On His Wedding-day.“Here’s a happy new year! But with reasonI beg you’ll permit me to say—Wish me many returns of the season,But as few as you please of the day.”
On His Wedding-day.
“Here’s a happy new year! But with reasonI beg you’ll permit me to say—Wish me many returns of the season,But as few as you please of the day.”
At a later period he wrote—
“This day, of all our days, has doneThe worst formeandyou:’Tis just six years since we wereone,And five since we weretwo.”
Lord Byron’s friend, Thomas Moore, wrote many excellent epigrams, and not a few were penned about him. He published his first volume of poems under the name of Thomas Little. It is stated that a lady found a copy of the book under the pillow of her maid’s bed, and wrote on it in pencil:—
“You readLittle, I guess;I wish you’d readless.”
The servant was equal to her mistress, and wrote:—
“I read Little before,Now I mean to readMoore.”
Lord Byron wrote the following in 1811 on Moore’s farcical opera:—
“Good plays are scarce;So Moore writes farce;The poet’s fame grows brittle—We knew beforeThat Little’s Moore,But now ’tis Moore that’s Little.”
Respecting Moore’s duel with Lord Jeffrey, Theodore Hook composed the following lines:—
“When Anacreon would fight, as the poets have said,A reverse he displayed in his vapour,For while all his poems were loaded with lead,His pistols were loaded with paper.For excuses, Anacreon old custom may thank,Such salvo he should not abuse;For the cartridge, by rule, is always made blankThat is fired away atReviews.”
“Moore is here called Anacreon,” says W. Davenport Adams, “in allusion to his translations from that poet.” The duel was owing to an article in theEdinburgh Review, which Moore thought proper to resent by challenging the editor. The combatants were, however, arrested on the ground, and conveyed to Bow Street, where the pistols were found to contain merely a charge of powder, the balls having in some way disappeared. Byron alludes to the circumstance inEnglish Bards and Scotch Reviewers:—
“When Little’s leadless pistol met his eye,And Bow Street myrmidons stood laughing by.”
After this strange encounter, the poet and critic were firm friends.
Slips of the pen have given rise to some smart epigrammatic corrections. Albert Smith wrote in an album as follows:—
“Mont Blanc is the Monarch of Mountains,They crown’d him long ago;But who they got to put it onNobody seems to know.”Albert Smith.
Thackeraywas successfully solicited to contribute to the same book, and wrote under the fore-going:—
A Humble Suggestion.“I know that Albert wrote in a hurry,To criticize I scarce presume;But methinks that Lindley Murray,Instead ofwhohad writtenwhom.”W. M. Thackeray.
A Humble Suggestion.
“I know that Albert wrote in a hurry,To criticize I scarce presume;But methinks that Lindley Murray,Instead ofwhohad writtenwhom.”W. M. Thackeray.
Samuel Warren on one occasion made a slip in writing in an album, misquoting Moore, writing “glory’s throb” instead of “glory’s thrill.” The mistake formed the subject of the followingimpromptulines by Mr. Digby Seymour:—
“Warren, thy memory was poorThe Irish bard to rob,Had you remembered Tommy Moore,Glory would ‘thrill,’ not ‘throb.’”
The vanity of Mr. Warren was unusually largely developed, and gave rise to a number of amusing anecdotes. Sir George Rose thus refers to his weakness:—
“Samuel Warren, though able, yet vainest of men,Could he guide with discretion his tongue and his pen,His course would be clear for—‘Ten Thousand a Year;’But limited else be a brief—‘Now and Then.’”
For a long period Mr. Warren was the Recorder for Hull. Mr. Thompson, theTown Clerk, was a gentleman of cultivated literary tastes, and able to compose a neat epigram. He wrote the following:—
“Our Recorder, Sam Warren, from all that I hear,Is one of the kindest of men,For a friend he presents with ‘Ten Thousand a Year,’And adds to the gift ‘Now and Then.’”
Mr. William Harrison Ainsworth, the romance writer, was very unpopular with the contributors ofPunch, and many were the satires on him in its pages. Colburn published a magazine, in which many of Ainsworth’s novels appeared, and this gave rise to the following epigram:—
“Says Ainsworth to Colburn:‘A plan in my pate isTo give my romance asA supplement gratis.’“Says Colburn to Ainsworth:‘’Twill do very nicely,For that will be chargingIts value precisely.’”
