to the Prince of Wales,

"Had I so lavish of my presence been,So common-hackneyedin the eyes of men,So stale and cheap to vulgar company," &c.

Now Shakspeare died in the year 1616; whereas Hackney Coaches were not known, in the Streets at least, till about the year 1625[354].

Though the termHaquenéeis French, it is not used in France for Coaches of a like kind; yet, after we had adopted the word as applied to horses of the common sort, it was easy to put them in harness, for the service of drawing, and the convenience of the Inhabitants of the Metropolis; whereby the wordHackneybecame transferred to the whole Equipage, then in want of a differential name; whereof the Coach, being the more striking part, obtained the name by pre-eminence.

Before I return to my subject, give me leave to add a word or two on the French Coaches of a similar nature, which are calledFiacres[355]. The term is thus accounted for, though I did not suspect I should have found the meaning in a Martyrology.Fiacrewas the name of a Saint, whose Portrait, like those of many other famous men of their times both in Church and State, had the honour to adorn a Sign-Post; and the Inn in Paris, Rue St. Antoine, from which these Coaches were first let out to hire on temporary occasions, had the Sign ofSt. Fiacre, and from thence they took their name. M. Richelet, in his Dictionary[356], tells us, that aFiacreis "Carosse de loüage, auquel on a donné ce nom à cause de l'Enseigne d'un logis de la Rue St. Antoine de Paris ou l'on a premierementlöué ces sortes de Carosse. Ce logis avoit pour Enseigne unSaint Fiacre." As to the Saint himself, he was no less a personage than the second Son, and at length Heir, of Eugenius IV. King of Scots, who lived in the Seventh Century. He went into France, took a religious habit, refusing the Crown of Scotland some years afterwards, on his Brother's death; and, when he died, was canonized. There is a Chapel dedicated to him at St. Omer's. His death is commemorated on the 30th of August[357].

As to the time when the FrenchFiacresfirst came into use, we are led pretty nearly to it by Mr. Menage, who, in his "Origines de la Langue Françoise," published in Quarto, 1650, speaks of them as of a late introduction. His words are, "On appelle ainsi [Fiacre] à Parisdepuis quelquesannéesun Carosse de loüage." He then gives the same reason as we find in Richelet: but the words "depuis quelques Années" shew, that those Coaches had not then been long in use, and are to be dated either a little before or a little after our own; insomuch that it is probable the one gave the example to the other, allowing Mr. Menage credit for twenty-five years, comprehended in his expression ofquelques Années[358].

But to return to our Hackney Coaches, which took birth A. D. 1625 (the first year of King Charles I.); and either began to ply inthe Streets, or stood ready at Inns to be called for if wanted: and at that time did not exceedtwentyin number[359]. But, as luxury makes large shoots in any branch where it puts forth, so we find that, in no more than ten years, this new-planted scyon had grown so much as to require the pruning-knife; for that the Street Coaches had become in reality a national nuisance in various particulars: and accordingly a Proclamation issued A.D. 1635 in the following words:

"That the great numbers of Hackney Coaches of late time seen and kept in London, Westminster, and their Suburbs, and the general and promiscuous use of Coaches there, were not onlya great disturbance to his Majesty, his dearest Consort the Queen, the Nobility, and others of place and degree, in their passage through the Streets; but the Streets themselves were so pestered, and the pavements so broken up, that the common passage is thereby hindered and made dangerous; and the prices of hay and provender, and other provisions of stable, thereby made exceeding dear: Wherefore we expressly command and forbid, That, from the Feast of St. John the Baptist next coming, no Hackney or Hired Coaches be used or suffered in London,Westminster, or the Suburbs or Liberties thereof, except they be to travel at leastthreemiles out of London or Westminster, or the Suburbs thereof. And also, that no person shall go in a Coach in the said Streets, except the owner of the Coach shall constantly keep upFour able Horses for our Service, when required[360]. Dated January 19, 1635-6."

This Proclamation, so long as it was observed, must have put a considerable check to the use of these Carriages; nor can I think it could operate much in the King's favour, as it would hardly be worth a Coach-Master's while to be at so great a contingent charge as the keeping of Four Horses to be furnished at a moment's warning for his Majesty's occasional employment. We are to construe this, then, as amounting to a prohibition, on account of the certain expence which must follow an uncertain occupation. The nature of this penalty, as I may call it, was founded on the Statute of Purveyance, not then repealed.