In early manhood, Edwin Paxton Hood called upon Bulwer Lytton without any introduction. The servant told him that his master could not be seen. On receiving the intimation, Hood took out of his pocket pencil and paper, and wrote as follows:—
“A son of song, to fame unknown,Stands waiting in your hall below;Your footman tells him to begone;Say, mighty Bulwer, shall he go?”
It is not surprising to learn that the impromptu lines proved an effective introduction. The interview was the first of many pleasant meetings between the author ofThe Caxtonsand Mr. Paxton Hood.
Literaryby-paths furnish some singular specimens of poetical graces. We produce a few for the entertainment of our readers.
Robert Fergusson, the Edinburgh poet, was born in 1751, and was a student at St. Andrews’ University from his thirteenth to his seventeenth year. It was the duty of each student, in turn, to ask a blessing at the dinner table. One day, to the consternation of all, the youthful bard repeated the following lines:
“For rabbits young, and for rabbits old,For rabbits hot, and for rabbits cold,For rabbits tender, and for rabbits tough,Our thanks we render, for we’ve had enough.”
The masters of the college deliberated how they should punish the graceless poet. It was finally resolved not to censure him, but to have in the future a more spare supply of rabbits. Poor Fergusson’s sad career closed in a lunatic asylum at an early age, not, however, before he had enriched Scottish poetical literature with some important contributions.
Burns appears to have had a great admiration for this wayward son of song. He placed over his remains in the Canongate Churchyard, Edinburgh, a tombstone bearing the following inscription:—
“Here lies Robert Fergusson,Poet, born September 5th, 1751,Died October 16th, 1774.No sculptured marble here, nor pompous layNo storied urn, nor animated bust;This simple stone directs pale Scotia’s wayTo pour her sorrows o’er her Poet’s dust.”
On the back of the stone it is stated:—
“By special grant of the Managers to Robert Burns, who erected this stone, this burial place is ever to remain sacred to the memory of Robert Fergusson.”
More than one poetical grace is attributed to the facile pen of Burns. His grace before dinner is well known, and is as follows:—
“Oh Thou who kindly dost provideFor every creature’s want!We bless Thee, God of nature wide,For all Thy goodness lent:And if it please Thee, Heavenly guide,May never worse be sent,But whether granted or denied,Lord, bless us with content.”
It is said that at one of Burns’s convivial dinners he was desired to say grace, and he gave the following, impromptu:
“O Lord we do Thee humbly thankFor what we little merit;—Now Jean may tak’ the flesh away,And Will bring on the spirit.”
On one occasion a rhymster, who had placed before him a supper small in quantity and poor in quality, invoked a blessing with the following lines:—
“O Thou who bless’d the loaves and fishesLook down upon these two poor dishes;And though the ’tatoes be but small,Lord make them large enough for all;For if they do our bellies fill,’Twill be a wondrous miracle.”
This reminds us of an epigram entitled “Dress v. Dinner:”—
What is the reason, can you guess,Why men are poor, and women thinner?So much do they for dinner dress,There’s nothing left to dress for dinner.
On a graceless peer an epigrammatist wrote:—
“‘By proxy I pray, and by proxy I vote,’A graceless peer said to a churchman of note;Who answered,‘My lord, then I venture to say,You’ll to heaven ascend in a similar way.’”
Here is a grateful grace:—
“Some hae meat that canna eat,An’ some cou’d eat that want it;But we hae meat, an’ we can eat,Sae let the Lord be thankit.”
The Rev. Samuel Wesley, formerly vicar of Epworth, and another friend were entertained to dinner at Temple Belwood, by a host noted as a strange compound of avarice and oddity. Mr. Wesley returned thanks with the following impromptu lines:—
“Thanks for the feast, for ’tis no lessThan eating manna in the wilderness,Here meagre famine bears controlless sway,And ever drives each fainting wretch away.Yet here, O how beyond a saint’s belief,We’ve seen the glories of a chine of beef;Here chimneys smoke, which never smoked before,And we have dined, where we shall dine no more.”
In conclusion we give a vegetarian grace. The first four lines are to be said before the meal:—
“These fruits do Thou, O Father, bless,Which Mother Earth to us doth give;No blood doth stain our feast to day,In Thee we trust, and peaceful live.”