But there was another co-operating cause that suspended the use of Coaches for a shorttime, which was the introduction of theHackney Chairs, which took place a very little while before the Proclamation. They arose from the incommodities stated in the Royal Edict, and, no doubt, tended in some measure towards the suppression of the Hackney-Coaches; till by degrees being found incompetent to answer all their seemingly intended purposes, we shall see the Coaches, in abouttwoyears time, return into the streets, and resume their functions. But to proceed with the History of theChairs. At the critical time, then, when Government was devising measures to prevent the increase ofCoachesas much as possible, for the reasons alleged in the Proclamation, there stepped in a Knight, by name Sir Saunders Duncombe, a Gentleman-Pensioner, and a travelled man, who proposed the introduction ofChairs, after the model he had seen abroad[361]. This was in the year 1634; when Sir Saundersobtained an exclusive Patent for the setting them forth for hire, dated the first day of October, for the term offourteenyears. The number is not specified, but left perhaps indefinite, it being impossible to say what would be necessary in a new device of this sort, tending to be beneficial to the introductor, as well as convenient to the Publick. The tenor of the Grant, omitting the words of course, runs thus:

"Charles, &c."Whereas the several Streets and Passages within our Cities ofLondonandWestminster, and the Suburbs of the same, are of late time so much encumbered and pestered with the unnecessary multitude of Coaches therein used, that many of our good and loving Subjects are by that means oftentimes exposed to great danger; and the necessary use of Carts and Carriages for the necessary Provisions of the said Cities and Suburbs thereby also much hindered. And whereas, our servant,Sir Sanders Duncombe, Knight, hath lately preferred his humble Petition unto us; thereby shewing, that in many parts beyond the Seas, the people there are much carried in the Streets in Chairs that are covered; by which means very few Coaches are used amongst them: and thereof he hath humbly besought us to grant unto him the sole using andputting forth to hire of certain covered Chairs, which he will procure to be made at his own proper costs and charges, for carrying such of our loving Subjects as shall desire to use the same, in and about our said Cities ofLondonandWestminster, and the Suburbs thereof."Know ye, that we, of our princely care of the good and welfare of all our loving Subjects, desiring to use all good and lawful ways and means that may tend to the suppressing of the excessive and unnecessary number of Coaches now of late used in and about our said Cities, and the Suburbs thereof; and to the intent the saidSir Sanders Duncombemay reap some fruit and benefit of his industry, and may recompense himself of the costs, charges, and expences, which he shall be at in and about the directing, making, procuring, and putting in use of the said covered Chairs, of the purpose aforesaid; and for divers other good causes and considerations, us hereunto moving, of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have given and granted, and by these Presents, for Us, our Heirs and Successors, do give and grant, unto the saidSir Sanders Duncombe, his Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, and to his and their, and every of their, Deputy and Deputies, Servants, Workmen, Factors, and Agents, and to all and every such person and persons as shall have power and authority from him, them, or any of them, in that behalf, full and free Licence, Privilege, Power, and Authority, that they only, and none other, shall or may, from time to time, during the term of fourteen years hereaftergranted, use, put forth, and lett to hire, within our said Cities ofLondonandWestminster, and the Suburbs and Precincts thereof, or in any part of them, or any of them, the said covered Chairs, to be carried and borne as aforesaid."Witness Ourself atCanbury, the First day of October[362]."

"Charles, &c.

"Whereas the several Streets and Passages within our Cities ofLondonandWestminster, and the Suburbs of the same, are of late time so much encumbered and pestered with the unnecessary multitude of Coaches therein used, that many of our good and loving Subjects are by that means oftentimes exposed to great danger; and the necessary use of Carts and Carriages for the necessary Provisions of the said Cities and Suburbs thereby also much hindered. And whereas, our servant,Sir Sanders Duncombe, Knight, hath lately preferred his humble Petition unto us; thereby shewing, that in many parts beyond the Seas, the people there are much carried in the Streets in Chairs that are covered; by which means very few Coaches are used amongst them: and thereof he hath humbly besought us to grant unto him the sole using andputting forth to hire of certain covered Chairs, which he will procure to be made at his own proper costs and charges, for carrying such of our loving Subjects as shall desire to use the same, in and about our said Cities ofLondonandWestminster, and the Suburbs thereof.