The next is a form of thanksgiving after a vegetarian meal:—
“We thank Thee, Lord, for these Thy fruits,Which Mother Earth to us doth give;No blood hath stained our feast to-day,In Thee we trust, and peaceful live!”
Ina variety of places, but more especially in old village inns, reflections in verse, good, bad, and indifferent, have been found scratched upon window-panes. We have carefully copied the best examples which have come under our notice, and present a batch herewith, believing that they may entertain our readers.
A genial old Yorkshire parson appears at the commencement of the present century to have been greatly pleased with an inn situated between Northallerton and Boroughbridge, for he visited it daily to enjoy his pipe and glass. On one of its window-panes he inscribed some lines, of which the following is a literal copy:—
“Here in my wicker chair I sitt,From folly far, and far from witt,Content to live, devoid of care,With country folks and country fare;To listen to my landlord’s tale,And drink his health in Yorkshire ale;Then smoak and read theYork Courant;I’m happy and ’tis all I want.Though few my tythes, and light my purse,I thank my God it is no worse.”
Here is another Yorkshire example, written towards the close of the last century; it is from an old wayside inn near Harewood-bridge, on the Leeds and Harrogate road:—
“Gaily I lived, as Ease and Nature taught,And passed my little Life without a thought;I wonder, then, why Death, that tyrant grim,Should think of me, who never thought of him.”
Under the foregoing, the following was written:
“Ah! why forget that Death should think of thee;If thou art Mortal, such must surely be;Then rouse up reason, view thy hast’ning end,And lose no time to make God thy Friend.”
In the old coaching days, the Dog and Doublet, at Sandon, Staffordshire, was a popular house. A guest wrote on one of its window panes the following recommendation:—
“Most travellers to whom these roads are known,Would rather stay at Sandon than at Stone!Good chaises, horses, treatment, and good wines,They always meet with at James Ballantine’s.”
A penniless poet wrote on a tavern window-pane the lines:—
“O Chalk! to me, and to the poor, a friend,On Thee my life and happiness depend;On Thee with joy, with gratitude I think,For, by thy bounty, I both eat and drink.”
“Chalk” is a slang word for credit. Innkeeperskept their accounts on the back of a door, written with chalk.
The following epigram was written under a pane disfigured with autographs:—
“Should you ever chance to see,A man’s name writ on a glass,Be sure he owns a diamond,And his parent owns an ass.”
On the accession of Her Majesty, thisjeu d’espritwas inscribed on an inn window:—
“The Queen’s with us, the Whigs exulting say;For when she found us in, she let us stay.It may be so; but give me leave to doubtHow long she’ll keep you when she finds you out.”
The following lines dated 1793, were written on a window-pane at the Hotel des Pays Bas, Spa Belgium:—
“I love but one, and only one,Ah, Damon, thou art he!Love thou but one, and only one,And let that one be me!”
Early in the present century, it was customary for the actors to write their names on the panes in one of the windows of the York Theatre. On the glass of the same window were found inscribed these lines.
“The rich man’s name embellished stands on brass;The player simply scribbles his on glass,Appropriate tablet to the wayward fate—A brittle shining, evanescent state:The fragile glass destroyed—farewell the name;The actor’s glass consumed—farewell his fame.”
Our next example, dated 1834, from Purwell Hall, Batley, Yorkshire, was composed by a Miss Taylor. It is generally believed that her heart was won by a lover who did not meet with the approbation of her friends, and that they made her prisoner in one of the rooms of the old Hall, and there, on a pane of glass, were written the lines which follow:—
“Come, gentle Muse, wont to divertCorroding cares from anxious heart;Adjust me now to bear the smartOf a relenting angry heart.What though no being I have on earth,Though near the place that gave me birth,And kindred less regard do payThan thy acquaintance of to-day:Know what the best of men declare,That they on earth but strangers are,Nor matter it a few years henceHow fortune did to thee dispense,If—in a palace thou hast dwelt,Or—in a cell of penury felt—Ruled as a prince—served as a slave,Six feet of earth is all thou’lt have.Hence give my thoughts a nobler theme,Since all the world is but a dreamOf short endurance.”
Robert Burns wrote several lines on tavern windows. On a pane of glass at the Queensberry Arms, Sanquhar, he inscribed the following.