"Know ye, that we, of our princely care of the good and welfare of all our loving Subjects, desiring to use all good and lawful ways and means that may tend to the suppressing of the excessive and unnecessary number of Coaches now of late used in and about our said Cities, and the Suburbs thereof; and to the intent the saidSir Sanders Duncombemay reap some fruit and benefit of his industry, and may recompense himself of the costs, charges, and expences, which he shall be at in and about the directing, making, procuring, and putting in use of the said covered Chairs, of the purpose aforesaid; and for divers other good causes and considerations, us hereunto moving, of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have given and granted, and by these Presents, for Us, our Heirs and Successors, do give and grant, unto the saidSir Sanders Duncombe, his Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, and to his and their, and every of their, Deputy and Deputies, Servants, Workmen, Factors, and Agents, and to all and every such person and persons as shall have power and authority from him, them, or any of them, in that behalf, full and free Licence, Privilege, Power, and Authority, that they only, and none other, shall or may, from time to time, during the term of fourteen years hereaftergranted, use, put forth, and lett to hire, within our said Cities ofLondonandWestminster, and the Suburbs and Precincts thereof, or in any part of them, or any of them, the said covered Chairs, to be carried and borne as aforesaid.

"Witness Ourself atCanbury, the First day of October[362]."

The place principally hinted at in the above Grant, or Patent, seems to have been the City ofSedanin Champagne; where, we are at liberty to suppose, these covered Chairs being most in use, they obtained with us the name ofSedan Chairs, like the local names ofBerlinandLandau[363].

These new Vehicles, hitherto unseen in our orbit, had, doubtless, patrons among the beaus and fine gentlemen of the age; though, in their general utility, they manifestly could not be so commodious as Coaches, were itfor no other reason than that they could carry but one person. They might prevail with persons of a certain rank and description; but the opulent Merchant, and others in a similar line of family life, still were in want of a conveyance of greater capacity; a circumstance which would depress theChairs, and gradually hasten the re-introduction of theCoaches, and which, as has been observed, took place accordingly in little more than two years. The following special commission was therefore granted by the King, A. D. 1637, wherein the number of the Coaches seems rather to have enlarged, and the management of them was placed in the department of the Master of the Horse. It runs essentially in the following words:

"That we, finding it very requisite for our Nobility and Gentry, as well as for Foreign Ambassadors, Strangers, and others, that there should be a competent number of Hackney Coaches allowed for such uses, have, by the advice of our Privy Council, thought fit to allowFifty Hackney Coachmenin and about London and Westminster; limiting them not to keep above Twelve Horses a-piece. We therefore grant to you [the Marquis] during your Life, the Power and Authority to licenseFiftyHackney Coachmen,who shall keep no more than Twelve good Horses each, for their, or any of their, Coach and Coaches respectively. You also hereby have Power to license so many in other Cities and Towns of England as in your wisdom shall be thought necessary; with power to restrain and prohibit all others from keeping any Hackney Coach to let to hire, either in London or elsewhere. Also to prescribeRulesandOrdersconcerning the dailyPricesof the said licensed Hackney Coachmen, to be by them, or any of them, taken forour ownparticular service, and in their employment for our Subjects; provided such orders be first allowed by us, under our Royal Hand."[364]

We may observe that the article of Purveyance is here very gently touched upon, and confined to a sign-manual. Mr. Anderson supposes that there must have been many more thanfiftyCoaches introduced by the above allowance oftwelvehorses; but it seems rather to imply that no Coach-Master should engross more than six Coaches to himself. This also might be a tacit mode of preserving a supply of horses to be purveyed for the King when necessary.

One may collect from hence that private Coaches were sparingly kept, by the mention of the Nobility and Gentry.

Hitherto we have found the Hackney Coaches under the regulation of the Crown, or its immediate Officers; but we are now to look for them at a time when the Monarchical Government was suspended, during the Protectorate. Whether the Master of the Horse received any emolument from granting the above Licences, is not apparent; but under the Commonwealth we find that the Coaches became subject to a tax towards the expence of their regulation; for by an Act of Oliver's Parliament, A. D. 1654, the number of such Coaches, within London and Westminster, was enlarged totwo hundred[365]. The outlying distance was also augmented tosixmilesround the late lines of communication, as the Statute expresses it; by which I conceive that the greatest distance was extended toninemiles, including thethreeprescribed,or rather enjoined, by the regulating proclamation of King Charles I. in the year 1635. By this Act of Oliver's Parliament, the government of the Hackney Coaches, with respect to theirstands,rates, &c. was placed in the Court of Aldermen of London; and as, of course, this new business would require Clerks, and other officers, to supervise it, the Coach-Masters were made subject to the payment oftwenty shillingsyearly for every such Coach.

Here we have brought the Coaches under a Police similar to that of our own time; but it did not long remain in the hands of the Corporation; for in the year after the Restoration, the establishment was new-modelled by an Act of the 13th and 14th of King Charles II. 1661, wherein it is specified that no Coaches were to be used without a Licence,—who may be entitled to such Licences,—that the number shall not exceed 400,—what shall be the rates,—with penalties for exacting more[366].

Each of these four hundred Coaches solicensed was obliged to pay annually five pounds for the privilege, to be applied towards the keeping in repair certain parts of the streets of London and Westminster[367]; a very rational appropriation of such fund, for who ought so much to contribute to the amendment of the streets, as those who lived by their demolition?

"Nex Lex æquior ulla, quam," &c.

Within a few years after the Revolution (anno 5 Gul. et Mar. ch. xxii.) the number of Coaches arose to seven hundred, each of which paid to the Crown annually four pounds. This, primâ facie, one would suppose was a relief to the Coach-Masters, and that the reduction in the impost accrued from the number; but that was not the case, for every Owner, for each Coach, was constrained to pay down fifty pounds for his first Licence for twenty-one years, or forego his employment; which seeming indulgence was, in fact, paying five poundsper annumfor that term; whereas, probably, the Coach-Masterwould rather have continued at the former five pounds, and have run all risks, than have purchased an exclusive privilege, in the gross, at so high a price.

The finances, and even the resources, of Government, must have been very low at this moment, or Ministry could never have stooped to so paltry and oppressive an expedient, to raise so small a sum as would arise from these Licences. By the increase of the number of Coaches from four hundred at five poundsper annum, to seven hundred at four poundsper annum, the gain to the Treasury was £.800 annually:—and what did the licences at fifty pounds each Coach, for the term of twenty-one years, yield to the State?—£.3,500! Whereas, had such lease of the privilege of driving a Coach been kept at the rack rent of five poundsper annum, it had produced in that period £.14,700.

Thus, however the matter rested, till the ninth year of Queen Anne, 1710, when a Statute was made, which brought the business to its present standard, with a few variations, which will be observed in the order of time. By this Act every circumstance was newmodelled; for thereby the Crown was impowered to appoint five Commissioners for regulating and licensing both Hackney Coaches and Chairs, from the time the late Statute of the fifth of William and Mary should expire,viz.at Midsummer A. D. 1715, authorizing such Commissioners to grant licences to eight hundred Hackney Coaches from that time for the term of thirty-two years, which should be allowed to be driven in the Cities of London and Westminster, and the Suburbs thereof, or any where within the Bills of Mortality; each Coach paying for such privilege the sum of five shillingsperweek[368]. It was at the same time enacted, that from the 24th of June, 1711, allhorsesto be used with an Hackney Coach shall be fourteen hands high, according to the standard; and further, that everyCoachandChairshall have a mark of distinction, "byfigureor otherwise," as the Commissioners shall think fit; and "the saidmarkshall be placed on each side of every such Coach and Chair respectively, in themost convenient place to be taken notice of, to the end that they may be known if any complaints shall be made of them[369]."

This was all that could then be done respecting theCoaches, forasmuch as the old term of twenty-one years, granted in the fifth year of William and Mary, 1694, was subsisting, whereby seven hundred Coaches were allowed, and for which privilege the Owners had paid fifty pounds each, on whom Government shewed some tenderness. With regard, however, to regulation, &c. there was, no doubt, room sufficient for the exercise of the powers given to the Commissioners. There was, likewise, another object involved in this Statute;viz.theChairs, which were not comprehended in the same agreement and contract with the Coaches, but were open immediately to new laws. Therefore under the same commissions was placed the management and licensing of the Hackney Chairs, to commence from the 24th of June in the following year, 1711, for the said termof thirty-two years; which were thereby limited to the number oftwo hundred, each paying for such licence the annual sum of ten shillings[370]. As the number of both Coaches and Chairs was enlarged, whereby many new persons would come forward, perhaps to the ousting of the old Coach-Masters and Chair-Masters, it is required by this Act that the Commissioners shall give a preference to such of the Lessees, as I may call them, whose terms had not then expired, whether the right remained in themselves or their widows, if they applied within a given time[371].

By this statute likewise the rates were limited to time and distance, at ten shillings by the Day.—One shilling and six pence forthe first Hour, and one shilling for every succeeding Hour.—One shilling for the distance of a mile and a half.—One shilling and six pence for any distance more than a mile and a half, and not exceeding two miles; and so on, in the proportion of six pence for every succeeding half mile.