“Ye gods! ye gave to me a wifeOut of your grace and favour,To be a comfort to my life;And I was glad to have her.But if your providence divineFor other ends design her,To obey your will at any time,I’m ready to resign her.”
Next may be quoted:—
“Envy, if thy jaundiced eyeThrough this window chance to pry,To thy sorrow, thou wilt findAll that’s generous, all that’s kind:Virtue, friendship, every graceDwelling in this happy place.”
Burns’s lines written on the window-panes of the Globe Tavern, Dumfries, have frequently been quoted. The following inscription refers to the charms of the daughter of the factor of Closeburn estate, when the poet resided at Ellisland:—
“O lovely Polly Stewart,O charming Polly Stewart,There’s not a flower that blooms in May,That’s half so fair as thou art.”
In some editions of the poet’s works, the following verse, stated to have been copied from a window of the same tavern, is given:—
“The graybeard, Old Wisdom, may boast of his treasures;Grant me with gay Folly to live;I grant him his calm-blooded, time settled pleasures;But Folly has raptures to give.”
Such are a few of the many rhymes scratched upon glass. Some of the panes on which they were inscribed may now be broken, and this may be the only means of preserving them.
Englishfolk-rhymes are very numerous and curious. Characteristics of persons and places have given rise to not a few which are frequently far from complimentary. Weather-lore is often expressed in rhyme; the rustic muse has besides rendered historic events popular, and enabled persons to remember them who are not readers of books. The lines often lack polish, but are seldom without point.
Amongst the more ancient rhymes are those respecting grants of land. The following is a good example, and is from Derbyshire:—
“Me and mineGive thee and thineMillners HayAnd Shining Cliff,While grass is greenAnd hollies rough.”
The old story of the grant is thus related. Years ago, a member of the ancient family of Lowe had the honour of hunting with the king and his nobles. Lowe rode a splendid horse, the only one in at the death. The kingadmired the animal very much, and the owner presented it to His Majesty. The horse “mightily pleased the king.” Some little time afterwards, Lowe waited upon the king to beg a brier bed and a watering-place, which were Shining Cliff and Millners Hay. The request was at once complied with. The tale does not end here. It is related that “an envious courtier told the king that he did not know what he was doing, for what he was giving away was a great wood with a large tract of land.” Upon this, Lowe said to His Majesty: “King or no king?”—“Why, king, Lowe.” Adding with prompitude: “The brier-bed and watering-place are thine:” the rhyme above quoted being given as the title for the grant.
It is asserted that Athelstan granted the first charter to the ancient borough of Hedon, Yorkshire, in these words:—
“As free make I theeAs eye see or ear hear.”
It is said a similar charter was granted by the same king to the neighbouring town of Beverley.
An old, old Norfolk rhyme says:—
“Rising was a seaport town,And Lynn it was a wash;But now Lynn is a seaport town,And Rising fares the worst.”
It is said at Norwich:—
“Caistor was a city ere Norwich was none,And Norwich was built of Caistor stone.”
“About half-way between Curbar and Brompton, to the right of the turnpike leading from Barlow to Sheffield,” writes William Wood, “there is, far on the moor, a very level flat piece of ground, near a mile square, most remarkable for its boggy nature, so much so that it is dangerous to cross, or at times to approach. Here, before the Roman invasion, says the legend, stood a town or village, the inhabitants of which lived, according to Diodorus Siculus, in small cots or huts built of wood, the walls of stakes or wattles, like hurdles, and covered with rushes or reeds. These dwellings, with their inhabitants, were swallowed up by one of those convulsions of nature so destructive at times to the habitations of mankind.” Respecting Leechfield and Chesterfield are the following lines current in Derbyshire:—
“When Leechfield was a market town,Chesterfield was gorse and broom;Now Chesterfield’s a market town,Leechfield a marsh is grown.”
Respecting Nertoun, a Somersetshire village, near Taunton, is this couplet:—
“Nertoun was a market-townWhen Taunton was a furzy down.”
A Scottish rhyme says:—
“York was, London is,And Edinburgh will beThe biggest of the three.”
Says a popular English rhyme:—
“Lincoln was, London is,And York shall beThe fairest city of the three.”
In the days of old it was the practice to allow the wives of the Lord Mayors of York to retain by courtesy the title Lady for life, and this custom gave rise to the following couplet:—
“The Lord Mayor’s a lord but a year and a day;But his Lady’s a lady for ever and aye.”