The Chairs are likewise at the same time rated at two-thirds of the distance prescribed to the Coaches, so that they were allowed to take one shilling for a mile, and six pence for every succeeding half mile.

Though the time of waiting is not specified in the Act with regard to the Chairs, yet it follows, by implication, to be intended the same as the Coaches. These have been altered by a very late Statute, 1785. It is well known that it is left in the option of either Coachmen or Chairmen, whether they will be paid by the distance or the time, which is but a reasonable privilege; but there is another circumstance, not generally known, of which the passengers are not perhaps aware,viz. that if the room which a Coach will occupy in turning about should exceed the distanceallowed, the Coachman is entitled to a larger fare, that is, as much as if he had gone another half mile. The doctrine is the same respecting Chairs, and the room allowed is eight yards in the case of a Coach, and four yards in the case of a Chair. As the Statute gives all competent allowances to the Coachmen and Chairmen, so it was requisite, on the other hand, to make the contract obligatory, and that each of them should be compellable to perform their parts; and therefore, to do this, and at the same time to prevent extortion, it became necessary to add a severe penal clause,viz."that if any Hackney-Coachman or Chairman shall refuse to go at, or shall exact more for his hire than, the several rates hereby limited, he shall, for every such offence, forfeit the sum offorty shillings." These penalties were, by this Act, to have gone in the proportion oftwo-thirds to the Queen, andone-third to the Plaintiff. [Since made half to the Crown and half to the Complainant.] The Coachmen and Chairmen are thereby likewise liable to be deprived of their Licences for misbehaviour, or by givingabusive language[372]. On the other hand, that the Coachmen and Chairmen might have a remedy in case of refusal to pay them their just fare, any Justice of the Peace is impowered, upon complaint, to issue a warrant to bring before him the Recusant, and to award reasonable satisfaction to the party aggrieved, or otherwise to bind him over to the next Quarter-Session, where the Bench is empowered to levy the said satisfaction by distress. The Act proceeds to other matters touching the Commissioners themselves, &c.; and then states, that whereas by a Statute of the 29th of Charles II. the use of all Hackney Coaches and Chairs had been prohibited on Sundays, it gives full power both to stand and to ply as on other days.[373]

This is the substance of the Act before us; but it may here be observed, that in the 10th year of the Queen, 1711,one hundred more Chairswere added by Statute, subject to the same regulations as the rest, being found notonly convenient but necessary; as the number of Coaches, consistently with Public Faith, could not be enlarged till the year 1715, when the old term of twenty-one years should have expired.

Before all the provisions in the Act of the year 1710, referred to the future period of 1715, could take place, a demise of the Crown intervened, A. D. 1714, by which all such clauses, which extended to a future time, were of course become a nullity.

By Act 12 George I. chap. 12, the number of Chairs was raised to 400, on account of the increase of Buildings Westward.[374]

* * * * * * * *

To shew how trifling, though necessary conveniences, arise to great and expensive luxuries, let us remark the original insignificant appendage of what we call the Hammer Cloth. It was requisite that the Coachman should have a few implements in case of accidents, or a sudden and little repair was wanting to the Coach; for which purpose he carried a hammer with a few pins, nails, &c. with him, and placed them under his seat, made hollow to hold them, and which from thence was called the Coach Box; and, in a little time, in order to conceal this unsightly appearance, a cloth was thrown over the box and its contents, of which a hammer was the chief, and thence took the name of the Hammer-Cloth. This is my idea of the etymon of these two common terms. And here again it can but be observed that this little appendage is now become the most striking and conspicuous ornament of the equipage.

About the year 790, Charlemagne granted an unlimited right of hunting to the Abbot and Monks of Sithin, for making theirGlovesand Girdles of the Skins of the Deer they killed, and Covers for their Books. [Mabillon de Re Diplom. p. 611. Grose.]

Anciently richly adorned and decorated with precious Stones,—as in the Rolls of Parliament, anno 53 Hen. III. A. D. 1267. "Et de 2 ParibusChirothecarumcum lapidibus." [Warton's History of Poetry, vol. I. p. 182, note. Grose.]

Edward Vere, Earl of Oxford, according to Mr. Walpole's account, on the authority of Stowe,—"having travelled into Italy, is recorded to have been the first that brought into EnglandembroideredGlovesand Perfumes; and presenting the Queen [Elizabeth] with a Pair of the former, she wasso pleased with them, as to be drawn with them in one of her Portraits." [Royal and Noble Authors, vol. i. p. 159. Note to Winter's Tale, edit. Johnson and Steevens, 1778, p. 388.]

"GiveGlovesto the Reapers, a Largesse to cry."

[Tusser,v.Hist. of Hawsted. 190.]

The Monastery of Bury allowed its Servants two pence apiece forGlove-Silverin Autumn. [Hist. of Hawsted. 190.]

The rural Bridegroom, in Laneham's (or Langham's) Account of the Entertainment of Queen Elizabeth at Kenelworth Castle, 1575, had—a Payr ofHarvest Gloveson his Hands, as a sign of good Husbandry. Id. in eod.

When Sir Thomas Pope, the Founder of Trinity College, Oxford, visited it, 1556, "The Bursars offered him a present of embroideredGloves." [Warton's Life of Sir Thomas Pope, p. 119.]

When Sir Thomas Pope had founded the College, the University complimented him with a Letter of Thanks, which was accompaniedwith a Present ofrich Gloves, 1556. [Warton's Life, p. 132, note.] The Gloves were sent both to himself and Lady, and cost 6s.8d.[Id. in eod.]

After the death of Sir Thomas Pope, his Widow married Sir Hugh Powlett; on which occasion the College presented her, as the Wife of the Founder, with a Pair of very rich Gloves, the charge for which runs—ProPari Chirothecarumdat. Dom. Powlett et Domine Fundatrici, xvi s. Idem, p. 185. See also p. 191, ubi sæpe; and p. 411. "Pro Chirothecis Magistri Pope, xxxii s.

An article charged in the Bursar's books of Trinity College, Oxford, is "pro fumigatisChirothecis." [Warton.] These were often given to College-Tenants, and Guests of Distinction; but this fell into disuse soon after the Reign of Charles I. Idem. [Grose.]

George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, received aGlovefrom Queen Elizabeth. The Queen had dropped it, when he taking it up to return to her, she presented it to him as a mark of her esteem. He adorned it withJewels, and wore it in the front of his Hat on days of Tournaments. It is expressed in a print of him by Robert White. [Bray's Tour, p. 319.]

See for Gloves worn in Hats, Old Plays, vol. ii. p. 132, second edition: King Lear, act iii. sc. 4. edit, 1778 by Johnson and Steevens.

N. B. Such Tokens as these were calledFavours[375], from whence we derive the term for Ribbons given on Weddings. I presume they are supposed to be given by the hand of the Bride.

Dr. Glisson, in his last visit to Queen Elizabeth, received from her a Pair of rich Spanish leatherGloves, embossed on the backs and tops with gold embroidery, and fringed round with gold plate. The Queen, as he tells us, pulled them from her own Royal Hands, saying, "Here, Glisson, wear them for my sake." Life of Corinna (or Mrs. Eliz. Thomas), p. xxxi.

Perfumed Gloves[376]; v. supra.

"These Gloves the Count sent me; they are an excellentPerfume."

Much Ado about Nothing, act ii. sc. 4.

Gloves given at Weddings. Old Plays, vol. v. p. 8.

A Glove hung up in a Church, as a public Challenge. Gilpin's Life of Bernard Gilpin, by Mr. Gilpin, p. 179.

Swearing by Gloves, in jocular conversation, very common. "Aye, by these Gloves!" is an expression I have somewhere seen.

Ladies' Sleeves, as well as Gloves, were worn as tokens of Gallantry. Vide Troil. and Cress, act. v. sc. 2. edit. Johnson and Steevens, 1778.

Gifts that admitted of it (especially to Women from Men) were usually worn on the Sleeve.

"I knew her by this Jewel on herSleeve."

Love's Labour Lost, act v. sc. 1.

Fairings, and such Tokens, were of this sort. Hence the Question and Answer.

Q. What have you brought me? (from the Fair, &c.)A. Anew nothing, to pin on yourSleeve.

Hence also topinone'sFaithupon another'sSleeve.

"Wear my Heart upon my Sleeve."

Othello, act i. sc. 1.