Few English towns have made greater progress than the thriving port of Hull. Its prosperity was predicted long ago:—
“When Myton is pulled down,Hull shall become a great town.”
As a matter of history, it may be stated that when the town was threatened by Charles I., a number of houses in Myton Lane, as well as the Charter-house, were laid in ruins by Sir John Hotham,governor of Hull, so that they might not give shelter to the Royalists. Ray refers to this couplet, and, in error, calls Myton, Dighton.
Selling church-bells has given rise to satirical rhymes. Here are three Lincolnshire rhymes on this topic:—
“The poor Hatton peopleSold the bells to build up the steeple.”
The next says:—
“Owersby’s parish,Wicked people,Sold their bells to KelseyTo build a steeple.”
It is stated in the third:—
“Poor Scartho people,Sold their bells to repair the steeple.”
About 1710, the spire of Arlesey Church, Bedfordshire, fell down, and it is believed the bells were broken. The metal was sold to a distant parish to raise money to rebuild the spire, and until the year 1877 only one small bell was suspended in the steeple to call the inhabitants to the house of prayer. The transaction gave rise to the saying:—
“Arlesey, Arlesey, wicked people,Sold their bells to build their steeple.”
About half a century later, a similar accidentoccurred at Welstead, and the bishop granted a license to sell three of the bells, to enable the parishioners with the proceeds to restore the tower. It gave rise to a taunting distich similar to the one at Arlesey.
On the walls of Newington Church, London, in 1793, was written a rhyme anent the rebuilding of the church without a steeple and selling the bells:—
“Pious parson, pious peopleSold the bells to build the steeple;A very fine trick of the Newington people,To sell the bells to build a steeple.”
Rhymes on steeples are very common; perhaps the best known is the one on Preston, Lancashire:—
“Proud Preston, poor people,High church and low steeple.”
In a somewhat similar strain is the one on Bowness-on-Windermere:—
“New church and old steeple,Poor town and proud people.”
Lincolnshire rhymes are very numerous, and a complete collection would almost fill a book. Here are three:—
“Gainsbro’ proud peopleBuilt a new church to an old steeple.”
According to the next:—
“Luddington poor peopleBuilt a brick church to a stone steeple.”
A question is put and answered thus:—
“Boston! Boston!What hast thou to boast on?High steeple, proud people,And shoals that souls are lost on.”
The village of Ugley, Essex, supplies a satirical couplet:—
“Ugley church, Ugley steeple,Ugley parson, Ugley people.”
An old triplet describes the characteristics of three church spires thus:—
“Bloxham for length,Adderbury for strength,King-Sutton for beauty.”
Almost every district furnishes examples of bell rhymes. We give one example, and it is from Derbyshire:—
“Crich two roller-boulders,Winfield ting-tangs,Alfreton kettles,And Pentrich pans,Kirk-Hallam candlesticks,Cossall cow-bells,Denby cracked puncheons,And Horsley merry bells.”
It is very generally believed in Derbyshire thatthe town of Alfreton was once the stake at a game of cards—“put,” and that the loser exclaimed on the cards being dealt out:—
“If I have not an ace, a deuce, and tray,Farewell, Alfreton, for ever and aye.”
There is a similar couplet respecting Carnfield Hall, near to Alfreton. It is related by Mr. E. Kirk, a Lancashire folk-lorist, that the owner of a large farm in Goosnargh, called Landscales, staked his land at a game of “put.” He received his three cards, which were a tray, a deuce, and an ace, and he put—that is, struck the table with his fist, in proof of his resolution to abide by the issue of his cards. His opponent had two trays and a deuce. The farm was consequently lost, and its owner exclaimed:—
“Ace, deuce, and tray,Landscales, go thy way.”
A Derbyshire rhyme refers to the inhabitants of four places as follows:—
“Ripley ruffians,Butterly blocks,Swanwick bulldogs,Alfreton shacks.”
Equally severe is the following on the people of the villages between Norwich and Yarmouth:—
“Halvergate hares, Reedham rats,Southwood swine, and Cantley cats,Acle asses, Moulton mules,Beighton bears, and Freethorpe fools.”
Of Derbyshire folk it is said:—
“Derbyshire born and Derbyshire bred,Strong in the arm, but weak in the head.”
The next are two Kentish rhymes:—
“Sutton for muttonKerby for beef,South Darve for gingerbread,Dartford for a thief.”
This is complimentary:—
“English lord, German count, and French marquies,A yeoman of Kent is worth all three.”
It is said of Herefordshire:—
“They who buy a house in HerefordshirePay three years’ purchase for the air.”
Says a Gloucestershire rhyme:—
“Blest is the eyeBetwixt Severn and Wye.”
In the same shire is the next couplet:—
“Beggarly Birley, strutting Stroud,Hampton poor, and Painswick proud.”
Many more rhymes similar to the foregoing might be given, if space permitted; but we have only room for a few more examples, and they relate to the weather. An old distich says:—
“When clouds are on the hills,They’ll come down by the mills.”
Another rhyme states:—
“When the mist comes from the hill,Then good weather it doth spill.When the mist comes from the sea,Then good weather it will be.”
In Worcestershire there is a saying:—
“When Bredon Hill puts on his hat,Ye men of the vale, beware of that.”
Says a Yorkshire rhyme:—
“When Oliver’s Mount puts on his hat,Scarbro’ town must pay for that.”
In the same broad shire is a similar couplet:—
“When Ingleboro’ wears a hat,Ribblesdale’ll hear o’ that.”
Thepublic dinner-season in provincial England commences early in October and ends in the middle of March. During that period, at the slightest provocation, our countrymen are prepared to dine together, not with a desire of over-indulgence in eating, but to enjoy the pleasant company usually gathered round the festive board. It is an admitted fact that the men who are in the habit of attending banquets are generally most abstemious. Speech, story, and song form a pleasing part of the proceedings of literary-society dinners, masonic banquets, and the more homely but not less enjoyable suppers held in connection with the Burns’ Clubs. The toast lists and menu cards are often very interesting; they are frequently artistic in design, and enriched with quotations from the poets, which renders them of more than passing interest. A few quotations from some of the best of those which have come under our notice seem worth reproducing. The authors represented cover a wide field,ranging from Shakespeare to Tennyson. The former is the most quotable poet, and he is most frequently drawn upon. Burns, however, runs him very closely.
In turning over a pile of toast lists, the first to attract our attention is the one prepared for the Hull Shakespearean Festival. On the front page is a portrait of the bard and the familiar line of “rare” Ben Jonson:—
“He was not of an age, but for all time.”
Under the first toast—that of the Queen—are two lines fromHenry V.:—
“God and his angels guard your sacred throne,And make you long become it.”
The toast of the evening follows: “The Immortal Memory of Shakespeare”—Dr. Johnson’s well-known verse beneath it:—
“Each change of many-coloured life he drew;Exhausted worlds, and then imagined new;Existence saw him spurn her bounded reign,And panting Time toiled after him in vain.”
The third speaker had for his topic “Shakespeare’s Universality,” with a motto fromRomeo and Juliet:—
“Monarch of the universal earth.”
Actors and actresses were next toasted underthe heading of “Shakespearean Exponents,” with a quotation fromOthello:—
“Speak of me as I am: nothing extenuate,Nor set down aught in malice.”
The next theme was “Shakespeare and Tragedy,” with a line fromRichard III.:—
“I live to look upon their tragedy.”
Then followed “Shakespeare and Comedy,” with two lines from theTaming of the Shrew:—
“Frame your mind for mirth and merriment,Which bars a thousand harms.”
Under the sentiment of “Shakespeare and History,” is a line fromHenry IV.(Part II.):—
“There is a history in all men’s lives.”
Lastly, “Shakespearean Women” were remembered, and under the toast are three lines as follow from the third part ofHenry VI.:—
“’Tis beauty that doth oft make women proud;’Tis virtue that doth make them most admired;’Tis modesty that makes them seem divine.”
The programme of music is headed with a couple of lines fromTwelfth Night:—
“If music be the food of love, play on;Give meexcessof it.”
At the foot of the card is printed “Good Night,” and a quotation fromMacbeth, as follows:—
“At once good night:Stand not upon the order of your going,But go at once.”
The toast list of a local literary society contains some happy quotations from Shakespeare. The speakers are reminded at the commencement of the programme, in the words fromHamlet, that “Brevity is the soul of wit.” The two lines under the toast of “The Prince and Princess of Wales” are fromPericles:—
“As jewels lose their glory if neglected,So princes their renown if not respected.”