F. Grose, Esq. toS. Pegge, F. S. A.

September 4, 1784.Dear Sir,I have had such a variety of interruptions (agreeable ones), that I have made no hand of yourGloves:all that has occurred on that subject, I here send you.Blood, who attempted to steal the Crown, presented Mr. Edwards, Keeper of the Jewel Office, withfourPair of White Gloves, as from his Wife, in gratitude for his civility to her in a pretended qualm or sickness. The whole transaction is in Maitland's History of London.To give one's Glove was considered as a challenge. See Shakspeare, in Hen. V. Itis still considered in that light by the Highlanders, of which I once saw an instance in Flanders. Dropping the Gauntlet, at the Coronation, is a kind of challenge.When the Judge invites the Justices to dine with him at a County Assize, a Glove is handed about by the Crier or Clerk of the Court, who delivers the invitation; into this Glove every one invited puts a shilling.A Bribe is called a Pair of Gloves.In a Play, I think called the Twin Rivals, an Alderman presents his Glove, filled with Broad Pieces, to a Nobleman, as a Bribe to procure a Commission for his Son.Item, for three dozen Leder Gloves, 12s. Vide Account of Henry VII. in Remembrancer's Office.I set off next week for Christchurch, where I propose staying a month, or six weeks at farthest. My best wishes attend you and yours.Adieu!F. Grose.

September 4, 1784.

Dear Sir,

I have had such a variety of interruptions (agreeable ones), that I have made no hand of yourGloves:all that has occurred on that subject, I here send you.

Blood, who attempted to steal the Crown, presented Mr. Edwards, Keeper of the Jewel Office, withfourPair of White Gloves, as from his Wife, in gratitude for his civility to her in a pretended qualm or sickness. The whole transaction is in Maitland's History of London.

To give one's Glove was considered as a challenge. See Shakspeare, in Hen. V. Itis still considered in that light by the Highlanders, of which I once saw an instance in Flanders. Dropping the Gauntlet, at the Coronation, is a kind of challenge.

When the Judge invites the Justices to dine with him at a County Assize, a Glove is handed about by the Crier or Clerk of the Court, who delivers the invitation; into this Glove every one invited puts a shilling.

A Bribe is called a Pair of Gloves.

In a Play, I think called the Twin Rivals, an Alderman presents his Glove, filled with Broad Pieces, to a Nobleman, as a Bribe to procure a Commission for his Son.

Item, for three dozen Leder Gloves, 12s. Vide Account of Henry VII. in Remembrancer's Office.

I set off next week for Christchurch, where I propose staying a month, or six weeks at farthest. My best wishes attend you and yours.

Adieu!

F. Grose.

What we callErmineis an erroneous conception, for we give the name to White Fur tufted with Black, whereas it is the Black only that is properly Ermine, of which numberless instances may be produced, and this is one.

Powderings on her Bonnet.—This may require an explanation to those who are unacquainted with the language of that age. What we call Ermine, is a compound, which will bear a little analysis, for it is formed of the Fur of one animal, and the tip of the Tail of another. The White Ground is, properly speaking,Minever, so called from a Russian animal of that name. [v. Philips's Dictionary, in voce.] The Ermine is the Armenian Mouse, the tip of whose Tail is Black, which being placed as a falling tuft upon the Minever, forms what we collectively call Ermine, the value of which is enhancedthe more, as one animal can afford but one tuft. [v. Bailey's Dict, in voce.] Every one of these tufts is termed aPowdering.

The Heralds make a distinction between the singularErmine, and the Plural,Ermines; the latter, in their language, importing Black powdered with White: and they go into still more minute modifications,Erminois, &c.

First, none shall wear an Ermine, or Lettice-Bonnet, unless she be a Gentlewoman born, having Arms.

Item, aGentleman's Wife, she being a Gentlewoman born, shall wear an Ermine or Lettice Bonnet, havingonePowdering in the Top. And if she be of honourable stock, to havetwoPowderings, one before another, in the Top.

Item, anEsquire's Wife to havetwoPowderings.

Item, anEsquire's Wifefor the Bodyto wearfivePowderings; and if she be of great Blood,twobefore, which maketh seven.

Item, aKnight's Wife to wear on her Bonnet,sevenPowderings, oreightat the most, because of higher Blood, as before.

Item, aBanneret's Wife to weartenPowderings.

Item, aBaron's Wifethirteen.

Item, aViscount's [Wife] to weareighteen.

Item, aCountessto weartwenty-four. And above that Estate the number convenient, at their pleasures.

Ex Bibl. Harl. No. 1776. fol. 31. b.

The French Queens, before the Reign of Charles VIII. woreWhiteupon the death of the King; and were called "Reines Blanches." It was changed toBlackon the death of Charles VIII. 1498. [See P. Dan. Hist. iv. 590.]

In a Wardrobe account for half a year, to Lady-day 1684 (a MS. purchased by Mr. Brander at the sale of the Library of Geo.Scot, Esq. of Woolston-Hall, 1781), are the following entries for the King's Mourning.