A line fromRichard III.:—
“Arm, fight, and conquer for England’s sake.”
was the motto to the toast of “The Army, Navy, and Auxiliary Forces.” Under the toast of “The Officers of the Club” are words fromOthello:—
“We cannot all be masters.”
Two good lines from theTaming of the Shreware given with the toast of “Literature and Science”:—
“My books and instruments shall be my company,On them to look and practise by myself.”
A line under the toast of “The Press” says, in the words of theMerchant of Venice:—
“There are some shrewd contents in your paper.”
We have seen on several menu cards:—
“A good digestion to you all, and once moreI shower a welcome on you—welcome all.”—Henry VIII.
A more general quotation (fromMacbeth) is:—
“Now good digestion wait on appetite,And health on both.”
The bill of fare for the Tercentenary Banquet held in 1864, at Stratford-on-Avon, in honour of Shakespeare, is perhaps the best specimen of cuisine literature ever produced. The following are a few of the edibles and the quotations:—
Roast turkey:—
“Why, here comes swelling like a turkey-cock.”—Henry V.
Roast fowls:—
“There is a fowl without a feather.”—Comedy of Errors.
Ducks:—
“O dainty duck!”—Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Boar’s head:—
“Like a full-acorned boar.”—Cymbeline.
York hams:—
“Sweet stem from York’s great stock.”—Henry VI.(Part I.).
Tongues:—
“Silence is only commendable in a neat’s tongue dried.”—Merchant of Venice.
Mayonnaise of lamb:—
“Was never gentle lamb more mild.”—Richard II.
Braised lamb and beef:—
“What say you to a piece of beef and mustard?A dish that I love to feed upon.”—Taming of the Shrew.
Roast lamb:—
“Come you to seek the lamb here?”—Measure for Measure.
Lobster and mayonnaise salads:—
“Sallet was born to do me good.”—Henry IV.(Part II.).
Dressed lobsters and crabs:—
“There’s no meat like them: I could wish my best friend at such a feast.”—Timon of Athens.
Desserts, cakes, jellies, and creams:—
“The queen of curds and cream.”—Winter’s Tale.
Dressed potatoes:—
“Let the sky rain potatoes.”—Merry Wives of Windsor.
Bitter ale:—
“And here’s the pot of good double beer, neighbour:Drink, and fear not your man.”—Henry VI.(Part II.).
In addition to the foregoing, many interesting and well-chosen quotations appear on the famous bill of fare.
The bill of fare of the Annual Dinner of the Norwich Saint Andrew Society, held in 1896, was headed, “Caird o’ Guid Things”:—
“Kail Bree.Maukin.Cockie Leekie.Guid Caller Fish.Sole-fleuks, baned an’ stovit.Caller Cod wi’ Sauce o’ Caller Ou.THE HAGGIS.“Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,Great Chieftain, o’ the puddin’ race!”“A nip o’ Fairntosh, an’ it’s no ower perjinkitie measure!”Roast an’ Biled.Sheeps’ Hurdies.Sirloins o’ Nowte.Biled Chuckies an’ Tongue.Rostit Bubblyjock wi’ Sausages.Tatties Biled an’ Champit.Curly Kail.“I’m thinkin’, Sandy, we wadna be the waur o’ a drappie.”Roastit Feesants wi’ Raupit Tatties.Confectouri.Figmaleerie o’ Fruits.Jeelies.Plum Puddin’.Mince Pies.Apple Tairts and Cream.Kebbuck wi’ Celery an’ guid Oat Farls.Dessert an’ Coffee.“Let them that wants Coffee, hae Coffee; I’m thinkin’ I’ll hae a dram!”
The birthday of Burns is celebrated in all parts of the world: wherever Scotchmen are located the bard is honoured. We have before us a number of Burns dinner toast lists, and several are headed “Should auld acquaintance be forgot?”
The following are from the toast lists of the Hull Burns’ Club. Under the toast of “The Queen,” two lines appear:—
“In the field of proud honour, our swords in our hand,Our Queen and our country to save.”
To the toast of “The Mayor, Sheriff, and Corporation” is this couplet:—
“How wisdom and folly meet, mix, and unite;How virtue and vice blend their black and their white.”
The toast of the evening, “The Memory of Burns,” has under it the following verse fromThe Cotter’s Saturday Night:—
“O Scotia! my dear, my native soil!For whom my warmest wish to Heaven is sent!Long may thy hardy sons of rustic toilBe blessed with health, and peace, and sweet content.”
We have seen inscribed with this toast a verse from one of Bennoch’s beautiful poems:—
“With reverent silence we will fillA cup whene’er this day returns,And pledge the memory of the Bard,The Bard of Nature—Robert Burns,Immortal Burns.”
Appended to the toast of “The Hull Burns’ Club” are the noble lines:—
“It’s coming yet, for a’ that,That man to man, the warld o’er,Shall brithers be for a’ that.”
“The Visitors,” “Kindred Societies,” are included with suitable quotations. The verse under the toast of “The Press” is a happy selection:—
“Here’s freedom to him that wad read,Here’s freedom to him that wad write,There’s nane ever feared that the truth should be heard,But they whom the truth would indite.”
We have seen the following quoted several times with this toast:—
“A chiel’s amang you takin’ notes,And faith he’ll prent it.”
The concluding toast, that of “The Lassies,” has the familiar lines:—
“The wisest man the warl’ e’er saw,He dearly loved the lassies, O!”
At a dinner of the Hull Literary Club the toast list was enriched with quotations from the works of the Poet Laureate. An excerpt fromThe Princesson the first page says:—
“Hark the bellFor dinner, let us go!”
Two lines from a poem,To the Rev. F. D. Maurice, head the list:—
“You’ll have no scandal while you dine,But honest talk and wholesome wine.”
To the toast of “The Queen” are four lines, as follow:—
“Her Court was pure; her life serene;God gave her peace; her land reposed;A thousand claims to reverence closedIn her as Mother, Wife, and Queen.”
Five lines fromThe Battle of Brunanburghare given to the toast of “Our Brave Defenders”:—
“Theirs was a greatnessGot from their grandsires—Theirs that so often inStrife with their enemies,Struck for their hoards and their hearths and their homes.”
Two quotations appear under the toast of “Success to the Hull Literary Club”:—
“We rub each other’s angles down.”—In Memoriam.“Work in noble brotherhood.”—Exhibition Ode.
With the toast of “Literature and the Arts” is the line:—
“Let knowledge grow from more to more.”
Under “The Press”:—
“News from the humming city comes to it.”
The line under the toast of “The Ladies” is brief and graceful:—
“Made to be loved.”
Toastingand drinking were more general half a century ago than they are at the present time. In the earlier years of the Queen’s reign temperance, if not teetotalism, was, it is true, making headway, but in a great measure convivial customs were maintained, and toasting was popular. Books were published to supply suitable toasts, for public and private parties. Such compilations must have been extremely useful to those who attended social gatherings, and were not able to express graceful and pithy sentiments.
We have before us a little work issued in London in 1847, under the title of “The Social and Convivial Toast-Master; and Compendium of Sentiment.” It consists of prose and poetry arranged under various headings, such as Loyal and Patriotic, Naval and Military, Masonic, Bacchanalian, Amatory, Sporting, Political, Sentimental, and lastly, Miscellaneous. It cannot be without interest to reproduce from this rare volume a few examples of the toasts of the earlier Victorian era.
The opening section of the book is devoted to loyal and patriotic toasts. The first toast is this:—
“Albert and Victoria; may their union be cemented by love and affection, and their Royal offspring adorn the station they are destined to fill.”
A brief and popular toast was:—
“Church and Queen.”
Another sentiment was:—
“Happiness to the Royal pair—Victoria and Albert.”
A longer toast is as follows:—
“Here’s a health to Her Majesty,Conversion to her enemies,And he that will not pledge her healthI wish him neither wit nor wealth,Nor yet a rope to hang himself.”
Another toast is to this effect:—
“Health to the Queen, prosperity to the people, and may the Ministry direct their endeavours to the public good rather than engage in party distinction.”
A favourite sentiment was:—
“Great Britain’s rising star, the Prince of Wales.”
Many of the patriotic toasts ask for reforms:—
“A revision of the code of criminal laws.”
At this period they were extremely severe.
“A speedy restoration of the rights of the people.”
was another toast, and not a few related to Ireland.
“Truth for England and justice for Ireland”
is one, and another says:—
“The birthplace of wit, the home of hospitality—Ireland.”
Patriotic toasts relating to Scotland are numerous, such as:—