"A Grey Coat lined with Murrey and White flowered Silk, with Gold Loops, and four Crape Hat-bands."

Again, "A Sad-coloured Silk Coat, lined with Gold-striped Lutestring, with Silver-and-Silk Buttons; and a Purple Crape Hatband."

Again, "A Purple Coat."

The Emperor Leopold, who died 1705, never shaved his Beard during the time of Mourning, which often lasted for a long time. [Bancks's Hist. of Austria, p. 277.]

The Empress-Dowagers never lay aside their Mourning, and even their Apartments are hung with Black till their deaths. [Bancks's Hist. of Austria, p. 400. He says this from Baron Polnitz's Memoirs, vol. iv. p. 46.]

The Bavarian Family never give a Black Livery, or line their Coaches, in the deepest Mourning. [Polnitz, i. letter 22.]

The Pope's Nieces never wear Mourning, not even for their nearest Relations; as the Romans reckon it so great a happiness for aFamily to have a Pope in it, that nothing ought to afflict his Holiness's kindred. [Polnitz's Memoirs, ii. letter 33.]

Queen Anne, on the death of Prince George of Denmark, wore Black and White, with a mixture of Purple in some part of her Dress. The precedent was taken from that worn by Mary Queen of Scots for the Earl of Darnley, which was exactly in point. [Secret History of England, ii. 299.]

King Charles I. put the Court into Mourning for one Day on the death of the Earl of Portland (Richard Weston), Lord High Treasurer. [Stafford's Letters, i. 389.]

Mrs. Thomas's Great Grand-Father was Mr. RichardShute, a Turkey Merchant, one of the Members for the City of London, and much favoured by King Charles I. who gavehim the Name ofSattin-Shute, by way of distinction from another Branch of the same Name and Family, and from his usually wearing aSattinDoublet cut upon White Taffata.

"Without doubt," says Mrs. Thomas (for she was her own Biographer), "he was very nice in the mode of that Age, his Valet being some hours every morning instarchinghisBeard, andcurlinghisWhiskers; but," continues she, "during that time a Gentleman, whom he maintained as a Companion, always read to him on some useful subject." He lived in Leaden-Hall Street, the site on which stands the India House, and had a Country-seat at Berking, in Essex. Here he had a very fine Bowling-green, as he delighted much in that exercise. The King, who was fond of the diversion, once told Mr. Shute, he would dine with him some day, and try his skill on his Bowling-green. The King went, and was so pleased with the place, it being very retired, and likewise with Mr. Shute's skill in Bowling (he being accounted one of the best Bowlers of his time), that he frequentlyvisited afterwards Berking-Hall, without any Guards, and with three or four select Gentlemen, his attendants, when, as the King expressed it, he had a mind todrop State, and enjoy himself as a private man:—"Ah, Shute," said he one day, with a deep sigh, "how much happier than I art thou, in this blessed retirement, free from the cares of a Crown, a factious Ministry, and rebellious Subjects!" They generally played high, and punctually paid their losings; and though Mr. Shute often won, yet the King would, one day, set higher than usual, and, having lost several games, gave over; when Mr. Shute said,—"An please your Majesty,One thousand pounds rubber more, perhaps Luck may turn:"—"No, Shute," replied the King, laying his hand gently on his shoulder, "Thou hast won the day, and much good may it do thee, but I must remember I have a Wife and Children." P. xxi.

This place was afterwards dismantled by Mr. Shute's heir, and in a few years became a ploughed field. The King gave Mr. Shute several places; among which were the DeputyLieutenancy of the Ordnance, and the Mastership of St. Cross's Hospital, to the amount of four thousand poundsper annum. P. xxv.

These he gave up when the Civil War broke out; and retired to Hamburgh, where he died a few years after the death of the King. P. xxvii.

William the Conqueror playeddeep; for, tradition says, that Walter Fitzbourne, a Norman Knight, and great Favourite of the King, playing at Chess on a Summer's evening, on the banks of theOuse, with the King, won all he played for. The King threw down the Board, saying he had nothing more to play for. "Sir," said Sir Walter, "here is land." "There is so," replied the King; "and if thou beatest me this Game also, thine be all the Land on this side the Bourne, or River, which thou canst see as thou sittest." He had the good fortune towin; and the King, clapping him on the shoulder, said, "Henceforth thou shalt no more be calledFitzbourne, butOusebourne."' Hence it is supposed came the name ofOsborne. Life of Corinna, p. xxviii.

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